Day One: We Survived
Well… we did it. Our first day of homeschooling is officially in the books, and let me tell you, it wasn’t anything like the cute Pinterest boards would have you believe.
I’ve been planning, prepping, researching curriculums, and second-guessing myself for over a year. Honestly, I thought I was ready. But this morning I woke up with my stomach in knots, and before we even opened a book, I was blinking back tears. Tears! That is not me. I can wrangle cows, juggle kids, and help run a business without batting an eye, but apparently sitting down at the table with my two girls and a stack of lesson plans almost broke me.
Before we officially started, I opened my Bible app, and wouldn’t you know it—the verse of the day was Malachi 4:6: “He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers…” I shared it with a friend who had just wished me good luck, and she replied, “That’s a wink from God.” I’ll take it. Honestly, it felt like exactly the nudge I needed to keep going.
Now, let’s talk about the actual day. It was long. Like… all day long. Everything took twice as long as I thought it would. We’re using Enlightium Academy, which is helpful but also means Mom is learning right alongside the kids. My “feral” country girls—who are usually chasing chickens or climbing hay bales—sat with me through hours of lessons, and surprisingly, they kept a decent attitude about it. Sure, there were hiccups. Sure, my oldest and I didn’t finish until way past dinner. But we made it.
By the end of the day, I was drained. The house was a wreck, supper was late, and I questioned at least a dozen times whether I’m actually cut out for this. But in the middle of all that, I also caught these little glimpses of why we’re doing this—moments of laughter, little sparks of curiosity in their eyes, and the chance to learn together instead of rushing off in separate directions.
So no, it wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t polished. But it was ours. Day one is done, and sometimes survival is the victory.