The simple solution to homeschool envy and internet overwhelm ~
Written by Kara Fleck

Once upon a time, in a season of self doubt and struggle, I was feeling overburdened with homeschool FOMO (fear of missing out). Comparison was hurting my pride.

I needed to remember that there is a simple solution to my Homeschool Envy and internet overwhelm: unplug.

That’s it.

Unplug.

Super simple, but a reminder I need from time to time. I unplugged and within a few days I could feel the knots untangling and my confidence returning.

Maybe you need to hear it, too? Are you feeling like your homeschool doesn’t measure up to the picture perfect images we are bombarded with? Are you doubting your abilities?

Or perhaps your doubt isn’t homeschool related. Is there is something else troubling you and giving you pause about your own worth and abilities?

The simple solution to Instagram homeschool envy and internet overwhelm

Before you quit (homeschool, baking, photography, writing, painting, whatever it is), try this:

UNPLUG.

No Instagram.

No Pinterest.

No YouTube.

No Facebook group.

No email newsletters.

None of it.

Those things can be lovely and inspirational and informative. Networking, learning from each other, being genuine fans and appreciating each other in this wonderful, wide internet can be a very positive thing.

I know this. I live this. I love this! (well, most of the time)

The last thing I personally want to be to any of my audience is a source of discouragement. In fact, that is the opposite of why I am putting myself and our homeschool out here.

I’m here because I want to inspire, to encourage, and to show that if messy, imperfect me and my messy, imperfect family can do this then you and your family can, too.

I sure do like a pretty picture. A well composed blog post is my pride. I’m selective about what I put on my social media. I love playing with filters and light and color.

Advances in technology let many of us amateurs play around with professional looking results. Looks can be deceiving.

Quiet the electronic hum

I’m a social media creator but I’m also a consumer.

And as a consumer I speak from experience when I say that the moment those pins and images and essays and memes and resource lists start becoming the impossible ruler you measure yourself up against – you vs. the entire internet – the moment you start comparing yourself to that booming collective voice … unplug.

Disconnect from the outside influence, judgement, and comments.

Quiet that electronic hum, mute those groups, unfollow folks that make you feel less than.

Close the curtain on the virtual window, stop taking in all the visuals of other people’s work and lives … and give yourself time alone with your craft, your skill, your family’s homeschool.

Take that time for just you and your writing. Your painting. Your THING. Let yourself and your kids simmer in those things. Take a true break.

Shut everything out and measure yourself against … yourself.

And then see how you feel afterward.

Right now you want to quit.

And maybe you should. There might be some legitimacy to that feeling you have.

But ask yourself, be honest, WHY do you want to quit? WHAT is telling you to stop?

Once upon a time you loved this.

Once upon a time it was a perfect fit.

Perhaps that has changed.

Or, perhaps what has changed is that you’re spending too much time watching and viewing and not enough time actually enjoying and doing.

Or you’re doing, but you feel like the entire world is looking over your shoulder, judging and trolling. Don’t forget you’ve got some control there. You can turn it off.

Apples and oranges

I think we also need to be careful not to compare our oranges to someone else’s apples: don’t compare someone else’s photography talent with your ability to homeschool in real life. These are two different things.  Yes, a person can be great at both, but it’s not fair or accurate to judge those separate skill sets against each other.

For example, my husband is a fantastic cook. I’ve been happily eating meals he makes for almost half of my life. However, a food photographer he is not. He just isn’t very skilled at capturing the beauty and deliciousness of the plates of food he makes. It wouldn’t be fair, or accurate, to call him a poor cook based on his photography skills.

Don’t measure your success this way, friends. It isn’t accurate.

Everyone else isn’t doing it all. I promise.

Unplug. Step back. Focus just on creating and learning. The internet will still be there when you’re ready to come back.

In the meantime:

Live!

Learn!

Do!

Be!

Because I have a hunch that maybe part of what is going on here is just good old self doubt. And self doubt is really hard to be rational about when you’re faced with dozens and dozens of images and words and messages of EVERYONE DOING EVERYTHING.

And you know everyone isn’t doing everything, right? 

It just looks that way because the internet is one big collective voice highlight reel. 

Maybe you’ll still need to quit, to let this particular chapter of life go. That’s okay. You know your life and your family better than anyone else. And in the internet free quiet you’ll be able to hear your inner voice better when and if you make changes.

You’ll be able to make the decision from a clear, comparison free place.

Maybe once you’ve cleared out some of that digital clutter, what you’ll find in those free spaces is exactly what you need to keep going.

