Category Archives: homeschooling

Sep 30 2025

5 Productivity Tools Every Homeschool Mom Needs to Stay Ahead

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We all need to do our work better and faster, so that we can have more time for fun. However, I do hope homeschooling is fun for you most of the time. In this spirit, I offer you five productivity tools. This post contains affiliate links. Here we go:

 

Tool #1

Homeschool planner – This Paper Peony Press planner contains pages for your yearly, monthly, and weekly goals. As such, you will find space to plan your menus, besides your lessons and calendar. Bonus: it is undated. I really like it.

Homeschool Planner

Homeschool Planner

 

Tool #2

Noise-canceling earbuds for focused planning – Personally, I enjoy silence from time to time. When I sit at co-op with all the noise around me, in the general area, it can get very noisy. At home, we run the dehumidifier all. the. time. I do not find white noise relaxing. It annoys me. A lot. So these earbuds are a lifesaver for me. I wish I had them when the children were little and loud.

Earbuds

Noise-canceling earbuds

 

Tool #3

Portable chargers for co-op days or field trips – How long do you stay at co-op? We spend seven hours there. We also drive for three hours both ways. So we are gone from home for 10 hours. When we take fields trips, they also usually take all day. As a mom with children on the road, I need to be connected with my husband via cell. We live in the year of our Lord 2025. Gone are the days of payphones and pagers. For my peace of mind, I must have a cell phone and a charger with me.

Portable Charger

Portable Charger

 

Tool #4

Desk calendars or dry-erase boards for scheduling – These come in handy. As a result, the entire family knows where everybody goes and when. Now that we have three cars and three drivers, we all go in different directions. It feels good to know and see visually the week or the month ahead. Personally, I like this wall calendar because of the cork board section at the bottom, where you can pin tickets or bits of paper and notes.

Wall Calendar

Wall Calendar

 

Tool #5

Coffee maker and tumbler for on-the-go days – You know homeschool moms do not stay at home every day, right? We need our coffee on the go, preferably in a stainless steel tumbler, please. The link will take you to a black matching set with a coffee maker and a 14 oz travel mug. As the only coffee drinker in my family, I love my single-serve coffee maker – which is what this link will take you to. No waste, reusable filter, and compact for your already crowded kitchen counter.

Coffee Maker and Tumbler

Coffee Maker and Tumbler

Sep 27 2025

College Fair

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If your student is headed to college, you owe it to yourself to attend at least one college fair. I would wait until your child’s junior year. If your child has reached the senior year, definitely go now. Last week, I attended a college fair at Maryville College and learned a few things.

Maryville College Fair

Maryville College Fair at Clayton Center for the Arts

It happened in the beautiful Clayton Center for the Arts in downtown Maryville, TN. Continue reading »

Sep 15 2025

Unplugged Tots – Book and Website

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Raspberry Pi Press published Unplugged Tots, a book by Hannah Hagon, in August 2025 in the UK. In the US, the book is available for pre-order here and now [affiliate link]. The subtitle of the book encourages us to “introduce children to the foundations of computer coding.” However, unplugged means no electronics. Well, how on earth can one teach computer coding without electronics? Through simple household items and activities parents and children can do together.

Unplugged Tots by Hannah Hagon

Unplugged Tots by Hannah Hagon

I had to privilege of interviewing Hannah last week about Unplugged Tots and you can watch the interview on my YouTube channel or listen to it on Spotify. Yes, I have started a complementary podcast version of this blog. Please bear with me as I work out the techy details. Continue reading »

Aug 30 2025

5 Supplemental Workbooks to Enhance Your Homeschool Curriculum

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After the back-to-school season, we homeschool parents may realize our chosen curriculum isn’t working. What to do? Let me suggest you do not need to make drastic changes. Maybe all you need is a little supplementation. This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support.

Brainquest Workbooks

Brainquest Workbooks

In this post, I am recommending workbooks or curriculum add-ons which can address this pain point we have all felt at one time or another. Continue reading »

Aug 22 2025

Sending The Transcript

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The First Week of my son’s Last Year has come to an end. Why am I capitalizing nouns as they do in German? Maybe because I feel like this First Week and this Last Year feel important? Here’s what we have learned: the Common App walks you through all the needed documentation each college requires. Some will have the same requirements. Others will ask for an extra thing or two. But you cannot do it all in one sitting.

Alexander the Great Diploma

Alexander the Great Diploma – don’t you wish you saw his transcript?

To tackle the job of applying to five universities, my son spent a few minutes every day opening tabs and filling out required information. One cannot possibly finish in one session. Continue reading »

Aug 14 2025

Homeschool Organization and Storage Solutions

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Have you ever struggled with keeping materials, books, and projects organized? You and me both. Especially after the back-to-school rush when clutter starts to build, I find it necessary to take a few minutes and really think through my organization methods. Let me offer you solutions to help streamline your homeschool space, based on what has worked for us. This post contains affiliate links.

Things To Do This Week

Spend a few minutes today to save hours every week.

