Heart of the Matter Online

Are We There Yet?

It’s May. It’s almost the end of our school year. Finally—at least for our family, who follows a nine-month school year. Why is it that the last few weeks of homeschooling are the hardest? Maybe it has something to do with...

Embracing Spring

This is the year. We will laugh gaily through our day (even while completing math lessons!), the children will sing and cry out, “More, more, more!” I bought all of the right curriculum. I have planned all the...

Blessing Your Children

A few years ago I read a short devotion about a mother who daily prayed a prayer over her children—by placing her hand on her child’s head and saying a prayer for whatever their need might be that day. Then a few months...

Striving to Rest

Motherhood is hard work. Can I get an amen? I don’t care if you stay at home full time, if you work from the home, if you work full time outside of the home, if you send your kids to public or private school, or if you home...

The Homeschool Experiment by Charity Hawkins – Review AND Giveaway

The Homeschool Experiment by Charity Hawkins is a fictional novel about homeschooling written by a homeschooling mom. Finally, a novel for homeschooling moms! The Homeschool Experiment follows mom Julianne and her family as...

Homeschooling While Facing Chronic Illness

How am I going to do this? Maybe it would be easier to put my kids in the school system? What if it gets too bad to handle? Those are the many thoughts that invade my mind and heart when my chronic illness starts to flare. Yet I...

Teachable Moments in Spanish

Spring is in the air! Can you smell it? Flowers are blooming, birds are singing and the sun is warming our days. W can take advantage of this teachable moment to introduce or review some color words in Spanish. I made a...

Homeschooling for Excellence and Character

When I started homeschooling my first child, I had no idea I would eventually have 11 kids. I also had no idea that my six daughters would decide to form a girl band called Cimorelli (our last name), become one of the hottest...

Planning, Pondering and Perplexing

Most of us have at least been tempted to begin planning and pondering for the 2012-2013 school year. Usually this planning and pondering begins with at least a small journey of “self-analysis”. I don’t mean...

The Homeschool Planner – A Review

As a busy momma of 7 children (soon to be 8), I am always looking for a simple and easy way to keep track of what we are doing and what we plan to do. My favorite way to accomplish this is with a binder and simple forms...