I have been wanting you to meet my blogging friend Cristina for ever so long. Cristina blogs over at Homeschool Blogger. She is just one of the many flavors of homeschool moms out there. She is fun for many reasons, but two of them are she knows how to juggle and she writes the most adorable comics!  I just had to show you one of her strips.   I will be sharing one with you every Friday.  Please send me any cute homeschooling comics that you run on to for my collection! Also, send me a bio and web address or picture of a homeschooling mom that you know who we should know too!  Well, here’s your treat for today.  I pray that you will have a wonderful weekend.

Hello lovely homeschooling moms!  I bet you guys think I’m about the flakiest mom around.  I mean who else starts up this big blog and gets everybody all excited and then never posts anything.  Well, I have done plenty of things like that, but I have been experiencing all kinds of online weirdness, and for a long time my blog would not let me log in!  I kid you not. I even received an email from Wordpress saying that this was a known glich. (Which was really helpful to know.)

Yesterday I was really praying about this. I was ready to tell Heather to just totally start over here and get a new one up so that I could post. I had just started my email to her, and then I thought, “I haven’t tried to log in in quite a while. Let me try one last time before we get drastic.”  I went to the log in page and I logged right in.  So… hello again everybody!

I’ve been building up a bunch of ideas and info for you during my “lockout”, so I hope to be a blessing to you again.

Recently I was a guest at Cindy Rushton’s Ultimate Homeschooling Expo. One thing I mentioned was, homeschooling is not a magic bullet. By that I mean that the fact that we homeschooled does not guarantee that our kids will turn out right. We must be careful to teach our kids good character. Looking back, I believe that the most important subjects in homeschooling are Bible and Character Building.

I have been observing the homeschool graduates that were in the same graduating classes as my boys. Some of them are doing great. Some of them have made some pretty serious mistakes already. When I heard about the problems, my first thought was, how could that have happened? He/she was homeschooled! Homeschooling by itself usually provides many advantages. But it is not a guarantee of success in life. We must be on our knees, praying for our kids and daily teaching them God’s word in a spirit of humility.

One thing I have become interested in since my boys have graduated homeschool is prison ministry. Guess what they are teaching the inmates?(or offenders, as they are referred to now.) Character education! So far I have found two big programs that are teaching this inside Oklahoma prisons. The offenders in prison are also usually deficient in other skills, like reading, but the foundation of a good life is character. There are plenty of offenders who have college degrees that never learned to be good people.

As Christians, we know that before a person can be “good”, he or she must let Christ change the heart. Then he or she can begin to grow in Christ. As we study the Bible, we learn God’s principles for a happy life. We learn verses like, “Love one another, be kind to one another, tenderhearted and forgiving.” We learn to put away anger, wrath, malice, and envy. We learn that we should not kill, steal, or commit adultery. I wonder how many offenders would not have committed their crimes if they had learned to “Be angry, but do not sin.”

As I learn more about crime, prisons and offenders, I just want to encourage you dear ones. Keep homeschooling. Keep loving your kids. Keep teaching them God’s word. It is the most important subject!

 During my sixteen-plus years of homeschooling, I taught the Bible to my boys in various ways. When they were really young we read Bible story picture books along with the Bible. We memorized Bible verse songs and made charts of verses learned. Somewhere along the way we started reading straight through the Bible. In high school we used a college credit Bible video series, among other things. While there is value in all of the above methods, I came across a Bible study idea recently that I wish I had known about when my boys were younger. And to think it was sitting on my shelf all the time! The method I’m talking about is a three-pronged approach to Bible study given to me by Great-Granddaddy Godsoe.

To Finish reading this article, click here:   Easy Bible Teaching For Homeschools

Q. What about highschool?
A. Highschool is a great time to homeschool! Highschool students can finish their studies in the morning and work or do community service in the afternoon. They have time to pursue special interests that are not available to public school kids. Another popular option for highschool homeschoolers is getting a head start on college by taking evening or correspondence courses.

Q. What about all of the fun they will miss during their Senior year?
A. Most support groups have Senior class activities and socials during the year. They have a graduation exercise and Baccalaureate Service, and a banquet to replace the prom. Interested Senior homeschoolers get to have a larger part of planning their activities, they can even design their own rings!

