Simply Following

Come join us for our next event January 23, 2020 at 6:30!

I can’t believe our next event is coming so soon! This event is all focused on curriculum where I will be answering these questions:

What are some ways to organize homeschooling curriculum when you don’t have a homeschool room? Or when you have multiple kids?
What are the different learning styles kids have? As well as, finding what your teaching style is as a homeschooling mom.
The key to a successful homeschool year and how to really thrive in your homeschooling journey.
How to sift through all the curriculums that are out there and find the one that’s going to work for our family?

I am also beyond excited to announce that we will be having 5 different curriculum companies that will be having tables at our event this time! There are so many curriculums out there and I know how overwhelming it can be, so I really wanted to simplify things and only have at most 5 represented. These companies were either requested through our email subscribers (so if you’re not signed up, you should be ;)) or are companies that I believe in their curriculum and know people that have truly loved using them. What are those five companies?

Notgrass
The Good and The Beautiful
Simply Charlotte Mason
Beautiful Feet Publishing
Heart of Dakota

Each of these curriculums will be set up to look through after our main session and each will have their own area of tables, so that way there is enough room for people to go by each of the tables separately. My main focus with having these curriculums is so that you can see personally how each of them flows and looks inside. It’s so hard seeing things online and knowing whether or not they will be a good fit. And there is something different about physically being able to page through books and see how each one does things a little differently. If you are interested in seeing pictures of some of the things that will be at their tables, check out my instagram here as it’s getting updated with pictures as things come in.

Another exciting thing is that we will be having gift bags full of goodies from these companies to the first 45 people! We will be having it again at The Village Church in Kronewetter, WI (address is 1485 Village Way Drive, Kronenwetter WI 54455).

If you are interested in coming or have more questions, please email me at erin@simplyfollowing.com. I will be sending out emails soon with more information and a break down of the evening.

May you be reminded that you don’t have to be in this homeschool journey alone and that we are better together.

I hope to see you there!

December 10, 2019

Make January your new September!

Do you ever feel like school is dragging on through the winter? That you wished you didn’t have so much school work during the holidays? Longing to enjoy your summers more, even though you may be doing school year round? It maybe a bit unconventional, but I believe I stumbled on how to solve all those questions!

When we started homeschooling my plan was to do it all year round. I liked having the flexibly and the freedom to take off when we needed to without “fear” we’d get behind schedule. So our first few years of homeschooling, we started the typical school year time in September. Then about two years ago for some different reasons, we start in January. And what am amazing difference it made! We now have no interested in every turning back! Not only has it helped our school year be more successful, but we enjoy our homeschool year and the freedom it brings.

If you started your homeschool year in January here are the things you will have to look forward to. 🙂

You’ll start in January with a fresh slate and a new year ahead of you, instead of hitting the dreaded February and feeling ready to be done with your school year or tired of subjects.
In most places, you’re already stuck inside so it’s a great time to buckle down and get into your new subjects. You’re then able to get into a good routine before spring hits, instead of being the other way around and tempted to skip school because it’s such a beautiful fall day or week to be outside.
By the time spring/summer hits, you should be through a large portion of your school. How we do it is that once the weather gets nice, we take it week by week in our school schedule. For example, on Saturday or Sunday I will look ahead to the coming week and see if it’s going to be rainy or a beautiful week; then we plan school around that. If it’s a rainy day we do school and if it’s a beautiful week we will take off and do play dates at the park and spend a lot of time outside.
BUT the thing I love most of all about start in January, is that by the time Thanksgiving and Christmas come we are through most of our subjects and each child only has one or two things left to finish. Which means no stressing over school through the holidays! (can I get an amen for that? ;)) We don’t have to worry about making sure we get our full school load done in the midst of the craziness of the holidays. And instead can just enjoy!

There is something so refreshing and exciting about the start to a new year. And I love that we get to start it off with new curriculum and vision for our school year, instead of going back to the old.

If you have any questions that I may have missed, feel free to leave them down below and I’ll be happy to answer them! 🙂 And if you are not signed up to come to the event January 23rd, be sure to do that are we are going to be digging into so many practical tools to help you thrive in homeschooling plus you get to hang out with other homeschooling moms in the same season and look through curriculum from some amazing companies up close!

May you have a wonderful start to your new year!

Erin

December 31, 2019

Our first Simply Following Homeschool event October 3, 2019!

What an amazing time we had at our first event in October! We had around 30 women who gathered for community and encouragement that evening. It was incredible to see so many who didn’t know each other, stay talking for quite a while afterwards and find friends to walk through this homeschooling journey with. Being reminded throughout the evening, that they aren’t in this alone.

We got the opportunity to talk about so many subjects from homeschooling with littles and how to keep your house from falling apart while homeschooling. To how to write a transcript and homeschooling through the high school years. So thankful for all the people who came and hearing so many stories!

