When They Fail

Last week, I posted about my realization that I need to challenge my girls more and let them fail occasionally.  However, I know how hard it can be to watch your children struggle and/or fail.  So, today, I would like to share some tips I have found for supporting your children when they fail (or are afraid of failing).

1. Pray!!!!!

Prayer should always be your first response to problems (and joys) in your life.  Pray for your child and pray with your child that God will give him the strength to handle the situation.

2. Give your child a hug and reassure him/her with words.

Make sure that your child knows that you love her and will always love her, even when she fails.

3. Allow your child to share his/her feelings about the situation.

Let your child know that it is ok to feel bad about not being able to complete the task.  Encourage him to share feelings verbally or through writing/drawing.

4. Share stories with your child about times you have struggled or failed.

Children need to know that others struggle too and that failure is a part of growing.  They will feel much better about their failures if they know that you sometimes fail too.  You might also want to share with your children how you felt about the failure and how you overcame it.

5. Help your child create a plan for achieving his/her goal.

Sometimes, our children fail at something that we know they can accomplish.  In these cases, they may just need help figuring out a plan for success.  These times are a perfect opportunity to sit down with your child, discuss goal setting, and help her set goals.  Just be sure that your child has dealt with her emotions before attempting this.

Good luck as you help your child work through his/her failures.  As hard as it is for you and for them, remember the benefits that come from failure!

Marla is a former special education teacher and homeschooling mom of two little girls (ages 3 and 5) and is expecting #3 soon.  She has her PhD in Special Education and loves to put her knowledge to use teaching her children and sharing learning/teaching ideas.  She blogs about raising and teaching her children at Marla's Motherhood Musings and her family's experiences living in Zambia at Our Life in Lusaka.

Did I Underestimate Her?

Charlotte celebrated her third birthday a few weeks ago.  One of the gifts she received was a 48 piece Minnie Mouse floor puzzle.  When I saw it, I almost laughed.  I told my husband that it would be a long time before Charlotte was ready for that puzzle.  She had been working on 12-15 piece puzzles. Occasionally, she put together a 24-piece puzzle.  But, 48 pieces is twice that much.  I was sure that Charlotte was not ready for such a big challenge.

However, Charlotte REALLY wanted to try putting together the puzzle and I could not dissuade her from trying.  So, I pulled it out of the closet and let her try.  I sat next to her while she worked, thinking that she was going to need a LOT of help from me.  But, to my surprise, I was wrong.  Charlotte worked diligently for about an hour and a half and this was the result:

Yes, she put the entire 48-piece puzzle together all by herself!  And, she has done it several times since.  I am so proud of her.  

But, I am also a little disappointed in myself and my teaching.  I keep thinking that I have been working so hard to ensure her success and have forgotten the importance of challenging her.  

Charlotte has such an inquiring mind and she is so eager to learn.  She LOVES a challenge and is very persistent at her work when I give her something difficult to complete.  

Back when I was a teacher, I learned that most young children have those qualities, at least until they are trained that failure is not ok.  Then, they stop liking challenges because they are afraid of failure.  I don't want that to happen to my children.  I want them to always love learning and seek out new challenges that will help them grow as people.  So, I am working hard to not underestimate my children's skills.  I am making a conscious effort to challenge them both daily and providing them a safe environment and support when they fail.  

It breaks my heart a little when they don't succeed, but I am quickly seeing that it bothers me more than it bothers them.  And, every day, it is obvious to me that they are looking forward to the challenges ahead of them.  And, that makes me smile!

Marla is a former special education teacher and homeschooling mom of two little girls (ages 3 and 5) and is expecting #3 soon.  She has her PhD in Special Education and loves to put her knowledge to use teaching her children and sharing learning/teaching ideas.  She blogs about raising and teaching her children at Marla's Motherhood Musings and her family's experiences living in Zambia at Our Life in Lusaka.

It's Bittersweet

Abigail (kindergarten) has recently started reading.  Her progress has been very rapid and, every day, I am impressed by how quickly she is learning to read.  And, I am SO excited for her!  

However, these past few weeks, a bit of sadness has invaded my joy.  I keep thinking about the fact that Abigail will soon be able to read bigger books on her own.

Before I know it, she is not going to need me to read to her.  She will be able to read whatever she wants without any help.

