Hi, and welcome to Confessions of a Homeschooler!
Please allow me to introduce myself:
Welcome to Confessions of a Homeschooler! My name is Erica Arndt, I’m a Christian mom with a wonderful husband and 4 precious kiddos! We’ve been homeschooling since 2006, although I was previously opposed to the idea. But I have learned through this journey, that when the Lord calls us, we are to be obedient! You can visit this post to see why we homeschool now. After a few early years spent getting into our groove, I can say that I am blessed to have the option to homeschool these kiddos, and that my husband and I can be the primary influence in their lives!
About our blog:
Confessions of a Homeschooler is a blog full of homeschooling ideas, resources and printables. I began the site in August of 2009 with the start of a new school year. It started off as a way for my husband to ‘see what we do all day’. And has really helped him interact with the kids about what they’ve learned each day. It quickly morphed into a place for sharing ideas and resources with other homeschoolers! And now we’ve even added in our cooking, quilting, and crafting adventures too!
About the Players:
This sweet girl is my first born! I’ve homeschooled her since the beginning! So she’s my guinea pig, and mini-me. She’s now 16 years old and currently in 11th Grade. She likes horses, cooking, animals, and all things light blue.
Next we have Sam. He’s my second born, 15 years old and currently in the 10th Grade. He’s the only dude in this group of all girlies (except my husband of course). He loves hockey, motocross, video games, and anything that I’ll let him take apart. He’s good at just about everything he tries, and he has a laugh that is contagious!
Olivia is up next. She’s my 3rd born baby, 13 years old and currently in 8th grade. She’s a girlie girl and loves choir, playing guitar, worship, and sewing. She’s a total “mama’s girl” and spends most of her time hugging and kissing me :o).
Last but not least is our baby. She’s the sweetest kid and is always up for a challenge! She’s crazy as can be, loves to try new things, and does her best to do literally EVERYthing that the big kids can do. She loves motocross, knitting, weaving, sewing, and hockey. And don’t let her size fool you, she can keep up with the big kids just fine!
We also added a few furry friends in to the mix! Check them out on instagram below 🙂
About Our Homeschool:
Similar to many moms, I face the self-inflicted frustration of self doubt.
“Am I doing enough? What am I missing? Am I a good teacher? Should they be in school?” But I’ve found over the years that my frustration is outweighed by the tremendous joys of seeing my family grow closer together and watching as the kids grow and learn new things.
I think homeschooling is one of those slow payoffs, but each day I can see little things that inspire me to keep going! The Lord has really confirmed our decision to homeschool each year and truly brought us joy through our obedience! You can read why our family chose to homeschool here. And more about my own struggle with it in my Candid Conversation with God, and my thoughts on Plate Spinning 101!
I have found great inspiration for our homeschool from fellow homeschoolers. Joining the blogging community has been a HUGE help, and frankly I’m not sure how I ever did school before! There are so many talented and creative moms out there, and I love that everyone is willing to share their ideas and inspiration so freely! It’s truly been a blessing to us over the years.
I hope you enjoy this blog, and that it would be a blessing to your family! Thanks for reading, and if you have any questions feel free to contact me, I’d be happy to help!
What brand iron do you use in your crafting
Thank you!! I have watched numerous videos on how to make a face mask and yours was hands down, the most simple and easiest to do.
HI Carol,
I now use an Oliso, you can see my sewing faves here: https://www.amazon.com/shop/ericaarndt?listId=2YN6JQ20VGH85
Hi Erica,
I watched your video on how to make a mask. The first one took me about 1 hour, but after I made a few, it only took be about 5 minutes. I am going to try to make a kids mask next! Thank you!
Hi Erica,
You have a beautiful family and obviously know their strengths. FYI, my cousin, Joy, now has an adult family of three. She was a credentialed teacher and gave up public school teaching when she became a mom. Her children are all grown and accomplished. Her eldest daughter is a medical doctor and her youngest, a son, is an attorney. They are wonderful adults now returning to society the gifts their mother gave them.
I have no children of my own but being the oldest of eight grew into the profession naturally. I feel fortunate to have earned the trust and respect from the parents of children in our big inner city school system. I live in the country and commute to work, except for this COVID19 time. Technology is the only tool we have now and parents are highly stressed trying to home school and work at the same time.
Any pdfs you can share with me an elementary teacher of K and 1 would be so appreciated.
Hugs,
Sandra Krey
Appreciatively,
Sandra Krey
Hi Sandra,
You’re welcome to use any of the free printables on my site with your classes 🙂
Hi Erica, I enjoy your YouTube channel. I have a question that you may or may not be able to answer. I can’t find the answer to my question on the internet and I don’t know of anyone better to ask than you. Do you have or know where I can find the sequence of steps to teaching money?
Hi Erica,
You page, resources, teachings are all so amazing. THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH for sharing your content with us. I hope you continue to do so, and I look forward to exploring more of your page! I really appreciate everything you have been teaching us how to teach at home!
Hi Erica , my name is Wanda and I am new to sewing. I have tried other videos but find that yours are by far the simplist for me . I too started with the mask video , then the pencil holder , and now doing what I call your make up bag . And everyone I make them for loves them . One project I really really need help with is a wallet / ID / necklace . I have promised my grandchildren but I can’t find a simple video . Can u please please help me . Thank u so much for your awesome videos . Keep up the great work . Thank u again and i am excited to hear from u.
Hi, thanks for the suggestion, I’ll add it to my list! 🙂
Hello Erica! I purchased a copy of the Road Trip Journal on CD format. I am super excited about using this materials for my homeschool with my 7 and 10 year old boys.
How can I get this materials on PDF other than a CD? I do not have a CD reader in my personal computer and thought I could use the one at my job, but it is turning out to be super challenging. In addition, there are so many helpful links that would be fun to use right during class, but can’t since I have only printed portions of the materials at work to bring home.
Jezica Cunille
Hi, I do offer them in download format as well, if you email me we can see if we can swap it out for you.
I really enjoy your video I love to sew buy me a singer patchwork sewing machine a few days ago I was asking u to make a weekend travel bag for clothes if u can I would love to make one email me anytime thank so much for what u do.
Hi Denise,
thanks for the suggestion!
Hi! I’ve been following you for years…crazy question regarding your quilting! My mom loves Bernini machines and has always given me her hand-me-down machines. The most recent one just broke and I’m not ready for a fancy quilting & embroidery machine just yet. I’m looking for a machine that’s basic (even manual is fine) but I’d love a blanket stitch on it. I’m torn by all the online recommendations and would like to keep it around $500. I noticed the Missouri Star Ever Sewn Sparrow. Thoughts? Recommendations?
Do you only accept paypal ?