“Learning through the ordinary moments of everyday life.”
There wasn’t one big moment that made us choose homeschooling.
In many ways, I think we were living it long before we ever called ourselves homeschoolers.
When my oldest son, Orion, was little, I dreamed about homeschooling. It wasn’t something I had experienced growing up, but something about it just felt right. I loved the idea of learning together, following my children’s curiosity, and having the freedom to build our days around family instead of a school schedule.
But life had other plans.
We were living in Texas, and I had just had our second baby. I remember hearing someone say, “If you have toddlers, forget homeschooling.”
That one comment planted enough doubt that I convinced myself maybe it wasn’t possible.
So Orion went to public preschool.
Then we moved to Louisiana, and he started kindergarten in a gifted classroom. His birthday fell right on the cutoff, but he had always loved learning. We had spent his toddler years reading together, asking questions, exploring outside, and discovering the world one ordinary day at a time.
Looking back now, I realize something.
We weren’t trying to homeschool.
We were simply living.
Learning was already happening all around us.
We counted apples and oranges while putting away groceries.
Orion lined up his Hot Wheels in rainbow order across the living room floor.
Every night we read the same five books before bed until he eventually began “reading” them back to me from memory. One of those books was an ABC book, and somewhere along the way we naturally started talking about letter sounds.
We walked around the neighborhood lake looking for ducks, turtles, and frogs.
We laid in the grass making shapes out of the clouds.
He asked endless questions.
Together, we searched for answers.
It wasn’t elaborate.
It wasn’t planned.
It wasn’t Pinterest-worthy.
It was simply everyday life.
Then, in the spring of 2020, everything changed.
COVID began making headlines, and I had a feeling I couldn’t quite explain. Before schools officially closed, I made the decision to pull Orion out of kindergarten. Soon after, the world shifted to virtual learning.
For our family, it just wasn’t working.
And suddenly, the dream I had quietly carried for years became our reality.
We were homeschooling.
Like many new homeschool moms, I thought I needed to recreate school at home.
I pictured desks.
A dedicated homeschool room.
Structured lessons.
A classroom inside our house.
So I created one.
The funny thing is…
We hardly ever used it.
Because I quickly realized something that has shaped our homeschool ever since.
School wasn’t happening in one room.
It was happening all around us.
It happened on the couch while reading one more chapter together.
It happened in the kitchen while measuring ingredients.
It happened in the backyard with our animals.
It happened during library trips, martial arts classes, nature walks, and conversations around the dinner table.
Learning wasn’t something we had to schedule.
It became part of the rhythm of our home.
Today our family looks a little different than it did back then.
Our oldest is almost thirteen.
Our middle son is eight.
Our youngest is almost three.
Life is fuller, louder, and a little messier than I ever imagined—but it’s also richer.
Our children are learning how to care for animals, tend gardens, ask thoughtful questions, solve problems, build things, read wonderful books, and discover how the world works.
They have time to pursue interests, spend weekdays with friends who homeschool too, visit the library, take martial arts, and soon, hopefully, start soccer.
Those opportunities are gifts I don’t take for granted.
Do I think homeschooling is the only right choice?
Not at all.
Public school serves many families well, and I have nothing but respect for parents who choose the path that’s best for their children.
This is simply the path that has become best for ours.
At this point, I can’t imagine doing it any other way.
My hope isn’t that my children grow up remembering every spelling list, math lesson, or science experiment.
I hope they remember building a childhood that never felt rushed.
I hope they remember afternoons spent reading together.
The excitement of discovering something new.
The conversations.
The adventures.
The freedom to ask “why?”
The feeling that home was a place where curiosity was always welcome.
More than anything, I hope they remember that learning wasn’t something they did because they had to pass a test.
It was simply part of living.
That’s the home we’re trying to build.
And that’s the heart behind Cozy & Simple Home Life.
I’m so glad you’re here.
Until next time,
Amanda
Learning through the ordinary moments of everyday life.