Those years were the best days, but they were also the heaviest ones.

I don’t regret staying home with my kids or putting a career on the back burner. I would make that same decision again. But it was hard in ways that are difficult to explain unless you’ve lived it. We were always on a budget, constantly trying to make each paycheck stretch just a little further.

On the hardest days, I wished I could find something…anything… that would bring in a little extra money to take some of that pressure off my husband. Instead, everything I found felt like a dead end. MLMs, survey sites that paid in pennies, data entry jobs that felt sketchy at best – nothing that actually worked for the kind of life we were living. Just things that made you feel worse for even trying.

It’s a weird position to be in – feeling useless and valuable at the same time. Both things can be true, but the tension and guilt don’t really go away, even if no one is saying it out loud.

To quiet the noise and the self-doubt, I started reading more. 

What began as self-development books on marriage and family eventually led to communication, mindset, habits, and just figuring out how to show up better in the life I already had.

There really wasn’t some bigger plan behind it. I just needed something that pulled me out of that stuck funk I was feeling and gave me a little forward motion.

From Stay-at-Home Mom to Content Team Lead

Back in 2022, we moved from Colorado to Tennessee in pursuit of a better life. But after getting settled, we quickly realized that there was no outrunning the cost of living, no matter where you go. In case you didn’t know, kids are expensive everywhere.

Then an opportunity came along – a part-time, work-from-home content writing job. I was hesitant to apply. I had been out of the workforce for more than ten years, and the only writing samples I had were from this blog. It didn’t feel like much to offer. But to my surprise, I received an email asking to meet for an interview. 

Long story short, it was not the company for me. But that decision led me to another opportunity at a different company – a full-time role. Not everyone was convinced I could handle it. But I shrugged it off and thought, I’ll figure it out.

And I did.

About five months into that role, a position opened up for an editor. I pitched the idea to our COO, explaining why I thought I could fill the gap. After thinking it over, his response was simple: “It only makes sense.”

That led to a meeting with the CEO, who agreed to give me a chance.

That was the first moment where it really hit me – not just that I was capable of doing more, but that someone else saw that, too. It also made me realize how much opportunity there was to grow. If I was willing to step up, there was space for it.

About a year later, I started paying more attention to where I could be more helpful – bringing on new writers and improving consistency across the team, while also supporting the people behind the work. My CEO noticed the impact and offered leadership training as a way to support that growth. A few months later, I found myself stepping into a team lead role.

The Work You Think Doesn’t Matter Still Counts

Now, when I look back on that season of life, I don’t see it the same way I did at the time. I thought I was standing still, but I wasn’t.

The small, intentional decisions to keep growing (even when it didn’t seem necessary) made more of a difference than I realized when the opportunity finally showed up. 

Because a lot of life really is waiting for opportunities – jobs opening up, people finally noticing what you’re good at, and getting a chance you didn’t see coming. But the other half is what you do while you’re waiting.

I feel lucky in a lot of ways, especially because it’s not easy to find work flexible enough to continue homeschooling, and I don’t take it for granted.

But getting here didn’t feel like luck.

A leadership coach once told me, “If you’re going to pick up the ball, score.”

It’s easy to hesitate when something new is put in front of you – to question whether you’re ready, whether you deserve it, or whether you’re the right person. But at some point, it really does come down to that.

You either step into it, or you don’t. And I hope you don’t overlook the decisions you’re making today because they might be the ones that change everything.

The post The Career Path I Didn’t Realize I Was Building as a Stay-at-Home Mom appeared first on Bliss This Mess.

I wanted to. I just couldn’t.

Rest is hard when you’re tired of carrying too much. I’d already put words to some of that weight in a year-end confession, but the heaviness in my house and in my head felt like a sure way to stay stuck if I didn’t actually do something about it. So, instead of overthinking it or trying to talk myself out of it, I grabbed trash bags and started deep cleaning my entire house.

Not the casual, surface-level kind of cleaning, but the kind where you’re pulling things out of closets, opening drawers you usually avoid, and throwing things away that have been carried from house to house for no real reason other than “just in case.” It wasn’t about having a spotless home. It was about not bringing extra baggage into the new year.

I’m not looking for reinvention this year. I’m looking for relief. For something that feels calmer, more sustainable, easier to come back to when life gets messy again.

Which is how I landed on my word for 2026: steady.

The Invisible Weight I’m Leaving Behind

As I was tossing things into trash bags, I kept thinking about how much life feels like that “just in case” pile. Not just stuff, but habits and choices shaped by uncertainty, like extra spending because things feel unstable, extra stress because I’m always waiting for the other shoe to drop, and extra emotional weight from living like everything good is only temporary.

I don’t want more. In fact, I want less of that. What I’m leaving behind isn’t responsibility or caution – it’s the constant bracing. The feeling that I have to stay one step ahead of disaster to be okay. The habit of holding everything tightly because letting go feels risky. The belief that calm is something you borrow briefly before chaos returns.

According to the Chinese zodiac, snake years are associated with shedding – not in a dramatic, burn-it-all-down way, but in a quiet, intentional one. Letting go of what once served a purpose but now just takes up space. Habits. Patterns. Relationships. Expectations. Even identities built in survival mode.

