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I am now a blogger! (or at least a blogger wannabe ;))


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Please be honest and share what you think of my concept.  I am thinking more along the lines of "Dear Abby" where people can ask questions that I will answer in blog format.  I have written a main page post and my first blog post. (It took me over a week to even figure out how to get a platform to work.  It certainly doesn't look professional, but I did finally get it up on running!!)

Conversations with Karen: Homeschool Chats

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Thanks.  It has been really strange the past month bc my life is so less busy.  Going down to only 3 homeschooling this yr was overshadowed by the fact that we moved across the country first into a rental and then into our house. 2 moves in 5months was rather overwhelming! But now that we are pretty much settled in, I am finding myself with actual free time (a much unknown concept for the most of my married life!)

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2 hours ago, 8FillTheHeart said:

Thanks.  It has been really strange the past month bc my life is so less busy.  Going down to only 3 homeschooling this yr was overshadowed by the fact that we moved across the country first into a rental and then into our house. 2 moves in 5months was rather overwhelming! But now that we are pretty much settled in, I am finding myself with actual free time (a much unknown concept for the most of my married life!)

 

Wanna take my finals for me next week? ;)

Karen, I think that it is incredible that you are giving back to other homeschoolers in this way -- beyond the enormous amount that you already share here (and who knows where else)!  

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16 hours ago, SeaConquest said:

Karen, I think that it is incredible that you are giving back to other homeschoolers in this way -- beyond the enormous amount that you already share here (and who knows where else)!  

 

I agree!!  And good concept, too.  It can be hard to come up with new content all the time/something to write about.  Having people ask questions would be a good way to get ideas rolling for blog posts.

And it's scary to put yourself out there in a blog, too.  I have a small blog that's just kind of an online diary of our homeschooling...and I spent months going back and forth wondering if I should even bother.  But, it's helped me get my thoughts organized and work through our homeschooling problems by writing them out.     

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26 minutes ago, Evanthe said:

 

I agree!!  And good concept, too.  It can be hard to come up with new content all the time/something to write about.  Having people ask questions would be a good way to get ideas rolling for blog posts.

And it's scary to put yourself out there in a blog, too.  I have a small blog that's just kind of an online diary of our homeschooling...and I spent months going back and forth wondering if I should even bother.  But, it's helped me get my thoughts organized and work through our homeschooling problems by writing them out.     

I felt incredibly exposed after I hit publish the first time.  I felt the same way when I uploaded my first book.  I am definitely a very private person IRL, and this is slightly outside my comfort zone. 

I also completely agree with the idea of having to come up with something to write about.  I enjoy helping people with homeschooling issues like the way we discuss homeschooling here, but to actually just post about our homeschool or our life on a blog, that is definitely not me. 

Some kind person has actually submitted the first question!! (It is like that first dollar bill store owners frame on their new store wall!!) Now, I just have to figure out how to format a page for a response. :)

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5 hours ago, Free Indeed said:

I would also suggest that you could take some of your posts from here and make them into blog posts- that way we could find them without having to search the boards. Just a thought... 

If I did that, what posts would you suggest?  I see the writing one linked quite a bit, but I can't think of any others.

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2 hours ago, 8FillTheHeart said:

If I did that, what posts would you suggest?  I see the writing one linked quite a bit, but I can't think of any others.

 

How to evaluate a school before, during, and after a college visit.

How to approach the college search if you need merit aid.

How to support a high schooler doing out of the box learning.

Dear Karen, My kid wants to study a foreign language that I don't know. How can she learn to a good proficiency if I can't support her directly? How do I convey her depth of learning to colleges if she doesn't do conventional classes?

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12 hours ago, 8FillTheHeart said:

If I did that, what posts would you suggest?  I see the writing one linked quite a bit, but I can't think of any others.

 

Well, my personal favorite is the homeschool *REAL tea time* post. I’ve been homeschooling many years now but that is one I keep open in my phone browser when I need  encouragement, and direction. The search feature isn’t always reliable and sometimes I just need an on the spot reminder. I won’t have time until this weekend to mention others by title. 

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I have to admit that I am slightly overwhelmed by the affirmations. Thanks for all the support and suggestions.  I love all of the ideas! I think it can definitely turn them in to blog posts.

