Managing a Home in a State of Flux

How do you get it all done?  Dishes, laundry, meals (both prepping and planning), vacuuming the incessant dog hair, keeping surfaces clean and dust-free, making the beds, chauffeuring kids to activities, AND homeschooling?  The truth is, it CAN’T all be done.  Unfortunately, things that get done are quickly undone by other persons residing with you.  … Continue reading Managing a Home in a State of Flux

Is Your Curriculum working for your family?

Mid-year breaks are a great time to evaluate whether that shiny product you bought in August is still working in your homeschool.  Remember when you bought it?  You were sure that this was the thing that was going to help your kid get it.  But now it’s not proving the test of time (or the … Continue reading Is Your Curriculum working for your family?

Entertaining the Littles while Schooling the Bigs

I think this question has been the most often asked of me through the years by homeschooling mamas striving to teach younger and older students.  It was MY number one question during that season as well.  The quick answer: “You ARE teaching them!”  It is amazing what those little ears pick up and what those … Continue reading Entertaining the Littles while Schooling the Bigs

Advent Traditions

December rolls around, bringing the season of traditions and making memories. Traditions are steeped in childhood and family memories. Perhaps this year will be a year of adjusting traditions or making some new traditions for many of us. For our family, the close of Thanksgiving brings the Advent Season. We always selected an Advent story … Continue reading Advent Traditions

Fun Family Activities to Spice Up Your Winter

We always get so much schoolwork done in the winter because, well, why go outside when the wind will bite your face off?  The routines that we made during the fall keep us trudging through the bitter days.  To keep life from getting dull, though, spice things up with some easy extracurricular activities. Family Time … Continue reading Fun Family Activities to Spice Up Your Winter

Rainy Day Fun

One of the advantages of homeschooling is flexibility in your school schedule. However, I always had a schedule that needed to be followed and did not always appreciate the flexibility that homeschooling offered, but rainy days always called to me to stop and just enjoy that we weren’t running from here to there. Rainy days … Continue reading Rainy Day Fun

Teaching Older Elementary Students

Ah, those upper elementary years! They’re not chubby-fingered cherubs any more, but they’re not yet ready to learn on their own. This is the age of emerging skills. Most students are still mastering the basics of reading, writing, and math, and schoolwork can seem incredibly tedious. Here are a few things to keep in mind … Continue reading Teaching Older Elementary Students