Celebrating the Homeschool Mom

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A group of people posing in front of a building 

Most of you probably know our family has homeschooled a very long time, twenty years to be exact, with only three more years to go!  These years have been a commitment of time, resources and emotions.

Homeschooling is a joyous life experience for the whole family, but it can also be isolating, frustrating, exhausting and time consuming.

A byproduct of being a homeschool mom has been years of friendship with some very special women.

One weekend many years ago,  seven brave women huddled up at a beach house for a time of fun, relaxation, food…..and a hurricane!

The details blur with time, but I know that we nicknamed ourselves “the bits”( otherwise known as “Babes in the Swirl”) and forever “the bits” we will remain!

A person sitting on a wooden table

We are all as different as night and day but are bound by a friendship forged through years of weddings (our kids), deaths (parents and loved ones), money troubles, moves and now the promise of grandchildren to come. (That’s me!)

A group of people in a park

In both heartache and joy theses ladies are a God given treasure and the prayer warriors I rely on.

 A group of people standing next to a little girl

Sadly, one of “the bits” moved out of town a couple of years ago. Our friend Ellen moved to Lynchburg VA, and “the bits” have never been quite the same.

Even though our lives no longer intersect as often we covet to make intentional time for each other.

Coordinating seven schedules is almost an impossibility, but recently we all cleared our calendars and headed to Lynchburg to visit Ellen.

She was all prepared for us!

A stone building

Ellen had a full day planned, which included a stop at a huge church parking lot yard sale,

A person standing in front of a picnic table

A group of people standing next to a woman at a park

lunch downtown and walking by the Riverwalk,

A sign on the side of a train

a little bit of sightseeing 

A sign in front of a brick building

Tree

A person standing in front of a window

and to close out our day, dinner at TGI Fridays!

We were so busy chatting I forgot to take pictures of the entrees, but since we love to share we tried a few different ones. It’s always more fun with good friends, isn’t it?

One thing we didn’t skimp on was dessert! We tried almost all of them including the Brownie Obsession,
 
A bowl of food on a plate on a table
 
the Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
 
A piece of chocolate cake on a plate, with Cheesecake
 
and my favorite, Oreo Madness.
 
Celebrating with TGI Fridays Restaurant - Marty's Musings
 
TGI Fridays has a summer deal that you won’t want to miss! Which of these appetizers would you most like to try in unlimited quantities? Did you hear me say “unlimited”?
  • Loaded Potato Skins
  • Pan-Seared Pot Stickers
  • Mozzarella Sticks
  • Garlic & Basil Bruschetta
  • Tuscan Spinach Dip
  • Boneless Buffalo Wings
  • Crispy Green Bean Fries

That’s right! At participating restaurants for a limited time buy one appetizer at $10 each (per person) and get free refills on the same appetizer. What a deal!

I can promise you that the Loaded Potato Skins are amazing, as well as the Tuscan Spinach Dip and Mozzarella Sticks. 

I’ve got my eye on those Boneless Buffalo Wings! What will you try?

Disclosure: I was compensated by TGI Fridays but all opinions are completely my own!

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3 Comments

  1. School Teachers “ROCK” .. They put their hearts & souls in to teaching the children of tommow ..
    Let’s not forget …. They take out student loans & give up of their personal time … To teach other peoples
    children…..

  2. My daughter is a home school mom. She home schooled my eldest granddaughter through high school. Xanti is 24 now. This past year, Xanti’s little brother Noah started Kindergarten, home schooled. It has been a rewarding experience for our entire family!
    Wonderful post!

    1. Hi, Pat! Thanks for your sweet comment! Congrats to your daughter and grandkids! It’s challenging and rewarding and life changing. I know you’re a wonderful support!