Our times of cuddling on the couch and reading a book together will soon be over.  

Sometime in the next few years, she is going to ask me to stop reading bedtime stories to her.

She is growing up and it makes me sad!  I suppose that I will have this feeling countless times as a parent.  But for now, I am so thankful that I get to watch her learn every day and am trying hard to cherish the moments now because I know they won't last long!


Marla is a former special education teacher and homeschooling mom of two little girls (ages 3 and 5) and is expecting #3 soon.  She has her PhD in Special Education and loves to put her knowledge to use teaching her children and sharing learning/teaching ideas.  She blogs about raising and teaching her children at Marla's Motherhood Musings and her family's experiences living in Zambia at Our Life in Lusaka.

Do I Have to Stick to the Curriculum?

Recently, I had a conversation with a friend who is a new homeschooler.  Due to being new at homeschooling and not having a teaching background, she has chosen to use a boxed curriculum this year (which I think was a fantastic choice for her and for many people, so please don't think that I am criticizing curriculums).  

My friend expressed to me her concern that getting her daughter to do the reading work included in the curriculum was a huge challenge every day.  Each day, her daughter asks her if she can read some early readers they have on the shelf instead.  My friend had been saying "no" because she believed she must follow the curriculum, but she wanted advice on what to do.  

My response was to ask her what her reading goals are for her daughter.  As I expected, her goals are for her daughter to become a proficient reader and to enjoy reading.  So, my response was "who cares what she is reading as long as she is reading?  If the early readers on your shelf are more interesting to her than the curriculum reading passages, have her read those instead (or do a combination of both)."

In my house, I have 4 sets of early readers and a Dick and Jane bound collection.  Before the school year started, I had carefully chosen which books we were going to read and in what order.  I had even made worksheets and writing prompts to go with each story.  However, Abigail (kindergarten) quickly changed those plans when she begged for me to purchase some early readers she saw at the local book store and wanted to read Dick and Jane (which I had not planned for).  Now, I give her options for her main readings each week.  I choose two or three little books or Dick and Jane stories that are at her reading level and let her choose which one she prefers.  Reading is often her favorite part of our school day and she has is making very fast progress in her reading skills.

While having a curriculum is wonderful, we, as the teachers of our children, should not feel bound by them.  We have the freedom to change the curriculum, add to it, delete parts, or completely change the curriculums we are using.  Our curriculums should be a guide for our teaching, but not our teaching bibles!

Marla is a former special education teacher and homeschooling mom of two little girls (ages 3 and 5).  She has her PhD in Special Education and loves to put her knowledge to use teaching her children and sharing learning/teaching ideas.  She blogs about raising and teaching her children at Marla's Motherhood Musings and her family's experiences living in Zambia at Our Life in Lusaka.

I Miss My Kids!

Yesterday, I was reading a friend's blog.  She shared her personal goals for this month and one of them is to spend more time with her family.  She made the point that homeschooling is not the same as spending "quality family time".  I agree!  Sometimes, after a busy week, the thought that goes through my head is "I miss my kids!"  Since I homeschool and spend all day with them, that might seem strange.  But teaching them and shuttling them from one activity to another is not quality time!  

Today, I have decided to share a few ideas for how we ensure quality family time in the midst of our busy lives.

1. Put it on your calendar.

I schedule at least one "date" with each of my girls each week.  Some of our dates are big outings and others are small.  Sometimes, we go out for lunch or ice cream.  We might also do a special cooking or art project together at home.  The important thing is not what you do, just that you have special 1:1 time together.  My husband also schedules "dates" with the girls and those "dates" are often the highlight of his week (and theirs).  

2. Incorporate your children into your daily household work.

While it will take MUCH longer to have "help" cooking dinner or doing laundry, your daily chores often provide a great time for spending time with your children.  I cannot count the laughs and giggles that I have had with my girls while we baked a cake together (and spilled flour all over the flour) or attempted to fold a fitted sheet together.  

3. Refocus your priorities.  

Sometimes, we overextend ourselves and take on too many commitments.  The end result is often that our family suffers.  When I begin missing my children and feeling that I don't get quality time with them, I often have to take a close look at my calendar and think about where my time is going.  While it is good for me to be involved in church, volunteer activities, etc., some of these things might not be the most important uses of my time during this season of my life.  I recently read in my bible study that "all things good are not from God."  Just because it is a good activity that serves God's overall purpose, does not automatically mean that God intends for you to do it.

