by Kathy Kuhl Do schools know best? Should we do it their way? Some of us wonder if our children might be better off in school, even if we don’t like to say that out loud. Every family needs to…
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When God Writes Your Lesson Plans
by Melissa Barnes I had it all planned. We would finish Unit One the Friday before my due date. My Unit Two plans would be ready before I delivered. We would take the week of the baby’s birth off and…
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The Futility Of It All
by Kyndra Steinmann The other day I was talking to my mother about some behavioral issue I was dealing with, and I finished the conversation by saying, “ I know they’ll get it eventually, and in the meantime I’ll just…
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Is a Summer Break Worthwhile?
by Kyndra Steinmann Ever since we returned from the HEAV Convention, we’ve been slacking off around here! Partly because the weather has been lovely and we’ve all wanted more time outside, partly because we’ve had a lot of activities, but…
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Finishing Strong: Homeschool Midyear Makeover
by Pamela Hall Finish strong! Those are two words that create a powerful attitude for achievement in life. Your homeschool is no different. I’ve often heard from many families that, at this time of year, they lose their momentum because…
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Making Peace with “Auditory Clutter”
Lately, my six-month-old has been trying to learn to walk (oh, the gray hair I’m acquiring!) and I’ve been trying to get a video of her efforts. I’ve posted some of the results to Facebook but I’m always disappointed because…
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The Most Important Subject
By Maiya Drennan For most of you, it is about a month into your school year. You have plenty of papers to write, tests to study for, and books to read. I hope that each of you do great this…
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But This Is Taking So Long!
In discussions about teaching children with special needs, one of the topics that comes up frequently is the question of getting them to do their work in a timely manner. It’s a frustrating situation. You know that “Jane “ can…
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John 19:11 – No Power Aside From God
by Maiya Drennen “…knowest thou that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above…” (John 19:10b-11a KJV) From…
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Respect… or Avoidance?
by Kyndra Steinmann One of my projects this summer is organizing a co-op with several other parents. Some of them have done co-ops before, while others have not. Some are veteran homeschoolers, while some are just starting their journey. All…
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Dear Homeschooling Mama – From a Homeschooled Daughter
by Maiya Drennen Dear Homeschooling Mom, When you were talking to your friends the other day at a homeschool get-together, I heard you say that there are some days when you feel like you are “ruining” me and my siblings;…
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You Go, Graduate!
By Maiya Drennen The first seventeen years of my life were pretty easy as far as knowing what to do: schoolwork. My mom would give me my assignments on Sunday and for the next five days I knew exactly what…
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Keeping On
By Kyndra Steinmann It’s been a rough couple of weeks around here. I had a cold, which the children unhappily shared, leading to no school for a week and few chores. The next week was not only full of appointments…
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Nine Ways to Cultivate More Contentment In Your Life
By Crystal Paine If you’re struggling to be content with your lot in life right now, here are nine ways I have found have helped me cultivate contentment and a love for the life I have been given: Go On…
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Dive Into Winter
by Kyndra Steinmann So, the holidays are over. The last cookie has been eaten, the last sugar rush survived, and the sparkle of “new” has worn off of the toys. It’s time to resume school and the regular schedule. But…
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Being Honest With Your Children
by Kyndra Steinmann The other day I was talking to another homeschool mom about the difficulties her eldest child is having in learning to read. The child shows multiple signs of dyslexia, with a possible secondary issue with processing language,…
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Recognizing Progress
The other day, we had one of those days when all of the interactions with a particular child go badly. You know–the days when the child in question starts trying to run the world before he’s even out of bed,…
Read MoreWhat Are Your Goals
by Kyndra Steinmann So, here we are–a month into the new school year for most of us–and I have a question: What are your goals this year? Oh, I know, I know–you want to finish the grade-level-appropriate work, teach Johnny…
Read MoreDoes Attitude Matter?
by Kyndra Steinmann A question was brought up by a friend after my recent post about getting back into routine: “I focused on attitude almost exclusively, figuring that jobs would be well done if the attitudes were right. For…
Read MoreRebuilding the Routine
by Kyndra Steinmann Last time I told you how taking a break from school had morphed into taking a break from responsibilities and routines altogether, and how that had given us an unhealthy family atmosphere. We’re on the road to…
Read MoreTips for Helping a Child With Auditory Processing Issues Follow Verbal Instructions
by Kyndra Steinmann This scene happens frequently in our house: Me: “Mouse, please go upstairs, make your bed, pick up the clothes on the floor, and bring down your laundry.” Mouse starts obediently up the stairs, gets about halfway up,…
Read MoreSix Steps to Help Boost Your Productivity
by Maiya Drennen There are so many things that can–and do–get in the way of a productive day. I know that is true for me! So I have come up with a few tips for helping to stay on…
Read MoreTime Out…For Mama
This morning, I dismissed school after only an hour. We were nowhere near done for the day, but I was out of patience. The toddler was fussing because he is teething; the preschooler had a cold and his brain and…
Read MoreFinishing Strong
I realized the other day that, despite all of the interruptions this year, Mouse (my six-year-old girl) is about thirty lessons away from the end of her second-grade year. How encouraging in these end-of-the-year doldrum weeks when I feel like…
Read MoreFeeling Behind? That Can Be a Good Thing!
So, last June, at the HEAV Convention, you saw these neat books with all kinds of activities and you thought, “Oh wow! The kids would really love these, and we would learn so much, and enjoy it, too!” So…
Read MoreLoving and Letting Go
by Kyndra Steinmann Has it ever occurred to you that you could love your children too much? That you could do too much for them and make life too pleasant and easy? That sometimes the best way to love is…
Read MoreSparkles in the Pasta
As dads, we wear a lot of hats during the week. Personally, I wear the husband hat, the business-owner hat, the architect hat, the (slow) runner hat, the grocery-shopper hat, the dog-walker hat, the garbage-man hat, and the homeschooling-dad hat….
Read MoreMotivating Teens
Q. How can I keep my homeschool teen motivated? A. Teens–both boys and girls—are motivated by the things they are interested in doing. Think about what your teen likes to do in his spare time. What he’s interested in doing…
Read MoreOutdoing One Another in Love
by Kyndra Steinmann One of the hardest things to teach children (or remember ourselves) is that love isn’t a quid-pro-quo thing. Frequently, we interpret the “Golden Rule” as “We should only be as nice to others as they are to…
Read MorePraying for Our Children
by Julie Mendez There are a million things we could pray for our children, and probably should. But I just love this verse I read tonight and how it makes me think of my kids: I have not stopped thanking…
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