We homeschooling moms have got to stick together. Homeschooling is a lifestyle, hello, not just something we do on the side. That means it's easy to get discouraged or to think we're alone, because it's not an easy job we've signed on for.
And homeschooling high school? Sheesh, whose idea was that, anyway? But here you are!
The reality is that we don't always just need information about how to teach math or which
On this page we've compiled links to ALL of my articles, podcast episodes, and other resources that will encourage homeschooling moms in this lifestyle endeavor. We've divided them into three main categories:
- Encouragement Specific to Homeschooling – Be encouraged by big picture thoughts about homeschooling that will renew you, as well as find practical tips to help you keep going.
- Christian Living – This is the only place where I list articles that have an obvious Christian message. While you might find occasional Christian references elsewhere, these articles are intended only for Christian homeschooling moms.
- Everything Else – Here is where you'll find links to articles about cleaning, time management, organization, easy recipes, meal planning, and money. In the past I've actually written a fair amount about topics other than homeschooling, and you'll get access to it in this section.
This is a LONG page, y'all. Just keep scrolling! — or use the quick links just above.
Another way to get heartfelt messages that will encourage you on a deeper level is to subscribe to my newsletter. In our emails we get more personal, letting you in on some of the inside deets — so you know you're not alone! Sign up in the box below.
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Encouragement Specific to Homeschooling
How Teaching From Rest Applies to Homeschooling High School
Overview: Teaching from Rest by Sarah Mackenzie is a must-read that not only provides powerful insight about successful homeschooling in general but can be adapted to homeschooling high school, too ...
Ready for Launch: from Awkward Homeschooler to Confident Adult About This Podcast Episode In this era of profound societal upheaval, the post-high school graduation landscape is more diverse and complex ...
This post was originally published in 2015. It might be more relevant now than ever before! Enjoy! I'm going to start out by saying something that may come as a ...
Dear Mom whose baby is a high school senior this year, I know it was just yesterday you were changing diapers or wiping crumbs. Or tucking in at night. Or ...
Navigating the homeschooling journey with non-college bound kids can be both rewarding and challenging. While traditional education paths focus heavily on college preparation, there are numerous other avenues for success ...
2020 was a year that incoming college freshmen will never forget. The pandemic brought about a lockdown that made it nearly impossible to find a location for most college applicants ...
Thinking about homeschooling your kids? Here are 10 amazing reasons to homeschool to help with your decision. If there is one thing I've learned about parenting it's that nothing goes ...
Hey there, homeschooling moms! As the new school year approaches, it's time to gear up for another exciting journey of learning and growth. Whether you're a seasoned homeschooling pro or ...
The markers are out of ink, notebooks look like they've survived a tornado, and you absolutely refuse to buy any more school supplies. That's right. It is almost the end ...
Are you about to finish your first homeschool year? Congratulations! It’s a cause for celebration! But before you party, here are some tips for ending the homeschool year and taking ...
Taking part in a homeschool convention can be a challenging experience, especially for those who have never attended one in the past. If you’ve been questioning how to make the ...
Overview: Guest contributor Lynna Sutherland is a veteran large-family mom who is loves helping moms to find solutions for their own unique families and homeschools. Here she shares practical advice ...
Everyone feels like a failure as a homeschool mom at one time or another. In this episode, I take a new look at failure, so that you can emerge victorious ...
Contributing writer Lynna Sutherland of Your Large Family Homeschool brings great insight to the problem of when your homeschooled kid gets stuck. Whether it's math or English or a more ...
Guest writer Amy Saunders of Orison Orchards answers the age-old question of whether homeschooling is harder than public schooling. She makes some great points you might not have thought about! ...
It's always good to hear from someone with veteran homeschool experience -- not just someone who claims to be an expert when their oldest child is in third grade. Ya ...
Overview: Julie Polanco from Julie Naturally knows first-hand about homeschooling special needs high school, and her advice is super helpful! I'm glad she is willing to share it with us! ...
Sometimes it takes more than one person to convince you about something. For instance, I've been telling you to relax about homeschooling high school in almost every episode of this ...
Note: Guest writer Julie Polanco of JulieNaturally.com is a veteran homeschool mom, and in this article she shares from her experience unschooling high school -- which I have never done, ...
We have another guest podcaster this week, Gena Mayo from I Choose Joy and Music in Our Homeschool. She has graduated several children from their homeschool -- and has several ...
Note: Contributing writer Destiny Mawson shares her knowledge about starting a teen homeschool co-op, which may be a great solution for your homeschool high school journey. For a further resource ...
Note: This article from guest contributer Sara Dennis of Classically Homeschooling is chock full of super-helpful tips for homeschooling high school. Some of these I didn't know -- and wish ...
