Making the decision to homeschool was the best thing we have ever done for our kids, ages 14,12, 11 @ 11. Dad is so much more evolved now with their learning. He can teach them things about life that they would never had gotten in public or private school.
We are not only able to have them learning the basics, which they pretty much already knew from organized classroom studies but they can now learn the things they really need to live well-rounded lives.
We were amazed to see how intelligent our kids actually were and how much they can do for their own learning by being self-reliant rather than Stepford-like urchans walking the halls single file.
We study what THEY are interested in, not what a system TELLS them to be interested in. It has given us so much more time to not only enjoy them but to be with them. Time goes much too fast before they are gone and there are learning opportunities everywhere, if you only look for them.
Finaly, there is no set time to homeschooling. For the lesson plans you can do them at 8am or 10pm. We have found that a more relaxed setting is just as effective, if not more, than a structured setting.