Homeschooling at the Speed of Life

I like to fancy myself an organized mom. But I must admit that I am not. I have good intentions but they don’t always materialize. I came across a book that has helped me think I could actually get my act together.

Homeschooling at the Speed of Life, by Marilyn Rockett, is currently my favorite book on this topic. There are a TON of books on getting organized, but Rockett has the unique perspective of a home educating mom and she understands our needs and limitations. One thing I liked was that the books is big, and by that I mean it’s 8.5 by 11 inches. It’s easy to file and easy to find when I need it. And it comes with a CD-ROM with all the forms on it (over 30) so you can print without having to try to squish your book onto the copier glass.

She addresses filing, scheduling, meal planning, chores and more. Her ideas on time had me thinking of how I spend my time in a different way than I had before. She begins with a scriptural foundation of why we should be organized before she gets into the how. Her tone is not condescending but encouraging. And the space at the end of each chapter for notes is handy for writing down thoughts and personal application.

It’s not so loaded with information that it’s overwhelming and her system makes sense so it’s pretty easy to implement. And she does a good job of communicating that all of life is learning, not just certain times of the day, so our needs for order are different than other families.

Why you may like this book:

• you are disorganized
• you like step by step suggestions
• you are a “paper person”
• you like scriptural application to daily life
• determining priorities are hard for you
• you need help getting the whole family involved in getting organized
• it’s comprehensive, touching on main areas of life
• the mini-devotionals at the end of each chapter

Why you may not like (or need) this book:

• you already have a system that works
• you aren’t interested in a paper filing system (maybe you prefer electronic)
• you don’t need help in this area
• a lot of scripture bothers you in this type of book.

Brenda (132 Posts)

Brenda is a homeschooling mother of 5, who has a wonderful husband encouraging her to be the best woman that God has created her to be. Together they are very intentional about spending time together as a family. She considers her daily life with her children as her ministry and has found many avenues to encourage others to live a lifestyle of learning. She is the founder of a curriculum review site authored by a group of well-known homeschool bloggers, The Curriculum Choice.