Homeschooling: Step One My first day of homeschooling ended with me in tears and nail polish on my bathroom floor. It wasn’t pretty. Thank goodness I asked for help! Homeschooling: Step One Breathe! Welcome to the wonderful world of educating your children. If you are anything like I was when I first began homeschooling my boys, you are overwhelmed and terrified of destroying your children. I know it feels overwhelming. Like you are up to your chin in jello with nothing but a toy lasso from your son’s Halloween costume to pull you out. But you will be ok. I am here to help you. To show you there is no Jello. I want to encourage you to breathe. There is nothing more important than for you to remember that “no one knows your kids better than you do.” You are perfectly suited to teach your children because: They are your kids. No one knows them like you do. You know what they love and hate. You are vested in their success. No one will believe in them with the same level of intensity that you will. Before you begin, let me encourage you to focus your heart. You can absolutely teach your kids, but you will be tempted to focus on the wrong things. Which Curriculum should you choose? Should you participate in State testing? Are your kids performing at “grade level”? Those are important, but wrong. Yes, you should consider questions like these but they have NOTHING to do with whether you will be a successful homeschooler. I would like to encourage you to grab a cup of something wonderful: tea, coffee, cranberry juice, etc. When I first started A Better Way to Homeschool, I wanted to share as many valuable and practical homeschooling advice, tips, stories and ideas as I possibly could. Because… Because… The Homeschooling path can be a dusty, intimidating and sometimes lonely journey. And scary. Do you ever worry about messing up your kids like I used to worry about messing up mine? We all do. Knowing that I wasn’t the only dust covered homeschooler, I began listening to other moms (and dads) and created my website. What I have learned over the past few decades is that homeschoolers want: Easy. You want easy common sense solutions to homeschooling your children and the confidence that whispers, “You are are doing a great job”. Peace of mind. You want to sleep soundly at night, with that little bit of drool coming out of the corner of your mouth because you know are walking down the right path with your kids, even if it’s a bit dusty. Company. You’re not the only one on that dusty lonely road. I’m just a bit further down the path, but I left footprints for you to follow or avoid. Homeschool classes for mom Homeschoolers are what my son calls “stupid busy”. You do it all: cooking, diapering, taxiing, scheduling, planning, and yes, teaching. You want to grab what you need to succeed in a simple and easy way because that’s all the time they have left in your daytime for simple and easy. Preview of the Heart of Homeschooling God’s Way Master Class. We need to STOP measuring success by grades, achievements, awards, and worksheets.