Ever wonder what it is like to be a homeschool parent? Today is your chance to follow me through a typical day of homeschooling. We currently have two teenagers and two tweens- homeschool looks vastly different now than it did ten years ago when we were just getting started. Now, our kids are able to work so much more independently than they used to. But some things do not change in homeschool, regardless of your kids’ ages or stages: schoolwork still needs to be checked and corrected, assigments need to be planned out, kids need assistance with difficult subjects and someone to keep them on task. It is a joy to see them grow- accepting responsibility for the work that needs to be done and pursuing learning rather than just trying to complete the work (a virtue we are continually working on)!
What questions do you have regarding homeschool? I would love to hear from you! Please leave your questions in the comments below.
Homeschooling can be an extremely rewarding experience for the whole family. Learning, growing, exploring, struggling and achieving goals together has the potential to draw families into a closer knit unit than ever before. Due to the fallout of COVID-19, many are contemplating homeschool as a valid option for the first time ever. Regardless of your reasons for homeschooling this year, it can feel very overwhelming to get started! There are so many considerations:
state laws
homeschool methods
multiple age levels and grade levels
setting up a school room/study area
supplies needed
curriculum options
scheduling the day
tracking progress
learning styles
keeping infants and toddlers engaged while teaching
finding local communities to plug into
keeping things fun!
It can be a struggle to know where to begin, but it’s not too late to get started! With the surge in homeschooling over the past decade (61.8% increase according to the US Dept. of Education1), there are more resources available to homeschool families now than ever. It’s merely a matter of learning what you need to know quickly and tapping into those resources.
And that’s where I come in.
Let my twelve years of home education experience serve you by giving your homeschool journey a jumpstart! Through my consultation services, I can accelerate your homeschool start-up by pointing you to all the resources you need. My homeschool start-up consultation includes:
a 30 minute phone or video call where I get to know you and your family’s personalities, needs, learning preferences, goals for the year, etc.
a personalized homeschool report, which will include homeschool laws specific to your state, homeschool methods, curriculum options and recommended assessments
a detailed checklist of items to consider as you prepare and plan for your homeschool, such as supplies, schedule and schoolroom setup
a final 30 minute phone call where we will review the document together, giving you an opportunity to ask any questions you have
And for those who want to ensure that their homeschool experience remains productive and positive, I offer ongoing consultating services throughout the year to keep you on track. I will
meet with you for 30 minutes via video or phone, followed by an email with notes from our time together
supply tips on how to incorporate the arts and physical education into homeschooling
offer ideas for active learning through field trips and various hands-on resources
My consulting services combined with my free weekly newsletter and Facebook homeschool support group, are sure to get your homeschool journey off to a great start this year. If you would like to learn more, click HERE to visit my Homeschool Consultaton page. I look forward to partnering with you in this adventure of life-long learning as a family!
YOUR TURN: In the comments below, share your biggest concerns about homeschooling this year. What homeschool topics would you like to hear more about on my blog or weekly newsletter?
The summer of 2020 is looking a little different than normal. Many public pools, summer camps, park recreation programs, festivals, concerts and fairs are closed or cancelled due to COVID-19. Our kids were crushed that these beloved experiences would not be available to them. With a heavy heart, I began praying and asking God how we could redeem this summer. His answer was swift and clear: if they can’t go to camp, bring camp to them- and share the experience with others. That is how DLD Virtual Summer Camp was born.
We would like to invite you to join our family for a summer of fun! Beginning Monday, June 15th, through our YouTube channel, Doing Life Deliberately, we will lead your kids of all ages in a variety of weekly challenges they can complete around your home. Challenges include elements of art, science, physical activity and even community service! Every weekday we will announce new projects by email that spur on your kids’ creativity and teach them skills they can use to complete the weekly challenges. Don’t worry, your kids won’t be on screens all day– we’ll lead them to a couple YouTube channels to get their creative juices flowing and send them off to complete the daily activity.
