Why Blog?

This is my first post and I have not decided exactly how to format the blog.  I have been waiting to post anything until I had it figured out.  Sometimes the best thing to do is to dive right in.  So, I am going to write a little about why I decided to write this blog. I am afraid it may be long...

We are in the middle of our fourth year of homeschooling.  We started a family blog last year and it was wonderful.  The kids enjoyed typing their narrations for all their family members to see.  It was an excellent tool to document all the wonderful things we do each year homeschooling.  Last summer, I was able to take all the information from the blog and put it into a book.   I used http://www.blurb.com/ to create the book.  Excellent quality and it has made wonderful birthday and Christmas gifts.  I will post later about creating a book like this.

I am entering new territory next year with a 9th grader, yikes.  So, I have found that the blog is a great way to organize all the research that is involved with High School.  This led me to think that maybe I should start a public blog.   So, that is what I have done.

When I started homeschooling, I was told to have a saying for myself.  It is basically to "Instill the love of learning."  When my children were in a private school, they had worksheets, tests, AR goals/points, etc.  This was slowly killing the love of learning for my children.  It was basically a hassle to do school.

When we decided to homeschool, I had a great friend who introduced homeschooling to me using Charlotte Mason.   She introduced me to a wonderful Charlotte Mason group.  (That I am still apart of)  If you are not familiar with Charlotte Mason, there will be plenty of posts about her.

My first year of homeschooling, I  randomly picked up the book, The Well Trained Mind by Peace Hill Press, because I liked the title.   Who knew what an excellent treasure I was about to read.   It has helped me to gain the big picture with my kids.   So when I am asked, "What curriculum do you use?"  I just pause and say, "I use an eclectic mix with a Charlotte Mason and Classical approach."  Most people than so, "Oh, so you don't use Abeka?"

It is an ongoing process to inspire the kids to love learning.  Some things work and some things don't.  Something might work for one of my kids and not the other.  So I hope that many will enjoy and gain insight with my future posts.  I am looking forward to sharing this process with others.