Author Archives: Andrea Hermitt

They Will Do What You Do

This is my last word on raising teens. I have been writing on the teens blog for a while now, but am reducing my work here at Families.com, where I will be writing mostly in the frugal blog. I hold a special place in my heart for teenagers, but my advice for parents of teens is simple and straight and can be summed up in one sentence. They will do what they see you doing. I am amazed over and over again when parents are upset when their child has gotten into trouble. So many times in my life, I … Continue reading →

How Homeschooling Has Changed Me

Yesterday I wrote about what homeschooling has taught me about myself over the years. I have not only grown in knowledge through my homeschooling experience with my kids, but I have also changed quite a bit too. 1. Homeschooling has made me more patient. My kids might argue with this as I am impatient by nature, but I was alot worse before we began homeschooling. I remember losing my temper almost every morning in an effort to get the kids on the school bus. I also remember walking away from the homework table in a huff as the kids were … Continue reading →

The Many Uses for Ikea Bags

If you know anything about me, you know I am a big fan of IKEA. IKEA is a great inexpensive place to go for accessories for the home and for the odd piece of furniture. I also think it is a great place to purchase Christmas presents. A website called IKEA Hacker that profiles all of the cool things you can do with different items from IKEA. The Ikea Hacker website shows you to to take the highly functional and cute IKEA items and turn them into decorative works of art. For instance, the white PS cabinet was transformed into … Continue reading →

Technology Makes it Hard to Relate

Between the ages of 13 and 15, I read books, took walks to the park, and watched a fair amount of TV. Sometimes I talked to my friends on the phone, but it was only long enough to make plans to meet at the corner or in our usual place in the park or library. My recollections of being a teenager makes it hard to relate to my kids. Let’s start with cell phones. The problem is not with my kids using the phones too much. I actually lucked out on that one. My kids use just a few minutes … Continue reading →

What Homeschooling Has Taught Me

I began homeschooling because I felt I had no other choice. My children that seemed exceedingly bright to me, and others who would comment were not thriving in school. I knew I had to do something different. In my quest to teach my kids all about math, reading comprehension, grammar, history, and science, I learned a lot more. Here are some of the things homeschooling taught me. 1. Homeschooling taught me that my kids are my responsibility. This might seem like a no-brainer, but these days we are programmed to hand our kids over to schools and care centers and … Continue reading →

Your Kids are Ready for Sleep-Away Camp. Are You?

Reading a recent article at Huffington Post about sleep away camp has me in a bit of a tizzy. The writer (Tina Traster) described a camp information session she was recently at where parents worried about peanuts, and junk food, and socializing with other kids. She also recalled the reality of her own camp days were counselors weren’t screened and she experienced “the most unadulterated part of childhood”. At 13 and 15, my kids have never been to sleep away camp unless you count a few 4-day church youth retreats and a couple of trips to Bob Jones University for … Continue reading →

Frugal or downright wrong?

There’s a good reason many people frown on frugality. That is because a select few people with very bad habits, some criminal, have given it a bad name and ruined it for the rest. If you see yourself in any of these bad frugal habits, consider making a few changes. Using something once and then returning it: We all know somebody who does this. This is stealing. The alternative is to buy something less expensive and stop trying to impress people when you don’t have the money to. No one will remember your Jacket in a year anyway. Asking for … Continue reading →

Does Abstinence Only Education Equal More Teen Pregnancies?

According the Guttmacher Institute, a research facility tied to Planned Parenthood, pregnancy among girls aged 15 to 19 rose 3% in 2005 and 2006. This is the first increase since 1990 as pregnancy rates among teen girls dropped 35% between 1991 and 2005. There is a claim that abstinence education is to blame. “Heather Boonstra, a policy analyst with the Guttmacher Institute, was quick to politicize the findings, calling the upward trend “deeply troubling” and claiming that the results coincided “with an increase in rigid abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, which received major funding boosts under the Bush administration.” As far as my … Continue reading →

Homeschooling Groups and Resources in Missouri Q-Z

Homeschool groups and resources exist to provide comradeship and support to other homeschoolers. They can be very important to a family’s success in homeschooling. Joining a homeschool network or support group in your area will make a difference in your homeschooling journey. This installment is for Mississippi Q-Z. Raymore Home Educators Activities include monthly meetings, fun holiday parties, field trips and much more. Best of all children are encouraged to attend. Rolla Area Secular Homeschoolers We are an inclusive group and all are welcome, as long as you are accepting of people’s differences. St. Clair County Christian Home Educators This … Continue reading →

Homeschooling Groups and Resources in Missouri A-P

Homeschool groups and resources exist to provide comradeship and support to other homeschoolers. They can be very important to a family’s success in homeschooling. Joining a homeschool network or support group in your area will make a difference in your homeschooling journey. This installment is for Missouri, A-P 1Roomschool is a group for Missouri homeschooler’s to share information, upcoming events, questions about home schooling and an alternative support. Bolivar Area Homeschoolers exists to support and encourage each other, provide educational and social activities for the children and disseminate information. Christian Home Educators Fellowship’s mission is to encourage and equip families … Continue reading →