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makingeverydaymagic

Secular Homeschool Mom Helping You Add Magic to Everyday Home Life
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One of my favorite things about homeschooling in H

One of my favorite things about homeschooling in Houston?My kids can study a Picasso… and then we can go see one.That’s the kind of education I love. Not just learning about the world, but actually getting out into it.Houston is an incredible city for homeschoolers—and especially for secular homeschoolers.#homeschooling #secularhomeschool #houstonhomeschool #homeschoollife #homeschoolingtexas

I've homeschooled in and around Houston for 10 yea

I've homeschooled in and around Houston for 10 years.And I think Houston is one of the most underrated places to homeschool.Especially if you're secular.I know. I KNOW. Texas probably isn't the first place that comes to mind when you think "inclusive secular homeschool."But Houston is enormous, wildly diverse, full of museums and universities and arts and science and cultural experiences—and there is an almost ridiculous amount of stuff you can do here during the school day.My kids can take classes at museums. We can see a Picasso. We can go to the theater. We can visit NASA. We can explore different cultures, foods and neighborhoods. We can find educational opportunities for wildly different interests.And honestly, that's one of the reasons I love homeschooling here.I'm not saying Houston is perfect. It isn't.I'm saying that sometimes the place you think you know from the headlines is much more complicated—and much more interesting—when you actually live there.So this is my Houston tribute. ❤️If you homeschool in Houston, what would you add?And if you homeschool somewhere else, what's the thing about YOUR city that makes it surprisingly good for homeschooling?#HoustonHomeschool #SecularHomeschool #Homeschooling #TexasHomeschool #HomeschoolLife

Congrats to @eliselee15 incoming DM

Congrats to @eliselee15 incoming DM

Congrats to @laurielouwho22 incoming DM

Congrats to @laurielouwho22 incoming DM

It's a LOT of work. But my kids genuinely enjoy i

It's a LOT of work.But my kids genuinely enjoy it, and that changes the equation for me.I'm still figuring out what a sustainable homeschool year looks like, and I'm trying to leave room for the possibility that the answer might look different than what I originally planned.

I don't think I've ever been this divided about a

I don't think I've ever been this divided about a curriculum.It's genuinely good. We're learning so much. My kids enjoy it.And I'm still questioning whether we're trying to fit too much into one year.I think we need more honest conversations about the difference between a curriculum being valuable and a curriculum being the right fit for your family.

I love this curriculum. My kids love this curricul

I love this curriculum. My kids love this curriculum.But I am genuinely struggling with how much it asks of us.Sometimes a good curriculum isn't automatically the right fit for the way your family learns. And sometimes figuring that out takes more than a few weeks.I'm still working through it. ❤️

I really like this curriculum. My kids really lik

I really like this curriculum.My kids really like this curriculum.And I am still wondering if it is way too much.That’s where we are about a month into using Nomadic Professor World History 1 & 2.The content is fantastic. The on-location lessons are genuinely wonderful. My kids are engaged.But the volume of work, the amount of material, and the timeline have me questioning whether I’m trying to fit too much into one homeschool year.So this isn’t a “buy it!” or “don’t buy it!” review.It’s an honest look at what it’s actually like to use it.Because sometimes something can be really, really good…and still not fit perfectly into your actual life.New video is up. ❤️#homeschooling #homeschoolcurriculum #secularhomeschool #homeschoolhighschool #worldhistory #homeschoolmom #makingeverydaymagicThank you to Timberdoodle for providing this curriculum for review. They sent us Nomadic Professor World History 1 & 2 at no cost, but everything I shared here is based on our actual experience and my own opinions.

Last Day To Enter 10/9/2026!!!! #giveaway #vocab #

Last Day To Enter 10/9/2026!!!! #giveaway #vocab #mct

Imagine being at the grocery store on a Wednesday

Imagine being at the grocery store on a Wednesday morning and having a stranger question why your kids aren't in school.If you've homeschooled for any length of time, you probably don't have to imagine it.But here's something I've come to understand after 10 years of doing this:When someone interprets your decision to homeschool as a personal affront to their own educational choices, that's not something you created.Choosing differently doesn't mean you're saying everyone else is wrong.Your family is allowed to make decisions based on your own circumstances, priorities, and needs.And other families are allowed to do the same.We really can let each other live.

