All too often I see or hear of homeschool families divided.

The Unschoolers v.s. the Classical; the Charlotte Mason v.s. the Textbook Style, Christian Homeschoolers v.s. the Secular Homeschoolers, etc.

But, what if we stuck together, despite what style, method or philosophy we adhere to?

What if we celebrated what we have in common instead of separating ourselves by our differences?

What could we accomplish?

For one thing, we could give homeschooling a stronger more unified voice. When it comes time to defend our rights and freedoms as parents to choose how our children will be educated, we need to build upon our similarities.

We could also willingly lend each other a helping hand. Encouraging one another in this vocation we have taken on is so important. While homeschooling is great, I don’t think anyone of you would disagree when I say days of challenge or even doubt do arise; and in those times we need someone to listen.

We can improve everyday if we keep the lines of communication open to one another.  Not for the sake of evangelizing our ways to sway a family into our methods, but to learn from one another and our experiences.  I have learned many bits of wisdom from those who follow a different faith or method of homeschool, which I then adapt to fit my family. Some of my greatest supporters don’t even homeschool!

So, with the theme of standing together, here is a start to a list of similarities you and I have.

Be Stronger – Stand Togehter!

What All Homeschoolers Have in Common

1. We all love our children.

2. Our hearts fill with joy when our kids hit a milestone and break through a previous barrier.

3. All of us have children in our family unit who will learn differently than their siblings.

4. We all have books/curriculum on the shelf we thought would be awesome and have yet to crack open.

5. We all need quiet time to replenish and nourish our souls (Time for Mom (or Dad)).

6. Everyone has had a day (or many in my case) where we don’t get one thing done on our looming ‘To Do’ list.

7. We’ve all stepped on Lego or hotwheels in the night and have had to hold our tongues as not to wake a sleeping child. (Why, oh why does that Lego hurt so much??)

8. There are days when we overhear our kids ‘expertly’ conversing with someone over a topic we know nothing about.

9. We’ve all answered the socialization question 2,348 times (or more).

10. Those days as 5 pm approaches, your husband is due home and you realize you are all still in your p.j.’s because it’s been ‘one of those days’.

11. Then your husband does get home to find you in your p.j.’s, as stated above, you just roll with it and enthusiastically declare “It was fun p.j. day!!” pretending it was planned long ago.

12. We’ve all struggled with what or how a child learns v.s. what or how we, as parents, like to learn or teach.

13. Someone’s science experiment has ended up mistakenly in the garbage because we thought the kids just forgot to clean the kitchen. (Or worse yet … we’ve eaten it!)

14. Bugs and critters have been brought in the house only to escape. (Ask me about Stacey the ladybug, or our painted lady butterfly fiasco.)

15. We have all learned something (or many things) from our kids. (check out this link up from iHomeschool Network bloggers: What My Child Has Taught Me)

16. We have all witnessed how big, loving and forgiving our children’s hearts are.

17. The wisdom and innocence our kids possess has helped us appreciate we can homeschool them.

18. There are days when we raise a white flag, days when we need support and a cheerleader to keep going.

19. We’ve all wished for a laundry fairy and are truly disappointed that she never show up for duty.

20. The internet and researching have sucked a whole day out of us at one point or another.

21. We’ve all wondered if we are doing enough for our children.

The grass isn’t greener on the other side, it is just different grass. So please, don’t fall for the comparison game which can lead to division and feeling too proud, it’s a trap.

We need to humble ourselves,  be welcoming and soften our hearts.  We all come from different backgrounds and beliefs which can build us up rather than divide and tear us down.

Today, make an effort to reach out, in real life or via social media, to encourage another homeschooler!  Share your experience; but also take time to learn what works well for others so you can improve your homeschool day too.

Be Stronger – Stand Together

Feeling excited and at peace with your decision, you start to gather resources, plan field trips and set up your home to be a haven where children fall in love with learning.
Even your children are excited! They start to dig into their History lessons, craft projects, and even fill their spare moments with exploring, self-directed learning, and fun, imaginative play.