 

Continue reading »

Aug 12 2025

My Next Level Health Kitchen

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You might know that I am a bit of a health reformer. A vegetarian since 1993, I have also been drinking 2+ quarts of water daily, walking 2+ miles regularly, and generally aimed for 7 hours of sleep at night. One cannot be too careful with one’s lifestyle choices. If we aim to age well, – and who doesn’t? – we must make a bit of an effort. This post contains affiliate links.

Glass Food Storage Containers

Glass Food Storage Containers

Well, my son has taken our healthy lifestyle to a whole new level. Ever since he read Estrogeneration (affiliate link), he has politely refused to eat certain things (like veggie meat products or processed foods). I don’t mind a challenge, so I have adapted my cooking to accommodate him and, for the most part, the other members of the family have not complained (too much).

Estrogeneration - learn about your next level healthy lifestyle

Estrogeneration – learn about your next level healthy lifestyle

Here are some of the new things I have had to add to the kitchen:

  1. A Reverse Osmosis Water Filter – honestly, you can taste the difference in the water
  2. Aluminium Watter Bottles (no, BPA-free plastic bottles are not safe)
  3. Glass Food Storage Container Set – not as convenient as plastic, but so worth it
  4. Castiron skillet – hard to handle and clean, but so much better for us than Teflon
  5. Large castiron skillet – for bigger recipes
  6. InstantPot – I had one, but I use it more often now, to save time, as I sometimes cook four kinds of breakfast for the four different people in my family
  7. Cast Iron Dutch Oven – to make anything, really, but especially our amazing Dutch Oven Bread recipe

 

This post contains affiliate links. If you order through these links, I make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Aug 10 2025

Back-to-Homeschool Clothes

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Here is a legitimate reason to purchase some new clothes, for yourself and for your kiddos: the beginning of a new school year. Without further ado, let me share seven outfit ideas tailored for back-to-co-op or homeschool settings, split into three for moms and four for kids, covering nature walks, classroom, and church activities. Each outfit balances comfort, practicality, and style, suitable for the dynamic needs of co-op or homeschool environments.

For Moms

Nature Walk Outfit

Top: Lightweight, long-sleeve moisture-wicking tunic in a neutral color like olive green to protect against sun and bugs.

Bottom: Stretchy, quick-dry hiking pants in khaki or navy for mobility.
Shoes: Waterproof trail shoes with good grip, like Merrell Moab Ventilator.
Accessories: Wide-brimmed hat for sun protection, a crossbody bag for essentials (water bottle, snacks, first-aid kit), and polarized sunglasses.
Durable and comfortable for outdoor exploration, this outfit offers layers to handle weather changes.

 

Classroom Outfit

Top: Soft cotton or bamboo-blend cardigan in a pastel shade (e.g., blush pink) over a white or cream tee.
Bottom: Mid-rise, dark-wash jeans with slight stretch for comfort during long teaching sessions.
Shoes: Slip-on loafers or ballet flats in a neutral tone like beige or black for a polished yet practical look.
Accessories: Simple stud earrings, a smartwatch for time management, and a tote bag for books and supplies. Continue reading »

Jul 25 2025

7 Essential Homeschool Supplies: Must-Have Amazon Picks for Back-to-School

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Homeschool season kicks off soon, so I’m sharing my top picks for supplies that rock a productive learning vibe. These seven essentials from Amazon streamline your setup. Here are the products for easy shopping. Please note these are affiliate links. Let’s dive in!

 

  • Pens – Grab vibrant gel pens or smooth ballpoints for scribbling notes, grading papers, or unleashing creativity. Ergonomic grips keep hands happy during marathon writing sessions – you do have those in your homeschool, right? Check out Four Candies Gel Pens.
Gel Pens

Gel Pens

 

  • Desk – Anchor your kid’s workspace with a sturdy desk. Adjustable heights and built-in storage nail organization for tight spaces. Scope out Cubiker Computer Desk for a sleek, compact vibe. The drawers add just enough storage space for supplies and the curriculum du jour.
Computer Desk with Drawers

Computer Desk with Drawers

Continue reading »

Jul 21 2025

MEL Science Review

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If you are looking for a science curriculum for the upcoming school year, check out MEL Science. My son and I recently got a chance to work with two of the experiments from their Chemistry kit. Here is what we did.

Teenager unboxes MEL Science kit

My son unboxing the MEL Science Chemistry kit

First, my son learned that one metal can sacrifice itself for another. Insert spiritual/life lesson according to your beliefs. What do we mean by that? MEL Science teaches the concept of corrosion through an experiment called rust protection. On its own, an iron nail rusts in water. But the magnesium strip (provided in the kit) keeps the blue precipitate from forming around the nail. As a result, the nail stays as good as new.

Rust Protection MEL Science

Rust Protection – MEL Science Kit

Why? Magnesium sacrifices some of its electrons to protect the nail. When abandoned one-on-one with oxygen, iron surrenders some electrons. When paired with magnesium, iron receives electrons from magnesium and does not rust. The experiment took about 25 minutes.

Corrosion Rust Protection experiment

Our son working through the experiment

Continue reading »