The days leading up to the new school year feel both busy and overwhelming. I work full-time from home, and by the end of the day, I’m completely wiped out. My friends tease me because I’m usually asleep by 8:00 P.M., but I know the first day of school is coming up fast. So, I’ve been using any “extra” hours I can find to get organized and ready for our first full year of homeschooling.

*Side note: There’s no set schedule for when you have to start or end your homeschool days, weeks, or even your school year. You can adjust things to fit what works best for your family. Be sure to check your state’s homeschool attendance rules so you know what’s required where you live.

I should also mention that I have a 3rd grader who still goes to a traditional school, so it just makes sense for us to follow her school calendar for our homeschool schedule. Honestly, I have no idea what to expect this year. I know whatever I’m imagining will look completely different from the real, messy, day-to-day chaos, but I’m trying to be as prepared as I can.

One of the first hurdles I faced was figuring out which “homeschool method” would work best for our family. This year, I’m starting out with two homeschoolers—my son and my stepdaughter. Thankfully, they’re in the same grade, which will definitely make lesson planning easier.

*There are quite a few different homeschool methods out there, and I’ve listed some of the most popular ones below. I recommend reading through them and seeing which one feels like the best fit for your family and your current season of life.

As for us, we’re going with the eclectic method this year. Last year, we tried K12 online homeschooling for half the year. It was a good program, and they sent tons of supplies to go along with the lessons, but in the end, it just wasn’t the right fit for us. That doesn’t mean it won’t work for you if you’re considering it—it just wasn’t what we were looking for.

This year, I want to cut out as much unnecessary curriculum as possible and use a mix of different materials for their lessons. What those materials will be is…still a work in progress. I change my mind almost daily! But I decided to at least start by creating a rough outline of what I want our first quarter to look like—what subjects we’ll cover, what lessons I want to include, and what our schedule might be.

Here’s the document I made to help me plan it all out: