Without a vision, the people perish. Unless we write down the vision, the goals we have for our homeschool, we will not accomplish them. So I hope you are writing down your goals for every school year and every school break you have. My children having fun with a sign which said “trail” twice, at Cumberland Gap National Park Here are some of our goals for the summer: we finish the US History curriculum; we work through a few lessons in Algebra II, which should be done harp lessons continue children work at dad’s business as needed (Zoder’s Inn and Suites) children work at mom’s business as ..read more

And that’s a wrap on this school year, my friends – our 11th year homeschooling. Speaking of a wrap, it is hard to wrap my mind around the fact that my youngest just finished 8th grade. My oldest just finished 10th grade and in just a few months, in the fall, he will take the PSAT. My two children on an overlook near Cumberland Gap National Park You have to understand something: the PSAT represents the Holy Grail of my long-term planning this whole homeschool adventure. When my children were preschoolers, I read in the local newspaper about the National Merit Scholarship and thought, “THAT ..read more

As you might know, the SAT is now strictly digital. There is a software one must download called Bluebook, not to be confused with other blue books out there. Bobcat at my house the other day, while we were preparing for the digital SAT The College Board will give you more details about it on their website. I can tell you we are finding it easy to use and navigate, but everybody is different. I would strongly advise you to have your child take at least one practice test inside the Bluebook platform and then review what went wrong. We all know the SAT or the ACT do NOT test a child’s true ed ..read more

Our daughter has been taking harp lessons for almost two years and her teacher takes some of his students to a couple of events around town. One is the Valentine Day’s Harp Concert at the Maryville Public Library. The other is the Rossini Festival, the largest street festival in Knoxville, TN. Our daughter playing the harp on the Union Ave stage during the 2024 Rossini Festival Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating that day, but we made do. At least the rain stopped before we got to the stage. The William Lovelace Harp Ensemble right now consists of the teacher, William Lovelace, an ..read more

My children are 16 and 14. They follow their own passions for most of the day, after we finish school essentials. When I hear complaints about public school, they usually go along the lines of, “It’s such a waste of time.” So true. Homeschooling surely is efficient, so it allows children time to study what they really want to focus on. My son, building a computer from scratch For instance, my son decided to build a computer from scratch this semester. At co-op, he took a class in Computer Architecture and Design. Under the guidance of his teacher at co-op, my son worked on this project so di ..read more

My children have spent Spring Break in Nashville for TeenPact for the past few years. They love TeenPact and they immediately want to sign up for next year’s camp. However, they feel tired by the end of the week. Downtown Nashville, on the way to TeenPact Therefore, I decided to give them Spring Break the following week, when they are at home. They can pace themselves, relax, and only work on co-op homework plus music, exercise, and a hike. Spring Break for me means I get to focus on my endeavors away from the kids. My husband and I get to go on lunch dates and walks. We all need a change of ..read more

Have you ever heard of The Sinks in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park? It is a splendid waterfall. Next to it, you can go on a spectacular hike called Meigs Creek. The Sinks waterfall in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park The kids and I joined our friends last week for a hike there. We crossed several creeks until we came to a wonderful lunch spot. After the picnic, we just hiked back to the parking lot. It was 36 F but sunny, so we enjoyed it and warmed up while walking. Spending time in nature really helps our relationship with each other and with ourselves. Have you noticed how ..read more

Many of you know me as a homeschool mom and blogger. Some of you may have also read my books or my newspaper columns. Today I would like to introduce you to my business, Smoky Mountain Soaps, LLC. Don’t we all have a side hustle? What is yours? Please let me know in the comments. I have always loved the idea of natural soap, cosmetics, and candles. A few years ago, I went from the idea to the making of it. Some of our products: lavender soap, bath salts, and oatmeal soap You see, my grandmother used to make lye soap in the 60s and 70s. I grew up knowing that soap making is not just something ..read more

Our daughter has taken harp lessons for a year and a half. Every year, her teacher invites several of his students to the Blount County Public Library around Valentine’s Day, to perform in front of about 200 people. Our daughter played on a Wurlitzer harp from the 1930s, on loan from her teacher. This yearly concert started almost twenty years ago as the brainchild of Bill Robinson, a violinist and retired orchestra director from Maryville. The program lasted about an hour and checked all the boxes: it was free, lovely, ethereal, inspiring, and educational. The public came out in droves this ..read more

Recently, I visited a business in Sevierville and saw a cute sign next to their coffee machine. It read, “Rise and Grind.” Witty, right? Just do it. Rise and grind and homeschool. Rinse. Repeat. This is the time of the year when homeschooling feels like a grind. We are still hibernating, so energy levels are low. Motivation to grind daily in math is low, too. The beautiful thing about homeschooling? We have the flexibility to let the children follow their interests. So what if we skip math today? She read half a book, practiced her harp, and hung out with friends at co-op. The same goes for ..read more