It took all the summer we’ve had so far to get to this point, but I feel like we can all let go.
And trust.
And believe.
And know what we’re capable of.
Just like this kid who simply had to make up her mind that she was ready to swim. She had more than enough strength to do it, she just didn’t know how. Until one day she believed she could and she did.
She’s faltered along the way. Had more than a few mouthfuls of pool water and learned that talking while swimming makes you run out of breath faster 😉 But the lessons have brought us to the point where we have a very strong, very confident little swimmer.
No lessons. No “teacher”. Just her, us and the water.
We’re hoping we feel the same when we reach the “other side of the pool” as a family this year. Because we’ve queued up a lot of changes heading into fall. We’ve added a little Moxie to the mix already: 
But among our biggest changes and challenges (and excitement) is our decision to homeschool Mayhem.
Talk about leaping into the deep end with no floaties…
But it’s what’s right for us right now. We know that without a hint of doubt.
The experiences we’ve had in the past year have only reinforced our belief that the world itself is a classroom and everyday a new lesson. And I can’t imagine saying no to opportunities that truly allow Mayhem to experience that, due to attendance obligations or time constraints. There are certainly additional reasons, but for us, the ability to say yes to the world as our classroom trumps all.
That doesn’t mean that we don’t have a plan or a curriculum. We actually have both. As well as tons of materials and a few “phone a friend” lifelines 😉
We’re excited to dive in, trust in our own abilities and strengths. And should additional opportunities to experience more of the world come our way, we’ll gladly embrace those “field trips”, while enjoying that we can bring our schoolwork along with us.
We’re pretty sure there will be some failures and setbacks too. But we’ll figure out what works for us and what doesn’t and keep moving forward.
So here we go…
deep breath…
let’s do this!!!
Catch you on the flip side!
Congrats! On both the swimming and the home schooling. I was home schooled K-12 and it was the best education choice that my parents ever made. For a kid as creative as Mayhem, the flexibility to explore what’s most interesting to you will be amazing. Best of luck on your journey! It’s going to be exciting!
Thank you so much Jenn Anne! So glad to know that it was a great decision for your family as well. We’re excited to take the plunge and I have a feeling that there will be more than a few art projects and creative ventures as we go 🙂
I have chills!!! So excited for you all! I guess I hadn’t thought of that…what happens to her real life experiences and learning when school starts? I think this is perfect. I am not even a pro-homeschool mama. Just a mama who believes that doing what is best for our children, in our own heart and mind, and helping them to grow to be the best person they can, is our job. God gave us the gift and opportunity and we should do our very best to offer what is best for them. Wishing you a great start to the “school year”. You guys rock! (Shoes inside and all.) 😉
Hahahaha … to that shoe comment 😉 And thank you. We really do believe it’s what’s best for her right now. We’ll learn as we go and see each day as a new opportunity!
I was homeschooled until high school. I’ve always loved that my mom did that for my siblings and me. I learned at a faster rate and was allowed to move on because of it. When I entered public school and now college, I’ve excelled and made the jump easily. Doing what’s best for your family is great 🙂
Hey Summer – that’s wonderful to hear!!! I’m so glad it allowed you to go at your accelerated pace and continues to serve you well 🙂
I’m so happy you’ve made the decision to homeschool. It’s a huge undertaking with your busy schedules but I believe you and she will do well with your decision. She has grown so much with all of the opportunities that paper dresses has afforded her. Blessings to you all in this endeavor. Looking forward to watching her and the family grow together.
Thanks so much! We know that our schedules will have to shift a bit, but we’ve pretty well worked through it … and we’re excited to move ahead 🙂
I’ve been following you guys on Instagram for a while and I love seeing all the fun you’re having! I was so excited to read your blog today and see that you’ve made the decision to homeschool! We made that decision a few years ago and haven’t regretted it for a second! Looking forward to seeing more adventures with Mayhem!
Thanks for the support!!! And that’s so great to know that it’s been a great decision for you as well 🙂 High five!!!
You blow me away on the regular, Angie! Best of luck to you, I can think of no one who is better-equipped to tackle homeschooling. Just look at what you have achieved already in helping to mold this very charismatic, unique little individual!
You are too sweet! Thank you. And we don’t have any belief that we won’t have a few challenges along the way, but we’re excited to tackle them 🙂
Yay!!! I’m so excited for you! I hope I’m one of your ‘phone a friend’ lifelines!
You’re at the top of the list 😉
I was afraid of losing “our” Mayhem, but it isn’t up to us. I hope you are considering adding internet classroom or a private tutor to keep a schedule. I’m not a fan of home-schooling, however, I can understand why you would make that decision. It would be sad for Mayhem to give up the life experiences she’s had (and will probably continue to have). Brick and mortar classrooms would be far too restricting.
