2015 in Review: My Top Ten FAVORITE Posts – Its Not That Hard to Homeschool

Last week I listed my Top Ten Most Popular posts for 2015. Those were ones that you, my faithful readers — whom I love dearly! — picked. Today I get to tell you what MY favorite posts were from this past year. There is some overlap, but the ones I like veer more towards those that came from my heart or spoke about my family.

I mean, I like ALL my posts; don't get me wrong. I work hard on each one (other bloggers talk about getting a post done in an hour or less — not me, y'all) to make it readable and yet fun, while also being helpful to those who see it. But some are birthed with more emotion than others — those are the ones that tend to be on my list.

But don't ask me to put them in some sort of order. It's enough to pick these out from the rest — it must be like choosing a child from an orphanage; you just want to take them all! — don't make me prioritize them. I have no favorite among my children; I love them all more than I can say and in qualitatively different ways that are not quantifiable — the same with my blog posts. Surely you can understand. :-)

So here they are, in no particular order:

Our Homeschool Journey: True Confessions of an Ordinary Family — This was done as an assignment for a blogging class; the objective was to be “transparent.” It was the first time I admitted to our not living up to the homeschool ideal. It was also my first post that got any real attention, being retweeted by people I didn't even know :-) . It birthed one of my visions for this blog — to let homeschool moms, and anyone else, know that it's OK to be ordinary. We don't all have to be raising the next president.

It's Not That Hard to Homeschool High School — I see so many people out there prescribing that you MUST do this and that to homeschool high school, making it much more complicated than it needs to be. Yikes! No wonder so many families stop homeschooling at this point! Remember, I'm “too lazy for complicated” so why should homeschooling teens be any different for me? On the contrary, the title of this post has become my rallying cry! It has even spawned a Facebook group! If you are homeschooling high school (or are thinking about it) then join here: It's Not That Hard to Homeschool High School Facebook Group. We will encourage and support you and help you not feel overwhelmed.

Ways to Save Money: The Obvious One — I like this one because it is ridiculously true but we don't often think of saving money this way. Our First No Spend Month is a practical application of this principle. And I also like the image. It's the first one I made that I felt like it looked like it belonged to a “real” blog. :-)

Opportunities My Teens Are Missing Because We Homeschool High School — This one was on the top ten popular list. When I wrote it I was afraid I was being a little too sarcastic in my tone, but people seem to like it anyway. Sometimes snarky is effective, lol — but don't quote me on that. ;-) But the post is true, and that's why it resonates. I don't care if you choose to homeschool high school or not (okay, I do care a little bit, cuz the more the merrier) — but don't use unsubstantiated excuses for your reasons why not to.

Anyone Can Make Money Blogging — Every time I read this title I am hearing Chef Gusteau saying “Anyone can cook.” I don't anticipate being a blogger who blogs about blogging, lol, but every once in awhile I'll probably share my experience. I was so happy to reach my first anniversary of blogging and realize that I really was making a go of it, albeit a small one. Since then I have become even more convinced that this can work! Woot!

Related Post: Ann-Notated: Do the Side Hustle

Our Recommended College Supply List: What Your Student REALLY Needs — How could the one blog post that has been consistently at the top of your traffic list since just a few weeks after publishing, that topped your previous TOTAL views all by itself, that produced spikes you'd only dreamed about before for over SIX WEEKS during the summer, that gave you hope that blogging could be viable for you — how could this post NOT be part of your favorites list? And again, it jives with my mantra, which is don't make things any harder than they need to be (i.e., make any and everything as simple and cheap as possible)! Don't listen to all those other college lists out there — here's what you REALLY need. And it's true, because my college girls told me. So there.

Asking for Help: It's Not a Four-Letter Word — Some posts just pour out of one like water from a faucet; you can't type fast enough. This was such a post. I just now re-read it and fell in love with it again. (Sorry, do I sound like I'm tooting my own horn? SO not meaning to. Just sometimes what you create comes out better than you ever thought it would and you bask in it… but I'm done now. :-) ) We women try to be superwomen all the time. But we can't. Let's just admit it, to ourselves and others, and grow stronger in the process.

Excellence: What It Is and How It Relates to Goal Setting — Since this one was published on New Year's Eve, it couldn't make the most popular list. But it still is on MY list. It basically says that we should stop comparing ourselves to others via buzzwords and just aim to do better than we have done before. But go read the post for the more long-winded version. :-)

Family Finances: Guess What? Teens Cost More. — Another late-year entry with just a touch of snarkiness. I had fun writing this one because I thought I was being pretty funny. I still think I was. What do you think?

10 Habits for Teaching Children to Love Reading — In which she confesses her addiction to books and proceeds to tell everyone else how to get their kids addicted to books. This is one kind of addiction that needs to be passed on! This one is on my list because: reading. And it should really probably be in a two-way tie with Teach Reading the Easy Way, again because: reading. Anybody else need another reason? :-)

If you have enjoyed what you've been reading from this list, maybe you'd like to subscribe to my blog so that you can get each new post delivered to your email. If so, feel free to put your email address into the box below. I'd love to have you as part of the Annie and Everything family, so we can see what 2016 has in store TOGETHER! :-)

Shared on the iHomeschool Network