Q. Will they be able to get into college?
A. Colleges are soliciting homeschool graduates nowadays, and many are receiving full scholarships. Over one hundred-fifty American universities, including Harvard and Yale, have accepted homeschooled students.Homeschool graduates are proving to be not only academically superior, but also more independent thinkers and self motivated learners.

Q. Can you teach upper level math and science? (This question is a favorite of family members who remember your report cards!)
A. Actually, I’m looking forward to learning with the kids things I missed in government school. For now, there is no problem because I did learn how to multiply and divide. If there is something I don’t know, I just look in my teacher’s manual. Science labs are available through support groups, or they can be arranged by networking with other families and enlisting a tutor. Homeschooling is growing so fast that resources are springing up everywhere to service us.

Q. Are you planning to homeschool all the way through?

A. (Even if you think you are, don’t commit yourself. Why box yourself in?) We feel like we would like to, but we take it one year at a time.

More sound-bytes next time.

One of the most important parts of presenting yourself to the inquiring public as a homeschooler is to not try to convert others with evangelical zeal. My experience has been that keeping responses to questions short and sweet is usually the best way. If someone is truly interested in homeschooling, you could suggest getting together sometime when you both have time to talk. For the next few sessions I will be sharing some of my homeschool sound bytes that I developed for the “Inquiring Minds” in my circle.

READY RESPONSES FOR INQUIRING MINDS
Q. I could never do that!
A. It’s not for everybody.

This response immediately lowers defenses and catches the other person off guard. Your inquirer was expecting you to say, “Oh, yes you could, blah blah blah” She had already thought up a bunch of reasons to tell you as to why she couldn’t. So you just saved her a bunch of time, and presented yourself as a confident and together person who realizes that homeschooling really isn’t for everybody. If you don’t have the love, dedication, and true grit to be a homeschooling mom, then it’s really not for you. (But you don’t want to come out and say that now do you? Answer: No.)

Q. Is it legal?
A. (Research the laws in your state to be prepared for this one.) Homeschooling is legal in all fifty states, although the requirements differ.

Q. How do you stand to be around your kids that much?
A. If you are in charge of your children’s discipline, they are usually much nicer to be around. That’s not to say that we don’t have our moments, but that’s one reason we chose homeschooling. It gives us the chance to teach our values all day long.

Q. Are you qualified to teach?
A. The main qualification for a good teacher is a genuine concern for the student. I have a dream job and small class size! Nobody cares for my students as much as me!

Q. How do you know what to teach? Aren’t you afraid you’re going to leave something out?
A. There are scopes and sequences that tell what should be learned in each grade. Packaged curricula and correspondence schools are available for those who don’t want to build an individualized course.) Teacher’s guides have directions and answers in them, so it’s not as difficult as you might imagine.

Next time more Sound bytes for Homeschooling Skeptics

Granny always said, “There’s no education like adversity!” While you may enjoy teaching your children at home, there is another part of homeschooling that you may not have bargained for, educating friends and family about homeschooling. Honest inquiries and downright debate can be quite upsetting when you are just beginning to homeschool.

When you first became interested in homeschooling, you probably read everything you could find on the subject. Perhaps you talked to veteran homeschoolers, subscribed to a magazine and joined a support group. During this process you found that homeschoolers are a diverse bunch of folks who are pretty much like everybody else. The one characteristic they share is a willingness to sacrifice for their children’s education.

Your friends and family, on the other hand, may have formed their opinions of homeschooling based on what little they have seen on television or read in the newspaper, or heard as gossip. They may have never met a “real live homeschooler” before, and may have a skewed picture of this person in mind. This leaves you in the unenviable position of enlightening without alienating. Our problem is complicated by the fact that many of us only see our extended families on holidays. Even if you are a great communicator, it is hard to give a presentation about home education between setting the table and carving the turkey!

What we need is a portfolio of homeschooling sound bytes combined with simple public relations. Preparing the sound byte portfolio amounts to memorizing and practicing short answers to common questions. This will help you say what you mean in a clear, friendly way. People are generally more receptive to a single idea or small nugget of truth rather than a long sermon.

