Passion and the making of a home...

Passionate...
having, compelled by, or ruled by intense emotion or strong feeling;
Homemaking...
the management of a household.

When I flip through the pages of a Martha Stewart book (yes, I've done it...many times), a Real Simple magazine, or, hey, even a Pottery Barn catalog, I am instantly swept away into this world of beautiful things, a calm clean house and I could even have a dog - and he would be quiet and clean, also. The kids would have wonderful little bedroom sanctuaries; as would my husband and I. It's all so inspiring, isn't it? Until you look at the prices. And look around at your real house in the real world and the fact that you are still - after 2 years - trying to teach the "one toy at a time" rule and decide which room, really, should you keep the TV in. Could we use the hall closet as a pantry? Or maybe some kind of toy storage system that would instantly solve even needing to teach the "one toy at a time" rule?

I asked my Mom recently about her childhood. Did she remember what kind of homemaker her Mother was and all of that? She sat there and really just could not remember. When my kids are grown up they are not going to remember if my house was spotless but I think they will remember if I was cheerful and fun; full of passion and life. I spent a few years of my life trying to be normal. Some people I knew had let me know with their kind little comments that I was a little weird. Had a little too much feeling. Now I know that that is just who I am. It is better to have 3 friends who can stand your 'craziness' and will listen to you in spite of it (knowing that you will listen back, of course), than to try to squelch your true personality.

I could have no personality, work five jobs in order to put my Pottery Barn special together and purchase my Martha Stewart crafts that I would no longer have time to make;
OR...
I could figure out who the heck I really am, stop trying to be something else and watch my home grow into a beautiful place.

This week I have learned:
Early Morning Newspaper Routes are not for Mommies! At least not if you like to read to your kids every day, cook them dinner and still be awake to watch a movie with their Daddy at the end of the day.

Why was I looking for another job? I am already a dishwasher, janitor, chef/baker/menu planner, Girl Friday, dental hygienist, teacher, teacher's aide, massage therapist, barber, hair stylist, goat-herder, dog trainer, nurse...
and the list goes on and on.

Oh yeah - I don't get paid for any of that! But I wouldn't have my life any other way.

This year is my first year as a public homeschooler. We exclusively homeschooled up until this year and now all of our children are attending the local public school. I will be writing about it as we go because when we were making our decision I couldn't find much about it on the internet. So, if there are a lot of people who have done what we are doing, they are not writing about it. And I know I could have used the help!

For now...anyone out there want a paper route???