Why I Keep Homeschool Simple

Sounds fabulous, doesn't it? Keeping homeschool simple.  The word simple just sounds so, well, simple. Ha! You see what I did there? Anyhow, keeping it simple is my thing. I really mean it. I'm a simple kinda gal, but I haven't always been. Some people seem to be born with the natural ability to keep things simple. I wasn't one of them.

Simple things add up to be some of the best things and this has really proved true in my life. I'm sure we have all heard the saying "Less is More".  I truly believe that I will stand by that saying.

In our previous years of homeschooling, I have tried to wing it. You know, tried the whole create as we go and hope for the best method. You see it's actually a fabulous way of learning, IF you keep it simple. I haven't always kept it simple. One idea would turn into a hundred and many times I felt like there was too much to accomplish and no time to do it all. We always rushed. These constant activities and feelings kept us from truly being able to retain what we were learning. Whenever I tried to “do it all” I was soon spread too thin to be any good to anyone. It was a constant race from one activity to the other. We didn't feel satisfied. We had feelings of failing, because we weren't getting it all done. It was tiresome and it was no fun. The times we were relaxed, slowed down and kept it simple, things flowed better. We learned better. We retained better. We honestly enjoyed ourselves. I have to continuously keep reminding myself….the biggest reason that I decided to homeschool my daughters is for them to learn at their own pace and ENJOY learning.

We do curriculum reviews and are constantly changing from one curriculum to another. You might wonder...How is that keeping it simple? Well, we take our time and enjoy each one and when we are done we move on. Unless we absolutely love it, then we stick with it. Overall, I just find what works best for my daughters and allow them to move at their own pace. There is no need to rush things. It will all be there tomorrow, I'm sure of it. It's okay to take breaks and enjoy the blessings that surround us daily.

I have learned that homeschooling can be made far more complicated than it should be. A simpler approach is just much more effective. Simple just works for us!

 
Sweet homeschool momma, are you keeping things simple? Do you feel rushed, overwhelmed, possibly burned out?  First things first, Pray! Then take a deep breath and remember tomorrow is a new day. A new day to try new things. A new day to keep it simple. Remember, there is beauty in simplicity.

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Banana Muffins - Recipe

Hello Friends! Recently, I purchased a couple bags of bananas at a very good price. I just couldn't pass them up. Well, forward a couple days and we had a ton of mushy ones. Mushy ones? No problem. My youngest daughter and I gathered our supplies and got busy making some of the best banana muffins. They were so easy to make and all of my girls enjoyed them. One even requested them for her birthday instead of a traditional cake. Hmm... I might consider that. :) I am sharing the recipe below.

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FREE Coffee Unit Study and Resources

Where does coffee come from? A journey from bean to cup.

COFFEE FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Where coffee is grown?

THE HISTORY OF COFFEE

What does a coffee tree look like?

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National Coffee Day - FREE Coffee Printable

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Preschoolers and Peace ~ Review

A few years ago, when my daughters were small, I could have only wished I would have had the opportunity to read the e-book Preschoolers and Peace: Homeschooling older kids with success while loving the little ones at your feet from Preschoolers and Peace. I have homeschooled my three daughters from the beginning and having read a book such as this, would have really gave me a ton of ideas on how to homeschool them and still keep some sanity. Ha! I suppose, I managed to keep a little bit of it, but seriously this is an excellent book filled with a ton of encouragement and wise information. I was really excited about doing this review, not because I have preschoolers, but because I know a ton of my readers do. I figured the information would be extremely helpful and relatable. I also figured I could tell you all about it. I figured right, well sort of. I am very excited to share all about it with you, but I never honestly thought I would wind up taking as much from it for myself as I did. There were parts of the book that I needed to read and quite frankly I'm so thankful I did.

What exactly is Preschoolers and Peace: Homeschooling older kids with success while loving the little ones at your feet?

Preschoolers and Peace: Homeschooling older kids with success while loving the little ones at your feet is a short e-book that is packed full of lovely information. It is a resource for moms. It includes chapters such as

• What a Homeschooling Mom Needs
• Preparing Yourself to Homeschool Older Kids With Little Ones Underfoot
• Planning Around Preschoolers
• How Do I Keep Them Busy?
• What Does a 2-Year-Old's Day Look Like?
• How Do I Get Any Preschooling Done?
• How Not to Just Kill Time
• Circle Time: Or How We Pull the Little Ones In
• Preschool Boys
• When All of Your Kiddos Are Preschoolers
• Preschool Chores
• Planning for Preschool
• When Mama is Worn Out (or Pregnant)
• Meal Planning 101

This e-book was written by a wonderful blogger, Kendra Fletcher. Kendra blogs at Preschoolers and Peace.  For years, the readers of Preschoolers and Peace had asked for a "best of" the site in an e-Book. Therefore, she created the e-book. It is inspired by her own experiences during the homeschooling of her 8 children. Ultimately, she has homeschooled for 16 years and has always had a preschooler in the home. Her wise advice comes not from just speculation, but truly from her real life experiences. It's filled with encouragement, her incredible faith and practical ideas.

