Schooloption & Spiderman.

Oh 30 day challenges for all the public to see aren't you a laugh-riot!

I just love humiliating myself on such a large platform such as the internet.

In my defense, I have just a tad of stuff going on and I don't journal like I should so y'all have to suffer hearing it if you have even continued reading.

Stuff that rhymes with schmajopshion. Yes, that. Things are heating up and I've had to do stuff I didn't think was possible for our family in the whole 3 Nichols becoming 4 business.
5 if you count that cute little dog. And guess what??

I CAN'T TELL ANYONE ANYTHING ABOUT IT. 

Nope. Oh I've told some family and friendamily peeps, but absolutely are not supposed to divulge anything on social media lest we want to be un-considered for a kid. So I'm making a point to write that down so I can visually see the Hand of God in this and our future daughter can too.

It's no small thing adopting. You are interrupting the enemy's plans to own a life. Well, I'm not doing anything. God is.

So yeah....

There's Snow business like Snow-business!
And here in Katy, TX there's been these phantom ice storms and silly school closures and this and that and the like. And I'm so freakin over cold. Totally knowing that I am talking about Southeast Texas cold which is relatively so not cold.
My salamander body is not equipped to handle this and it's causing me mini-fits of rage that like to come up when I can't zip up my kid's coat which is now in lost and found purgatory. I tried to look for it, but when I had to dig through the pile all I could think of was lice and had to stop.

Drooling over Schooling:
And we are looking into "other options" for our kid's schooling because we crave huge family transitioning times that totally earthquake our home in a good way...

Here's the deal with that.
My kid is of a certain group of children- all kids are in certain groups (when you get down to it) and I'm not trying to sound elite in that at all- and this particular group of kids need attention in different ways (just like all kids in their respective groups). And only a handful of people understand that in our particular school district. And frankly, like bronchitis ain't no one got time for these kids! Especially when they have over 1,000 other kids to deal with.



http://nepatins.edublogs.org/

So what happens then?

• Your kid reads in class. A LOT. (Thankful she loves to read, but....)
• They are told that they don't really need to do the Christmas break homework - excuse me, winter break. Christians are not allowed to practice their faith- remember that! Silly me!
• And then 100's which seem like a good thing (we are thankful for sure!) are actually a sign that my child is not being challenged in the way she needs and therefore cannot develop the resiliency which is the key to pretty much everything life throws your way.  And her mom likes run-on sentences.
• So when she hits a wall which is inevitable, there is no resilient quality to let her know that she knows she can get through stuff that has been "hard" before.
• Your kid starts saying, "I don't like school." This is the same kid that lived for school a couple of months ago. 

I do not blame her teachers!!!! AT ALL. I'm such a teacher fan. I'm 98.7% always on their side. Promise.
And-
Look, I'm not trying to subtly brag here.
There has got to be other moms that feel this way. It's a different type of struggle that has to go unannounced in comparison to other struggles- YET IT IS STILL A STRUGGLE. One that we are trying with God's lead through prayer to get on top of before it gets hairy.

Does anyone else- moms I'm looking at you- have this super-spidey-sense where they can see where their kid is headed and they don't like it? I can see it. 

We are looking at private schooling - a small school that caters to kids that fit into this mold and actually love to talk about mold, science, etc. etc.

And also at homeschooling, but I'm so not worthy. Did you see that huge run-on sentence back there? Yeesh!

Our thinking is like this:
If He calls us to go to Private School, then He will equip us for that journey.
If He calls us to homeschooling, then He will equip me to homeschool her complete with pigs with wings in flight.
And if He calls us to stay in our current Public School, then you guessed it- equippage.

This is what is going on. I know it's nothing all together spectacular.

It's just lots of decisions that make this momma stress-eat on some days and forget to eat on others (another mountain for another day). I'm thankful to be a parent. I'm not complaining. I'm just saying in hopes that we can all band together as moms and know that dang, parenting is not a joke.

I think this quote from Spiderman (the comic and the film) says it best:
"WITH GREAT POWER THERE MUST ALSO COME--GREAT RESPONSIBILITY!"  

