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Aimee Otto is married to her high school sweetheart, Nick. They homeschool their two children, ages 9 and 11.
Originally, Aimee grew up in rural Michigan, but she now makes her home in New England where she has built a life around slowing living and savoring time together.
However, when Aimee’s not homeschooling, she loves reading, walking, and being in nature.
She leads the Homeschool Compass community where she encourages families to step off the mainstream path and embrace the freedom and flexibility in their homeschools.
Join us as Aimee Otto and I discuss homeschool expectations.
We love our plans. But we have to hold them loosely because if we cling too tightly to what we think we want, we might miss out on the beauty of the day.
Aimee Otto, podcaster at Homeschool Compass
Aimee Otto & I discuss:
- Allow your kids to take from studies/readings as they want. And let them run with it.
- Don’t let fear of the future affect your present moment. (Like anticipating calculus when your child is in kindergarten.)
- Ask yourself how your original homeschool vision aligns with your present activities.
- Acknowledge that who we are as parents influences how we approach our children’s home education.
- Use self-awareness strategies, like journaling, to help you externalize what is in your head.
Finally, Aimee encourages homeschool parents:
- Make self-awareness your personal growth goal.
- If you love your kids & give them autonomy, help direct them to where they want to get to and work backward. You can provide a rich education for them, that aligns with their passions and gives them the tools they need for their futures.
- Do a time audit to determine how many things/activities you can include in your day.
- You have the freedom to discern what you can decide for your homeschool family, you can include your passions in your life.
- Let go of comparisons and tune into your own kids: you’ll be a better homeschool parent, you’ll be a healthier homeschool mom, and have a more satisfying homeschool experience.
- By the way, you get a seat at the table too: your kids need what you have to bring to the world.
You can find Aimee at:
- Website: HomeschoolCompass.com
- Instagram: @homeschoolcompass
- Facebook: Homeschool Compass
- Sign up for the Homeschool Compass Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/f77b4e420934/b2edfenegs
- Podcast: The Homeschool Compass Podcast

Grappling with Overwhelm Journaling Workbook
Journal questions & workbook that aid in your self-exploration to help address your needs, gain satisfying relationships and shift your homeschool perspective.
This can be a self-coaching workbook can be a self-coaching tool to help you discover the barriers getting in the way of your satisfying homeschool life, create a plan to address your relationships, needs & homeschools, and thereby, shift your homeschool experience.
People often ask…
- Do you do one-on-one homeschooling coaching?
- Use the Build your Boundaries Journaling Workbook
- How to Deal with Unrealistic Expectations as Homeschool Mamas
- Use the Overcoming Overwhelm Journaling Workbook
- How can I join the Homeschool Mama Retreat?
Call to Adventure by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3470-call-to-adventure
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/