Some lighthearted humor to start the day.
1. What happened to the house today? Even if there are scraps of craft paper on the floor and stuck to the table and there’s toast from breakfast still sitting in the toaster and a huge pile of legos sitting there right in the middle of the living room, just let it go. Find something creative to say about the clutter. Like this — it looks like you guys exercised your creativity today!
2. Seriously? Macaroni and cheese for dinner again? Some days, macaroni and cheese is an excellent and needed option for dinner. And just so you know, they have gluten free mac and cheese options as well. Sometimes mac and cheese is the save the sanity go-to dinner option.
3. What did you get done today? Even if there is a stack of papers on the table, a mess everywhere, and only 14 math problems got completed – they still worked. So best to tuck the what did you get done away and simply ask how the day went and listen to all the amazing things that were accomplished.
4. Do I have clean underwear anywhere? Don’t even touch the laundry subject. Simply step away, walk down to the dryer or the 5 full clothes baskets, and begin digging.
5. Could so and so drop by in 10 minutes? Always, and I repeat, always, give warning. I prefer to have a good six hour warning before someone comes over. Then, at our home, we commence operation clean up.
6. Did you wear that shirt yesterday? Shirts can be worn more than once. That’s okay. In fact, simply grab a cardigan, throw it over and call it a day. Add a side pony tail and spice up the look.
7. You owe the library what?? Library fines are simply par for the course. Honestly, just begin to budget in library fines and call it all in the honor of learning. I figure we’ve already purchased the “L” and “I” in the library sign outside of our library.
8. In all your spare time could you organize this large event? Ha. Spare time. Never, ever, and I repeat ever, tell a homeschool mom {or any mom in that instance} that she has a bunch of spare time.
9. Oh, you let the kids watch television? Seriously, moms, some media is okay. There are moments in our lives where it is simply okay to turn on Kipper the Dog so that we can make something besides the above mentioned macaroni and cheese for dinner. Let it go. Some media is okay. Media all day? Even though you could slap the educational tag on it? That’s not okay.
10. How do you do it? I know this is meant kindly and out of curiosity, but often this gets me {and the other homeschool mom} wondering how in the world they actually made it through the day. Instead, a simpler and sweeter way might be this: you amaze me, you homeschool mom who gets up at the crack of dawn and survives on coffee and who still smiles at the end of the day and can sing the grammar song with the best of them and who goes to bed content. Try those sweet words instead.
In the spirit of fun, what are some things that you can think of to not tell to a homeschool mom? And, grin, homeschool moms, I think you’re pretty amazing.
{ 50 comments… read them below or add one }
Number 5 really gets my me! I live in a new house so some people assume that means it’s a show home. I’ve been humiliated several times when non-homeschooling friends “pop” in for a tour. Ahhh! I shall learn to say, “No…you cannot see the rest of the house.” lol
Funny article…thanks!
Thanks, Candace.
My hubby knows that I need warning — or else, I just excuse the science project on the counter and the pile of legos in the living room — and then I just smile.
Blessings!
Mine? Don’t ever say to me “I couldn’t stand to be around my kids all day like that.” I hate that. I know you mean you don’t like your own kids very much, but my brain hears it as “I couldn’t stand to be around your passel of brats all day.” I find it insulting. I like my brats. Just tell me how neat an idea homeschooling is and move on.
Oh yes, Cindy, I get that one! I just tell them it’s crazy busy and I love having my kids around me.
Oh Cindy!!!! That one drives me crazy as well! I have seen so many moms post at how excited they are that summer is over and their kids are back to school. I enjoy spending all the time I can with my kids. Before we know it they will be grown and gone. And most people that I talk to that have older children say, ” I wish I would have homschooled, I wish I would have spent more time with my kids.”
I totally agree about this! I don’t want to live a life wishing that I had spent more time with my kids! I love being home with them and I’ll be bold and tell people it!
Ooh yes this one is frustrating. Why must it be an all or nothing deal? Black, white, hate, love – fact is, sometimes I DON’T like being with my kids all day. Sometimes I don’t think they like being with me either. But maybe this is worse, pretend it’s “nirvana” all day long. Frankly, it isn’t. One or more of us is messing up on a pretty regular basis, and I know we could do better, be better, love better, pray better, but PRAISE God he is glorified in my/our weakness! It is a difficult, thankless, sometimes humiliating, often exhausting life and when the chips are down, I STILL wouldn’t have it any other way.
This article made me laugh and made me feel so normal at the same time! Thanks for the great post – I always love what you write!
