In the early days of my homeschool journey, I spent hours days looking through curriculum catalogs and browsing websites to choose my curriculum for the year. One year I went through a 1000+ homeschool catalog page by page. I am not kidding. I read review after online review. I even read reviews of curriculum I had already used in the past. While I gained a great deal of knowledge about the existing choices on the homeschool market, I wasted many hours that could have been spent directly with my children. I was spending a lot of hours “homeschooling,” but my children weren’t getting most of them.

When you are considering and committing to homeschooling, it is not only a commitment of your time, but also a commitment of your finances. You need to decide how much you can budget towards homeschooling and of course, what to purchase.

I remember as a young teenager that it was a treat to get to stay up and watch David Letterman. My favorite part was always his Top 10 List. And so, as a nod to good memories and since it is rather late as I write this, I want to share with you my Top 10 List: Why I Need Veteran Homeschoolers In My Life.

We have moved 8 times in 22 years of marriage. That is a lot of moving and a lot of rebuilding friendships. I am thankful that I have been able to maintain many close friendships despite my moves. However, I am also thankful that God has blessed me with new friends wherever I go. Whether it is sharing motherhood, sports, or homeschooling, I know the importance of having a group of friends who are one of my support networks. When we began homeschooling, I knew that my husband would support me, but I also knew that I would need friends who were walking a similar journey with me. My school aged children (4th and Kindergartener) would no longer be in public school. And by default, my support network would no longer be fellow classroom moms.

There is no question that my husband and I both felt the call by the Lord to lead our children in homeschooling. We would each be investing a different amount of time in the actual schooling, with my contributing the most hours as the stay at home parent. However, that didn’t mean there was a difference in our commitment level. We knew that; we wanted our children to also know that. How would we do this? It began by building my spouse as a part of my support network.

As a homeschooling mom of 20+ years and a HomeWorks by Precept Consultant, I get many phone calls from moms (and sometimes dads) about how to start homeschooling. Having a grasp on why they want to homeschool is often the starting place for making decisions going forward. If you are considering homeschooling, asking yourself some of these questions might help you make some clearer choices for your family.

Are you thinking about homeschooling? Looking for where to start? Let me help. I am a homeschooling mom of over twenty years who feels called to encourage other homeschooling families as they begin and travel through their homeschooling journeys.

We are introducing a four-part series on the considerations and benefits of homeschooling. The first two posts will address things to consider and the last two will address the benefits of homeschooling. Please share this information with friends and family that are thinking about whether or not to homeschool their children. Please make comments and share your experiences with us.

Happy New Year! It’s always a trick to remember to write down the new year when writing the date on a check or filling out paperwork, isn’t it? Seems like it takes a few weeks to adjust to writing 2017 on things. Every new year brings its own set of adjustments. But before long, we are well on our way into the new year. And with the new year comes a bounty of wonderful opportunities- a clean slate wherever you need one. You might need to start a new regimen in your household, re-organize things, or make some new plans. Maybe you just pick up where you left off before the holidays and keep going.

Many years ago (I won’t tell you how many), I volunteered with my church youth group at the homeless shelter where we served Thanksgiving dinner. It made quite an impression as I continued to volunteer there throughout the rest of that school year. I even remember my parents pushing back dinner on Christmas day so that I could serve at the shelter. God placed a passion for serving others in me through these experiences. That passion to serve others is something I try very hard to ignite in my children. And homeschooling allows my family the ability to make time to serve and learn together.