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What to Do When Life Happens Between (Homeschooling) Plans
Last year was pretty much the worst year ever for my family. We lost my father-in-law in February, and my mother-in-law went into assisted living memory care. Then, my dad died quite unexpectedly in early September. My brother began a series of health emergencies, and I flew out to California to be there with him in October. Then, when he was starting to do okay, my mother-in-law suddenly took a turn and passed away Christmas morning. Despite all the grief and worrying, homeschooling still had to happen. Girl Scouts meetings still had to be planned, and parents still needed to parent some emotionally distraught kids while being emotionally distraught ourselves.…
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Bringing Back Just a Secular Homeschooler
It’s been a minute. In December 2021, I was overwhelmed with responsibilities and adjusting to what “normal” would look like after the pandemic’s acute phase. I had a new baby and ailing parents and in-laws. I decided to set this blog aside for a bit and focus on other things, with the idea that I would wrap the posts from this blog under Well-Caffeinated Mom. It didn’t help that a blog transfer went sideways, and I lost a large chunk of my posts. I was frustrated, burnt out, and plain tired. However, moving the blog never felt quite right to me. While I speak to a similar audience at Well-Caffeinated…
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Day Two: How I Started This Journey
In February 2007, I walked out of my oldest son’s school, and I wasn’t about to look back. I was a single parent, and a Ph.D. student, and since moving to Michigan, there was one hurdle after another with the school my then 8-year-old went to. The latest problem was that he was despondent each day when he’d get home because he was dealing with a pretty brutal bullying situation. When I pointed out that the school had a “no-bullying policy,” and was told that my son “makes himself a target.” They made the decision quite easy for me. It was a decision I didn’t really want to make. I’d…
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Release Blitz: We The Dreamers by Raynelda A. Calderon
Children’s fiction / Picture book Date Published: November 1, 2021 Publisher: Cayena Press, Inc. “We the Dreamers” describes the journey of immigrating to a new place through the eyes of a child. The narrative text is poetic and full of emotion. The illustrations, which seem to dance and sing, convey the story of crossing borders as a child. This children’s picture book, told alternatively in English and in Spanish, highlights all the emotions immigrants experience throughout their journey: the characters end up feeling mystified, bemused, or even bewildered upon entering the United States. Using colorful, imaginative illustrations and poetic narrative, “We the Dreamers” connects with its readers in an…
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Day One (Again) of My Daily Blog Challenge
Before my site went down, I’d completed a 31-day blog challenge in August. I’m, honestly, really bummed that I lost so much great content that was up here over the last year (and I’ll be putting back up what I can as I can), but I wanted to do the daily challenge again. So, over the course of the next thirty days, tune in as I cover a variety of topics – from homeschooling multiple kids to letting you get to know me a little better. What do you want me to talk about in the coming days?
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Bear With Me for a Minute
Bluehost failed to renew my site, and I’ve lost a year of posts. I’m trying to get all of this straightened out and I’m majorly bummed that this happened. There was a lot of good stuff I’d posted in the last year. I liked my site design. I’ve lost all of it, and as you can imagine, it’s not just an easy fix. I’m doing my best to get everything back and update the site again.
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Book Tour: Homeschooling and Working (Excerpt)
Today’s post is an excerpt from the book Homeschooling and Working by L.M. Preston. When you have a strong-willed child, there is no immediate solution for teaching them the valuable lessons of self-control, respect for authority, keeping destructive reactions in check, and just being obedient when the time dictates it. Your commitment to transform your strong-willed child into a strong man or woman is a journey that will teach you more about yourself than you thought possible. It will test your patience, your ability to hold your temper, your reasoning, your capacity for love and energy. Managing all of this and continuing to work and homeschool will seem nearly impossible.…
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Review: Timberdoodle’s Color Catch Game
We had the opportunity to review Smart Game’s Color Catch. The game was sent to us by Timberdoodle to try out and review. The game is included in Timberdoodle’s 2020 Seventh-Grade Curriculum Kit & Their Non-religious 2020 Seventh-Grade Curriculum Kit. I reviewed it with my soon-to-be 7 year old. What is Color Catch Smart Game? Color Catch Smart Game is a critical thinking game for ages 7 and up. The game’s object is to place the pieces so that they match the challenge. There are sixty different challenges at a variety of levels. The puzzle pieces are transparent and the colors show through from the game board underneath. The game…
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Meet tonies – A Great Resource for Early Childhood Education
Do you wish your child would get away from screens more? There’s a new toy available in the U.S. that has been really popular in Europe – tonies. I know my own kids can benefit from getting away from their iPads and the TV, so when I was offered the chance to check out this screenless audio entertainment system, I was really excited to do so. I received the toniebox Starter Kit & Content Tonies in exchange for review. All opinions contained within are my own. This post contains affiliate links. We may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. What Is a…
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“Our Friendship Matters” by Kimberly B. Jones YA Pre-Order Book Blitz & Giveaway
Young Adult Date Published: October 5, 2020 Publisher: Rhetoric Askew Publishing, LLC Leah and Sasha are 17-year-old friends who had been close to one another since elementary school, but as the summer approaches they find their friendship tested in ways they never anticipated. Following graduation, Sasha’s privileged life and perception of the world around her is suddenly altered when an old childhood friend persuades her to join in a campaign against an injustice after his best friend is killed by a cop. But joining the protest has unforeseen consequences for Sasha, distancing her from Leah, who becomes jealous of Sasha’s new friends and finds herself on the…