The 3 best books to help you stop living paycheck to paycheck

Tired of living paycheck to paycheck? Can't quite get a handle on those personal finances? So many of us think we learned all we needed to know about money in school but the truth is we were simply taught how to be good consumers. Were you told to get good grades so you could get a good job once you graduated? Has anyone asked for your report card since then? Do you know what a financial statement is? Well, a financial statement is your report card in the real world. Looking back I cringe to think of all the time and money I wasted before learning the facts about money.

Not until I began teaching personal finance to our own children did I learn the truth about money. After countless hours of reading and research I am able to narrow my recommended reading list of financial books to the following three: Rich Dad, Poor Dad and Increase Your Financial IQ by Robert Kiyosaki and The Laws of Success in 16 Lessons by Napoleon Hill. 

Kiyosaki will teach you the difference between poor people and rich people in easy to understand terms. In his books you learn how to write and read a simple financial statement, your report card for the real world. Forget everything you ever learned in business and accounting classes because Kiyosaki turns everything you ever learned on its head. Both books are an easy read but very enlightening.

Napoleon Hill was hired by Andrew Carnegie in the early 1900's to observe the wealthiest men in America for 20 years. Hill published his findings in 1928. This book is out of print but can be obtained online for free or you can buy a copy on CD at eBay. Not only will you learn about finance but also how to generally succeed in life. Once Hill's book was published it caused an uproar within the circle of those interviewed so Hill published a watered down version ten years later titled Think & Grow Rich. If you want the full effect of his findings you need to read the original book.

These are not get rich quick books. Building wealth and getting out of ridiculous debt takes time. Use these books in your homeschool as building blocks to financial freedom. Many of us are concerned with the present economy in this country. Those depending on the government coming to their rescue are in for a frightening surprise when they realize there is nothing left in the coffers. Learn the difference between assets and liabilities. Learn how building a business can make you wealthy. Learn to invest. Learn to be financially free and be able to sleep at night knowing you can help your children have a better and brighter future.

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Unschooling Unexpected Benefits and Challenges {Friday Five}

Unschooling Unexpected Benefits and Challenges {Friday Five}

Sometimes the only way to understand this unschooling thing is to experience it first hand. I love it when a parent shares their own experience and can make heads or tails of it...eventually. Keep exploring moms and dads and keep sharing your home-based education discoveries.

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Want a Healthier Family? 12 Health Benefits of Homeschooling

Want a Healthier Family? 12 Health Benefits of Homeschooling

Yet another great article by the brilliant Linda Dobson. As a parent of grown homeschoolers she and many others like her could have just walked away after raising their children. With our collective experience and passion for homeschooling I'm happy to see so many of us still helping other parents learn about this natural and historic way to educate children. Thank you, Linda!

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Happy homeschoolers exploring their world...tending a flower garden

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Dos and Don'ts for a successful homeschool experience #16

The following DOs and DON'Ts for a successful homeschool experience are being presented in a series to allow for digestion and discussion. After homeschooling/unschooling my own children for over 22 years I've discovered what worked and what didn't work for us was universal. Feel free to add your comments and concerns or ask questions.


#16 DO look for ways to finance your homeschooling journey. Often homeschool families will decide there should be at least one stay-at-home parent while the other works a full-time job. Being a stay-at-home mom or dad doesn't mean giving up an income. Read 10 Ways To Pay For Your Homeschooling to learn how to finance your homeschool. Our present economy is rather rickety at the moment. It's best to start now preparing for a sustainable way to finance your homeschool before being forced to make hasty decisions later on.

#16 DON'T feel pressured to send your child to college. College attendance is highly overrated, not to mention a vehicle for putting you and your child into proverbial debt for the rest of your working life. If your child wants to become a brain surgeon then that's another kettle of fish. However, many other skills can be self-taught and apprenticing still does exist. There is always community college where your child can pick and choose courses without the added costs of housing, food, untold fees and frivolous non-elective classes. Many homeschoolers are ready for college courses by age 15 or 16 and many use community college as their high school. By selectively taking a few years of community college courses most homeschoolers will begin to know which direction they want to go academically and are free to decide if a college career is right for them. Many, however, discover full time college at a state or university campus is wasteful of their precious time and money. A year or two of community college business and accounting courses is just as beneficial and less costly than four or five years in a degree program far from home.

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Dos and Don'ts for a successful homeschool experience #15

The following DOs and DON'Ts for a successful homeschool experience are being presented in a series to allow for digestion and discussion. After homeschooling/unschooling my own children for over 22 years I've discovered what worked and what didn't work for us was universal. Feel free to add your comments and concerns or ask questions.


