Where are the Cookies????

So, as excited as I am about my homeschool journey and it's new beginning, I had to tell all of my homeschool friends at church last night that I have decided to join them.
First response, "Yay! I'm so excited for you. Let me know if you need any help with anything." (She has been with me through this whole decision journey) I gave her a big hug and thanked her for her support and prayers.
Second response, "I thought you were leaning that way, here are some websites that might help." I reminded her that I would be asking her a lot of dumb questions.
Third response, "Welcome to the other side. Muwahahahahaha!!!" To THIS amazing and funny, goofy friend, I replied, "I heard you had cookies!" "Cookies?? And cakes and pies. We do a lot of baking!!" Hmmm...sounds pretty good so far! lol
The next friend is one of those friends that I told very honestly and very firmly, "Homeschooling just isn't right for me or my family. But if that ever changes, I guess God will let me know." When I told her, she said, "Ahh. So you've decided to join us. Welcome to the dark side." (Again, I've always heard there were cookies on the "dark side." I like cookies...a lot) We had a fun little chat about things we might do together (we have mutual 4th graders and our 2 year olds are best friends).
Everyone wanted to know what changed my mind. See, I have always said, "Homeschooling isn't for me. I would kill my kids. We need that time apart." or "I totally support your decision to homeschool, but I want my kids to be able to do things that they can only do in public school, like drama and cheerleading, music and such." or "You do what you feel is right for your kids and I will totally support that. I am NOT homeschooling. I'll let you know if God ever changes that."
Well, change it He did. Like I said in my earlier post, it started with hearing my five year old singing, "I'm sexy and I know it." Needless to say, that song is NOT on my "mom-approved" music list! It grew with a parent/teacher conference where a teacher asked if we had considered retention for our kindergarten child because she is only five instead of six like many of the other children in their kindergarten. Um...no. We have not considered retention. We would, however, like to teach her what sounds words make before we teach her a couple dozen third grade words. The sounds make absolutely no sense to her, but by golly she memorized the words to please everyone. I don't exactly consider that reading. Knowing what sound the "ow" and "ou" in "about" and "now" make allows you to read them in words like wow, cow, and how as well as aloud, amount, cloud, and flour. Great. So she knows "about" and "now" but none of these other words and when she sees them has no idea what that sound makes. Yeah, that's gonna change. Then of course there is the discussion we have had about dinosaurs and the earth being billions of years old. I'm sorry, but I want them out of that mess before someone tries to teach them their ancestors slimed out a swamp somewhere and eventually grew arms and legs to swing from tree to tree. As Papa Charles says, "My ancestors may have swung from their necks but never their feet." Then I discovered that my third grader wasn't taught cursive this year. She can't write it and she can't read it. Oh, she can read Pride and Prejudice, but put a cursive "The big brown fox chases the lazy dog" in front of her and she is lost. Way to go, public school. I think the final straw for me personally was reading Dannah Gresh's book, "Six Ways to Keep the Little in Your Girl" (check out her website at www.secretkeepergirls.com). Here, I learned what my tween is learning from other children at school. That made me totally freak out and when I began to earnestly pray about what to do, homeschool moms started dropping into my path like "white on rice".
Here is where it gets funny to me. They say when God wants you to do something He will let you know. Boy, did He ever! First, I found out one of my very good friends I love and admire homeschools her son. He is 15 or 16 and one of the brightest, well adjusted, outgoing, smart, funny and precious kids I know. Uh yeah, his mom is responsible for that. She taught him to love God, live truth and serve others and well, he does. Then my other homeschool friends began showing me in ways they didn't realize how amazing their kids are. I spent a week with my sister and her homeschooled teenagers and thought, "I want my kids to be like that." I have always watched two friends in particular as their children have grown up in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. And I thought, I wonder how to teach my kids that? Well, I guess I could TEACH my kids. Well, THERE'S a novel idea. If you want your child to "put on the whole armor of God, that (they) may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." (Eph 6:11), well then, I reckon you have to teach them what the armor of God is. For some parents, they can do that just fine in public/private school. For me, God was saying, "You ARE a teacher. You have been a teacher for many years. I have prepared you for this. It's time." You know, Paul says that "He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Phil 1:6b) So I asked God, "Is this my 'such a time as this'? Is this what You have been preparing me for? Is this why You have given me this strong desire to continue teaching that I can't reconcile with the strong desire I have to stay home with my kids?" And then He dropped NINE, yes, NINE homeschool parents in my path pretty much all at once. I'm a little dense. Sometimes God has to hit me over the head with stuff. So I started praying about it (so did my friend #1 from above) and my husband agreed to it. Then I got support from our family. Then I had a friend (#3) who offered to let me borrow her 1st grade curriculum saving us hundreds of dollars. Then my mother in law reminded me she had a table for me with adjustable legs. Then another friend recommended a way to get our 4th grade materials at a discount. And this friend suggested/gave this and this friend suggested/gave that and my husband asked me if I would like a room in our home dedicated to homeschooling so I could set up a "real" classroom with all of the stuff I used to have in my classroom at school. So it all came crashing together in a way that only God could provide. I said, "Ok, Lord! I get it. I'm going to do this! Let's go. JUST DON'T LET GO OF ME!!!!"

One thing I'm still wondering though....WHERE do I get those cookies????