The things I threw away weren’t necessarily bad or broken – they just stuck around longer than they needed to, mostly out of habit. And the longer I sat with that, the clearer it became how often I hold onto ways of thinking that once helped me get through, but don’t actually help me live well anymore.

Making Space (Again) for the Small Things

What I’m reaching for isn’t dramatic change or overnight improvement. It’s steadiness – in the most practical, unglamorous sense of the word. Not because my life already feels steady, but because I’m tired of how much energy it takes to live without it.

Steady, to me, looks like consistency I can actually maintain. Predictable enough to breathe. Calm enough to plan. Stable enough to eventually enjoy what’s in front of me without immediately waiting for it to disappear. It’s not about having everything figured out – it’s about trusting that things don’t have to swing wildly between we’re fine and we’re barely holding it together.

Last week, my aunt shared something my great grandma used to say: “The simplest things in life bring the most joy.” And lately, those words have been sticking with me more than I expected. Because when life feels unsteady, whether that’s financially, emotionally, or mentally, even good moments feel fragile. You notice them, but you don’t settle into them.

I don’t think joy disappears when life gets hard. I think it’s more like a lit candle sitting under a fan. When everything feels unsteady, the air is constantly moving. Even when joy shows up, it doesn’t last long. It gets blown out almost as quickly as it appears.

Not because it isn’t real. Not because you don’t appreciate it. But because it’s hard to keep a flame going when you’re always bracing for the next gust.

The thing about a candle, though, is that it can always be relit. And steady doesn’t mean the air stops moving altogether – it just means things are calm enough for the flame to stay.

That’s what I’m reaching for, a life steady enough that joy has a chance to linger instead of constantly being snuffed out.

Steady, Girl. You’ve Got This.

I don’t expect 2026 to be easy. But I do hope it feels steadier — in ways that show up quietly over time.

If the Year of the Snake was about shedding what no longer fits, then this next year feels like the part that comes after. I don’t know if I believe in astrology, symbolic years, or the idea that a single word can magically reroute your life. But I do believe in choosing how I move forward, even if the path still feels unfinished. This next year doesn’t need to move faster. It just needs to move forward in a way that can carry what matters with it.

And right now, that feels like enough.

The post 2026: The Year I Stop Carrying Everything appeared first on Bliss This Mess.

For most of my adult life so far, I’ve been needed. Constantly. If it wasn’t tending to babies, it was calming temper tantrums, managing the family calendar, grocery shopping, cooking meals, budgeting, holding everyone’s emotions, and handling the million other invisible things that keep a household running. Motherhood didn’t just become part of my identity – it became my whole identity.

Now, my youngest is almost three years old. The days are still loud and full and demanding, but there are more quiet moments than there used to be. Moments I rarely had before.

And in those moments, I feel strangely…empty.

Before Everything Became About Survival

There was a time when attention came easily. I answered phone calls, I replied to texts quickly, I remembered birthdays, and even checked in just because. I planned things weeks in advance and followed through. Relationships didn’t feel like something I had to fit in, they were something I made space for.

Creativity lived there, too. I loved getting lost in a DIY project or making something thoughtful for someone I cared about. I poured time into details – not because I had to, but because showing up for people in small, intentional ways mattered to me.

At the same time, something important was being built. Not just my family – but me. The kind you decide to become in those childhood moments when your parents piss you off and you silently swear, “I’ll never be like them” (but life quickly humbles you, and one day, you hear their voice come out of your own mouth).

That building doesn’t just happen overnight. It takes intention. Effort. Constant self-correction. Creating a home that felt calm, loving, safe, and meaningful requires focus – and over time, that focus became survival.

What Got Set Down Along the Way

When survival becomes the priority, attention narrows and survival instincts take over. The brain starts sorting everything by urgency – what needs to happen now and what can wait. As we get older, and especially as mental load increases, the brain becomes ruthless about what it holds onto. It doesn’t store things based on sentiment or intention, it stores what it believes is useful, necessary, and tied to survival.

That’s why names slip, why birthdays blur together, why you walk into a room and forget why you’re there. The brain isn’t failing, it’s prioritizing. When your days are filled with grocery lists, school schedules, deadlines, budgets, and emotional regulation – not just for yourself, but for everyone around you – your brain adapts and becomes focused on keeping the wheels from falling off.

And when efficiency becomes the goal, anything that doesn’t serve immediate function becomes optional. Not unimportant. Just not urgent.

I didn’t lose those parts all at once. I set them down, fully believing I’d come back for them when things slowed down.

And then they never did.

The Quiet That Came After

The strange thing is, life didn’t suddenly slow down. In fact, the days are still full, with most of my waking hours still accounted for. But over time, the noise has softened. Just enough to notice what was missing. And once I noticed it, I couldn’t unnotice it.

That’s when the emptiness started creeping in – not loud or overwhelming, just present. So, I scroll, I stare, I mentally list all the things I didn’t get to. It feels unproductive and unsatisfying, like working all day just to sit still and do nothing. It isn’t sadness, exactly. It feels more like boredom mixed with loneliness – and something harder to name.

I try to tell myself this is just adulthood. Just another day in paradise, as most people would say.

But another thought keeps surfacing, uninvited and persistent:

This can’t be all there is to life, right?

