My friend Jeana is a frugal, homeschooling mom. She has been thinking along the lines of fiscal responsibility. She commented that, as income has shrunk somewhat and as expenses have increased, their family has had to make some very necessary adjustments in spending. (Can I get an AMEN?) She then brought up an idea which is such sheer brilliance that I had to share it with you and get your thoughts on it. She asks: "What is the next thing I would give up or do differently if I had to lower costs?" And then she tries to do that next thing now to put their family one step ahead of the next big squeeze.
In these days of high gas and grocery prices, what has your family done to lower expenses or increase income? C'mon! Inspire us all!
Oh, and if you enjoy well-written blogs, go see Jeana.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Summertime and the Livin' Is Easy...or is it?
How does your family school during the summer months? Over the years, we've done it many different ways. One year, we did 3 days of core subjects and had 2 days off each week for swimming, play dates, family reunions and the $1 Summer Movies. One year, we did school for 3 weeks on and 1 week off so that we could camp in our travel trailer. Several summers we just got the books out when there wasn't anything more interesting to do.
One of the many benefits of home education is the ability to flex our schedules to fit our families' needs and activities. OCHEC encourages homeschooling parents to be creative when scheduling their 180 days of school, and to remember that the purpose of the schedule is to serve YOU, not the other way around. For your own peace of mind, and to be ready defend your school should that become necessary, we also recommend keeping a record of your instructional days. The newly revised OCHEC Handbook includes many useful blank forms which may be copied for your use. For more information on obtaining a Handbook, click here.
So, are you hearing the dreaded refrain, "I'm bOOOooored!"? As my mother used to tell me, "Smart people don't get bored. They get busy." Then she'd had me a broom or a toilet brush. Here are 101 things to do this summer. I think there's something on this list for everyone, and there's not a toilet brush anywhere!
Enjoy your summer, try to stay cool, and share your summer plans with us in the comments!
One of the many benefits of home education is the ability to flex our schedules to fit our families' needs and activities. OCHEC encourages homeschooling parents to be creative when scheduling their 180 days of school, and to remember that the purpose of the schedule is to serve YOU, not the other way around. For your own peace of mind, and to be ready defend your school should that become necessary, we also recommend keeping a record of your instructional days. The newly revised OCHEC Handbook includes many useful blank forms which may be copied for your use. For more information on obtaining a Handbook, click here.
So, are you hearing the dreaded refrain, "I'm bOOOooored!"? As my mother used to tell me, "Smart people don't get bored. They get busy." Then she'd had me a broom or a toilet brush. Here are 101 things to do this summer. I think there's something on this list for everyone, and there's not a toilet brush anywhere!
Enjoy your summer, try to stay cool, and share your summer plans with us in the comments!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Now Here's Something I Think You'll REALLY Like
(Bonus points to the one who can name the source of the above quote)
Check out this article. Then come back here and tell us your thoughts.
Home Schoolers Threaten Our Cultural Comfort
Now go swimming!
Check out this article. Then come back here and tell us your thoughts.
Home Schoolers Threaten Our Cultural Comfort
Now go swimming!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Look What the Cat Dragged In!
ME!
It's been TWO MONTHS since I last updated our little blog. For those of you who continue to check in (all both of you), THANKS! I hope I haven't startled you too much what with this new post and all. :-)
OCHEC news you need: The Support Group Leaders' Retreat is NEXT WEEK! Are you the leader of a support group? Maybe you're thinking of starting a group and would like to network with other leaders. We are hoping for a phenomenal turnout as we have so very many wonderful things in store for everyone who comes. We're encouraging groups to send as many folks from their leadership team as possible. Make sure that everyone who leads YOUR group knows how much we'd love to have them there.
Also, did you know that your support group can host a You Can Homeschool seminar? OCHEC will send a Trustee couple with a Power Point presentation, handouts, and loads of practical wisdom to address folks in your community who would like more information about home education. There is no cost to your group. All we ask is that you provide the meeting location and publicize the seminar in your area (we'll help with publicity if needed). This is the time of year when many families consider teaching their children at home. Won't you partner with OCHEC and help us encourage these families to begin this rewarding journey? Just email us and let us know you're interested.