One of the most liberating things I've learned is

One of the most liberating things I've learned is that other people's reactions to my decisions are rarely about me.Sometimes people aren't looking for information. They're looking for confirmation that what they already believe is right.And when you make a different choice, they can interpret it as a judgment of their own.But your decision doesn't have to be a commentary on someone else's life.You don't have to defend it. You don't have to convince them. And you certainly don't have to carry their feelings about it.Sometimes the most useful thing you can remember is that it's not about you.**Have you ever had a moment when you realized someone else's reaction had absolutely nothing to do with you?**

One of the most freeing things I've learned is tha

One of the most freeing things I've learned is that other people's reactions to my decisions are rarely about me.After 10 years of homeschooling, I've had plenty of conversations with people who seem personally offended by a choice that has absolutely nothing to do with them.And I've noticed something.Sometimes people aren't looking for information. They're looking for confirmation that what they already believe is right.Sometimes they interpret a different choice as a judgment of their own.Sometimes they just need to tell someone how they feel, and unfortunately, that someone happens to be standing next to them at H-E-B.But here's the thing: **Your decision doesn't have to be a commentary on someone else's life.**Choosing to homeschool doesn't mean I think everyone should homeschool. Making a different parenting choice doesn't mean I'm criticizing yours. Living my life according to my own priorities doesn't mean I'm asking anyone else to do the same.And the same is true in reverse.We can make thoughtful decisions for our own families without taking responsibility for how everyone else feels about them.We can listen to genuine concerns without accepting every unsolicited opinion as something we need to address.We can disagree without turning every difference into a personal conflict.And we can let people have their feelings without making those feelings our responsibility.I think there's a lot of freedom in recognizing that other people are just as wrapped up in their own lives as we are in ours.Not everything requires a response. Not every criticism deserves a defense. And not every uncomfortable interaction is ours to fix.**Have you ever had a moment when you realized someone else's reaction wasn't actually about you?**I'd love to hear about it. ❤️#IntentionalLiving #Homeschooling #HomeschoolMom #PersonalBoundaries #MakingEverydayMagic

You are like a jigsaw puzzle. There are a thousan

You are like a jigsaw puzzle.There are a thousand pieces of you.Some pieces are bigger in one season. Some become smaller. Some don't even fit the way you thought they would.But no single piece gets to define the whole picture.You can be a mom AND a person with your own interests.A homeschooler AND someone who wants to do other things.A wife AND a woman with ambitions that have nothing to do with marriage.You are allowed to be many things.

I've homeschooled for ten years. I talk about it

I've homeschooled for ten years.I talk about it constantly. I've researched it, built our lives around it, defended it, worried about it, and made approximately one million decisions about it.And still… homeschooling isn't my identity.It's something we chose because we felt it was the best path for our kids.And if that ever changed? We'd change.I think there's a lot of freedom in remembering that the thing you're doing—even something you're deeply passionate about—isn't necessarily who you are.What is something you love that isn't your entire identity?

Homeschool is not who my kids are. It's how they

Homeschool is not who my kids are.It's how they get their education.There's a difference.They're artists and dancers and animal lovers and people who are still figuring out who they're going to become.I don't want to replace the boxes of traditional school with a different box that says HOMESCHOOL.They're allowed to just… be people.And so are we.

🎉 **GIVEAWAY TIME!** 🎉 To celebrate the launch of

🎉 **GIVEAWAY TIME!** 🎉To celebrate the launch of my new **Making Everyday Magic Vocabulary Practice Bundles**, I'm giving away **TWO digital vocabulary bundles to TWO winners!** 🥳📘 **WINNER #1:****Caesar's English II Vocabulary Practice Bundle**📙 **WINNER #2:****Word Within the Word II Vocabulary Practice Bundle**Both bundles include a variety of ways to practice, review, and reinforce vocabulary, including printable activities, self-grading Google Forms quizzes, flashcard CSV files, and answer keys.✨ **HOW TO ENTER:**1️⃣ Follow **@MakingEverydayMagic**2️⃣ Like this post3️⃣ Comment **CEII** if you'd like to win the *Caesar's English II* bundle OR **WWTWII** if you'd like to win the *Word Within the Word II* bundle.That's it! 🎉📅 **GIVEAWAY ENDS:** Friday, October 9 at 11:59 PM CT🏆 **WINNERS ANNOUNCED:** Saturday, October 10Two winners will be selected at random from eligible entries — one winner for each resource.Want to check out the new resources while you're here? 👀🛍️ They're officially launching in my **Teachers Pay Teachers store** and at **MakingEverydayMagic.com**!🔗 **Links are in my bio.**Know a homeschool family, teacher, or parent who uses Michael Clay Thompson vocabulary? Tag them below so they can enter too! ❤️Good luck! 🍀✨*No purchase necessary. A purchase will not increase your chances of winning. This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Instagram or Meta. By entering, participants release Instagram/Meta from responsibility related to this promotion. See official giveaway rules for complete details.*#makingeverydaymagic #mct #giveaway #newproduct #easyvocabulary #vocabulary