What works for you when you’re overcome with homeschool envy? Let us know in the comments!

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!

Originally published on June 18, 2019

 Written by Kara Fleck

This year in our homeschool the Fleck Academy is trying something new: no set start time. That’s right, we’re ditching it. The kids begin their lessons whenever they want to.

And it hasn’t evolved into total chaos.

No, seriously, it’s been a positive thing. All the boxes are checked at the end of the day. In fact, knock on wood, our mornings are going smoother than they have in some time.

I first read about this idea on Facebook when another homeschooling mom was talking about how it is better for her teens, who need more sleep. I was intrigued.

For years I’ve been dedicated to our rhythms and routines, including a set time to start the day. But I did wonder if this could have some benefits – especially for my teen, who I know isn’t getting enough sleep.

I also saw an opportunity to balance the needs of all four kids, who I imagined would naturally stagger their individual start times each day. I wondered if this would keep me from feeling spread too thin as a homeschool mom.

Could this possibly be a good fit for us?

It turns out that yes, I’m finding some solid benefits to this no set start time thing. Crazy at is sounds to me, the mama who normally sets many alarms on her phone to guide her day, this is working for us. Working well, in fact.

It is working for me and my younger kids

I’m naturally an early riser. I enjoy that time before my kids wake up. Even my earliest waking child is usually still asleep at 7 a.m. That gives me plenty of time for starting the day the slow motion way that I do best.

I set up my mama “camp” at the kitchen table the way that I normally would on a homeschool day, and as they are ready the kids get started.

It’s more relaxed, a little sweeter, and feels like things happen in a more natural flow.

That’s a plus for this mama.

I get more one-on-one time with my youngest kids. They want to jump right into lessons after breakfast and both have been consistently finished by lunchtime.  

Our mornings are books and crafts and writing and math and it’s fun, this little morning elementary school we have going on. This is working for them.

My older kids benefit from the flexibility

My middle child still stars around 10 a.m., which has been our traditional start time in the past.

Sometimes he is up early with his younger sisters, but he prefers to spend the morning reading or watching YouTube and moving at the slow motion speed of his mother. Ahem.

He gets math and some of his less favorite subjects out of the way before lunch, then after lunch works for a few more hours to finish up the rest, saving his history reading for last because that is his favorite.

This is working for him.

My teen has been in two modes. Some days she is up early and doing her first lessons of the day, books open while she eats breakfast and I’m still brewing my first cup of coffee.

Some days she sleeps in, joins us before lunch and then works away the afternoon and early evening. She is getting everything assigned to her done each day either way.

This is working for her.

No more nagging

You know what else is working? People are getting more sleep and are less grouchy. There are no arguments about getting going in the morning. I don’t have to nag them to get them to the kitchen table. They show up ready to get to work.

Before we started this school year I talked to the kids about no set start time. I clearly laid out what would be expected of them. I told them if I started to notice them slipping in their work, or if folks seemed like they were taking advantage, we would go back to our normal schedule.

To tell the truth my fear was that I’d be prying the Playstation controller out of my teenagers’ hand at 4 o’clock and angrily waving math assignments around every afternoon.

Instead, I’ve been impressed with the ownership of their time the kids have taken, especially my older three. Knowing these kids as I do, those fears weren’t really justified to begin with. I’m a pretty lucky homeschool mom in that regard.

Your mileage may vary, of course. I’m not convinced this would work in every homeschooling household, but this no set start to the school day is working out well for the Flecks. So far, so good at least.

I’m glad we decided to give it a chance.

Have you ever tried a staggered start time, or letting kids start on their own schedule?

Originally posted on September 13, 2018

Written by Kara Fleck

“I see a lot of crafts, books, and experiments on your instagram, but do you do any actual teaching?” Or “If you don’t test them, then how do you know your kids learn anything?”

If you homeschool long enough, sooner or later you’re probably going to encounter questions like the ones I did recently.

Teaching without textbooks, measuring proficiency without exams, report cards, or grades? It sounds like madness and chaos to some.

Yes, I am actually teaching. Though the children teach themselves new things all the time.

Yes, the children are learning. Though sometimes not the lessons I’m trying to teach.

Judgment vs. Curiosity

It can be tricky knowing exactly how to answer some of the comments.  There is a difference between the answer I would give someone who is genuinely interested, but maybe doesn’t understand what education can look like outside of the only system they have ever known.

And then there’s the answer for the person who asks that type of question from a place of judgment. 

