Michele Pleasants is a homeschool mom to four kids. Her husband’s in the military, so she’s no stranger to moving and re-organizing often. Oh, and she’s also one of our super-duper contributors around here!
Ready for a glimpse into her life? Read on!
Michele, tell me a bit about yourself and your family.
We are a military family currently residing in SD. My husband and I have been married 22 years and we have four kids, ages 20-7. I spend most of my time juggling homeschooling and a “normal” life with blogging and reviewing products.
Before you had children, did you have a profound realization that you wanted to homeschool your kids? Or was that decided later on?
Not at all! It wasn’t until my oldest was four and her sister had just been born that I felt my heart turning towards homeschooling. I figured if I couldn’t get the 4 year old to preschool on time, no way was she going to ever make it to school on time. Haha! Eventually God changed our reasoning and we felt called to homeschool. It is a prayerful decision we make each year.
What homeschool approach did you start off with, and what do you currently tend to use?
We started out with a boxed curriculum and slowly weaned ourselves to a pretty eclectic mix. We now use a variety of publishers. Because I am a reviewer, we have been blessed with so many wonderful products and I love being able to choose what is the best fit for a particular child!
Has homeschooling your adopted son been any different from your other children’s education?
Yes! Partly because he is our youngest and partly because of his learning style. What works for one does not always work for others. He is a very active child, as well as strong willed, so we have had to find curriculum that is much more hands on to keep him engaged. I also tease his older siblings that he is smarter than the rest of them put together, so we work ahead of his grade level in many subjects. When he first came home at age 21 months, we concentrated mostly on learning English! Now we are back to learning Spanish!
Have you had any experiences that you would consider to be the crowning pinnacle of your family’s homeschool journey?
Definitely having our oldest graduate from college in two weeks at age twenty! She completed her degree in 3.5 years, with one of those years being duel credit for high school, 1.5 years on campus, and 1 year online exclusively.
What’s the most challenging part about homeschooling as a military family that moves a lot? What’s one of the best things about it?
The biggest challenges we have faced are getting plugged in to a new community of homeschoolers every year and learning a new states homeschooling laws. Best thing- there are so many. The biggest of course, are the flexibility we have and the fact that we can take school with us anywhere we go. With Dad’s crazy schedule, we can take breaks to be with him when needed.
Family, Faith, and Fridays. What inspired you to start your blog, and how’d you come up with the name?
I began our blog for the sole purpose of being able to review homeschool products. I love mentoring new homeschoolers and knew this would give me a larger platform to be able to do so. The blog has slowly morphed into so much more, from reviews and giveaways to the ramblings of a wife and mom, doing life one day at a time.
Do you have any advice for military moms new to homeschooling?
Yes! Know your states laws and reach out and find fellow homeschoolers around you. Surround yourself with community and you cannot go wrong. Not every day is easy, but every day is worth it!
