Welcome! I’m so glad you stopped by!
You’re probably wondering who I am and what I’m about. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here, amiright?
I’m Diana and I have four children, whom I’ve been homeschooling since 2008. Every year since has been an incredible adventure!
In the beginning we got started because my oldest was in 3rd grade and she was struggling with the Common Core curriculum, as well as the overall school experience. She was falling behind in math, and I was having to spend hours every night helping her with her homework. I thought, if I am basically having to teach her how to do this at home I might as well cut out the middle man.
My son was in 1st grade and I could see some problems that were developing. He is a creative thinker, a free spirit. At that age he was talkative and very friendly, and he was getting in trouble for talking when he was supposed to be reading. I knew that if he stayed in school he would be labeled a bad kid and possibly have his spirit crushed. I didn’t want him to be told he was anything less than what I knew him to be.
My other son was also approaching the age of starting kindergarten. He had a different personality, and was often in trouble at preschool for his temper. I knew with him he would also frequently be in trouble in school for fighting with other kids or throwing a tantrum at the teacher. I wanted to have the chance to shape his character at home without that outside interference.
My husband had brought up homeschooling years before when my oldest was getting ready to start kindergarten. I thought it sounded weird and silly, and I thought my daughter would do better in school. We decided to let her decide where to start school and she chose kindergarten. Her kinder experience was wonderful! She loved the school, the teacher was idyllic, and she made a lot of friends. And then after that year we moved out of state and she started at the school she ended up at in 3rd grade. During that same time I started looking more into homeschooling. Through my research I found that there was a lot of fun curriculum choices, and there were SOOOO many benefits to homeschooling! My image of it did a complete 180 and I had begun to pray to ask God to guide the decision.
While my kids were in school that last year we moved to a new home across town. We had a decision to make – either keep them in the same school and continue to make the long drive to and from everyday, or enroll them in a school in our new neighborhood. Let me just say the local school didn’t have a good report card. It was failing academically, and it was overcrowded. It was basically a lose-lose situation. I realized that homeschooling was our best option and I had to convince my husband of that fact.
I sat down and wrote out all the reasons I believed homeschooling was the right choice to make at that time for our family. Then I sat down with him and shared the list. And it really took no convincing at all! He agreed that it was the best choice. We let the kids finish out the rest of their school year and then we took that summer to practice our new routine, and also figure out what materials I was going to use.
That first year was HARD!! It was 2008/2009, with the start of the Great Recession. My husband lost his job, we were both out of work, and consequently we lost our home, our car, and our security. But I continued to pray to God to guide us through it, and He did!
My younger two children have never gone to school, aside from my son’s brief time at preschool. They both love being homeschooled. They love the freedom they get to enjoy days off when we want, to have the whole afternoon free, to go for walks or to the park, or even swim when the weather is warm!
I have learned so much these past several years on this journey. That’s why I decided to help others who are just starting out. I know I had SO many questions when I first started looking into homeschooling! I created a section devoted to those questions, and many of the common questions I get from others when I tell them I’m homeschooling. You can find those here.
I also love to share all the different tips I’ve learned with scheduling, meal planning, chores, and anything else that comes along with trying to manage a homeschool household!
My hope for you is that you leave my site feeling encouraged, enlightened, and empowered to get started or continue on your own homeschool journey!