Perhaps they are wanting to call me to task for what they feel is neglecting my children’s education by allowing them to do astonishing things like spend days at a time crafting or doing math outside. Or using biographies, personal diaries, and literature to teach history instead of textbooks.

The latter person isn’t curious, they don’t really want an answer from me. They just to wag their finger and they want me to accept their criticism.

Maybe they hope for me to humbly walk away, shamed by their words, vowing to change my ways forever?

While that certainly isn’t going to happen, I’m also not going to spend much time trying to convince this person about the validity of my choices. There really isn’t much of a conversation that can actually happen there.

So this second person? They get a healthy serving of the “bean dip response.”

How do I know my children are learning?

To the person who is asking because they really want to know how my husband and I can tell that the kids are learning? I say this:

We know our children are learning the same way that you know your children learn. The same way you’ve known since you watched them take their first steps or listened to them sound out their first words.

We can tell our children are learning because we see them apply their education to their daily lives, solving problems and finding solutions.

We can tell our children are learning because we see the recognition on their faces when a concept clicks and they understand.

We can tell our children are learning because when the books are closed and the experiments are over, the ideas are still living beyond the page and the experience.

We can tell our children are learning because they can teach others what they know.

We can tell our children are learning because they are developing new skill sets, accomplishing new things.

We can tell our children are learning because they can make comparisons to and draw correlations between history and modern day events.

We can tell our children are learning by the questions they ask.

We can tell our children are learning because we witness the progression as they go from struggling with a skill to mastery.

We can tell our children are learning because we see them self-correct when making mistakes.

We can tell our children are learning because they don’t quit trying.  That’s an important lesson.

We can tell our children are learning because they write down things that are interesting to them.  Or, our pre-writers draw pictures or dictate to someone what they want to say about a subject or idea.

We can tell our children are learning because when they really love a subject, they become obsessed with it. They live it, eat it, breathe it for days, even weeks or months at a time.  They are enthusiastic. They want to share all the cool things they know on a topic with anyone who will listen.

We can tell our children are learning because, while often silly or acting totally age appropriate, they can also engage in meaningful conversations. They make observations that seem beyond their years.

How do I know my kids are learning?  I know because I know. I’m there.  I see it. And I bet you see it with your kids, too.

The time will come perhaps when they need testing. When applications must be filled out. When the SAT, ACT, and other evaluations will be given.

But, for now, I’m okay with knowing that my children are learning based on my observations. I see. I listen. I know.

That’s all the proof I need.

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!

Written by Kara Fleck

We’re in a season of change here at the Fleck house: after five years of my being a full time caregiver to a relative who lived with us, our lives are in transition.

The kids and I are getting used to this new normal. It is just us now, which is nice. I was grateful for my time as a caregiver, but I’m also grateful to be able to fully focus on my children again.

However, this is a life adjustment that is taking some getting used to, and I think it has been more emotional than any of us anticipated. I’ve learned that when life changes are going on, it is better for my family to keep everything else in our lives simple.

Our homeschool time is currently essentials only. I’ve eliminated as many extras as I am comfortable letting go of.

So what does a simple homeschool day look like for us?

We’re focusing on our reading and writing assignments from Build Your Library and daily math practice. My high school student is also adding in SAT test prep and her French lessons.

That’s it! Here’s a peek at one recent day:

Morning

We don’t have an official start time for lessons, and that is continuing to work well for all of us.

I spent the early morning on this day drinking coffee, reading, knitting, and letting Alexa read me the news. I went over my lists and plans for the day and listened to music.

My two youngest girls, ages 7 and 10, were the first to wake up and we ate breakfast together before settling in with their reading.

Amelia had a few Sci Show Kids videos to watch that go along with her science and nature study. She’s been learning about bats and owls.

My older kids came down about an hour later. After they had eaten, they too started their assignments for the day. Our homeschool was going full steam by 10 a.m.

My twelve year old prefers to start with math and my seventeen year old usually starts with whatever subject has the most reading and then works her way down to the shortest assignments.

Afternoon

We rotated through math assignments (my younger three share one computer) and the younger girls finished up their reading.

Lucy finished a book so I had her write the title in the back of her assignment notebook, where the kids keep a simple reading log. I also made a note of it and took a picture for my instagram. I’m keeping track of all the books our family reads and listens to in 2019 (mainly because I’m curious as to what the final number will be).

Lunch is pretty casual. I have been doing sort of a “working lunch” approach to the mid-day meal. We don’t really break, we just eat while we watch CNN10 and each child continues their individual reading and writing.

I don’t mind books at the table. It makes me smile, actually.

