In this video I’m sharing something I know a lot of us homeschool moms overthink for way too long—our official stop date for the 2024–25 homeschool year and our start date for 2025–26. We finally sat down, looked at what our real life actually looks like (not just what sounds good on paper), and chose dates that make sense for our family with three girls. I talk through what helped me decide, why I’m not trying to force a traditional school calendar, and how I’m planning to wrap up the year without feeling rushed or burned out. I also share the mindset shift that’s been huge for me: the dates matter, but the rhythm matters more. I want a finish line that still leaves us with peace, margin, and time for the things that keep our home running—rest, reading, appointments, and just being together. If you’ve been stuck trying to pick your own stop/start dates, I hope this gives you a simple way to think it through and make a plan you can actually stick to.