Then “that day” comes!

That day where hour upon hour nothing seems to go right…nothing! Not only that, you can see it snowballing to the point where you know it is going to take you off track.
Those challenging days, whether they be a few in a row, or scattered throughout a semester, are heavy.
If we don’t have a great support system in place, that heavy feeling can open the door for doubt, fear and worry to take a firm grip of our hearts and minds.

Homeschool Fear, Worry and Doubt

The Truth You Need to Know

Truth is, you are brave and resilient enough to deal with these days!

You proved that the day you decided to go against the grain and homeschool. You also proved that during those seemingly normal and regular days of parenting! Parenting is hard work, but also abundantly rewarding!

The other truth is that if you are feeling a little short on resilience, you can decide to take the steps to find it. Homeschooling does afford you some flexibility to change things up, so take advantage of that when you are feeling weary. Dedicate some time for you to find your groove again!

“…decide…whether or not the goal is worth the risks involved. If it is, stop worrying…” ~Amelia Earhart

Prayer and Meditation

Never dismiss the power of grace!

God is so good that He gives us grace in the simplest of things if we are willing to see and accept it. We just need to be still long enough to recognize it. So, make quiet time, even if it is just a few minutes scattered through your day, a priority.

It has been proven, through MRI, that prayer and meditation actually has an affect on the grey matter of our brains. (Check out this article “Eight Weeks to a Better Brain”.)

Being still and quiet can be a challenge, and something we should work on in this age of busyness. If we tend to ‘pray on the run’, while that is fine, we also run the risk of missing all the extra little gifts of grace God is bestowing upon us and our families as we rush about the day.

We need to invest in ourselves and set aside some time everyday to meditate or pray.

When we are feeling stifled by the fear, worry and doubt it is a cue to slow down and recall why we are on this homeschool journey and to also know we are not alone. It might be time to reach out to those who can help build you back up again.  HSLDA has a link for support groups in your area, so reach out and make a connection.

No matter how brave or strong any of us are, we all have a time when we need encouragement.

Even those who lead your support group, or the ones who are your cheerleaders…we all have days where we need a boost from time to time. To know others have walked this path, to share stories of success, trials and even stories of our seemingly bland – boring days; it all goes a long way to encourage other homeschooling parents.

Especially on those days where our legs are shaky!

Be Gracious – Be Courteous – Be Genuine – Be Humble – Be Kind – Be Brave

Let’s build each other up and kick fear, worry and doubt to the curb!

In doing so, I thought I would take the time to share with all of you the Top Ten of Home School Innovation for 2014.

Top Ten Posts from 2014

Here are your favourite HSI Posts from 2014:

1. Tips For Homeschooling the Early Years …You Can Do It!

2. How To Rise Above the Negative

3. 8 Homeschooling Methods

4. Homeschooling Middle School and High School

5. How I Teach Critical Thinking in Our Homeschool

6. Spelling Help – Think Outside the Box and Have Fun!

7. Think You Can’t Homeschool Art? Think Again!

8. Choosing Homeschool Curriculum

9. Recovering From Homeschool Burnout

10. Traditional Homeschooling v.s. Blended

I wish you all the best in your 2015 Homeschooling Adventures

and

Thank you for being a part of HSI!

This post is part of a “My Top Ten Most Popular Posts from 20014”  link up at iHomeschool Network

Click on the picture below for more “Top Ten” posts from other iHomeschool Network Bloggers:

Grabbing your coffee or tea on the run and feeling the pressure for everything to be perfect?

During busy holiday seasons, or even seasons when family commitments abound and pile high on your plate, it is easy to be too focused on that looming to-do list.

We can become so burdened with a whirlwind of errands, making the best Christmas cookies, or having the kids finish off their Math assignments before you declare “Christmas Break”, that we fall short in taking time to breathe and enjoy the season with our family.

Trying to create a perfect holiday by piling more on our plates without removing  other things is a recipe for disaster.

Life is all about give and take.

We are far from perfect.

