Posts tagged spouses
My Homeschool Heroes
0It’s time to begin another great year of homeschooling. As I’ve talked to other homeschooling moms, I’m reminded of just how personal this kind of education is. I hear their heart cries to reach their children with the right information in the right way.
There’s the mom of the dyslexic junior high student who is trying to figure out how to give her son the one-on-one time he needs. There’s the mom of the gifted student who is trying to keep her child challenged. There’s the mom of the artistic student who is searching new ways for her daughter to express herself. There’s the new homeschooling More >
Homeschooling: Passing the One-Month Mark
0Well, I’ve recently passed the one-month mark on this year’s homeschooling adventure, and let me tell you it was a doozey.
Over the course of the month, one of my curriculum choices for the year ended up being a big miss. Our family endured a paralyzing stomach flu that had me bed bound for three days. An out-of-town family member visited. A freelance project came due. Supplemental classes and sports started. Co-op began. Two of my children had birthdays, and we hosted one combo birthday party. It was a bit much. Needless-to-say, I’m still recovering.
Like many homeschooling moms, I am an More >
Seven Simple Ways to Recharge this Summer
0Here is an article I recently wrote for The Homeschool Lounge, a free online forum for homeschooling moms. It’s a wonderful place to find (and give!) encouragement. And even if you aren’t a homeschooler, take a look at this article, you’re sure to find some tips for recharging. Be blessed! –Gena
***
Summer is here, and for many homeschooling moms, it’s a chance to put the books away, take a break from co-op and recharge in time to start again in the fall. And while the kids may enjoy the warm weather, complete with fierce water slides and drippy ice cream cones, moms need to carve out some More >
New Homeschooling Dads
2The July 2010 issue of Parents magazine ran an especially fascinating article entitled “The New American Dad,” and I couldn’t help wonder how the information in it might affect homeschooling. In it, journalist Paul Scott investigated a new trend in American families, something he called “the new neither,” men who are “neither stay-at-home dads nor primary breadwinners but guys who work a little and parent a little and likely spend a fair amount of time worrying about not doing so hot at either.”
As I read the article, I found myself smiling at the new tug-of-war dads are feeling. I smile More >
Encouragement for the Exhausted and Frustrated
1This past weekend I received one of the nicest compliments ever. It occurred during a trip to Mickey D’s. Like most moms, it takes me a few minutes to break out all the necessary accouterments—high chair, hand sanitizer, infant place mat, napkins, straws, etc. After ordering, my husband arrived with the food, and we passed everything out. There was nothing spectacular or unusual about the arrangement.
Toward the end of our visit, a woman approached me. “You have a beautiful smile,” she said. “You look like you are really enjoying your life.”
I laughed, “I have my days, but for the most part, More >
Homeschooling: A Family Trek
0The other weekend, my husband and I took our children camping. We visited a state park that we had never visited before. It was full of all the things that make camping fun for us—thick woods, twinkling nighttime stars, a crystalline lake and lots and lots of bugs. There was plenty for my children to explore and observe, and there was plenty of time away from modern life to help us disconnect from our everyday duties.
A day into our trip, we decided to explore the park’s trail system. From the road, the trails looked like easy grassy paths that led into the trees. Each was marked with a More >
Homeschooling with Spousal Support
0Homeschooling is a joint venture, one that affects the entire family. Obviously, it affects the kids and the parent who takes on the primary responsibility of teaching, but it also affects the other parent, the one who typically brings home the bacon and sees first-hand the fruits and labor of the homeschool.
This person plays an invaluable role. He or she is the tie-breaker between competing curriculum, the audience for oral presentations, the voice of reason when things get too hectic and the cheerleader when the teaching parent needs to be reminded that they are doing a good job.
I thought More >