When we care about something, sometimes intensity is wrongly interpreted as harshness. Granny always said, “We have a right to disagree, but we don’t have any right to be disagreeable.”

When the conversation rolls around to homeschooling, allow others to voice their concerns without interrupting or becoming upset. Smile, wait, and earn the right to be heard. Use a soft tone of voice. Solomon said, “Pleasant words promote instruction.” (Proverbs 16:21a NIV ) Sweetness of speech coupled with ready responses can open the door for you to teach your loved ones about homeschooling.

Next time I will share my “Homeschooling Soundbytes” with you. Until then,

Do not grow weary in well doing, for in due time we shall reap if we faint not. Galatians 6:9 (My life verse.)

A big part of the homeschooling lifestyle is learning how to survive on one income. This little recipe can be a fun part of that lesson. Not only is it delicious and cheap, but you can teach the kids to make it. So no more going to the store in the middle of your pancake batch to buy syrup. I make this right along with pancakes all the time!

Robin’s Homemade Syrup

3 cups granulated sugar

3 cups brown sugar

3 cups water

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. salt

½ cup real maple syrup*

4 tsp. butter flavoring (optional–I make mine without this all of the time, and everybody likes it.)

*Variation: Instead of the real maple syrup, you can use 2 tsp. maple extract.

Do you like to write about your homeschooling experiences? Do you have darling pictures or cute anecdotes about your school life? Please share them with us at Help For Homeschool Moms!

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We are trying to build a strong group of experienced homeschool moms who like to write to encourage the mothers who come to Help For Homeschool Moms. The more experience we can share, the more help we can be. If you know a homeschooling mom that likes to write, please share this with her. You can use the tell a friend box on the sidebar and add your own note.

We pay ten dollars by PayPal for accepted articles, (not reviews.) We buy First North American Rights. If you have reprints you would like to send, we will consider them for publication, but will not be able to pay for reprints. However, all articles will have a resource box at the bottom with a link to your website or blog. All reviews and articles will be edited for content, grammar and punctuation.

God bless you as you use your gifts to encourage other homeschooling moms!

I am sitting by myself in my study, typing away. One of my sons is in the kitchen clattering around, but aside from that I am all by myself. I did not call out any spelling words today, or check anybody’s work. I’m done. After homeschooling both of my boys k-12, I came in on home stretch. It took about 2 years for my brain to stop spinning! It’s a miracle. I can actually go out to lunch with somebody if I want to. (Funny, I usually don’t want to. I thought I would!)

Now that my head has stopped spinning, I have reflected on how much I learned while homeschooling, and how dear all of those days really were. As my “thank you” to God, I want to help and encourage homeschool moms who are still schooling. We have lots to talk about! Let’s see, there’s curriculum, discipline, housework, teaching methods, activities, college, skeptical family members, recipes, crafts, co-ops and so much more. So I hope you stop by often and visit.

There are so many miracles when I look back on my years as a homeschool mom. First, God led me to an obscure book in our church library about a lady who homeschooled her kids in airports and hotels because her husband had a traveling job. That was the initial spark for my homeschooling fire. Mind you, I started back in the old days when everybody thought we homeschoolers were REALLY weird, when NOBODY else hardly on the planet did something so strange! : ) Then He led me to two other women in my church who were homeschoolers. Then I found Mary Pride books. I was hooked after reading Mary. She even wrote me a precious personal response one time to a question I sent her. (This was before email, friends!)

When I look back over my sixteen years of homeschooling, I have no regrets. I did not do everything perfect. But I tried. I prayed. I started over and changed my mind and didn’t follow through on everything. But God blessed my effort. My boys both earned college scholarships, (in varying amounts) and my eldest has even graduated. Whew! When he graduated, I really wanted to wear a t-shirt to his graduation that said: “Told ya’ so! I told you I could do it! I told you it would work! I told ya’ I told ya’ I told ya’!” But that would have been totally rude and nobody would have even liked it, but that’s what I felt like doing.

So, now I want to encourage you. I have been where you are. I have gone into the bathroom and locked the door and prayed for strength in the middle of a school day. I have called spelling words from my bed. You can do this. Keep on. You will be glad one day.