Welcome! I’m Michelle, and I’m so glad you stopped by! I started this blog when I was entering the empty nest phase because I had so much that I wanted to share. I had precious memories and experiences from 14 years of homeschooling, as well as adventures from gardening and country life. Now my husband and I are empty nesters and it’s like dating again, while also learning how to parent young adults and be helpful to our parents.
You’re invited to join me as I see what life brings, and if anything resonates with you, I’d love to hear from you!
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I want to receive all of your blog’s. I love it…
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Thank you, Crystal!
Signed up. We should get to know each other. I’m in SW, near Hope…
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Near Hope, AR? My grandparents used to live there.
One son lives just northwest of hope in a home they built in the middle of nowhere. 😉 I forgot to mention we also homeschooled ours.
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It’s always nice to meet a fellow homeschoolers! I’ve had a lot of ancestors from that area. Our family used to visit when my grandparents were living. Now I don’t usually have a reason to go down there. What’s the nearest town to your son?
Sorry I just saw this–Saratoga…
Please email me if you like…
Hi Michelle! I just found your blog through a post of your article on what college professors say about home schooled students. I really enjoyed your article. I have 5 kids that went through the public school system, one still there in 9th grade. I chose to homeschool my youngest. We are in 3rd grade now and in our 2nd year. He is strong willed and a self learner but likes choosing his own subjects lol. He much prefers being outside hunting, fishing and trapping. He will study all of these things on his own, mainly with watching videos. I have a difficult time getting him inside for lessons. He wants to rush through to get back outside. Reading to him is the best way to keep him focused inside. I’m looking forward to the information here and hoping to find some direction as we go. I have pressure from other family members to put him back in school. Your article will help my case for sure lol. Blessings!!!
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Thank you for sharing all of that. I’m remembering some books that we read that he might enjoy: The Sign of the Beaver, Moccasin Trail, Diary of an Early American Boy, and Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. I think they’ll all appeal to his love of the outdoors. Hunting and fishing are good basic skills to have. He’ll always be able to feed his self and his family. Hang in there. Homeschooling really works. I really don’t believe that boys were designed to sit at a desk all day, especially when they’re young.
Thank you so much for the recommendations and encouragement!! We will definitely check out the books. I totally agree with you about the importance of those skills. If more boys and young men had the opportunity to learn them and spend time outdoors we would see a great change in our society. I look forward to to reading your blog.
Hi, I found this while searching “retired homeschool moms.” I lived through the homeschool years, before that ended I was part of the “grilled cheese” generation. That’s sort of like the sandwich generation except your burned out and nothing healthy spills out of you. Now I’m dealing with working outside the home for the first time in over 20 years with a “boomerang” daughter who moved back home after college and a community college student son who never left. Homeschooling is awesome, but it takes awhile to adjust after it ends.
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I hadn’t heard the “grilled cheese” term before. LOL! I think of what you’re descibing as the “fledgling” phase. They’re trying to fly, but they don’t always take off. They still are in need of our encouragement and support. I think it would be hard to adjust to working outside the home after being autonomous for so long. I would be in the same boat if I started working again. I’ve been out of the workforce for almost 23 years now.
Hi there! I stumbled across your blog while conducting a research for midlife women bloggers. Great stuff! I’m not quite an empty nester (yet!), but as I entered this daunting stage of midlife, I realized the importance of sharing and being open with other women. I recently started my blog, “It’s not a Crisis…it’s a Metamorphosis” (mymidlifemetamorphosis.com), as a means of providing inspiration to others while we navigate this phase together.
I look forward to reading your posts! Btw my children are also homeschooled 🙂 .
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That’s great! And my sentiments exactly! I wish you well with your blog!