Another newbie here!

Hello all! My name is Gretchen and I am so excited to be a new part of the team here at The Homeschool Post!

I’d love to share a little bit about my life and my homeschooling journey. I am mom to three girls ages 5, 7, and 9 who are all so wild, creative, and different. Our school days are filled with the basics with an emphasis on literature and history. My oldest is a reader and an artist, and would rather we just skip the whole math thing, permanently if you please! My middle child loves to hear stories but would rather not read them herself, thankyouverymuch, and would prefer to play Math games all day long. My youngest is a bit of a drama queen, and loves to color color color color color. We are calling this her Pink Period, as she is quite the little princess. I am a photographer, musician, and crafter. I love to knit, my current knitting obsession is socks and cables, the twistier the better! I love to sew, crafty things, and clothes for my girls. My latest crafty trend is making felted items with thrifted sweaters, such fun! I love to learn and try new things, which is a great fit for homeschooling. I am always amazed by how much I learn while teaching my own children.

We’ve been homeschooling for their entire educational experiences, though my two eldest did attend a year of community pre-school. Our decision to homeschool was largely influenced by the location we lived in when the girls were small, and out of a desire to give them what we felt would be the best education they could receive. We have been blessed that my husband has been able to provide for our needs, and God has always provided more than we could have imagined. I do love being home with my girls, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

It hasn’t (Ever!) been easy, and we have daily struggles with attitudes, obedience, respect, discipline, etc. We have particular challenges with our middle child. She was diagnosed with Sensory Integration Disorder, selective mutism, dyslexia, and Asperger’s. We just call her quirky She has grown in leaps in bounds, just in the last year, and I am grateful, daily, for the ability to school her at home. Her particular challenges have not had to interfere with her ability to get an education. I know that she would have had so many more struggles to deal with if she had been in a brick and mortar school.

This year we have been involved in a weekly co-op where my girls have been thriving! It is been so wonderful to get to know other homeschoolers, bounce ideas off of one another, and share the joys and the disappointments. It is amazing what a difference it has made in my ability to cope with the day to day struggles, knowing that I have friends I can call on when I just need a new strategy or a shoulder to cry on. We moved to a new state three years ago, and left behind a wonderful group of homeschoolers who had been supporting us. When we moved, I didn’t get involved right away with a new group. I was overwhelmed with the task of getting to know all these new people! You wouldn’t probably know it if you met me, but inside, I am quite shy and timid. I don’t often let on, and tend to be a bit boisterous to cover it up! I worry too much about what others must think of me, and then I talk too much! Strange, right? For almost two years, I was an isolated homeschooler. I had very few friends that I could actually see and touch, and relied on my friends that I could phone or chat with on-line. I was so thankful to be able to get to know other homeschoolers through the internet, to remind me I wasn’t alone. But, this year, with those friends I can actually see, it has been so much less stressful! I needed that push to get out there and meet new people. My kids needed it too. I am going to encourage you today, if you don’t have a support system near you, to take that step, and meet someone new. Form your own playgroup, co-op, or girls’ night out. Go out for coffee with the lady you met while picking up your daughter from Sunday School. Invite someone over for a mother-daughter tea party, or mother-son legofest! I hope to share more in the coming months about a group I am forming. We will be getting together to learn new things. Everyone has something that they can teach! Our group will be learning to knit, sew, bake, braid hair, scrapbook, build a grocery list, find cool websites, etc. Each mom will be taking a few weeks to share her expertise with the rest of us, moms and kids. I am starting off the group with a knitting seminar. Did you know that knitting is a wonderful craft for both boys and girls, and can be very beneficial for kids with sensory issues as a coping mechanism, and to build fine motor skills, right/left brain interaction, and help with handwriting?! I don’t have scientific data to back it up, just what I have observed with my own kids, and what I know about occupational therapy So, if you are feeling stressed, and isolated, search out a group of other moms (and dads!) to meet with, or create your own group! It will benefit you in ways you may not have even imagined!

I don’t think of myself as an expert, nor do I often feel I have much to say that anyone would care to read about! But, I have been on this journey for quite some time now, and am always willing to share about our experiences: what works for us, what doesn’t, and what we are learning about now. I know it isn’t always roses and bubbles, it certainly isn’t always fun, and I am willing to share about the triumphs and the sorrows. There are days when I feel like throwing in the towel on this whole homeschooling thing. I imagine how clean my house would be if it weren’t for all these girls messing it up all day long! But at the end of the day, I know that I would exchange this life for anything in the world. But I would gladly accept a housekeeper if anyone has an extra!

Thanks to the team here at The HSBA Post for inviting me to be a part of this great resource for homeschoolers.