4. Ask for help.

There are times when are lives are so busy with unavoidable commitments that we truly can't add anything else to our schedule.  When this happens, we need to ask for help from spouses, friends, family, fellow Christians, etc.  It is okay to ask for help!

5. Pray.

I don't have all the answers and neither do you.  But, the great news is that God does.  Get down on your knees and pray.  God will help you find the solution!

What other suggestions do you have for ensuring quality time with your family?


Marla is a former special education teacher and homeschooling mom of two little girls (ages 3 and 5).  She has her PhD in Special Education and loves to put her knowledge to use teaching her children and sharing learning/teaching ideas.  She blogs about raising and teaching her children at Marla's Motherhood Musings and her family's experiences living in Zambia at Our Life in Lusaka.

Can We Take a Sick Day?

For the past few days, Charlotte has been battling a little virus (slight fever, extra tired, cranky, etc.).  Last night, Abigail went to bed with a slight fever and awoke this morning telling me that she wanted to nap today (and she NEVER asks for a nap!)  

Last year, when we sent Abigail to school, I would have kept her home from school if she had any fever the night before.  

However, now that we are homeschooling, I have a hard time with the idea of taking a "sick day."  Even when we are feeling under the weather, we still have school.  

So, this morning, we got up and started school as usual.  Both girls were cranky and had a hard time focusing, but we still did our lessons.  

Then, about an hour and a half into our morning, I started vomiting.  

And, still, I insisted on teaching.  

As the morning went on, I realized that schooling was not go as well as planned.  We were learning and were enjoying some of our lessons, but none of us had the energy (mental or physical) for the intense learning.  

So, I did something crazy - we decided to forgo our lesson plans, finish with a few fun activities, and end school early for a "sick day".  

Now that it is late afternoon and we have had several hours to rest, I am thankful that I decided it is ok to slow our pace when necessary.  

I know that I will still be cautious about taking a "sick day" unless we really need it because I know how easy it will be to take a day off anytime we aren't 100% and thus never get our learning done, but I am feeling a little better about "homeschool sick days."

How do you handle sick days in your homeschool?


Marla is a former special education teacher and homeschooling mom of two little girls (ages 3 and 5).  She has her PhD in Special Education and loves to put her knowledge to use teaching her children and sharing learning/teaching ideas.  She blogs about raising and teaching her children at Marla's Motherhood Musings and her family's experiences living in Zambia at Our Life in Lusaka.

Top 3 Benefits of "Partial Homeschooling"

Last week, I shared about my family's decision to become "partial homeschoolers".  Our daughter attends Pre-K every morning and I teach her in the afternoons.  Today, I would like to share what we love most about partial homeschooling.

1. Our daughter's learning potential is up to us and to her.  Because academic instruction is done at home, we can work at her pace.  Abigail has learned so much this year from her lessons with me and the instruction she receives at school reinforces much of what she has learned.

2. Our daughter's social skills have greatly improved.  Being in school with her peers every day has given Abigail the opportunity to make friends and learn to handle conflicts with others.  Being in school has helped her learn to navigate friendships and social relationships.

3. Our youngest child gets 1:1 learning time with me.  While Abigail is in school, I spend time one-on-one with Charlotte.  She gets to learn academic and life skills during our time together each day.  Abigail being in school has helped Charlotte's learning.  In addition, having time away from Abigail has given Charlotte the chance to develop her own identity as a separate person.

Do you partial homeschool?  What do you like best?  

Join me next week as I share the biggest drawbacks of partial homeschooling.


Marla is a former special education teacher, university instructor, and stay-at-home mom of two little girls (ages 2 and 4).  She blogs about raising and teaching her children at Marla's Motherhood Musings and her family's experiences living in Zambia at Our Life in Lusaka.

Why I Still Consider Myself a Homeschooler

Last fall, I wrote about my family's decision to send our oldest daughter (age 4) to prekindergarten.  When we moved overseas, our family situation changed and the move had significant social implications for our children.  Making the decision to send Abigail to school for socialization was very difficult for us and we are constantly reevaluating our choice.  

Since Abigail started school, I have questioned my participation as a writer for this blog and have wondered if I am still a homeschooler.  

