Hi! I’m Tara Ziegmont, and I’m thrilled to be sharing my first post as a Tommy Nelson Mommy.

Until 2 years ago, I was an astronomy teacher in a large public high school, armed with a master’s degree in teaching and curriculum and 10 years’ experience.

I struggled with my job; I dropped my daughter off at daycare every day to teach other people’s children. I felt God’s tug on my heart to quit and teach my daughter at home.

In a giant leap of faith (and against all advice), I resigned from teaching while on maternity leave with my second daughter. I’m still a working mom; I work at least 35 hours every week. Unlike before, I work from home now, in the evenings and on the weekends, on my own terms.

God’s way is so good, my friends. So very good.

I work hard to stay positive and to live fully, and I believe that happiness is a choice we can all make. I love the life I share with my husband, Joe, and our daughters, Grace (5) and Allie (21 months), and I celebrate it often.

My background in education pushed me toward homeschooling year round. I knew in my heart that year round school was the right way.

And then it didn’t work for us.

The public library near our home offered almost daily workshops and story hours all summer. The theaters nearby offered free movies. The sun shined, the toddler slept in the car, and we ran around and played with friends almost every day.

Again, I felt God’s tug on my heart. I abandoned my plans to do things the right way. Subsequently, my daughter did a lot of learning but no actual schooling.

Now that summer is over, the fun and tempting activities have {thankfully} slowed down to twice-weekly moms’ group meetings, and we’re getting back into a routine.

My girls get up early, and we play most of the morning. I think children need a lot of unstructured play time, even school-aged ones, and that’s what our mornings are designed to be. I try to pick up toys and clean the house while they’re playing but often, I play with them.

I start making lunch around 11, and I put my toddler down for a nap as soon as lunch is cleaned up.

When she’s sleeping, school time begins. Grace and I work through a math lesson (we’re doing time and money right now), The Logic of English, an art or journaling project, We Choose Virtues, and 100 Read and Sing Devotions.

In total, our school time is under an hour, sometimes less. I feel like maybe we should be doing a bit more, so I work mini lessons into our days outside of school time.

Our days feel packed, and I’m confident that this is how they are supposed to be.

Where is God leading you today?

–
Tara Ziegmont is a professional blogger, blog coach, and SEO specialist. She created an internationally-syndicated, award-winning blog called Feels Like Home in 2007 and continues to publish it today. Tara homeschools the older of her two crazy children and lives an old-school back-to-basics frugal lifestyle while working full-time from home.