In August 2011 we began our homeschool journey. Our ultimate goal is to homeschool through high school. Right now we are eclectic homeschoolers in our approach and curriculum. We use anything and everything we can get our hands on that is FREE or nearly FREE. If I had to give a name to our "style" it would be guided/gentle learning. Guided meaning I let me kids pick the topics they want to learn about each month but they are guided by me with the resources we use to learn about the topics. And gentle meaning nothing is forced. If they are frustrated with something we move on. For example we tried to get Gwyn to read in the Fall of 2011 and she wasn't quite ready there were tears and meltdowns. So I backed off. I want her to enjoy reading because as one of my favorite children's authors once said, "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." We incorporate a lot of unit studies, lapbooking, thematic units and literature based learning (Charlotte Mason).
We try to take a fieldtrip at least once a week, because both kids enjoy hands on learning and being out of the house (okay so do I).
Lately we have been so blessed with products to review which is awesome because we don't have any extra money in the budget for curriculum. We have reviewed books, movies, art supplies, toys, field trip destinations you name it. The entire family likes to help with reviews. Gwyn has even done some vlogging. I try my best to be 100% honest in each review and like to incorporate my kids opinions as well.
If you are in need of a review for a product please consider our family. You can view some of my past reviews here. Please email me at kbalman@gmail.com if you need a reviewer.
And if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you know I enter a lot of giveaways and attend a lot of parties and have had quite a winning streak. I also consider these to be a huge blessing. We have won gift cards, a Kindle, toys, books, trips to museums and more.
So far our year is going great, we have had some ups and downs and some adjustments to make along the way but we are taking it day by day and reflecting on this scripture daily "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" Philippians 4:13.
The Journey to homeschooling:
We knew when Gwyn was about 3 that we wanted to homeschool but didn't think it could ever really happen because of the one income issue. Since my husband was homeschooled throughout elementary he new first hand the benefits. But after realizing we couldn't afford private school and really disliking what the public school environment has become we knew our only option was to get make one income work so we could homeschool. And so the journey bagan.......
I was a retail manager for 10+ yrs. I did EVERYTHING. I did marketing, managed a staff of up to 15 employees, cleaned, stocked, handled money, provided customer service, you name it. I made great money work and worked long hours. Once we had kids we decided the retail hours were not going to work out for our new family. I had wanted to stay at home ideally but that just couldn't happen financially. So I transitioned into a desk job at a Real Estate school. I was there 5 1/2 yrs and really enjoyed it. My boss was very flexible and understood I had a family and that they came first. I was and administrative assistant and again did EVERYTHING except manage a staff. But I did learn a few new things. While working at the school I had the opportunity to take the classes to get my Real Estate and Appraisal license and also a Home Inspection Certificate. I also learned quite a bit about website design. When the economy took a dive the company decided to also branch out into the Travel industry so I also started being Travel Agent.
Staying at home to homeschool was still my goal and Gwyn was approaching Kindergarten fast. In 2009 a series of events occurred that I now consider a blessing. The short version is we found out the home we owned had black mold in the walls and it was causing my son and I to be sick. So we left the home and it was eventually foreclosed on. We also decided to file bankruptcy since 95% of our debt was incurred from the house. Now why on earth is this a blessing well we were finally able to live on one income.
Our old cars were already paid for with cash (we will never purchase a new car or have another car payment again). We went back to apartment living which meant less utility bills. And we had no credit card debt or medical bills. So the transition to one income began...
In 2010 we enrolled Gwyn in the GA Public Pre-K program so my mom would only have to tend to Rowyn. Gwyn was just becoming too much of a handful for her. So I cut my hours down to part time so we could slowly start the transition to one income and hubby could find a better paying job.
And as stated in the beginning of this page in August 2011 just in time for Kindergarten I told my boss I had to quit. I attended my first homeschool expo and was so happy that my dream to be a stay at home/homeschool mom finally came true!!!
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