It’s paralyzing. Perfectionism. I used to think I was not a perfectionist, because nothing I did was perfect. I was a slob, so how could I be a perfectionist? Then one time I was visiting with my mom, who mentioned that my youngest sister was a perfectionist – like I was. I was bewildered by…
Some education principles are broad and deep with numerous applications. Intelligent people write volumes on them and we, the average homeschool mom, read and reread, slowly coming to a better understanding. Other education principles are simple, straightforward, and common sense. Yet, that doesn’t seem to make them easier to apply. It just makes me stupid…
Have you ever noticed? The most eager homeschooling moms are those whose oldest child is 4 or 5? I was one, myself. And when I felt the eye-roll behind the smile of older, deep-in-the-trenches moms, I bristled. “Take me seriously!” I wanted to plead. I knew they were sharing wisdom when they told me to…
There’s a lot to keep track of when you’re homeschooling multiple kids. Chores, reading, math, writing, and various other activities all require some kind of accountability. If we think our kids don’t need accountability, we’re going to have a sad wakeup call eventually. They do need it. If we don’t care enough to check up…
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a homeschool mom in possession of a large family must be in want of a housekeeper. That’d be nice, wouldn’t it? Some families can actually swing it, but most of us are on our own when it comes to keeping up with both school and home. Of course we…
One of the mottos in our Morning Time binder this term is a Shakespeare quote: “Expectation is the root of all heartache.” As we’ve repeated this saying day in and day out for the last 5 weeks, I’ve been contemplating how true it is. It’s biblical, echoing James: But each person is tempted when he…
Write simple homeschool lesson plans that are easy to follow and never out-of-date. Beat discouragement by never being “behind” on your lesson plans! Some homeschool moms – maybe those with school-teacher backgrounds – have elaborate homeschool lesson plans – full sheets of papers full of ideas, notes, references, activities, and objectives. Many homeschool moms have…
Today is our first day back to school. We’re easing into our school year this term, but the first day back requires even more ease and grace. The first day back is like jumping into cold water. It’s a reality check. So it’s better for everyone if I anticipate the shudders, the squeals, the struggles….
We’ve all experienced it. The frustration when right after folding the towels, an infant crawls over and spreads them around the room. The exhaustion of cleaning the corners in one area, only to find the area we cleaned yesterday has been – heaven forbid – used and dirtied already. The surprise that the grocery run…
Write your plan the night before and supercharge your day. The day was over. The kids in bed, the house quiet. Time to sigh, breathe deep, and decide how to relax. I glanced down and I caught sight of my daily index card plan I’d made that morning. Ugh. I’d totally forgotten about it after…