Something’s Gotta Give

I’ve had moments like this before, but this year, the feeling hasn’t gone away. Maybe it’s maturity. Maybe it’s exhaustion. Maybe it’s the realization that time doesn’t feel as endless as it once did. Whatever the reason, I can’t shake the sense that continuing at this pace isn’t sustainable.

The last thing I want to do is wake up at the end of next year in the exact same place, wondering where the time went. And I definitely don’t want to spend another year chasing something that can’t be caught at the speed I’m moving.

The fear isn’t about failing – it’s about stagnating.

About waking up day after day on autopilot. About staying busy but not feeling fulfilled. About pouring energy into everything that keeps life running while slowly losing the parts of myself that once made it feel meaningful. About shrinking dreams to fit the margins of exhaustion and calling it “being realistic.”

This time of year has a way of doing that – slowing things down just enough to take inventory. Not in a new year, new me kind of way, but in a quieter, more honest one.

A “let’s stop pretending this is fine” kind of way.

Because calling exhaustion a season and stagnation a phase doesn’t make them temporary. It just makes them familiar. And familiarity is how things stay exactly the same.

I don’t have a perfectly formed plan. What needs to change – or what comes next – isn’t clear yet. But continuing on autopilot and calling it life isn’t an option anymore. Neither is another year of setting myself aside and promising I’ll come back later.

Maybe this isn’t the year everything changes.
Maybe it’s just the year I stop ignoring the fact that something has to.

All I know is that ignoring this feeling feels riskier than listening to it. And maybe that’s the point.

The post A Year-End Confession I Didn’t Expect to Make appeared first on Bliss This Mess.

The Chaos Before the Leap

From the outside, it probably looked like we had it all under control. But the truth is, things started spiraling from the moment we said go.

The plan was to list the house for one weekend, book a hotel, and avoid the stress of dragging five kids and two dogs out of the house every time someone scheduled a showing. It sounded like a brilliant strategy.

But because chaos has a wildly inconvenient sense of humor, an hour before the very first showing, a gust of wind ripped our storm door wide open and shattered the glass across the front steps.

There my husband and I were – sweating, rushing, trying to pack up the car, make the house look perfect, and wrangle children – wondering if this was just bad luck or the first sign that everything was about to go off the rails.

And that was just the beginning. There was also a whole lot of time spent FaceTiming walk-throughs of homes in towns we’d never set foot in, countless offers that weren’t accepted, and stressing over the moving pods full of our belongings that almost didn’t get picked up before we left.

But that’s a story for another day.

What mattered most in that moment was how tightly we were hanging on. To hope. To the possibility. To the gut feeling that – even with all the doubt, the chaos, and every curveball life threw at us – we had to keep going.

Because our story isn’t just about taking a risk. It’s about overcoming everything that tried to talk us out of it so we could tell you just how worth it it really was.

The Life We Would’ve Missed

The other night, I was walking the gravel path around our neighborhood at sunset – one of those still, golden evenings where everything feels just a little bit magical. The sky was glowing orange, the fog was settling low across the ground, and frogs were croaking from the pond nearby. As I passed behind our house, I could hear my kids laughing and playing with their neighborhood friends out front.

And I stood there for a second, soaking it all in. Overwhelmed. Grateful. A little teary. Because this – this life we’ve built here – is something I didn’t even know I was hoping for.

And I can’t help but think about everything we would’ve missed if we hadn’t taken the risk. The friendships, the community, the opportunities, and the fresh air that just feels different now.

It’s easy to let fear win. To stay where it’s comfortable. To tell yourself now isn’t the right time. That you need more money, more experience, more certainty, or a giant neon sign pointing you in the right direction.

But sometimes? The only thing standing between you and the life you want is the guts to go for it.

Call It Reckless. I Call It Worth It.

A year after we moved, I shared a reflection on Facebook that still sticks with me: “Take the risk before you lose the chance.” It wasn’t just a quote. It was a challenge. A truth.

I know life feels heavy for a lot of people right now. Everything is more expensive, more uncertain, and more overwhelming. But maybe that’s all the more reason to leap when you feel the pull. Because what if it does work out? What if you land somewhere better than you imagined?

Not just geographically – but emotionally, spiritually, or professionally.

So here’s to the risks that look reckless on paper but feel right in your gut. Here’s to getting uncomfortable, trusting the nudge, and choosing growth over guarantees.

And if you’re still standing at your own crossroads? Here’s your sign.

The post When the Risk Feels Reckless, Do It Anyway appeared first on Bliss This Mess.

That’s nearly two years of silence on a blog that once felt like my favorite place on the internet. A place where I could process, connect, reflect, and share. The world didn’t stop turning, and I certainly didn’t find the secret to getting time to stop – I just got caught in the current.

Since then, I switched jobs, started writing about tree care full-time, and somewhere along the way, I got promoted to editor. Add that to the list of hats I wear everyday: homeschool teacher, mom of six, full-time employee, laundry doer, meal maker, never-ending question answerer. You get it. While I was busy trying to find myself, I wound up losing myself, too.

What Gets Lost When You’re Trying to Do It All

When you’re stretched thin, hobbies are the first thing to go. You don’t even consciously choose to give them up – it’s more like they slowly fade into the background while you’re busy keeping everyone else fed, educated, clean(ish), and loved. And before you know it, joy– real, soul-deep joy – slips through the cracks before you even realize it’s missing.