Once the younger girls finish their school work, they do their daily chores and then the day belongs to them. They know not to let play get too wild while their older siblings continue schoolwork (and most of the time they actually do keep it fairly calm).

We’re chomping at the bit for spring and warmer days because we really miss being able to be outdoors on a regular basis. It’s been a long, cold winter here in Indiana.

For now, puzzles and bead kits and play dough are the afternoon activities of choice for the little girls.

Late afternoon

My son finished with his work around 2:30. He did his daily chores and then he played a video game online with a friend who is also finished with school.

My high school student has a writing project left to do and a documentary about the history of the English language to watch. I bring my knitting into the living room and she and I hang out together. This time with my teen is treasured, I know I’m lucky to have it.

The calendar is going to turn to her Senior year, her final year of homeschooling, next fall. How is that even possible?

Once my teen finishes, she does her daily chores and then she has the rest of the day free. She’s working on a new cosplay, so she’s been sewing up a storm. As someone who cannot sew, her skills impress me and I can take absolutely zero credit for them! She’s got other adults in her life who are happy to pass along sewing knowledge and she fills in the gaps with youtube video tutorials.

I write out everyone’s next assignments in their notebooks and check over their work from today. Then the afternoon is free.

The last few days I’ve been watching a TV show called The Librarians with the kids. We’ve also been working our way through some of the games and puzzles we were given for Christmas.

Lucy has been teaching herself how to play the ukulele (again, youtube videos to the rescue, as I know nothing about ukuleles).

Evening

Dinner tonight ended up being leftovers or sandwiches, depending on who was heading out the door to practice and who was staying home. We’re eating more meals as a family than not these days.

However, the nights of martial arts practice it’s easier to feed the crew in shifts and just get bodies revolving out the door.

I hope that doesn’t make me sound like I resent the practice time, because I don’t. It’s been such a wonderful thing to watch my kids grow with their sports. I know they value the friends they’ve made, too.

The plan is that tonight after practice I have some reading I’d like to get done and my knitting has been calling my name.

Now, I know that one family’s simple is another’s complicated. But this feels pretty bare bones to me compared to how things were up until the holidays. Although as I look back at it all written up, we’re actually getting quite a lot accomplished.

Is this scaled back Fleck Academy how I ideally like our homeschool to run? Well, no.

I’m craving a family literature unit study and more nature studies. I miss field trips, having a composer study, and large scale art and craft projects.

One of the kids mentioned the other day that they would like music lessons. I hope the next season brings those things into our lives.

But for now this is what we can manage, and manage pretty well if I do say so myself, so I know we’re on the right track.

Today was a good day. Stringing together as many of those as I can is my goal.

If you found this post helpful, subscribe via email here to receive Jamie’s FREE ebook, Secrets of a Successful Homeschool Mom!

A Homeschool Mom’s Self-Care Rhythm ~ Written by Kara Fleck

My word of the year last year was HOME. However, just a few days into the year and my resolution to focus on home and DO ALL THE THINGS started to make me feel overwhelmed and discouraged.

A quick look at my daily bullet journal entries showed me that I was focusing on some wonderful things for our household, worthwhile pursuits, but I was leaving something out: caring for the caregiver. ME.

I wear many hats: teacher, mother, wife, writer, caretaker, among others. My children are in sports, clubs, and other activities. I babysit several days a week. I have a feeling many of you can relate to this and feel perhaps as spread thin as I do.

I don’t do any of these jobs well when I am run down and exhausted. I spent a good part of last year running on empty. By about August, I was pretty resentful and just plain burnt out.

I don’t like feeling that way.

Here’s the thing though: I’m blessed to be in a place in life where there are things within my control  – things that I can change that directly affect my level of emotional and physical well-being. For the most part, I set my schedule. Everyone is not so lucky in their circumstances.

This year, my word is EDIT. I’m editing my schedule to include a little bit of pampering into my weekly rhythm. I’ve had success with this in the past and I think it is worth revisiting.

A Homeschooling Mom’s Self-Care Rhythm: A Treat for Each Day of the Week

Here is the schedule that I’m trying on for size this year:

Self Care & Pampering Rhythm for the Week

Monday –  SLEEP IN

I’ve dreaded Monday mornings ever since I was a kid. So this year I’ve given myself permission to sleep in on Mondays and start the week slowly, easing into it.

Even if I naturally wake up early (I woke up at 5:30 on the morning I’m writing this) I allow myself to linger in bed for a while, in no rush to start the day. Sometimes I even go back to sleep for a little while.

