How to Homeschool Successfully: Get Your Practical Guide Homeschooling: one of the most rewarding, challenging, frustrating things I have ever done. I personally have five children. All boys. Yes, It’s as overwhelming as it sounds! Sometimes all I need is a little space, and a bag full of Oreos. Other times I need a homeschool ally. My homeschooling journey began when my husband said, “Give it a try for a year and we will talk about it again.” … Read More »
How to Homeschool Your Preschooler- Kindergartener “How can I get my 4-year old to sit long enough to do school?” “What is a great curriculum for a really busy 5-year old?” “My son’s handwriting is terrible. What program can I use to help him? He’s 6-years old.” Mama, Slow down. … Read More »
How to Organize Your Life in the Midst of Homeschooling Perfect Family project during the virus social distancing! Just 10-minutes a day (2-3 songs on your favorite playlist) and watch your house get in order! Join the FREE 10-minute challenge! Being Organized is not on the top of my skills list. Neither is shopping. Oh, I sure wish it was, but alas, I fail in these areas. What I have discovered is that I do not have to be the best of everything. I just need to be the best “asker of help”. … Read More »
So, You Think You Need to Teach Life Skills? Life Skills Trump Curriculum What does it matter if my son can solve an equation but can’t change a tire, cook a meal, or look you in the eye as you are interviewing him for a job? Choosing a Chore System that Works for Your Family Cooking Camp: Teaching Kids to Cook From 8th Grader to Man: Homeschooling through High School Driver’s Ed :Texting and Driving Game Will You Kids be Ready to Leave Your Nest? Preparing Kids for Blood Work and Needles Budget Project: Real Life Math Why you should teach your kids to gossip What Does Relaxed Homeschooling Really Look Like?
Relaxed Homeschool? Yes, It’s possible! Inside: Homeschooling can be rip-your-hair-out hard. These Tips will help you hold on to your sanity and all of your hair. I almost hit my goals with homeschooling. I know, “Almost doesn’t count except in horseshoes, hand grenades”, and homeschooling. Grandma always said, “you cannot hit a goal unless you have a target.” I aim for being a loving wife, a cool mom and a relaxed homeschooler. That is my target. Relaxed homeschooling. Yep. I try to hit that one every day, week, month and year of homeschooling. Sometimes, I even hit my goal! It has taken me years to realize that relaxed homeschooling is not lazy homeschooling. …Read More »
How to Homeschool Your child Without Losing Your Way Every January, I do a crazy purge of homeschooling. When we come back to our studies after Christmas it never fails. Suddenly, I can see how off-track I’ve allowed the kids to get. Even though I have great intentions, I always seem to put too much emphasis on ‘this curriculum and that lesson’ and with our time seeking the Lord together, praying, and serving each other gets pushed more and more off to the side. When I stop and focus on my kids’ hearts, attitudes, and character I realize I need to make some changes.… Read More »
120 is the Magic Number of Classics You need to Read Get ready to GASP… I never read to Kill a Mockingbird before. Or Fahrenheit 451. Or East of Eden. Or countless other classics. photo by Caleb Woods I know. It’s horrible. … Read More »
46 Easy Freezer Meals to the Rescue: Life Hack Inside: Never panic about dinner again. 46 Easy Freezer Meals to the Rescue. I remember barely making it home. photo by Ricardo Alfaro When we lived up in the mountain a few years back, I would have to drive “down the hill” to go grocery shopping. At first, it was very romantic packing up the kids for more than half a day, driving down the mountain far enough into the atmosphere that you left wearing a jacket and arrived needing a bathing suit. Yeah, it got old quickly…. Read More »
Daily Advent Readings: Where Do You Begin? Inside: What Bible Verses should you read with your kids during Advent? Here are Daily Bible Readings for every day during Advent. It’s as simple as: Download, Print, and Begin. Download your FREE “Advent Reading Freebie HERE” {Printable} Starting Late? No Worries. Jump in at any time! Related: When the Holidays Mess with your Homeschooling Mojo Looking for More Advent Goodies? Advent Calendar Ornaments 17 of the Best Advent for Kids Activities for your Family Print this free homeschool mom reminder. This post comes with a free printable reminder list to help keep your heart focused on the heart of homeschooling. I always have the hardest staying focused. This printable simplifies it! Here is a sneak preview… Download Your Free Printable Download the checklist. You’ll get the printable, plus join 9,000+ homeschool moms who receive my weekly parenting tips and ideas!Print. Any paper will do the trick, but card stock would be ideal.Place it on your refrigerator as a helpful reminder.