As if you couldn't already tell, I absolutely loved Preschoolers and Peace: Homeschooling older kids with success while loving the little ones at your feet! I was completely hooked from the first chapter, What a Homeschooling Mom Needs. In this chapter, Kendra shares her story of how she was allowing homeschooling and her works define who she was. I have completely been guilty of that myself. She shares a short but beautiful testimony of finding identity in Christ and about how the good news of our creation, fall, redemption, and the restoration by Christ should be what we remind ourselves of each day. Okay, can you see why I was hooked? This is what I was talking about when I said there were parts that I needed to read. I'm a Christian, but the reminders and encouragement are always a blessing.

I was able to read through the book fairly quickly. As I read through, reading each chapter, I began to see more and more how even though I don't have preschoolers anymore, I could still adapt so much of the information to my own life.  I loved how she shared how sometimes we think homeschooling should look a certain way. Again, guilty! I used to think so many times, that I was doing something wrong, because I wasn't doing it a certain way. I loved how she went on to share about realizing that we make decisions based from our own circumstances, resources, and culture. Everything I read was so spot on. 

Her list of activities are fun and educational. I had heard of and even used many of them with my daughters, but a few were new and sounded like a ton of fun. I especially loved her chapter on meal planning. It was a great read. I've never been great at meal planning, but after reading about how she manages it, I was inspired to want to give it a try. 

Kendra finishes the book with a final word of encouragement and the last pages are filled with wonderful resources that correspond with each chapter. 

Ultimately, this is an e-book that provides wonderful tips on successfully homeschooling with a preschooler in the home. If you have a preschooler, I can assure you that you will find wonderful ideas and advice in the e-book. However, preschooler or no preschooler, I found this book to be a treasure of encouragement for all mothers. I highly recommend reading it! 

What does Preschoolers and Peace: Homeschooling older kids with success while loving the little ones at your feet cost?

The cost of the e-book is only $2.99

Want to connect with Preschoolers and Peace?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PreschoolersandPeace

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KendraEFletcher

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/kenj/

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+KendraFletcher/posts

You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/user/preschoolersandpeace

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Institute for Excellence in Writing - Fix It! Grammar - Review

Grammar has certainly not been a favorite subject in our household. We have tried numerous programs and my daughter never seemed to connect with them. However, I recently had the opportunity to review Fix It! Grammar: The Nose Tree [Book 1] teacher manual and the student book from Institute for Excellence in Writing with my oldest daughter and everything changed. A connection was made and positive changes are underway. 

What is Fix It! Grammar?

Fix It! Grammar are wonderful spiral bound grammar books that allow students to apply newly learned grammar concepts into their own writing. Each book in the series of six provides 33 weeks of grammar instruction and editing practice. 

I had the chance to have my daughter, who is 11, take a placement test. I knew immediately that Fix It! Grammar: The Nose Tree [Book 1] was exactly where we should start. 

Institute for Excellence in Writing also offers a fantastic webinar that allowed me to see and understand the vision and purpose of Fix It! Grammar. I highly recommend anyone interested in Fix it! Grammar to watch it. 

How did we use Fix It! Grammar: The Nose Tree?

When first receiving the books, I immediately started reading over the teacher manual to prepare for our first day of use. I started reading over the instructions and then what I read next amazed me! I read that the lessons were going to take 15 minutes a day. Yep! Only 15 minutes. I was a happy camper. Happy to know that my daughter would be thankful and happy because I felt that we were going to be making a ton of much needed progress without the hassle of tedious lessons. 

We started using Fit It! Grammar four days a week. When beginning a week we would read over a section called Learn It in the student book. This section allowed my daughter to learn the concepts she would be using throughout the rest of the week. To help my daughter remember these, grammar cards were located in the back of the book. These cards are suppose to be cut out and placed in an envelope for safe keeping. We cut out the first week, and then opted to keep the rest in the book. My daughter seemed to like having them left in the book to reference, possibly for fear of misplacing them. 

For four days during a week, my daughter had one sentence to read, look up and learn a vocabulary word, fix the grammar errors, and lastly rewrite the corrected sentence in a separate notebook. The daily passages cumulatively tell a story. It was funny, after a few days of writing the sentences, my daughter was reading over the previous ones and suddenly had an "ah ha!" moment.  "Mom! I'm writing a story!" she loudly shouted. Apparently, she didn't remember me telling her that part. I had to smile!

After she would rewrite the sentences, I would look over her work to make sure she was doing it correctly. Most of the time she was. There were some things that had to be corrected, but I always assured her that each mistake was a step towards learning more and advancing. I appreciated the fact that I had the teacher manual to reference. It included great teacher's notes on the sides of the pages. I found these notes to be extremely helpful. 