Tuesday – READ ALL DAY

Obviously, I have homeschooling and household obligations, so it isn’t really “all day” but I’m making a focused effort on Tuesdays to be reading in all of my spare moments. Time spent with a good book replenishes me.

Sometimes, however, I feel like all I ever read are homeschooling books, blogs, and magazines.  So I’m making a focused effort to make sure some of my reading is just for me.

Wednesday – GO TO BED EARLY

Wednesday evenings are our busiest of the week, but as soon as the kids’ activities are done for the day, this mama is tucking herself in for an early bedtime. I may be an early riser, but the flip side of this is that naturally I’d fall asleep by 8:30 pm every evening if you gave me a chance.

Once a week, I give myself that chance.

Thursday – TV KNITTING

Again, I have obligations during the day, and I certainly knit other days of the week. But on Thursdays I dedicate my free time to knitting while watching something that makes me happy.

Right now that is old episodes of Somebody Feed Phil.

Friday – FRIDAY NIGHT NEST

I’m bringing back our tradition of movies, games, or puzzles on Friday nights.

This started many years ago when my oldest was a toddler and we would make a “nest” of blankets and watch a movie together while we waited for my husband to get home from working his second job (Christopher worked nights at a home improvement store for a long time early in our marriage).

That habit continued for years, then sort of went by the wayside as the kids got older and schedules changed. I’m working to make this a regular part of our weeks again because it was one of my favorite things.

Saturday – SPA

This is the day for all of those homemade beauty masks, long bubble baths, pedicures, and hair treatments that I love and collect but never take the time for.

Sunday – SOCIAL MEDIA SWITCH OFF

I anticipate being the least successful in this one, as I do love my Instagram and YouTube, but every week is a new chance. The fact that I feel resistant to it probably means I need it.

I’m going to keep trying until a Sunday Switch Off is a natural part of my weekly routine.

There you have it, my plan to give myself a little something special every day of the week.

Each of these ideas is simple, but gives me a little boost and something to look forward to. I hope you’ll consider doing the same!

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!

Written by Kara Fleck

One of the helpful things about being a homeschooling family for over ten years is that by now we have all learned the value of patience. The kids know their turn will come if I’m working with another child.

In past years, when I had a houseful of young children, I had a binder of mazes, alphabet pages, coloring sheets, and other things to help them pass the time waiting.

During those years, that binder was a sanity saver. I’m not sure how I would have juggled babies, toddlers, and homeschoolers without it.

But my kids are older now. They don’t actually need me to provide them with activities anymore. For one thing, there is always a book or ten to read.

For another, the time it takes for me to pull these types of activities together is time that I feel can be better used in other ways.

They don’t need me to have my hands so tightly on the reigns. In fact, that’s kind of been the theme of our homeschool year so far: me letting go.

I’m learning to give my older kids more chances to take responsibility for themselves.

Sometimes they just need me to get out of their way

Okay, honesty time:  I know they are creative kids. I know they are bright kids.  I know that boredom won’t hurt them and might even be good for them.

But, when it comes to homeschool, my first instinct is to try to plan ahead for everything. This is futile, of course, but it’s still my instinct.

Which means this letting go of the plans thing, resisting all of the Pinterest ideas and super fun printables, is very different from what I’m used to and it is pretty different from what the kids are used to, as well.

So today when I was working with my sixth grader and my youngest two children were waiting for me to read with them, I simply answered the expectant looks on their faces by telling them to go find something quiet to do for a little while.

And, no, they couldn’t turn on the TV.

They disappeared, reappearing in the kitchen about five minutes later to snag a piece of fruit. After the first banana, I thought they were just snacking. Then they took a kiwi and some apples. When one of them took a whole cantaloupe I knew something was up.

I followed them out to the crafting table where the kids happily announced that they were “having art class, mom!”  They had set up a platter with various pieces of fruit and were sitting quietly drawing it.

You know, like you do. Ha!

They came up with a great, creative way to spend their time on their own. I love it! And they didn’t need me to facilitate it, which I loved as well.

I knew they’d be fine, I did. Okay, admittedly in the big picture this isn’t an important deal. It’s a few minutes quietly drawing fruit.

The thing is that there are moments when what I KNOW and what I’m AFRAID OF (boredom leading to fighting and chaos, for example) are at odds with each other.

Sometimes my fear wins.

I need to continue to work on that as a parent. In the meantime, these small daily reminders that I can let go are good for me.

It was nice to see, once again, that I can let go and it will be okay.

