keep it
Simple Smarty
fun + fulfilling home education without the fluff
Travel + Field Trips
Reading + Writing
STEM
Art, History, + Religion
Everyday Education + Play
Making it Work
Travel + Field Trips
Reading + Writing
STEM
Art, History, + Religion
Everyday Education + Play
Making it Work
Because teaching kids isn’t easy, but it shouldn’t be complicated.
We are passionate about ensuring that each of our children receives a quality education that opens doors of opportunity for them. If you’re here, you likely feel the same. So whether your kids attend public school and you want to support them and supplement their learning at home or you’re figuring out the homeschooling thing, we’re here to show you the good, the bad, and the cringey as we endeavor to teach our kids everything from reading to fractions to how to boil an egg. Maybe we’ll learn from each other, maybe we’ll laugh with each other, or maybe we’ll just commiserate. But you can trust that we’ll do our best to stick to our education philosophy: keep it simple, smarty.
hey, I’m Ray!
I’m mom to two little boys. I love thrifting, snuggling my boys (that includes my husband and the dog), long walks, and home improvement. Someday I’ll find a hobby and stick with it, but until then, that’s me! I’m so excited you’re here!
Latest Posts
Our Trip to Iowa
If we communicate anything on this blog, we want it to be that kids are always learning as long as you give them opportunities to do so, and it doesn’t need to be complicated! Recently we went on a trip to Iowa and Illinois to visit family and were amazed at how many...
Thailand with Two Littles
We did the (seemingly) impossible! We took two kids, ages three and one, to Thailand! Why would we attempt such a daring exploit? Long story short - we wanted to. Thailand is close to my husband’s heart because he served a two-year Christian proselytizing mission...
Surviving Long Plane Rides with Small Kids
We believe that traveling adds a lot of value and spice to life, and we didn’t want to wait until our kids were older to start tackling our travel to-do list. We absolutely hope to have opportunities to travel sans-kiddos as well, but it’s important to us that our...
what we’re about
Keep it simple
Seeing some of the fantastic, glittery, time-consuming, flashy approaches to parenting and teaching kids used to make me feel incompetent and inadequate. So raise your hand if you want to give your child(ren) a great education with minimal effort and NOT feel bad about it! You’re in the right place. We’re here to teach our kids, not spend hours bedazzling worksheets.
Keep it safe
Our biggest motivation for getting involved in our kids’ education is ensuring that our kids get an education that aligns with God’s standards, even when those standards don’t agree with society’s ideals. While we don’t want to “shelter” our kids excessively, we absolutely want to help them build safe, strong foundations that they can lean on as they navigate the world and make wise, faithful choices of their own.
Keep it fun
You know how kids are often more interested in the cardboard box than the toy that came in it? We’re trying to apply that concept to homeschool. All the fun, none of the fluff (unless it’s bubble wrap). Here at KISS, we believe that life is what you make of it, and attitude is everything (though we still have to check our attitudes multiple times a day)!
Keep it YOU
As a parent, you have something to offer your child that no one else does. You’ve got the magic sauce, the special ingredient, the pièce de résistance: unrelenting love for your child. Friends, teachers, and coaches come and go, but family is forever. You are invested in your child’s success and are able to understand and respond to their needs like no one else ever could. So we encourage you to learn what you can from others, but in the end, trust your gut and the guidance heaven sends you. Infuse your educational experiences with yours and your family’s personality, values, and culture, and don’t ever try to be someone else.
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