The Confident Homeschooler

Disney World...10/10, just as magical as I remember from my last visit, 25 years ago.

But the real magic, was getting uninterrupted time with the kids, without all of the distractions of home.

And celebrating all that God has done in our lives.

Not even two years ago, we were having to leave our home and were facing homelessness. Just a year ago, we were living in our friend's RV, praying for the apartment we live in now.

I know God isn't done with our story and I know that I know that I know that He isn't done with YOUR story. Regardless of the messy middle you find yourself in, I know God is continuing to work on your behalf and He will use all of the heartbreak and tears. ❤️

🏰 We had such an amazing time together and it made me realize how important it is to continue to be childlike. I smiled on every single ride and I've been pondering on how I can add more fun and magic into our routine.

Does anyone else feel like they maybe don't have enough 'fun' in their day-to-day lives? Or do you have ways you add wonder to your days? I'd love to hear what you do in the comments below. 🤗

I searched my gallery for a nice photo of myself to create a "reintroduction" post here on IG. 

I scrolled and scrolled and found this one and knew this was the photo. 

I haven't been active on here in quite some time and a lot has changed. This photo is significant to me because I know that everything we've been through in the past couple of years has given me clearer vision for the future (and many lessons).

Let me start by sharing my name. Hi. 👋🏼 I'm Serena. I live with my husband and two sons in the Nashville area. 2024 was a huge RESET for our family in many ways (more on that in coming posts). We just moved into an apartment after living in our friend's RV for a year. We homeschool and always have. I love sharing about homeschooling and encouraging other parents in their homeschool journey. That's why this account was started in 2017. 

I used to work as an RN and, over the years, became very disillusioned with our healthcare system. Then my mom became sick, I suddenly became her caregiver, and I became even more disillusioned and disappointed by what we consider "healthCARE". This has caused me to be on my own journey of holistic health and wellness and finding better & safer products and supplements for my family and home.

Financially, we've been on a journey. We lost a lot in 2024 and had to move our family out of our beautiful rental home. We were facing homelessness and a friend offered his RV for us to stay in 'for a few weeks'. Which turned into a year. 😅 A huge blessing. And we've been rebuilding ever since. Our faith was strengthened like never before and truly, "the JOY of the Lord is my strength". 

Although what we went through was devastating and so, so difficult in the moment...it has lit a fire in my belly to help other families, hopefully, to not have to go through what we went through. And to help those families currently going through it. My vision is clearer than ever for how I want to show up and serve others. 

Oftentimes your 'purpose' or what God wants you to do is right there in front of you...use your testimony, gifts, and experience to bless others.

(Continued in comments) 👇🏼

This is the resource we wish we had when we were starting out on our homeschooling journey!

✨ HOMESCHOOLING 101 ✨

Our mini-course is officially open!! There are 30+ lessons that will give you all of the information you need as well as help you develop a plan/ roadmap for your homeschool.

We cover everything from "Deschooling" (arguably the most important module), to the Homeschool Laws, Choosing the Right Curriculum, the Methods, Homeschooling Various Ages, Finding the Right Community, Creating Your Vision/ Roadmap, and more!!

You'll finish Homeschooling 101 with clarity and a plan you feel confident in.

Homeschooling 101 will only be open a few times each year and this week is one of them. 🥳

Be sure to find the link in our bio and let us help guide and encourage you on your journey.

✨ Comment "LEARN" to get more information and become a Confident Homeschooler!

If you're newer to homeschooling and just starting to learn about the various methods (Charlotte Mason, Classical, Unschooling to name a few), our latest blog post is a great one to read. Learning about the methods can be overwhelming and maybe you're wondering if you even need to bother choosing one.

We started as Classical homeschoolers before I even really understood that there were various methods. The classical method was so great for a season and now we're definitely more eclectic. We love to use pieces of various methods to create a homeschool that works for our family. And we encourage you to do the same. Take what you love and leave the rest. ❤️

We would love to read in the comments if you align with a certain method or if you feel you're more eclectic too?! And tag a friend who is just starting out on their journey. We're here to encourage and empower you to be confident homeschoolers! We're cheering you on! 🤗

❄️ The Winter Slump. This is such a real thing, whether you're a homeschooler or not. The holidays are over and now we wait for longer and warmer days. Cold temps, winter viruses, being stuck at home...everyone is going a little nuts. 🤪 Luckily, February is quickly approaching and the days are slowly getting longer. But you may still be feeling like you're in a bit of a funk.

