Jump to Recipe Y’all know as a mom that works outside of the home, I love a meal that can come together these Smokey Sloppy Joes: Ground Beef I like to use a lean ground beef, but ground turkey or ground pork

for warm tortilla chips or as a topping for these delicious family favorites: Slow Cooker Chili Lime Pork Helpful Tips For Making Homemade Pico de Gallo: Wear gloves when working with hot peppers and wash hands

What to Serve With Homemade Fried Potato Chips Honey Mustard Pork Chops and Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas The old-fashioned way of a sharp knife also works, just be very careful! Russets . Working in small batches, carefully add potatoes to hot oil. Continue working in small batches until all chips have been cooked.

What Entrée to Serve with Holiday Side Dishes Herb-Crusted Pork Tenderloin Caramelized Onion Steak Bites

The sourdough starter simply adds a little bit of tang, but it doesn't do the hard work of making the Advertisement How to Shape a Boule Flour your work surface and transfer the dough onto it, allowing it During this "bench rest," fold one side of the dough over the other, starting from the top and working favorites: French Onion Casserole Caramelized Onion Steak Bites Creamy Steak and Kale Pasta Herb-Crusted Pork

Shrimp and pork both pair perfectly with this homemade sweet-and-sour sauce! Granulated sugar will work fine as well.

There are many reasons why parents choose to homeschool their children. According to the Coalition for Responsible Home Education, the number one reason 80% of parents choose to homeschool is due to  a concern about the environment of other schools. However, other reasonings are due to dissatisfaction with academic instruction, the desire to include religious beliefs, and a desire to provide a nontraditional approach to learning. ( 1 ) There are different ways to homeschool and what is “best” for one family may not be ideal for another. So how do you know which method to go with? Begin listing the key goals you hope to accomplish by homeschooling. Are you looking for more flexibility and a less stressful learning environment? Do you want to instill a value system in your child’s education? Many questions like these can be answered simply by figuring out what is most important to you as a parent and educator and what will best help your child learn and grow. So, what methods of homeschooling are available and what are the pros and cons to each? Let’s take a look at the 5 most common. Traditional Homeschooling Traditional Homeschooling is a method many parents use when they are withdrawing their child from a traditional school setting. This method attempts to keep things moving in a structured and orderly timeframe similar to that of public and private school environments. Some of the pros with traditional homeschooling are there are several curriculum sets that are set up to help get you started right away and have teacher’s manuals available to assist parents with teaching the curriculum. Traditional homeschooling offers a predictability that may help students and parents stay on track because the parent can easily assess their child’s progress. One of the possible cons of traditional homeschooling is that it can take the fun out of learning because it is so structured. It can also be difficult to find the right fit for both student and parent. Another con with traditional schooling is that all-in-one curriculums can be expensive if purchasing brand new. If you’re looking to save some money, (and who isn’t?) try looking for used curriculums in your local homeschool community or online used bookstores. ( 2 ) Montessori Method Named after the late 19 th century Italian educator, Dr. Maria Montessori, this approach places an emphasis unique individuality of each child who’s creativity and curiosity is encouraged. Students are invited to learn through play by having activities and learning tools readily and easily accessible to them. Many families with young children opt for this learning style as it lends itself to learning early on positive social and learning behaviors, hands-on learning, and self-regulation. One of the possible cons is that this method is specifically designed for younger children and likely wouldn't hold the attention of an older child. The Montessori method is also a loosely structured program, and it can be difficult to find a good rhythm for repetition. ( 3 ) Charlotte Mason Method This method was created by British educator, Charlotte Mason at the turn of the 20th century. During a time when quality education was offered to only those in upper classes, Mason believed that all children, regardless of social class deserved equal education. Built on a Christian worldview, knowledge of scripture is at the forefront followed by classic literature and nature studies. One of the possible pros for this method is it places a heavy emphasis on the Christian religion. Of course, if your family follows a different religion or would rather a secular curriculum, this likely would not be a good fit. This method relies on a vast reading library which can become expensive and may become boring to a child who wishes to have more hands-on learning. ( 4 ) Unschooling While several of the homeschool learning methods are structured and have set curricula, unschooling is the polar opposite. Its name may suggest that there is no learning happening at all but that isn’t the case. Unschooling places a huge emphasis on “natural learning” or child-led learning, meaning the studies follow whatever the child’s interests are. Learning takes place by way of experiences such as field trips, activities that are hands-on, and allow the child to explore their curiosities. While unschooling is flexible and customizable to each child, it lacks structure and accountability which can lead to stagnation. ( 5 ) Unit Studies This method is based on single theme learning and studies are built around that theme to create a unit. All subjects are intertwined into the central theme to create a holistic approach by learning each theme in depth which can help with retention. Unit Studies are customizable and can be taught to children of various ages and grade levels at the same time, which is a plus if you have a large family. This can help to alleviate a lot of stress because the parent’s prep time is drastically reduced. There's no set curriculum to follow, so lesson plans and materials will need to be planned ahead of time for each concept. Depending on your theme, it can be difficult to find just the right resources to meet your child’s educational needs. However, the lack of set curricula allows you to spend as much or as little time on a subject as you desire. ( 6 ) In our home, we combine different methods. For our 9th grader who prefers online learning, we add in art classes like graphic design, hands-on science experiments, and additional reading from the Charlotte Mason library. For our 5th grader who prefers workbooks for the core subjects, we add in unit studies, additional reading, and unschooling methods by way of crochet and piano classes. You can read more about our homeschooling experiences here: Homeschooling: Finding the Answer to Your "Why?" Homeschooling with Unit Studies If you have been thinking about homeschooling and the doubts have held you back, please know that YOU CAN DO THIS ! No one knows your child, loves your child, and understands your child better than you. If you start a curriculum and you both hate it, change it. Even if you have only completed a few pages of the book - switch things up! The beauty of homeschooling is the flexibility of what, when, where, and how you teach. Sources 1) https://responsiblehomeschooling.org/research/summaries/reasons-parents-homeschool/ 2) https://classicalconversations.com/blog/homeschool-methods-explained/#:~:text=Traditional%20homeschooling%20typically%20involves%20the,to%20employ%20a%20premade%20program. 3) https://amshq.org/About-Montessori/What-Is-Montessori 4) https://simplycharlottemason.com/what-is-the-charlotte-mason-method/ 5) https://www.naturalchild.org/articles/guest/earl_stevens.html 6) https://homeschool-curriculum.org/homeschool-unit-studies/ Did you know that we have a newsletter? It features some of our favorite recipes and free printables that are only available to our subscribers! And don’t worry, we hate spam mail and value your time. You’ll receive an initial thank you email, and our newsletter is delivered monthly. You can help our small family business by sharing us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Click here to sign up for our newsletter today!

I've also used a smoked pork sausage such as Conecuh with much success.

Comfy Cozy Slow Cooker Chili Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak Slow Cooker Chili Lime Pork Carnitas Slow Cooker

Ground Beef and Ramen Korean Bowl Grilled Pork Chops with Asian Plum Sauce Teriyaki Meatballs Beef and Work with one piece at a time, keeping the remaining pieces covered to prevent them from drying out. When ready to prepare, work in small batches and place frozen wontons directly into hot oil.

Butter Cheese Milk Dried Herbs & Spices Tomatoes & Tomato Products Potatoes Beans & Lentils Ground Beef Pork

family is experiencing this firsthand with our children’s extracurricular activities, homeschooling, and working With our hectic schedule of driving back and forth to classes during lunch breaks and after work, having Remember, it's all about finding what works best for you and your family.