Safe Haven Newsletter for July

Last month I told you I would tell a story about homeschool freedom.

Here are some of the freedoms I’m talking about.

The Beautiful Freedom of Homeschooling

One of the most beautiful gifts of homeschooling is freedom—and it shows up in so many life-giving ways.

• Freedom to set your own schedule
• Freedom to choose curriculum—or create your own
• Freedom to decide what your children learn and don’t learn
• Freedom to live where you want (no need to stress about “good school districts”)
• Freedom from comparison and competition
• Freedom from worrying about what’s happening to your kids while they’re away from you
• Freedom to choose their friends and influences
• Freedom from bullying
• Freedom to take field trips whenever you want—for as long as you want

In our home, we embraced that freedom. We were a family of night owls, and we were so thankful we didn’t have to rush out the door early every morning. We could stay up late reading, talking, and enjoying one another. If we had a commitment, we got up and went, but we weren’t ruled by a school bell.

One evening, my husband came home late from work, and instead of missing out, he joined us for Poetry Teatime. He sat down holding our guinea pig, picked a poem to read aloud, and munched on snacks with the rest of us. It was 8 o’clock at night, and it was absolutely perfect. Learning wasn’t limited to certain hours. Life and learning happened together, all the time. You can read more about that episode here.

My oldest son, Shawn, once told me at age 15 that he wanted to spend his year studying the Bible. I was surprised—but thrilled. I asked him to also keep up with a bit of math and write about what he was learning. He agreed, and he dove deep. He filled notebooks with Bible study notes, read The Divine Comedy, listened to audiobooks like Sherlock Holmes and G. K. Chesterton, and became a true thinker. Today, he teaches a young adult Bible study at his church and has even preached sermons. He and his wife have a podcast too, called Partnership Vision Podcast.

My son Morgan once read King Alfred’s English, followed by The White Horse King: The Life of Alfred the Great. He was captivated and read it twice in one week! That lit a spark in him for Medieval history. Since then, he’s read more classics than I have— including The Scarlet Letter, A Tale of Two Cities, the entire Miss Marple series, and Hamlet.

Today, he works at a restaurant where his managers constantly praise his intelligence, creativity, and work ethic. He sees problems and solves them. He’s unafraid to jump in and take initiative. And he carries himself with a confidence that’s rare—because he was never boxed in by judgmental peers or discouraged by teachers who didn’t understand him.

That’s another gift of homeschool freedom: the freedom to fail—without shame. My kids knew it was okay to make mistakes. They were never mocked or compared. So they grew brave. They tried new things. And they discovered what they were truly capable of.

We read so many good books together. We pursued their interests, explored new ideas, and went on adventures. We shared the same friends. They learned life skills I never thought to “teach.” And now that they have homes of their own, I see the fruit of those years—confidence, wisdom, creativity, and courage.

They didn’t spend their days stuck inside doing pages of busywork. They experienced the world, discovered who they are, and learned to love freedom.

And I’m so thankful I gave them that.

Here’s a strange question for you…
Do you like soda (pop)?

— What do you call it where you’re from? Where I’m from in Ohio, we call it “pop”. But I lived in several other places where everybody called it “soda”. I guess there are some places where they call every soda “coke” no matter what kind it is! —

Well the reason I’m asking is, I’ve always been a Pepsi drinker (started in childhood when we didn’t have good water in our well), but I’m trying to get away from drinking it. So I’ve been drinking Poppi or Ollipop when we can find it on sale. It’s pretty expensive.

I really like Poppi. It only has 5 grams of sugar and contains prebiotics, so it’s often marketed as a healthy option. But after doing some research, I found that the health claims aren’t entirely accurate. The amount of prebiotics in the drink isn’t significant enough to make a real difference, and the type they use—called inulin—can be difficult to digest and may cause bloating in some people.

According to several health and nutrition websites that analyzed these claims, Poppi and similar drinks shouldn’t be relied on as a true source of prebiotics. It’s also recommended not to drink more than one per day, especially since there haven’t been enough long-term studies to confirm their safety.

Nutritionists generally agree that these drinks are a better alternative to regular soda because of their lower sugar content, but they’re not as healthy as they’re made out to be.

My family really likes the Alpine Blast flavored Poppi, the green can in the picture up there. Our Walmart has had them on sale, so we have been buying many cans of it the last couple of weeks. We like the flavor and the low sugar. It does have 55 mg of natural caffeine. So this is helping me to drink a little less Pepsi. That’s a good thing!

By the way, I just learned this on Olipop’s website, “If you’ve ever been curious about why soda is also called pop, it’s because back in 1812 when the term was coined, soda was bottled with corks, and the cork would “pop” when it was drawn!”

Make sure you come back next month when we’ll talk about some of the heroes who fought for us to be able to have the freedom to homeschool without fear of government interference. We owe a debt of gratitude to the pioneer homeschoolers who went before us to change the laws to make homeschooling legal in all 50 states.

I would love to hear from you! If you have any prayer requests, hit reply and let me know what’s on your heart.

If you are struggling with letting go of the school mindset and embracing freedom, I am here for you. I can help!

If you would like to book a free 15-minute call with me to talk about curriculum planning for next year or developing a homeschool mindset or lifeschooling or whatever! – go to this link to schedule a Zoom meeting with me   https://calendly.com/safehavenhomeschool.

Speaking of Lifeschooling –  Danielle Papageorgiou, who wrote the book I’ve been telling you about is going to give away her secrets for writing and publishing a book. Her book is amazing, but so is the journey that led her to write it. She is planning an event for July 3.

On July 3rd at 7:30 PM EST, Danielle Papageorgiou is going to share her own book writing journey and how she finally overcame all the obstacles and found success through a private, limited Zoom event. After years of waiting, countless distractions, and feeling like it would just never happen, Danielle has written a book about homeschooling called Lifeschooling: Learning to Think Outside the Curriculum Box.

If you are interested in writing a book, you will not only be encouraged by Danielle’s story (because God was so clearly directing the whole thing!), but you will also learn some practical tips and advice that will help you pursue your own dream of writing a book, using your God-given gifts for Him!  (We’re never too old to lifeschool!)

At the end, there will be an open Q&A time for unlimited questions! Yes, you can pick Danielle’s brain all you want about writing, publishing, and promoting a book! The event will go as long as people have questions…within reason, of course.  Danielle wants this to be really helpful, and almost like a group coaching session!

To join “A Message, a Mission, and God’s Crazy Methods: My Book-writing Journey,” go here  https://penneymarie–lifeasalifeschooler.thrivecart.com/live-book-event/ (AFF link).
I hope to see you there!

Please Forward this to a friend if you think they would benefit from this newsletter.

I appreciate your support!

Your Homeschool Life Coach,

Penney Douglas, B.S. in Elem. Ed.
Safe Haven Homeschooling

My books on Amazon

Curriculum I’ve created with a Charlotte Mason twist plus other conventional types of curriculum

E-course I created – The Basics of Learning and Homeschooling

Coaching Course I created – Also called The Basics of Learning and Homeschooling – I take you through the course and do a coaching call with you each month

My shop for homeschool merch, t-shirts, mugs, notebooks, phone covers, and much more!

linktr.ee/penneydouglas – All the places you can find me!

Changed By Love – My original Blog about Homeschooling, Family, Faith, and Alternative News

My YouTube Channel – Safe Haven Homeschooling Channel – Homeschool Encouragement for Newbies and Burnt-out veterans, Family projects, Relationship Building, and Interviews with Homeschool Experts