How to Think Like a Homeschool Mom

First of all, let go of all the political crap you've probably heard about homeschooling.  Sure, there are some fanatical idiots out there who have no business being around children at all who claim to be homeschooling.  However, most homeschoolers love their children and love teaching, and their children love learning.  .
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Homeschoolers get into Harvard, dude. 
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Get over it.  Done?  Okay.
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You don't need to be a homeschool mom to use some of our tricks when working with or interacting with children or young people.  The most important thing to know is how to
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Facilitate The Teachable Moment.
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Example:   STAR WARS.
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My son is a beginning reader.  I won't tell you how old he is, but he's not in Kindergarten yet.  His sisters learned to read at age 2 and 4, respectively.  I believe in teaching children when they're ready to learn and not when a curriculum tells me it's time.  Anyway, he recently got hooked, I mean, obsessed with STAR WARS, especially 'lightsaberin''  I immediately thought, "Oh!  I must run to the bookstore and buy the STAR WARS DK Readers!"  He packs them everywhere.  More have been ordered.
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Today, we are sick, so he's watching STAR WARS ATTACK OF THE CLONES.  He sees Anakin make a pear float through the air over the dinner table to Padme.  He asks how Anakin is able to do this.  I launch into a demonstration, albeit slowly because I am sick, about magnets and forces and such.  Now, he's running around the house with all the magnets seeing what they'll stick to.
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This is not to brag.  These are just examples.
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The fact is not all families are cut out for homeschooling.  It's a lifestyle very different from most.  It almost always requires one parent to stay home, which many families cannot afford.  Also, there is not always community support.  (Here in Alaska, tons of families homeschool and so we receive a lot of support.)  Plus, there is only one teacher - me.  And I totally stink at math.  I mean, I can't count to five with my mittens on.  Some families homeschool all the way through high school, but we can't because I stink at math.  Although, a lot of teens CAN homeschool themselves with the right materials.  I don't know if my children can or will want to yet, of course.
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So, if you work with children or young people, remember to Facilitate the Teachable Moment.  Don't mess it up by putting it right in their face.  That's boring and it insults their intelligence.  They'll tune you out right off the bat.  Just sit back, shut your mouth, and watch the lights turn on in their eyes. 
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I love that light.
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Facilitate.  That's the word.  Got it?
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Okay, now I must go collapse on the sofa again and drink lots of chamomile tea.
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Here's a link to a review of the above DK reader-
http://www.booksforkids-reviews.com/2010/01/star-wars-luke-skywalkers-amazing-story.html

THE FAMILY MANAGER'S EVERYDAY SURVIVAL GUIDE by Kathy Peel

Like all books having to do with homemaking and child-rearing, this one ought to carry a warning label. The important thing to know is you are not expected to follow all the advice. These Mom Books are suggestions only. I sure as heck don't follow all the advice in them. If only you could see the cluttered state of my kitchen right now! However, these books do have beautiful Pearls of Wisdom which you can adopt and adapt to suit your own style of life.
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Kathy Peel has written a bunch of books and has a wonderful website. She even trains people in how to coach other people in managing their homes. And I'm sure she didn't mean to insult Stay-At-Home Mothers when she titled one of her books The Family Manager's Guide for Working Moms. ALL moms are working moms, of course. Some of us simply do not receive financial compensation.

Chapter One is all about assessing your family's currant situation, making a plan to organize it, and mobilizing the family team to accomplish organization. Naturally, this is the most difficult step. I've found that it's not a one-time event too. Life throws me a curve ball and the next thing I know I'm starting all over again! Kathy does an excellent job of laying out the steps for this. There's no wishy-washy advice.

Chapter Two covers housekeeping. It's not a how-to-scrub-the-toilet section. It's all about organizing your household so that it's user-friendly, easy to keep clean, and easy to get your family to do their share of the work.

Chapter Three concerns the Schedule, daily and weekly. Setting priorities, organizing time, getting things done.

Chapter Four is about the yearly schedule. Everything from back-to-school to seasonal cleaning.

Chapter Five describes how to manage special occasions, like throwing a party and traveling.

Chapter Six is a bonus section on the holidays, like how to survive Christmas with your yuletide cheer intact.

I've found having a notebook is essential to keeping track of all this. I call it my 'Dump Book' because I dump all my thoughts into it. Unfortunately, my Dump Book has mutated into three Dump Books over the summer. I'm going shopping for a new one, just one, that I can carry in my purse at all times.

As mentioned, Kathy Peel has written a bunch of books on similar topics, so pop over to her website to learn more. http://www.familymanager.com/

The Family Manager's Creed

I oversee an organization-

Where hundreds of decisions are made daily,

Where property and resources are managed,

Where healthy and nutritional needs are determined,

Where finances and futures are discussed and debated,

Where projects are planned and events are arranged,

Where transportation and scheduling are critical,

Where team-building is a priority,

Where careers begin and end.

I oversee an organization.

I am a Family Manager.

TOILET TRAINING IN LESS THAN A DAY by Nathan Azrin

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "What the heck does toilet training have to do with Enduring Romance?!" Duh. Everything! This is Real Life, people! In Real Life, romance leads to love which leads to making babies. Babies grow into toddlers and toddlers must be toilet trained or they wreak havoc on the household and the romance of the parents will not endure! Little wonder I'm one of those readers who is not impressed by swashbuckling 'heroes' who have no intention of sticking around to help raise the resulting offspring. You can find a husband who is a good lover AND a good father! All right, enough ranting. On with the review!

TOILET TRAINING IN LESS THAN A DAY has never failed me. I'm a retired nanny and mother of four (three on Earth and one in Heaven.) I've done this a few times. There is a catch - my children have always taken FOUR days to be fully trained. Not one. Considering the possible troubles, however, I'm NOT complaining!

Toilet Training is like a big party in our house. We get two or three liters of soda pop, couple of bags of potato chips, and a large bag of M&Ms. The older children love helping with training, because they get treats for demonstrating the process to the toddler.

This method is thoroughly explained step-by-step in the book. Instead of reviewing those steps, I'll share the critical points I've learned to go along with them.

1) Read the book completely, every single word, and commit the basic steps to memory.

2) Be absolutely certain the pre-training phase is complete BEFORE you train.

3) Learn what motivates your child. With my eldest, it was our social interaction. With my second and succeeding children, it was a strong desire to be like older siblings. Whatever it is for your child, tailor your training to accomadate.

4) Block out an entire WEEK. Yes, a week. Block out an entire week in which you have no need to leave the house. You will probably only need to stay in the house for the first day, but make sure there's no need to leave. This is vital because there must be NO interruptions or distractions during the process and you will need that week to make certain the training has become habit for the child. If you work outside the home, at least try to have to weekend. Try to get a long weeked, if at all possible. If this is irritating, just imagine yourself changing a 4 year old's poopy diaper and you'll get over it fast. Trust me, that's not something you want to have to do!

5) Have fun! If at some point you or your child starts getting frustrated, relax! Calm down. Chill out. It's nothing personal. Losing your tempor will destroy the training. Don't let it happen. Remember the image of the 4 year old's poopy diaper!

Like I said above, this method has never failed me. Nevertheless, I know there's always a wild card in every deck. Each child is an individual. So, I'm going at this with an open mind and open heart.