The truth is, lately I’ve been walking around with this quiet little ache I couldn’t quite name. A fog. A heaviness. Like I was homesick, but not for a place – for a version of me I barely remember.

I’d try to talk about it when I could. I’d say things like, “I don’t know who I am anymore,” or “I spent my entire 20s waiting for a sliver of free time, and now that I finally have a little space, I don’t know what to do with it.”

And the wild thing is – I should be happy. I am happy in so many ways. But there’s this undercurrent, this whisper that something is missing. That I’ve spent so long being everything for everyone else, I forgot how to just be me. Not “Mom,” not “Editor,” not “Wife,” not “Teacher.” Just…Jess.

I don’t think I’m alone in this. I think a lot of us get to this point – especially women, especially moms – where we look around and realize we’ve built beautiful lives full of love and purpose, and yet we still feel a little hollow inside. Not because we’re ungrateful. Not because we don’t love our people. But because we’ve been so busy meeting everyone else’s needs that we forgot to ask what we need.

And for me, that question – what do I actually need? – is what led me back here.

A Podcast, a Walk, and a Wake-Up Call

Recently, I was out for a walk, airpods in, trying to do one of the million things that I “should” be doing – prioritizing my health – and I heard Rachel Hollis tell a story that gave me goosebumps.

She talked about an event where she was speaking to a crowd that felt completely flat. She was walking them through a visualization exercise – one that usually gets people lit up and leaning in – but this time, the energy just wasn’t there.

Finally, one man in the front row spoke up and said, “What’s the point? I’ve done all the things.” He was in his 50s, owned a home, had a wife, and beautiful kids. The checklist was complete, but he still felt empty.

And I thought…oh no. That’s me.

I’ve done the things. Built a wonderful family, have a husband I’ve adored for the last 12 years, and hit milestones in my profession I didn’t think would happen without a college degree. And yet, there’s this nagging voice inside that whispers, Is this all there is? Not in an ungrateful way. I love my people and I love my life. But I’ve been so busy checking the boxes that I forgot to ask myself what I actually want. What brings me joy beyond being needed.

Writing My Way Back to Me

Writing used to be that thing for me.

Blogging was never about going viral or building a brand. It was about connection. It was about those quiet messages from moms across the world who read my messy thoughts and said, “me too.” I miss that.

So, this post is me dusting off the blog, breathing life back into it, and not worrying too much about where it goes. It’s a journal entry, a love letter, a weird, emotional toe-dip back into the water.

I don’t have a content calendar or even really a plan, I just have this tug in my chest that says, write again.

So I will.

This space won’t be perfect. But it’ll be honest. You can expect more musings on motherhood, homeschooling, marriage, exhaustion, and joy. Maybe a craft or two. Who knows?

But for now, just know – I’m back, baby! Still messy. Still searching. Still showing up.

The post When the Hustle Drowns Out the Joy appeared first on Bliss This Mess.

It doesn’t help that as a stay at home mom, you are constantly asked by friends, family, and even complete strangers what you are going to do when the kids are all in school. Implying that you aren’t doing enough already. If you were shocked to find out I willingly gave birth to six kids, then prepare yourself for the next mind-blowing fact of the day: we choose to homeschool all of these kids. So while our sixth kid was completely planned, it was essentially restarting the clock to at least another 18 years of raising a human being into a valuable member of society.

Homeschooling allows us to squeeze in a little extra time into an already short childhood. Raising kids is just like how that Kenny Chesney song goes, “Don’t blink, you just might miss your babies growing like mine did…” For as much as I love this phase of life we are in, I couldn’t help but feel like there was something else calling my name. And no, it wasn’t just the never ending echo of “Moooooooom” all day long. It was more like an outside force pushing me in a whole new direction than where I thought I was headed.

I’m an intuitive person. I believe if something is meant to be, it will be. Even though my life has carved its own path completely separate from the one pictured, I’ve somehow arrived in a pretty incredible place. So when these indescribable feelings happen, I buckle the hell up, I mean, embrace it. So before blowing out the candles on my 29th birthday cake, I made less of a wish, and more of a promise to myself that I was going to spend the last year in my 20s figuring out what the next decade of my life would bring.

Stay at Home Mom Becomes Work From Home Mom

If you don’t know me personally, even a quick look at this blog will tell you that I love being a mom. I’m thankful to have been chosen and trusted six different times by God to raise each beautiful and perfect child I was blessed with. Even on my worst days, I find this full time job of being a stay at home mom very fulfilling. But there was one night when I was nursing my youngest to sleep while scrolling Facebook on my phone that  I came across a job listing. A digital marketing agency was looking for a new content writer. This person needed to be creative and detail oriented. I’m thinking, “check and check!” But what really caught my attention was how this position was fully remote and flexible.

The voice in the back of my head kept telling me there was no way I was qualified enough because the only recent writing history I have had is on this blog. But I shut that voice up by applying for the position anyway. If there’s one thing I learned at an early age, it was that the majority of the time, the only thing standing in our way is ourselves.