So, there you go: an impromptu fruit drawing lesson reminded me that, at least for today, my kids will be just fine without me planning every moment of our homeschool day. (And I still have that binder handy, just in case.)

Do you struggle with letting go sometimes, too?

If you found this post helpful, subscribe via email here to receive Jamie’s FREE ebook, Secrets of a Successful Homeschool Mom!

Written by Kara Fleck

Last year I wrote about some things I wanted to quit doing in our homeschool. Declaring publicly that I wanted to be a quitter was good for me and those were some positive changes.

So I’m back with three more things I want to quit doing as a homeschooling parent and one thing I want to start:

3 Things I’m Going to Quit Doing in Our Homeschool This Year

1. Ignoring my instincts

Last fall I was interested in using a certain curriculum. However, I ended up sticking with something we had used before, partly because the price was right and partly because it was familiar.

Even though this new curriculum ticked off many of the boxes on my list of a dream education, and I knew it would be a good fit for us, I ignored my gut instinct.

However, by the holiday break it was obvious I had made the wrong decision. I just couldn’t continue with something I knew we were all lukewarm about.

We switched mid-year and ended up having one of our best semesters of homeschool ever!

My regret is that we didn’t switch sooner. I didn’t trust myself that my feelings were valid. I guess I worried I was caught up in the “grass is always greener” syndrome we homeschoolers can sometimes fall into.

This year I’m going to quit doubting myself and try to trust my instincts. I know these kids better than anyone. I have faith in my ability to make good homeschooling decisions for our family.

2. Comparing my kids to their public-schooled peers

Along those lines, I need to quit comparing. As the children of our friends and family get older and move through the public school system, I keep finding myself making comparisons between our experiences. This is especially true for high school.

This one is two kinds of hard: 1. hard to admit it is something that I catch myself doing, because it makes me feel like a jerk, and 2. it is hard to stop actually doing.

I’m a flawed human and that tendency to worry, or brag, is a strong one in me. It’s something I need to work on quitting.

In some areas we appear “ahead” and in some areas we appear “behind” the kids’ public-schooled peers.

The reality is, we are neither of those things, ahead or behind, because we aren’t on the same path to begin with. We are where WE are.

It isn’t the same life experience. It isn’t right of me to feel smug OR to feel worry because honestly all I need to be focusing on is my four and our little Fleck Academy.

If I’m giving my best to that, that’s all I need to be worrying about.

3. Being the library book keeper for the entire family

Ah, the library. I love the library. But I despise keeping track of books times seven.

I want our family to be responsible patrons of the library, of course, but that means ALL of us. Every member of my family is old enough now to keep track of the books and materials that they individually borrow.

Sure, I’ll do my part to keep an easily accessible library bag or bin in our home. I also keep the receipt with our checked out materials on the fridge so we can keep track of what we are borrowing. And I will certainly help to look if something is lost.

But if you check something out from the library, it isn’t going to be Mom’s job to keep track of it for you.

We’re each responsible for what we individually check out. So if that means a habitual offender has to part with some hard-earned babysitting money to pay for a fine, well that’s part of learning responsibility, right?

Something new

Something new I want to fold into our homeschool this year is dedicated time for crafts. We’re a crafty family and we have always done some type of handwork in our homeschool. There are art supplies and works-in-progress all around our home, including my own.

But I’m noticing as the kids get older and our schedule fills with more lessons, social events, sports practices, and life, that crafts aren’t happening. I think it is because we don’t have a dedicated handwork TIME. The desire is there, but the dedicated time is something that has slipped away.

In fact, when reviewing last year two of my kids said they wished they had more arts and crafts like in their younger years.

So, that’s my goal in 2018 – 2019: Build some dedicated arts and crafts time into our daily schedule. I don’t know exactly what this will look like yet, but I know it will be a priority for us.

And what about you, friends? Is there anything you’d love to quit–or anything you’d love to start?

Consider this your official permission slip to make the changes that deep down you know you need in the coming homeschool year.

How about you? What do you need to let go of?

If you found this post helpful, subscribe via email here to receive Jamie’s FREE ebook, Secrets of a Successful Homeschool Mom!

If you feel like quitting homeschooling ~ Written by Kara Fleck

“We’re not getting anything done. I’m failing at this.”  I hear this lament from moms on a regular basis. Sometimes I’m the one saying it.

Usually, this kind of thinking sneaks in when I get a case of homeschool envy and compare what we do to another family. Is that what might be going on with you right now? If so, can I suggest some advice from my personal blog: Before you quit, try this.

