Way to Start the Year!

We recently attended a kickoff picnic for our new homeschool support group. There were over 130 people there! 130 people committed to and involved with homeschooling - fabulous!

It was a great day, there was good food (yay they even had portobella mushrooms for us), great games and many new and fun people to meet. The kids jumped right in and got involved with the games the kids were playing.

One of their favorite activites was a water bottle rocket launch. You fill a 2 liter halfway and hook it to the end of a pump of some sort, one person holds it down so the pressure builds and then it shoots into the sky and acros the field - a big hit! This was probably Ciaran's favorite part of the day. There was also a really cool ball jumping game set up where the kids jumped onto a fan of sorts which was attached to a big PVC pipe that was filled with nerf water balls which flew into the air and the kids had to catch them, another big hit.

There were large field games going on like steal the flag and a version of shark tag I think. There were sack races and little games and races for the kids. A big game of kickball and a playground.

There were three things that really stick with me about the day. First, was the way the fathers interacted with all the kids. They were running the games and more importantly playing the games alongside the kids. It was genuine and it was real and it was great to see the way these men cared not only for their own kids but for all the others including my own.

The second thing was the fact that there were so many of us there. So many in the same boat. Some with infants and some with college students. Some who have been homeschooling for years and others just starting out. There were so many kids and parents and even a few grandparents. Everyone was getting along and just accepting each other. It was a wonderful day.

The thing that stands out the most for me was the community of Christians we found ourselves in. The most touching and memorable moment was the prayer and blessing time we had. All the kids sat in a big group on the grass and the parents all formed a big circle around them and we prayed. People took turns praying as they felt led. We prayed for the kids, for the school year, for the moms, for the dads, for our homes, for our safety, for siblings to help out, for the freedom to homeschool and for all the blessings we have. We prayed for God's hand of protection over our kids and our whole group this school year. It was awesome and it was powerful and it made me know that we are in the right place at the right time for our family and our homeschooling journey.

May you be blessed this school year and may you have a fun and productive time.

Blessings,
Tenn