I don’t know about in your home, but in mine, coffee has always been part of my story. How about your story? Was coffee part of it?
When Charlie was #Homeschooling, I wish I had thought to build a lesson plan around coffee itself. Since learning shouldn’t stop when children, teens, or adults “graduate,” I’ve started calling this a Homeschool Field Trip: Coffee, Routines, and Real-Life Moments. It’s something Charlie, David, and I can still do—whether he’s home or even virtually.
Would you want to join us?
Growing up, life was a steady rhythm between my mom’s house and my grandma’s. Somewhere in all that movement, there was always a cup of coffee or a half-filled pot nearby. Not fancy. Not complicated. Just part of the day.
My grandma Dorie liked her coffee black. Suzzie liked hers with more cream and sugar than coffee. Coffee was strong, familiar, dependable. These days, they’d probably still lean into that direction—though Suzzie would never say no to a Starbucks stop when the moment was right.
Now life looks a little different.
When we talk about a “homeschool field trip,” it doesn’t always mean museums or planned outings. Sometimes it’s everyday stops, quick drives, and coffee runs that turn into conversations about life, choices, and habits.
C is in that stage where coffee isn’t really coffee yet—it’s more sugar and French vanilla creamer, or half-and-half for me. Nothing like the black coffee my dad used to drink. Most days, he prefers Dutch Bros, mostly because it’s cheaper and feels like a treat stop rather than a routine.
D has gone a different route entirely—energy drinks instead of coffee. Do I approve? Not really. But it’s one of those seasons where you pick your battles. You guide where you can, and sometimes you let life teach the lesson.
What I’ve realized is this—coffee isn’t just a drink in our story. It’s a thread.
A reminder of routines shifting.
Of kids growing into their own preferences.
Of generations having very different definitions of what a “good cup” even means.
And in all of that, I still find myself thinking:
Life doesn’t always need a lesson planned to be a learning moment. And this is what teaching homeschool really looks like for us.
It doesn’t always happen at a table with textbooks open. Sometimes it happens in the car between stops, or sitting in a parking lot with coffee while we talk through the day.
We don’t #Homeschool in the traditional sense—we teach homeschool, and it flows through real life. Coffee is just part of that rhythm. It’s the pause between lessons, the early morning start, or the “we made it through another day” moment shared together.
It’s not perfect, but it’s ours. And honestly, that’s what makes it work.
When you’re just starting out, it’s easy to think you need a perfect setup or a strict routine. But what we’ve learned is this: consistency matters more than perfection. Conversation matters more than location. And connection is what makes it all stick.
Coffee, errands, family stops—these aren’t interruptions to homeschool. They are homeschool.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
