About Jamie Martin

Jamie Martin, editor of Simple Homeschool, also blogs about motherhood at Steady Mom

Love.

Inevitably it’s what leads us to this crazy homeschooling lifestyle. Without love, we wouldn’t care to take on this enormous responsibility–we’d make our lives as easy as possible. Without love, we wouldn’t stand much chance of persevering through the challenges that arise either.

I’ve always found comfort in the words of John Holt, homeschooling pioneer and bestselling author. When asked what parents need to homeschool well, here was his response:

“We can sum up very quickly what people need to teach their own children. First of all, they have to like them, enjoy their company, their physical presence, their energy, foolishness and passion.

They have to enjoy all their talk and questions and enjoy equally trying to answer those questions. They have to think of their children as friends, indeed very close friends, have to feel happier when they are near and miss them when they are away.

They have to trust them as people, respect their fragile dignity, treat them with courtesy, take them seriously. They have to feel in their own hearts some of their children’s wonder, curiosity and excitement about the world.

And they have to have enough confidence in themselves, skepticism about experts, and willingness to be different from most people, to take on themselves the responsibility for their children’s learning.

But that is about all the parents need.”
John Holt, Teach Your Own

By these standards most of us look pretty well-qualified to homeschool. (Note for any frazzled parents reading this today: You don’t have to like your children all. the. time. to homeschool! Remember John Holt was not a father. )

And yet what our hearts lead us into, our minds soon take over.

We analyze, stress, worry, fret. We make plenty of plans, and fail at many plans. Sometimes we cry. Sometimes we make our children cry.

Here’s what I believe it takes to homeschool with heart–for the long haul:
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From my post today on Steady Mom:

Mamas in the Western world always seem to be on the hunt for extra time. We have jobs to perform, meals to make, kids to play with, homes to clean, meetings to attend, and much more.

Inevitably the hours in the day do not equal the items on the to-do list. Is it any wonder that we’re overwhelmed and undernourished? That our souls ache with the busy-ness of it all? That motherhood is less joyful and more burdensome with each passing day?

But there is a time management tip that will help if we can just accept it:

Click here to read the rest.

Note: This sale has ended and is no longer available. Thanks for your interest!

I remember several years ago when I first heard about the concept of “whole foods.” I had no clue what the term really meant, but I was intrigued. As someone who grew up eating a lot of fast food and drinking a lot of soda, I desperately wanted to feed my family well but had no idea where to start.

Whenever I looked up blogs or books about whole foods, they seemed so…complicated–at least to a newbie like me. If only I could find some baby steps to explain it all!

Then one day I stumbled across Stephanie Langford’s ebook, Healthy Homemaking: One Step at a Time (title included in this week’s bundle). I downloaded it as fast as I could. It was exactly what I had hoped to find, and quite honestly, it changed the health of my family for the better.

In some area of homemaking–health, fitness, homeschooling, motherhood, cleaning, whatever–we all have that overwhelmed feeling from time to time. Haven’t you ever wished for a mentor who you could go to when you had a question?

Well, for the next six days you have the chance to gather around you a host of virtual mentors and teachers–supporting you in the art of homemaking.
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