Mike Smith:
Raising children is more than a full-time job, and working at home can be too. How do you add homeschooling to the mix?

Take advantage of the flexibility inherent in your work and in homeschooling. If you homeschool during the morning, work in the afternoon. You might schedule four long schooldays each week and work on Friday. Or work swing shifts with your spouse, sharing the teaching responsibilities. You could even team up with another work-at-home parent and take turns supervising each other's children.

Your children—especially older ones—should be able to do some of their schoolwork without supervision. During your work hours, you may be able to set aside ten minutes every hour or so to help out with study glitches.

Be sure to connect with your local homeschool community. Co-ops and group classes can lighten your teaching load, while relationships with fellow homeschooling parents can provide encouragement and fresh perspectives. No parent should homeschool alone!

As any work-at-home parent will tell you, staying on top of work and homeschooling is far from picture-perfect. You’ll probably sacrifice some things—like your squeaky-clean home and extra activities—in order to do both effectively. But if this is what God has called you to do, the rewards are well worth it.

Remind yourself of why you decided to homeschool in the first place. Stay focused on the goal, and you’ll find the motivation to persevere. And until next time, I’m Mike Smith.