Is there some other way OCHEC can serve you as you teach your children at home? Let us know in the comments. We're always looking for ways to bless Oklahoma's homescooling families.
It's been TWO MONTHS since I last updated our little blog. For those of you who continue to check in (all both of you), THANKS! I hope I haven't startled you too much what with this new post and all. :-)
OCHEC news you need: The Support Group Leaders' Retreat is NEXT WEEK! Are you the leader of a support group? Maybe you're thinking of starting a group and would like to network with other leaders. We are hoping for a phenomenal turnout as we have so very many wonderful things in store for everyone who comes. We're encouraging groups to send as many folks from their leadership team as possible. Make sure that everyone who leads YOUR group knows how much we'd love to have them there.
Also, did you know that your support group can host a You Can Homeschool seminar? OCHEC will send a Trustee couple with a Power Point presentation, handouts, and loads of practical wisdom to address folks in your community who would like more information about home education. There is no cost to your group. All we ask is that you provide the meeting location and publicize the seminar in your area (we'll help with publicity if needed). This is the time of year when many families consider teaching their children at home. Won't you partner with OCHEC and help us encourage these families to begin this rewarding journey? Just email us and let us know you're interested.
Is there some other way OCHEC can serve you as you teach your children at home? Let us know in the comments. We're always looking for ways to bless Oklahoma's homescooling families.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Whew!
OCHEC Convention 2008 is now in the record books, and your OCHEC Trustees, Convention Committee and over 100 volunteers are a tired group. We are grateful for all 2,500+ of you that came, and for those who covered our efforts in prayer. As usual, we learned many things that we will use to make next year's convention even better.
Our next event is the Support Group Leaders' Retreat in July. If you belong to a support group, please make sure that your leadership team knows about the Retreat and encourage them to attend. We hope to have many couples there, though we realize that many support groups are led by homeschooling mothers. I'll be back in the next week or so with details, links and all manner of fun stuff on this subject, but I just wanted to put a little bee in your bonnet so you'd be thinking about it as this school year winds down.
Did YOU make it to the convention? Do you have any thoughts you'd like to share with the class? I look forward to your comments.
Our next event is the Support Group Leaders' Retreat in July. If you belong to a support group, please make sure that your leadership team knows about the Retreat and encourage them to attend. We hope to have many couples there, though we realize that many support groups are led by homeschooling mothers. I'll be back in the next week or so with details, links and all manner of fun stuff on this subject, but I just wanted to put a little bee in your bonnet so you'd be thinking about it as this school year winds down.
Did YOU make it to the convention? Do you have any thoughts you'd like to share with the class? I look forward to your comments.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
How Do You DO It?
Tonight the kids and I tackled this pit of despair that we call our home. We gave it 2.5 hours and it is considerably better, but by no means completely clean. I've come to the conclusion that I can either homeschool or keep the house clean, but I don't seem to be able to do both on a consistent basis. I'm wondering how YOU manage housekeeping and homeschooling.
Now, we do manage to basics of keeping the rooms picked up and the dishes done. Each child has daily household duties in addition to school work and music practice. We hardly ever get behind on laundry and usually manage to get three squares on the table. But getting to the real cleaning on anything like a regular basis just seems to elude us. Tonight I scrubbed the shower, tub, sinks and floors in the master bathroom. That master bath is now the cleanest room in the house. If you drop by tomorrow for a glass of tea, I can assure you that we'll be drinking it in the master bathroom. The rest of the house still needs a lot of TLC.
Now, we do manage to basics of keeping the rooms picked up and the dishes done. Each child has daily household duties in addition to school work and music practice. We hardly ever get behind on laundry and usually manage to get three squares on the table. But getting to the real cleaning on anything like a regular basis just seems to elude us. Tonight I scrubbed the shower, tub, sinks and floors in the master bathroom. That master bath is now the cleanest room in the house. If you drop by tomorrow for a glass of tea, I can assure you that we'll be drinking it in the master bathroom. The rest of the house still needs a lot of TLC.
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