Elena 
This content uses referral links. Read our disclosure policy for more info. This means if you make a purchase, I get a little change to keep up my Diet Coke habit. It’s a win/win.
- Advice for any parent registrar. I’ve been the registrar for my homeschool co-op for three years now and I’ve learned a thing or two that I’d like to put here to remind myself next year. So note to self –
- Girl, you gotta make this easier on YOU. Because there’s only one of you and they are legion! Set dates and cutoffs and stick to it. And be stingy on that cut off day too because if you give them 12 weeks, someone will go into week 13. The whole month of July is enough time. Maybe a teeny bit into August if you feel generous.
- Don’t be too generous. Treat it like a business!
- E-registration is nice. Be on the lookout for an online program that can do that for you. But until then, go old school. Make them print out the form, fill it out, and send it in. If you don’t, you will be e-mailed to death. And even if you do, they’ll still e-mail, but you can help cut that down with hard copies and you won’t be flipping through screens on your computer or going through reams of paper to do registration.
- Make sure to give printing instructions next year. It might seem that there is only one obvious way to print off a form, but … uh uh boo boo! People are creative! They will print in portrait, ignoring page breaks, on both sides of the paper – and then tell you that you missed one of their kids because you didn’t see them in the 12 double-sided pages of small font they sent in!
- Remember this too shall pass – like a kidney stone on the first day, but it will pass.
2. So on top of the stress of registration (which thankfully, today is the last day for that) my beautiful magnolia tree fell apart in a storm last weekend.
At first we were going to trim it. Then I had a tree company come out and they said it’s in rough shape and should come out.
I called my homeowner’s insurance – the one I’ve been paying for years, and years and never made a claim on and they told me the oddest thing – they won’t pay for a broken tree unless it hits the house or the fence, maybe a car or blocks the driveway. Anything else, we’re on our own. The estimate for tree removal not including the stump was $1100.
I had another two companies come in. One of them told me that it’s going to be super hard to get that tree out of my backyard and they’d have to bring in a crane to haul wood over the house and into their truck, but he could trim everything for just $700.
Our new plan is to have a family friend come in to trim out the dead broken limbs, cut limbs that are endangering the roof, and cable the trunk together tightly. Then when or if something breaks, we’ll just cut it up then. Your prices go way down if they just have to haul something away instead of cutting it down! And maybe we can have a few more years of blossoms.
3. Rosie wants to do a first-day of school picture because everyone else is. We were thinking maybe having her and Miss C. in their jammies sipping lemonaid outside!
We also like this one!
4. There’s sort of a story to that. Years ago I sent one of my sons outside to do his schoolwork because he was goofing around in the house too much. He told one of his friends, that he had to go outside to the picnic table to work on his math and read his science book, and how unfair his mom was to make him do all of that work. He wanted to continue his rant until his friend held up his hand and said, “Dude, wait. You get to go outside?”
Best vindication for homeschooling ever.
5. My son the entrepreneur restauranteur has just hired his brother to come work with him! They’re opening another branch and summer business has been pretty good. It should really pick up with fall activities. We’re really proud of both of them.
6. One of my most fun affiliations is with Bake Me A Wake –
Their goodies are delivered to your door fresh and delicious. And they are having a sale right now for 15 percent off with the code BACK2SCHOOl. I think this would be a really great way to send some love to distant nieces and nephews or just surprise your own kids.
They make cake too!
7. This is my favorite homeschool planner for high school. I brought it to my talk this week. Rosie and I are going to be doing some Instagram lives next week about our homeschool and this planner. Check us out there!