I wasn’t expecting anything to come of it. So you can only imagine how incredibly thrilled I was to get asked to meet for an interview and later, be offered the position. It was the validation I needed after pouring hours upon hours into Bliss This Mess with no idea where it would go. Because the sad, honest truth is that my friends and family weren’t the ones that made up the majority of my support. Which is ok! I wouldn’t expect people to spend their valuable time reading something that didn’t apply to them or interest them.

But, thanks to all of the random strangers across the world that did read and comment on the blog, I kept on writing. Carefully crafting words into sentences that I hoped would resonate with just one other person out there. So whether this is your first time here, or you’ve been following me for awhile, thank you for giving me a reason not to give up doing what I love. I didn’t realize at the time of starting this blog that it would become a portfolio of my best work that led me straight into the next phase of my life as a digital marketing content writer.

How to Balance Working From Home and Parenthood

Remember that little voice of self doubt I had before applying for the job? I’d be lying if I said it didn’t return a hundred more times between the time I accepted the position and my very first day. Will I be able to do this? I already have enough on my plate as it is! But you know what’s louder than that voice in my head? My stubbornness and never ending desire to prove myself wrong. Just like the quote from Dale Carnegie suggests, “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” So instead of just dipping my toes in the water, I cannonballed into the deep end. Sure, it took some time to find our groove. But here’s what I have discovered about balancing being a mom and working from home:

1. Plan Your Day

I’m not naturally a very organized person. I don’t have a beautiful, Pinterest-worthy work space with a color coded calendar. However, I do like to-do lists. Every day, I write out the top 3 most important tasks, and focus on that. This also helps make sure that my kids’ appointments don’t fall through the crack. If I have time and the mental capacity to get to more than those three things, then I will. But usually, whatever else is on the list can wait until the next day. This has helped tremendously with feeling overwhelmed.

2. Delegate and Share Responsibilities

“Tell me what you need me to do!” What my husband says anytime I start shooting him a very strategic side eye. I really don’t think stay at home moms talk often enough about how exhausting the mental load of all of our responsibilities is. If you’re a recovering perfectionist like me, it can be hard to ask for help. But by sharing the responsibilities with your spouse and older children, it will not only lighten your work load, but it will also foster a stronger sense of teamwork within your family.

3. Increase Your Adaptability

My very first week of working from home, my whole family came down with a horrible virus. We all suffered from high fevers and sore throats. My husband, who I was counting on to pick up the slack that week, ended up spending the whole time sleeping or complaining about how miserable he felt. You wouldn’t believe how often things like this happen though. I don’t mean us all getting sick at the same time. What I mean is when we get used to our routine and have expectations on how the day or week might go. But when it comes to kids, we have to throw all expectations out of the window. Children are unpredictable. So if we don’t adapt to our an ever changing environment within our own homes, we will become unnecessarily stressed out and frustrated. So it is important that we learn to adjust our schedules, expectations, and priorities. This might mean learning to be ok with unfinished tasks, accepting that work progress may be slower than we’d like sometimes, or even putting work on hold to seize opportunities with our children. Regardless of the situation, try to embrace these challenges with a positive attitude and a sense of humor.

4. Prioritize Me Time

If you didn’t take anything else from this blog but this, I’d be extremely happy. At risk of sounding selfish, I think this is the most important tip I have discovered so far. Especially because what I do for work blends with what I do for fun: writing. You have to make time for self care and activities that recharge you because taking care of yourself emotionally and physically enables you to be more present and effective in both your work, and as a mom.

This-Like Everything Else In Motherhood-Is Just a Phase

When you first start on this path of working from home, balancing your professional responsibilities while keeping up with the constant demands of motherhood can feel overwhelming. I know there are more than enough days that I fall into bed at night with tired feet and an overstimulated brain. While we are often reminded that the days are long and the years are short, it doesn’t mean we don’t catch ourselves wishing away these moments. But trust me, this too, is only a short phase that will soon pass. The tough, unmanageable days of chaos and noise will soon be replaced with well deserved career victories, promotions, or raises, and you’ll find yourself longing for cute, sticky hands to pull you away from your work. So be patient with yourself. Trust that you will figure this all out soon enough. And remember, you’re never alone in this journey. If you’re needing some more words of encouragement, be sure to comment below or send me an email directly to Jess@blissthismess.com.

The post Balancing Personal Growth and Parenthood: A Work from Home Mom’s Journey to Self-Fulfillment appeared first on Bliss This Mess.

Since Covid, there has been a much larger interest in homeschooling. I was joking with a mom on my son’s flag football team about homeschooling and how both our families had been homeschooling since it was considered weird. Since Covid, homeschooling has become a little more normal. People homeschool for many different reasons.

We have homeschooled in two different states. Colorado and now, Tennessee. When there was a school shooting in Nashville, back in March, there was also an influx of people on social media wanting to start homeschooling as well. Rightfully so. School safety has become a huge question mark over the last handful of years.

Although I have homeschooled for five years, I felt because we had recently moved to Tennessee, I could better help these beginners since I recently navigated homeschooling here. The process of making sure I was doing it “right” is still pretty fresh in my brain.

I don’t consider myself an expert of any kind. This post is simply a guide as to what we found was the least overwhelming and most affordable way to start homeschooling in the state of Tennessee. You decide what is best for your family.

