Hi All!
I don’t know what to do with down time. I never have. Luckily with kids, relaxing isn’t really an option. However, even when I was younger, I always needed to be on the go. In High School, I was in a zero-period writing for the school newspaper, which meant I took EXTRA classes at 7am before “normal school” started. And after school was dedicated to dance. I would be gone for over 12 hours a day.
In College, during the school year, I worked part-time for the on-campus bookstore and gave tours of the campus. During the summer, I was an orientation leader to new students and worked at Sea World as an educator and camp counselor.
Even after college, while working full-time as a Corporate Recruiter, I was obsessed with Orange Theory (a group fitness gym) and decided I would obtain my personal training certificate and work there on the side! I spent my 5am’s, 5pm’s and weekends teaching group fitness.
I LOVED being busy, but a lot of that needed to change when I had my first son in 2020. I was unwilling to wake up at that hour and leave him for 12+ hours a day, something had to give. So little by little, I have been re-prioritizing what is important to me and the more kiddos I had, the more I had to let go
I finally hit burn-out in 2023 when I was working full-time and had my 2 sons in an 8-5 daycare and I was not giving them as much quality time as they needed. The mom-guilt I felt was starting to really hit. I knew that I had to find a way to be a more present mom, while maintaining an active and stimulating life.
This was when homeschooling started to really weigh on my heart. I wasn’t homeschooled, so the thought of it sounded scary and all-consuming. I knew I also wanted my husband involved in their education. He is the smartest and most inspiring person I know, why wouldn’t I want my sons to learn from him?! The ability to combine learning and family bonding seemed perfect for our family. I loved that homeschooling could be so flexible. We could have a history lesson over ice cream after dinner with dad!
As I was researching, I was pleasantly surprised to learn about all the amazing co-ops, enrichment programs, micro schools and so much more! Before truly taking the time to learn about homeschooling, so many parents, like me, think they have to be all-in and stop working. But that doesn’t have to be your story. With the right balance and support, families truly can continue working and take control of their child’s education.
All of these ideas are what ultimately inspired me to start BaseCampEd. I wanted to make homeschooling more accessible to families who are like ours. Parents who want the best for their children, while balancing work with their education. My dream was to pull up a map of my neighborhood, meet a few families who also balance work and homeschool, and do it together! Because that is what life is about; my boys are getting a rich education, I keep doing what I love, and we all thrive in this honest, connected way.
BaseCampEd is meant to be a parenting app, no matter where you are in your journey with your child’s education. It was developed to help find community and educational resources. Any parent who wants to be involved in their child’s education should feel empowered to find like-minded families and resources to inspire their journey. Whether you are just curious about homeschooling (like I was for so many years), you JUST started your first year, or you are deep in the world of homeschooling already, I hope BaseCampEd will help you to find the right community and support in order for you and your family to thrive.
And if you haven’t downloaded BaseCampEd yet, what are you waiting for?!
Share it with your friends. The more voices we have, the richer this community will be.
I am always a message away at contact@basecamped.com
