...feel guilty if you are not writing your own homeschooling curriculum for the upcoming schoolyear. If you are doing "school in a box", do not think you are a bad mommy. If you ordered all your books and syllabi in May and are enjoying the last days of summer by going camping, hiking or sitting poolside without a curriculum catalog in sight, take heart. Your children will turn out normal and smart (and will be good swimmers to boot). Or if you have many children and did not order any books because you are planning to use the same old, faithful, well read books that have been passed down from brother to sister to brother again, do not despair that you are not buying the most up and coming, trendy materials. Your children will learn and flourish nonetheless.
If you are using the same curriculum provider you used last year and the year before and the year before that, don't hang your head in shame because you are not being creative enough or because you aren't tailoring your entire curriculum to the fancies of each of your children. The key to success is to be steadfast and to stick to the basics while allowing much free time in the afternoons for things that interest your family members. A little bit done well every day is better than a school year of feast and famine, taking much time off and then catching up quickly in desperation.
I was recently talking with a college friend who is a veteran homeschooling mom. She shared her fears that she has every summer that she might plan or choose the wrong curriculum. She second guesses herself every year because she compares her plans and ideas to others around her. After all, there is so much out there. Many experienced moms do this, they spend the summer months spinning their wheels, writing elaborate plans that are only used for a few weeks. They often continue their search and change their plans even after the school year has begun. They spend hundreds of dollars on supplies and books, often times to quit midyear because they can't get it all done or because they are plagued with self doubt. It is the never ending search for the perfect curriculum.