Understand Tennessee Homeschooling Laws

Tennessee is a pretty lax state when it comes to homeschooling laws. By that, we mean there aren’t a lot of rules and regulations you need to follow. These requirements include:

1. Notifying the local superintendent of schools in writing of their intent to homeschool their child at least 30 days before beginning homeschooling.
2. Maintaining attendance records, test and evaluation records, and immunization records.
3. Providing a curriculum that includes instruction in reading, language arts, math, science, and social studies.
4. Participating in a standardized test administered by a qualified person in grades 5, 7, and 9.
5. Parents or legal guardian(s) having a high school diploma or equivalent.
6. Homeschooling for at least four hours per day for 180 days per year.

This is where people start getting overwhelmed and intimidated. How do you find the contact information for who you’re supposed to notify? Where do you send kids for standardized testing? How do other families keep and submit all of these records?

First, let’s take a deep breath.

Now is a good time to mention there are a few different ways to register as homeschoolers.

• 1. Independent Homeschool: Independent homeschooling means that parents or legal guardians take full responsibility for their child’s education and do not use a public or private school for instruction. Parents choose the curriculum, develop lesson plans, and assume all costs associated with their child’s education. They also have complete control over their child’s daily schedule, learning environment, and educational goals.
• 2. Church-related School: The church-related school serves as an umbrella organization that provides legal coverage for homeschooling families. With this option, parents still have primary responsibility for their child’s education and are typically responsible for selecting and implementing the curriculum. However, the church-related school may offer support services such as record-keeping, testing, guidance, and counseling, as well as access to extracurricular activities and social events.
• 3. Category III Distance Learning School: This is just another way of saying accredited online school. I’ll admit, I’m not very familiar with this option because I don’t know anyone who has chosen this path. But it is a legal option in Tennessee worth mentioning.

If you decide to register as independent homeschoolers, I highly recommend looking into an umbrella school. They will file the necessary paper work for you, keep records on file, provide documents like transcripts, diplomas, teacher/student IDs, and offers exemption from state testing requirements. We personally use and love Honor School. Their membership pricing starts at $20 a year for your whole family and they are quick to respond to any questions you may have.

Pick Your Homeschool Curriculum

After all of the legal paperwork is taken care of, the fun begins.

I personally nerd out over curriculum. But there are so many options out there! Some are free and some are extremely expensive. So first, get an idea of your homeschooling budget. For our family, I wanted a smaller percentage of our homeschool budget to go towards curriculum so the majority of it could be spent on lessons and experiences outside of our home.

Another thing to consider is how much time you want to dedicate to lesson planning. With multiple kids in different grades, I didn’t want to be so hands on with the curriculum that I couldn’t focus on my younger kids. So we decided to go with Miacademy. It is an online curriculum that is self led and includes subjects such as math, language arts, science, history, life skills, music, art, and more. It is a K-8 program but they also have a high school platform called Mia Prep. You can read more about our experience with Miacademy on my blog post, “Why You Need to Homeschool with Miacademy.”

This year, we also decided to supplement with some handwriting workbooks from The Good and the Beautiful. This company also has other very affordable curriculum options that are worth checking out.

Homeschooling FAQs

I hope I covered most of your concerns in the previous sections of this post. If you have made it this far, you probably have a more questions about homeschooling that don’t include the legal requirements. So let’s see if I can answer those for you too!

How Do Your Kids Get Socialization?

“When people ask me about the socialization thing in homeschooling, I ask them about the peer pressure in school.” -Rebecca Devitt

But seriously, one of the biggest concerns people have about homeschooling is providing opportunities for kids to learn social skills. Just because it’s called homeschool, doesn’t mean you are forced to stay there. There are so many ways to ensure your kids have plenty of chances to hang out with kids their own age. One of the easiest and most obvious ones is to sign up for sports. A quick google search will yield options in about every sport in every grade.

Another one to look into are libraries near you. We have quite a few different libraries within 20 minutes of our house and each one offers something different on each weekday. Sometimes it’s just a simple story time and craft for the younger ones. But there are also cool STEM days that all of them can participate in. We have found out about most of these events by following each library Facebook page.

A few other places to look include the YMCA. I know the one near us offers a homeschool PE class once a week. The membership is also very affordable for families.

We have also found art classes at different art studios.

My kids’ favorite are the days we pack a picnic and head to the park. There’s always free entertainment and plenty of kids to play with there!

Do You Need a Specific Homeschool Room?

I love looking at the dining room makeover that turns into the most perfect school room on Pinterest. But that isn’t always easy to accomplish for every family. Or realistic. I think the best part of homeschooling is having the freedom to do our school work from anywhere we choose.

Do you want to know where my kids prefer to do their school work? Outside!

When it comes to school supplies though, I recommend checking out my other blog post, “Essential Items for New Homeschoolers.” This is a basic necessities list that isn’t overwhelming to look at. We try to keep all of our supplies confined to one bookshelf.

What Does Homeschooling for 4 Hours Every Day Look Like?

This question comes up more often than I thought it would. People assume the state requires four hours of hands on bookwork everyday. But what you teach and how you teach is different for everyone. Learning takes place in more places than just a book. So feel free to fill your time with education videos, science experiments, nature walks, baking contests, field trips, reading. This is your homeschooling journey to decide how to best spend your time. Have fun with it!

