There’s a little something floating around Pinterest that tells you all the magical ways to remove permanent (Sharpie) marker from different surfaces. It looked like just the thing for the Pinterest Busters to test. Removing Sharpie from clothing using hand sanitizer? One of our Pinterest Busters drew a llama on a shirt and attempted to …
Mama friends, let’s have a chat about why you should get dad involved in your homeschool. Now, I want to give kudos to you, mama. You’re rockin’ this homeschooling thing in a hard core way. You’re totally slayin’ it. But let’s face it—sometimes it doesn’t matter what you say or how you say it, it …
Three Reasons to Get Dad Involved in Your Homeschool Read More »
Awhile back, I wrote a piece called Dear Homeschoolers, Please Stop. It detailed seven things we should stop doing as homeschoolers in order to have an easier, more awesome experience. Well. I’m still homeschooling and I’m still taking notes. So, for your entertainment and enlightenment, here are seven more things we should stop doing if …
Dear Homeschoolers, Please Stop. I’m serious this time. Read More »
This whole following your interests thing has almost become a buzz phrase. “Homeschooling is so great because it’s all about following your interests!” And it’s true, as homeschooling families, we have time to follow our interests. Because we have such freedom and flexibility with our hours, we have the ability to pour ourselves into the …
Rumor has it that you can cut glass with yarn by soaking a piece of yarn in nail polish remover, tying it around a glass bottle, and lighting the yarn on fire. Let’s just see about that. Materials Needed to Cut Glass With Yarn: – Glass bottle – Yarn – the rougher, the better (acrylic …
While the decision to homeschool might affect your child in many ways, it never ceases to amaze me the amount of people who still believe that kids are shy (or loud. or talkative. or introverted. or…) simply because they’re homeschooled. You’ve probably dealt with this, too. Let me give you an example from our experiences. …
It’s Because They’re Homeschooled: No, Actually It’s Not Read More »
Reading, writing, and arithmetic are important, no doubt. But there are a lot of other things kids should learn that will help them function in the real world—and they’re not the things we are going to find taught in any curriculum. This list might be a little different than what you’re expecting. So, here goes. …
10 Real Life Things Kids Should Learn That Aren’t In A Curriculum Read More »
Hi. My name is Amy (hi, Amy) and I’m a homeschooling mom. I’m also a writer with a habit of telling it like it is. So when my family started our journey down the road of homeschooling back in 2007, I knew that homeschooling was going to be added to my list of things I …
Like most folks this time of year, we’re keeping track of the things we are thankful for. I thought I’d let you in on the silly but memorable way that we do it…and how it has grown. Several years ago during our first November here at the farm, we decided we’d write down three things …
Recently, I asked several of my favoritest homeschool moms how it was that they finally knew they were a homeschool mom (besides, you know, homeschooling their kids). What were the things that screamed, “oh my word, I am totally a homeschool mom!” After a lot of giggles, I am happy to present to you this …
For kids, learning how to write a paragraph can be hard. Really hard. My kids read a ton everyday, so I figured this meant they had a pretty good understanding of what a paragraph entailed. I remember (years ago) when it came time to learn how to write a paragraph, I assigned them to write …
I used to think that mom guilt would go away as my kids got older. I used to think that as my kids became more able and independent, the things for me to feel guilty about would lessen. Y’all? So. Not. True. Let me tell you about one of my more recent and unexpected explosions …
The great thing about homeschooling is there are people in different stages of the journey. New parents jumping in, experienced parents nearing the end…and a whole bunch of people in between figuring out where they are in the game. We all need each other. New homeschoolers have a drive and a passion, an excitement about …
Why New and Veteran Homeschoolers Need Each Other Read More »
When I first started this homeschooling journey back in 2007, I was pretty well convinced that homeschooling was all about freedom. Freedom in the sense that kids should be let to run free, spending all day doing what kids love to do. Who needed schedules and routines? The learning would come naturally and everything would …
Schedules and Routines: Some Kids Actually Like Them Read More »
When you become a homeschooling family, one of the things you immediately look for is a supportive, helpful, encouraging homeschool community. Because that’s the purpose of a community. One could say that encouragement and support is a homeschool community’s job. Homeschool community, you had one job. And sometimes, homeschool community? You’re failing at that job. …
Welcome to our world of hmmmschooling. No, not homeschooling. Hmmmschooling. What is hmmmschooling, you ask? Well. It’s setting yourself right smack in the middle of all that questioning that is a part of daily life. It usually starts to happen about the time your kids are old enough to talk and, truth be told, actually …
Learning about coins can be confusing, to say the least. Why is a dime smaller than a nickel if it’s worth more? How much is a nickel worth again? How many dimes make a dollar? What are two quarters and a penny worth? All these—and many other questions that get added when kids are older—is …
The Spare Change Game: Easiest Way to Learn About Money! Read More »
Dear sons, after almost a decade at this homeschooling thing, I thought you’d maybe want to chat about our reasons to homeschool. You know, why we actually decided to do it in the first place. It’s sorta weird—I don’t know that we’ve ever actually talked about why your dad and I chose to homeschool you. You’ve …
Reasons to Homeschool: The ONE that Mattered to Us Read More »
There are lots of awesome things about homeschooling—things so full of awesome that parents will base their entire reason for choosing to homeschool upon them. But is there a flip side to those awesome things? Let’s consider for a moment the possibility that some of those benefits and advantages to homeschooling can backfire. Yes. I …
If you look long and hard enough on an overwhelmingly bad day, you’ll start to feel surrounded by things that prove you’re losing the battle called Awesome Mom. But hold up, Mama—there is a whole bunch of real life chaos and crazy that shouldn’t have a thing to do with determining your level of Awesome. …
Self Worth: 5 Things Moms Should Not Base Theirs On Read More »
