Written by Kris Bales of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

A few years ago, it was very popular for mom bloggers to write about being the “yes mom.” There were blog posts, Facebook status updates, and Instagram photos capturing those yes mom moments.

I know because I wrote and snapped many of them myself.

Maybe it’s still a thing; I don’t know. In case it isn’t, the gist of it was don’t tell your kids no when you could just as easily say yes.

Yes, we can have ice cream before dinner tonight. Yes, you can jump in the mud puddle. Yes, we can play a board game.

It was a fabulous concept – one whose implementation resulted in some amazing memories with my kids.

However, it’s important to remember that it’s okay to say no, too. [Read more…]

Written by Jamie Martin of Simple Homeschool

A note from Jamie: We wrote this series last summer, but I thought that revisiting it at the start of a new school year might be an encouragement. So check out some of the posts below and remind yourself that even if you’re facing something tough, you can still make homeschooling work for you and yours. Be blessed!

Ya’ll, homeschooling ain’t always easy. And it isn’t always happier ever after.

Sometimes it’s downright tough. You know, don’t you?

This world has troubles and homeschooling families aren’t immune to them. Tough marriage seasons, rebellious children, cancer, miscarriages, depression, financial struggles, midlife crises.

You get the picture.

You don’t always read about these topics on blogs, because well, they’re personal. They often involve our dearly loved children, too, whose privacy we respect and want to protect.

The danger of not writing about these situations, however, is that it creates an illusion that our lives are all peaches and cream.

Roses and buttercups. Always well-behaved children and energetic moms and dads joyfully learning together 24/7.
[Read more…]

Written by Jamie C. Martin of Simple Homeschool

What an amazing couple of months it’s been!

Give Your Child the World had an incredible launch (thanks to you!), and we read our way around the world together as a community, too.

Now we all have back to school on our mind, and I’ve loved seeing how many of you have taken advantage of Amazon’s incredible discount on my book to add it to your geography/literature/history shelf for this school year.

But back to homeschool shouldn’t just be about the kids, should it? Oh no, the mamas and the papas deserve some fresh-start inspiration every bit as much as our little ones.

AND SO, I’ve been busy behind the scenes working with others to bring a little dream to life for you.

Give Your Child the World is a tool to help your kids fall in love with the world, and today I have a gift to help YOU fall in love with it! It’s a back to school present and a thank you for all the support.

Check it out:
[Read more…]

Written by Kris Bales of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers

There are so many things I want to tell you in this little space I have with you.

They may seem random, but as I ponder what your heart may be longing to hear as you embark on a new homeschooling year (if you haven’t already), I realize that the random tidbits may be more cohesive and less insignificant than they seem at first glance.

[Read more…]

Written by Caitlin Fitzpatrick Curely of My Little Poppies

My oldest son is a compassionate, funny, creative, wonderful little human.

He’s also a World Class Worrier.

At 8-years-old, he should be spending his summer running through sprinklers and climbing trees and eating his weight in watermelon. He should be making mud pies and catching fireflies and having cannonball contests.

And he is doing all of those things, but he’s also worrying.

Worry is tricky like that. It can pop up, out of nowhere, on a beautiful day.

Worry can derail a summer.

No one is immune to worry. It is a natural part of the human experience, a crucial part of the fight-or-flight response. Worry protects us.

But it certainly doesn’t feel that way for some of us. Some of us worry more.

I am one of those people. I can remember being his age and laying awake on a hot summer night, scared out of my mind, unable to fall asleep.

So is it any wonder that now, thirty years later, I have a child who does the same? That apple does not fall far.

I wish I could make his worries magically disappear. I wish I could erase them from his mind so that he can get back to being eight and awesome.

Unfortunately, worry doesn’t work that way. You cannot snap your fingers and make it go away, but you can learn to manage it.

[Read more…]