The Hardest Part About Getting Started, Is Getting Started

That’s it for now! I hope this helped ease your fears and doubts about homeschooling. You can do this!

If you have any other questions about homeschooling in Tennessee, feel free to leave your questions down below or send an email to jessica@blissthismessblog.com. I’m happy to help!

The post A Guide to Homeschooling in Tennessee appeared first on Bliss This Mess.

I was very hesitant at first. But after witnessing some of the best pitches on why they should own their own business, we decided to invest. Just like one of the sharks on Shark Tank.  After all, entrepreneurship provides many valuable lessons that my kids wouldn’t otherwise learn until later on in life.

The Secret to Getting Ahead is Getting Started

Last Valentine’s Day, my daughter, Kenzie, helped make chocolate covered strawberries. After proudly showing off her work and sharing it with friends and family, she got a ton of interest from people wanting to buy some from her next year. But after moving to a different state last summer, I knew shipping chocolate covered strawberries wouldn’t make for a very profitable business for a 7 year old.

After a weekend of brainstorming, and a whole lot of brand development, Kenzie & Co. was up and running with her first product, a Valentine’s Day marshmallow pop!

What started as a simple joy of helping in the kitchen turned into a full blown, money-making operation.

But of course, we couldn’t stop there.

Brody certainly didn’t want to be his little sister’s only employee. So he dove into his own research, scoped out the local competition, and after getting pup approval for his grain-free dog treats, Brody’s Biscuits was open for business!

Rather than depending solely on sales from friends and family, my kids decided to approach a wonderful friend of ours that happens to own a shop in our hometown supporting local small businesses. She graciously and enthusiastically agreed to let both kids sell their products in her store.

These kids really know how to hit the ground running!

Never Stop Learning

After their first month of being kid entrepreneurs, I had a few moments where I doubted my ability to keep up with the two of them. They have put in a lot of hard work, dedication, and self motivation to see the success they are seeing right now. I am so impressed with their commitment and drive to just get it done.

As a homeschooling family, we are always looking for outside-the-box ways to teach our kids valuable lessons. So far, our kids’ businesses have granted them the opportunity to learn and improve in five skilled areas. And boy, are they important!

1. Money Management

When starting from nothing, our kids had what we referred to as “startup costs.” They kept track of what they spent on supplies and the fees/licensing associated with becoming legal business owners in the state of Tennessee. Whatever costs associated with starting their company were expected to be paid back to their investor (Dad) when their business was profitable.

Aside from startup costs, each kid also has ongoing costs to keep track of. With help from their Greenlight debit cards, they are able to better monitor their spending and even put money into savings accounts that earn interest. We wanted them to understand the value of a dollar and the hard work that comes with earning those dollars.

I’m sure my kids aren’t the only ones that act like money is a never ending resource. After just a few weeks of having to earn their own money, both of them have gained a greater appreciation for it. They now reconsider a lot of their purchases because of the amount of time and effort that was required for them to afford that item. You can always make more money, however, you can’t make more time.

Within the first two weeks, Kenzie & Co. and Brody’s Biscuits were debt-free! Which is a huge accomplishment they should be proud of!

2. Self Confidence

There’s a great quote from Michelle Obama that says, “Your success will be determined by your own confidence and fortitude.”

Brody and Kenzie are so proud to have something with their name on it. Being praised by people in our community for their hard work in each of their businesses is really building their self confidence. I believe the more confident they are, the less likely they will be to listen to self doubt. Most of the time, the one person standing in the way of success is yourself. I want these kids to shoot for the stars and not settle for anything less!

3. Work Ethic

The first time you do anything is always the hardest. That first weekend really challenged their work ethic! They were trying to figure out the most efficient systems to get their product made and packaged. It was monotonous, tedious, and very time consuming. But they also learned how to be organized, how to manage their time better, and how to be resilient when problems arose.

It was tough pushing through until they were finished but that first payday Monday morning was so rewarding!

4. People Skills

The one question we are often asked as a homeschooling is, “aren’t you worried your kids won’t have any social skills?”

As business owners, they have many opportunities to practice making good eye contact, communicating clearly, and just being comfortable interacting with others. It is a skill I wish I would’ve mastered at a younger age!

5. Healthy Competition

Brody and Kenzie have always been two peas in a pod. So when they both wanted to start their own business, I was fearful that sibling rivalry would take over and pit them against each other.

But as usual, my kids surprise me. What I thought would turn into a competition of who could make the most money actually turned into two kids learning how to be better support systems to those they care about most. They want to learn about the other’s business and how to be helpful when fulfilling orders. But more importantly, cheer each other on.

They make me so proud!

Let’s Raise Kids to be Entrepreneurs

I have to say, I have been very impressed with the outcome of this crazy idea. Brody’s Biscuits and Kenzie & Co. have certainly been a whirlwind. Sometimes, my kitchen looks like an actual tornado tore through it. But what my kids have gained from this experience is making it so worthwhile. We need more kid entrepreneurs in this world! I hope you join us!

The post 5 Reasons to Encourage Kids to Start a Business appeared first on Bliss This Mess.

