What conscious decisions have you made that you wouldn't have considered 20 yrs ago?

[HomeOnTheRanch]

Today is my 18th wedding anniversary and I'm 24 weeks pregnant. In my mind, those two things just don't "go" together. We are very thrilled about both, but if someone had told me 20 years ago that it would be that way...

 

Homeschooling is another one, only because all the homeschoolers I knew way back when were "weird." :lol:

 

My high school reunion is coming up in a few weeks. I'm not going. I'm so glad I'm not married to my hs boyfriend.

[JFSinIL]

Cutting off most of my hair (yeah! the freedom!) which I did only a few months ago. Letting my dd wear make-up (I am the anti-make-up mom). Caving in and going digital, giving up my dreams of a b/w darkroom. Having a dog (a Labrador, at that!).

[Andie]

Today is my 18th wedding anniversary and I'm 24 weeks pregnant. In my mind, those two things just don't "go" together. We are very thrilled about both, but if someone had told me 20 years ago that it would be that way...

 

Homeschooling is another one, only because all the homeschoolers I knew way back when were "weird." :lol:

 

My high school reunion is coming up in a few weeks. I'm not going. I'm so glad I'm not married to my hs boyfriend.

 

 

I have FIVE children. I realize that's not as mind-blowing in the hs'ing community as it is among those in the Regular world*, but I assure you, I was SO NOT expecting this LOL. There are other, smaller things...breadmaking?!...but that *I* am a homeschooling mother of FIVE children? Bwahahaha. That's the big'un, I'd say.

 

And I'm with you on the high school boyfriend. Whew!

 

 

*It's a joke.

[Lisa at Home]

Although I thought about it for a long time, I just never thought I could (or would really want to) give them all up forever. But, the older I get, the more I surprise myself with such things.

 

I'm so glad I'm not married to my hs boyfriend.

 

Oh my gosh! :hurray: Aint that the truth!

 

Blessings on the baby!

 

~Lisa

[Quiver0f10]

If you would have told me 20 years ago that I would be the mom to 10 kids and homeschooling them I'd have called you nuts LOL. :D

 

We celebrate 21 years in August.

[Mom2legomaniacs]

Advocate of extended nursing, sleeping with kids if need be, home schooling, knitting socks! I have turned into a huge home body!

[Amy loves Bud]

Let's see.

 

Married to someone from New Jersey.

 

Not having a *paid* career.

 

Not living in a high rise in some large city.

 

Homeschooling.

 

Having a baby at 40. (My mom had me in her forties and she loved me, but it probably wasn't a choice she would have made. So I was turned off to having a late-in-life baby. But when 39 hit and I really wanted another, I knew I was different from my mom. And I am. I love having a new baby!)

 

I don't eat out nearly as often as I would have thought (or would like!). :glare:

[Lorna in the boonies]

Never would have thought I'd be a pastor's wife. Never would have thought I'd be homeschooling. Can't think of any others right now, but that might be because I've suddenly been interrupted by quarreling children.

 

I never knew that you got married less than a week before I did (our 18th anniversary is next Monday). ;) Happy anniversary!

[TravelingChris]

It is really hard to say. We are coming up on 23 anniversary and DH has been in the military for 21 1/2 years so neither of those things are a surprise. Having three children is not a surprise because once I was pregnant with the first (and that was 20 years ago this month), I always thought we would have three or four. The main difference from 20 years ago is how much I have willingly dedicated to the children both in time and money and energy.

 

It is strange because within within 8 years, I will be back to mostly doing things the way DH and I want them.

[LauraGB]

Does virtually everything in my life count?? I'm very serious about this. I mean this in a good way, though.

 

One thing in particular, though: I grew up in the middle of nowhere (or at least it seemed like that to me), and desperately wanted to live in a big city. Now, eventhough I don't live in the "city", I want a helicopter to drop the fam and me in the middle of about 80 acres...and leave us there. No public service, no mortgage, grow our own food, "live off the fat o'the land". Maybe someday, when I'm too old to work it, we'll get there.

[JennifersLost]

Hmmm....

 

1. Having four kids - I thought I'd be childless.

 

2. Homeschooling. Never gave it a thought.

 

3. Living in Canada - again, never gave it a thought. Canada? What's in Canada?

 

4. Sending out queries to agents. Never would have had the guts to do that, or the patience to write a whole book back then.

 

There's more...I'm just outta time!

[shalom22]

Let's see:

 

Mother of two dc's. Didn't want to have any, but the ole clock went off at 30yo. Then two kids in two years. 12 year later, wished I had more.

