We're very pleased to have Pam Patnode back with us this year and wisdom like this gives you an idea why.

While you're there, be sure to schedule time to see Pam's presentations:

• ​The 3 Biggest Pitfalls in Homeschooling -- and How to Avoid Them!​
• ​Struggling Readers – Information and Resources that offer Help and Hope

I had attended this homeschool conference for 2 years before my children were school age (kindergarten).  I knew a handful of people and was edified by the information and resources available.  We moved to the opposite end of the diocese, joined a co-op, and now I know so many people!  Not only am I affirmed as a homeschooling mom, but going to this conference feels like I am going to a big Catholic party I don't want to miss.

​-Jacquelyn (4 kids, 6 years of homeschooling)

Dear younger me,
Homeschooling is the right decision. Do it. Don’t question yourself, but jump in and enjoy your time with your kids!
You need to know some things....

• First and foremost: Homeschooling does not guarantee perfect kids. Don’t expect that from them or you. 
• Keep going to daily mass with your growing, noisy, family. Grumpy old ladies will actually miss them being there, when they realize the loss... and it is really hard to reestablish the habit when you have busy, bigger kids.
• Stay with Catholic curricula as often as you can. Support small homeschool companies. Buy used books to save some trees and dollars. Keep a better list of the books you own as you add to your library. Don’t buy every book you want for ‘someday’!
• Make sure to keep your relationships in proper order. Prayer life with God, time with your husband, and having fun with your children are all foremost priorities to your vocation. Academics will happen. Relationships can be broken and are hard to repair.
• Build Christian friendships in your local community sooner. These will be the families your teens should have strong ties to during those trying years. They will need strong friendships established when they start participation with sports, choir, and band.
• When you need a break from schooling ‘that child’ make the sacrifice to send her to Catholic school. Those 20 weeks at the public school changed lives in ways that will always be filled with regret.
• And the conference speaker who convinced you that your children will adapt to the teacher’s learning- teaching style. That was so wrong and caused so much frustration for everyone! You need to nurture each individual mind, just as God tends to each individual soul. Tread with kindness and respect to their individuality and God given free will.
• ......And tell your kids every day that you love them.

Christ's Servant,
Older me.

Relax!  Read good books while cuddling up together!  Go on field trips, nature walks and picnics.  Be grateful for the little things.  Stay faithful to going to Mass, Adoration, Sacraments, and prayer.  Keep God first, your spouse second, and the kids and others third. 

-Laura (9 kids and 19 years of homeschooling)

If I could send a letter back to my younger self in 2014 when I started to homeschool, here’s what I’d write:
 
Dear Me,
 
First off, you’re going to be saying that a lot, “Dear me!” as you journey to your place in homeschooling over the next dozen years and that’s okay (all of us have and still do!)
 
Please take a deep breath and do these few things first before reading through Rainbow Resource’s Catalog or studying Mother of Divine Grace’s course objectives (good things in their time!) (All advice we’ve received and practiced from seasoned homeschooling families):

• Read about educational theories and approaches, find what works for you and your husband and never stop learning yourself (need recommendations? Ask a seasoned homeschool Mother)
• Write a list (yearly!) of all the good and wonderful reasons you homeschool, keep that handy to refer to on rough days
• Write a list of “musts”; God’s Will for us is to first do what we “must” in our vocation and then other good things. If you’re starting with preschool/Kindergarten, you most likely have a small tribe but with large physical needs. Your list will look more like “Must nurse the Baby; must change the diapers; must make dinner; must care for my physical self; must find 10 minutes for daily prayer; must reserve a part of my heart, soul and body for my Husband; must train young ones in chores, bodily hygiene, and self-control.” You may realize that that list takes up the vast majority of your life right now and that is okay. It won’t always be that way as you grow as Mother and your family grows in their routines, schedules, preferences, and callings. This IS education as well. It is OK to spend only a few hours per week on the text book side of learning at the beginning. The vast difference this amount of time will change year-to-year as your children age will astound you.
  
• Write a list/make a plan/set some goals/pen on a napkin (with your Husband) your plans on how to care for your marriage. Training up children in the way they should go only happens when your marriage is on track. I remind myself often what a friend had shared, “If you want to love your children more, love your husband more. If you want to love your husband more, love God more.”
  
• Last, but just as vital, find a co-op to support you and more specifically, a mentor to encourage you. Look for a group that fits your family’s needs and do what you can with it peacefully.  Also, look for a woman that is down the road from you on her homeschooling journey. Ask if she’d have time to chat with you about her homeschooling start and hear her thoughts, recommendations and advice. Most of all, let yourself be encouraged by her. As Dorothy Day said, “The point I want to make is that a woman can achieve the highest spirituality and union with God through her house and children, through doing her work…She is being led along the path of growth inevitably. But she needs to be told these things, instructed in these things, for her hope and endurance…”

 
Find joy, place God first and you will reap abundant rewards no matter where this journey takes you!
 
Sincerely, a Still Very Young and Learning Mother