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Meet Me!

My name is Chantal and some of you already know me.  And the rest of you know a little bit about me through this newsletter and the website that hosts it.  So I probably don't need to tell you much about myself.  What I can say, though, is that I have two sons, ages 12 and 10, and that we have always homeschooled.  It is our plan, God willing, that we will homeschool through high school and help our boys prepare for whatever vocation or profession they'd like to pursue.

God has laid it on my heart to reach out to homeschoolers and help them connect with one another.  It's why I started this newsletter.  As a grass roots type movement, homeschooling needs people working at the foundational level to keep it healthy.  That's us, folks!  We have to be the ones who speak up when laws are challenged.  We have to be the ones willing to take some personal risk in order to protect freedoms for all of us.

Scary, I know.  Getting to this point has been a long process for me.  Don't think it hasn't been.  I'm 40 years old, and I haven't always felt this way.  It's only in the past few years that I've really realized how important it is to take part.

By keeping in touch with other homeschoolers, knowing other homeschoolers, and reaching out to other homeschoolers we are, very simply, strengthening our support network should we ever need it.  And who doesn't, at the very least, need a hug or a listening ear at some point during the year?

That's the point of this newsletter.  Helping homeschoolers get to know other homeschoolers.  But it can't happen unless homeschoolers participate.  Won't you agree to introduce yourself here?  You can keep it as simple as first name and email address for contact information, or you can share as much about yourself as you'd like.  I'm sure any of the previously featured ladies will tell you that the interview doesn't take long and that it really is painless.

The other thing you can do?  Share this newsletter with others.

YOU could be featured in the October issue of The Neighborly!  Find out how.

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Meet My New Group

I'm very excited about a new group that I'm participating in.  It's nothing earth-shatteringly new or innovative; it's just an enrichment time for our kids each week.  So why am I excited?

This group has grown out of a deep desire in the heart of each of several ladies to promote relationships for their children in the context of like-minded families.  Simply put, we want to build friendships with others who believe as we do.

Oh, we still have several other groupings of homeschool friends and acquaintances that we do a variety of activities with, and we love the variety and spice of life it brings with it.

But there was a longing deep in our hearts to help our children, in a group setting, learn how to conduct themselves in a Godly manner, build Godly friendships, and be a good witness to others.  Let's face it:  it's easy to "go along with the crowd".  It's hard to actually stand firm on what you learned when you are a youngster.  Heavens, it's even hard as an adult sometimes, when we're challenged in an area of weakness.  And children need chances to practice that just as much as they need opportunity to practice their math facts, penmanship, and spelling.

So that's what we're doing.  Enriching our children's lives and building relationships.  Homeschool groups don't have to be fancy.  They don't have to be large.  A homeschool group can very simply be two or three families who come together with a common goal--and it doesn't matter what that goal is.  As long as it meets a need for each participating family, the group is doing its job.

One other thing:  most groups don't last forever.  They have a life span, just like we do.  Remember that, and when it's time for your group to go peacefully to its grave, you won't suffer guilt, frustration, and anger.  You will, instead, be left with a contentment that your group served its purpose to the best of its ability.

Products For A Good Life

Articles from the humorous to the unbelievable to the helpful, Products has a little bit of everything.  Visit today!

Volume I, Issue 09/08
Chantal DeYoe, editor
The HomeSchool Neighborly, Ohio is published 12 times a year on the 5th of each month.
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