Abigail attends school five mornings a week and I pick her up at lunchtime.  After lunch, we spend about 2 hours doing lessons that I have created before we attend afternoon activities (ballet, piano, gymnastics, swimming, playgroups). 

Now that the school year is coming to a close, I have finally figured out that we are still homeschoolers.  Yes, my homeschool set-up looks different than most.  

However, my husband and I still believe that we are responsible for the education of our children.  We ensure that, every day, both of our girls receive learning (academic, religious, and social) that meets their needs.  We teach some lessons and we allow others to teach some lessons.  But, when it comes down to it, we take ultimate responsibility for the education of our girls.  And, I have come to believe that choosing to be responsible for your child's education and teaching as necessary is what makes one a homeschooling parent.  

What are your thoughts?

Marla is a former special education teacher, current PhD student, university instructor, and stay-at-home mom of two little girls (ages 2 and 4).  She blogs about raising and teaching her children at Marla's Motherhood Musings and her family's experiences living in Zambia at Our Life in Lusaka.

A Mom's Rewards

Before motherhood, I had grand plans.  I was working on my doctorate and could not wait to finish so that I could become a professor and do amazing research.  I dreamed about being published in all of the big research journals, speaking at international conferences, writing books, and being considered an "expert" in my field.  Those were the rewards I wanted.

Then, I became a mom.  And my dreams and ideas about what is truly rewarding changed.

I get my rewards every day...

"I love you, Mommy"

Big hugs

Kisses

Requests for cuddles

Valentine's cards made for "Mine Mommy"

Smiles

The sound of laughter

The knowledge that this is God's plan for me right now

And those rewards are enough for me.  

Marla is a former special education teacher, current PhD student, university instructor, and stay-at-home mom of two little girls (ages 2 and 4).  She blogs about raising and teaching her children at Marla's Motherhood Musings and her family's experiences living in Zambia at Our Life in Lusaka.

Interest-Based Learning

One of my favorite things about homeschooling is that I can individualize the learning to meet the needs and interests of my children.  We don't have to follow a set curriculum; we can create our own.

A few weeks ago, we saw a chameleon outside of our house.  We stopped what we were doing (independent work) and spent about 30 minutes observing it, but I think that Abigail and Charlotte could have spent all day looking at it!

While the girls were completing their independent work, I did a quick internet search and created a short lesson about chameleons that we were able to complete later in the day.  (Thank goodness for google, iBooks and fabulous bloggers - I found a video, 3 worksheets, and 2 books in less than 15 minutes!)

The girls loved learning more about something that they had actually witnessed.  The lesson was certainly more meaningful than it would have been if they had not seen a chameleon that morning.  And learning about the world around them makes them more excited for learning and always wanting to learn more.

I am so thankful for the ability to use interest-based learning in our homeschooling!

Marla is a former special education teacher, current PhD student, university instructor, and stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of two little girls (ages 2 and 4).  She blogs about homeschooling at Marla's Motherhood Musings and her family's experiences living in Zambia at Our Life in Lusaka.

Why Your Homeschool Should Not Look Like Mine

I live in Africa.  Do you?

I am a former teacher.  Are you?

I am finishing my PhD in Special Education.  Are you?

I have two little girls, ages 2 and 4.  Do you?

My oldest attends Pre-K in the morning for social reasons, but since she is several months ahead of her peers academically, I teach her in the afternoons.  Is this your situation?

I am an eclectic teacher and using interest-based learning techniques, Montessori concepts, Charlotte Mason ideas and many others.  Do you?

I like messy play, messy art projects, and messy learning.  Do you?

I like to create my own activities for teaching instead of using a curriculum.  Do you?

I am still not sure what our long-term education plans are for our children.  Are you?

Did you answer yes to all of those questions?  My guess is no.  If you did say "yes" to all, there is a chance that our homeschools may look a bit alike.  However, you and I are still different people.  Our children are different.  Our lives are different.  Our personalities, needs, abilities, desires are different.  What works for me may not work for you.  

What works for you may not work for me. That is okay.  In fact, it is wonderful.  God made us unique and we need to embrace that.

Too often, I see parents trying to emulate what other parents are doing.  As homeschoolers, we spend hours perusing the internet to find ideas for teaching our children.  We see those bloggers that everyone loves (and I love them too!) and we want to be just like them.  We try to structure our homeschools to look like theirs.  We use the same curriculums that they recommend (or they make) and we try their organizational and home management systems.

