As my youngest child begins her senior year of high school, this is my last year as a homeschooling Mom.

After over 26 years of homeschooling, I have plenty of tips for other moms as they teach their kids from home. But today, I want to share 2 tips as we head into this school year:

First, make sure you sign up for the Homeschool Mothers Novena which will kick off on August 1st. If you sign up below, you will begin receiving the Novena straight to your inbox:

Second, I cannot recommend enough having a Catholic, sturdy planner.

While I have used several planners during my homeschooling years, this is the planner I have used for the last few years. Here is why I love it:

•  it is small enough to fit in my purse so I can bring it with me everywhere I go!
• it designates the days of fasting and abstinence (so you don’t accidentally eat meat on a Friday!)
• it helps me learn about so many new saints because it includes multiple feast days (new, traditional, and historic–most people forget the historic ones!)
• it has space every day for me to write down appointments and events
• it includes weekly saint biographies with illustrations (checks that beauty box for me!)

Those are just a few of the reasons I have loved using this planner during my homeschool years. I cannot recommend this enough and many Catholic mothers agree! Here are just a few of the reviews for this planner:

“I use this planner for my daily life as a wife and homeschool mother. It is excellent. It is small enough to not take up a huge space and yet has plenty of room for me to plan my weeks/days/months. I use the bottom corner of each day to write dinner down and the rest for daily activities/notes etc. The biggest thing is how beautifully Catholic it is. My children love browsing through it and I love how it keeps me on track with the liturgical year. A very simple, practical, and solid daily planner.”

“I couldn’t live without this desk calendar!! Each year for many years now, I not only get one for myself but for many of my family and friends as well and they love it, too! It’s fantastic that all of the saints are included each day; the traditional calendar as well as the historical and the Novus Ordo.”

“I have been using these planners for a couple of years now and couldn’t be happier! I love that it keeps me connected to the Church’s liturgical calendar while also helping me organize the family schedule. Just perfect in every way, and the price can’t be beat!”