Emma's Preschool

Olivia and I went to preschool with Emma yesterday. It was really fun, and I learned a lot. Last year, I subbed for Teresa when she or baby Gracie was sick and Kelly couldn't sub, so I'm pretty familiar with the school, what I learned was about Emma. The following are things I honestly didn't know about my "baby":

1. She can go potty without help
2. She can sit still long enough to listen to a story
3. She does know how to share toys
4. She can speak clearly enough for other adults to understand her
5. She can trace her name beautifully (won't do it at home)
6. She can count to ten (at home she goes 1 2 3 8 9 10)
7. She does know how to pick up toys
8. She can make it 3 hours without whining (who woulda thought)
9. She can be outgoing (she has a shy nature)
10. She really is a big girl, not a baby anymore

Poor Emma, now that I know these things her free ride is over! I think she gets away with more because I know she is my last baby. Well, she is three now, time to buck up and face the music. You do have to pick up after yourself, you are expected to listen the first time. She was playing dumb with me and I believed her! Not again, sister!

I really did suspect most the things on the list and make her do them occasionally, but seeing her with other kids and another adult in charge for three hours showed me she is old enough to do all those things consistently. Pray for me as I enter this battle. One thing I have always known about her, she is as stubborn as her father and smarter than her mother!

Should I Go Back to College?

Ok, as if life isn't busy enough or I don't have enough to do, I am now contemplating going back to college. When Mike and I got married, I quit school so I could work full-time so we could afford to live. The plan was always for me to finish college when the kids were in school. Fast forward 9 years, and we've decide to home school, which makes attending classes practically impossible. However, in this day and age, I could attend college online and not have to go anywhere.

I do want to finish my teaching degree just in case something happens to Mike, I would be able to support the girls and myself while still feeling like I had adequate time to be a mom. It would also be beneficial in the event that Montana decides homeschoolers need a teaching credential. Many states require the mom to have a teaching certificate or be monitored every three months by the state. So far, the only regulation in Montana is that I notify the superintendents office and agree to teach a curriculum comparable to what is taught in public school and keep attendance records. I want to protect my right to home school, and right now getting my degree and teachers certificate seems the most practical way to do so.

Please pray for this decision. We don't have the finances to do this, so I would either have to have grants, scholarships or student loans. I am not wanting to go into debt for this.