Blogs about homeschooling

In search of an olive tree, we circled through the Acropolis and headed towards the Erechtheion. "It's in the same place Athena planted an olive tree back when she and Poseidon were competing for Athens", my son said excitedly. He'd heard this story along with the many others he'd share with us throughout our trip thanks to Rick Riordan's "Greek Gods" and "Greek Heroes." We found the tree and read from a nearby plaque the same story my son told. A similar scene occurred in every museum and ancient site. Good books once again offered the interest and knowledge I hoped they would.

I need some alone time, mommy. I'm an introvert.

I've known my son is an introvert for a long time. Of all my children, he is the only one who intentionally goes into his room and plays for hours by himself. He gets easily overwhelmed by multiple people talking at the same time. He also gets extremely frustrated and exhausted when he's interrupted.

Shortly after my son was diagnosed with ASD, I received a letter in the mail about preschool registration. Up to this point I had never considered homeschooling. In fact, two years prior when my family and I were preparing to move, I actually laughed when one of the moving crew asked me if I homeschooled my children. Apparently, even back then, I had way more books and learning supplies than the average mom.

The world loves an extrovert. Our society chooses extroverts to head committees, run for office, and host talk shows. But researchers have found that anywhere from 16 to 50 percent of the population is introverted. I would venture to say that an even greater percentage of homeschool moms are introverts. I say that being an introvert makes it easier to be a homeschool mom.

I think every homeschool mom has visions of children who love to read. Some people have those kids, and some have the opposite. There is a lot of advice out there about encouraging your child to read. Over the years of homeschooling, I’ve found some great ways to sneak in reading without them realizing it.

There are a number of reasons you might want to slip in some extra reading for your kiddo. Maybe they aren't doing enough recreational reading.

Are you a Monday morning person? Does the thought of a new week seem intimidating?

I admit that the prospect of preparing for another school week used to get me down. Even with the plans and schedules I had in place, I always felt like I was running around like a crazy person.

Then I realized that by making a few, simple changes, I no longer had to dread a new week. Instead, I found myself looking forward with anticipation.

Because we're always on the lookout for ways to increase focus, decrease stress, and encourage positive interactions in our home we encourage doing things with intention. Working daily on the habit of mindfulness supports this goal.

As a homeschooling family, we're busy enough. No need to add to our already full plates. Together, we strive to incorporate mindfulness practices into the framework of things we are already doing.

Anxiety... Depression...Bipolar disorder...

Although millions of people have been diagnosed with these mental illnesses, there is still a stigma attached to having them. At the age of 15, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and for years I let that label control my life. I lived in constant fear that someone outside of my family would find out about my mental health struggles and hold it against me or question everything I do as a parent especially since I homeschool.

Have you ever heard the myth that homeschool parents need to be extremely organized to successfully homeschool? Maybe you tell someone you homeschool and their reaction is, "Oh! You must be so organized!" Or you attend a homeschool convention and hear speaker after speaker talking about planners, schedules, calendars, and organizational systems as if those are more important that reading aloud and doing science experiments.