#15 DO teach personal finance in your homeschool. These are precarious times as far as the global economy is concerned. How is your economy? By teaching personal finance to your children you will finally receive the education concerning money, investing, debt, economics, business, liabilities, assets, barter, budgets, unions, and cash flow that you were denied in public school. Public schools teach consumer finance NOT investment finance. You need to know both and the difference between them. Learn to invest! Start sharing this information with your children by getting them a piggy bank. Better yet, get them several banks. When you go to a store show them how to shop. Let them earn some money to shop with. Math workbooks of different age levels are readily available at department stores or online. Own a business? Let your children participate to learn how it's done. We were fortunate to find the Rich Dad, Poor Dad book series by the time our children were in their early teens. These are excellent books and materials by Robert Kiyosaki. Kiyosaki turns everything you ever learned or assumed about money on its ear. Peprare for a real eye opener but also a better world financially for you and your family.
 
#15 DON'T throw away any of your child's creations. That includes art, writing, drawings or awards no matter how many or how trivial you may think they are. Keep a scrapbook or special box to store them in. If your child is too young to sign their own name you should write the name of the child who created the piece and date it. Over the years our children have created drawings for our homeschooling newsletter (Right At Home) and booklets. It was a thrill for them to see their art published and led to our daughter creating her own homeschooling newsletter titled Jiggety-Jig. She eventually won awards for her 3-dimensional clay work at the local fair and that led to her own business called Flutternut Studios. Many of you may be searching for a way to boost your own economy. Use these creations for T-shirt, mug or calendar designs to raise funds for your homeschool. It's a great way to show off your child's talent and they make great gifts for the grandparents.

One of our homeschooled daughter's clay creations

 

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Dos and Don'ts for a successful homeschool experience #14

The following DOs and DON'Ts for a successful homeschool experience are being presented in a series to allow for digestion and discussion. After homeschooling/unschooling my own children for over 22 years I've discovered what worked and what didn't work for us was universal. Feel free to add your comments and concerns or ask questions.

#14 DO find some quiet space to call your own and use downtime for reflection, problem solving and planning. To let you in on a little secret, my favorite place for this was in my van while waiting for our children when they attended piano lessons. I would have a solid hour and a half all to myself to read, pay bills or simply enjoy the solitude. When the children are young take advantage of nap-time to do this. I promise you the dirty laundry and dishes in the sink will still be there but the rejuvenation and clarity you experience from that down-time will make housekeeping far more enjoyable. As your children grow older and become more independent you may discover you have more time for yourself, your job or your hobbies. If you are able to pace yourself, reflect and remain organized early on you'll be better able to enjoy life. You won't find yourself stressing over a frazzled and hectic existence brought on by trying to be the supermom you were not meant to be.

 

#14 DON'T be afraid to instill your own values in your children, not the political correct ones modern bureaucrats think they should be. Our culture has run amok. Good guys get mocked, ridiculed and punished while the bad guys are emulated, worshiped and get their own television shows. There truly are elements of good and evil on this earth. Much of the evil is perpetrated by the politicians doing the bidding of those who have bought their favor. Standing up for your beliefs is not enough anymore. You need to be armed with detailed information about politics, commerce, finance, education, medicine, religion and more. Only then will you be able to decide whether you want to participate or not participate in the factions that control your life and the lives of those around you.


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Dos and Don'ts for a successful homeschool experience #13

The following DOs and DON'Ts for a successful homeschool experience are being presented in a series to allow for digestion and discussion. After homeschooling/unschooling my own children for over 22 years I've discovered what worked and what didn't work for us was universal. Feel free to add your comments and concerns or ask questions.

#13 DO include your children in your life...warts and all. This can be done without depriving your children of a happy and memorable childhood. By 'warts and all'  I'm talking about explaining your frustrations with minor things such as household bills, relationships, unruly relatives you'd rather not spend time with, politics, money and your own lack of knowledge. Life and children don't come with handbooks. We as parents don't have all the answers and many of us are still finding our way in this world. Children have the uncanny ability to teach us about life, love and letting go of our hang-ups. If we open up to them and we begin to let go of our own adult baggage they can make our lives so much richer. The best thing I ever learned from my children was patience and they were great motivators by making me want to learn everything about anything. Remember what it was like to see the world through your eyes as a child? The good guys wore white hats, life was simpler, little things meant so much, and the stars in the night sky were shinier. You were convinced you could talk to the animals and you saw everything in black and white. Continue to see life through the eyes of your child but at the same time let them know that there will be challenges and obstacles to overcome. Those challenges and obstacles will be better dealt with if children are clued in early rather than left to suffer a rude awakening to some facts of life.

