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Burnout is a thing among homeschool moms. The homeschool lifestyle is one of constantly giving and serving and going and doing, and it can be very hard to make time for yourself. In this episode I give 10 suggestions for how you can arrange your day and activities so there is time for YOU, time to find your sense of self again, time to feel more rested and less stressed. It starts with the understanding that if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy, LOL. It's totally and completely and thoroughly OK to spend some time on what YOU want to do, all by yourself, to regain your mojo -- because by doing so you will be BETTER able to serve your family. When you are stressed and run down, you are not the mom you want to be, am I right? Listen to the episode and be encouraged and empowered! SHOW NOTES

Phew! There is so much to think about during the college search process! How do you know what to look for in a college? Which factors really do matter, and which just aren't that important? Well, you ask a friend who's been through it! And that would be me. In this episode I talk you through the most important things to look for and those that just aren't all they're hyped up to be. Be reassured! Wherever you pick will most likely be a great fit for your teen! SHOW NOTES

I had a conversation with my last remaining teen and discovered what KILLS her motivation to do schoolwork or stay on top of whatever else I wish she would stay on top of. Since she is my fifth one, I know that what she said to me rings true for many teens. Give a listen and see if you can make any changes to reduce these motivation killers and thereby give your teen's oomph a boost! Homeschooling high school isn't always easy, but it doesn't have to be THAT hard! SHOW NOTES

Applying to college is not rocket science, but it helps to have an idea of what to do when. From choosing a major to narrowing down the search to filling out the application, this episode gives you the plan so you can ensure that nothing has been forgotten. While not every kid will follow this timeline—some may hit some spots earlier and some later—it's Ann's recommendation for how to keep the process as stress-free as possible. Listen and be encouraged that it doesn't have to be that hard! SHOW NOTES

In this episode we hear more from Pat Wesolowski from Bryan College about what she did as a homeschool mom, the good and the bad, LOL. And she shares one crucial thing to work on when preparing our teen for college, as well as how we can support them once they get there. I love hearing from veteran homeschool moms, don't you? SHOW NOTES

Pat Wesolowski has all the inside information about scholarships and financial aid! Listen to her great tips, including a cautionary story you don't want to experience for yourself, the key difference between academic and athletic scholarships and how to make them work for you, as well as how important the PSAT can be (who knew?). She has 32+ years homeschooling experience plus the know-how learned from being the homeschool admissions specialist at Bryan College in Dayton, TN. Definitely worth 20 minutes of your time! SHOW NOTES

WOW, talk about a veteran homeschooler, Pat Wesolowski homeschooled for THIRTY-TWO YEARS and is now the Homeschool Specialist at Bryan College. She chats with us in these three episodes about the college application process for homeschoolers, including tips about timing, standardized tests, scholarships—all the stuff you wanna know! It's a fun conversation as she also shares a little bit from her own life as a homeschool mom. Be encouraged to hear how someone else has been successful homeschooling all the way through high school! SHOW NOTES

When you're a newbie and you start looking at curriculum and there is SO. MUCH. OUT THERE. And you wonder how you will ever get started homeschooling high school with all of that to wade through first. Ann has some advice to make it easier, and when you listen to this episode and then go back and review the previous episode about choosing curriculum (episode 30), you'll find that it is a doable task and you really can find curriculum options that will work for your teen. No curriculum will be perfect, but with these pointers you can work through the process and feel confident that you aren't missing anything! SHOW NOTES

After you've researched your state homeschool law and college requirements (see parts 1 & 2 of this series), then it's time to get to the nitty gritty of which courses to put into the plan and which order to schedule them in. In this episode Ann gives you the nuts and bolts about core courses and how they are ordered, the key thing to remember about electives, and a little bit about credits (although they were discussed extensively in a previous episode which will be linked in the show notes). After this you'll have everything you need to know to create a great plan for your teen's four years of high school. You will be confident and you'll know you haven't missed anything. That's a good feeling! SHOW NOTES

One of the biggest fears about homeschooling high school is about missing something important. "I'll mess my kid up for life because I didn't know about a key requirement!" Nope, not gonna happen. In this episode Ann gives you the KEY to making sure you haven't missed ANYTHING, that you know EXACTLY what your teen needs to do in high school. Once you do this crucial research, you will be confident that you can DO THIS THING!

Yes, homeschooling high school is doable and you can start whenever you want. But make sure you know your state homeschool law FIRST. In this episode Ann discusses why knowing your state homeschool law is so important, how to find it, and what to look for. Don't skip this step! It will build your confidence and show you the freedom you have to make the high school years the best ever!