I can also start to feel this way when I’m feeling overwhelmed by life, like new babies or my husband working a lot of hours or those years when we had three under the age of five but I also had an 11 year old to teach.

“We’re not getting anything done.”

Are you sure you’re not getting “anything” done? Really?

Most moms I know are doing so many things. 

Do a little experiment for me: write down everything you and your kids do for the next couple of days. From the stories read to planting your spring garden – anything remotely learning related, add that to your list.

See? You did that. You’re doing that.

Maybe you’ve simply evolved into a more relaxed style of learning that works better for your family?

What homeschool looks like in this moment might be less formal than what it normally is, but I would be mighty surprised if you and your children are truly doing nothing.

You’re allowed to take a break. I promise.

When is the last time you took a break?

Regroup, catch up on sleep, read, and get back into a good mental space.

Many times when I feel overwhelmed a simple day off, hanging out in pajamas and reading a stack of books (that have nothing to do with our lessons or being a homeschool parent) helps refresh me.

Usually, it doesn’t take as much as I fear it will to bring things back from the edge, I’m just too tired / stressed / overdue for a ME day to think clearly about our situation.

There have been other times I’ve needed a longer break, and my kids have, too. Take the time you need.

Homeschooling is wonderful, but it can sometimes feel like it’s all we live, eat, sleep, and breathe, you know? Not every day, book, vacation, or activity needs to be for our children’s educational benefit.

Take a break. It’s all part of the rhythm of life.

Back to basics

Is something going on that is affecting your school days? Is this permanent or short term? If it is short term, how can you modify your lessons to accommodate this time?

When I am overwhelmed, our homeschool gets scaled back. There’s no shame in scaling back. I like to think of it as “specializing.” 

Trim your homeschool work down to what YOU feel are the essentials and then let that be your focus until life gets less crazy.

Try a theme week (or month)

Maybe what you and your kids need is to shake up the routine? Set everything else aside and focus on one unit study or project.

Hearth Magic has some wonderful family literature studies. We’re current enjoying Build Your Library’s Harry Potter unit studies. 

The archives of Simple Homeschool have many ideas, too, including the Read the World Summer book club and Jamie’s awesome Little House Virtual Field Trip.

My advice: If you’re burned out, this is not the time to be writing your own unit study. Let someone else handle it this time around, okay? I know you’re brilliant and could ace the planning, but we’re trying to give you a break, not add to your workload.

Some other ideas:

• Have a math week
• Do a weather study
• Try Cooking School (afflink)

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!

How to simplify your homeschool binder ~
Written by Kara Fleck

Clucky, worn out, coming apart at the seams. I use my homeschool binder almost every day and it is in sad shape. It is heavy and crammed full, to the point where using it can be perilous thanks to a bent prong. I live in fear of it popping open and raining out papers all over.

It is a three inch binder with papers in the pockets, loose in different sections. Thanks to that bent prong I mentioned earlier, I cannot turn pages smoothly.

This isn’t working! Time for a homeschool binder makeover!

What to take out

I had articles and even ebooks that I had printed out because they were helpful. But do I really need them in my homeschool binder?

Would a digital system, like pinning the link to the article on a Pinterest board or a tear sheet filing system for hard copies be a better solution?

They don’t need to live in my binder.

What does need to be included in my binder are the papers that we use on a daily or weekly basis.

Everything else needs a different home.

More things I took out of my binder:

• old curriculum schedules
• articles I don’t refer to often
• my kindergartener’s preK assessments (these can be filed away)
• a morning routine we don’t follow anymore
• monthly divider tabs for months that have passed (filed away until next school year)
• a schedule for an extracurricular activity we no longer participate in
• reader guide, curriculum for a book we finished last year
• Books to Buy list, this needs to live in my purse so I have it with me when I’m shopping
• several pages of the kids’ drawings and artwork (cute, but there is a better place for these)

 What to leave in

I tried to leave in the binder only the things that we truly use and need to have access to on a regular basis.

I’m thinking “simple,” “useful” and “essential” as I make decisions about what to keep.

What I left in my binder:

• our state’s homeschool requirements, our homeschool I.D. number
• our attendance record (mine came from Mama’s Learning Corner)
• current booklists for each kid
• the Tell Me About Your Book activity list (I cut and pasted and printed this from Elizabeth Foss’s Real Learning years ago)
• The Charlotte Mason List of Attainments (printed from Ambleside Online)
• current week by week schedules for each kid (printed from our curriculum)
• the Harry Potter discussion guide we are using right now
• each child’s transcripts
• extra blank lab reports
• extra five paragraph essay writing templates

What to add

Now that I’ve slimmed down and streamlined, I didn’t want to add a lot to my binder. However, a few things that I feel will be truly useful have been added.

