<First, the confession.
I’ve been a homeschooling mom for over 15 years and you’d think I would know what I was doing by now, right?
Don’t get me wrong; my kids are doing fine. They’re just a little…splattered from all the different hopes, dreams and curricula that I’ve thrown at them over the course of my being their homeschooling mama.
Here’s the REAL confession: as a sanguine-melancholic with lots of kids (and a husband) (and a dog), I struggle daily with three big crosses: inconsistency, distractability and overwhelm. Not that my 9- and 5-year-old sons really care! They see me as a stay-at-home superhero that simply lives to read to them, play with them and make them sandwiches.
They’re loud, they’re demanding, they’re…incredibly cute.
Which is why I am honored to be their school-at-home teacher (I mean that; I love it) and yet, because of my temperament and despite having done this “homeschooling thing” for as long as I have, I still get discouraged that I am doing it wrong. I still struggle with thinking that I’m wasting time and money–so much curricula over the years that I should either use, sell or give away!–and these book-laden shelves were making me feel quite guilty.
Looking around the house, all I saw was….failure. Looking around the house, I felt accused.
Curse this aspect of my personality! This fear of the future, regret, doubt, worry–you name it, I’ve had it when it comes to my homeschooling and yet, as my husband is always quick to point out, our kids are truly doing fine. We homeschool through Grade 6 and then they attend a private school just up the road. They may not know how to stand in a line when they get there (ha) but they get A’s and B’s; they are socialized; they succeed.
It really is a question of my peace of mind, which is why I’ve been using Pam Barnhill’s Put Your Home School on Autopilot all summer to get my 2018-2019 plans in place.
I am so, so thankful for this program! Truly, I wouldn’t be taking the time to write this post if I hadn’t been seeing the fruits in my own heart and my homeschool.
Thank you, Pam! I am more than grateful.
Full disclosure: I’m an affiliate for Pam’s products. If you buy via my referral I’ll get a small kickback.
Also, this program has no expiration date. It’s yours for the using and perusing, as long as you need! Plus there’s a 30-day zero-risk guarantee; try it out and see if you don’t love it.
Finally, today is the very last day to get in on Put Your Homeschool on Autopilot. I apologize for waiting so long to review it! I needed to put my (very distracted) nose to the grindstone–which I did for pretty much the entire summer–and you know what? For the first time in a very, very long while…
…by the grace of God and with considerable help from Pam Barnhill…
I’m excited and confident that I’ve got this. ♥
Well, I’ve lurked here with some frequency, but now I *have* to comment — you said you were a (Bennett-described-impossible combination) sanguine-melancholic. I don’t care what combinations are impossible — after I took the survey in the back of *The Temperament God Gave You* twice in 3 years, I now call myself a mel-sang! And I can relate to the fears you have and how you described them! (I’m sorry…they’re no fun.)
No one’s ever said they’re ‘the impossible combo.’ Very nice to know there’s really another one out there!
I’m not a mom (nor married…yet!), but this Michigander lived a dozen or so years in the Twin Cities, and really misses it. I did a year on NET (93-94), and moved to the West Side (between the River and WSP). Then I did a year on SPO staff, and finally earned a Master’s in Catholic Studies at UST. Part of me would *love* to return to MN some day.
Well, nice to meet you, fellow sang-mel/mel-sang! 😀