We can all fall into the trap of thinking that others have it easier or do things better or are more “normal” or holy than we are. I call this the Comparison Trap. It’s not healthy or helpful, but it is terribly commonplace. It’s especially prolific because the … Read More…
It’s midwinter. We’re all taking a pause to look over our lives. In particular, we are taking time to reevaluate our homeschooling. When we take our children home to educate them, we become combatants in a war. Homeschooling challenges the systems that are engineered to destroy us (by … Read More…
Despite what you’ve heard, large families are not poor. Children make you rich in the things that matter most. It’s true–our home holds a lot of people. We are a messy, noisy bunch, and we are not afraid to express ourselves! There is usually so much going on … Read More…
There is something conspicuously absent in our homeschooling. It’s not curricula. It’s not supplies. It’s not physical exercise. It’s not test preparation. It is something so simple that we rarely think about it, yet it is so profound that we are doomed to fail without it. I was … Read More…
If you don’t develop the art of ignoring, you will crash and burn as a mother. Good moms know how to ignore. Oh, yes, I believe in keeping a neat house, of doing things ahead, and of making life simple, but if you looked deep into my psyche … Read More…
Are smart phones good or evil? I think the answer is YES! Waaay back in the 90’s Biblical femininity was under attack just as it is today. It was difficult to find like-minded ladies anywhere. The Internet was in its infancy, but even in the early stages it … Read More…
There is a secret to relaxed homeschooling. It’s actually what makes everything else work. What is it? Actually…drumroll…it’s: DISCIPLINE! I know, I know, this is not considered a positive word. Discipline is actually something we’ve been conditioned to avoid. Besides, what in heaven or earth does discipline have … Read More…
Today we are going to examine narration, which is a very Charlotte-Masonish thing to do. I first discovered Charlotte Mason after I had been officially homeschooling for about six years. It was a re-discovery for all of us early homeschoolers back then. Susan Schaeffer Macauley’s book, For the … Read More…
If there was one message I believe the homeschool community needs, it’s this: DON’T RUSH YOUR CHILDREN This is not based on my feelings or my wishes; it’s based on some remarkable (even shocking) reasonings. Consider this: All of the learning necessary for success in high school can … Read More…
Before you research curriculum and purchase supplies, do you know why you homeschool? You should; it makes all the difference in the world. When we think of education, there are actually three ways we view children: 1. Child as product. This is the “factory” idea most of us … Read More…