So yes, we've made the decision to home school so for all you moms out there who home school, would love to hear your advice and links and references.

It was a case of weighing a lot of pros and cons that are individual based. We realized that homeschooling is not for everyone just like public school isn't for everyone so we really looked at our individual situation and factor in time, temperament and teachings would be.

We spent a lot of time talking not only to people who home school (and knew a few personally who did) but also talked to teachers and we also have friends who are teachers in public schools to help us weigh the pros and cons of the decision and eventually we were led by not only prayer to our Heavenly Father but the list we had written down on paper, that this is the best option for us to consider.

So not only joining local homeschooling groups but we found a state based home school for our state that I will be joining AND joining the national home-schooling association and right now I've begun working on lesson plans and a curriculum to begin home schooling at home.

I found a great software that not only lets me create lesson plans via the computer, but also record grades, absences (i.e. when the kids have a 100 plus fever and vomiting and no way would be going to school either publicaly or privately), but also helps me create a year long based curriculum to follow.

We are getting a dry erase board (more sense than a blackboard and I can't get that screeching noise out of my head when I see a blackboard, lol) and binders, one for me to keep printed lesson plans and worksheets in and one for the kids to "decorate" as their own and to keep what they have worked on in for record purposes.

One of the things we liked about homeschooling is that this isn't a set, 8-3 schedule...so if we have to go to a doctor's appointment or their not feeling good that day, we can delay the "class" for later in the day or after a trip to the doctor's office (sorry Johnny, not getting off that easy).

Honestly and this is just an opinion so no "flaming" but homeschooling is not for the weak hearted or weak discipline.

It takes a lot of self-discipline and organization and if your dayplanner keeps turning up, dusty and cover with 2 years worth of mold, you or the kids are easily distracted, the t.v. is kept on all day, or one find oneself finding reasons to put off starting class work,I wouldn't recommend homeschooling and would suggest either public school or if you can afford it, private school.

Now we just need prayers...lots of prayers. LOL