Hi all!
After a few years of heartache with my first born son (he is 8 and in 3rd grade) we have just decided to homeschool him & his little brother (5). It is all exciting and scary at the same time, but I know God will lead us every step of the way. My sister in law has gone ahead of me (by a few years) so I know she will be a huge help. If anyone has any advice on homeschooling in CA please share...although we will be relocating to WA state in a couple of months (God willing) and I know WA is much more homeschool friendly.

God Bless!

Welcome to the forum, and to the homeschooling adventure! It is scary in the beginning, but as time goes along that will change. We lived in CA when my oldest was kindergarten and 1st grade. As I remember, we just filed an affidavit as a private school. It was pretty easy and we never had any problems. We lived near San Jose and there was a big homeschool convention there every year, around April I think. That was a huge help to me. Maybe you can see if there's anything like that near you (I have no idea where Chino Hills is). My best advice is to take it slow and not try to compete with anyone else. Do what is best for your family, as God leads you. Best of luck in your new adventure!

Welcome Tabgirl,
I'm kinda Newbie-ing it again myself here. I homeschooled my son through first and second grades and then he was put in public school in third. Public school was a nightmare for him in that he was bullied and tormented daily by students as well as teachers. Long story.

Anyway, I pulled him out last Wednesday due to the schools lack of ability and willingness to keep him safe. He's in 6th grade and I'm like a deer in headlights. I can homeschool the little ones but I am not smarter than a fifth grader!

However, I immediately got registered with a county wide homeschool group for support and friends for the kids. I also contacted and signed up with, a Christian Related School so that our homeschool would be protected from the states mandates. It is an awesome school that lets me choose my own curriculum and trusts that I will do my job as teacher for my children. I will report grades to them twice a year and if we choose to homeschool through high school, our children will recieve diplomas from this school rather than a GED.

I have no idea about California homeschool laws but I have heard they were trying to outlaw it completely. I strongly suggest getting in touch with a CRS. There's tons of information on the internet about the homeschool laws, states, etc. I think the best source for this is www.hslda.org

Blessings as you embark on this wonderful journey.