Just last month, my husband and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. I don’t think either of us imagined we would make it to this far without killing each other. Getting married at 18 and 22 isn’t for the faint of heart.

You see, no one really prepares you for how hard marriage is. In a social media world, where everything you see is literally picture perfect, it’s hard to distinguish what a normal relationship looks like. Let alone the amount of work it takes to make a marriage feel good on the inside and not one that just looks good on the outside. Whoever said marriage is 50/50 is a liar. Anything you put half of your effort into never works. Marriage takes 100% of your effort 100% of the time.

But nothing can prepare you for how incredibly awesome it is either. Having someone you can depend on for love, support, and loyalty is irreplaceable. Marriage makes you feel secure. Similar to a weighted blanket except you have to feed it often and listen to it snore.

Last year, I shared what we have learned about marriage so far in my blog post, 5 Tips for a Happy and Successful Marriage. While I’m hoping life grants us another ten years together, I wanted to share the highlights of our first ten years as husband and wife.

Baby #1

Brody, the one that gave me the confidence to believe I could handle five more. Most importantly, he’s the best big brother and I couldn’t have imagined a better leader of the pack.

Our First Home

A cozy, little place with big backyard that we would add dogs, chickens, and many more kids to. We outgrew it about as soon as we moved into it but it contained all of the things we hold dear in our hearts. For that, I’m so grateful.

Baby #2

Mackenzie, the little girl I was always hoping to have someday. She became Brody’s partner in crime almost instantly and they are still inseparable to this day.

Baby #3

Lillian is a firecracker that’s going to change the world! But she’s also the most compassionate one, especially when someone is having a rough day. She’s definitely the mother hen of the group.

Baby #4

Chloe, my little assitant. She insists on being the one that helps with everything and will get offended if someone else beats her to it. She was meant to be a big sister and loves being one.

Baby #5

Amelia, a total class clown. She would do just about anything, including risking hurting herself, to get a laugh out of her siblings. She definitely brightens our day!

Our Second Home

A wild, off-in-the-distant-future idea that became a reality years before we thought it would. The amount of time and effort it took to pull off moving across the country with five kids made me realize I am capable of anything I put my mind to. It was a risk. But one that paid off greatly!

Baby #6

Finally, there was Brayden. The icing on the cake, the cherry on top, our grand finale. Whatever you want to call it, he fulfilled our dreams of having a big family. He’s the sweetest little boy and the most perfect addition.

Ten Years Down, Forever to Go

While the last 10 years have been incredible watching our family grow, I’m looking forward to this new season of life. One where we spend less time running on coffee and cuss words and more time helping and encouraging our kids to be well rounded, young adults.

Here’s to forever and the many more adventures we have awaiting us!

The post The Best of 10 Years Well Spent appeared first on Bliss This Mess.

For a reason I couldn’t pinpoint at the time, 2022 just felt different. After celebrating my birthday in the beginning of March, that feeling grew stronger. It was only month later, we decided to take a huge leap of faith and put our house on the market. We were leaving Colorado and headed to Tennessee.

I’m sure some of our family and friends thought we were crazy. We had no intentions of making big moves like this; at least not for a couple more years. But the older I get, the easier it is for me to trust my gut and go along for the ride. Even if in my head, it sounds a little crazy.

Looking back now I can proudly say 2022 was our best year yet.

We are Home

Shorty after getting to Tennessee, the whole housing market seemed to take a huge turn. What was once a very competitive market became strangely quiet. I am no real estate guru but even our realtor that helped sell our house said, “If there was a perfect time, you guys hit it square on the nose.”

There were many times in the process that I wanted to listen to the devil on my shoulder. Were we moving too fast? Are we doing the right thing? What if we fail? Maybe we should just wait until the kids are older, or until we have more money in savings, or when our credit scores are better.

But then, there was the angel on my other shoulder saying, “take the risk or lose the chance.”

We are in total awe of Tennessee’s beauty and it’s southern charm. Taking a chance led us to some incredible people and the relationships we have developed with them make it feel like we have known them our whole lives.

We belong here. This is home.

Welcoming Our Baby Boy

Just when we thought moving was enough excitement for one year, we found out we were pregnant with our sixth baby. After having a boy, followed by four girls, we were shocked to find out our kids were finally getting the baby brother they had always hoped for.

After a fairly easy pregnancy, he came into this world wanting to making a lasting impression. At a whopping 10 lbs 4 oz, we were overjoyed to finally be holding sweet baby Brayden.

Coming home from the hospital and finally feeling like our family was complete was a something I had been waiting for for a long time. Here we were, in our new home, our kids crowded around their baby brother and everything about that moment felt so right.

Look Out 2023

2022 was a pleasant surprise for our family. But with all of the big changes that took place, there was a lot of personal goals I placed on the back burner. I’m really looking forward to refocusing some of my time and energy into this blog and hit major milestones in my own health and wellness. After all, six kids requires me showing up as my best for them everyday.

So in true new year fashion, I have chosen a new word for 2023. Ambition. To be ambitious means to have or show a strong desire and determination to succeed. There is no doubt that I have a strong desire to be successful! But this year, I’m going to make sure my goals and dreams finally come to fruition. I want nothing more than the same for you this year!

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