Lifelong learning: What Does Long Hair Have to Do with Homeschool? If you jump over to my instagram, you will catch a glimpse of a common theme developing in my life… Hair. french braids buns ponytails mermaid braid I’ve almost always worn long hair. In my youth, I’ve dreamed of being able to create stunning princes level hairstyles, but couldn’t figure them out on my own. When I began growing my hair out I quickly became bored with the plain old braid I wore every other day. And then it dawned on me to look on YouTube and I found the Missy Sue Blog. Related: Tips for growing longer hair Missy Sue did all the hard work for me, showed me how to divided my locks, use mini-bands and bobby pins, and create fantastic designs with my hair. Related: a beautiful hair pin really makes a big difference Hair and Homeschooling The theme for this year has been “falling in love with learning”… for me. Homeschool mama, we need to become excited about a few things to model the modern truth- You can really learn almost anything on YouTube. This is a different world from when we were in high school. Today, Kids walk around with supercomputers in their hands and have the ability to become experts in pretty much any field with a little determination and a whole bunch of practice. Gone are the days when kids graduate high school, go to college to become an expert in their chosen field, and then quietly settle in a career for 40 years. The average person will change careers 5-7 times during their working life according to career change statistics. With an ever-increasing number of different career choices on offer, approximately 30% of the total workforce will now change jobs every 12 months. By the age of 42 you will probably already have had about ten jobs. [DOL] That little fact would have given me a heart attack as a teenager, but as a homeschool mom, it makes me more determined than ever to equip kids for this ever-changing world. Freebie: 70 Creative ideas for Homeschooling Homeschoolers are in a unique position to help their kids. Our children have time to explore topics can identify areas of interest and dig deep have the ability to become expert learners Model Learning: Show them how it’s Done It is so important that we model learning for our kids. They need to see learning in action. Find something to be excited about, something challenging… and then go find some YouTube videos, books, magazines, or a tutor and learn. Learn a new skill simply for the challenge and joy of it. Share your enthusiasm with your kids. Model perseverance. Don’t be afraid to fail, but never quit! So far I have taught myself (and a few sons) how to knit and now how to style long hair. They all want to be daddies someday and hope to have little girls. Maybe they’ll even have the opportunity to teach their wives how to braid. Ideas for learning are endless All about herbs Improving your blog’s SEO hairstyles rebuilding an engine life skills building treehouses making a quilt aquaponics coin collecting starting a store on Etsy Social Media Marketing writing Resumes and cover letters sustainable living creating apps recycling for profit making wooden arrows cooking painting with watercolors homeschooling with littles The possibilities are truly endless. What are you excited to learn about? Start today! Print this free homeschool mom reminder. This post comes with a free printable reminder list to help keep your heart focused on the heart of homeschooling. I always have the hardest staying focused. This printable simplifies it! Here is a sneak preview… Download Your Free Printable Download the checklist. You’ll get the printable, plus join 9,000+ homeschool moms who receive my weekly parenting tips and ideas! Print. Any paper will do the trick, but card stock would be ideal. Place it on your refrigerator as a helpful reminder.
Why I Decorate for Christmas BEFORE Thanksgiving Yes, I am one of those people. I absolutely love the Christmas Season. But I hate the business, bustle, and hassle. Christmas is the time of year when we get to focus fully on the birth of our Lord and Savior, and I always became frantic right after Thanksgiving while I was scurrying to get everything set for our family traditions. A few years ago I was reflecting on a friend’s tradition of decorating before Thanksgiving. Like you, I thought she was crazy… so I asked her about it. … Read More »
Free Class for Bloggers: Get more traffic with fewer posts In this FREE 5-day email course, you’ll get powerful science-backed strategies that will bring you more traffic with fewer posts. And they work for every niche. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THIS *FREE* CLASS… Research shows all you get is 10-20 seconds before readers decide whether they should keep reading your post or leave forever. Publishing more blog posts won’t do you any good if you don’t know how to keep the reader longer than 20 seconds. When you enroll in this course, you’ll discover: The powerful secret to coming up with headlines that readers can’t resist The magic ingredient that will make readers share your content (but most bloggers are missing it) How to convert your reader to a loyal fan who keeps coming back for more But let’s be real. You’re already up to your eyeballs in advice for what you should be doing to grow your blog. Write more! Pin more! Network more! More, more, more! You don’t need more tasks on your blogging to-do-list. You need to find out which tasks will give you the biggest and best results for the time you spend. Results in the form of new subscribers, more traffic, and higher earnings. Claim your seat in this class, and you’ll get 3 lessons over 5 days, with each one taking 15 minutes or less. After one week, you’ll know how to step off the hamster wheel of cranking out more and more content that doesn’t go anywhere. You in?