Note: I want to welcome Lynna Sutherland from Your Large Family Homeschool as a guest author who gives us insight into what it's like homeschooling high school with a large ...
I remember the days before I started homeschooling high school, when I thought my kids and I were going to have the most amazing experience, and they would go on ...
We often play the comparison game and then second-guess ourselves. In this episode I discuss ways to help yourself feel confident about your decisions, so you're not always looking around ...
Sometimes I think we get caught up in expectations, or "shoulds", or the ideal when we think about the involvement level of a homeschool dad. It's something that isn't talked ...
YES you can handle working and homeschooling! Especially high school! As long as you are careful about a few things, and you keep the big picture perspective in mind. Ann ...
Nothing is as frustrating as when your homeschooler refuses to work. You beg. You Nag. And you despair. Will your child ever be able to go to college and enjoy ...
Overview: Teaching teens to plan is a vital task that helps them AND you. Here are the steps to take to make this a reality in your homeschool. Teaching teens ...
Overview: Feeling alone as a homeschool mom is not uncommon, but there are ways to overcome it so you can feel happy and fulfilled on this journey. It can happen ...
Overview: It can be hard to decide about homeschooling high school extras such as volunteering or other activities. Consider these criteria. So many experts tell you that you have to ...
Overview: On those bad days it can feel like we are NOT successfully homeschooling high school. Here's what to consider so you can hold your head high! Some days we ...
Overview: Are you practicing homeschool mom self care? Listen for ideas and encouragement to take care of YOU so you can better take care of others. As we begin the ...
As we get ready to start another homeschool year, we get caught up in all the minutiae of planning all the things -- curriculum planning, lesson planning, schedule planning -- ...
As they get older, it is wise to include our teens in the homeschool high school planning process. They deserve a say in what they do, especially since we want ...
You can be swimming along and then things aren't going so well anymore. Homeschooling high school is all about adapting, and so you may realize that it's time for something ...
It's January, when we all look at our lives and try to improve them. To become better people. Or at least to figure out how to keep from running out ...
Did y'all know that I work outside the home? Yep, for 20+ hours per week. And then I do this blog/podcast and my Facebook group, send emails, speak at conferences ...
Is it really a good idea to go to a homeschool convention? Is it worth it to drive multiple hours if necessary to get to the closest Great Homeschool Convention? ...
As you anticipate homeschooling high school with your oldest, it's natural to wonder how you will make it work with all the younger kids that you still have to homeschool ...
How fun is this? A new podcast has been born! In this very first episode, I introduce myself and my passion for helping moms realize that homeschooling high school is ...
Overview: Go to a Great Homeschool Convention to find out more about homeschooling high school. There will be learning opportunities for both teens AND parents! Note: This post is sponsored ...
Overview: Attending a Great Homeschool Convention will equip, encourage, and energize homeschool moms. Start now to make plans to go to one! Note: this post was sponsored by Great Homeschool ...
I asked a question in my It's Not that Hard to Homeschool K-8 Facebook group recently: "Do you feel like a success as a homeschool mom? Why or why not?" ...
Overview: Grief is normal when your child goes to college. Here are some tried and true ways to handle it from a mom who has been there with five kids ...
Overview: The seemingly far-reaching ramifications when your homeschooled teen is behind can be very scary. I'm here to reassure you that it will truly all work out! One of the ...
Are you getting frazzled trying to teach all of your children every homeschool day? I've been there. Early on in our homeschool career, I realized I could not be all ...
Dear homeschool mom, are you afraid your homeschooled child is academically behind his/her peers? Or maybe you already "know" he is, and you are thinking you should put him back ...
Lesson plans, grading, supplies, papers, books, cd's, workbooks, workspace, manipulatives, scheduling, etc. etc. etc. There's a LOT to keep track of when it comes to keeping our homeschools running smoothly ...
Are you frazzled and frustrated? Are you feeling behind, not only with your homeschool but in life? I can help. Join me for 31 days, as we look at one ...
How do you feel about the fact that the new homeschool year is just weeks away?? Do you feel weighed down and/or overwhelmed? Are you coming off of a summer ...
Wow, at this point of the year it's getting tough, isn't it? The flowers are blooming and the weather is getting warmer and you're stuck inside doing homeschool for hours ...
We've been at this homeschooling thing for quite awhile now. If you count the pre-school years, when I started teaching my daughter to read, it's been about 18 years of ...
Who is your favorite homeschool mom? Is there one that you wish you could be like? Maybe she is extremely organized, or she has the parenting thing DOWN, or she ...
I will freely admit that our children have missed out on some things because we homeschool high school. There is no doubt that there are experiences that the public school ...