And we fail.  We can't figure out why it seems to work so well for them and it does not work for us.

Their systems do not work for us, because we are different.  While we can (and probably should) incorporate ideas we get from others into our homeschooling, we need to ensure that our homeschools and our homes are suited to our unique needs, interests, and situations.  We are different and our homeschools should reflect that.  

God has a unique plan for my family that is different from the plan He has for your family or the plan He has for any of those fabulous SuperMom bloggers.  Let's trust that God will lead our homeschools in the right direction and follow His lead for teaching our children and managing our homes instead of trying to follow the lead of others.  When we do, we will be successful (and happier) homeschoolers!

Marla is a former special education teacher, current PhD student, university instructor, and stay-at-home mom of two little girls (ages 2 and 4).  She blogs about raising and teaching her children at Marla's Motherhood Musings and her family's experiences living in Zambia at Our Life in Lusaka.

Easter-Themed Art Projects for Young Children

Easter is only a few days away, so I spent several hours on Pinterest and my favorite blogs earlier this week to create this list of cute Easter art projects for toddlers and preschoolers.  Each project includes a link to instructions or photos.  I apologize that I don't have many photos for you, but due to copyright issues, I only use the photos that I have taken in my blog posts.  I hope that you enjoy this list; I know that I am now inspired to do even more Easter art with my girls!

Bunny Paper Candy Pouch 

Bunny Ears Hat

Bunny Flower Pot

Bunny Hat

Bunny Mask

Bunny Paper Bag Puppet

Christian Easter Mobile

Cross Lacing Project

Cross Suncatcher

Easter Egg Collage

Easter Egg Crown

Egg-Shaped Bunny

Eggshell Mosaic

Envelope Bunny

Handprint and Footprint Bunny

Life of Jesus Cross

Paper Easter Bunny Face

Paper Plate Jesus in the Empty Tomb

Paper Plate Tomb

Paper Towel Roll Egg Holder

Salvation Storyboard

Seashell Cross

Shaving Cream Easter Egg Card

Stained Glass Cross

Textured Easter Egg

I love making these lists for you!  Now, I am inspired!  I think that we will be doing a lot of art projects this week!


Marla is a former special education teacher, current PhD student, university instructor, and stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of two little girls (ages 2 and 4).  She blogs about homeschooling at Marla's Motherhood Musings and her family's experiences living in Zambia at Our Life in Lusaka.

Young Children Learn Through Repitition

"Knock, knock."

"Who's there?"

"Cow go."

"Cow go who?"

"No silly, cow go moo!"

After listening to this joke over and over for 20 minutes straight in the car this morning, I was losing my patience (and my mind!)  While it is a cute joke, one can only hear it so many times.  Then, all of a sudden, I noticed how my girls started giggling each time that they told the joke.  They absolutely love the fact that they know a joke and can make others laugh.  And I love how happy they were.  So, I continued listening to the joke for the next ten minutes until we got to our destination.  And, by the time we arrived, I was laughing hard each time that they told the joke.

As the day has gone on and I have thought more and more about this experience, I am constantly reminded of how little children learn.  They learn by doing the same thing over and over and over and over.  Teaching young children can be very boring and tedious for an adult.  But finally, after lots of time and practice, they learn the skill.  And it is so cool when young children have a new skill.  They are so proud of themselves and it is so much fun to watch them show off what they know.  While it can be hard to do the same thing over and over with your child, doing so is totally worth it!

Today, I just want to remind you to be patient with your little children.  Remember that they are learning and that your patience is critical for them to learn and grow!

Marla is a former special education teacher, current PhD student, university instructor, and stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of two little girls (ages 2 and 4).  She blogs about homeschooling at Marla's Motherhood Musings and her family's experiences living in Zambia at Our Life in Lusaka.

Last Minute Valentine's Crafts for Toddlers/Preschoolers

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day!  If you are anything like me, you had grand intentions about the fabulous heart-themed activities and crafts you were going to do with your children, but it is now the day before Valentine's Day and you have not done them yet.  We finally did our first Valentine's art project and made our homemade cards earlier today (nothing like waiting to the last minute!).

