26 Comments

You had mentioned a while back that you were going to start working/writing alongside your kids while they do their homeschool work. How is that going?

Asking because I tried something similar and it always ends up with chaos ensuing and me being a more distracted, less kind mother/teacher. I would love to hear your advice if it is working for you!

Also I am always interested in how other people's days look!

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Oh, I'd like to revisit that -- thanks for asking!

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I’m sure you’ve written about this before, but I’d love to hear about some of the books that have had the biggest impact on your life. :)

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That is a great question! Thanks, Kerri! (And I have an e-mail in the pipeline to you...much to share!)

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I definitely want to know about overcoming postpartum difficulties!

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Insomnia in particular, or other things, too?

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Other things, too, though insomnia is helpful to have advice on.

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Do you have tips for finishing a PhD with young kids? I love my work and I love my kids but I’m struggling to integrate the two into something that doesn’t leave me feeling like a failure in one way or another.

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Oh, good question. YES, and: girl, you can do it!! (IF you want to. It's also okay to choose to change directions!)

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I have a similar question—how did you navigate the years post Ph.D. but also with kids? How did you decide the amount of time & energy you put into work (teaching, research, etc.) vs. childcare duties? Still in the early years of this and any tips you have for thinking about being a part-time academic mom would be great!

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This is a great question and topic of conversation! I love talking about this stuff. It's always a work-in-progress and involves a lot of discernment but so many good surprises have come along the way!

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Do you have any first or second hand insight into homeschooling kids with learning differences?

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I do but would prefer to discuss privately. Message me if you would like!

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On the extremely practical end of things….what are your go to hospitality meals! I am always looking for new ideas that are both delicious and easy or allow me to participate with my guests!

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Great question! Thanks!

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So in the vein of routines, what are some of your favorite things to cook lately? What's working for meal times? When does grocery shopping happen/meal planning/meal prep, etc. I'm always interested in how this works best for people who also homeschool/wear many hats.

Or, if you'd rather talk about cleaning, how does that all get done in the midst of everything??

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Oh gosh, yes. I am always interested in how people do these things, too!

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I would like to know when the post partum depression started and if it happened with each child or only after the 4th. Also very keen to know how you treated it/managed it/ overcame it.

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Thanks, Arlene! Maybe better to address this privately via message? I'm not sure...I'll have to think it over. But in short: all four times.

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I'm also always interested in how people structure their days and weeks so I'd definitely read those pieces, but I'll ask a few lighter questions too. What are you currently reading? What are you currently listening to? And (here comes the not light, big one) how do you see yourself right now, and what do you think about what you see?

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Oh, neat! Thank you! What an intriguing set of questions!

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I would like to know if you have any advice for us mothers who have a homeschool mentality but choose to send kids to school for various reasons (exm: it is legaly orbidden to homeschool in my country).

I am not sure if my question is self contradictory, thought...

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This is very interesting, Katarina! I think a lot of parents have to make schooling decisions based on practical restrictions as well as their ideals...let me mull this over.

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I'd love to know more about your Substack strategy (or if "strategy" is too big, your approach). I'm interested to know how your writing at The Hollow fits with your other writing projects and perhaps more broadly with your homeschooling.

When you asked initially, I said I'd also have a history-related question for you. So here it is... I'm interested to hear about your approach to teaching history. Do you approach it as a specific and discrete subject, or do you integrate it with all the other learning/subjects you do with your kids?

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Hey Shelley! Thanks. To your final question -- you can learn some about my approach to history here: https://hearthandfield.com/when-teaching-children-history-embrace-imagination/

and here: https://thehollow.substack.com/p/imagining-history-through-sound

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Just seeing those URLs, I’m excited! 😆 Thanks so much!

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