Overview: It's impossible to have NO homeschooling regrets, but maybe you can lessen the list by avoiding the ones this veteran homeschool mom has. 20-20 hindsight is an amazing thing ...
Overview: Our homeschooling expectations can make or break our joy and our success. Get a reality check from a veteran homeschool mom! Did you ever expect something out of someone ...
Note: This article was originally published in 2015. Can we be real, here, people? As much as I love homeschooling, there are aspects of the homeschool lifestyle that I don't ...
NOTE: This article was originally published in 2015. We have been a homeschooling family for over 15 years, since our oldest child started kindergarten. None of our children have ever ...
Christian Living
Do you wonder what God's will is for you today? How do you determine what His wishes are for you on any given day? Do you think your circumstances will ...
Do you worry? LOL, that's like asking if the sky is blue -- we all do worry, to some extent. But some of us worry more than others, even though ...
I really HATE Facebook on days like Mother’s Day. All those pictures of beautiful families showing their moms such gushing appreciation with all the flowers and the pretty church dresses ...
"Sometimes the hardest, bravest thing is choosing to live another day in this broken, wonderful world." --Melanie Dale Because the world is broken, make no mistake. And that means life ...
Have you ever asked yourself this question? I have had to do it often throughout my adult life. "Am I important anywhere? Where might that be?" And no matter how ...
I had a fairly epic failure recently. But the positive changes it has brought about in my life are significant enough that I want to share it with y'all, in ...
Who is your favorite homeschool mom? Is there one that you wish you could be like? Maybe she is extremely organized, or she has the parenting thing DOWN, or she ...
There came a day I realized I could not keep going the way things were. I could not keep sucking it up and continuing on. I just could not do ...
I don't know about you, but some days I wake up and just don't feel like doing it. Like, anything. Whatever “it” may be for the day – homeschool, work, ...
Not long ago I was woken up in the middle of the night by a different cause than my usual middle-age issues. LOL. One of the younger kids, who was ...
Update: Elisabeth Elliot passed away on June 15, 2015. Hers was a life well-lived. Her books are a very important legacy that will encourage and inspire women for years to ...
Everything Else
Many of these articles have been around for awhile and we've brought them back out again, because they are still full of helpful, uncomplicated information that works at any time for busy moms. There are lots of stress-free tips and encouragement here for all aspects of a mom's life!
Cleaning, Organization, and Time Management
31 Days of Practical Organizing Tips for a Homeschool Mom's Life
Are you frazzled and frustrated? Are you feeling behind, not only with your homeschool but in life? I can help. Join me for 31 days, as we look at one ...
Overview: Guest contributor Lynna Sutherland is a veteran large-family mom who is amazing at keeping things organized and stress-free. Here she shares step-by-step instructions for using Google Calendar with your ...
Burnout is a thing among homeschool moms. The homeschool lifestyle is one of constantly giving and serving and going and doing, and it can be very hard to make time ...
I love pretty magazine pictures with beautifully organized shelves, don't you? The kind where everything is stored in identical black baskets with little calligraphized labels. No strings hanging out, nothing sticking ...
Raise your hand if you like the idea of having a morning routine but cannot for the life of you make one work over the long haul. That has been ...
Have you ever set a morning routine and started doing it really well, only to have it fall by the wayside in a matter of just days or a couple ...
I thought I had this decluttering thing DOWN, y'all. I've read many books and blog posts on the subject; in fact, I've even written my own blog posts on the ...
Let's face it: we can have the entire rest of our world fully streamlined and running smoothly, but if we don't know how to organize our purse, life will still ...
Sometimes getting organized can seem like an impossible goal. We look at all the areas of our life that need help, and we feel overwhelmed by the amount of work ...
As you may already know, I don't like to clean. I mean, I REALLY don't like to clean. When I was a teen and young adult, my room was ALWAYS ...
Let's make this whole house cleaning thing simple, shall we? When it comes to homemade cleaners, there are DOZENS of recipes out there. The ones I use meet my three ...
Here's the thing: I don't do spring cleaning. At least two of my friends work hard for several weeks in March and April, deep cleaning all cupboards and closets and ...
Piles of papers can become overwhelming quickly, can't they?? You think it's all under control until you have to find one in particular for the thing with the guy at ...
Easy Recipes and Meal Planning
30+ Ridiculously Easy Dinners for Busy Families on a Budget
Do you hate cooking like I do? Do you actually like cooking but never have time to do it?? Are you a homeschool mom, or a working mom, or the ...
You know that scene in Ratatouille where Anton Ego takes the bite of the dish that's been prepared for him, and he is transported in that moment to the happy ...
