The Autodidact

No, I am not going to talk about accounting. I took it in college, and made an 'A' but, really, it holds no interest for me. And if you want to teach your kids accounting, more power to you! The accounting I want to explore is the concept of being accountable to someone else, especially in the area of homeschooling. So many moms say they need accountability, so they join a co-op or some other accountability group. They say it's the only way they will stay on track. They say they just don't trust themselves to do a good enough job, or do it right, or do it at all. But I propose another way of looking at this issue. Instead of looking to other homeschoolers to hold you accountable, I suggest looking elsewhere. For me, I know that first and foremost, I am accountable to God. He is watching over me, and looking into my heart. He knows my motivations and my sin. I pledged to educate my children before Him, and I know He will hold me accountable someday for the job I di...

So many times I hear moms lament over their messy house and the disorganization and they are overwhelmed by it all. They want to start afresh, turn over a new leaf, but with lots of little kids, trying to homeschool and keep food on the table, it just seems impossible to get a grip! But it's not as overwhelming as you think when you stop and break it down into smaller jobs. And have some chocolate. First, if you are in the middle of the school year, you can slog through the rest of the year and start in the summer. But the lovely thing about homeschooling is that you can take a break whenever you want, include the kids in the project at hand, and then pick up where you left off, with little or no bloodshed. So, where to start? I suggest you start with yourself: your bedroom, and if you have a master bath, your bathroom as well. Leave no drawer, cupboard, closet, under-the-bed space left un-purged. Be brutal. Give it away! Throw it away! Take a week or more to concentrate on m...