Posted on 2 Comments on Advantages and Disadvantages of Homeschooling

Advantages and Disadvantages of Homeschooling

How We Weighed the Advantages of Homeschooling

Click here to download the Advantages and Disadvantages checklist

FROM WENDY:

The advantages and disadvantages I planned for, and the ones I actually found.

We did not set out to homeschool. In fact, once upon a time (not very long ago), I swore I would never ever homeschool. I’ve worked in classrooms for years, and I love teaching. I loved my job working at my kids’ private school. I worked with my best friends, my kids had teachers I respected and who loved them, and I loved being part of their school. But at some point, it stopped working. More specifically, it stopped working for me to be working. We have a lot of kids, and just running our household with all the small bodies in it made a full-time job in and of itself. I knew deep down, before I wanted to admit it, that something needed to change.
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Great Books, Audiobooks and Podcasts

All Our Favorite Books, Podcasts and Audiobooks

FROM WENDY:

Much of my recent reading has been on the topic of homeschooling…

…as that has been my most recent endeavor. My top reads came highly recommended by multiple homeschooling friends and podcasts:
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10 Small Purchases We Couldn’t Live Without

Things Under $100 That Unexpectedly Changed Our Family Life

Click here to download the Family Things Wish List

FROM WENDY::

5 Things Every Mom Should Own

1) A swing or seat that my baby loves and will sleep in

Babies who nap in swings are just the best, especially when there are several other small children in the house. Toddlers are not understanding when you try to tell them, “I can’t help you get your snack right now because I have to rock the baby to sleep.” Don’t get me wrong, rocking babies to sleep is absolutely my idea of heaven, but there are moments in the day when rocking or entertainment is needed for baby so other kiddos’ needs can be met. I have lots of favorite baby seats and swings that I’ve used for my babies either for naptime or playtime, the difference really being the individual baby’s preference. If baby is happy, the whole house is happy.
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Fun Things To Do With A Large Family

Our Favorite Fun, Memory-Creating Adventures and Family Outings

Click here to download the Fun Family Day Cards

FROM WENDY:

It starts with an intentional investment in creating shared experiences.

Years ago, a family we were close friends with had to be separated for several months due to a work situation. My friend and her kiddos stayed behind while her husband worked out of state Monday through Friday and flew home for the weekends. She and I had many conversations about the struggles of that season, but one thing that highly impacted Jamin and me was the way they spent their family time. The days that they had all together were few during that season, and they protected that time for adventures together as a family. Rather than letting Saturday be housekeeping and homework day, they took day trips together and made their short time count.
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Great Family Bloggers

Family Blog Sites We Love to Read

FROM WENDY:

I have so many favorite homeschool and family bloggers, and the list is constantly evolving.

Especially recently as we’ve plunged into the homeschool world, I have been extremely grateful for the wealth of information, ideas, and encouragement out there.
In alphabetical order, since I love them all too much to rank them:
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Large Family Laundry System

How We Tame Our Laundry Mountains

Click here to download the Laundry System Dresser Labels

FROM WENDY:

Aside from cleaning the bathroom, laundry is my least favorite chore

Maybe it’s over the top describing laundry as oppressive, but it’s hard to come up with a better word for a task that can so quickly and completely engulf multiple days of the week, and multiple rooms of the house. One of the most exasperating phrases is my six-year-old hollering, “I don’t have clean pants,” when we’re already late for church. And then there’s that sinking feeling when you open the lid of the washer for the first time in three days just to discover a smelly, moldy load of washed clothes that never made it to the dryer. Plus, it never, ever, ever stops. Never. Ever.
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Our Large Family

Our Large Family Homeschool Mom Blog

FROM WENDY:

Who are we and what is our large family all about?

We are Jamin and Wendy. We are two former elementary school teachers turned small-business owner (online piano lessons) and homeschooler. We are more famously known for having six children in seven years, four curly-haired girls with the two most awesome brothers. Yes, that means I’ve been pregnant for basically forever. And no, our house is never quiet. I like to think of it as managed chaos; dramatic concerts, nerf gun wars, and toddler tornadoes are the norm.
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