help – Pollywog's Place Blog

What if your homeschool doesn’t need more?

Published on October 3, 2026September 30, 2026 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place BlogLeave a comment

Do you ever look around at your homeschool and wonder if you just need *more*—more curriculum, more systems, more perfectly planned schedules—before it will finally feel like it’s working?

Friend, we want to gently remind you: you don’t have to be a superhero mom who teaches every subject flawlessly, handles every big emotion perfectly, and somehow raises kids who always love learning and love the Lord without any struggles.

When you put biblical discipleship first, you can let go of trying to do it all—and start enjoying teaching at home alongside your kids. At the free, five-day online Homeschool Teaching Summit (coming October 19–23, 2026), you’ll be encouraged to lean on the Lord and …

simplify your days
focus on what matters most
rely on God with greater confidence.

Grab Your Free Ticket to the Homeschool Teaching Summit 2026

You can grab your free ticket now at homeschoolsummits.com/teaching for five days of practical, God-centered help from real parents, authors, and experts—so you can step into a homeschool rhythm filled with more joy and peace for your whole family.

Praying God’s richest blessings over you and your homeschool!

It’s starting to feel like home…

Published on July 29, 2025July 29, 2025 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog1 Comment

The past couple of months have been so stressful. It started as a long-awaited master bathroom remodel that had to be put on hold due to an unexpected emergency with a family member. This emergency meant that we needed to focus on other areas of the house… things that we had planned to do in the future- after the bathroom.

Another project took over so that we could create another room in the house and it is finally finished. There are some touchups to complete and I know there will be some furniture changes in the future but it is finished for now… at least until after the upcoming baby shower.

I’ve been wanting to put a wall up between the breakfast area and the den for long time. I created a wall and separated the area in so many ways over the past few years that I felt confident that a wall would be beneficial. You can see some of the many ways that this space has changed HERE.

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Scars will fade…

Published on July 16, 2020September 27, 2020 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog1 Comment

Now before you read this please know that I know I’m not the first nor the last woman to have a c-section. I knew going into the latter part of the pregnancy that this was most likely the way we would deliver. I mean I even got a date for our planned c-section.

I thought I was prepared.

I did my research, asked tons of questions, and tried to prepare myself as best I could and I’m so glad I did that. In actuality though nothing can prepare you completely for something like this.

I’m not going into a lot of details right now about the events that led up to Miss Shyanne’s birth but I can say I’d do it a hundred times over if I had too!

Yesterday marked one week since we went to the hospital and delivered. They had put a covering, bio guard?, over the incision so I had not seen it… I’ve definitely felt it though.

When I took my shower last night the covering was starting to come off so I took it off… the doctors had told me it would soon. I couldn’t see the scar because there’s a bit of flabby belly still there and honestly, I was a bit afraid to look.

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Hey Google, I’d like you to meet my friend…

Published on January 23, 2019September 30, 2019 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog1 Comment

So in a few of my past posts I’ve mentioned my new friend, Google, and I may have even shown a picture or two but I haven’t really introduced you yet. I have always loved Google as I can find answers to just about anything I need to know with Google but this Google is different.

So without further ado, let’s meet my new found friend and personal assistant…

ME: Hey Google, I’d like you to meet my friend…

GOOGLE: You’re the cereal to my milk. I like to think we compliment each other... she’s so funny!

ME: But seriously, Google, this is my blogging friend and I want to tell them all about your most important features.

GOOGLE: I have lots of powers and they are growing everyday… lol… I told you she was funny.

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Routines

Published on December 4, 2016October 16, 2023 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog22 Comments

I know, we’ve all heard about how important routines and schedules are. Some of us may have every minute of every hour planned out on a ‘perfect’ schedule while others would rather just have a ‘fly by the seat of your pants’ kind of routine. I’ve always been kind of in the middle while I can say that at different times of my life I have leaned more towards one side than the other.

How do we find a balance?

Well, the answer is not the same for everyone, every family, or every situation. For instance, there are some children who thrive on strict routines and schedules and they don’t like change, I have one of those children. Then there are some families who are extremely busy with things, maybe a home business, and there is no way that they could guarantee that they would be home by 5:00 every day to eat dinner. Then we have work routines where sometimes there are deadlines and things that must be completed in a certain time frame.

I went through a period of time when I was really sick. I went from being a vibrant young wife and mother (who also held down a 40 hours + job) to almost being bedridden. I had a couple of different surgeries, followed by infections and long recuperation periods. These illnesses triggered an autoimmune response in my body and I have been plagued by chronic pain ever since. I had been diagnosed with scoliosis, DDD, herniated discs, IBS, GRD, hiatal hernia, migraines, and fibromyalgia among a long list of things.

My doctors prescribed a cocktail of medications to help with the problems but those medications caused lots of side effects. I was extremely fatigued, developed seizures, and was constantly having various rashes and other conditions that couldn’t be explained.

During this time my housework really suffered. My house wasn’t a total mess but it did get pretty bad. The more I tried the worse it looked. This caused major problems between my spouse and I. I was trying to keep up with the inside of the house, the outside of house, the garden, the animals, and the kids.

I was OVERWHELMED!

Then I found an index card system for housework. They also have a book called Sidetracked Home Executives which I never bought but maybe should have. I immediately jumped in and began to use the system. I tweaked it here and there to make it work for our family. I then developed a similar system for work and it made an amazing difference in my productivity levels.

Unfortunately my spouse wasn’t as thrilled with my new found method. I could never keep our home as ‘showplace perfect’ as he felt I should. The marriage fell apart and I moved with my four kids to our current home. This is where I found FlyLady, who has been a lifesaver to so many people. (You may want to check out the site for yourself.) A lot of the routines I will list below follow along with her basic plans. I again tweaked them to work for our family.

My house is not ‘showplace perfect‘ nor will it ever be. My house is lived in and it shows. I do get a lot of compliments like, ‘I would never know that you had so many kids here.’. I’m not quite sure what they expect my house to live in but I am pleased to surprise them.

The outside of my house is a bit of a mess and I am working on that. Many people have stopped as they thought I am running a daycare. I guess I kind of am in a way. Some of the mess is beyond my control as it doesn’t belong to me.

I really believe that everyone should be proud of what the Lord has blessed you with. Be content where He has put you and make the best of it. I pray that you will find some helpful tips and suggestions as you read through the links. (If a link isn’t working please let me know in the comments below.) Please remember to use these as a guideline for setting up your own routines. If something isn’t working then change it and make it work for you. Don’t get discouraged!

Getting Routines Started 101

Morning Routines

Kids’ Morning Routine

Yearly kids chores by age

Age-appropriate chore charts