Mama Leota's Homeschool

10/11/2023

We stand with Israel!

🇮🇱 Am Yisrael Chai! 🇮🇱

In our haste to read hot takes and hear edited sound bites from both sides, let's not forget this very important fact: of all the family trees that could have borne the name of the Son of God, He chose that of Israel. Jesus was not a Christian. He was a Jew.

As one of His followers, I identify with Him. I am a Christian. That means although I am not originally of His chosen people, I have been grafted in by His blood. (Romans 11:17)
I stand with Israel.

02/15/2023

One of my favorite things about homeschooling is that school doesn’t necessarily look like “school”. ❤️

This is how we (cinnamon) roll! 😆

P.s. Gracie’s cinnamon rolls are heavenly! 😋

02/08/2023

My darling, you have worked so hard all season for this moment. May God grant you strength and courage as you chase after your goals during this post season. May you have “GOD-fidence” every time you step on the mat. May you continue to glorify God in all that you do. I am so proud of you! ❤️

01/25/2023

Check out my latest blog post where I share 3 things I did when I first started homeschooling my children!

Congratulations! As overwhelming as you may feel in this moment, I promise you it is the best decision you could make. I remember back when I first started homeschooling and how lost I felt. I didn…

01/25/2023

You see this guy? Well that’s my baby the youngest of 5. Sometimes I think he got the best version of me as a mom. Let me explain…

When I first started homeschooling, I literally had no idea what I was doing. Our oldest sons had started their education in public school so they already knew how to read, write, and do basic math. There is a 7 year gap between them and the 3 “littles” as I like to call them.

I’m pretty sure I had a panic attack the moment I realized that I had to teach them how to read. How in the world was I going to do that? Thankfully reading came easy for my daughter and she picked it up quite quickly just going through the Hooked on Phonics books. Then we got to our 4th son and boy was that a challenge! I’m pretty sure we were in tears on a daily basis. But hey, he had to learn how to read by 1st grade, right? Well, he was reading by the end of kindergarten but we were all miserable during the entire process.

Now enter our “baby”. I did what I’d always done, kindergarten at 5 years old. And for the most part, he liked it but when we got to reading, that was a whole other story. He just could not catch on and then came the tears again. I remembered a podcast I heard about boys and reading and that they typically take longer to learn how to read and that it will just “click” around 8/9 years old sometimes even later. As scary as it was, I decided to give it a shot. I wasn’t going to push my son to read…we weren’t going to do any traditional reading lessons at all. I was simply going to read to him and let it happen naturally.

One day while watching a foreign film with the kids, my son started reading the subtitles! We were all stunned and just looked at him in shock…he could read! He was around 8 years old when I started him on reading lessons. We did Hooked on Phonics and Explode the Code. By the time he was 9 he was reading chapter books. Now at age 10 he is reading beyond grade level and his comprehension and retention is impressive as well! I’m thankful I followed my instincts and followed a more gentle approach. We are all happier for it!

I hope this post encourages you. Drop me a line or a question, I’d love to hear from you! ❤️

01/20/2023

Love this! ❤️

Be brave today, mamas!

01/18/2023

We’ve been experiencing some frigid temps here in Florida and today it warmed up just enough to tempt the boys into jumping in the pool. They confirmed that it’s cold! 😆

Vocabulary word for today is “hypothermia”! 😂

Some days this is what school looks like! ❤️

01/17/2023

This was such a fun blog post to write! I go back to the beginning of my homeschool journey where I talk about Lisa Whelchel's book "So You're Thinking About Homeschooling".

If you are curious about or considering homeschooling, I highly recommend you start with this book. You will either come away feeling encouraged and excited or realizing homeschooling may not be the journey for you. Either way, whatever you choose is up to you and it's ok!

You can read more by clicking on the link below!

When moms reach out to me and tell me they are considering homeschooling their kids, their biggest hangup is fear and not knowing where to start. Take me for example, I had no idea where to begin w…

01/13/2023

Hi! My name is Cynthia and I’m a homeschool mom of five (two are graduated and out of the nest). My homeschool journey began in 2011 when I pulled my two oldest out of the public school system after noticing some behavioral problems.

To be honest, homeschooling my children was never something I ever considered and if I am to be completely honest, I withdrew my boys from school out of sheer panic. I had no idea what I was doing or how I was going to do it considering I am a high school dropout with a 9th grade education.

However, here I am 11 years into our journey and I can attest homeschooling was not what I thought it was when I first began. Surprisingly it has been the most amazing adventure and one that has filled me with so much purpose! I can’t imagine any other way of life.

Please join me as I share what I’ve learned over the years, the ups and downs, my favorite resources…basically all things homeschool. Oh and lots of encouragement. We do that here! Welcome!