The End of a Chapter

or Where Are the Ladybugs Going to Attend School in the Fall?

A Sad Day
I have been keeping something a secret for some time now, but the balloon in my head needs to be shared.  I have begun a blog post a million times, it seems, and yet I just couldn't push "publish" after spending time writing.  The truth is: The Ladybugs will not be able to attend their current school in the fall.  Why is that?  Because the school is closing at the end of the school year.  I got confirmation today, but I have instinctively known this for quite some time.

In order to keep the school running smoothly, there needed to be approximately 75 children attending.  This year the enrollment begun at 42, and starting Monday we will be in the mid 30s.  Why?  Many different reasons.  The biggest reason that I could see is that people lost hope in the school.  Last summer a couple of families decided to pull their children and send them to another private school in the area.  When these families left the school, others joined them.  I find it interesting how quickly the sheep follow others.  But they did.

We did not leave the school, because I believed in what the school had to offer.  It is and has always been a magical place for me and my family.  I love the school, but know that this is the proper course of action.  It is heartbreaking because it comes in the aftermath of leaving our church less than a month ago.

Now What?
This leaves me and my husband, Jim, the hard decision of where the Ladybugs will attend in the fall.  Our public school system leaves a lot to be desired.  However, last week I put in the paperwork for a school of choice in the district.  We are not thrilled with our neighborhood choice, and we really hope that the school we've selected has room.  I sent a letter describing our reasons to request the school of choice.  Hopefully our desire for after school care, and an ease of transition for our anxious Zoe will be enough.  Of course I realize it is all in His hands.

I suppose we have to establish what is Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, etc.  I would put self-homeschooling at the bottom of the "plan list".  I love my Zoe, but we are like oil and water.  I do very little homework activities with her, because she constantly gets annoyed with me.  However, I would be open to having a professional teacher provide "home-schooling" for the Ladybugs in the fall.

The real issue is that we do not want our children attending a private school that is affiliated with a church.  We have been blessed to be at a Christian school that is not affiliated with a church, but is parent sponsored and run.  The other non-denominational schools in the area are basically twice the tuition as we are currently paying.  That is a lot of piano/voice lessons I would have to do.  I'm not entirely certain what will happen to my business either.

2013: The Year of the Short Bangs

I have been trying to focus my thought bubbles on more amusing topics.  It has not been very easy.  However, yesterday I got very short bangs, and I have decided that 2013 will be the year of the short bangs.  And for THIS change, I am all ready!