Thanks so much, Elizabeth. I’m glad you laughed — sometimes we all just need a good chuckle!
Numbers four and seven had me laughing out loud! Sadly, those are both painfully true.
After having paid $40 in library fines this past week, I think we are well on our way to purchasing the “L” at our library!!!
Still chuckling…
Yeah, those library fines. I think the librarians cheer as we leave knowing that we’ll be helping to fund the library for the next month. Sigh. And I try to be good! It’s just that inevitable book that gets put in the pile of books next to someone’s bed that then gets put in a new pile somewhere else…:)
Yes that one got to me too. Library fines are my “Evil Nemesis”. I never thought to put library fines in my budget. Thanks for the tip.
We’ve never had problems with fines, yet, but my girls are still little. What we’ve done is spray-painted a huge diaper box (a Costco one!), cut out a strategic front, & labeled it “Library”. The rule is, it doesn’t matter if you’re in the middle of reading it, if you’re done for the time being, it gets put back into the box. Mom & Dad have to follow the rule too!
Hopefully someone finds this idea helpful!
I was “Amen”ing over her as though Billy Graham was doing an altar call. Things I would add to the list, the ones you mentioned and “I could never have the patience myself.” Um, hey, I did not have the patience when I started. God gave me the patience I needed when I needed it. By the way, why in the world would you not be patient with your child? Patience comes out of love, didn’tcha know? I posted this on my FB page as a Public Service Announcement. Now my friends who don’t homeschool will know what not to say to me this school year. They have been warn…uh, cautioned.
Thanks, Jackie.
You made me smile this morning.
I have heard this one! I don’t know which is worse, assuming I am some kind of saint or that the person speaking is saying some pretty negative things about his or her children and/or parenting skills! Perhaps I should just respond, “I don’t have any special skills, but I feel called to homeschool so I just jumped in and am figuring it all out along the way.” Goodness knows – I feel like I am the least patient person I know and I am “easy going” because well it’s just easier than worrying about all the little details….path of least resistance, certainly not patience. LOL.
I remember when we pulled our kids out of school to homeschool them. I ran into my daughter’s previous teacher at Subway that summer and when she heard I was going to homeschool, she said with this condescending voice, “Oh, I could NEVER do that.” I KNOW she meant, “Even with all my superior training and education, I would never presume to think I could actually teach children what they need to know AT HOME. What makes you think YOU can, you poor, misguided soul?” I could almost hear her shaking her head at me in pity.
Of course the one that gets to me also is ” what about the socialization?” GRRRRRRRRRRRR
Have you met my kids?
They have better conversations with adults than they do with kids their own age.
I like what Time Hawkins said when people ask about socialization and homeschooling,”when you go to public school you get in trouble for socializing
Oh! This one gets me too! I always want to ask, “Have you met my children?” They’ll talk you under a bus, very politeliy I might add! Even when they are playing with other children, they are the most polite and well-behaved ones at the playground (not bragging, it’s just true). The best place to learn socialization is in the home, learning from parents who model appropriate behavior and correct inappropriate behavior.
Very funny! I giggled the whole article. I told my hubby last year…”look…consider printer ink and library fines the fee for homeschooling. It is still cheaper than private school…or public school for that matter.”. He hasn’t complained since I put it like that. Lol! Now…if we could just find his socks and underwear!
That whole library thing…. I asked the library if I could just give them $20.00 to put in an account and have them subtract it as I run into fines. You may have purchased the letter “L,” but we have have the letter “i” over here.
#7 is me. And I have no excuse. My dh works for the library system, 5 days a week he can return library items. Yet I still get overdue fines. A lot.
#’s 2,4, & 7 really hit home. Mac and cheese is my go to dinner besides using the crock pot 3 x’s a week. This is getting printed and posted on my refrigerator. Thanks I needed this giggle today!
Oh, the laundry is the big one over here. Digging in the dryer for clean underwear – seems a daily occurrence!
I do feel I’m cheating with the library fines, though. A local librarian, after seeing the enormous amount of books I was checking out, asked if I was a teacher. I said I was a homeschool teacher and he suggested I get a teacher card. No due date or fines….seems I’m spoiled.
Thanks for this comment – I’m def going to look into this tomorrow – would love that!
Me too…that was very thoughtful of the librarian to even notice the situation and offer a solution…that’s customer service.
This was hilarious! I think I need to let my hubby read this LOL
I was laughing the whole time while reading this. My top two are the laundry and the library fines. We are always looking for socks and missing library due dates.
