CAPE-NM

10/10/2026

Picture it: pine-scented mountain air, a dining hall full of homeschool families, and a Saturday afternoon set aside just for doing fun things together. 🌲

CAPE-NM's 23rd annual Fall Family Retreat is less than a week away!

📅 Friday–Sunday, October 16–18, 2026 (optional add-on day Thursday, Oct 15)

📍 Sacramento Camp & Conference Center, about 30 miles from Cloudcroft

🎤 Speakers: Lee & Laura Galissini

Grandparents and extended family are always welcome, and you don't need to be a CAPE member to come. (Also: Sacramento's cinnamon rolls are famous for a reason. 😉)

Registration is still open: https://www.cape-nm.org/fall-family-retreat/

Who's coming? We can't wait to see you!

{📷 A little cabin near Pecos. Not the camp, just the feeling.}

10/08/2026

If the lessons got done but the dishes didn’t, or the house is clean but science got skipped, you’re not failing. Nobody keeps every plate spinning. We just take turns with which one wobbles. Orient your priorities to God’s economy, and have grace for this week, mama.

10/06/2026

Autumn is settling in across New Mexico — cooler mornings, golden light, and that quiet reminder that the school year is a marathon, not a sprint.

You’re allowed to take a breath. You’re allowed to need community.

CAPE-NM Fall Family Retreat is about 2½ weeks away:
Friday, October 16 – Sunday, October 18, 2026
(Optional arrival Thursday, October 15)

Sacramento Camp & Conference Center (~30 miles from Cloudcroft)

Speakers: Lee & Laura Galissini

Fellowship, rest, inspiration, and fun under the pines — grandparents and extended family welcome. You don’t have to be a CAPE member to attend.

Details & registration: https://www.cape-nm.org/fall-family-retreat/

What’s one thing you’re hoping a weekend away could refill for your family?

10/03/2026

Fall Family Retreat is coming up fast! Join us Friday, October 16 through Sunday, October 18, 2026 (with an optional add-on day Thursday, October 15) for a chance to teat and hang out with other homeschoolers from across New Mexico at the beautiful Sacramento Camp and Conference Center! The 2026 FFR speakers are Lee & Laura Galissini. Head over to https://www.cape-nm.org/fall-family-retreat/ for more info or to register! (Or, link to CAPE’s website is in the bio and you can find Fall Family Retreat under Events)

Hope to see you there!

09/29/2026

Autumn is settling in across New Mexico — cooler mornings, golden light, and that quiet reminder that the school year is a marathon, not a sprint.

You’re allowed to take a breath. You’re allowed to need community.

CAPE-NM Fall Family Retreat is about 2½ weeks away:
Friday, October 16 – Sunday, October 18, 2026
(Optional arrival Thursday, October 15)
Sacramento Camp & Conference Center (~30 miles from Cloudcroft)

Speakers: Lee & Laura Galissini

Fellowship, rest, inspiration, and fun under the pines — grandparents and extended family welcome. You don’t have to be a CAPE member to attend.

(Please confirm registration is still open before you share this post’s CTA.)
Details & registration: https://www.cape-nm.org/fall-family-retreat/

What’s one thing you’re hoping a weekend away could refill for your family?

OUR MISSION: Christian Association of Parent Educators or CAPE-NM is dedicated to informing, encouraging, and supporting homeschooling families in New Mexico. We believe that the liberty of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children is a fundamental right.

09/28/2026

Have you ever wondered if “just a mom” can teach as well as a “professional” educator? According to NHERI (National Home Education Research Institute), research suggests home-educated students typically score 15–25 percentile points above public-school peers on standardized academic achievement tests — and NHERI reports millions of K–12 students learning at home in recent years. You can read the primary summary at:
https://nheri.org/research-facts-on-homeschooling/

A quality education is NOT dependent on professional educators or traditional systems.

CAPE-NM is here with law info, community, and events for NM families:
https://www.cape-nm.org/

09/25/2026

Four things I wish someone had told me when we first began to homeschool:

1. That carefully planned out schedule you so beautifully created? It’s going to be derailed by lunchtime of day 1–and that’s ok. You can pivot and change it. Flexibility is the name of the game!

2. If your child understands the concept before he’s done all 60 of the work pages, you can just…move on. And if it just doesn’t click yet, you can pause and stay on that idea longer until it DOES make sense. You get to set the pace!

3. A bad day (or week, or month) is not an indicator or failure or that you made the wrong decision. Sometimes a bad day is just a bad day. Your emotions are real, but they are not always telling the truth.

4. Your homeschool doesn’t need to look like anyone else’s. We can borrow good ideas, sure; or we can celebrate other’s success without feeling inferior that ours doesn’t look like that. Your homeschool is custom made for YOUR family, not the gal three doors down, and hers should be for her family. We can collaborate and help one another solve problems without falling into a comparison trap!

Any other tips you wish you’d know before you started?

09/24/2026

Happy fall, y’all! For a fun harvest-themed field trip El Rancho de las Golandrinas is a living museum just outside of Santa Fe that will give your fall field trip some real New Mexico flavor! Check out their website for events, pricing, and more info:

Get hands-on with history at El Rancho de Las Golondrinas, the Southwest's premier living history museum. With 500 acres to explore, 34 historic buildings, the Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve, and exciting cultural events, there is always something to discover here. Open June through October, Wednes...

09/24/2026

Happy fall, ya'll! If you are looking for ideas for a fun harvest field trip with true New Mexico flavor, consider a trip to Rancho de las Golandrinas living museum (near Santa Fe). For a special treat, consider the harvest festival October 3rd and 4th. For more details, check out the golandrinas website at

Get hands-on with history at El Rancho de Las Golondrinas, the Southwest's premier living history museum. With 500 acres to explore, 34 historic buildings, the Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve, and exciting cultural events, there is always something to discover here. Open June through October, Wednes...

09/23/2026

Introducing…the new CAPE board! Get to know everyone a little with a rapid-fire interview!