Overview: Cooking turkey ahead of time is the best way to reduce stress on Thanksgiving day. You'll never go back with this foolproof method! I am not exaggerating when I ...
Chocolate and pumpkin together has to be one of the best kept secrets known to man. In the age of PSL's (Pumpkin Spice Lattés, for you uninitiated), people seem to ...
Imagine yourself sitting down to open gifts with the family on Christmas morning, knowing that breakfast has already been taken care of -- and you didn't have to get up ...
Overview: Easy summer meals that don't require much effort or heat up the kitchen! So you can have more fun and stay cool! One prime indication that it is summer ...
Making soup from leftovers is one of the best ways to save money on food. You can get an entire meal out of the bits and pieces you have in ...
You thought you knew all there was to know about easy tacos, but I'm here to tell you there is an even easier way. You won't believe it when you ...
Aren't black beans just the best?? They are so yummy, in all sorts of dishes. But my favorite way to use them is in Pioneer Woman's Black Bean Burger Recipe. They ...
I think it is a well-established fact that meal planning is a good thing. I mean, it saves money, hello, and it helps keep our days organized and under control ...
Meal planning is definitely a great tool for cutting expenses. But just planning your meals is not enough -- you have to do it wisely. It's possible to meal plan ...
Everyone needs a treat once in awhile. But these days, while we're all trying to eat healthy, treats can make you feel guilty. Am I right? We're eating this really ...
There is no easier or quicker salad to make than cole slaw, y'all. Ok, maybe there is -- but my homemade cole slaw recipe is pretty stinkin' quick and easy! And ...
I have learned that I do best with a high protein breakfast. When I eat a high carb breakfast (which is what many breakfasts are made of) I am usually ...
This recipe was handed down to me from a wonderful older lady (I hesitate to use the word “old,” because to me it is a very relative term these days. :-) ...
I think every recipe on this blog will start with the word “easy.” I really do not like to cook, so I don't want to spend any more time at ...
Are you sick and tired of making a new meal plan every time you turn around? I HATE MEAL PLANNING. So I developed a two-week meal plan that I never ...
Chili is part of my two-week rotating menu planner. We love it! And now that #2, the bean-hater, is at college, we can enjoy it meatless, with LOTSA LEGUMES!! (See ...
Money Matters
Do the holidays sneak up on you and your budget? Even with the best of intentions, sometimes December rolls around and it becomes time to freak out about how to ...
When money is tight, sometimes we have to take radical measures. Sometimes the usual cost-cutting techniques are not enough. The Man and I have dealt with money shortages several times ...
Thanks to VIPKID for sponsoring this post! I am sharing my honest thoughts, y'all. I am all about recommending ONLY what I think will help YOU. :-) Are you the ...
Overview:This is a saving money tip you have probably never read about before -- but it works! There are several examples so you can see how to do it yourself ...
Are you familiar with the term "hangry"? I am VERY familiar with it, lol. It's that state of being so hungry that you are easily angered. You feel like all ...
If you don't know what a sinking fund is, you are in the right place. If you know what one is but are not using them, you are also in ...
Have you tried using the cash envelope system and given up because it was not successful for you? I feel ya; we personally have started and stopped MANY times. But ...
Is money tight for you RIGHT NOW?? Do you need to get some cash together quickly to pay a looming bill, or are you trying to gather funds to make ...
With kids in college many hours away, we end making A LOT of road trips -- and that can add up to some big bucks if we're not careful. Since ...
Usually the saying is that it's the first thing of whatever you're attempting to do that is the hardest. The first step is the hardest, or the first million dollars ...
We would all like to increase our income as time goes on, wouldn't we? But sometimes that doesn't happen; in fact, sometimes the process goes in reverse, and we actually ...
As the Christmas season approaches, and I begin to make my lists and check them twice, I am reminded anew of a truth universally acknowledged: kids get more expensive as ...
Overview: The first step to breaking out of the debt cycle is to know WHY it's happening. Here are 6 possible reasons. You can change your habits today! I am ...
Deep breaths, y'all. It's gonna be okay. If you are reading this, chances are you're coping with anxiety about your finances and are looking for some relief from those emotions ...
It is a big fad to be gluten free these days. And I will freely confess that I have gone right along with it! Someday I will write a post ...
Overview: Reduce your electric bill with these simple ideas. Some might surprise you! It's summer, and it's HOT! And that means the electric bill can skyrocket as we try to ...
Whoever said camping was cheap must have eaten a few too many s'mores. Cuz camping can be downright pricey, y'all. By the time you buy equipment and hit the grocery ...
I love reading about being frugal. Give me a good post about 50 ways to save money on toilet paper, and I'm all over it. Shave Five More Cents Off ...