 

SAHM, I was a career woman, all work no play, no time for kids or sick dh. God had to change that in me.

 

Homeschooling, didn't think I could stand to be at home with kids 24/7. But wouldn't change it for anything now.

 

Living in the big city, I am a country girl at heart. I do miss my ponies.

[Jennifer in MI]

Advocate of extended nursing, sleeping with kids if need be, home schooling, knitting socks! I have turned into a huge home body!

 

You really do need to be my next door neighbor! When are you moving to MI? The house across the street is still for sale and it's really nice!!!

 

I'm also an advocate of extended nursing and co-sleeping (and obviously homeschooling). We also vaccinate on a delayed schedule (VERY delayed!). I never thought I'd be so against-the-grain! I am such a rule follower.

 

Never would have thought I'd be a pastor's wife. Never would have thought I'd be homeschooling.

 

Me too! But, when I told the other pastor's wives in our hometown that I was marrying an Episcopal priest, they ALL thought it was a perfect fit! So, apparently, God knew what he was doing (though I never live up to my image of the perfect priest's wife!).

[RebeccaC]

Believing that marriage and motherhood actually equal freedom and adventure, I held the view that both equated slavery and stagnation.

 

That I would be hsing instead of teaching at a college somewhere.

 

That I would no longer keep my finger nails short so that I could work on a dig but keep them short because dish water dries them out :001_smile:

 

That I would equate sleeping in a tent and on the ground to torture and that the thought of back packing anywhere is for the birds.

 

That I would sell books on line or do anything on line because there was no oline :eek:

[Sasharowan]

Having a fourth kid. 20 years ago, I wanted no kids, in fact when dh proposed I told him to ask again in 4 years if we were still together. My mom had been married and had me when she was 20 and I didn't want that (even though she never appeared to have a problem with it). We were still together 4 yrs later and got married. Still planning no kids. 4 years after that, we had ds#1, now 12 years later we have 4 kids. I love them dearly, but would never have dreamed of having 4 kids. I was the one that had stuffed animals,but not baby dolls.

[rwalizer]

I used to be one of those people who said things like "You shouldn't shelter kids!" and "They can't possibly learn as well at home." Then ds started middle school. Need I say more?

[Lorna in the boonies]

I used to be one of those people who said things like "You shouldn't shelter kids!" and "They can't possibly learn as well at home." Then ds started middle school. Need I say more?

 

Me, too. Oldest dd went to one year of middle school (5th grade), and that was the end of the road for us (or maybe just the beginning of a new road).

[Jenny in Atl]

That I would give up $, travel, outside opportunities to stay home with my girls. That I would enjoy coming to a homeschooling board and find it comforting and fun to talk "shop" with others traveling the same road. Really, little of that 23 year-old is left except the music, bks, and movies.

[ncmomo3]

Homeschooling. That is it-the only thing.

I NEVER would have/could have conceived of it.

Every other little detail of my life is just as I had always imagined.

I can't believe I'm starting yr. 5 and planning to go the distance.

[SusanG]

Homeschooling - because at 15, I didn't know it existed!

 

Remaining in the New Orleans area - I was convinced I'd end up in NY!

 

Being married - never thought I'd marry. And making the decision to experiment with open marriage - which frankly is something that only a year ago I wouldn't have DREAMED we'd end up doing, yet here we are!

[Plaid Dad]

That I would be hsing instead of teaching at a college somewhere.

 

Yup, yup. I fully expected to be a career academic, possibly living abroad, and probably not married. (Who would want to marry me?! :D) My politics, my faith, my preferred living environment, my academic interests - pretty much everything has changed since then. The only thing I regret losing from that time in my life is my hair. ;)

[Jackie in AR]

The only thing I regret losing from that time in my life is my hair. ;)

 

:lol::lol::lol:

 

For me, 20 years ago I never dreamed that I would give up my career to stay at home and homeschool. At that time I thought that homeschooling was one of the weirdest things I'd ever heard of.

 

And I never thought I would be actively learning Latin and Greek.

[iquilt]

Plaid Dad you are hilarious!!

 

I never thought I'd be a mom.

 

I never thought I'd stay at home with them.

 

I never thought I would homeschool.

 

I never thought I would delay dreams for the reality of "now".

 

I never thought I would quilt! (or knit, or crochet, or bake bread)

 

I never thought I would love a mini-van as much as I do!

[Michelle in MO]

At that time I thought that homeschooling was one of the weirdest things I'd ever heard of.

