While Thanksgiving is a national holiday as well as a historical event that we commemorate, I like to personally take time out to ponder those things in which I am thankful. How can I be thankful each and every day? How can I cultivate an atmosphere of thankfulness in my home? As I am working on this in my own life I hope you will join me.

Here are some ways you can model and teach thankfulness to your child.  Put out a plate of cookies and make some hot chocolate to prove a cozy atmosphere to think, write, create, and share. Grab some lined and plain paper, writing utensils, markers, and crayons. Here we go!

Make a list of the people and things that you are thankful for. Share with each other. Did anyone else have the same ideas as you?

Write a note. Choose one person from the list to make them a card and tell them why you are thankful for them. Mail it! There is nothing like getting a personal note in the mail.:)

Create an acrostic poem out of the word Thanks or Thanksgiving. If you have a young write, partner write. Have your daughter/ son decorate it. Hang up your poems in a place to read often.

Make a thankful jar. Use a decorative jar or have your son or daughter decorate a jar and add slips of paper of what you are thankful for. Pull out a slip each day at breakfast (or dinner time) and talk about what was written.

I’d like to take a moment to tell you that I am so thankful for you! Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to read my blog and a huge thank you to teaching your family. Many thanks to those of you who sent me notes of encouragement with my husband’s recent triple bypass surgery and recovery. It meant so much to me and helped when I was feeling discouraged.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Enjoy the holiday in making great memories with your family and friends.

~ Lisa ~

Homeschooling can lend itself to becoming isolated. I remember once when the boys were young I was desperate for another adult voice. Anyone. Would. Do. I have never been a fan of recorded messages, but I remember vividly the one that began, “Hello! This is Bob from Hollywood!” I was so happy to hear his voice, even though it was a recording and he really didn’t call me to chat. I realized then that I needed to find other women who had chosen to homeschool. I don’t think I would have done very well had I not found others in whom I could confide and be encouraged.

I consider homeschooling to be a profession, a calling, and a lifestyle and not always an easy thing to do. As we embark on this school year I am encouraging you to find others who you can talk with, who you can share about your struggles and your victories. You need a cheerleader who can rejoice with you as you tell them about listening to your son read a book on their own, watching your daughter divide 3,978 by 32, or helping your son write a story.

Maybe you are thinking, “That’s all good for you to say, Lisa, but how do I do that?” I am glad you asked! I do not have an exhaustive list, but I pray that these ideas can happen for you or give you ideas to help.

Invite a family over for a play date.  You don’t want to mess up the house or them to see your mess? That was my case, the house was a mess and I just wanted to get out for a while.  You could meet at a park for PE, share a picnic lunch, give the children a chance to meet others, and burn off some steam.

Join a homeschool support group. There are Facebook groups of homeschoolers and you could see if there is a group that meets in your area. If there is not, would you be willing to create a group? You can meet at a park, library, or a coffee shop. I was thrust into being the leader of a group, but I loved it and that group was a lynchpin for me throughout my years of homeschooling.

Listen to podcasts about homeschooling. Here is one that has all sorts of topics; I am sure you will find something to encourage you. This can help you not feel so isolated.  Homeschool Snapshots 

Call a friend or family member who is homeschool friendly and ask them if you can get together regularly. They don’t have to be homeschooling themselves, but that would be a bonus!

Talk to your husband. If you are married and your husband is supportive of you homeschooling, talk to him. I would start off with the good things that happened today and then discuss any difficulties you are having. There were many days where all I could think of that was positive is we went to school. 🙂  I did find it very helpful to just have a listening ear. Dale couldn’t solve the problems, but he could give me his time, which I really appreciated. I also realized that if he somewhat “knew”  what was happening he felt more involved in our school.

Find a mentor. I can’t thank the ladies who helped me enough when I homeschooled. I was scared I was going to mess up my children, forget to teach them something vital (like their name), or wonder why I was doing this. The women who had been homeschooling longer than me were a Godsend to encourage and help me. If you don’t have anyone local, you can still meet online and share concerns over a cup of coffee or a soda.

Have a great week! Find some people to encourage and support you and be a blessing to them too!

By the way, The picture at the beginning of my post made me laugh and I hope it brings a smile to your face.

– Lisa- 

By this time of year, most of you have finished your school and are enjoying the break that summer affords us. You have my hearty congratulations on completing your school year. Let me celebrate with you on the great accomplishment you have achieved. Your children may (or may not) thank you for all you have done this past year, but your efforts have not gone unnoticed. I see the hard work you have put into your school year and the love you show to your child by teaching them every day. For you who do not know me and wonder how I can say this is because I have the honor and privilege to do written assessments each year and see first hand the dedication you as homeschool teachers have to your family’s education.

I wanted to thank you for the time you spent:

• looking over and deciding what curriculum to use
• planning  for school
• teaching your child
• loving and supporting your student
• teaching when you didn’t feel good, times were tough, attitudes were less than ideal
• being diligent
• instructing and guiding
• grading papers
• running to extracurricular activities
• cooking meals after a long day of teaching
• cleaning your house before, during, and after school hours
• loving your family
• being a great teacher!

If you have not yet done so, take some time to pamper yourself and relax. Take some time for you. It will do you a world of good and most of all, you deserve it!

Have a great week! ~Lisa~ 

May has snuck up on me and the academic year is quickly coming to an end. I am feeling a bit rushed and overwhelmed as I try to wrap up everything for school. I have a feeling I am not the only that is feeling like this. I wanted to encourage you today to hang in there. Finish strong and keep on the course you have made. You will feel good knowing you accomplished the goals you set.  Here are a few ideas to help.

Take one day at a time. You still time to finish school so don’t panic if you feel that you aren’t where you want to be.  what is it that you can do today? What things do you want your children to learn t-o-d-a-y?

Set manageable goals. What 3 things do you want your children to do in terms of learning? Think of it like this… Today we are going to 1) review the 3’s multiplication tables; 2) read a story and concentrate upon accuracy;  3) observe the clouds and write a poem about them.

Stick with it. I don’t know about you, but Spring Fever is a real thing in my life. I am antsy to get outside and do anything but school. I am sure your kids are right there with me! lol So, I try to think of the day and break it up into smaller segments.  Write lesson plans and then take a 10-minute outdoor break. Grade papers for an hour and then take a 5-minute break to get some fresh air, etc. I find that if I set smaller tasks in front of me with some reward of being outside for a bit of fresh air on these beautiful days I have a better outlook on things.

Take advantage of the weather. No matter where you live, we have great days to be outdoors. Why not do a nature study on plants and animals? Grab your phone, take pictures of cool things you find. You can show the pictures when you return and have your children write a story about what you saw and did.  Let the kids draw animals or plants they see and do some research on them for another day of school.

Soon it will be summer, so hang in there! Have a great week! ~Lisa~