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What are you making for Thanksgiving? Need some ideas? I don't have to make the turkey this year, but I do have other ideas! These are appetizers, sid...

What a blessing to read about good news! Cynthia wrote to tell me about her marvelous success story! They were able to get their child the college admission and scholarships of her dreams! Cynthia's Success Story!  Hi Lee -I am writing to say thank you and to share our success story with you.Our eldest (of three) children was just accepted early decision into Lafayette College in Easton, PA! Your resources were invaluable in helping me wade...

I saw this book and it looked so great!  Check out what my daughter-in-law says about this book. She loved it!As a newlywed with no kids, let’s just say I was skeptical that this book would be helpful to my life. Let me just start off by saying . . . I was wrong.When I sat down at Starbucks (a nice peaceful alternative to my living room), I began reading the intro. She had me at...

 Men and women are gender aliens. Men are from Mars and women are from Venus. Pink talking and blue talking collide in waves of purplish conversations.How can we possibly cope when the two genders are so different? We just need some help so we can understand one another! Can't we all just get along? We just need to use my husband's top secret  "Homeschool Mom Secret Decoder"  Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy - but...

Homeschooling is a normal, natural method of education, not some strange or foreign concept. Educating children at home is now a common choice for parents to make. Homeschooling has grown so much since the 70's, and now approximately 3 percent of the school-age population was homeschooled in  2011–12. And since it's growing like crazy, there must be so many more now. So you see? You are NOT alone!This infographic covers a history of home-schooling beginning in...

As you can imagine, I get a lot of "interesting" press releases.   Recently I received information about how grades improve when the house smells good. Here are the very important statistics: We’re working with homeschooling mom and the founder of Mom Bloggers Club, Jennifer James, to let people know about this new study which shows that 84% of students reporting GPAs of A or B reported positive childhood home smells, such as lemon, mint or “clean.”...

Guten Morgen! It's possible my husband bought me a River Cruise through Germany for a Valentine's day present this year, and I've secretly been tourin...

Strawberry Soup is one of our family favorites. It's the perfect starter for a special meal, and always our "most requested" birthday dinner item! Thi...

What does homeschooling look like? It looks like a child, a book, and a dog, at least in our home! Homeschooling provides a safe and secure learning environment, and a comfortable, relaxing education. Pets are welcome!There are so many benefits to homeschooling, it’s hard to list them all: rigorous academics, positive socialization, time for specialization ... the list is almost endless. Many families choose homeschooling because they believe the safety and comfort of home is the best learning environment...

Tips for New Empty Nesters I found a marvelous collection of articles for parents that are sending their children off to college and becoming empty nesters. Check these out and let me know what you think!  Tips for First-Years This article has some tips on how to stay in touch with your child. What I loved even more, though, was this list: 3 Simple Steps for Academic Success Go to class.Do all of the homework and reading.Get...

What if your homeschool students swayed the political majority? What if they all learned how to vote, and then actually showed up at the polls and voted their conscience. What marvelous things would result!Let me tell you a little secret. You can’t just "teach" kids to vote. It's one of those things that is caught as well as taught. They have to see you consistently voting, no matter how inconvenient the timing or how boring the...

This is currently my favorite homeschooling equation right now!Gluten-Free + Costco + Freezer Cooking + Crockpot + Inexpensive = Seriously Awesome and Easy MealsSometimes the hardest thing about homeschooling isn't the "schooling" it's the "home". I know I always struggled to balance my household responsibilities with educating my children. Now that I have a home-based business, the situation has really been deteriorating!  I was THRILLED when I found a solution to my problem! This one little...

Use the "Binder Queen Method" of record keeping.My favorite method of record keeping is not a product you buy, it's reasonably price and easy to assemble.  I recommend a simple 3 ring binder, divider tabs, and lined notebook paper. Super-smart moms might want "college ruled" paper, but that is completely optional!I have seen far to many moms buy the latest and greatest record keeping, and then not use it. It doesn't matter what you BUY, you...

I got an email with this subject line: "Using the Addictive Power of Video Games for Education."  I am disturbed. Not funny. Education should be fun, and including games in education is a great idea to increase the love of learning. But that needs to be balanced against the very real addictive properties of video games and other digital media (like social media, texting, etc...)Video games and digital media companies have psychologists on staff to help...

A little story for the next time you're asked about homeschool socialization... In 2006, my boys were two of 108 top applicants invited to compete for ten full-tuition scholarships at Seattle Pacific University. All 108 invitees had great SAT scores. All had compelling personal stories. Between them, they had thousands of hours of community service. Indeed, there was very little - on paper - to distinguish one from the other. That is why, I suppose, SPU...