#13 DON'T let your child decide whether or not to attend public schooling. The consequences are far too serious to allow an immature mind to make this decision. Your young child has no idea of the history, the politics or the intent of the public schools in this country, or the world for that matter. It is imperative you never EVER send your child into this corrupt system. Don't be taken in by the 'carrots' they dangle in front of you such as athletics, proms, drama clubs, honor rolls, field trips and the plethora of feel good opportunities they use to draw you in. Today all of these 'carrots'  can be found and attended in the outside free world. Once you sign on the public school's dotted line you've given them your permission to force you to live by their rules, their whims and their warped beliefs. The public schools will rob your child of their dignity, their education and their very soul.


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One of the best & most honest campaign trail speeches ever

Ron Paul may have lost the 2012 New Hampshire primary but his message is resonating across America. I'm tired of hawk politicians and all the presidents in my life time have been war mongers. It's time for some peace.

Let me ask you, do you support this:

How can we teach our children to be peaceful when the powerful around us continue to inflict their policies and military might against us all on this earth. Many of us naively believed we left this deliberate destruction behind us after Viet Nam. We were duped then and we are being duped now. Some of us have awakened from our stupor but many have not. I do believe the 2012 presidential election is truly for the soul of this country. We cannot learn in freedom if there is no truth and no liberty in which to teach our own.

The public schools in this country have kept the masses stupid long enough. Get the children out. Get them out and teach them the truth. How much more truth than a baby's cry do you need?


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Student privacy at risk from feds—Emmett McGroarty & Jane Robbins - NYPOST.com

Student privacy at risk from feds—Emmett McGroarty & Jane Robbins - NYPOST.com

No surprise here. This has been going on for years. My advice to parents over the years when seeking their child's school records was to ask for the electronic records too, not just the paper file on their child. They're stunned to find out this data base exists and has existed for quite some time. Our state was doing this well before Obama, Bush or Clinton!

"How did it happen? Buried within the enormous 2009 stimulus bill were provisions encouraging states to develop data systems for collecting copious information on public-school kids. To qualify for stimulus money, states had to agree to build such systems according to federally dictated standards. So all 50 states either now maintain or are capable of maintaining extensive databases on public-school students."

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Today's 10 most popular posts here at Guerrilla Homeschooling

• Dos and Don'ts for a successful homeschool experience #12
• Dos and Don'ts for a successful homeschool experience #10
• 

  The 3 best toys for developing your homeschooler's imagination
• 

  Guerrilla homeschooling was born of my military service
• KPCC-FM's AirTalk devotes forum to homeschooling
• Toddlers on ‘hate registers’ for playground squabbles
• 

  Dos and Don'ts for a successful homeschool experience #11
• 

  An economic collapse can be a good thing
• Hey moms...just between you and me...MUFAs
• John Taylor Gatto: The Bartleby Project

   

   

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Dos and Don'ts for a successful homeschool experience #12

The following DOs and DON'Ts for a successful homeschool experience are being presented in a series to allow for digestion and discussion. After homeschooling/unschooling my own children for over 22 years I've discovered what worked and what didn't work for us was universal. Feel free to add your comments and concerns or ask questions.



#12 DO have fun, be silly and encourage each other in your family and your homeschooling community to lighten up. Laughter IS the best medicine. Throw off the shackles that prevent you and your children from enjoying the simple and silly things in life. Homeschooling shouldn't bring you to tears over unfinished lesson plans or workbooks. If your homeschool feels like you're living and learning in a pressure cooker then it's time to unwind, relax and unschool. Parents need to de-stress before they can create a happier learning environment for their children. Learn to eat healthier to regulate your body's physical and emotional state. Learn better personal financial habits so you're not so stressed over money. Finally, enjoy some adult humor (not raunchy) and fun so you'll be more relaxed around your children. The sky won't fall in on you if you have a glass of wine during some down time, a date night with your spouse, or even if you watch some adult humor on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson or Little Britain.   

#12 DON'T get bogged down with record keeping, grading, and other things that public schools do. If you're doing these things, no matter what your state regulations are, then you're schooling at home NOT homeschooling. This is where the term homeschooling rears its ugly head. For lack of a better word we sometimes use the word homeschooling interchangeably so the novice homeschooler or parent will know what we're referring to. Many of us purposely didn't do school things with our children and we spent much of our learning years out and about in the world. When we use the familiar word homeschooling we're also referring to unschoooling, deschooling, home-based education, free range learning, open source learning and a myriad of other ways of educating.

