Life Hacks for Homeschooling Parents

Anna Dusseau | 13th April 2020 Mental health matters. Full stop. But where are we now with supporting families struggling in the grip of global crisis? Back in October 2019, the Every Mind Matters campaign amassed rapid public support with its 5-step mental health personalised plan, launched in conjunction with the NHS and a wholeContinue reading “Life Hacks for Homeschooling Parents”

101 Things I Might Have Done If I Wasn’t A Homeschooling Mum of 3

Anna Dusseau | 7th April 2020 1. Be a Spice Girl. (It’s not too late. Stop being negative.) 2. Drive a Porsche. 3. Wait, drive an Audi S7. Less noise. I still need to hear Kisstory. 4. Write a kick-ass Kisstory playlist with less garage and more grind. 5. Build a rocket. 6. Think forContinue reading “101 Things I Might Have Done If I Wasn’t A Homeschooling Mum of 3”

Homeschool Rules #2: Fix Up, Look Sharp

Anna Dusseau | 31st March 2020 “This is Homeschool HQ to Gavin’s mum. Put the pjs down and step away from the biscuit tin! I repeat: PUT. THE. PJS. DOWN. This is not a drill!” Hello. Are you Gavin’s mum, by any chance? Or Gavin’s dad, come to think of it? Because we are nowContinue reading “Homeschool Rules #2: Fix Up, Look Sharp”

Gettin’ Jiggy with It: Fresh Air and Exercise Homeschool Style

Anna Dusseau | 23rd March 2020 Happy Monday, guys! How’s everyone doing? Today marks the start of the official UK school closure and I hope you’re all coping okay. Believe me, even experienced homeschool families are struggling here, with cabin fever causing parents and children alike to resort to foot-stamping temper tantrums, like Big BrotherContinue reading “Gettin’ Jiggy with It: Fresh Air and Exercise Homeschool Style”

The Soundtrack to Sanity

Anna Dusseau | 20th March 2020 The best advice anyone gave me regarding parenting was to have the radio on in the background. That’s it! You’re welcome. But seriously, this passing comment has absolutely shaped my homeschool style and serves as a basis for keeping me calm and engaged throughout the day. Of course, theContinue reading “The Soundtrack to Sanity”

Waste Not, Want Not: Crafty Leftovers and Cooking From Scratch

Anna Dusseau | 19th March 2020 First, let me make one thing clear; I can do a fancy lunch. Which is another way of saying: ‘I’ve located the whereabouts of my nearest M&S Foodhall and I’m not afraid to use it’. So, just before we dive in and you emerge thinking that I’m 110% anContinue reading “Waste Not, Want Not: Crafty Leftovers and Cooking From Scratch”

Heigh-Ho It’s Home From Work We Go: Rules for Remote Working with Happy and Grumpy

Anna Dusseau | 17th March 2020 I still get the words wrong to this. It just seems like the lyrics should be ‘it’s off to work we go’, am I right? I mean okay, 1930s Disney-lovers, I get that it doesn’t work so well with the story line, but in terms of the iambic rhythm,Continue reading “Heigh-Ho It’s Home From Work We Go: Rules for Remote Working with Happy and Grumpy”

Another Manic Monday? Take Control Now!

Anna Dusseau | 9th March 2020 Happy Monday, homeschoolers! It’s the start of a new week; celebrities in surgical masks are already being snapped on their way to the gym and the PM is looking bleary-eyed after another night of emergency meetings and, one can only suppose, locating bottles of Gaviscon for his fiery-haired babyContinue reading “Another Manic Monday? Take Control Now!”

Why I’ve Never Been On Social Media (and You Might Want a Slice of This, Too)

Anna Dusseau | 6th March 2020 Social media is toxic. You don’t need the likes of Stormzy and Billie Eilish to tell you that. Although it certainly helps when high-profile public figures turn their backs on social media – providing a powerful message to young and not-so-young that it is a hateful and unhealthy placeContinue reading “Why I’ve Never Been On Social Media (and You Might Want a Slice of This, Too)”

How to Feed a Family of 5 for £50 a Week

Anna Dusseau | 5th March 2020 I mean, we are all on a budget, right? In our family, we went from two decent salaries, to living on a single salary while my husband continued to work in a city job he hated, to finally both working part time from home. Times are very different forContinue reading “How to Feed a Family of 5 for £50 a Week”

How Homeschooling Happens

Anna Dusseau | 2nd March 2020 This was definitely not the plan. Homeschooling happened to us, the same way it happened to most of the families I have met since, by surprise. And I mean birthday party surprise. Not the sarcastic surprise of a flat tyre, but the kind that lights up your whole face.Continue reading “How Homeschooling Happens”

Raising Bilingual Children

Anna Dusseau | 2nd March 2020 It didn’t happen straight away for us. The bilingual thing. My daughter prefers English but speaks French well, albeit with a plummy, British accent. My middle son speaks French and English equally well and, astonishingly, without accent. The little one has adopted the Marseillais growl of his father andContinue reading “Raising Bilingual Children”

Eco and Glam? Why Visiting The Cotswolds Means You Can Have Your Cake and Eat It..

Anna Dusseau | 2nd March 2020 Perhaps I am rather late to the party, but has anyone noticed just how great The Cotswolds are for a mini break or even more extended getaway? Set in the luxuriously undulating landscape that governs the boarder between Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, this glorious region of the UK enables youContinue reading “Eco and Glam? Why Visiting The Cotswolds Means You Can Have Your Cake and Eat It..”