I'm a Homeschooling Mom and I Am Far from Perfect

Hello,
My name is Ashley, I'm a homeschooling mom and I am far from perfect. I feel so unworthy when I tell people I homeschool my children and they say something like, "Wow! I admire you! I could never do that!" I suspect other homeschooling moms feel the same. Why do I see myself as unworthy? Here are my top 5 reasons why:

1. I like to sleep late! I can't stand getting up early! God blessed me with a little girl who got up singing at 6am when she was 3! Now she is almost 11 and she too likes to sleep late. The problem? It is now up to me to try to drag her, my other two children & myself out of bed by 10am!

2. I hated school! As a teen I use to use every excuse in the book to skip school. I dropped out at age 17, got my GED and married at 18. (Yes, we are still married 13yrs later.) Why did I decide to homeschool since I didn't like it? Well honestly it wasn't my idea. God just seemed to keep pushing homeschooling parents into my life. Honestly it fell into my lap. I had a new born, an 18mth old and a 6yr old our first year of homeschooling then I had a nervous break down! That was when God opened my eyes to classical homeschooling, but that is another story.

3. I am lazy! Yes I admit it & can't hide the fact that I'd rather soak in a hot bath or play a computer game. I love computer games! When you open my kitchen cabinets watch out something may fall on you! Need something to put leftovers in? Good luck finding a top to cover it with my house!

4. I can't stand math or science! I don't know how my oldest loves those two subjects when I still count on my fingers to add or subtract. No enough fingers? I use my toes! I have learned to learn along with my oldest though and amazed at how many answers I can answer sometimes while watching "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?"

5. I don't wear make up or fancy clothes. I always feel so under dressed at times around other homeschooling moms. I am in my pjs all day long. I live in my pjs. If someone rings my door bell my poor kids have to go to the window, hold up one finger to the person outside just to let them know they have to wait a few minuets while I struggle to put on some clothes!

So I am far from perfect. When I am asked how I do it I honestly say, "God is doing the homeschooling. Not me." As a Christian there is no way I could homeschool with out God working through me. When I struggle to go to sleep with worry about my children and how I am teaching them the Lord always shows me something positive. It can be something as small as my 7yr old daughter sitting down to create her own book out of used printer paper or my oldest daughter telling me some amazing animal fact she read about.

I heard as a child a song that said, "There really ought to be a sign upon my heart. Don't judge me yet there's an unfinished part." This song verse gives me strength on days I feel so unworthy to teach the children God has blessed me with. Yet I am also very thankful for the job.