For those of you needing a bit of inspiration, I have a compiled a short list of VERY easy projects (with links to blogs that have completed the crafts) to do with your young children today or tomorrow.

Wine cork hearts

Cutting practice with hearts (we did that this year as a part of our homemade Valentine's cards - so easy and a fun way to work on fine motor skills!)

Coloring heart cutouts

Painting or watercoloring heart cutouts

Gluing small pieces of paper onto heart cutouts to make a collage

Heart caterpillars 

Heart footprints

Hearts covered in tissue paper

Elephants made from heart shapes (We did this in our toddler playgroup this morning and the children loved it!)

Heart Valentine paper chain

Heart flowers

Potato print hearts

Handprint heart

Heart butterfly

Toilet tube roll heart stamps

And now that I have compiled this list, I am feeling guilty for not doing more Valentine's Day crafts with my girls.  I have one more day to make it happen!  What fun crafts do you have planned to do with your children this Valentine's Day?

Marla is a former special education teacher, current PhD student, university instructor, and stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of two little girls (ages 2 and 4).  She blogs about homeschooling at Marla's Motherhood Musings and her family's experiences living in Zambia at Our Life in Lusaka.

A Bit of Encouragement

The past few weeks have been rough in our homeschool and in our household.  Things have been crazy and I am just simply overwhelmed.  I feel that I am not doing enough as a mother or a teacher for my children.  I feel that I am not adequately meeting the needs of my amazing husband.  And I feel that my university students are not getting the attention they need and deserve from an instructor.  Basically, I am just feeling like I am failing.

So, I have been praying.  And God revealed something wonderful to me, so wonderful in fact that I think you need to hear it too.  I am doing enough.  I might not be doing everything that I want to do and I may be not be the perfect mother, wife, or teacher.  But, I am who God wants me to be and I am enough.  I am doing exactly what he intends for me to do and so are you.  You are meeting the needs of your family, even when you feel like a failure.

Have a blessed day, my homeschooling friends!  

 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13



Marla is a former special education teacher, current PhD student, university instructor, and stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of two little girls (ages 2 and 4).  She blogs about homeschooling at Marla's Motherhood Musings and her family's experiences living in Zambia at Our Life in Lusaka.

When I Didn't Have the Motivation

I don't know about you, but sometimes, I simply don't have the motivation for lessons that we need to learn in our homeschool.  Sometimes, I put off teaching something simply because it just seems like too much work or I am not interested in it.

I had a very hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year.  I think that it is the warm weather here in Africa and the fact that we did not have space to bring our tree or decorations when we moved. However, I know how much I loved Christmas as a little girl and I want my girls to love it too.  Plus, as a Christian, Christmas is such an important and wonderful holiday.  So, after a few weeks of not doing anything Christmas-related, I forced myself to start doing Christmas bible lessons and Christmas crafts with the girls.  And, I am so glad that I did!  They had a fabulous time having Christmas homeschooling and they learned a lot about God's love for them through discussing the Christmas story every day.  Plus, all of the fabulous art projects they made to decorate our house and the yummy snacks we created helped put me in the Christmas spirit.  

The next time that I have no motivation, I hope that I can remember how thankful I am for finding the motivation to teach my girls about Christmas!

Christmas Cooking with Children

I love cooking with my girls and cooking for them.  Christmas is a fabulous time for special cooking activities.  Today, I would like to share a few fun Christmas cooking ideas with you.  I have provided photos of the food I have cooked and links to blog posts for other fun ideas.

Christmas Tree Cupcake Cake

Christmas Pizza

Rudolph Pancake

Peppermint Playdough

KitKat Gingerbread Houses

Fruit Christmas Tree

Fruit Candy Cane

Christmas Tree Waffles

Mini Gingerbread Houses

Graham Cracker Houses

What fun things are you cooking with (or for) your children this Christmas?

Marla is a former special education teacher and current PhD student and stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of two little girls (ages 2 and 4).  She blogs about homeschooling at Marla's Motherhood Musings and her family's experiences living in Zambia at Our Life in Lusaka.

