thankful for...

*this post was written in November 2010, almost two years ago, but I just found it in my drafts folder.*

I'm thankful for my home school group.

Because of my religion, I'm not allowed to join any of the Christian home school groups around here. You have to sign a "statement of faith" agreeing to things that I can't agree to, so we're cut out of those groups.  When we started homeschooling, we joined an "inclusive" group in our city of 150 families, which means I get to hang with a lot of the liberal hippie weirdos, like my parents. *LOL* Just joking. Really, they're so nice and accepting. I've never been welcomed into a group so quickly and warmly.

Our HS group has activities throughout the week. During the summer, we had a lighter academic load, so we were able to participate in everything. But we've had to really cut back this fall. Even with cutting back, there is always at least one park date, ice skating or gymnastics, a fun playdate or a field trip, and the book group every single week. It's a lot, but we're really grateful for it.

The kids have made some good friends and I enjoy the adult interaction. We even have a yearbook that comes out at the end of the summer each year. My kids made it into lots of the pages this year, because we joined early enough to be a part of so many activities.

Since we joined in May/June, we've hosted a "NOT Back to School Party" at a local indoor amusement park. We hosted a Teddy Bear Picnic for the "primary playgroup" Buddy is in. We hiked, sang, read books, and enjoyed lots of bear snacks. This month, we hosted a service project for the monthly girl group that Sunshine is in. We made holiday placemats for a local homeless shelter.

I'm truly grateful for them all...even the weird, unsocialized ones. =)