Welcome to my Homeschool Journey

Welcome to my new blog on HomeschoolJourneys.com! I’m super excited to start writing about our journey through homeschooling.

I’ll begin with our journey to our new house in Arcadia. We moved in 6 weeks ago and are just about settled in. We went from a two bedroom upstairs condo, to a 3 bedroom house with a yard. With this new beginning, I’ve decided to give myself a fresh start in all areas, especially in how I take care of household responsibilities. I’m hoping to have everything running smoothly by the time the school year starts. I want to be able to start off my first year of homeschooling with a calm, peacefully run home. Of course, it can only be so calm with 3 children, age five and under.

An introduction: Meet my three children

Alissa – Age 5

Alissa lives up to the oldest child name. She is in charge and proud of it. She’s a mini mom to her siblings, she takes good care of them and is always willing to lend me a hand in my many endeavors. But she also has many of her own ideas and is often thinking of things to create, parties to throw or places to go.

Anthony – Age 3

Anthony was born on April Fool’s Day, and he lives up to that name. He’s the funny guy, always trying to make everyone laugh. He loves to run, play, & climb. But, he can also be found coloring, painting, or doing puzzles. He can stay focused on things for a long time, even longer than his older sister.

Rebecca Joy – Age 1

Rebecca is my delicate girl. She was the smallest as a baby, because she came a little early. From the moment I held her I’ve felt as though I needed to protect her and cherish her as long as I have her. She’s always been more quiet, but able to stare down anyone she doesn’t like. She’s become more vocal now and with that, more stubborn. She will not back down. She sees no reason to say please, if she’s already gotten her point across. She’s a delight to the whole family.

A Fresh Start: Settling in and making changes

I’ve also been taking the time to settle in. I’ve made it a point to decorate, spend time outside with the kids and also do some gardening. I want to take full advantage of all the time that I have in this house. We don’t know how long we’ll be in this house, but I’d like to enjoy all the moments I can. I want it to feel like home for my little ones.

One of the ways that I’m improving my care of the household is by reading and applying the Large Family Logistics Book. This book has been a lifesaver. The first half of the book talks about the attitudes and character needed to run a household. The second half of the book gives very practical advice on how to manage a household. It’s been teaching me many things about how to run a household smoothly by creating routines, systems, and dividing up tasks by days.

I’ve found after reading this book that my heart is more focused on my family and in finding joy in my responsibilities, instead of dragging my feet and trying to fight them. My children are enjoying all the changes too, they are becoming more helpful and more content. I would recommend Large Family Logistics to anyone that needs help learning how to run a household, even to those that don’t have a large family.

The Kids in the Swimming Pool

The Garden

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Family Room Pictures

The Girl’s Room

Share about your homeschool classroom

This is our homeschool classroom. We have one long desk where both children sit to work. We have tried a couple of different classroom set-ups and this seems to work the best. It’s not a huge room, but we have everything we need: workspace, storage, and seating for both children and myself.” ~ Maria of Our Home’s Cool

Check out the process of redecorating a homeschool classroom to get ideas for your own homeschool classroom or workspace. Maria did a great job converting her small area into a homeschool classroom, then redecorating it after evaluating the changes that needed to be made.

Show off your Homeschool Classroom or Space

Send me pictures of your classroom or homeschool space and any storage tips and pictures. I’ll feature your classroom too and add it to the gallery to help inspire others.

Makeshift Spoon Rest

I’ve never cared for spoon rests because they’re always in the way when you’re not using it or in the dishwasher when needed. In cooking my lunch today, I found myself holding a spoon with no place to lay it without making a mess and wishing I had a spoon rest. Then, I had an idea that worked out quite nicely. In the drawer next to my stove I keep a supply of Asian Soup Spoons. I pulled one out and voila, a spoon rest.

With my stash right next to my stove, I should always have a spoon rest available – yet never in my way. Unless, of course, I’m serving egg drop soup!

I hope my little discovery helps your household’s counter top and stove stay a little bit cleaner.