Thank you Stan Lee.

Public, Private, Home, or Juvie!

Our kid, who got a hold of our camera in secret.... I found them and laughed. Hard. I asked her permission to put these on here.



Am I settled on my blog post about schooling decisions title choice? No. But I need to move on. I guess you could say I was "pun"successful of reaching my pun-every-title-post challenge.

Also unsuccessful at the weekly reading challenge. There! Happy!!? Gloat all you want! I got 3 books in 3 weeks, hey I'm not an editor! But then I slacked with this one: Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel. NOT because it's not fantastic, because it most certainly is. But because it's been kind of nutrageous around here with all the errands and randomness: selling gold, returning recalled turkey, and well, the usual eating cheese.

And before I move on to my blurb about schooling and what I feel God has unveiled and unleashed in my heart, I have to say that having mad, crazy hot flashes when you're 30 in Texas heat is not fun. Let's just say I have had to up the dosage a bit on some hormone levels because I have grown weary of spontaneous combustion. It's a good way to stain your CR-V interior, you know with human carnage, ash, and such.

NOW ON WITH IT!
We are sending our one and only (but are praying about adoption if God should lead us down that path- shhh that's a secret!) Leelah-bug to Kindygarten. This send-off is a big step for us, or just me really. She is going to public school. At the beginning of this year during one of my group therapy sesshes (you know I go there and you know you're jealous!) stuff came out about how I had a rather unpleasant first day experience. I didn't know that was what was producing so much fear in my heart for my sending off my daughter. The whole "DON'T TAKE HER INNOCENCE!!" mindset was a heavy burden to bear. I entertained ideas of maybe private school? To which John declined and I obliged respecting his decision. Well, what about homeschool? A great option, but not the best for my only child who was made to be a ham. Plus, she really needs to learn by being around others to lay off the boss-sauce!

Up until a month ago I felt as if there was a countdown to the apocalypse. Not necessarily the public school thing just the whole idea of releasing her into the wild- public, private, or juvinile detention! And I'm not judging where anyone sends there kid!
My thoughts were all-centered on AUGUST 22ND- JUDGEMENT DAY. And I prayed, prayed, cried, didn't pray, was bitter, prayed, and then finally God spoke to me about His plans for His child:
"Leave her in (public school). I need her there." Whoa.
And instantly, the fear, the sadness was gone.

And then I got convicted in a gentle way of course, but for serious. How dare I assume what happened to me would happen to her? Why am I presumptuously grieving a precious moment - her embarking on an adventure she was born to take?
And that's when the joy started to take over.

Thank you Lord. For filling my heart with joy and excitement. Now, I made sure back when I was in Gloomsville, U.S.A. not to let her know my true heart. I was always thumbs-upping it in front of her and then I'd turn around secretly and make the puke-inducing face to friends. But now I can honestly say that "my face is no longer downcast." - From 1 Samuel 1- great story about waiting and hard times Thank you Gari Meacham, gifted author, teacher and friend, for shedding light and showing the relevance of this hopeful piece of scripture.
So as I was reading Grace Based Parenting, I came across this wonderful paragraph on page 22:

Speaking of fears, if your child attends the public school system, a grace-based family makes it easier for him or her to succeed because you aren't intimidated by the inherent shortcomings inside the public school system. And if you aren't afraid of what's out there, it's a lot easier for your children to thrive apiritually inside the antagonistic environment they might encounter at school.

My whole thought now is this (and John had it first because he's cool like that), she is going to be out in the real world eventually. Why not do her a service and begin it now? It might not be that clear for you. It might be clear your kid should wait to start school, go to a charter school, do unschooling, whatever will set your child(ren) up for success in their adulthood based on how they are made. And God made Leelah sassy for a reason.

So I'm loving the non-downcast look. And praising God for what He has shown me. I don't want to ignite a debate. I'm just thankful to know a little better about the path my child that He has her on, whether I'm for it or against it! And yes, this is subject to change!!

My joyful prayer now is that she will "shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life."- Phlippians 2:14-16