The Family First Mindset: You Can Count on Change

by on March 28, 2012
in family time · 16 Comments

I was going to write post about what my family does to put family first. I wanted to tell you that every night at about five o’clock I come up from my home office, turn off my phone and computer and make an intentional choice to tune into my family through bedtimes.

That’s how I’m putting my family first right now. I then realized that over the past three years I’ve written dozens of posts giving examples of how we put our family first and the only thing they have in common is that we consciously try to make our family a priority.

The specifics of what putting our family first looks like is something that changes all the time.

One of the first things new moms ask me as a doula (or friend) is “When will they sleep through the night?” And I always answer, “They will. And then they won’t. And then they will again.”

I know this isn’t the answer that they want and they usually respond with a puzzled look, because they were looking for a final solution. They want me to tell them if they just hang on a few more weeks or a few more months their baby will start sleeping through the night.
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Stepping Out of the Silo: Collaborative Homeschooling for the Whole Family

by on February 22, 2012
in a mom's education · 17 Comments

Are you homeschooling in a silo? Maybe you’re shouldering the full responsibility of homeschooling your child or maybe your family hasn’t found a homeschool community that works for you.

It’s easy to get stuck in rhythms that aren’t quite right, but it’s difficult to see what needs to change. We can become blinded by our own processes and begin to operate within a silo without realizing it.

We cruise the same online haunts for inspiration, we introduce ideas and lessons with the same techniques over and over, and we forget that our way isn’t the only way.

Making conscious efforts to collaborate with our partners, extended family and our communities can help keep our families happy and healthy and our homeschooling efforts innovative and fresh.
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Hillary’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 7, 4 and 1-year-old)

by on January 13, 2012
in organization · 13 Comments

This post should be called “Joel’s Homeschool Day in the Life” because three months ago my husband and I traded responsibilities: I accepted a full-time position working from our home and he exuberantly took on the role of full time caregiver and overseer of our family’s home learning.

It has been a major transition for all of us, but the rhythm of the day has mainly stayed the same and we’re happy with our new lifestyle.

While my day-to-day role has changed I remain involved in our big picture homeschooling strategy and planning, research resources and supplement specific learning themes whenever possible.

Here’s what our family’s average day looks like right now.
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How Our Christmas Bucket List is Helping Us Homeschool through the Holidays

by on December 7, 2011
in organization · 15 Comments

Written by contributor Hillary Boucher of infinitely learning

Christmas. It’s wonderful and overwhelming all at the same time. In our attempts to create happy holiday memories and traditions for our families it’s easy to get overwhelmed, stressed, and quite possibly push your homeschooling to the back burner.

While it’s perfectly okay to let go of homeschooling during a busy season (something we’ve typically done in the past), one of our family’s goals this year is to keep a steady pace with our home learning.

The challenge for us is the stop and go learning that happens around busy times–like the holidays.
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Hillary’s Biggest Homeschooling Mistake: Not Asking for Help Sooner

by on October 19, 2011
in a mom's education · 11 Comments

Written by contributor Hillary Boucher of infinitely learning

Remember those jokes about the parent who would never pull over and ask for directions? That’s me. I would sooner drive to New Jersey on my way to Vermont than pull over and admit I need help.

Parenting and homeschooling is like any journey, once in a while you need a little help, whether it’s directions, words of encouragement or the insight that comes from experience.

A do-it-yourself mentality can complement home learning, but in the past I’ve waited too long to ask for much needed help–whether it’s advice, support or information. I’ve learned that reaching out is imperative for building healthy support systems for our family.
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