Hi I will be a new homeschooling mom as of this Fall to my older two boys. I just went to my first homeschooling bookfair this past weekend in the Dallas area. And now I'm second guessing my ability to do this! I wasn't overwhelmed by all the curriculum out there; I went with a list of things that I wanted to purchase or look at to help avoid feeling overwhelmed. But I'm overwhelmed now at the prospect of teaching my kids. Juggling the kids (discipline-wise), teaching them enough (or not enough), and still liking my kids at the end of the day are all big concerns on my mind right now. Help!

We don't have pets either. I grew up with them, and I often lament the fact that my kids are growing up without them. I have a love for animals that most of my kids don't have, and that makes me a little sad. But then I think about all the upkeep and expense of having pets, and I realize that it just might be worth it for my kids to miss out on having pets. When the kids were still in diapers, we reasoned that we already had enough poop to clean up! :lol:

Thanks so much for the reply. So let me make sure I understand you. HWT is great for kids who struggle with penmanship and motor skills. AND ZB is a better overall program for kids who don't struggle? Thanks so much for your input!

Hi y'all. I'm new to homeschooling and I'll have my 3rd grader and 1st grader home in the Fall with me. I'm trying to figure out the difference between Handwriting Without Tears and Zaner-Bloser. What's the difference? Is one preferred over the other for printing? Cursive? Does it really matter?!?!?!? I'm going to a bookfair Friday, but I don't expect to see ZB there. I'll probably get a chance to look at HWT, though... Any thoughts?

I just did the same thing with my two boys! :hurray: I think we'll get over it. I mean, it's not like we're taking our children away to the remotest part of the world and they'll never seen these kids again, right?

:bigear: Thanks for all the hints, ladies! I'm a newbie (or will be in the Fall), and I can learn from all of you!

Thanks so much y'all! I appreciate it!

I'm a newbie when it comes to homeschooling. Can anyone please recommend a good Bible curriculum? I'll be schooling a 3rd and 1st grader next Fall. Thanks!

Thanks ladies!!! So much! I will come back and read this thread often. I failed to mention originally that I have read TWTM and LOVE it. I'm at a place in my life where I've lost confidence in most things I try to do. Which was not me before the depression hit 14 years ago. So the task of educating my kiddos seems like a monumental task. Almost overwhelming. Almost impossible. But I also need to remind myself that, if God has called me to this task, then He'll equip me, even if I'm afraid He won't. :D "My God is so big, so strong and so mighty. There's nothing my God cannot do." -- my DD sang that just yesterday. Thanks again, ladies. :)

Hi ladies I'm new to this site (this is my first post) and to homeschooling. A little background: I homeschooled my middle kiddo for 6 weeks in kindergarten before his therapist suggested he needed more social interaction (he suffers from social anxiety); I couldn't provide the 1-2 hours DAILY of social interaction with kids his age or older, so we decided to put him in public school. And he's done great. We've seen so many positive changes in him. But that's my experience with homeschooling: a whole 6 weeks. We are strongly considering homeschooling our two oldest (they'll be 3rd and 1st grades) in the Fall. But I'm incredibly nervous. Why you ask? will I be patient enough? will I push my kids hard enough without pushing them too hard? i suffer from chronic, mild depression. how will that affect my ability to homeschool? will I be teaching the boys what they need to know? will I leave anything out? how am i going to motivate my 1st grader to work harder (he doesn't like doing school work -- he'd rather play) will I go crazy from being around the kids all day, all the time? (I've not enjoyed staying at home with the kids all these years; but I enjoyed the 6 short weeks of HS and currently helping with homework after school) I would love some encouragement. Something to calm my fears. I realize that most of my concerns are "normal". Yet they are still real concerns to me! thanks in advance