Not the best quality of a picture and missing a few women, but thankful to have this picture and reminder of a wonderful evening!

Counting down the days til our next event in January! And love the community that I pray will continue to grow through these events!

December 10, 2019

What happened to the magazine?

So if you have been looking at my website at any point, you’ve probably been wondering, “What happened to the magazine launch n October 1st?”. I had two choices with this: 1) edit the post so it didn’t have that in it or 2) be honest and straightforward about it. As you can tell from this post, I decided to be transparent about it. 🙂

I would LOVE to create a magazine targeting homeschool moms as a way to encourage and equip. I had things starting to come together and then it seemed like one thing after another kept coming up and getting in the way of it launching. With each obstacle, I felt this tug in my heart know it wasn’t the time to do it. My life is very busy and crazy between homeschooling, my husband being a pastor and our church continually growing, keeping up with meals and laundry that never ends. So I can only focus on so many things at a time (I know something that is a” but something hard for me to remember ;)). When my focus is taken off of those things that are the most important (God, husband, kiddos, homeschooling and that ever growing pile of laundry…), things start to fall apart and I can’t give my best to each of those primary areas.

Which brings me to the magazine…I know that right now the Lord is wanting me to continue with the Simply Following homeschooling events. Our first one went incredible (post to come soon)! And I love the face to face interaction with people and being able to provide that environment for moms to connect more. But have felt that, for now, the magazine is on hold. Who knows what the future holds (and I hope it is still in the future as it was looking so cool! ;)), but I always want to feel the Lord’s peace each step I take with the extra things I do.

So my next post will be all about our homeschool night and the next night we have planned for January! It will also hold what my plan is for coming post. 🙂

Be blessed!

Erin

November 1, 2019

Dream Big

Have you ever been in those places where God pushes you out of your comfort zone by given you a dream that is bigger than yourself? You’re terrified, yet excited to take that step. But everything that awaits is unknown.

That is were I have been for quite a few months. The Lord began putting this stirring and dream of a community of homeschooling moms who came together from all different backgrounds and ways of homeschooling. For the purpose of building each other up, sharing about their struggles, talking about the moments they love in these child raising years and coming away knowing that they weren’t alone in homeschooling. I made a comment to my husband that I wished that there was a homeschool convention here in town or something bigger that was done where you could go and learn and connect with more people and people could ask questions about things that they were struggling with or wanting advice on. And in his true visionary personality he says, “Why don’t you do something then?”

Anyone that knows me knows that I am an introvert and the idea of starting something terrifies me. I enjoy being behind the scenes and doing things one on one with people. But this desire in my heart continued to stir of wondering what that would look like. More importantly, was this something that God was stirring inside me?

I put it on the back burner and didn’t think much about it. However, as the weeks went on it seemed like every time I turned around I was being connected with some person about homeschooling, and coming along side a mom to be a coach so they would feel confident in their homeschooling journeys.

And the dream continued to grow…

“What if…”

So with my husband’s continued spurring on, a sweet friend’s encouragement and the confidence that this was God’s timing with it all, I took the first step… and then another… and have been absolutely blown away and humbled at how the Lord continues to open doors.

What are those steps you may be asking?

One step has been to create a bi-yearly event where homeschooling moms and those who are interested in homeschooling, can come together, ask questions and grow. Where they leave feeling encouraged, confident and equipped in their homeschooling journeys. And where most importantly they don’t feel the overwhelming feeling of isolation that sometimes homeschooling brings. So if you are in the area and have seen the flyer, I hope that you join us on October 3rd for a night to connect with other moms and be handed tools to help equip you to have an amazing school year.

Our next event is slated to be held mid-January, specifically on homeschool curriculum. Asking the questions of: How do you pick a curriculum? What do you look for? Do you have to do everything as it says? How do you balance multiply age levels? And much more. I am beyond excited to see what God does with these!

The second big dream, which to me was just an idea but again with my visionary husband, and the guidance of our big God, is slowly becoming a reality. The dream? To create an online magazine for homeschooling moms, but at the same time that could be for any mom who has kids at home. Something that encourages them spiritually, gives practical advice and provides ideas for resources. So here we go! Simply following the lead of my God, with the encouragement of those around me, we’re going to see this dream become reality, and I hope you’ll be a part of it.

For so long, I’ve known that my passion for homeschooling and coming along side moms was something the Lord had put in my heart to do. Now seeing what He is doing through that is humbling, exciting and makes me so nervous all in one! 🙂

If you want you can subscribe or follow us on instagram as we start on this journey and on October 1st as we release the first issue of the magazine!! 🙂

Remember, we’re better together. Let’s get going.

September 8, 2019