You know that rule about shopping?

Where if  you buy something new to bring into your home, a piece of décor or even clothing, then at least one thing you previously had has to go?

What if, during these busy times of preparation we apply the same principle? 

What can you remove from your busy schedule in order to have more fun during the holidays?

Really think about this!

There is something you can put off or not do or even allow yourself to say “this is good enough”!

In our home, we change up our homeschool schedule and learning during the weeks leading up to Christmas. (See “Holiday Traditions and Homeschooling”)  My kids are still learning, but this allows us time to prepare for Christmas together v.s. me running around feeling all worn-out in the last days before Christmas.

You should also know that even though I change things up and strive to have things run smoothly, there are still days where things are very real and messy. Days where despite my best efforts I can feel the pressure.

As parents, we want every holiday to feel special and dare I say we even strive for perfection.

Holidays and Family Time

But Guess What?

Your kids version of a perfect Christmas and your version are probably a bit different.

Kids remember the little things you do as a family, like the time you had a picnic by the Christmas tree, or when you let them use glitter for their crafts, and your favourite carols playing in the background.
(Yes, I know how messy glitter is, take a deep breath and let it happen, I promise you will survive. )

As much as it is nice to have family traditions, it is okay to acknowledge that some years those traditions might be too much of a burden.  You can let it go and use this as an opportunity to create a fun and new memory!

The other day, I was rushing around and I could tell my kids just wanted to have fun.

So, we packed up and headed out to pick up some new decorations.  Once home, we laid a nice table cloth and sat together at our ‘fancy’ table to eat a simple lunch complete with some hot chocolate.  S-I-M-P-L-E !

We had such a great day!

Time spent with our family where we are free from distractions and can have focused time with our children is a way to create special memories and happy hearts!

Today, take time to hangout and do something fun or even silly together – it will be good for all of you!

Want more inspiration?

Check out my friend Kendra’s series: 5 Days of Making Christmas Memories – Stress Free!

She shares some very real, down to earth advice for all of us!

What kind of planner are you?

I am a list maker, the “old fashioned” pencil and paper kind of list maker.

There is something about a pencil or pen in my hand which helps me to own my to-do list.

When we physically write something out, it helps our minds to own those tasks a little more than if we write it via a keyboard, in a virtual way.

 Although, having smartphones and apps certainly are useful too.

Organizing Your Day

In fact, at our house we have a virtual calendar for our family where each member is colour coded, to go along with my paper list.

My husband and I enter our appointments, business travel as well as our children’s sports and other out of the home activities into our virtual calendar.  As our kids become more involved with activities outside the home, this has helped my husband stay in the loop.  When he is out working or if he has been out of town, all he has to do is check our calendar to know what the rest of us are up to.

 It also helps me!

At the beginning of each week I enter all the activities or appointments we have planned as a family and as individuals.

Once all of that is entered I can let it go and allow myself to focus on all our other “to-do” lists.  As homeschoolers, we all have a lot on the go from planning each child’s subjects and projects to the regular household stuff like laundry.

(That never ending pile of laundry, or is this just my house?  Lol.)

What Goes on the Master List?

Making a master list is great, but you have to be picky.

Discern what is on your list and what can or should be on your children’s lists.

Then break it all down, into your daily  Action List.

1. Have – To’s

2. Should – Do’s

3. Want – To’s

I keep my “Have to’s” as focused and clear cut as I can, and try to attack at least 1 “Should Do”.

Once my “Have to” and “Should do” lists  are done I get to pick something from my “Want to” List.  I can work away at one of my hobbies, read a book, or just sit.

At our house the goal of our action lists is to provide our family with:

• organization

• direction

• strategy

• peace of mind

• a sense of accomplishment

This may sound all neat and tidy, but let me tell you, we definitely live a real life around here which also means it can all just be a whirlwind of organized chaos!

Once you jump into this homeschooling pool you soon realize there is an even larger pool of amazing curriculum you can choose from!

This post isn’t about planning out curriculum day by day, but focuses on the first stages of planning and choosing your curriculum.