Until we really started researching it, we had a TON of misconceptions about homeschooling. But the great part about it is that we can customize everything to fit her needs as well as our needs as a family. There are many people who take a very unstructured approach to schooling (as in “unschooling”) but that’s not our intention. We do plan to have a schedule, but the really great part is that if we find something isn’t working, we can fix it immediately or try something else. And as far as the internet classroom or private tutor, we don’t intend to use those unless we find a need for them. One of our greatest resources right now is a very close family member who is retired from teaching as well as (15 years+) as a public school administrator. She’s assured us we can handle this and has offered her expertise and network of friends should we need any help 🙂
Beautiful post! How exciting for you guys. As I prepare to send khloe off to kindergarten, I am filled with dread and worry. I feel like a number in a big fish bowl or public school. I hope more than anything I am completely proven to be wrong. (When will they get a crossed fingers emoji!!??) you will have control over her food too- my biggest worry. No nurses office or attentive teacher to depend on. So happy for you guys. You will all be wonderful! ?
Oh mama!!! I know that worry and fear you must be feeling, and let’s face it, the allergies were also a HUGE part of our decision. I’m going to have a lot of faith that Khloe is going to be just fine and your life will be incident free 🙂 I hope she loves school and I hope you don’t feel like she’s just a number … crossed fingers emoji she has a fantastic. loving, nurturing teacher!!!!! xoxo
Congratulations! Choosing to homeschool and allow me the freedom to follow my own creative learning path was the best thing my parents ever did for me. I hope it works out just as well for Mayham!!!
Thank you! And I love hearing that is was wonderful for you as well! Keeping her creative thinking/learning going was a big part of our decision as well 🙂
Welcome to the world of homeschooling! I have one kid who is 8 and this is our 3rd year to homeschool. 🙂
Thank you so much!
This is so exciting!! I have quite a few friends that homeschool and my husband and I have made some decisions regarding my professional life and which direction to focus my energy into so we can homeschool as well. My daughter will be 3 in October so we still have a bit before she officially is of school age; however, all kiddos begin learning from the time they are born. No classroom, no plan, just your instincts as a parent as to what is best for you kids. I am excited to begin and I am excited to see what this journey is like for you and Mayhem.
How awesome for you too – change is good, right?!?! We, too, have made a lot of professional decisions recently and it’s always a little nerve wracking, but worth it in the end. And I couldn’t agree more about kids learning from day 1 … Mayhem has never been involved in any kind of formal schooling (preschool etc.) and we’ve been amazed to watch how much she’s learned by doing. We’re excited to start this next chapter. Enjoy that precious time with your little girl … they grow up way too fast! 🙂
Such great news!! We’re starting our 8th year of homeschooling right now, and I absolutely love it!
Yay! That’s great to hear 🙂
What a great plan! We are a homeschooling family (well just for preschool) and it has been awesome! I’m a little torn about my 5 year old starting kindergarten next week but also very excited to officially start a homeschool journey with our three year old! I hope you love this time together! We’d love to meet up with you sometime if you are looking for other homeschool friends.
Wishing you all the best as well – we’re looking forward to a fun year 🙂
I also literally got chills reading this! I have never read your blog before, just followed your Instagram after learning of the paper dress phenomenon — and you are the only person I follow on Instagram that I don’t actually know. When you mentioned in the swimming pic caption something about school, I just “knew” you were going to say you’d decided on homeschooling and I had to click on the link to find out for sure. I was trying to understand why I was so excited that you are homeschooling when I don’t even know you, and I think it’s simply because I really do believe in homeschooling, if you do it the right way, and I’ve always thought that you were laying down such a great foundation for your daughter to homeschool. In fact, I would say that you’ve been homeschooling her all along, helping her develop her passion but letting her take the lead. It’s so amazing that she’s found her creative inspiration at such a young age! So, if you weren’t homeschooling, I would be sad for Mayhem even though I don’t know her. It is so true that “the ability to say yes to the world as our classroom trumps all!” I too will be/am homeschooling my children, who right now are 4 yrs, 20 months, and 2 months. Maybe you’ve already heard of it because you’re already following this homeschooling principle to a tee, but there is this blog about project-based homeschooling: http://project-based-homeschooling.com/camp-creek-blog. I got the book and it has really shaped my homeschooling philosophy. I think you would love it since, like I said, you are already implementing the ideas exactly! Anyways, congrats on your decision to homeschool, I’m so happy for your family 🙂
Thanks so much for taking the time to share – I don’t follow any homeschooling sites right now, but will give the one you mentioned a look 🙂
We made that plunge 12 years ago ourselves – wouldn’t have changed a minute of it! Innumerable “field trips” and mission trips, helping Nana while she was on hospice care, learning plumbing/ carpentry/ painting / electrical skills with dad plus culinary/ sewing/ networking/ banking/ investing skills with mom, working many political campaigns and practical citizenship … and the oldest is just a Sophomore! Praying your homeschool journey is just as matvelous!
Thank you so much! And it’s funny you mention all those skills … I really feel like we’ve kind of been homeschooling all along since we try to teach as we go 🙂
You guys are already such great parents, I have no doubt you’ll be awesome teachers, too! Mayhem is blessed to have the opportunity for such a unique education. As usual, I wish I was her =)
Ha – you’re too funny! One of these days our paths will cross IRL and we’re really looking forward to it! 🙂
Hope you get in touch with Kortnee Kate, if you don’t already know her through the Cincinnati photography world. She’s homeschooling her three kids and has a good network in Cincy if you need more support.
