If there is one thing I have learned about homeschooling, it is this:
Your homeschool is YOUR homeschool.
The beast of comparison will try to attack. An overabundance of ideas will overwhelm you. You may set unrealistic expectations of yourself and your children. But…
As Elsa says, “Let it go! Let it go!!”
Your homeschool is YOUR homeschool!
No two homeschools are going to look alike! Slay the beast of comparison and do what you feel is best for your children. Guard yourself from the overabundance of ideas. Ideas are good, but to much of it can overwhelm us. Allow God to guide you in creating the homeschooling atmosphere that is going to provide the best learning opportunities for your children. He can and will work though you!
Never in my life had I ever imagined myself as a homeschooling momma. Now, I can absolutely see it no other way! There is definitely a learning curve. Learning how to do time management, how to understand my child’s learning style, how to set boundaries for myself and my children, how to set long and short term goals…
Most importantly, I have learned to walk into each school day confidently and be willing to show myself and my children grace.
Over the past few months, I have become friends with author Alicia Michelle. She is a blogger, author and homeschooling momma. And let me tell you my friends, I have learned so much from her!!! I took her online course “Bloom” over the summer and it changed my world. As a new homeschooling mom, I really have no idea what I am doing. It’s like when you come home from the hospital with a new infant for the first time. You don’t know what you are doing. It’s your first baby, but somehow you get it figured out and that baby grows and thrives! You talk to girlfriends, other moms, your own mom, you get advice and then you choose what is best for your child. This homeschooling thing is just like that! I seek advice from other homeschooling moms, and I read blogs and books to help encourage and guide me, but ultimately I use these things to help me make the best choice for my children.
Recently, I was given the chance to read Alicia Michelle’s new book :
Back to School Survival Manual: A Girlfriend’s Guide to an Organized and Successful Homeschool Year
Everyone Needs Survival Gear. Especially Homeschool Moms. No matter if it’s your first or your fourteenth year as a homeschooler, preparing for a new school year can be daunting and overwhelming. What do you do first? Where do you start? That’s why the Back to School Survival Manual: A Girlfriend’s Guide to an Organized and Successful Homeschool Year is such an amazing resource.
It is chock full of expert advice from Alicia, a ten-year homeschool veteran. This book is like chatting with a girlfriend about how to:
- build self-confidence in your homeschool’s purpose and vision
- conquer the beast of comparison
- determine what supplies you have (and what you really need)
- learn practical tips for managing daily homeschool chaos and clutter
- learn how to be an organized homeschool mom
- discover how to create a realistic learning rhythm
- get powerful tips for daily homeschool success
- set goals while offering yourself and your children grace
The book also contains 30 pages of reproducible 8.5 x 11 inch checklists, charts and planning activities to use year after year!.
Each chapter also has:
- Points to ponder to help you get the most from each chapter
- Additional info on that chapter’s topic (links to various blogposts)
- Helpful resources such as printables for that chapter’s topic
What I loved most about this book is that while Alicia offers practical advice, she also offers encouragement on how to deal with our homeschooling fears, and she encourages us to allow God to speak hope into our hearts as we educate our children. She keeps it real and lays it out there: you won’t have it all figured out. Children will have meltdowns. Adjustments will have to be made from time to time. But you will learn, sweet momma. And God will hold you and your children in His hands the whole time.
You will learn as you go, and God will guide you on this journey. Just like He does as we raise that newborn infant that quickly becomes a child and then quickly becomes a teen and then is off to college! Time goes way to fast, right!?!?
This book contains beautiful words that I think new homeschooling moms and veteran homeschooling moms alike need to hear.
Want a better idea of what you will learn in this book? Take a look at the Table of Contents! Better yet, here is a sample chapter!
The book is available on Amazon and in the Vibrant Homeschooling Shop.
Grab a Discounted Book Copy with a Back to School Bundle!
You can also purchase the Back to School Survival Manual as part of several NEW Vibrant Homeschooling bundles, available exclusively at the Vibrant Homeschooling shop!
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