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Introduction time! {#ParentTeacherMeetUp}

Monday, September 14

For the first week of our Parent Teacher Meet-Up we wanted to introduce ourselves and share a little bit about what home education looks like in our families. I love seeing the diverse ways people choose to make education a part of their lives. Some parents appear to have it all figured out. Then there are others... like me. If you are new to my blog, I will warn you right now that I am a rambler. Seriously. So for those who aren't into reading long, rambling posts I will start with just the facts:


Name: Branson
Kiddo: Aiden, age 5
Homeschool Year: Kindergarten
Curriculum/Style: I started the year with a pieced together curriculum (read about it here) intending to ease into things Charlotte Mason style. If I had to define my style right now, I would say there is also a dash of unschooling.
Typical Week: We "do school" pretty much any time. I try to get most of the organized learning done in the morning, but some days are better than others. We also to tae kwon do 3 nights a week, story time at our library, homeschool gym, Sunday School and lead a teen small group in our home with kids who love Aiden (even if he is a bit distracting!). I would say we go about two weeks at a time and then end up "unschooling" for a week or so. We plan to be year-round schoolers.
Favorite Parts of Homeschooling So Far: Nature studies, listening to him read, being able to take days off when we need them, getting to see him hit milestones and get excited about what he learns.
Biggest Struggle So Far: Finding a rhythm for our family.

I bet you thought that was rambling enough... but if you really still want to read...

Homeschooling was not something I planned on when Aiden was a baby. I actually dreamed of his school days when I would be an involved room mom at the school I once attended as a child. I honestly don't remember entirely when the change in plans started to become reality. I remember timidly suggesting the idea to my husband when God started tugging on my heart about the issue. I also remember being really surprised when his answer was "Let's go for it!" We started out saying we would just try preschool at home. Before we knew it, we had decided that it felt absolutely right for our family to continue educating Aiden at home. The start of the school year came, and we watched his cousin and best buddy start the school he would have attended. Now, here we are... "unofficial" homeschoolers (in Nebraska you are not recognized as a homeschooler until your child is 6 years old) working on our kindergarten year.

Before we started this year, I did a LOT of planning. Now that we are about 6 weeks in, I am doing a LOT of rethinking things. I imagine that is pretty common for the first year (please, tell me it is?) but that doesn't make it any easier. I have those moments of panic when I wonder if I can really do this. I have days when I think this is the best thing ever. Most days fall somewhere in between. When I have those tough days, I try to remind myself to look at how far we have come. I have Aiden read me a book, or I dig out an old paper and marvel at how his handwriting has changed. That is why blogging about homeschool is such a priority for me. I need to be able to see things for what they are... a work in progress that really is making progress!

Because we don't really have a "typical day" yet, I have a hard time documenting a day in our homeschool life. But I take pictures... a lot of pictures... and tag them on Insta with #merrillhomeschool so that definitely provides a glimpse! I also did make a point to get out my camera this week to snap a couple of photos:





Also linking up with: My Week in Review

Okay... are you read to link up with us?


Before linking up, it would be lovely if you would follow all 3 of us in whatever social media avenues you frequent:

Branson 
Nicolette
Maggie


2 comments :

  1. I feel like I could have written this post myself! I never planned to homeschool; sent my kids to school for a few years and decided to try homeschooling for just a year.... 4 years later and we've never looked back. Definitely swamped by doubts and fear at times but my blog is what keeps me going. It helps to document what we are doing and see all the changes. Every year I would spend weeks planning our weeks out and within a few days would have to revamp our plan when "life" got in the way. The more homeschooling moms I meet and talk to though the more I realize we're all pretty much in the same boat; hoping we're not screwing up our kids, trying to enjoy them and life, and just doing the best we can. Sounds like you're off to a great start.

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  2. Thanks for hosting! Always fun to find a new linkup to meet other homeschool families! :)

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