One of the most important lessons we’ve had to learn in our years of homeschooling is to trust in our own wisdom and insight.  We have had to become the experts on our own children. It was difficult at first for me to think of myself as an expert at anything.  I’m just a mom who never finished college (9 hours from a poli sci degree, thank you very much). I never quite thought of myself as on par with the... Read more

My brother and his family came to our house on Christmas Eve.  I adore his children, and love spending time with him and his wife.  They are the family I have left.  With my mother mentally handicapped, and the rest of my family estranged from each other, my younger brother and I are each other’s family. There was a time, when I was very young, when my family was a large and happy collection of aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins.... Read more

It is 5:30 Christmas morning, and I am up before the children.  Curled up in my favorite chair and sitting near to the Christmas tree, I have a bit of time before the sleep voices I hear upstairs become loud and excited shouts down here.  It’s just a fast moment for me to wish you a very Merry Christmas. Merry Chriastmas from my house to yours! Thank you for reading me! Pictures to follow. Read more

***Because it’s Monday and we could all use a friendly voice.*** “I’m ready to put them all in school,” a dear friend and new-ish homeschooling dad told me last week. “There is never a moment of peace.  It’s too cold to send them out to play, they keep waking up the new baby, and I work from home and can’t get anything done.  I’m thinking that it would be easier to just put them in school.” “We all feel that... Read more

“Write a story about me, Mom.” My 3 year old son told me. “What should it say about you?” “It should say B and C and X,” he answered. ” And your favorite letter G that sounds like nine.” “Anything else?” I asked. “T looks like I.” He looked at the screen and sighed. “That’s a lot of letters.” “Is that a good thing?” “Yes, because then the people know you love me. Because of the lots of letters.” “They... Read more

After a week of staring with horror at the painfully young faces of the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre, people who never thought they were homeschool parents are looking at it, many for the first time.  They’re wondering if it would keep their children safe and stop tragedy from happening in their own families. This immediate emotional response makes perfect sense.  Parents send their children off to school and understand there to be a sort of sacred trust, i.e.... Read more

Helping LarryD take over the Internet one meme at a time. 1.#1 got her grades for College Algebra today.  I guess she did alright….if an A is alright!  Wooo-hoooo! I don’t know that it’s possible for me to be any prouder of my girl who has never gone to a “real” school and yet kicked some booty at the local college. 2.After 3 years of work, tears, frustration, and defeat (one of those years in public school)…#3 has grasped the... Read more

The next stop on our tour is the Duquette House!  Do you read The View From The Foothills?  If not, you are missing out on a real treat. Luckily, his wife likes my blog and sent me some pictures to share.  Thanks, Jane! Please, Jane, I kicked all my clutter behind me when I took the pictures of my house. Yours looks beautiful! I love this guy!  We may need to get his twin for our house. Nothing says Christmas... Read more

**Because it’s Monday, and we could all use a little encouragement** It is so easy, as the mom in charge of what feels like everything, to set unrealistic expectations for ourselves of what our homeschool should look/be like. We begin to demand a level of perfection from ourselves which isn’t realistic.  These are actual real children we’re in charge of, not perfect people in a fictional book.  These kids are going to have days, weeks, moments, and maybe even lives... Read more

I guess showing his Christmas tree just isn’t manly enough for LarryD of Acts of the Apostasy.  Lucky for us, I happened to get some pics of his decor for us to enjoy!  (I have my sources…bwahahaha!  friend/stalker…it’s all the same thing…right?) It looks great, LarryD! Want to show off your house?  Come and join the tour! Read more