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Joy & Peace of Christmas
Every year, we expect Christmas to magically bring tidings of good cheer, comfort, and joy. We go to Christmas gatherings and events hoping that they will help us create that “Christmas Spirit” that we all long for. We all hope that whatever hardships and heartaches that have come throughout our year will fade among the lights, the music, the decorations, and traditions. It’s our hope that in this, we will find peace and joy.I didn’t realize when I chose the Christmas music for our church choir and the candlelight services that we’ll be singing at few weeks that one particular song would reverberate with me so much: …”Life is a…
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10 Ways to Homeschool through the Holidays
Do you homeschool through the holidays? Every year, I go back and forth. The problem for us is if we take a break in December, it’s very difficult to get back in the groove in January. So this year, I’m taking the bull by the horns, so to speak. Here are a few ideas for easy homeschool days through December (just in time for your monthly planning): 1. Revisit some of your favorite holiday books. While looking for one of my Advent devotionals last night (yes, I’m extremely late trying to find it), I came across a bunch of picture books we *used* to read aloud in December. Books like…
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The Doldrums of Winter
As we are heading into the holidays, there is a lot on my mind. While I love Thanksgiving and Christmas and the thought of a new year, January and February tends to not go so well for me. It should. One of my kids has a birthday, our co-op is on break for the month, and with the cold and sometimes snowy weather, it’s nice to just be home. But. There’s always a but, isn’t there? But the days are horribly short. Darkness hits us by 4:30 pm it seems. And it’s winter, which means gray dull days. And I find myself slipping into a quagmire of bad moods. Add…
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The Gift of “1000 Hours Outside”
I am going to be upfront and admit, I used to not love the outdoors. I am more a creature of comfort, i.e. temperature controlled, bugless indoors. That was before 2020 happened. Before my eyes start to twitch thinking back to the “2 weeks to flatten the curve” and “social distancing,” I can tell you that one blessing came out of it. I learned to love and appreciate the outdoors. When the world shut down on March 13, 2020, I was 37 weeks pregnant, with a VERY spirited 20 month old and energetic 5 year old. My husband is a first responder so not much changed for him in those…
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Homeschool for High School
Part 1 Whether you have homeschooled your kids since the beginning, have entered the journey midway, or have just started, we can all to some extent say that homeschooling for high school can be intimidating. This is when you most certainly need answer keys for some subjects, keep track of a transcript, and guide your child through the last leg of their school years. It may take a little more pre-planning and effort, but it doesn’t have to be too daunting or “break the bank”. In addition, with some creativity, students won’t “miss out” on regular high school milestones or events. It can be provided in the homeschool world. There…
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We now have a Goodreads account.
Reading plays such an important role in education. I love to read and I loved reading to my kids when they were younger. It was hard to move on after reading the Diary Of A Wimpy Kid or the Harry Potter series so I was always looking for my next recommendation. There are many places you can get recommendations. Facebook has a bunch of groups you can join, there are a ton of websites out there, and there are dedicated accounts on other social media that are just for recommendations. I personally prefer Goodreads. I love my Goodreads account. In case you’re wondering “What is Goodreads?” Goodreads is a website,…
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Homeschool Adventures
I LOVE adventure! The feeling of going off into the unknown and exploring a new place is exhilarating to me. I can’t wait to discover something unique and interesting! Now to some people this may be very frightening and more of a nightmare than fun. But for me, I’m a very curious person and welcome opportunities to learn about things I didn’t know. So as a homeschool mom, I have incorporated as much adventure into our journey as I can. And you know, kids love that! When you are having fun, it rubs off on them. They “sponge up” all the curiosities they can find. I have two kids and…
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Homeschool in the Military
Hi there, I’m Emily and I love being a part of the homeschool community. Maybe we need meetings? This is just a brief look into our lives. My husband has served in the US Government for over 20 years. Our boys are 15 and 16 years old, just 19 months apart. We have lived on 4 continents, 4 countries, and 4 states. We just started our twelfth year of homeschooling which is unbelievable to me. Homeschooling has been our one consistent thing through different climates, housing situations, people, languages, huge international moves that take months, and not having a church family or our own family anywhere near us. It has…
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How it all started . . .
Have you ever felt that tug on your heart to pursue the desire of your heart? About a year ago, I felt the tug. In my mind, I could picture a group of people coming together to discuss, learn, grow, and encourage everything homeschool. I pictured tables set up in a big room where people could peruse curriculum and purchase items for their children. I envisioned break-out sessions where speakers could present seminars on topics from special needs to homeschooling through high school and everything in between. I pictured perfect strangers having a conversation where they were able to encourage and give strategies to help them in their own homes. …