What I added to my homeschool binder:

• some blank notebook pages to use as I’m planning for next year
• I’d like to come up with a homeschool mission statement

By the time all was said and done, I was actually able to downsize into a smaller binder that I think will be more manageable. Here’s to less frustration when dealing with homeschool paperwork!

Do you keep a homeschool binder? What do you have in it? Is it time to give your binder a makeover and simplify your system? I’d love to hear how you keep the papers you need on a daily basis organized in your homeschool!

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!

Written by Kara Fleck

Good morning, Simple Homeschool readers! I’m taking you along on a typical day in our homeschool. Are you ready?

This is the fourth time I’ve shared our day in the life here. It is always interesting to me to see what has changed and what has stayed the same. Writing these posts is kind of a digital time capsule and it’s fun to look back.

My kids range in age from six to sixteen. It’s an interesting time at the Fleck household as we combine kindergarten through highschool.

Morning

Our mornings are one of the times where things have changed for us over the years. What has stayed the same is that I try to get up at least two to three hours ahead of the kids.

However, after getting up at five o’clock for years, I now let myself sleep in until around seven. I still have plenty of time alone thanks to my late-sleeping older kids. Ah, the joys of teens and pre-teens!

Another thing that has changed, for a variety of reasons, is that we just haven’t been able to make a morning circle time work this year. Instead we eat breakfast together (for some of us it is a second breakfast) and watch CNN10 or listen to a podcast.

I might read a story as I sip my coffee, but really, our morning time isn’t any more formal than this. We’re all happy with it and it’s a good gentle transition into the schoolwork, so I’m content to keep mornings simple.

For Christmas my parents gave us Colorku, which is like Sudoku but with colors. (I’ve got an instagram of it so you can see what I mean). I’ve taken to setting this up and then we work on solving it during the day. It’s a good activity all of the kids can do and it helps fill time if anyone has to wait for me in between lessons or questions.

We use composition notebooks as assignment books. We review the day’s work before they get started. Most of our work is done at the kitchen table, but we migrate to different rooms in the house, too.

The school day

We’re using Building Your Library and Khan Academy currently (I talk more about this in a recent YouTube video, if you’re interested). My kids are in kindergarten, third, fifth, and tenth grade.

If I’m being honest, this year has challenges. The younger kids still need quite a bit of one-on-one time with me and trying to figure out how to balance everything doesn’t come easily.

There are things we are currently sharing: computers, Kindles, art supplies, and books – particularly reference books. If we have a hiccup in our day, this is often what it is.

Peace not perfection, right? We do the best we can. It works out.

Lunchtime is an anchor point in our day. This is when my 6-year-old is finishing up her assignments and my third grader doesn’t have much left to do, usually just her chapter book reading.

I like how the tempo of the day shifts after lunch. It’s calmer. The older two kids focus on their work. The younger two finish up their chores and then head off to play, either outdoors or upstairs.

After school

As the kids finish up their formal work, they turn their assignment books back in to me. Together, we make sure all the boxes get checked off.

My tenth grader generally has another two to three hours of work after the other three are finished, depending on the day. I like the two of us hanging out around the kitchen table, or in the living room if she’s watching a documentary.

I write out the assignments for the next day in each kids’ notebook, check any work I haven’t already seen, and then file papers away in color-coded file folders. Trust me, it sounds much more complex than it really is.

Evening

Four nights a week we have martial arts practice. Some nights it is a family class and sometimes individual lessons. I like using this time to knit and watch the kids. They like having someone besides mom as teacher for a little while.

Once we’re back home and the backpacks are emptied, it will be time for pajamas and brushing teeth. Then we start the whole thing again tomorrow.

No two days are exactly alike. But we do have a rhythm and routine that is a comfortable fit for us.

I share day in the life blogs on my YouTube channel as well, if you’d ever like to see what the Fleck Academy looks like in action. Thanks for coming along!

What are your homeschool challenges currently? What’s working well?

Kara’s previous day in the life posts:

• 2017: Kara’s homeschool day in the life (with a 5-, 8-, and 10- and 15-year-old)
• 2016: Kara’s homeschool day in the life (with a 4-, 7-, 9- & 14-year-old )
• 2013: Kara’s day in the life (with an 18 month, 4, 6, and 11 year old