Ms. Marie Ballard-Blakemore:  Homeschool Conference Speaker and Workshop Leader Details

Overcoming Being Overwhelmed
Homeschooling can be described in many different ways. A new homeschooler may say it is overwhelming. A seasoned homeschooler may say it is a joyful overwhelming journey. A person who does not homeschool may say it is weird in an overwhelming way. As a matter of perception, they are all right in their analysis and they have common adjective overwhelming.Overwhelmed is not simply the state of having lots of things to do. Being Overwhelmed has definite emotional overtones which may include stress, confusion, fear, and anxiety. Synonyms for overwhelm include: upset, submerge, overpower in thought or feeling, drown, engulf, flood, inundate, submerge, swamp, make helpless, crush, and overpower. Many times we are reluctant to acknowledge to ourselves or admit to others that we are feeling overwhelmed because we view it as a sign of weakness. Nothing can be further from the truth. Being overwhelmed is part of the process when you are striving to achieve anything spectacular. This is and introduction to or remind you of the seven life lines when you feel like you are spinning your wheels and are on the brink of giving up.

Marie Ballard-Blakemore has worked with hundreds of homeschooling families to set up their children for success in education. Coming from a family who homeschools because of an unshakeable devotion to their religious beliefs, she has experience with overcoming the obstacles of ignorance and misunderstanding. She has two siblings with special needs, who have flourished in the untraditional public school setting.