10 Things I’ve Learned In 10 Years of Homeschooling, Part 1 is here. 6) Decide On A Philosophy of Education It’s worth spending some time on this and even writing some things down before you begin homeschooling. What does education mean to you? What does a well-educated person look like? What are your overarching goals […]
10 Things I’ve Learned In 10 Years of Homeschooling
(Update 2017: I wrote this post about 10 things I’ve learned in 10 years of homeschooling a few years ago. I now have a graduate and have been teaching my kids at home for 13 years. I still love it!) It occurred to me the other day that it’s been 10 years since I began […]
Homemade Laundry Detergent Doesn’t Work
I made my own homemade laundry detergent for years. At one point, my large family did four loads of laundry a day. I estimated we saved at least $120 a year making our own laundry detergent. Sadly, it’s time to say goodbye. Why? Because homemade laundry detergent doesn’t work! Radical, I know. Read on… I […]
Ways For Your Homeschooled Teen To Make Money
5 months ago Caleb decided that he was tired of just earning an (admittedly generous!) allowance. He had a goal of earning $450 to get a vintage guitar repaired, and needed to earn funds, fast. I set about brainstorming and searching ways for him to make money, and like a good little blogger I have […]
Post Pertussis
Yesterday I took the kids to the Pediatrician. The 3 youngest had an appointment, and I wanted to make sure they were ok after our bout with pertussis. These children have active Whooping Cough aka Pertussis: do they look like they’re dying? I suspected that the baby had coughed herself a mild umbilical hernia, and […]
Whooping Cough, Part 3: Test Results Come Back Positive
My entire family came down with Whooping Cough. Here are the results of our pertussis tests: some of us are positive. The other posts in this series: Whooping Cough – first sick kid and positive pertussis result Waiting For Pertussis Results – had remaining kids and hubby tested Part 3 On the Mend Post Pertussis […]
Helping the Reluctant Reader
Last week I met three fellow homeschooling mom friends at one of those indoor jump places. As our kids played we chatted about homeschooling, books and Jane Austen. And reluctant readers. Turns out each of us have one. In a house full of bibliophiles, I also have a child who I consider to be a […]
Why I Shop at ALDI
Why do I shop at ALDI? I don’t know about you, but I find that our larder goes empty a day or two earlier these days. It took me a while to figure out why this is so, when it dawned on me that everything is getting more expensive. Therefore, when I head to the […]
It Takes a Family to Raise a Toddler
It doesn’t take a village to raise a child. I take major umbrage with that statement. However, it does take a family to raise a 2 year old. Ruby was getting on everyone’s nerves this morning. It has been a cacophony of whining, crying/screaming when everything didn’t go her way. Caleb had his fingers in […]
My Beef With Standardized Testing
This week my kids are doing standardized tests. I have a real beef with standardized testing. stand·ard·ize 1. to bring to or make of an established standard size, weight, quality, strength, or the like: to standardize manufactured parts. 2. to compare with or test by a standard. 3. to choose or establish a standard for. I’m not […]