"12 Blogs of Christmas" Contest

Just Some Stuff is hosting a contest. The prize is a $50 gift certificate to HomeschoolEStore. Here are my answers :-)

1.How many children do you have / homeschool? 2
2. How long have you been homeschooling? I've homeschooled my kids since birth (so that makes it 10 years) plus I was homeschooled grades 9-12, so really I've been homeschooling since I was 16 because I planned this for a long time!
3. Have they always been homeschooled, or did they ever go to public/private school? Always been homeschooled.
4. Do you plan on homeschooling until graduation? God willing, yes
5.Do you belong to a co-op? Yes, we participate in a middle school service co-op. Each month, 5th-8th graders (and their families) choose a project to do together. So far this year we've sorted winter clothing for a charity clothing give-away, cleaned up a local park, and sang Christmas carols at the Veterans Hospital.
6. Do you school all year long, or use some other schedule? We school year-round.
7. Do you use textbooks only, or do you like to supplement with other materials? We try to avoid textbooks, choosing instead to use living books with a few workbooks and fun materials.
8. Are field trips included in your school plans, or are they just family time? Usually they're just family time, although early next year our local museum will have SEVERAL exhibits that all seem to tie in with this year's learning, so if we call visits to the museum "field trips" they'll tie in nicely to our school plans ;-)
9. Do you and your kids do crafty stuff together for school time? My kids like to do craft projects while I read to them, so other than providing assistance where needed, I'm not usually directly involved in their endeavors.
10. Would you consider everyday household life stuff ‘home ec’? Most definitely!
11. Do you have any advice for new homeschoolers? Homeschooling is a way of life. It will permeate your family and everything you do. That's a good thing! The longer you homeschool, the better you'll get to know your kids, and the better they'll get to know each other as well. Don't panic if things don't go as you'd dreamed they would initially. Kids need time to destress if they've previously attended school. You need time to discover their learning styles and how best to help them learn. You may need to make changes in the materials you use. What you thought would be the ideal curriculum may end up being a bad fit for your kids. Don't be afraid to change!
12. Do you have advice for homeschoolers with little ones under foot? Little people are going to think they need to be involved, so you need to have a plan! First of all, take advantage of nap times to give your older homeschoolers individual attention. If nap time doesn't work, have some special activities for your little ones to use during school. Make simple worksheets for them if they want to "do school" like their older siblings. Have one older sibling amuse the little one while you work with another. Don't be afraid to use videos for entertainment once in a while, either. And on the worst of days, remember--they'll grow up and not be underfoot, and you'll miss those days like crazy!