Sometimes the dreams we hold closest to our hearts unfold in ways we never expected. My journey into homeschooling hasn’t looked like the picture-perfect vision I once imagined – but it has been filled with lessons, grace, and unexpected joy.
There are moments in life when we long for something so deeply – praying for it, preparing for it, holding it close to our hearts – and then, when it finally arrives, it looks nothing like we expected.
For the past decade, I’ve prayed for the chance to stay home with my children and raise them myself. As many of you know, the cost of living in California can make that dream feel nearly impossible. Still, my deepest desire has always been to embrace motherhood as my most important role, with the hope of one day homeschooling my children.
Last year, when the opportunity presented itself to begin homeschooling Evelyn, I said yes. I began homeschooling Evelyn, then four, while also caring for Eloise (two at the time) and a newborn. All of this was balanced alongside full-time work. It was both beautiful and exhausting. There were tender memories – reading together each morning, Friday nature walks, and unhurried play. Yet, there were also days when deadlines overshadowed lessons, and I questioned whether I was truly giving homeschool the justice it deserved.
This year, Evelyn begins kindergarten at five, Eloise steps into preschool at three, and Imogene, now one, is joyfully along for the ride. Viv, at fourteen, is thriving at high school, and my professional life has not slowed down. Through it all, I am reminded of this truth: God does not work on my timeline. And so, I step into another year of homeschool with trust – trust in a plan and a rhythm greater than my own.
Our homeschool does not resemble public school, nor was that ever my goal. Our days don’t look like those of other families either, and that’s okay. We are simply doing our best with what we have, where we are, giving thanks for the memories being made along the way. For us, that means plenty of outdoor play, time with educational activities, and read-alouds with our nanny during the day. Evenings often include lessons after dinner, with weekends offering a little more.
This journey doesn’t match the picture I once carried in my mind. Yet, perhaps it is unfolding exactly as it should.
Our curriculum for Kinder this year includes:
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
Here’s our curriculum set-up and some of our favorite materials:
5-Drawer Organizer, 6 cube bookshelf, clear organizers, rope baskets
I’ve been searching for the right planning tool – something that could handle multiple children with different assignments without adding to the many other details I manage in my paper planner. I needed more than a weekly overview; I wanted a system that could both guide our days and reflect what we had accomplished. In short, a planning and tracking tool. I finally found a solution that works for us on the Blossom & Root blog, and while it may not be perfect forever, it’s the right fit for this season. Just like homeschooling itself, the goal is not perfection but finding rhythms that serve our family well right now.