You have been SUCCESSFULLY UNSUBSCRIBED! Let my son teach you and your kids how to crochet. YES! you’ve been successfully unsubscribed. Before you go reheat your coffee again, my 15-year old son wanted to invite you to peek at the class he created for kids of all ages to learn to crochet. Stephen, 15-year old future surgeon… Use the code: UNSUBSCRIBE to get a special discount to this already very affordable class. Stitching with Stephen: WHALES
Fun POPCORN Activities to do with your kids! She wrote, “Bekki, here’s a challenge for you. “The only thing my son is excited about is standing in front of the microwave watching popcorn pop. How do I work with that?🤔🍿Can you give me some ideas for how a Homeschooling Olympian would turn that into fun and learning?”Olympian mom (Snort) I don’t think she expected an actual answer. ANYTHING can be used as a backdrop for teaching and delighting in learning. Even popcorn! How to take this excitement and turn it in to a Homeschool Olympians Style teaching moment? FREE Popcorn Olympics Printable! START Preparing for POPCORN OLYMPICS!! Welcome to the “Homeschool Popcorn Olympics” 🏆, where we’ll turn your microwave’s favorite spectator sport into a full-blown learning extravaganza. Harnessing the unexpected, like the simple pleasure of popcorn, and transforming it into a series of engaging, hands-on activities holds immense power in the realm of homeschooling. This approach breathes life into learning by fostering a sense of curiosity and wonder. It breaks free from the conventional and often mundane approaches to education, injecting an element of surprise and excitement into the daily routine. When children discover that even something as seemingly ordinary as popcorn can serve as a catalyst for exploration, experimentation, and creativity, they develop a broader perspective on learning itself. It instills the notion that knowledge isn’t confined to textbooks but is a dynamic, living entity that can be found in the most unexpected places. In a kernel, these unconventional learning experiences ignite a passion for discovery and encourage children to view the world as their classroom, making homeschooling a vibrant and memorable journey. I Grab your outline for creating Popcorn Olympics here Learn how to break free from Curriculum
Teaching Math Doesn’t Need to be Boring Inside: everything you need to teach your kids their math facts! When our oldest son was in 5th grade my husband tricked me into homeschooling. “Just give it a year“. That was ages ago, and I’m still teaching my younger kids around the kitchen table. I remember our first real day of homeschool. I arrogantly sat across the kitchen counter from my son and ran a quick “teacher like” math fact drill. photo by aaron burden He didn’t know his math facts! … Read More »
Am I Alone in this Crazy Battle? Inside: 5 Things Parents Should Pass On To Thier Kids Look for the ray of hope… The year was 2010, and our oldest son was excitedly describing a new novel series he stumbled upon at the library. “Mom, don’t freak out.” Those words sent a shiver through my spine, but I bit my tongue really hard so my ears would stay open. … Read More »
Mama, Be super excited about the Eclipse- It’s Contagious Inside 3 Tips to Grab the Most out of the Ecplise (Or any other experience) “There were kids on the soccer fields honey.” The color drained from my face. Of course, I blew it again. Without fail, every year, without exception, I miss the critical sign-up dates for sports. I’m not talking 5-years of missed sports; I’m talking 20 years. … Read More »
Do You Need to be an Artist to Teach Homeschool Art? Inside: Homeschool Art- The surprising way to teach your kids to grow in their confidence and ability in art. {Plus a fun freebie} I remember the day I peeked over my son’s shoulder. He was 12-years old. He was sitting there so quietly- completely absorbed in his work. His intensity intrigued me, so I snuck over to take a peek. I shouldn’t have been stunned, but I was. How the in the world did he learn to draw so well? Here’s the secret… … Read More »
How to Make a Homeschool Schedule Making a homeschool schedule can seem overwhelming at first, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are some steps to help you create a homeschool schedule: …Read More »