What is normal?

I have decided that attempting to be "normal" is underrated. As long as we are the homeschooling family of 5 children we will never be considered normal by the majority of the world. And that is OK. Normal is being safe, not taking risks. Normal is blending in with the rest of the world. Not sticking out. Normal is boring. So I have decided to give up my attempt to be normal. Yes, we have 5 children. Yes, we homeschool. Yes, I allow my 3 and 4 year old to ride their bikes in the house. OK- I may need to explain that last one. Jonathan has discovered that he can go very fast by pushing his bike. He also figured out how to get it into the house. He loves to be able to run pushing his bike. Jonathan having a bike in the house led to Ben wanting a bike in the house and I'm sure you can figure out the rest of the story. We are hoping that Jonathan's crutches will arrive next week and that they will replace the bike.

Ben announced last week that "He (being Jonathan) likes me!" Not sure what happened that made Ben come to that realization but we consider it progress. I am getting just a glimpse of what it must be like for mothers of twins. They are less then a year apart and squabbles happen on a daily basis, but I think Ben has realized that Jonathan is his brother and he is here to stay.

Life is getting a little easier. We are getting into a routine of sorts. We are all learning how to adapt. I am learning to let go. Tonight, Amanda volunteered to put Jonathan to bed. She put him in his PJ's, read him stories and laid with him till he fell asleep. I kinda missed my time with him, but it is really cool to see Amanda step into that mothering role. She is growing up. Our time with our children is just a blink of the eye. I gotta remember to enjoy the time I do have with them. They won't be riding bikes in the house forever.