Planning Your Homeschool

I usually start my curriculum search on-line. 

Window shopping on-line is a great starting point to your search without adding the clutter of magazines to your desk or counter tops.

While you are on-line, look up some homeschool bloggers who share the resources they are using or have tried.
This is a great way to find homeschool curriculum companies too as they often work closely with homeschool bloggers.  With the help help of bloggers, curriculum publishers can promote their products as well as educate us on how to effectively use their curriculum.

Need to know where to start to find amazing homeschool bloggers?

Check out iHomeschool Network, they have a team of wonderful homeschool moms who often do reviews and share how they use their curriculum.  As well, you will find many of them offer free or low cost printables which may be all you need for certain subjects.

Once you short list a few curriculum companies, publishers, or educational toy suppliers, you can then seek them out and ask for their catalogues.  Most curriculum publishers also offer sample lessons or assessments which is a great way to see if it is a fit for your child.

If you need to know where or how to request homeschool catalogues, check out this post by Jimmie Lanley  Where to Request Homeshool Catalogue. 

As much as I do search on-line, I love catalouges!

By the time I am done looking through my catalogues, they have sticky tabs everywhere, are highlighted, dog eared, and pen marked.

When I am in planning mode, my catalogues, sticky notes, pen and notepad go everywhere with me!

Get Your Hands On the Books and Materials

Homeschool Conventions are great for us to learn, expand our thoughts, to get encouragement, and also to meet up with friends; but they also have the Vendor Hall!

The first time I stepped across the hallway from the conference rooms to the vendor hall and walked through the doors I was overcome with excitement!

 I love books and games, not to mention all the music, art and science stuff!  I thought to myself — YES! This will be great!

I started out with a spring in my step eager to buy everything in one stop, however, I did become a bit overwhelmed.

Before I let that overwhelming feeling take too strong a hold of me, I zipped outside for a coffee break and began to focus on what our essentials were.

What curriculum did I need and what could I manage without. (Read: Choosing Homeschool Curriculum for more tips)

Yes, the vendor hall is great, you can get your essential supplies and books done in one fell swoop!

Another benefit of the vendor hall at a homeschool convention is you can hold the curriculum in your hands, and take some time to really look at it!

If you are debating between two Math programs or History for instance, the vendor hall is a great place to be.

You have the opportunity to speak with the publishers or representatives and you can look through their program.

Don’t forget other parents who use the curriculum are also there making their purchases.  Don’t be shy, ask if they have a minute to share why they like Math “XYZ”, ask how they use it in their home.

Often other Moms and Dads are willing to take a few moments to help out another homeschooler; after all, we have all been the ones standing there with 2 hands holding 2 different books wondering which one to go with.

Even after 8 1/2 years, I have times where I need to compare and contrast in order to figure out what will work best.  In fact, as I write this I am taking a break from looking through some different Science curriculum I borrowed from a friend and comparing it to what we are currently using.

Whether you are a new homeschooling parent or one who has been at it for a while, no matter what method you follow, we all have to plan our homeschool curriculum and books every year for each of our children.

We all have this in common.

What is your favourite way to plan and organize your homeschool curriculum?

The Live iHomeschool Studio event has past but the MP3 recordings are still available, click on this link: iHomeschool Studio MP3 Recordings, or on any photo to purchase.

iHomeschool Studio 2014 MP3’s

*Affiliate link

Ever wish you could pack up and escape to a Home School Conference?

Then reality hits and you realise this year it won’t happen for you.

It could be due to combined costs, let’s face it the fees can add up quickly!

• Travel

• Registration

• Hotel

• Meals

• Babysitting

This year is different!  

This year you CAN attend a 4 day educational event made just for Homeschooling Parents!

iHomeschool Network had pulled together some Amazing Homeschool Speakers, for people like you and me who can’t get out to a 4 day conference. iHomeschool Studio is an online webinar event which takes place February 11-14, 2014 and it is only $25!!