Thanks for the reference, I don’t know that name at all. But we do have several friends and/or clients that are great resources for us locally.
Wow congratulations – both on your decison and on Mayhem’s newfound swimming abilities! Big fan of your Instagram and I’m glad we’ll hopefully have the chance to see more of Mayhem’s adventures 🙂
Thank you so much – we hope to keep the adventures coming 🙂
I am so excited for you and Mayhem! Homeschooling has been such a gift to my kids and I and I am so thankful for it. Some days are not without challenges, but the rewards are far greater 🙂
You will do great!!!! Enjoy!!!!
While I don’t think that homeschooling works for every family (it would have never worked for us), based on everything you’ve chosen to share about Mayhem and your family, I can’t imagine a better choice for her. Best of luck with your decision. I’m sure Mayhem will continue to blossom with all of the opportunities coming her way.
Like many others I was excited to hear about your decision to home school! I hope it helps to break many people’s misconceptions about it.
I think this is a great step in the right direction! Mayhem is already inspiring people all over the world (me included), and I think that you will be able to give her so much more than a classroom could. You go girls! 🙂
What a brave and well thought out decision. Personally, for us, we love homeschool. Even on the days we struggle, I look back and remember they are mine. My responsibility. I may not be certified, but I am definitely qualified. I can learn with them too, actually easier this time around. Our family motto: Do it until it doesn’t work, then do something else. So far so good for the younger two and the oldest has completed 9th and is headed to 10 grade in public school again. He is thriving. Don’t doubt your mamma gut! You can do it!
My 12-year-old daughter and I have loved being a part of your lives. Thank you for bringing smiles to our faces.
Though my kids have always gone through formal schooling, private and public, I just wanted to encourage you by saying that it’s OK to try and then to try again if it doesn’t work for you. Very few changes faze kids as it does adults. They adjust so easily you wonder what all the fuss was for. No decision has to be final.
Just a few words of encouragement…can’t wait to see what’s in store for your family. Best wishes!
This sounds like the perfect fit for your family right now. What an exciting time for all of you and thank you for sharing your story! I’ve been following you since you had about 1k followers on Instagram and I’ve loved watching your lives change over the past year or so. You should be a really proud mama! xoxo
I mean, let’s just be honest here, she’d be leagues above her fellow kindergartners and what would be the fun in that? You’d have to start her out in sixth grade to be on a level playing field…
GO, TEAM MAYHEM, GO!
So I’ve been following you guys for a while, constantly enthralled by mayhem’s creativity and talent and your ability to just let her be herself. Growing up as an only child my parents always enforced things like this, there was always someway to be creative or make it my own and to challenge the norm. I guess I see a lot of my family in yall. I think homeschooling is a magnificent idea! I went to public school and then by some challenges was put into virtual school. Until one day much like yourself my parents decided I wasn’t reaching my
full potential and we began homeschooling. Needless to say there are plenty of road bumps. But it’s so worth it . I have plenty of homeschooled friends that are constantly breaking the boundaries. Because they are not just academically smart but they are so aware and responsive to the real world. And it’s all because of amazing parents. That decided not to give up and to break down walls. School isn’t 7-3 learning its everywhere in every situation and when you see that, it amazes everybody’s. So kudos for being brave! There’s no limit to what you can and will do. I like to think that it strengthened my bond with my mom because not only maintaining a rigorous full time job she also found time to teach me. I hope you see this with mayhem. And remember homeschoolers aren’t weird there different and different is great! I think without homeschooling I wouldn’t be entering my senior year having completed all but 2 credit classes, applying for dual enrollment and volunteering at the children’s hospital among other things. Homeschooling is magnificent and I hope you have the same experience as I have had (or better!) xx Aryana
Great decision to home school! I have been following your Instagram for a while and find Mayhem so creative and inspiring for her age, I can only see her thriving with home school! I am a teacher myself, classrooms aren’t for everyone! Cant wait to see how she grows and the opportunities that arise for you guys. Good luck x
Beautifully written! Thank you for commenting back on my IG comment so I knew to look here. What a blessing you are to Mayhem, I too believe the world is a classroom and had I had the opportunity to see more of the world and have a better understanding of it and the people in it when I was her age I think I would be a much more well rounded adult. My parents chose to send me to public school, which was wonderful but now as an adult I am realizing there are many other just as wonderful options. Someday when I have babies of my own I will have to sit down and make the best decisions for them and I hope my husband and I will put as much thought and effort into making those decisions for our children as you and your hubby have for little Mayhem. Your posts of her (and that PUPPY… MY. LORD. IS SHE EVEN REAL?!) always make me smile and anxious so have my own little “mayhem” someday! Thanks for sharing!
Could you share which curriculum you are using? We are considering homeschooling our 5 yr old, I have read about so many curriculums but having trouble figuring out which one. My husband will be taking the lead on this and is way more free form than me, lots of field trips and learning by doing will be happening!
Thank you!