Private School

Good news, bad news.

We found out this week that Alex was accepted into the private, Catholic high school that he applied to (good news). This would really ease some of the pressures at home (more good news). Now, we have to figure out how to pay for it (bad news). Plus, the school is about thirty miles away (more bad news). We usually spend a few thousand dollars each year on homeschool supplies (including extracurriculars likes music, art, sports, etc), but the expense of private school is several times what we've spent in past years on all the kids' combined homeschool expenses. And we'll still have the other homeschool expenses on top of Alex's tuition, books, transportation expenses, uniform costs, etc. We've applied for financial aid, but that is very hard to come by around here. We have until August 1 to get the tuition together, and to receive the 5% discount for paying in full by that deadline. Other options are payment plans, but that would be like adding a couple car payments to the monthly expenses. Not a good idea.

If it's God's will for us to pursue this course, he'll send us what we need.

Kenzie is very excited today. We attend Stations of the Cross every Friday evening during Lent, and older my boys always help out, as altar servers. Last week, our priest told Kenzie to get there early if she wants to get fitted for her Altar Server garments. She has been wanting to be an Altar Server ever she her First Communion last year, but our Deacon, who is in charge of scheduling training sessions, has not gotten around to it yet. So, knowing how badly she wants to start, I think our priest is going to waive the training session for now. She'll start tonight with Stations, and be eased into the Masses with her brothers. She'll always have at least one mbog brother with her, to show her the ropes, at least for a while. She is both very ecstatic, and a little nervous. Alex and Connor serve almost every weekend because the Mass we attend is a very lightly attended Service. Thus, even when they are not scheduled to serve, they get volunteered because the scheduled servers don't show up.

Kenzie is so excited about this, that she is delaying her attendance at a sleep-over birthday party at her friend's house tonight. The party starts at 6, and she won't be able to get there until about 8. I even told her she could miss Stations tonight. I then regretted my weakness in excusing her, but it didn't matter, because she'd have none of that. That says a lot about the priorities of one, young 9 year old girl.