*This post contains affiliate links to this event

Not only can we listen in the comfort and of our homes but it is also very affordable!  When you register you will also be provided with the mp3 recordings, so you can go back to listen again and again.

Sessions range from organizing and frugal homeschooling to personality and learning styles. We will offer help with intense kids, high school students, and lazy kids. Although we cover academics like science, music, and geography, we also delve into matters of the heart as we help you instill a love of Christian missions in your children and build positive character traits all while maintaining the spark in your marriage. There is something for everyone! ~iHomeschool Studio

 

What’s Included in your Ticket Price?

• 24 live sessions 

• Audio recordings of all 24 sessions (MP3 format)

• Discounts, door prizes, give-aways from the sponsors and speakers

Don’t forget the convenience factor!

• You can watch/listen at your own pace.

• You can get the kids going on a project, make yourself a hot cup of coffee/tea, sit for a session or two and soak up all that encouragement.

• You can even fold the laundry while you are watching.  (Who am I kidding, we all know I won’t fold the laundry! )

• You can declare a p.j. day, kids can play games or do arts and crafts while you tune in.

I also love that the mp3 audio recordings of ALL 24 sessions are included in the ticket price.

Now we don’t have to worry about all our Mom taxi duties or grocery runs, just download and take all the encouraging iHomeschool Studio talks on the road!

Speakers:

 I am very excited to listen to these awesome speakers as I am not able to travel to the other homeschool conferences this year.

This online webinar is a perfect way for me to get a little “Professional Development” for our homeschool!

What are you waiting for?

Grab your tickets to the iHomeschool Studio and join me in the audience for some homeschool encouragement!

Homeschool burnout, it happens.

Even when we think it can’t happen to us, it can.

I am not an expert, nor do I hold a degree in psychology, but I am a Mom.

A mom who homeschools, a mom who lives real life.

A life where laundry never folds itself and thus sits too long in baskets, where library books are sometimes overdue, where we have days supper has to be ordered in last minute because I was too tired to run to the grocery store.

But also a life full of fun, smiles, hugs, games, toys and learning along side of my wonderful family.

We all know life, at times, has a way of dishing out way too much on our already overfull plates.  It has happened to me more than once, so I thought I would share some things I do to recover from those moments of feeling tired, overwhelmed or even what we all fear:  Burnout.

This is not my expert opinion, but rather things I do for myself to help stay on track and yes…even recover in times of burnout. 

Homeschool Burnout

My Real Life Recovery Strategies:

1. Prayer/Meditation

2. Fun, Fun and More Fun; plan a Field Trip!   “Planning the Perfect Family Field Trip”

3. Coffee Shops and Book Stores – Journal some basic ideas to get back your groove   “Find Your Homeschool Groove”

4. Get Up and Get Moving   “How I Stay Fit With Kids Underfoot”  (my guest post at Lisa Johnson Fitness )

5. Puzzles, Games and Play Dough

6. Make a trip to the Food Bank or Gather things for a Toy Drive

7. Pick a Small Corner of your House to re-vamp

8. Unplug

9. Get More Sleep

10. Take some goofy pictures with your kids

11. A good cup of tea and a good book for a family read-a-loud

12. Take a Nature walk with your kids or just you and your spouse

13. Skype with a friend

14. Play some of your favourite music

15. Say “NO thank you” to adding more into your schedule

16. Celebrate Your Family – Have a Dance Party

Bottom Line:

Never loose touch with what makes you smile, what energizes you and what moves you.

Time for ourselves as homeschool parents may be limited, but that just means we need to be more diligent about taking care of ourselves.

Schedule time for yourself to recover!

What do you like to do to unwind and re-focus?

Run Your Own Race

In this age of information overload with social media sites and instant messaging our world is noisier and more connected than ever.  While it can help us learn more and even develop new friendships, it can also lead us to get caught up in what everyone else is doing.

Don’t get me wrong, it is nice to share and help one another with:

• What books we are reading

• How we handled a Math melt down

• Ideas on preparing our kids for College

• Spelling tips and tricks

• How to make learning come alive

• Organizing all the supplies

• Encouragement when the tough days hit

• etc.