In addition, we’ll provide an opportunity for our middle school and highschool students to be a part of a weekly Bible study, entitled Experiencing God, where they can grow in their faith in Christ. Students who chose to participate can dig into the Word daily at home and then join our Livestream every Wednesday where we’ll share what we’ve learned and challenge them to go even deeper with their peers. They’ll definitely want to invite their friends!
On Friday nights, we’ll conclude the week with a family campfire. We’ll encourage you to discuss the highs and lows of the previous week, enjoy some smores and campfire snacks, and hear from some special guests. We hope that your family can set aside some time to have your own campfire- whatever that might look like (anything from the real deal to smores made over candlelight). The idea is being intentional about spending quality time together as a family.
The cherry on top? We’re asking all our camp participants to send in a video- 30 seconds or less- of your completed weekly challenge on Friday night by 6pm sharp. We’ll take the next week to create a mashup of all the wonderfully creative ways that our campers have completed the challenge and air it the following week on Sunday. This way, we can all celebrate as a community what we have learned and the creative ways we have met the challenge. In addition, campers can earn DLD Virtual Summer Camp swag for completion of mutiple challenges and participation in various contests throughout the summer.
Ready to join us? We hope so! Let us know your camper(s) are “all in” by sharing your email address below. We’ll add you to our mailing list so you won’t miss a thing this summer. We’ll also share how you can get your hands on extra resources to make DLD Virtual Summer Camp an easy, worry-free experience such as a summer event calendar, weekly challenge themes and supply lists. We can’t wait to see you at camp!
📣Calling all carnivores!! It’s time for our annual 🍔MEATFEST 🥩celebration with friends! 👏 We’ve planned for this weekend-long event all year long and it’s finally here! Join us in Wisconsin for food, Fun, and FRIENDS as we enjoy a weekend’s worth of delicious meat and good times!!🎉
If you enjoy today’s video, PLEASE, give it a thumbs up and share it with your friends! We’d love for you to join us in the pursuit of Doing Life Deliberately! If you haven’t already, SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel (click the SUBSCRIBE button and the little bell next to it to be alerted every time we release a new video)! We look forward to sharing this journey with YOU!
We’ve traveled 40,000 miles (according to the odometer) and gone to 33 states this past year- and our truck shows for it!! If you’re looking for #cleaningmotivation, come and #cleanwithme as we declutter, reorganize and clean our truck and exterior of the RV. Let’s see what our full time RV family can do to make our truck and RV tidy again!
🐶 Our Penny dog wants to show you 🤔what’s it like to 🚌RV with dogs! She’ll show you what RVing with pets is like by sharing the must have items to RV with a dog, how life has changed since she moved into a RV and what she loves most about fulltime RV living. And if you stick around until the end, she even has some bloopers to share with you!🤣
RV Living full time has its highs and lows! Trisha and the kids share their TOP FIVE Pros and Cons of full time RV living in this video! Our fun family is keeping it real (with lots of laughter) about the good and the bad of full time RV living. (Stay tuned to the end for some fun bloopers!😉)
It’s been ONE full year of living in a RV!! This week, Joe shares some of the things he has discovered to make life more efficient, comfortable and fun while living in a RV. You can click on the images below to go to Amazon and learn more about each of the items mentioned in the video. (*These are affiliate links. If you should choose to make a purchase, a small percentage will be forwarded to Doing Life Deliberately at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!)
#10: an Electric Kettle
We never considered the need of an electric kettle prior to RV, but this little gadget has been awesome! We use it every morning for making our pour over coffee. And we it to boil water for pasta, hard boiled eggs, etc. It works much more quickly than using the gas stove top and keeps us from going through propane too quickly!
#9: a Large Level
We use our level every time we setup the travel trailer! We can either lay it horizontally across the tongue of the trailer to level side to side OR we will use it vertically on the side of the trailer to adjust the leveling blocks from side to side. Joe also uses the level to make sure that his smoker is laying flat when grilling the perfect cut of meat!
#8: Work Gloves
After tearing down and setting up our travel trailer a few times, it was painfully obvious that we needed good work gloves! Grease, oil, dirt and grime are all par for the course as RVers- so if you want to keep your hands clean, a good pair of work gloves is definitely worth the small investment!
