Giving Birth!

I have a new baby!  No, it is not an animal, and no, it is not another child (though if I were a wee bit younger, you could bet it would be!).  It has kept me incredibly busy and is surprising me, frankly.

In 2013, I started a web site that was really a place to empty my favorites folder into, and I figured I might as well do it publicly as others might find the information helpful.  So, I listed it all, then promptly forgot about it.  By that, I mean I truly didn't give it another thought and hadn't visited the site in four years. 

This past winter I received a couple emails from moms who had discovered some broken links.  I sort of ignored it, as honestly, my head was nowhere near being in a place to give that any more thought than I had the prior four years!!  Just too much going on personally for me.  Late this summer, I felt a strong urge to see what I might be able to do with it.  I don't know why, other than God nudged it I guess.  I tend to say "yes" when God asks things of me, because it leads me on unexpected extraordinary adventures. 

My web site is called Blue Collar Homeschool and it contains a list of resources for families who are homeschooling kids who are likely to be headed toward Blue Collar careers...you know, Vocational or Trade School bound learners.  In the homeschooling arena, there is little shared about kids who are not college bound, and few resources available.  I feel this is a shame, not just for homeschoolers but in public schools as well, so I wanted to share what I had found for our own kids, some of whom are not likely to go to college.  I wanted to create a place on Facebook that partnered with the web site where we could share about our very average kids doing the things they love, not prepping for SAT's or taking AP classes.  I guess I really wanted a place to celebrate those incredible accomplishments of kids who are not college bound, but who have enormous talents.  I also wanted a place for conversation about education in general, about cool trade opportunities, and about teaching kids practical skills and entrepreneurship.

I spent many hours checking every link, updating it a bit, and creating a logo. All of this takes me far more time because I am clueless about website design, even with "easy" interfaces!  I have a blog there I have been writing for as well, which is why the blog here has gotten short shrift the past couple of weeks.  I also got the Facebook group up and running and started planning content for it as best I could, not having a clue what I was doing!  I had no idea what to expect, or if I would ever get any members at all, but figured it might be nice to have that as an extension of the blog.
  I will readily admit it is a dull, unexciting web site, but it holds links to resources, and

Somehow, I stumbled on something with this endeavor, and it has stunned me, actually.  Our Facebook group has almost 350 members in less than 2 months!  It is easy to see how this ministry of a sort could turn into a full time volunteer gig.  What warms my heart is how many wonderful comments we have already had about how happy others are to find this "place".  The sharing happening there is awesome, and the community gradually forming is something that clearly we all needed.  That really matters to me, for I have always desired that those around me never feel alone if I can do anything about it.  Though these are all strangers, I am touched that this silly idea has blossomed so quickly and has become a tool for very real connection.

I have no idea where this little adventure will lead, but I wanted to share it all with you.  I will still be blogging regularly here, but am also honing my skills with a different sort of writing over at "BCH" as I am abbreviating it.  I am intrigued, challenged, and learning a lot as I work on this little project.  I have never written a lot here about homeschooling as a main topic, but it does get woven throughout as a natural part of our lives.  Many blogger moms get creative and really turn homeschooling blogs into money makers.  I have no desire to do that, though many might find that foolish.  Corny as it sounds, I just want to help others if I can, share what I can, and let the Spirit do with it what it will. 

So, from time to time I may be mentioning Blue Collar Homeschool here, and I wanted you to understand what I was talking about!  And for you praying folk, could I ask for prayers for this group and web site to be a place where relationships are formed that really matter, that hearts feel connected, and that needs are met in terms of access to ideas and resources.