We are just about through with our second week of homeschooling, and I have to say that I am pretty happy with how it is going.
Last year, I was new to the whole thing. I had worked in classrooms, before, and have a knack for teaching. But, that is nothing compared with doing it all yourself. Luckily, my district has a great homeschooling program. I would have been lost and don't think I could have done it without them.
This year, we started the whole thing off differently. Wanting the girls to socialize and have some kind of structured environment with other kids, we send them to day camps during the summer. This year, we had all of their day camps at the end of the summer, backing right up to the school year. Having that structure for 2 - 3 weeks before we started school work really helped them gear up for focusing on school, again.
I also decided to try a new schedule. The schedule last year was loose, and it just didn't work as well as the more rigid one for this year. I did incorporate some flexibility, being able to move certain subjects around, but I have dedicated work and break time blocks. The girls know the routine and what to expect. They also know that if they are in mood for a certain subject, they can work on that.