Why we homeschool

I think it is safe for me to say that I am an average homeschool mom. I pray that everything we do is what is best for our 5 kids, I struggle that they are learning everything they need, and sometimes, ashamedly, lose it when I think one of them aren't where they should be and our peace is gone. Now this doesn't happen every day or every week for that matter, but there are those times. And then there are the days like today; my 8 year old daughter, who has struggled with math all year, went through her entire stack of multiplication cards without a struggle!!!! Then there is my 6 year old youngest son. He informed us a couple of week ago that he would become a mailman when he grows up, when asked why he responded with "because I can stop by the store every morning to get my gallon of chocolate milk and drink it while I am on the job" ! :) Which brings me to this post, this morning we made a "family post office" and Josh will be the official mailman. We got the post office sent up in his room and printed sticker paper with "stamps" we found on the internet (Christmas ones at that!). We have had mailboxes for each one of us for a month now (which we each decorated and hung on our bedroom doors). Now I will have to wait for the question that will come next from him which is "where is my gallon of chocolate milk". I realized that everyday we are learning and every activity can become a subject or lesson. I always am making sure that we have our 180 days done and written in the lesson plan every year, and today I realize that our school is in session 365 days even if it isn't written down! I hope to hold on to this realization and when struggles get us down remember why we do what we do.