New year, same pajamas.

Ah yes, it’s that time of year again—Back to School Season—when store aisles overflow with glue sticks, lunchboxes, and unnecessary levels of glitter. Your social feed is full of first-day photos with shiny new backpacks and adorable chalkboard signs.

And here you are… standing in your kitchen with a dry erase board, a cup of coffee, and a suspicious level of optimism.

Because this year, you’re not sending them to school.
You are the school.

God help us all.

🎒 The Homeschool “Back to School” Starter Pack:

• 1 whiteboard that you will definitely forget to clean
• 57 Sharpies (none of which you’ll let the toddler use)
• Curriculum books you said you’d “skim over the summer”
• Pajamas that double as uniforms
• Snacks. Endless snacks. All the snacks.

Day One Energy vs. Day Three Reality

Day One: You light a candle. You write everyone’s schedule in color-coded markers. You take a “First Day of Homeschool” photo. You are that mom.

Day Three:
The toddler is naked.
The 4th grader is crying about fractions.
You’re Googling “how to fake a snow day in August.”
The candle is now a fire hazard.

Learning Happens Everywhere (Even if It Doesn’t Look Like It)

Here’s the thing no one tells you: homeschool doesn’t have to look like school to count. Baking = fractions. Grocery shopping = economics. A screaming match over who gets the last marker? Conflict resolution and emotional regulation. Boom. Skills.

Some days, you’ll crush it. Other days, you’ll consider enrolling them in Hogwarts. That’s okay.

The beauty of homeschooling is that you can build a rhythm that works for your family. You get to slow down, dig deeper, follow curiosity, and say “yes” to a nature walk instead of a worksheet. That’s not failure. That’s freedom.

Encouragement for the Homeschool Parent (aka You)

• You don’t need to replicate a traditional classroom.
• You do need to trust that relationship comes before rigor.
• You will have moments when you question everything.
• You won’t ruin them. Pinky promise.

You are showing up. You are choosing presence over perfection. You are building something beautiful, even if it occasionally involves tears, Legos, and reheated coffee.

So here’s to the homeschool families.
To the kitchen tables covered in books.
To the pajama-clad students and the moms who forgot what day it is.
To the field trips, the flexibility, and the slow mornings that matter more than you think.

This year, you’re not “just” homeschooling.

You’re doing something brave.
Something meaningful.
Something that starts with grace—and ends with snacks.

You’ve got this.
(And if not, there’s always a documentary on Netflix. That counts, too.)