I have been homeschooling for 10 years now, and I’ve never really questioned our decision to homeschool. I have always enjoyed teaching my kids and being there for the “lightbulb” moments on […]
Finding Encouragement & Fellowship at Homeschool Moms Winter Summit
I’ll be completely honest: This past year has been a season of real brokenness for me, and I have mostly been in hiding. But when a friend asked me to attend the Oklahoma Homeschool Moms’ Winter […]
Mother & Teacher: How Do You Wear Both Hats?
When I first started homeschooling my two middle-school-aged daughters more than 10 years ago, I remember really struggling with the mother vs. teacher dynamic right off the bat. I thought that homeschooling […]
Tools to Help You Bloom as a Homeschool Mama
Although I’m a NextGen homeschooler and had a positive personal experience with homeschooling, I struggled with many of the same doubts and fears — the “big fat lies” — that […]
Find Freedom From Your Homeschooling Fears
Fear often holds us back in our homeschooling journey and robs us of the joy God has in store for us as we teach our children and create deeper relationships with […]
Learning Continues Despite Life’s Distractions
Even after 10 years of homeschooling, my biggest challenge is still consistency. Because of our lifestyle — owning two busy donut shops — my plans are interrupted on an almost daily […]
Spring Dilemma: Must We Finish Curriculum?
With the joy and sunshine of spring comes this very familiar reader question each year: “I feel like the end of this school year is coming much faster that I want […]
Finding Relief for Homeschool Burnout
There are many reasons why homeschooling parents can experience burnout during the school year. It could be seasonal (a long winter), topical (curriculum feels stale), or more personal (family crisis, […]
Ten Things to Let Go of This Year: Not Qualified
One of the top reasons for not homeschooling that I hear from parents is that they don’t feel qualified to teach their children. They believe that if they don’t know Chemistry or Calculus, or whatever […]
Ten Things to Let Go of This Year: Sensitivity
When I first started homeschooling more than 10 years ago, I felt a lot of pressure and judgment — not only from outsiders, but also family members and even my own children. […]
Ten Things to Let Go of This Year: The Schedule
I am one of those list-making/calendar-posting/digital-app-updating Type A mamas who thought I would have no trouble keeping it all together once we started homeschooling. After all, I’m a former editorial manager who steered multiple magazine sections like a […]
Ten Things to Let Go of This Year: Perfect House
If you are expecting to have the same clean, picture-perfect house you had (or imagined you would have) when your kids left the house for six hours a day to […]
Ten Things to Let Go of This Year: Scope & Sequence
I have written before about my love for lists and all things organizational, and with that came a love of scope and sequences. I love being able to check off a […]
Ten Things to Let Go of This Year: “School”
You might already be asking yourself: What do you mean let go of school? Isn’t homeschooling all about school at home? Yes and no — and the longer I homeschool, the more I […]
Ten Things to Let Go of This Year: Writing Plans in Pen
I am a planner. I love homeschool planners, lists, outlines, organizing things, file folders, three ring binders — the whole nine yards. I would much rather shop at an office supply store than any […]
Ten Things to Let Go of This Year: Comparison
I love going to homeschool conventions. I have written about them here several times. In fact, this year I am helping to plan the OCHEC Tulsa Convention. Last year, though, […]
Top Homeschool Posts of 2014: The Heart of Homeschooling
Welcome to NextGen Homeschool’s Top Homeschool Posts of 2014 Series! This week we’ll be sharing the top homeschooling topics — and most viewed posts — of last year based on the […]
Thankful to Homeschool When Life Happens
I’m going to be honest here: This year has been particularly hard. Life has gotten pretty crazy with major changes for our business, home and family, including the building and […]
Five Reasons I’m Thankful for Homeschooling
As a NextGen Homeschooler, I am thankful for my own homeschooling experience as well as the opportunity to homeschool my own daughters now. Homeschooling has come a long way since the mid-80s […]
31 Days of Homeschool How-To: Avoid Burnout
Welcome to our October “31 Days” series at NextGen Homeschool: 31 Days of Homeschool How-To Tips! As NextGen Homeschoolers, we remember what it was like to be homeschooled ourselves, and our experiences […]
31 Days of Homeschool How-To: Find Support
Welcome to our October “31 Days” series at NextGen Homeschool: 31 Days of Homeschool How-To Tips! As NextGen Homeschoolers, we remember what it was like to be homeschooled ourselves, and our experiences […]
Whole-Hearted Homeschooling: It’s Not What You Do, But Why
Last night I had the pleasure of meeting 20-year homeschooling veteran Lori Lane, founder of Artios Academies and The End in Mind, a Christian homeschooling encouragement blog. As the guest […]
Looking Ahead to Teach Them Diligently D.C.
This year our family is planning to attend the Teach Them Diligently Convention in Washington D.C., taking place May 15-17. As residents of Oklahoma, this is a huge thing for […]
Top Homeschooling Posts of 2013: Homeschool Encouragement
Welcome to NextGen Homeschool’s Top Homeschooling Posts of 2013 Series! This week we’ll be sharing the top homeschooling topics — and most viewed posts — of last year based on […]
Harried Homeschool Mom? When to Get Help
I am a strong believer in the idea that life happens in seasons. And I freely admit that this past season has been a hectic, stressful, and busy one for […]
An Open Letter to the Doubting Mama
Unlike most homeschooling mamas today, I had opinions — and concerns — about homeschooling years before I became a mother. I was homeschooled in high school, so the idea of […]
Receive 31 Days of Encouragement for Homeschool Moms FREE!
Are you a homeschool mom in need of a little encouragement on your journey? Or do you know someone who is? Then “31 Days of Encouragement for the Homeschool Mom” […]
Homeschooling High School: You Can Do It!
Many parents are worried about homeschooling high school. There are more records to keep, credits to prepare for and keep track of, the ACT/SAT tests to study for and take, […]
Five Places to Find Homeschool Encouragement
This week we are participating in Teach Them Diligently’s homeschool blog link-up, “How to Stay Encouraged While Homeschooling.” Finding support and encouragement for your homeschooling journey is vital. No matter […]
Homeschool Conventions Part 2: Tulsa Speakers
Welcome to NextGen Homeschool’s Homeschool Conventions 2013 Series! This year the authors of NextGen Homeschool are covering several conferences all across the country, and we’ll be posting on the experience, […]