This past week, I’ve been planning our homeschool curriculum for the 2015-2016 schoolyear. This will be the first time I’m teaching more than one student at home.

I will homeschool 3 kids this year!  6th grade, 1st grade, and Pre-K!  I’ve got my work cut out for me, so I’m making sure the procrastination bug stays well away.  My target start date is September 7th (or 8th).  For the sake of my children and my sanity, I will start on time!

There’s still a lot I need to plan – like how I’m going to structure my day to teach 3 grade levels (or more, since they all are advanced in at least one subject) while taking care of a 9 month old baby.  (Ow. My brain hurts already.)

Prayers, friends.  Prayers.  I really don’t think I’ll be able to get through this one without prayers.

BUT even before we start, any homeschooler will tell you that there’s a time when there will be barely enough of anything…

Barely enough patience…

Barely enough time…

Barely enough money…

That last one – Barely enough MONEY…  We’re suffering through that one right now.

Anyone who says that homeschooling is for poor people is absolutely clueless about homeschooling.

Public school is free.  Homeschooling is NOT free.  (Unless you opt to do home study using public school materials – but I think this defeats one of the major reasons one would homeschool anyway…)

For the most part, we homeschoolers have to buy everything – the regular student school supplies PLUS textbooks, workbooks, teacher edition books, learning posters, teaching materials, art materials, and pretty much everything you would normally see inside a regular public school.  Yes, that includes extra toilet tissues because the kids – who use a mile of tissue for their puny bottoms – are all home, all day.  No one provides these materials to us for free.  We buy it all, out of pocket, and do NOT get tax credits for it either.

I wish I still had a salaried job.  Managing a family of 6 on one income is hard.  If I had a job right now, and we were a two income household, we’d have so much money that nothing would be a problem.  After all, I was a Vice Principal and I have graduate degree!  Heck, I could pay the bills and have some left over to buy a new Smart TV and the latest Samsung Galaxy Note 5!  We could have Disneyland passes again!  We can throw birthday parties without a second thought!  We can send the kids to a Catholic Private School!!!

These are things I say to myself when money is tight.  I fall into this mindset a few times a year.  It’s that hard.

But I’ve been home with the kids for 6 years now.  I don’t know if going back to work will ever be the same.  I know exactly all the things I will miss IF I went back to work.  And I don’t want to miss a single thing.

But barely enough…

It’s hard living on barely enough.

“Looking at them, Jesus said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” – Mark 10:27

Oh me of so little faith.  I forgot that God is great.  He will always provide.

So stay tuned.  I will be posting more of our homeschool adventures in the coming days and months.  It will be hard, but I know it will be worth it.  With God by my side, I can’t fail.  Right?