So you want me to tell you about the best curriculum to use for your 1st, 7th, pre-K or 82nd grader?  Uh-uh! Oh no, sister!  You’re going to have to figure all that out on your own!  Set me up for that kind of …. mutter, scoff, mumble… vicious attack and ridicule…mutter, mumble…pencils and protractors hurled at my math preferences…..mumble, snort….too much money, phew….not enough creative control….blah, blah….creation vs.uncle and aunt ape…..Lord, no! I’d rather discuss how to build walls and burn bridges with Trump or how to avoid pesky government spam with Hillary!

There are brave and possibly bored insomniac label-loving, categorizing bloggers who will break things down for you as best as they can into religious, secular, teaching styles, desired time schedules, classical, eclectic, year-round, self propelling, hands-on, hands-off, requires both hands and a whip, etc. Which is great and very helpful.  So, get reading.  There are a bajillion descriptions and reviews of curriculum on the web. Do your own homework! I spent months of late nights, early mornings, and caffeine highs reading and comparing, and I’ll not cheat you out of such fun.

And I’ll not have you being lazy and taking my word for it, then end up being less than satisfied, and thus return to burn me at the stake for wasting your time and money because you read about something awesome when you finally decided to crack a homeschool forum. See, I’ve read all that already and I chose what I chose because I liked it best for my kids. Jokes on you, my friend.

Maybe we should just go back to the dawn of our rebellion against the institution and instead of calling it “Homeschooling” we should just rename it “Do Your Thang,” that way we declare our freedom and still sound kind of chill. Because, lets be honest, we’re not exactly a united bunch marching to the same goal.

Aaaah! Put your finger down, and don’t interrupt. Yes, I know we’re all working towards happy, well adjusted, successful, smart graduates.  But I guarantee my idea of smart and well adjusted is different than many homeschool moms out there.  Let’s not argue the details.  That’s the point.  You march East and I’ll march West.  And I can’t tell you how to march East if I don’t like the sun in my eyes in the morning when I’m drinking my coffee.

First and foremost, you’ve got to figure which direction you’re going to march. You might find a few heading that direction too. But beware creating a band, cause as soon as you bond over a good writing curriculum, they’ll break formation and veer South.  You don’t have to feel abandoned.  Remember, “Do Your Thang.”  March in a zigzag if it’s your “Thang.”

It also seems that everyone in the world is looking to either fight or be a victim of something these days. And this has spilled over into the homeschooling world as well. When you start reading those reviews I’ve assigned for your homework, just you wait!  Every other review will contradict the one before.

Saxon math will bore your children to tears.

Saxon math is the best because is spirals and concepts are not forgotten.

Saxon math is not fair to visual learners because the print is so dull.

Saxon math is to blame for childs stammer and lack of confidence in his marriage.

You get the idea.

You have an opinion and a thousand people are lined up to tell you why you’re wrong. Newsflash, opinions can’t be wrong.  Don’t get your paperclips in a knot!  Just point your direction and “Do Your Thang.”

I’ve told some close homeschool friends what we use for curriculum when they were desperate for help getting started. But, I always throw a disclaimer in the book bag:

This curriculum is what works for us today. I reserve the right to disagree with myself tomorrow and deny anything I claim to be true today as pertains to the usage of the aforementioned curriculum with or without a warning or a book burning.

Oh, and Saxon math rocks!

Top 25 Homeschool Memes Hifalutin Homeschool Truth, Humor, and Inspiration

Top 25 homeschool memes! The best hifalutin sarcasm and laughs! Rebuttals for naysayers, inspiration for the unsure, and memes of motivation to share!

Homeschool Moms: the Fat Girls At Prom

Those who could homeschool but have no desire, are now insecure with you in the room. They don’t want to sound rude or judgmental so, by some kind of weird defense mechanism, they insult themselves as if you are there to recruit cult members or extra wives to haul away in your homemade cart and buggy out back?!

If I Had Been Homeschooled… What Parents Are Saying That Homeschooled Kids Miss Out On

Besides the obvious, leaving home 5 days a week for 8-10 hours/day and rectangular slices of cardboard pizza, I wanted to really list what would have been missed if I had not gone to a conventional school.  If I am going to commit to homeschooling until college-do-us-part, I owe it to my boys to fully understand what I’m asking them to give up.
And the #1 thing readers said they would have missed was…

Decision to Homeschool Reckless or the Final Straw?

Did you make a reckless decision to homeschool? What seems reckless is often just the last straw on a pile of worry, grievance, and outrage. A final shove to get parents over the cliff of indecision.

The Day I Wanted to Quit Homeschooling

” …And then I do the lowest thing we homeschool moms know to do when backed into a corner feeling all hope is lost…I tell them I am taking them back to public school in the fall.”

Waffle Irons, And Other things I Don’t Want for Mother’s Day

Once upon a long time ago, I was maybe 5 years old, and I talked my dad into buying my mom a waffle iron for Mother's Day. I remember this because, one: I love waffles. And two: because my mother brings it up every chance she gets. That year she was, no doubt, hoping...

Dear 12 Year Old Girls, My Son Feels as Awkward as You About Your New Body

Do the guys a favor and don’t point out the obvious. They are completely aware you are towering over them. They see the adult world and know that they are supposed to be bigger and stronger. The knife is already in their side, you don’t have to twist it. …they are literally eye level with your training bras. How mortifying! But for who really?

More Tea, Sir? A Valentine’s Tea Party for Dudes

Of course girls love tea parties!  But have you ever been to the boys’ table? Some of the many benefits of inviting the man cubs to the lace covered table go largely unnoticed, and are as follows…

The Ten Commandments of a Homeschool Mom

“…choosing to ignore or break any of the following commandments could result in a 15lb weight gain, wrinkles, torn cuticles, a twitching eye, split ends, a missing husband, hemorrhoids, chin hairs, or worse…all loss of confidence and a return to the carpool line from whence you fled.”

He Said. She Said. A Homeschool Marriage.

This is your marriage on homeschooling. It is an ever changing rollercoaster of ups, downs, sacrifices, strains and reasons to light each other on fire. Tell it to the judge!
He said: Let the record show that I was just resting my eyes during her reading of Shakespeare.
She said: Your Honor, I swear I did not wear these pajamas all day!

Please share!
Show Buttons
Hide Buttons