Welcome back to The Smiling Homeschooler! Today’s topic is something that resonates with just about every homeschooling family: the pressure to finish the curriculum while still saying yes to all the amazing opportunities around us.

We recently asked our followers over on Facebook what feels hardest right now, and another one of the most common responses was feeling torn between making steady progress through textbooks, lesson plans, and checklists — and making time for sports, church events, friendships, and real-life learning. It can leave parents feeling behind, stressed, and wondering if they’re measuring success by completed pages instead of true learning. We had an encouraging converstation and we hope you enjoy!

Before we get started, we want to thank Teaching Textbooks for making The Smiling Homeschooler possible. They’re an amazing math curriculum, and we encourage you to check them out at teachingtextbooks.com.

We’d also like to thank Samaritan Ministries — a community of Christians who help one another with medical bills. They make it possible for families to take steps of faith, whether that’s a career change, a ministry opportunity, or bringing mom home. You can learn more and support the show here https://hubs.ly/Q03VZL4d0

Have a great day and don't forget to smile!

Ocean saviour and an albino alligator