A Homeschool Day in the Life with a 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, and 17 Year Old

It’s been awhile since I shared what a homeschool day in our lives looks like. To be honest, writing this type of post exhausts me. I don’t think I ever actually realize how hectic things are around here until I write everything down and reflect on it. All I can say is, yikes.

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Large Family Homeschool Hack #1: Grouping and Alternating

Today I’m back for Day 2 of my series, How to Homeschool Multiple Children Without Going Crazy. Yesterday I gave an overview of what I’ll be sharing this week, but today I’m going to get down to the nitty gritty.

Of all the homeschool hacks I’ve learned in my eight years of living this lifestyle, grouping and alternating has been the glue that holds our homeschool together, which is why I’ve chosen to share this one first. It is the foundation our homeschool structure is built upon. (Watch my video on grouping your kids here.)

Are You Tired of Homeschooling in a Messy House?

One of the hardest adjustments I’ve had to make as a homeschool mom is the fact that our house is a lot messier than it once was. B.H.- Before Homeschooling– I was a cleaning fanatic. The house was always spotless. I dusted, vacuumed, mopped, scrubbed the bathtub, and washed windows daily. My living room carpet had to be vacuumed in such a way that I could see perfect little lines running through it. In fact, one of my kids once brought home a paper from school that said:

What does your mom like to do?

My mom likes to clean. 

5 Days of Christmas Lists- 25 Christmas Goodies to Make with Your Kids

Wow. I can’t believe the last day of the 5 Days of Christmas Hopscotch has already arrived. It’s been a fun week, hasn’t it?

To recap, this week I’ve suggested 25:

–Christmas books

–Christmas activities

–Christmas specials, and…

–Christmas crafts

If that hasn’t given you some Christmas inspiration, I don’t know what will!

But it’s not over yet…today I’m going to give you… 

5 Days of Christmas Lists- 25 Simple and Creative Christmas Crafts

Have you ever walked into a craft store at this time of year? Oh. my. goodness. The combination of the luscious aromas, beautiful visual displays, and sale signs everywhere are enough to send even the least crafty of us into a frenzy. There’s something about Christmas that brings out our creative sides.

Being a homeschool parent is such a perk at Christmastime because not only do we benefit from educator’s discounts at most craft stores, but we also have the option of letting go of our formal curriculum to take advantage of the bounty of Christmas crafts beckoning to us on Pinterest.

Admit it. You’re addicted to Pinterest, too. 

50 Homeschool Supplies You Can Get for One Dollar

Homeschooling on a limited budget can be a tricky thing. Sure, the library and the internet are both great free resources, but it’s impossible to homeschool without a cache of supplies at your disposal. As a family of 12 living on one income, we usually only do any major school supply shopping twice a year, so the local dollar store has become our go-to place for those times we need to stock up but don’t have hundreds of dollars to do it.

Before I share with you the frugal deals we find there, I’m going to be honest and point out that there are some supplies that you should stay away from there because the quality just isn’t what it should be. There aren’t many, but I’m hoping to save you the trouble of purchasing these items there and regretting it later.  

The #1 Parenting Lie: Quality Over Quantity

This is the time of year when most of us look back on those things we are most thankful for- God, our spouses, our families, our children. Thinking about this recently has made me focus on a terrible untruth that has been circling as sage parenting advice for decades- quality over quantity.

According to these “words of wisdom”, the amount of time a parent spends with their child is not as important as the purposefulness of their being together. I’m all for families spending intentional time together. I think it’s wonderful. But…I think this advice is a little misguided and has maybe been taken just a bit too far. 

Fun and Frugal Thanksgiving Ideas for Kids of All Ages

Thanksgiving will be here in a mere two weeks. There’s something about the start of the holiday season that inspires me to get together with my kids to come up with fun and frugal ideas and activities to do together. This may not sound like much, but I assure you that I am not normally a crafty person, so this is big.

Last week we just finished our Thanksgiving unit study, and we had so much fun that I’ve decided to share with you some of our favorite activities and books. What better way to prepare for a holiday season that’s going to pop up before you know it, anyway? 

An Inside Look at Our Relaxed Homeschool- Spotlight on the Middles

The other day I wrote about a specific day in our homeschool with the littles. Today I’m going to focus on a recent day of learning with my 9, 10, and 12 year olds. 

As with my younger children, I do not consider only our structured homeschool time as our learning time because each day brings so many opportunities for natural learning experiences that I’d be remiss to not mention them.

As you may notice, our middle children’s homeschool day is very similar in structure to their younger siblings’. It is this familiarity that helps me remember everything that has to be done from day to day- and it also helps me keep my sanity! 

An Inside Look at Our Relaxed Homeschool- Spotlight on the Littles

So many times recently I’ve been asked what homeschooling looks like in my house. I find that no matter how basically I describe it, it always ends up seeming utterly confusing to anyone on the outside trying to make sense of it.

Additionally, I think a lot of people are unsure of what relaxed homeschooling actually is, and moreover, often wonder whether it’s “enough.”