I probably should have waited a couple of weeks to start this project, though. My youngest is making her First Communion this Sat, our ds is graduating from Bama the next Sat, and the following Sat I have 2 being Confirmed. Lots of party planning, family visiting, and traveling on top of finishing up our school yr.

 

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I'm a blogger too!   Not anywhere close to an expert, but I do have a few comments/suggestions.

First, I love your writing style, and especially the last lines of your last paragraph:   " No homeschool is the same.  It is one size fits no one else."  (AMEN!)

I do feel like there's a lot of people who will not make it through that whole page though to find out, at the end, that this is a blog where you can ask questions.   A lot of people will hit a page full of text with no pictures, and they will click away without even reading.      I think what you have there would fit better in an "about me" page to link to for people who want to learn more about your story.

I love your idea about answering questions.   To focus on that, and let people know right away that's what you're blog is about, you might want a shorter intro (one paragraph...under 5 sentences if possible...the shorter the better), and then a BIG GRAPHIC with something like...

ASK ME ANYTHING

ABOUT HOMESCHOOLING

That graphic should link to  the form you have where people can ask questions.   I sort of expected that bolded "Ask me anything" text to take me there (and if you need help learning how to link things, I can help with that).   But a big ole graphic would be better, something that looks like a button if possible.    Just helps people get right away what this is about.

I could make you the big old graphic if you like. (Nothing fancy, just a simple rounded rectangle with text).   Love helping another new blogger out.

 

 

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On 4/25/2018 at 2:11 PM, goldenecho said:

That graphic should link to  the form you have where people can ask questions.   I sort of expected that bolded "Ask me anything" text to take me there (and if you need help learning how to link things, I can help with that).   But a big ole graphic would be better, something that looks like a button if possible.    Just helps people get right away what this is about.

After completely destroying everything I had done (and not having a clue what I did to cause it), I temporarily salvaged things by finding a platform that sort of put everything back together in a readable form.

I spent more time today messing around with things, and I found a better platform, figured out how to insert some limited html code, and added a widget.  It still needs some work, but I think I am least finally starting to understand how to make things function.

Thanks for the suggestions.

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On 4/25/2018 at 11:01 AM, 8FillTheHeart said:

I probably should have waited a couple of weeks to start this project, though. My youngest is making her First Communion this Sat, our ds is graduating from Bama the next Sat, and the following Sat I have 2 being Confirmed. Lots of party planning, family visiting, and traveling on top of finishing up our school yr.

Best part to blogging is that you can do it when you get the chance. If you post semi-regularly, it make it easier for people to follow you. If the blog backend lets you, you can write up several posts as you have the time & then just set them to publish on certain dates. So, you can actually write 2-3 and then publish them once a week or once every couple weeks. Does that make sense? That way, you have 2-4 weeks of posts ready to go & just write the next one when you have the chance.

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I think this is an outstanding idea, 8.  You are one of the most experienced homeschoolers out there, with so much knowledge to share!

One thing I always wondered about was how you created lesson plans for your kids.  You have described a 6 weeks on, 1 week off schedule.  I would love to hear more about the week you spend laying out lessons plans.  How do you know what is possible for them to complete?  How do you plan for those hiccups and struggles that all kids face?  How do you allow them to work at their own speed and skill level, but then still keep them to hard deadlines for work to be completed.  I find this to be the most challenging part of homeschooling. I want to tailor their education to their skills and weakness, and I want to be flexible when there is struggle or bunny trails. But then that leads to a sense that no deadlines are hard deadlines, and sometimes work that could have gotten done doesn't get done because I'm too flexible.  It's some sort of yin and yang - flexible child-led learning vs accountability.  How do you find the balance?

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On 4/27/2018 at 2:41 PM, 8FillTheHeart said:

After completely destroying everything I had done (and not having a clue what I did to cause it), I temporarily salvaged things by finding a platform that sort of put everything back together in a readable form.

I spent more time today messing around with things, and I found a better platform, figured out how to insert some limited html code, and added a widget.  It still needs some work, but I think I am least finally starting to understand how to make things function.

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

How frustrating!    Been there.   Glad you were able to recover some of it.

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