I've homeschooled for ten years. At this point, h

I've homeschooled for ten years.At this point, homeschooling is deeply woven into our lives.It's how my kids have been educated. It's something I've spent thousands of hours researching and thinking about. It's something I'm passionate about. It's something I talk about on the internet.But homeschool isn't my identity.And I don't want it to be my kids' identity either.It's a thing we do.It's a choice we've made because, right now, we believe it's the best way to educate our kids.If that changes someday, we'll change.Because my motivation isn't “I must homeschool.”My motivation is giving my kids the best education and life I can.And that distinction matters.I am a mom, but I'm also Shanna.I have interests that have nothing to do with my kids.I'm learning about theatrical wig making. I love to travel. I have businesses. I like learning new things. I have opinions and hobbies and ideas and parts of my personality that existed before motherhood and will still exist when my kids don't need me to organize their school anymore.And my kids are the same.They are artists and dancers and animal lovers and readers and people who are still figuring themselves out.Homeschool is simply the way they get their education.It isn't who they are.I think this is especially important for women because we are so often handed identities instead of being encouraged to build our own.Mom.Wife.Homeschooler.Caregiver.And yes—those can all be beautiful, meaningful parts of us.But they're parts.Not the whole.You are a thousand-piece puzzle.Don't let one piece convince you it's the entire picture. ❤️What is one piece of YOU that has nothing to do with motherhood or homeschooling?

I'm never going to tell you what you should do. I

I'm never going to tell you what you should do.I can tell you what we're doing.What works.What doesn't.What I've learned after 10 years of homeschooling.What I think is wonderful.What I think isn't so wonderful.But I'm talking about **my** homeschool, through **my** very narrow lens.I don't know your kids.I don't know your home.I don't know your circumstances.And I don't want every home to look like mine.I want you to choose the path that works for your family.That's the kind of homeschool conversation I want to be part of.#homeschool #homeschooling #secularhomeschool #homeschoolmom #educationchoices #parenting #alternativeeducation

I love homeschooling. And I also think there are

I love homeschooling.And I also think there are very real reasons to criticize it.Those things aren't contradictory.Homeschool can be exactly the right educational model for one child and a terrible fit for another. It can give some families incredible freedom while leaving other children with educational gaps, neglect, or worse.I don't think we do ourselves any favors when we treat homeschool as either the answer to everything or the answer to nothing.We need to be able to hold both truths.What works beautifully for one family may not work for another. And that's okay.#homeschool #homeschooling #secularhomeschool #homeschoolreality #education #alternativeeducation #parenting

I love homeschooling. I also think there are legi

I love homeschooling.I also think there are legitimate reasons to criticize homeschooling.Those things can exist at the same time.After 10 years of doing this, I'm increasingly uncomfortable with the way we talk about education as though there is one universally correct answer.Homeschool isn't the answer to every question.But it isn't the answer to no questions, either.There are kids who thrive in homeschool. There are kids who don't. There are families with the circumstances that make it sustainable, and families who simply don't have those circumstances.Homeschool can provide an incredible education and opportunities a child might not otherwise have.And minimal oversight can also allow educational gaps, neglect, or worse to go unnoticed.We don't make those realities disappear by pretending only one of them exists.The same is true of every educational model.Public school can be wonderful for one child and deeply frustrating for another. Private school can be an incredible fit for one family and completely inaccessible to another.They're options. They're systems. And they're experienced by individual children in individual families.That's why I'm never going to come here and tell you what you *should* do.I'll tell you what we're doing.What works.What doesn't.What I'm learning after 10 years of homeschooling two very different kids.But I'm talking about my homeschool through my very narrow lens.I don't know your kids.I don't know your home.I don't know your circumstances.And honestly? I don't want every home to look like ours.I want you to choose the path that serves your kids well.For us, right now, that's homeschooling.For someone else, it might be something completely different.And that's okay.What is good for me may not be good for you.We can keep sharing. We can keep learning. We can keep disagreeing. We can keep coexisting.And we can keep making everyday magic. ✨#homeschool #homeschooling #secularhomeschool #homeschoolmom #homeschoolreality #educationchoices #alternativeeducation #parenting #intentionalparenting

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Recent Posts

Nomadic Professor World History Review: Is It Too Much for Homeschool High School?
Why Your Choices Make Other People Uncomfortable (And Why That’s Not Your Problem)
Homeschool Isn’t My Whole Identity: Life Beyond Homeschooling
Homeschool Isn’t the Answer. It Isn’t the Enemy Either.
How I Homeschool Multiple Grades: Combining 9th and 5th Grade

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