We loved that the lessons were only around 15 minutes. It was wonderful. It keep my daughter engaged and seemed to keep her from having grammar burnout. Each week as new concepts were introduced the work would get a little bit tougher, but because the work was done in such short lessons, it never seemed overwhelming. I loved the fact that a lot of the work was repetitive. It helped my daughter to remember all the new concepts. 

A favorite part for me, was the learning of the vocabulary words. I appreciated the fact that my daughter was not only learning grammar, but also learning wonderful new words. I could also tell that she enjoyed learning the vocabulary words. It was fun for me to hear her using them in sentences correctly in the days following her learning them. 

Also, in the back of the books is a lovely grammar glossary. I'm very thankful that it was included. It allowed me to read over elements and rules of grammar with my daughter and it helped her understand the work she was doing better. 

Final Thought

We absolutely loved everything about Fix It! Grammar. I could have never imagined that my daughter would enjoy doing her grammar work as much as she does now. I love that and most of all, I love the progress she has made. I always wanted to find a grammar program that flowed well and didn't overwhelm her. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Fix It! Grammar was exactly what I was looking for.  I have two other daughters that will soon begin using it. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a wonderful complete grammar program.  It has truly been a blessing.  

Who can benefit from Fix It! Grammar?

Fix it! Grammar is recommended for 3rd grade and up.

What does it cost?

Fix It! Grammar: The Nose Tree [Book 1] (Teacher Manual) - 228 pages - $19.00

Fix It! Grammar: The Nose Tree [Book 1] (Student Book)  - 126 pages - $15.00

Looking for another book? 

 Institute for Excellence in Writing has other Fix It! Grammar books to choose from.

Want to connect with Institute for Excellence in Writing?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excellenceinwriting

Twitter: https://twitter.com/iew

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/iewriting

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Iewriting/posts

You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/user/iewtv

Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/iewtv

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Click Below to Read More Reviews From The Schoolhouse Review Crew

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Give Thanks ~ Printable

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There will be sacrifices...

      This morning I read a Facebook post about how a working mother wishes she could sleep until noon and not have to do anything all day, like stay-at-home moms. It confused me! I'm a stay-at-home mom and that's not how it goes at all. Then, immediately under that post, I saw another regarding a stay-at-home mother who wished she could go to work, to have a break once in a while. That confused me as well. Neither one of those statements were very accurate.

Let's talk about breaks. Seriously! Moms, whether working in the home or away, don't get many breaks.

      I remembered back to a conversation I recently had, while filling out some paperwork. A lady asked me "Do you work?" I said "Oh yes, I'm a maid, record keeper, homeschool teacher, organizer, cook, and mom." I laughed as saying it. She was not amused in the least bit. She responded to me "I have you know, I work all day long and still have to go home and do what you do." Ouch! That stung.

Was I being insensitive to the mothers that work outside the home? Was I not seeing the sacrifices she was making? Honestly, probably not!

Was she being insensitive to me, the one who works at home? Could she not see the sacrifices I was making? Again, probably not!

Did it matter?

Yes! 

     I guess the magic word, in my opinion, is RESPECT!  Although our lifestyles were different, we had a common bond.  It's each persons choice to choose the option right for them and their situation. We shouldn't question it, we should respect it.  It always seems to be a competition between the stay-at-home moms and the outside-the-home moms.

It's not! 

Please don't make it so. 

     There are so many sacrifices in each. What all moms do, regardless if it's by choice or not, is work and make sacrifices. I imagine about all mothers have had feelings of wanting the other option at one point or another. When a mother works away from her home, she is living a lifestyle different from the stay-at-home mom and vice versa. There is sacrificing going on in each very different situation. It would be silly for me to label each one, but please understand there will be sacrifices no matter what option.  One thing I know for sure, is that both love their children very much. That is the common bond!

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FastTranscripts.com - GIVEAWAY

Are you wondering about creating a transcript? 

How would you like to take the worry out of creating, updating, storing, and sending your student's transcript? What if I told you that you totally can! Yes, friends! No need to worry about any of those things anymore.

FastTranscripts.com enables you to track your high schooler's courses via online record keeping, and then helps you produce an official transcript from your homeschool with an auto-calculation feature to determine yearly and cumulative GPAs.  

Sounds pretty awesome, doesn't it?

So what does FastTranscripts.com cost?

Annual - Single Student Retail: $16.00 HSLDA Member: $12.00

Annual - 2+ Students Retail: $30.00 HSLDA Member: $24.00

Lifetime - Family Retail: $110.00 HSLDA Member: $96.00

Want to try it out?

FastTranscripts.com is currently offering a 30 day free trial (no credit card required).

One lucky reader will win a 

1 year license for a single student

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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International Talk Like a Pirate Day Printables and Activities

International Talk Like a Pirate Day is September 19th. 

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