The "ABC's" of a homeschool mom are universal. No matter where we live, how we homeschool, or how many children we homeschool, we are all connected.

A is for abilities. Every homeschool mom has many abilities, and she is able to use these to their fullest potential. Learning engineering from your former aerospace engineering mom is so cool. Learning to make homemade treats just like your great grandma did is priceless. Homeschool moms have all of these abilities, and more.

B is for blessings. We are all blessed with the ability to teach our children at home, with our values.

C is for cool. Yes, I said it. Homeschooling is cool!

D is for daring. It is very daring to take on teaching your crying child his or her least favorite subject. Somehow we find a way to make our child have fun, and learn at the same time.

E is for eclectic. While many of us follow certain curriculums, we are all open to new ideas and different experiences.

F is for friendship. Through the journey of homeschooling we meet many women who inspire us, and become friends. These friendships are blessings.

G is for glue. We are the glue that sticks our child and knowledge together, in a setting that they will remember forever-their home. We also use alot of glue over the years...from Elmer's to glue sticks.

H is for hugs. I am still happy as ever to get a few extra hugs from my twelve year old son during the day. Think of all of the hugs you would miss out on if your child was in school all day!

I is for independence. Homeschool moms are actually very independent. We can go against the grain, and teach our child in accordance with our family values and ideals.

J is for joking. Joking around makes us homeschool moms handle our everyday challenges easier. It is much easier to laugh at a potty clogged with flascards than to get upset.

K is for kisses. See H for details. Kisses get to be less and less as your children get older, so enjoy them while you can!

L is for love. I have yet to meet a homeschool mom who does not love what she is doing. Love for your child, and teaching him or her at home makes a homeschool mom's world go round.

M is for milestones. Like parents of younger children who learn to walk and loose a tooth, we are able to witness our children's educational milestones. Whether it is the first time your child remembered his four times tables, or printed his or her name, you get to relish in these educational accomplishments.

N is for naps. I chose this because it seems that every homeschool mom I know, myself included, wishes for an occasional nap. It is tiring wearing several hats! But worth it!

O is for organized. As much as we all say we need to be more organized, most of us are already pretty put together! After all, it takes a lot to be a mom and a teacher, and you need to be organized to be successful at it.

P is for prayerful. No matter what faith we are, we are prayerful and supportive for our fellow homeschool moms. I have never seen the amount of charity and support as I have seen within the homeschool community.

Q is for questions. We answer them all the time. We research the most remote questions, too. We are happy to divulge the answers.

R is for rule breaking. This is nothing serious, of course. It is just not unheard of to see the homeschooling community having a "not back to school party" on a school day, or going out for ice cream after lunch because they can.

S is for singing. Homeschool moms tend to sing more than their non homeschooling mom pals. Maybe because we are teaching and learning alongside our children, and singing those rhymes is awfully fun! Or, maybe we feel happier each day and we want to sing more.

T is for testing. We do test our children, whether it be a writen exam, or a hands on presentation. Contrary to what some may believe, we all do measure our child's progress.

U is for uplifting. It is uplifting and inspiring to see our children learn and grow into adults.

V is for varied. Having a homeschool life allows us to all have variations, and be varied in our lifestyle choices. We can take a vacation when school is in session, because we can work instead at an alternate time.

W is for wise. We are all becoming wise, right along with our children. I learn something new everyday!

X is for xerox. Sometimes we wish we had a clone, or a copy of ourselves. Especially when there is alot of housework to be done!

Y is for younger. I feel younger being able to enjoy museums, movies and classic stories while homeschooling my son. Don't you?

Z is for zest. Our zest for life, learning, and teaching our children is insurmountable!