Well here it is October already. Time flies these days. This is the first year that I am homeschooling and working almost full time. I have had part time jobs in the past, but worked fewer hours with them. I think things are going very well. My husband is helping a lot and that makes a big difference. Also my children have been very diligent with their studies. We do try to make sure we are doing some fun things as well.

I have decided not to stress this year. We are using Switched on Schoolhouse which allows my children to have a lot of control over when and how long it takes them to get their lessons done. So as long as they are getting their assignments done, I am happy to let them have some freedom in when they do them. It has work well so far and I am finding that they have decided on their own to get them done earlier in the day. I have also decided that since my children are learning and developing character that we must be doing something right.

It is a new experience to be working more, but I think has been good for all of us. I have enjoyed having a career again, it has provided income for our family, and our children have learned to be a little more independent and understand that sometimes in life we must learn to change with change. I thank God for the opportunity to learn new things and for helping us all to change, and for his wonderful blessings.

This has been a fast and busy summer. I guess as the saying goes, time flies when you are having fun. Actually I think it flies whether you are having fun or not.

Well it is that time or year again. Time to think of the coming fall and learning year, and to get our curriculum ready and our minds ready. There have been years that we have done lessons all year long, and have found that shorter breaks (a month or six weeks) is better than all summer long, but this year we decided to take a full 3 month break June through August. I started back working part time, which turned into more full time as a real estate agent, and of course my husbands business keeps me busy too. I have been pondering God's plan in our busy lives, and have discovered that even though we are busy, we are still functioning as a family and our children are learning. Learning to plan, and to be spontanious as well. Learning about working with people and learning about business ownership. And above all learning that we truly have to lean on God and follow His path for our lives. So I decided to take a deep breath, have faith, and trust that God knows what he is doing, and I will just continue to follow, listen, and try my best to obey. In the end what more can I ask for my children than for them to follow Christ, be good to one another, and have a love of learning and gaining knowledge. After all, I want them to learn forever, not just during the school years.

As far as curriculum goes, there are so many good ones out there, you just have to find the one that works best for you. We will be using Switched-On-Schoolhouse again this year, with some math suppliments for Zachary, and also still trying to decide about foreign language. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and good blessings for the upcoming school year. I have used many curriculums so if you have any questions feel free to ask me!

One of my favorite quotes is by Martin Luther King, Jr., : Intelligence plus character is the goal of true education.  When I first saw this quote I immediately thought about how many homeschoolers do so for this reason alone, teaching their children how to have character as well as intelligence.  For if we have only intelligence what do we have to offer the world?  Both together is truly what we want.  I also wanted my children to keep their curiosity, their love of learning.  I see so many children who have lost all love of learning, and many graduated to thinking they already know it all.  Of course being a mother of a teenager, I do see that side too sometimes.  But this is one of my main goals of homeschooling, to raise well rounded children, with intelligence plus character, to teach them to love learning and how to learn on their own.  And to keep learning fun and applicable to life. This is where we got our school name, it is truly our motto, never stop learning, and focus on what is important. Learning never stops, everyday is a new adventure if we make the most of it.

You might be a Home school family if...

-your school bus is a mini-van.

-you have bookshelves in every room, including the bathroom.

-Lego’s and K’Nex are a subject.

-you play Scrabble for spelling class.

-your child’s favorite present is a book.

-your bathroom truly is a laboratory.

-math homework is done outside with sidewalk chalk.

-your kids play school and instead of saying teacher, they call the one teaching Mom.

-you learn as much as your children do.

Current and retired educators, homeschoolers, librarians, day-care facilitators, student teachers, specialty school teachers, college faculty, religious teachers, and school administrators will save on purchases for personal or classroom use. Just bring proof of educator status. 

Save 25% March 19-25, 2009

Special Reception Friday March 20, 2009 From 4:00-8:00 pm

I thought I would start my first post with a little about how we got started on the homeschooling path.

We have been homeschooling since my oldest was in the first grade (or in reality since he was born). It has been quite a journey. I never knew very much about homeschooling, but was one of the moms who looked forward to my kids starting school. I had the usual agruments, the biggest one, not feeling qualified. Then when my oldest child went to kindergarten, it was a real wake up call. He learned quickly, and got bored easily even in a small class of only six. Even though it was a private christian school, there were still things that I wished were different. I was very blessed to have Zachary's teacher to guide me. She had homeschooled in the past and pointed me in the right direction. I did some research and decided to start the next year, and to take one year at at time. Eight years later we are going strong and have never regretting the decision. It has kept learning fun and our family close. Zachary is now in the ninth grade, Matthew and Emily sixth grade, and I have little Elijah who is three. I have tried many different methods of homeschooling and know that everyone has to find what works for them. I love talking about homeschooling so if you ever have any questions, please feel free to email me and I will do my best to answer.