This morning, we’re starting our 2015-16 school year. In our homeschool this year, we have 8th, 6th, 4th, and 2nd graders (and a kindergartner). Phew! Just writing that makes me tired. But let’s talk about grade levels. When people ask my kids what grades they’re in, my homeschooled kids (mostly) know what to tell them……
Tag: homeschooling
10 Reasons I Believe Formal Education Is “Better Late Than Early”
Early in our homeschooling journey, someone put the book, Better Late Than Early, by Raymond & Dorothy Moore, in my hands, and it has invaded not only our homeschooling, but every area of our parenting. “Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” ~W.B. Yeats There is a general approach to education in…
37 Encouraging Quotes for the Homeschooling Mother
Before we jump in, let me say: if you are not a homeschooler, this list is not meant for you. Please don’t read these– intended to *encourage* one group– and take it as if intended for you. It is not. Just as words intended to motivate a woman to continue breastfeeding might unintentionally offend those who…
How to Respond to “I Can’t Do This, Mama!”
Every kids gets to this place. Or at least every kid in our home has reached it. I remember reaching it in school… heck, I’m feeling it right now (as I write this) in regard to camping. I feel like I can’t. I know, in my head, that other people do it. But it feels…
Homeschool Book Giveaway
Yay, it’s August! Nearly time for a new school year to begin!! We’re actually going into our tenth year of homeschooling… which is crazy! In January of 2007, we began curling up together, Ethan and I, with Sonlight books. We discovered the world together through books like Twenty and Ten (WWII– Nazis, rations, resistance), Understood Betsy (farm life, lifelong learning), A Grain of…
What I’m Reading, Thinking, Doing – 7/31/15
WHAT I’M READING: Ten Proposed Commandments for Christian Parenting — #4 is the one that’s most difficult for me. What about you? A Letter to the Sister in Christ Who Aborted Her Child(ren) Can We Kill Human Beings if They Are Not Persons? On Planned Parenthood, Ashley Madison, and Shame— What happens in a culture where sexuality…
June Mailbag: Courtship? College? Confidence as a Mom?
Each month I get a number of e-mails and private comments asking interesting questions that may be applicable to more than just the person asking. My plan is to select a few thought-provoking and practical questions, keep the asker & identifying details anonymous, and share my answers with all of you, at the end of each month. Let’s…
When You Can’t Do It All: Mom on Purpose, Day 3
(Though these “Mom on Purpose” posts are being published over time, they were written days in a row.) First, I asked myself the main question of essentialism. Two days ago, I got clear on the principles of what’s essential for me right now. And then yesterday I put essentialism into practice. Today was a tougher day than…
The Perfect Homeschool Day
You know what we had this morning? We had the perfect homeschooling day. Well… …perfect *for us.* Probably not anything close to what you’re imagining in your head right now. You DO know that the “perfect homeschool” doesn’t exist, right? But here’s what our perfect homeschooling day looks like: We make forward progress in areas…
Don’t Do It To Prove Them Wrong
Over the years, I’ve heard something offered occasionally that I think is a terrible motivation for living life and making choices for yourself or your family, and it is this: “You get out there and show ’em. Do it well and prove them wrong.” It can play out in a wide variety of ways in our…