#7: Curved Levelers with Chocks
Santa brought these levelers for Christmas and it was one of the best presents ever!! The grown-up Lego leveling blocks we were using to level our trailer were JUNK!! They are cheap, but not the most user friendly. Over time, they get crushed and no longer snap together. This means it takes even longer to level the trailer than usual. With these curved levelers, it is a smooth ramp up to a level platform and the gray chocks slip right behind/under them to hold the trailer at the right height. You NEED these! They are awesome!
#6: VIAIR Portable Air Compressor
This air compressor is PEACE OF MIND. This convenient air compressor connects to your RV or car battery so that you never have to worry about your tires having low air pressure. This is also a great tool for keeping bike tires and balls inflated and ready to use anywhere!
#5: Midland GXT Walkie Talkies
We LOVE these walkie talkies! They make setup and tear down of the travel trailer a smooth process. Backing into campsites or pulling through tight spots is easy. It is common to hear couples shouting at each other in frustration through these different scenarios (all the memes attest to it!). But with these walkie talkies, we can not only communicate with ease, but our kids can also keep in touch with us as they head to the shower house, camp store or playground.
#4: Plantronics Advanced NC Bluetooth Headset
Joe recently purchased this headset when co-workers complained that they couldn’t hear him over the background noise at a coffee shop. It was well worth the money spent! Whether in a coffee shop, outside when it’s windy or with kids in the background, this headset cancels background noise and makes it easy to communicate regardless of your environment. This is also great for taking business calls when driving.
#3: Zero Gravity Lawn Chairs
One of the things Joe misses most about a sticks-and-bricks home is his La-Z-Boy recliner! We don’t have recliners in our RV. But with these zero gravity lawn chairs we have another space where we can kick up our feet, relax and enjoy the beauty of the outdoors. These definitely make RVing more enjoyable!
#2: Cradlepoint Wireless Router
This Cradlepoint Wireless Router has been a God-send for us on the road! It accepts up to two sim cards from different wireless companies so that you can access the internet in most places. When our cell signal is lacking, we can slip the sim cards from our cell phones into the Cradlepoint and it will boost the signal to give us better reception. From that point, we can make voice-over-internet calls. And if our AT&T service is lacking in an area, we can use a pay-by-month sim card from Verizon to get a signal in most places. Of course, there are areas where no service will work. But this Cradlepoint Wireless Router has been of great benefit to us in areas where our cell coverage would otherwise be very weak.
And finally….#1: Weber Smokey Mountain
Anyone who knows Joe well knows that he LOVES to smoke meat! This Weber Smokey Mountain fits convienently in our outdoor kitchen (we replaced our outdoor fridge with the smoker). We use it about every other week to smoke large cuts of meat that we will then consume over the next week. It’s a delicious way to feed the family while traveling full time!
Again, if you are interested in any of these items, click the picture to access the Amazon affiliate link. We hope these items will make your RVing experience as enjoyable as it has made ours!
We’re celebrating ONE YEAR of full time RV living with a new video series: RV Crazy?!?! Our first video, How to Tear Down and Setup a Travel Trailer, takes you through the process we go through every time we change locations. We’ll give you tips and tricks to make the process go smoother and show you how we involve the kids. Whether you are curious as to how it works, are new to RVing or just want tips to make the process go smoother, we hope you’ll enjoy this week’s video!
Our opportunity to explore Florida may not have worked out the way we planned, but our mission was still accomplished. In this week’s video, we travel to the Destin, Florida, area and enjoy a plethora of beautiful state parks! The beaches of the Florida panhandle are known as the Emerald Coast for their beautiful turquoise waters and powdery white sand beaches- just gorgeous.
#10: an Electric Kettle
#9: a Large Level
#8: Work Gloves
#7: Curved Levelers with Chocks
#6: VIAIR Portable Air Compressor
#5: Midland GXT Walkie Talkies
#4: Plantronics Advanced NC Bluetooth Headset
#3: Zero Gravity Lawn Chairs
And finally…. #1: Weber Smokey Mountain
Doing Life Deliberately 