I take my hat off to all you homeschool mom's who do everything from housework to homework and everything in between.  I say this because for 12 years I did the same thing.  You are probably working on a shoestring budget, aren't we all, and have only so many hours in your day to accomplish the education of your children.  If you are like me, you probably want to give your child the very best education that you can and expose them to everything possible to help them realize their full potential.

Here are just a few of the things I did over the years.  My oldest needed some form of activity to put in the phys. ed. category of our portfolio.  The first thing we tried was ballet, she ended up being at least a head taller than all the other kids in her class.  Next we went to the YMCA and tried out Mighty Mights Football.  I was the only mom running down the field with their child as my daughter ran full force toward the wrong goal.  Not the best fit!!  My daughter asked one day about horse back riding and I quickly told her that we couldn't afford it.  She kept asking, so we took a trip to the nearby stables to inquire about lessons.  Nervously, I did the homeschool thing and asked if we could possibly work for lessons.  Much to my surprise, the owner said yes.  My youngest was never sure how she got roped in to some of these things, but for at least a year the three of us headed off to the stable 3 days a week, to muck 30 stalls.  The smell that came off of me in the shower at the end of those mucking session almost made me faint.  The things moms do for their children!  Here we are 17 years later...we are the proud owners of a barn, 3 horses and board 2 others.  My daughter has become a horse professional and others turn to her for advice, horse training and lessons.  It was definitely worth every moment spend mucking stalls to see her continued passion for horses.

One thing I learned quickly was to surround myself with people who knew more than me in any given subject.  You may feel that way about some of the subjects that you have to expose your children to.  Don't let your lack of knowledge hold you back.  Trade off your expertise with another mother who is good in an area you are weak in.  Co-op and give your children exposure to other moms and their teaching style and the big "S" word, socialization.  Your music program can be done the same way.  Let Adventus software be your foundation and then set up a co-op and do fun musical activities together.  By taking your children through the software you can be sure that everything is covered, leaving time for musical games, singing and movement.