Abigail was turning five and we needed to make a decision about school for Kindergarten. I had already decided homeschooling was not for me, so we had to find another option. We looked at the christian school but the tuition was just too much for our little budget to handle.

We then ventured into the public schools. We visited with a kindergarten teacher and got an idea of what we would be getting into. I felt okay with it, but was a little apprehensive. I was going to send my beloved daughter to learn from these people for the best part of her day. Would she be okay? Would I?

We signed her up and her school was less than two miles from our house. She would only go for half days every other day, which made it so much more bearable to me. I had intentions of helping out in her class, but it was very difficult to do that with two little ones at home. She had a great teacher, made friends easily, and learned everything her little brain could soak up. She LOVED school! I missed her but did enjoy the time with my littler two.

Then at the second half of the school year we found out we would be moving. My husband had been hired for a new job. His new place of employment was two hours away and we would be moving from rural Minnesota to the suburbs of the big city.

After deciding where we would live, we looked at the schools. We visited the local public school and just didn’t feel at peace. We heard about a christian school in the city. We checked it out and decided it would be a good fit.

Abigail went there for 1st grade. We loved it. They put importance on parent involvement, they had a classical approach to their teaching, and best of all it was Christ-centered. Abigail loved it too. She had a great teacher and again easily made friends.

I still missed her. She was gone from 10-4, which made for a long day for her. She was exhausted and crabby by the time she came home. The 20 minute drive, give or take traffic, was not a plus.

At the end of the school year we considered all the pros and cons. We knew the price would be going up the next year, plus her sister would be going too. We didn’t think we would be sending her back the next year, so now what?

We still didn’t think public school was the right choice for our family, so we looked into homeschooling again. I talked to a few more homeschooling families. They were all at different ages, different teaching methods, and different stages in life. I heard the benefits and disadvantages. I wrote down pros and cons. We prayed about it and definitely felt that this would be the right fit for our family right now.

We would start homeschooling.

Only this time I would have a 2nd grader, Kindergartener, and 3-year-old.