Meet Jacquie

Hi! I'm Jacquie a mom to my wonderful blessings from God and help meet to my husband Wayne since July 17th 2004. Here's a little bit of our story. My husband and I met online and instantly hit it off in person. We found out we could have met several ways in high school but that never happened. (God's timing is perfect!). We weren't following God's will at the time and I got pregnant with our oldest, my little artist! We got married when she was three months old and we had started attending our current church which we love.

When my oldest was about 18 months I went back to school. I wanted to teach. That was my lifelong dream and I was determined to finish school so I could have that career. I never thought that God may have a different plan for my life. When we first considered preschool my husband mentioned I should homeschool. I thought he was completely crazy. I hated the thought of homschooling and told him "NEVER!"

A few years into finishing my degree the professors in the education department basically told me I wasn't cut out to teach and would not allow me to do my student teaching. My dream was shot down and I was devastated.

I graduated college 5 days after my son was born! I was a SAHM and enjoying my time with my 2 children. My oldest went to kindergarten at the local public school. And a few months in my little princess was born. Kindergarten was going well for the most part but there were some issues of my daughter being made fun of because of her speech. She had a severe delay and had only been talking for about a year before starting kindergarten. She had to have surgery to lengthen her pharyngeal flap to be able to speak more than just voewls.

It was February of her kindergarten year when I heard a speaker say something about the public schools being like a day care for those working. My head started thinking. "I'm home so why should I have my kids gone all day for someone else to raise them?" The thought of homeschooling entered my thoughts and I seriously tried to shove it away thinking I was crazy for even having the thought!

God had put that on my heart that day and there was no getting away from it! A few months later I mentioned that I was considering homeschooling. She had homeschooled her two from start to finish. She was shocked (as were other HSers at my church because it was quite sudden) but she got me in contact with a current homeschool mom who helped me get things going, learn about the laws and curriculum choices out there.

When my daughter finshed kindergarten I started having serious doubts! Am I doing the right thing? Can I do this? Should I just keep her in school? All the normal thoughts for someone making a huge lifestyle change! I eventually settled down after a lot of prayer and realized YES this IS what God wanted me to do for my chldren.

I will admit, our first year wasn't easy. I had MANY days I wanted to throw in the towel. My daughter had to learn to respect me as mom and teacher and I had to learn not to stress her out or get mean when she didn't understand or get something right. In hindsight we probably should have changed curriculum for much of what we were using.

Now here we are a few years in. LOVING our homeschool life. God definitely had BIGGER plans for my life! Much of my family doesn't understand why I don't get a job and put the kids in school. This truly is what God wanted for me to do He closed those doors in colleg and opened a much bigger one for me! So thtat''s my journey to where we are right now. Hopefully this will inspire someone else considering homeschooling to give it a second thought and let God open that door to a whole new life with your family.

My Blessings:

Chelsea

My artist. This girl has always loved anything arts and crafts! It's truly her gift and passion! She has a sense of humor like her father but also a stubborn streak. She was born with a genetic disorder called DiGeorge syndrom AKA 22q deletion. Basically a piece of a chromosome is missing. It caused a lot of issues from her speech, lower immune system and her small size. We found out that my husband also has the same thing. It can also cause learning issues like reading comprehension and other things which I'm noticing some of but we're getting through it! She's a BIG help to me and LOVES spending time with her brother and sister. This year she has started gymnastics and has really enjoyed it.

Hunter

Hunter is my ball of energy, loving little man! He's always up for a cuddle, hug or kiss on the cheek. He is so full of energy and often found bouncing on the couch or jumping on the floor! He loves to help cook in the kitchen and anything about dinosaurs! He is soaking up so much like a little sponge! Hunter is always surprising me with what he already knows! He has a very serious side of quiet and observance to figure out how things work but also knows how to be silly and have fun!

Natalie

 My little prncess! She's such a girly girl but knows how to hold her own. Only 18 months younger than her big brother she had to learn that pretty early on! The two of them often wrestle on the couch or floor during school time! She has a very sweet side to her but also an attitude like no other that I've seen in such a little girl! She loves dress up, baby dolls, books and trying to be a big girl like her big sis!

Allison

Our newest addition! She arrived in July of 2013 and you can read her speedy birth story here on my blog. She's growing fast, my little cuddle bug! She's a happy baby most of the time and absolutely adored by her siblings who all like to notify me if she starts fussing. We are so happy to have her part of our family now!