replying because I think this is good to think about and I want to come back later and post more (dh's parents are arriving from MI today and will be here through Monday or Tuesday and I need to finish decluttering the kitchen!

).
Once when I was asking for advice on homeschooling, a wise older homeschool mom asked me what my goals were. She said if we have no goals then how do we know if we're getting where we want to go. I was just plodding along in homeschooling and when things got tough, I was sideswiped; I didn't have a plan or any goals, other than giving my children a good education. We kept going, but floundered for a few years. Now we try to filter everything through our goals.
We do have a school verse, motto, and written goals. I'll share those later as I need to get busy.
Laurie