We veteran homeschooling parents may have begun our journey for academic or religious reasons but when we crossed the finish line and look back we can see what homeschooling is truly about. It's all about freedom and liberty. We homeschoolers are fulfilling the dreams of America's founding fathers. We are pursuing our God-given and unalienable rights. Sure, we kept the drawings, writings and creations our children produced over the years but we didn't consider it record keeping and it certainly wasn't offered up to officials for scrutiny. How would you like someone to grade your housekeeping? The few times we graded our children's work we did so to show them how and why it's done in public school. In your homeschool every child is a Valedictorian!  Don't bury your homeschool in unnecessary paperwork just to satisfy the authorities. Chances are it isn't required and you certainly don't want to offer up information about your children that is, quite frankly, none of the state's business.

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Dos and Don'ts for a successful homeschool experience #11

The following DOs and DON'Ts for a successful homeschool experience are being presented in a series to allow for digestion and discussion. After homeschooling/unschooling my own children for over 22 years I've discovered what worked and what didn't work for us was universal. Feel free to add your comments and concerns or ask questions.



#11 DO become an advocate for homeschooling and unschooling. There is no better way to fully commit to the home education movement than by being an advocate for it. When others see that you are a home education advocate you strengthen their resolve to pursue, persevere and promote the benefits of homeschooling as well. Learn all there is to homeschooling including its history, methods others employ and the benefits. Commit homeschooling statistics to memory so you can answer questions or defend the movement at any given opportunity. Create a homeschooling blog or write books on the subject to share your knowledge and experience. You may even be able to turn your expertise into a full time occupation that could generate an income for you.   

#11 DON'T take advice about homeschooling from novice homeschoolers. First, if you want to learn what homeschooling is really all about, find out what the elders of the homeschooling movement have to say about it in their books, videos, forums and blogs. Then make sure the homeschooling parent you're getting advice from has at least 5 years of experience under their belt. Even then that person may still be finding their way and may not quite have this home education thing figured out yet. This may sound harsh but many novice homeschoolers tend to jump through too many unnecessary state and local hoops. They think they're doing the right thing by abiding by the school's or state's every whim when they are actually causing more harm than good to their liberty and freedom. Whatever you do don't listen to the naysayers including journalists, public school personnel or even those who gave homeschooling a try but failed miserably at it.

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Guerrilla homeschooling was born of my military service

Well, here they are folks. Official photos of my military training for all you doubters out there. Yes, I really was in the United States Army and that old uniform is still kicking around the house here somewhere. Must be a collectors item by now. Even have the black leather purse and shoes to go with it.

Outstanding trainee for Charlie Company at Ft. McClellan, Alabama

Taking the military oath in Albany, New York

I designed and hand stitched our guidon

Yep, that's me with the flag...outstanding trainee

These signs were everywhere on post and they meant business too!

A shout out to all my brothers and sisters in arms on this Veterans Day 11/11/11. Thank you for your service and dedication.

Now you can guess why I'm such a hard ass about things like freedom and liberty and why I think our present day public school system is hell bent on destroying those freedoms and liberties. We ALL must remain vigilant and support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic as the military oath states. Funny thing about that oath...I've never been released from it nor do I ever want to be.

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Unschooling: Legitimate pedagogy or foolish fad?

Unschooling: Legitimate pedagogy or foolish fad?

Would you rather lead a school centered life or a family centered life? So, what is so bad about letting children learn in freedom? Our unschooling years were relaxed, spontaneous and creative but the best part was the freedom we experienced to choose our own course and interests. The pay off is two adult children who can stand on their own two feet and are still a treat to be with.

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Parents in action: More parents homeschooling their children

Parents in action: More parents homeschooling their children

Sorry, but I found myself straining through Ardolino's interview. Some of this info is good but she harps on that socialization question like so many others. If we did all the 'scheduling' she thinks is necessary there wouldn't be any time left over to enjoy life and just hanging with our children. Relax everybody and let learning happen.

The only drawback to homeschooling is getting the state off your case so you can live and learn in freedom. After you get the busy-bodies out of your life then the world will open up to you and you're free to explore the wonders of it.

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Happy homeschoolers exploring their world...that's my boy!

Cooling off on a hot summer day

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Potatoes & Peppers: Hurricane Irene taught us a lesson

On Sunday, August 28, 2011 Hurricane Irene swept through our little state of Vermont. In its path was my livelihood and home, along with countless others here in this mountainous terrain. But, we are Vermonters who are known for our Yankee ingenuity and rugged individualism so we will persevere. Sometimes though mother nature can be just a little overwhelming as she was last week.

