Hi! I'm Holly Brimhall, a newborn photographer in Gilbert, AZ. I am the mother of 4 and a lover of ALL things baby. This blog is where I share the life of my family and favorite pictures of my newborn photography sessions.

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

So, maybe I'm not the smartest little cookie....


Sometimes I wonder and ask myself, "What in the heck were you thinking? Honestly, Holly. Wow!" Well, I kinda felt like that this last week or so. Who would be smart enough to start homeschooling 3 children AND start a crazy diet (so, so close to being what I weighed when I got married) when her husband was LEAVING THE COUNTRY FOR A WEEK? When I knew I wouldn't just be able to call him whenever I wanted. When I knew he wouldn't be there to rub my feet at night and help me tuck the children in bed. When I knew that I wouldn't sleep. I can't help it. When he's gone, I don't sleep. Here I am raising my hand, well trying to but I'm awfully tired. I know. I'm brilliant! Totally! Yah, I probably didn't think it through the best. I mean, I DID think about it and thought I could pull it off. I guess, I did pull it off. Kind of.

I followed the advice of a few homeschooling mothers that I admire (some I've only known for a few weeks). But ANY mother who homeschools her children and does it well, I admire. How could you not? Anyhow, they suggested spending some time breaking the tradition of "traditional schooling".

So we spent the week going on different field trips (science center, hours at the library, the zoo, a roadtrip to Joseph City - maybe I'll save that for another post, etc). We had fun! We really enjoyed being together, reading books all snuggled up on the couch, talking about things we want to learn about, writing in our journals about General Conference and our field trip to the zoo, etc. We've played so many games and had LOTS of recess and snack time. We've baked yummy treats together (which I can't eat, but they sure make the house smell great), had picnics, and built some amazing creations out of blocks and legos.

But I've been hard on myself. I think I'm pretty good at that! Sometimes The Hubs will tell me that I wouldn't be friends with myself, the way I talk down to myself. At night, when I was completely exhausted, and worried that I wasn't doing enough, and worried about how I felt I was falling short....I'd tell myself that I'd made the wrong decision, that I would never be able to have the energy that I needed to provide an exciting and loving learning environment full of scholarly information and creative projects. It made my week much harder than it should've been!

But now we are off to the airport, to pick The Hubs up - ONE DAY EARLY! He was successful on his deer hunt in Canada and we get to spend the whole day together....which I'm really excited about and so are the children! Maybe we'll go visit Therizinosaur at the museum or see an IMAX movie and go explore some place we've never been before! Yay for our next adventure!


8 comments:

Ashlee 10:36 AM  

Holly, I just wanted to let you know I am proud of you! I have followed your blog for at least a year and have a lot of respect for you. I also made the decision to home school this fall and, like you, it was a late decision. We are a few weeks ahead of you and I feel like I am getting into a small groove. I have the same concerns you voice, but I have to say that I can already see blessings from this new commitment. My kids are getting along better. They are teaching each other because our home is now focused on learning. There are tons of more blessings. I just wanted to let you know I respect you and admire you and think you will do awesome teaching your kids!

kh 12:59 PM  

You'd be surprised at how many of us have our jaws to the floor because of you. You never cease to amaze and inspire. Follow your heart is something so many don't have the courage to do these days, it's easier to follow the crowd. You follow your heart and your convictions and that's what makes you amazing and inspiring!

kristal 1:05 PM  

Just so you know, Vonda and I trash talked you the second you left...all out of jealousy. How absolutely FREAKING HOT you look, how great you are with your kids, how balanced your life is, and how great you are at every FREAKING thing you do. Just thought I'd let you know so it didn't feel so much like talking behind your back. haha!
And I agree, starting that strict of a diet, AND starting homeschooling on a week w/o hubs...if you can do that, think how easy this week will be!

Kristen and Ryan 6:25 PM  

Holly, I wanted to tell you how much I admire you! I fell in love with you because of your photography but you just keep blowing me away with how amazing you are! Seriously...amazing!
I also can't get over how you post something and I think "hey, that is so me..." and then you post something else and I'm thinking "wait...that is so me!" My husband would totally sympathize with yours...he can't understand why I am so hard on myself all the time. Is it a woman thing? And I am so glad you are sharing your home school experience with us blog stalkers. I already commented on how I've had a hard time thinking of putting my oldest in preschool but I have just always said there was no way I would ever home school. Now I have been having all these feelings with school is coming close. And then I read your blog and I can totally relate! I so admire your leap into it all! Your kids and family are so lucky! Please keep sharing!
p.s. I am totally crazy dieting at the moment in a weight loss competition and trying to get below my wedding day weight...have any good recipes/tips?

felicia 8:28 PM  

absolutely love reading your blog...so many things I can relate to! i too would love any diet tips...please share!

Christine Sweet 11:54 AM  

Wow, you did it again. Thank you for sharing not only your unbelievable gift of photography, but your heart. There are countless others like me, that although we have never met, feel like we know a little part of you... and glean much wisdom and heartfelt encouragement from you constantly. Thank you for being vulnerable and inspiring. Now, onto a more material subject... any advice/thoughts on decorating on a major budget... like living on Student Loans kind of budget. Oh, how I long to make my house a home like you do so well. LOVE your style. Mine is similar, only with a few touches of modern thrown in there. :) I'd love any advice you have. I'm trying so hard to bring a warmth into my home by how I decorate, but I'm pretty short on cash! HELP!!!! :)

Christine Sweet 8:48 PM  

Just realized I meant to comment to the above post. Oh well!!! :)

Life Is Beautiful! 6:43 PM  

Good luck with homeschooling, sounds like you are already doing a great job! I am curious to know what crazy diet are you on while Hubs is away. The pictures are priceless as always. Will you please share your diet with us!

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