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My Homeschool Journal – June 2017

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In My Life This Month Isn't the release into the freedom of summer one of the most wonderful feelings in the world? We have very little that is scheduled regularly during the school year, but there is something about that feeling of no commitments, no schedules, and very few expectations that makes me very happy. This month we are concentrating on finishing up most of painting and redecorating in our home. We've lived here six years and we are finally making it "ours." We did finish up Caroline's room a few weeks ago which I linked to below. It turned out very well. But I'm so excited to have everything be freshly painted and with new carpet and wood laminate in the house. My dust … [Read more...] about My Homeschool Journal – June 2017

The Importance of Deschooling the Homeschool Mom

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When the Gifted Homeschoolers Forum announced that the topic for May would be about transitioning between public school and homeschool, I wasn't sure I had much to offer since we've always homeschooled Caroline. But I realized I do have a lot to say about that transition for all homeschool families, not just families with a gifted child. I'm offering my perspective as a homeschooling mom who attended public school (kindergarten through college), has a teaching degree, and who struggled with this transition. It has to do with the importance of deschooling mom. Deschooling the Homeschool Mom Before we dive into the topic of deschooling, take this quick quiz by responding to each statement … [Read more...] about The Importance of Deschooling the Homeschool Mom

My Homeschool Journal – May 2017

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In My Life This Month If you thought it seemed like it had been a bit since I put up a new post, you would be correct. One of the changes I've made as I started thinking about pursuing a quiet simple life again is to not pressure myself to produce content all the time. I realized a few weeks ago that we've lived in this house six years (this week). Caroline was four and a half when we moved in. She's now pushing toward eleven. In the same amount of time moving forward that we've already lived here, she'll be pushing seventeen. The past six years have been a blur and it struck me (hard) how little time we have left before she is an adult. It's mind-blowing to this mom who was married nine … [Read more...] about My Homeschool Journal – May 2017

My Homeschool Journal – April 2017

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In My Life This Month Last month I said that I was playing catch-up after Caroline was sick and then I was. Well, lather, rinse, repeat. I'm coming off the cold Caroline brought home. This time we all went through it and I got the tail end of it all. I keep looking at my calendar and thinking I have these wide open weeks to get things done and then boom! Sickness derails it all a bit. David and I have been doing a bunch of things behind the scenes to make this site run better. We moved to https which basically means my site is super duper extra secure and Google won't ding me in search results. For some reason, random posts are now missing their Amazon images so as I discover those I fix … [Read more...] about My Homeschool Journal – April 2017

Classical Conversations Negatives and Why We Didn’t Join

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One of the most popular homeschooling programs currently available is Classical Conversations (CC). There are many people who enthusiastically participate and current members can be very persuasive when inviting people to join. When CC came to our area a few years ago, I checked it out since I had taught for a year in a Classical Christian school and I was very familiar with the concept of classical education. CC offered a number of things that interested me including the advertised community aspect. In fact, I checked it out two years in a row because I really wanted to like it and I wanted it to be a good fit for our family. Classical Conversations Negatives In the end, we opted not to … [Read more...] about Classical Conversations Negatives and Why We Didn’t Join

Homeschool Math Curriculum Ideas for Kids Who Learn Differently

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I've mentioned before that math has been a bit of a bugaboo in our homeschooling journey. So when I had the opportunity to share a few homeschool math curriculum ideas with you from the Homeschool Buyer's Co-op, I thought it would be a great opportunity both for me and my readers to learn more about what is available out there. I am being compensated for my time to write this post and share this information. These are not reviews, but are provided for informational purposes. The Homeschool Buyers Co-op has an award-winning selection of math products, including core curriculum, supplemental, practice programs, struggling learner programs, and games. I looked through the math programs … [Read more...] about Homeschool Math Curriculum Ideas for Kids Who Learn Differently

My Homeschool Journal – March 2017

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In My Life This Month I'm currently playing catch up after Caroline was sick for a week and then I was down for a week. Thankfully David did not get it so we managed to keep things running fairly normally in terms of the home. I kept up with some of my work, but not all so I'm putting in extra hours to get back on track. I'm soaking up as many hours as I can re-reading favorite books by the fire this month as I know fireplace weather is down to just seven or eight weeks. It's truly one of my favorite relaxing things to do and I miss it so much during the summer! I'm trying to figure out how to make Tailwind work for me in order to simplify my Pinterest tasks. This website keeps me … [Read more...] about My Homeschool Journal – March 2017

Can Minecraft Be Educational? Yes, But Not in Our Home

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Minecraft is a powerful learning tool. Although I was highly skeptical of it when my daughter first expressed an interest, our family's experience with Minecraft completely changed my mind. So can Minecraft be educational? Absolutely. But not in our home. I have, in fact, purposely resisted the temptation to turn Minecraft into an educational activity. But wait. I just said it was a powerful learning tool and now I'm saying it's not an educational activity in our home. What do I mean by that? Educational Tool versus Learning Tool If you look up "educational" on Dictionary.com, it says: "tending or intended to educate, instruct, or inform." If you look up "learning" on Dictionary.com, … [Read more...] about Can Minecraft Be Educational? Yes, But Not in Our Home

Alternatives to College After High School

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I originally discovered Praxis when a blogger I follow on Facebook shared a Praxis post. I started following Praxis for the thought-provoking information and articles that they share. I found the idea of Praxis as an alternative to college after high school an interesting one. So when I was presented with the opportunity to share a bit about Praxis with my readers, I was all in! I was compensated for my time to write this post and share this information. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review. (Although why would I write this unless it was going to be positive?) Alternatives to College After High School Over the past five years there has been a … [Read more...] about Alternatives to College After High School

My Homeschool Journal – February 2017

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In My Life This Month My life this month is mostly centered around my work. Other than caring for my family, my work is where the bulk of my time goes. David and I are finishing up the 2017-2018 Planners and 2017-2018 Homeschool Planners that will be EDITABLE. They should be in my shop by Monday (February 6). Lots of posts planned for here as well as a new non-homeschooling website I'm starting to develop after taking some amazing courses from Pajama Affiliates. If you blog or are interested in making money online, I highly recommend everything offered by Pajama Affiliates! In Our Homeschool This Month Last month I mentioned that we had more testing scheduled for Caroline. We have … [Read more...] about My Homeschool Journal – February 2017

6 Colorful Planning Tools for Homeschool Moms

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After homeschooling for several years, I've learned what works best for me when it comes to planning. I'm happy to share with you a few of my favorite planning tools for homeschool moms. Homeschool Planner I'm sure I'm biased, but I think my printable planners and homeschool planners are some of the best homeschool planners available. We sold many planners for 2016-2017 and are making them even better for the 2017-2018 academic year because they will be EDITABLE! We're putting the finishing touches on them right now so they should be available for purchase in the next week or so. My planners have great flexibility and are offered in a variety of colors. 3 Ring Binders I've written … [Read more...] about 6 Colorful Planning Tools for Homeschool Moms

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