About Rachel Wolf

Rachel Wolf woke up recently and realized that she's living the life she has always wanted. Her days are spent with and two spunky unschoolers, running LuSa Organics (her small business), and hanging the laundry out on the line. Rachel writes about her homeschooling, homemaking, and non-violent parenting path on her blog Clean.

Are you qualified?

Are you qualified ~SimpleHomeschool.net
Written by contributor Rachel Wolf of Clean and Lusa Organics

I can’t speak for you, but I do not have a degree in elementary or secondary education.

Though I am teaching my children, I have no certificate to prove my qualifications.

Indeed there is plenty that I do not know.

I have not memorized the names of our forty-three past presidents, all 196 countries, or the periodic chart of elements.

I am neither a math whiz nor a spelling genius.
[Read more...]

What is your mission?

HandsWritten by contributor Rachel Wolf of Clean and LuSa Organics

There are as many different ways to parent as there are kids.

And while some of us hit our groove on day-one, others struggle to find that just-right fit for years.

Many find a turning point in the act of simply putting pen to paper and jotting down the answer to one simple (yet challenging) question: “What is my parenting mission?”

My business has a mission statement. Why not my home?

Because sometimes we forget our goals. Or we lose our way.

When we do our mission statement can help put us back on track.

I shared my parenting mission statement here.

And simply jotting down those words helped my direct my parenting (and yes, homeschooling) path. I make choices each day with these goals in mind.
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Rachel’s homeschool day in the life (with a 6- & 10-year-old)

thevalleyWritten by contributor Rachel Wolf of Lusa Organics and Clean

It is usually dark (and cold) in the house when I wake up.

I wiggle out from under the covers, trying not to wake my husband nor any child who may have wandered in during the night.

I tiptoe downstairs to start the tea kettle.

The house is quiet except for the clicking of my dog’s toes on the floor as he greets me (and the day) with his dance of early-morning-canine-bliss.

tea

As a homeschooling parent and small business owner my mornings are vital. In order to be truly present with my kids during the day I usually start work before I even get dressed.

dayinthelife1-300x2102

My goal is to power off the computer by the time my husband leaves for work and leave it off for most of the day.

With tea in hand, I head to my home office to check email and write my blog.
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Skimming the cream: 5 family projects to cultivate gratitude

Written by contributor Rachel Wolf of Lusa Organics and Clean

When my son was two our life took an unexpected and terrifying turn.

An unrelenting seizure, a flight-for-life, and a week in the pediatric ICU would forever paint how we remembered his second year.

Though he survived and life returned mostly to normal, that single event was defining for how we would remember his toddlerhood.

Some years later I sat down to begin writing my son’s story.

Starting with our pregnancy, I would share highlights of each year of his life.

Pregnancy, birth and his first year were easy.

But I got stuck on two. I didn’t want his seizure to become his story.

So I made a mindful choice.

I would tell the story of what I wanted to remember.

Instead of writing “When Sage was two he had a terrible seizure and was in a coma. We were so afraid,” I wrote this:
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Always learning

Written by contributor Rachel Wolf of Lusa Organics and Clean

Last week my mom came to visit.

When she arrived I was cleaning up from a class I had just taught to our homeschooling coop.

As we tidied up, she asked about our lesson.

“What were you teaching?”

I have a background in environmental education, so we could have easily been digging in to some serious topics.

Endangered species management, ecology, or plant taxonomy perhaps.

Or maybe something basic yet academic.

Like math.

But instead I was teaching letterboxing. [Read more...]

Embracing the chaos.

Written by contributor Rachel Wolf of Clean and Lusa Organics

Some days I fantasize that my home looks like something off of one of my Pinterest boards.

Well-styled, clean, and impeccably organized.

Simple, beautiful, artistic and inspiring.

With not a (dog) hair out of place. (So to speak.)

But then I open my eyes and look around. And I wince a little.

Because as it turns out I’m not living in that world at all.
[Read more...]