I'm a hoarder.

Okay, a potential hoarder.

This week Mama Kat is asking us:  If you were a hoarder, based on your personality...what would you hoard? (better yet, ask someone who knows you well, what they think you would hoard).

So what would I hoard?

Better yet, what have I hoarded?

When I was younger I hoarded kids meal toys.

There are still a few kicking around my parents house for my kids to enjoy when they are there.

When i was a teenager, I hoarded notes.

I had hundreds of notes from friends.

Notes I'd written to "loves".

*gags*

When I was in high school I hoarded photos.

I put them all on my wall with that tacky {greasy} yellow stuff, so I didn't put a thousand tack holes into my dad's walls.

He'd have been so mad.

I had a wall full of photos.

In college I was a hoarder of any piece of anything that represented a memory.

I was 2-3 years into paper scrapbooking, and if I thought I could use it on a page, I kept it.

Pictures, match books, ticket stubs, a paper sack, photos, nick nacks, various little bits of whatever I happened to find.

I had a tote full of the stuff.

It was bad.

After I got married and had my Princess, I hoarded anything that held a memory to my new family.

Clothes, toys, papers, and all the stuff I still had from high school.

It was bad.

Okay, not Hoarders the TV show bad, but enough to be an issue every time we moved.

We do that pretty often.

I finally am learning to let go of the "stuff".

None of the papers, clothes or nick nacks are going to bring those moments back.

None of it.

I still hoard my photos, but it's easier since they are digital.

I hoard my digi scrapbooking supplies, as I create memories with those.

I've let go of *most* of my paper stash.

My newest hoarding obsession though is Pinterest.

I am storing all these links for the *someday*.

It's fun.

And I don't have to move it in a box {or 5} when we move.

It's a good thing.

Play along with Mama Kat this week!

...My decision regarding Homeschool...

Homeschool.

It sounds so, neat.

So fun.

So Rewarding.

And hard.

It's been an internal battle of right and morals vs. myths for months.

Who am I kidding?

Almost the last year.

I've even started a Pinterest board for all the Homeschool ideas I've seen and found.

It's amazing what is out there!

I'm at war with myself trying to figure out what is best for my children.

Isn't every parent?

I had read this post by the Bohemian Bowman's, last week, and resolved to call my children's public school career quits.

I was in TEARS as I spoke with hubby about it.

That night, we resolved that we would keep our son in preschool this year, to help him with focusing issues, and his emerging perfectionist.

He collapses into a fit when coloring because it's not perfect.

I don't know how to help him understand it doesn't need to be.

We also discussed keeping our daughter in the dual immersion program for a few months while I gained ground on how to tackle this thing called "Homeschool".

It would just be a matter of time until we pulled her out.

And that was that.

Or so I thought.

Then, I met her teachers face to face, without my daughter.

It was Conference night.

She has 2 teachers.

One for Chinese the other for English.

I really adore and respect these women so much.

They are all business, but they care SO MUCH about my little girl.

Not as much as me though.

But enough to change my mind.

Lord only knows what else she will learn on the playground....

Kids are getting info on being an adult so much earlier now.

They are not even kids!!

But, I realized, I'm NOT ready to homeschool.

There are days where I cannot even imagine having my wild monkeys home all day.

But then there are days {and moments} where I cry at the thought of neither of them being at home with me.

{like right now...}

What I can do, is I can help her as much as possible.

I can try to teach her who are good friends you want to keep around forever, and who are the bad ones that will teach you trash.

I can volunteer my time at her school and show her that I do care.

All while taking care of my misgivings and learning more, just in case.

So hubby and I had another talk.

We will keep her in public school as long as she is doing the dual immersion program.

The moment that it ends, or that we find a valid reason to pull her out, we will.

As for my son, we'll probably do the same thing.

If he does not get into a dual immersion program, then we will begin homeschooling him.

Until then, I will enrich their lives with extra activities and learning opportunities at home.

We will have "field trips" on the weekends.

Fun dinner conversations.

Life skills opportunities.

Devotions over breakfast.

Prayer every morning and night.

I will leave encouraging notes and Bible verses in her lunch box to help her get through the day.

Most of all, I want her to know that we care.

That we love her.

That no matter what, I think that this is best for her, now.

While their at school, I'll be jogging, sewing, scrapping and trying to better myself and build a business.

I'll also be going back to school.

To become a teacher.

I think.

Cheers to another school year!