 

And I never thought I would be actively learning Latin and Greek.

 

but, I really did think homeschooling was very weird! I never thought I'd be doing it myself; in fact, I remember stating quite clearly at one time that our kids would be going to public school!

 

God began to work on my heart . . . .

[RebeccaC]

Yup, yup. I fully expected to be a career academic, possibly living abroad, and probably not married. (Who would want to marry me?! :D) My politics, my faith, my preferred living environment, my academic interests - pretty much everything has changed since then. The only thing I regret losing from that time in my life is my hair. ;)

 

 

That is exactly what I thought. Do my time in the dirt and try and get tenured somewhere and maybe see the world. Lost the color in my hair and time has not been kind to my waist line :blush: since then but I think I am happier now than I would have been alone.

[Mom2legomaniacs]

Oh yeah, forgot to add the minivan. Never thought I would have or like driving a minivan. DH still shudders when he really realizes he is driving one :lol:.

[SusanG]

Oh yeah, forgot to add the minivan. Never thought I would have or like driving a minivan. DH still shudders when he really realizes he is driving one :lol:.

 

 

Now that's one thing I'm STILL convinced will never happen! I love my Scion xB, and dh is getting a Camaro next year - by the time those cars wear out, our kids will be on their own, or close to it. No minivans for US!!!! ACK!

[abbeyej]

Let's see.

 

Married to someone from New Jersey...

 

roflolololol!

[kalanamak]

Having a baby in my 40's, working for the State, no pets (well, I was just given a Grow-a-Frog tadpole), not driving a pick-up.

[Twinmom]

I have FIVE children. I realize that's not as mind-blowing in the hs'ing community as it is among those in the Regular world*, but I assure you, I was SO NOT expecting this LOL. There are other, smaller things...breadmaking?!...but that *I* am a homeschooling mother of FIVE children? Bwahahaha. That's the big'un, I'd say.

 

And I'm with you on the high school boyfriend. Whew!

 

 

*It's a joke.

 

With you on both counts! I always said I would NEVER home school (what a joke!), and I certainly never expected to have 5 kiddos (one adult stepson not listed below!). I always thought I'd be a career gal with 2.5 kids, if that! My sister, who still has those two goals and has stuck to them, is somewhat shocked.

 

And don't even get me started on the high school boyfriend. Truly, truly scary! :eek: Oh, and as for DH...I always said I'd marry an Italian guy with dark hair and a beard, with a college degree and who'd never been married. What did I do instead? Married a redheaded, blue eyed Irish guy with an ex-wife and a 12 year old son, and who'd not finished college yet (though he has now). And guess what? I've never been happier! :D

[Twinmom]

Oh yeah, forgot to add the minivan. Never thought I would have or like driving a minivan. DH still shudders when he really realizes he is driving one :lol:.

 

Oh, and DEFINITELY no minivan! :lol: Whose Honda Odyssey is that parked in the driveway, anyway?!

[DIY-DY]

If someone had told me, the night I met DH, that in 12 years, we'd be living where, doing what, with how many kids... and I'd be HAPPY about it... I'd have run. Fast. (And y'all know I don't run!)

 

The most pleasant turn for me is that I'm an okay Mom. I didn't think I would be, and so I didn't want to have children. Let alone five of them. (DH had to talk me into a second. LOL!) And while I'm not the perfect Mom, I love it - I love them - I love being their Mom so very much. And I'm not terrible at it, which is really exciting.

[Jackie in AR]

God began to work on my heart . . . .

 

Yep, it was definitely a God thing here, too.

[Dinsfamily]

Some of y'all are too funny!

 

My plan was to get married at 27 and have two kids at 29 and 31. I would have a glorious career doing something. Oh, and I'd drive my kids to a very expensive private school in a high-end Sedan. :001_smile:

 

I got married at 22, am planning on having at least 4 kiddos, staying home to raise them, and homeschooling them all the way. Plus, not only do I drive a minivan, but I LOVE my minivan (Shhhhhhh, don't tell anyone).

[jmgconner]

I never thought I would get married.

I never thought I would have children.

I never thought I would homeschool my children.

I never thought I would EVER, EVER stay at home.

I never thought I would enjoy quilting or cooking.

I never thought I would actively seek out learning how to live a self-sufficient lifestyle, including activities such as baking bread, line-drying clothes, gardening, and learning how to can foods.

 

My life today completely astounds me. I'm enjoying and living a life that even my family has trouble comprehending. It is so not the 'me' they knew (or that I knew, for the fact).