Maybe you're feeling like you need to mix things up in your homeschool? Or add some new rhythms to your days.

If you're feeling the "winter slump" be sure to check out our latest blog post that's full of tips to overcome it. There are tips for you as the parent as well as a list of activities you can do with your children.

❄️ Let us know in the comments...how do you get through the "winter slump"?!

🎙️Who else is feeling the winter slump of homeschooling?!

This is a great time to learn about some new educational podcasts to listen to as a family.

Please comment below with some of your favorites! 🤗

Are you feeling completely overwhelmed with homeschooling?! I know that, for me, I was very overwhelmed when I first started out homeschooling because I was trying to teach every subject, every day. And after the first subject, I felt like I lost my kindergartner. His attention span just couldn't handle it all and his reaction to our lessons was really bumming me out.

My traditional- education mind was blown when a fellow homeschool mom told me I could split up the subjects and teach them different days. 🤯 Seriously? That is allowed?! I was so conditioned to think a child needed to have 6+ subjects a day thanks to my own education experience. Once I realized we could do math on M/W/F, Language Arts on Tuesday/ Thursday and then sprinkle in the other subjects throughout the week...life was forever changed.

I also realized that my boys would rather do math 2-3 times a week and do multiple lessons at a time than do one lesson for 5 days in a row. The beauty of homeschooling is that we have this freedom and flexibility so exercise it!

If your days are feeling completely overloaded and too busy, evaluate your daily schedule and see if you can separate subjects. Or maybe doing math and language arts on the same day is causing some grumpiness (I get it) and teaching them on alternating days would be so great for everyone.

It's January and a great time of year to evaluate what IS working and also what isn't. And don't be afraid to mix things up. Believe in your ability to know what's best for your child and family.

How do you organize your weeks? Do you work on different subjects each day or is it easier for your family to do all of the subjects every day? What works for one family may not work for another so I love hearing what's working for yours.

Let us know in the comments what your current schedule looks like. 😊

📍 Time to connect! We're excited to get to know all of you more in 2024!

Where are you homeschooling? What state or country are you in? We hope you can find some community right here in this post.

We will start. Rebecca and I (Serena) live in the Nashville, TN area. 😊

Where are you??

There's no badge for busyness. If you're feeling overwhelmed & feel like you're "behind", I'm here to challenge you to look at your days and your weeks and reflect on how you can simplify your homeschool. Are you driving all over town every day with no rest day? Are your days chocked full of curriculum and book work? Are you trying to implement every cool new thing into your homeschool? Are you teaching every single subject every day?

From my experience, less is more. More busy work does not necessarily equal more learning. In fact, I find when we cram too many things into a day, my boys comprehend far less. You can space out your subjects to do a few each day instead of having your child complete 6-7 subjects in one day. Switch to a schedule
where Math is Monday/ Wednesday/ Friday and Science is Tuesday/ Thursday. 

If your days emulate a traditional school schedule, you're likely heading towards burnout. You homeschool so you have the freedom & flexibility to create your own schedule. To do as much or as little as you see fit. Don't let the comparison game steal that from you.

If you're feeling completely overwhelmed, create a list of everything you do in a day. Find at least one thing you can cross off or change from a daily occurrence to every few days. What's unnecessary? What isn't working? What feels like friction and not freedom? What part of your day do you dread? And what do your children dread? How can you turn this around and create days void of overwhelm and insecurity? What can you say "no" to in this season? What are you doing that is causing stress & isn't serving your family? How can you add joy into your days and make homeschooling a more enjoyable experience for both you & your children?

You are enough. Please don't feel like you need a long 'to do' list to make homeschooling a success. Conversations, cooking, playing games, and time in nature go a long way. 

Have you ever felt overwhelmed & overbooked in your homeschooling journey? Let us know in the comments below.

You're in good company. 😊