This made me laugh out loud, literally. My husband asked me what was so funny, so I had him read it! Uh, let’s just say he’s said #4 more than once around here. Fortunately, I can always locate it for him. =0)
So true…but in our case *DAD* is the homeschooling parent making mac and cheese while working with our children. *I* am the one that has to remember these points!
i dislike hearing, “i could NEVER do that. i like my own time too much.” it hurts my heart, especially when their children are around to hear it.
I really liked this article and each one was spot on. I too dislike comments that range from ”I don’t have that kind of patience for that with my kids(said in front of all of theirs and mine)! to “no wonder your clothes don’t match with your plate so full”! I actually had forgotten to pretty myself up on an unplanned for emergency trip to town type of moment–oh well, life happens and I don’t want to miss it along with the people I get to experience it with!
The things that bother me are, when the youth group leader at the church thinks that since your children are Home schooled, and all the other teens are at ‘school’ that your teens have lots of time to come over in the middle of the day and paint the youth building, and clean the grounds, but never asks the public school teens to do this on Saturdays. Or scheduling youth activities on teacher conference days and expecting that all the teens have the day off.
Or Home school groups that have so much going that you don’t have time for your own schooling and expecting new moms to do as much volunteer as those who have been doing this for a long time.
If a Home school group is this involved beware ladies.
I am a former vocational youth director. I have found that many youth groups unwittingly create divisions within the family. The church should be supporting the families that are working to disciple their own children — especially those that are homeschooling. Somehow, we’ve allowed the culture of expertise to creep into our thinking about raising our own God-fearing children.
Or the youth pastor and his wife that keep telling your child that they should not be homeschooled, they should be in private school. If I had wanted them in private school they would have been in private school
You can’t protect your kids from the world through homeschooling. They need to learn how to deal with tough situations. They learn that by jumping through hoops at school and dealing with difficult people. This prepares them for “real life.”
I just roll my eyes when I hear this and say. I am teaching character. Character can handle situations. School can’t give you practice for everything in life but character can!
I totally agree!
This made me breathe a sigh of relief. Unfortunately #4 and 7 resonate with me. I’m going to pay a $50 fine tomorrow and was feeling very ashamed about it. Now I can relax. As far as other people I’m learning to grow thicker skin and am satisfied that I can also go to bed every night feeling exhausted and elated and… well, satisfied that I’m doing my best and my daughter is growing unlike she would with a stranger. Thanks so much for this.. now I can sleep easier before handing in my fine tomorrow
Wait…there’s a grammar song I’m supposed to know? Shoot.
LOL!!
I really needed to hear this today.
Those are GREAT!!!
I must add to the media one though… Hours of media every day – not – but there was a day not too long ago when my kids make it part of the way through an entire season of Little House on the Prairie DVD’s because I had called a vacation day. I needed some time to do dishes, fold laundry, and basically think an entire sentence w/o being interrupted…
And another one I heard recently – “well, it is good that the state makes homeschoolers test their kids – that way all those people who dont know what they are doing are checked up on…” as if most homeschoolers are doing it to slack off… if I wanted to slack off, I would send my kids to school for 8 hours a day so “I can do my own thing” !!! It was fun to watch their face when I told them that we dont have to turn in the test scores… ACK! No one is watching us crazy homeschoolers??? Oh man, I love freaking people out…
Yes! Loved these… especially the mac and cheese, expect for us that usually means a big bowl of popcorn! haha! I need to send this to my husband!
Oh, I am feeling very blessed that we live in a town where the library does not charge late fees!!!!!
I am pretty sure we would be better off buying the books if they did…lol!
The one about library fees made me laugh…then cry…I felt a relief knowing that I am not so “abnormal” after all…
This is a great article that deserves to be shared, and I got it from a friend.
But seriously, home school families, think about donating time or money (not just fines, LOL) to the the local libraries you go to all the time – the ones around my area even have special home school activities – start one in your area too!!! 
Some grocery stores let you sign up your church or Y or library to earn community rewards as you spend – Give back and be an example, and don’t worry about those darn naysayers!
Don’t ask me why me and my children were in pjs all day. Sometimes, getting dressed is the last thing on my mind to do. As long as they are fed (my go-to is cereal for dinner, not make and cheese), then they are fine!
I have great admiration for my daughter who. Manages to teach two 7th graders and care for a3 year old. And work part-time (thanks James) in the ER
Just don’t ask me if there’s anything you can do to help, and then say, “…mmmmmmm, I think I’ll let you do that,” when I tell you what it is.
Love this list.
Can we also add, “did you move from the spot all day?” and “does she have friends?”