What I did today

I set my alarm. For 6. Not that it mattered. Between the hives and the stress (which no doubt exacerbated the hives), I don't think I slept at all.

At 6:15, I dug myself out of my warm cocoon and got dressed. With make-up, even.

At 6:30, I climbed the stairs and flipped on the light in K's room seconds before her alarm went off. She had laid her clothes out the night before.

At 6:50, K and I grabbed some breakfast to go, bundled into our coats, then jumped in the car. We drove across the neighborhood...

...to the local elementary school.

Yep. After 4 and a half years at home, K is off to school.

She wanted to go. She's been asking, she was getting a bit bored here at home, it's difficult to tailor our experiences to two different ages and interests, I was having to focus so much time on K's schoolwork that L was doing too much on her own, having everyone here all day every day was overwhelming, I'm just too lazy to deal with everything, and it just seemed like the right time.

Don't get me wrong. I don't feel at all like I "failed" at homeschooling. I hesitated to say anything earlier because I was afraid how other people would react. There are the die-hard homeschoolers who will be horrified that I would send my precious angel into that cesspool of sin known as public school. There are the die-hard anti-homeschoolers who will say, "I told you so!" I've sat and listened as group of women told one overwhelmed young mother that if she would just send her children to public school like "normal people", all her problems would vanish. Neither of those stances are accurate or good for anyone.

Homeschooling is simply one more educational option. K and L have both done very well with homeschool. I am constantly being told how smart they are and what great kids they are. It's obviously worked well for them. I just think it's time to let K have the school experience she wants and I don't think public school will ruin her.

For now, K is off to school and L is continuing her program here at home. L is very smart, but she has some immaturity issues with focus and self-control that would make it a very difficult situation in a classroom. I'm hoping that not having to constantly compete with her sister for attention will help her to mature a little bit.

Our first day went very well. K is enrolled and had a full day of reading, writing, and more reading. L got started with her school early and was done long before lunch and I got to give her some extra attention. The dog went to the vet, the laundry is almost done, I finished putting together all of K's grades so I could take her report cards back to the school, tracked down a few things that needed to be done - it's amazing what you can accomplish when you get up and start your day early.