Halfway Through: With The Good and The Beautiful.

Woo hoo — we’re officially over halfway through Level 1! 🎉 That means we’re closer to moving on to Level 2, and my goal is to be wrapped up with Level 1 by December or January. It feels like such a big milestone, especially since this year has been full of growth, challenges, and those little wins that make all the difference.

I just tested her out on Unit 2, there were only a few lessons left, an amazing benefit of homeschooling is we can move as quickly or as slowly as her pace dictates. She was doing extremely well, so I decided to see if we could move a little quicker. She surprised me and did fantastic!

Reading has been the biggest hurdle, and honestly, that’s okay. She’s improving every single day. One thing I’ve noticed is that she seems to make the most progress after we take a few days off during the week. It’s like she comes back refreshed and more ready to learn — and that right there is one of the sweetest perks of homeschooling. We get to follow her natural rhythm instead of forcing something that isn’t clicking in the moment. The videos and songs that come with The Good and the Beautiful have also been lifesavers. They make it easier for her to remember letter sounds and how things fit together, and they keep it fun, which is huge for us.

The confidence I see growing in her has been incredible. She’s starting to read things out in public — menus, signs we pass, labels in the grocery store — and the joy on her face when she realizes she can do it without any help is priceless. On top of that, she’s becoming more independent in her lessons. She can read the directions for her independent practice, which gives her a little freedom and gives me some breathing room on the tough days. It’s been amazing to watch her step into this stage with more confidence and responsibility.

Now, I don’t want you to think it’s all rainbows and butterflies over here, because it’s not. We argue through some lessons, we get frustrated, and there have been plenty of times when we’ve had to stop in the middle just to cool off before we could even think about finishing. But that’s part of the journey, too. We take it as it comes and figure out together how to make it work better the next time. Homeschooling is just as much a learning process for me as it is for her.

As for curriculum, The Good and the Beautiful is the only one I’ve used so far, and honestly I love it. The pace is gentle, and it really is as simple as opening the book and starting to teach. Everything is laid out for you, and they even include the app instructions right there so you don’t have to juggle or overthink. If you’re faith-based, it also weaves God into lessons with such beautiful art and stories — it feels intentional and enriching, not forced.

Here’s what I want to remind every mama reading this: we aren’t behind. Our kids are thriving right where they are, and that is perfectly okay. This is a marathon, not a sprint. We’ll get to the finish line just like everyone else, and in the meantime, we’re giving our kids the gift of learning at their own pace, in their own way.

I’d love to know where you are in your curriculum journey. Hop over to Instagram and share with me — let’s celebrate those wins together, big or small!