Hurricane Irene left her calling card at the back door of my business in Cuttingsville. Before that I didn't even have a back door. I have a small thrift shop, Anna Q's Attic, that housed lots of books, clothing, household items, tools, furniture, collectibles and homeschooling materials. It was a hub for the community and a great place for local families and out-of-state visitors to pick up inexpensive items. Everything is now gone except for the building itself. In a matter of hours my sweet little shop went from this...

 

To this...

From the front everything looks just dandy although somewhat muddy

I now own sandy beach front property

Hurricane Irene made her own entry at the back of my shop

We spent the week salvaging and cleaning but there wasn't much to save on the inside. We now need to clean out the debris and mud then tear out the sheetrock, insulation and ceiling tiles. That's next on the agenda. I'll basically be left with a shell of a structure. I can only describe the magnitude of this flood as biblical! Some old timers tell me there hadn't been one like it since the flood of 1927.

Because I was working in another town conducting an estate sale the day of the storm,  I was unable to get to my shop to save anything. Even if I was able to get there I'm told the water rose so fast that in a matter of minutes it was 4 feet high around the shop. One of my sisters was attempting to pass by the shop in order to get to a town where another sister lives but she had to turn around just before my shop. She saw for herself the flood waters swallowing up my little building.

It isn't the thought that I've lost so many material items that saddens me the most. It's the idea that now I can't provide the homeschooling and surrounding community a place where they can find inexpensive items for their homeschool and for themselves. I can always rebuild and probably will, but meanwhile our economy has shifted so badly in the wrong direction it may take some time before I can get back on my feet. My own home had 4 inches of water in the basement the day of the hurricane and I lost a fair amount of inventory destined for my little shop. I was fortunate my sweet hubby, son and niece were home that day to discover the breech and save much of what was stored there. Apparently, either the water table rose extremely fast or the basement wall developed a crack that allowed the water to flow in. We don't live near any brook or water source, only mountain springs. I have nothing to complain about though because my mom's home was under 4 FEET of water!

My mom was evacuated from her home and brought to the shelter I was running

The day of the hurricane itself was quite an adventure. We bugged out of the estate sale at around 1:00 pm as flood waters began to swallow up bridges and roads leading to the house where we were. I haven't done such a fast bug-out since I was in the Army. We needed to turn around 4 different times just to find a way into Rutland City. Once there we gassed up the van, grabbed some grub and headed for safer ground. I dropped off my crew consisting of my nephew, his homeschooling daughter and our homeschooled friend, Victoria, at a sister's house. From there I headed to our local volunteer fire department where I am an auxiliary member. The remainder of my day was spent setting up and running an evacuee shelter in our town of Wallingford.

Things seem to be getting back to normal, whatever normal is. There is lots of work ahead of us and winter will arrive eventually. It gets cold here in September and October and the leaves are already beginning to turn. That's always a sure sign winter won't be far behind. You can see more photos of the flooding on my road and the clean up of the shop here. Our homeschooled son Zeb loves photography and took these photos.

My little shop will probably remain just a shell of its former self until spring and I can decide what to do from there. Heck, even my full propane tank for the shop heater floated away and hasn't been seen since. If Mother Nature wants something moved nothing will stand in her way. Look what happened to Evening Song Farm, the organic growers just up the road from my shop! Their entire crop field washed downstream and a river replaced their livelihood. That would explain the potatoes we found in the front yard at my shop and the perfectly formed green bell pepper sitting atop the debris dam at the bridge nearby.

The view from Anna Q's Attic and the debris dam at the bridge

A homeschooling family of 7 lived in that Victorian house yonder when I bought my shop

What nature giveth, nature taketh away

These are all just little reminders that Mother Nature is in control no matter what we do, or say, or think. She took away my material things but left me a beach in my back yard with 10 inches of some of the most gorgeous sand I've ever seen. She spared our lives but left us with much to ponder. What we choose to do with those lives now is up to us.

Persevere and do good!

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Life lessons in homeschooling — The Straits Times Blogs

Life lessons in homeschooling — The Straits Times Blogs

"Through my homeschooling stint, I found that literature helped me to examine moral lessons as well as open my mind up to new ideas. Science and maths trained me to be logical and analytical."

A homeschooler grows up and shares her experience.

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Glenn Beck hammers his point home in final episode

Beck says we all need to learn our history. He's right. It is extremely important we as homeschoolers give our children every opportunity for learning, not only about freedom but IN freedom. He highlights a message from Robert Kiyosaki about the future of America. Below is an extended version of what Kiyosaki had to say about the coming depression and hyperinflation.



Some of us are just learning about this. Some have known longer and have had more time to prepare. Both Beck and Kiyosaki share information that you will NEVER learn in public school. Watch, listen and learn!

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