The thing is, we can easily get caught up in it all and start comparing ourselves to what everyone else seems to be doing.

We forget to run our own race!

I had a gym teacher a few years ago   (ok …it was many years ago, just humour me!),  coaching us for our track and field meet, stop us mid race because we were looking back over our shoulders to see who was coming up behind.  He said, every time we look over our shoulder, we are slowing ourselves down.

Now it didn’t feel that way, but once we got used to just powering through the race focusing on ourselves, pushing ourselves to do the best we could each do…we all got faster.  We also all became much better at being in tune to what is going on around us.

Don’t Keep Looking Over Your Shoulder

While it is necessary and great to connect with friends, to network and help one another out, it is also necessary to just be present and mindful of what you are up to in our own homes.

The time comes everyday where we just have to focus on our families and where we are at in our “race” and not slow ourselves down by looking over our shoulder.

Our Time – Our Journey – Our Race

Each and everyone of us can share similar experiences, but we also have our own unique circumstances.  We will slow down our progress if we keep looking over our shoulders and comparing ourselves to other families.

Don’t worry if  you see the other family who seems to do a lot of Art and you don’t.  Take note that you would like to start adding more Art to your children’s studies, but please don’t stress about it.

Nor should you worry if you feel like some academics are behind…

We all learn at different rates, we all have life throw different things in our path from time to time.  If in fact, you truly are behind…again please don’t stress, it’s just time to make a new plan.  A plan which is right for your family and your circumstances.

We can find a pace which works for us!  Our friends (whether in real life or via social media networks) can help us keep our pace, encourage us, and even give us a nudge from time to time.

Good friends will even give us reminders, like my gym teacher, to focus on our own race should they notice we are starting to look over our shoulders.

Run Your Race-Enjoy Your Journey and Encourage One Another!

I used to be both a night owl and a morning person, it was great!  It also baffled everyone around me how I could be just as chipper in the early mornings as I could be later in the evenings.

For a long time I took my ability to be an “any kind of day person”  for granted!  I haven’t been embracing my mornings like I used to, I haven’t been mindful of what works for me.

I’m not sure when this happened? (nor will I dwell on when or why)

Life has a way of throwing so much at our feet from time to time which can easily distract us from the core and essence of who we are.  This isn’t to say that what is thrown our way is all bad either, some of it is good.

In fact, I can become more distracted by the beauty in my life sometimes more than the bad things.  Either way, it is a distraction.

This morning, however I woke up earlier than I have in a long time (very early) without having to set my alarm.

I was tired and could’ve gone right back to sleep had it not been for the nagging shooting pain going down my leg.  (Yes, I awoke to a pinched sciatic nerve.)  So, I got up and on with my day; thinking either way I will be tired so I may as well be up and at ’em.

It’s Your Day!

I stumbled to the kitchen in the dark of the morning, kids and dogs still deep in slumber, and make myself a cup of coffee.  I opened the curtains, it is still dark outside, so I turn on a small light in the corner and just sit.

  Just me

my hot coffee

my family all still snug as bugs

the quiet

the dimly lit room

the stillness and gift of a new day

Suddenly I was overcome with a realization >> I forgot how much I LOVE early mornings!

Why did I let it slip away from me?

The stillness and quietness has a way of helping me sort through all those stirring thoughts we can all have.  I gain so much clarity in the quiet of the morning!

I am so thankful for waking up early today, it reminded me not only of how important it is for me to be up to enjoy the early mornings, but it also reminded me that I can choose my outlook of the coming day.

Thinking back to those days when my co-workers and friends were amazed by my ability to be both a morning person just as much as I could be a night owl I realize it was my decision to be that way.

We can choose to be joyful, and to take on our day with a smile; whether it be in the morning, the evening, or anywhere in between.

Life can be hard enough without us getting in our own way and forgetting what works for us.

I am taking back my mornings!

What are doing to get back on track today?