Has Covid-19 caused you to rethink your educational plan and bring your kid home for school? Has your public school system gone to online schooling?  Are you wondering what this "homeschooling" thing will look like for high school? Are you overwhelmed at the thought of working with your teen all day every day? If any of the above apply to you, then this podcast episode will help. In it I'll give tips to anyone who is faced with their teen being home for school for the first time, tips that will help things to run smoother and create less friction. We can all agree that doing high school at home can seem quite intimidating, but it doesn't have to be that hard when you utilize this common sense, practical advice from a mom who has been there through five kids.  SHOW NOTES

This episode focuses on grading your teen's writing, which may be one of scariest parts of homeschooling high school. With this simple tool, it doesn't have to intimidate you! Give yourself and your teen the confidence you both need to be successful and to know they are prepared for college. SHOW NOTES

After spending three weeks talking to Kay Chance about writing, it seemed a good idea to share my own tips from years of experience and several kids, most of whom have gone onto college. Writing is a tough subject to feel confident about. It's hard to know what constitutes "good" writing and whether your kid's work is actually any good at all or if you're just completely biased about it, LOL. Like anything else, though, it doesn't have to be that hard. Writing can fit into your homeschool high school fairly easily, and even grading doesn't have to scare you. Give a listen to gain ideas and encouragement! SHOW NOTES

In today's episode we hear Kay's recommendation for a writing curriculum, her suggestion for how to use a rubric in a way that lessens the pressure, and what it means to homeschool boldly. She also talks about using curriculum as a guide rather than a taskmaster, as well as about incorporating writing into other subjects; and she introduces the idea of peer review, even for homeschoolers. SO MUCH useful information and encouragement here! She also answers the question: WHY homeschool high school? It's always fun to hear what people say about that, and Kay's wisdom is super helpful. Enjoy! SHOW NOTES

Kay Chance from Heart-to-Heart Homeschooling has such great insight to share about whether we should be doing essay writing or creative writing or real-life writing in high school, how to help our teens choose a topic, how to motivate them to write, and why some are reluctant. She also recommends some tools that will help anyone write better. It's a jam-packed episode! SHOW NOTES

In this series, Kay Chance from Heart-to-Heart Homeschooling gives us great encouragement and ideas and HOPE for teaching writing to our teens. She knows what she's talking about as far as what makes writing good, what skills our kids need, and how to bring out the best from them.  In this episode hear what Kay thinks are the most important skills teens need in order to become good writers, how to evaluate their writing (it's easier than you think!), and how to use READING to teach WRITING. SHOW NOTES

It's that time of year when we are narrowing down our curriculum choices, when the hope is high that we'll find something that will really work and ignite our homeschool to be better than it's ever been. Cuz maybe this past year was disappointing (which actually is probably true for everyone this time around, what with quarantining and all). Yet you don't know where to start or how to find that perfect something. Or you're overwhelmed with all the choices. It's almost worse than choosing from the dessert menu at Cheescake Factory! Do you need someone to give you some pointers? That's where this podcast episode comes in. Ann shares her thoughts on choosing and using curriculum so you don't set yourself up to fail. It's gotta work for YOU, right? As always you'll hear Ann's practical viewpoint that you might not find elsewhere. She wants you to feel encouraged and inspired—but with no pressure. We've all got lots going on; no one needs to turn this into yet another thing that we feel like we're not good at. So in 15 minutes you can regain perspective and get motivated to press on! SHOW NOTES  

In previous episodes Jean Burk told us how to prepare for the ACT, SAT, & CLT, but you might still have some burning questions about the basic things you need to know. Why take these tests? When should you take them? Which test to take? How do you register? These are the questions that I answer from my own perspective in this episode. I'm up to #5 kid starting to apply to college—yikes!—so I've had some experience, and I distill it down to the doable and manageable. As always, LOL. Listen for the nitty gritty, quick and dirty lowdown on these tests and what you absolutely need to know about them. SHOW NOTES

What is the difference between the ACT, SAT, & CLT anyway? Haven't you wondered that? I know I have. In this episode Jean tells us exactly what we need to know, and we spend a bit of time learning more about the CLT, since it's newer and not everyone has heard of it. Other topics discussed are when you should start working with your kid to prepare for these, how long do they really get per question, and why do some "smart" kids still have trouble with these silly things? LOTSA valuable info AGAIN!  SHOW NOTES