Working and Homeschooling

I am one of thus lucky moms who found jobs working part-time from home so that I can still be here for my children every single day.  I am completing the work for my doctorate in Special Education, writing curriculum for a NGO here in Zambia, teaching a course at the local university (which does actually require me to leave the house for a few hours each week), and writing articles for education journals with some colleagues back in the US.  In total, I work about 25-30 hours a week.  I am still learning how to make it all work for my family, but I have found a few tips that I would like to share:

1. Plan your day. Schedule in time for homeschooling, housework/cooking, and working.  Then, stick to the schedule (as much as dirty diapers and children refusing naps will allow).  To account for the unpredictable, plan in more work time than you actually need.

2. Do some of your work while your children are doing independent work activities.  Then, you can all work together.  It can be beneficial for children to see that grown-ups have to sit down and work too.

3. Be willing to work nights and weekends if necessary sometimes.  I am lucky that my girls go to bed very early (about 7 pm) and I work for a few hours each evening and often work several hours on the weekends.  I consider my jobs (which I LOVE) as my "free time activities".

4. Be honest with yourself and say "no" when necessary.  There are countless cool projects that I have turned down so that I can focus on what is most important - my family.  It can be hard to know your limits, but trying to do too much will be harmful to you, your family, and your employer.

5. Reevaluate the decision to work and your job on a regular basis.  If working and homeschooling is not working for you, change what you are doing!

While I am still figuring things out, these tips have worked for me.  Do any of you have other tips for working from home?


Marla is a former special education teacher and current PhD student and stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of two little girls (ages 2 and 4).  She blogs about homeschooling at Marla's Motherhood Musings and her family's experiences living in Zambia at Our Life in Lusaka.

What I Wish I Knew

Earlier this week, Dorie posted about the 5 things she wishes she had known before she started homeschooling.  Today, I am excited to share my 5 things.

1. You can never be fully prepared (but that is ok).  Before I started teaching my girls at home, I assumed that I was completely ready for the challenge.  After all, I use to be a teacher.  My career was teaching children!  As it has turned out, I don't know everything that I thought I knew, but that is fine.  I am learning as we go.

2. It is ok to ask for help.  You don't have to be Supermom (as much as I want to be, I can't!).  You can ask for teaching/parenting ideas from others and doing so does not make you a bad mom!  

3. Homeschooling is popular!  Before we started homeschooling, I thought only weird people did it.  I have since learned that a lot of really cool people homeschool their children!

4. Homeschooling is not an all-or-nothing decision.  You can homeschool for part of a child's education and do public/private schools other years.  You can enroll your child in a private school that allows partial homeschooling.  Currently, my daughter attends Pre-K in the mornings (primarily for social development) and we do academics at home in the afternoons.  Even though she goes to a school, I still consider us to be homeschoolers.

5.  And, lastly (and most importantly), homeschooling is fun!  It is really fun to watch your children learn every day.  I knew that I would like teaching my girls, but I had no idea how much I would like it.  Seeing them learn new things is so cool!  I feel so blessed that I get to teach my girls!  

What do you wish you had known before you started homeschooling?


Marla is a former special education teacher and current PhD student and stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of two little girls (ages 2 and 4).  She blogs about homeschooling at Marla's Motherhood Musings and her family's experiences living in Zambia at Our Life in Lusaka.

Are We Still Homeschoolers?

A few months ago, our family made a decision.  When we moved here to Zambia, we had planned to continue homeschooling.  However, over the summer, we realized that full-time homeschooling was not meeting the social needs of our eldest daughter (age 4).  So, we enrolled her in Pre-K at one of the international schools here.  

Because she is ahead of her peers academically (and because I LOVE teaching her), we still do academics at home every afternoon.  We are working through the Horizons Kindergarten Math curriculum and working on early reading books.  Plus, we do Bible, ScienceSocial Studies, and Writing lessons.  

Abigail has blossomed socially since starting school.  I had no idea how badly she needed more opportunities for social interactions with peers until she had them every day.  At this point, I am so thankful that we made the choice to send Abigail to Pre-K.

However, I often wonder what that means for Abigail's education.  Abigail goes to school and we teach at home.  Is that solution sustainable over the long-term?  How will things change when the curriculum gets harder at school or at home?  Are we still homeschoolers?  

Do any of you do a hybrid of formal schooling and homeschooling?  Any thoughts or ideas you can share would be greatly appreciated!


Marla is a former special education teacher and current PhD student and stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of two little girls (ages 2 and 4).  She blogs about homeschooling at Marla's Motherhood Musings and her family's experiences living in Zambia at Our Life in Lusaka.