We have all been repeatedly told that the traditional college setting is the only path to success but the truth is that it is all but obsolete. Only one of our kids went the college route, but all have been successful with or without college. I have a series of podcast episodes where I interviewed each of our grown kids who shared their journey after high school. (I’ll leave links below.)
This year, I’ve spoken at 9 homeschool conferences and I’ve noticed more and more alternatives being offered for high school graduates so I decided to start a series of episodes I will share periodically called, "College Alternatives".
Resources shared in today’s episode: 
Excel College


ctcmath.com 
The Unhurried Homeschooler
Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart
The Four-Hour School Day
Subscribe to my monthly email and receive a free digital download of Encouraging a Homeschooling HeartThe Unhurried Homeschooler Mentoring Course
Classical Conversations
Where Our Homeschool Kids Are Now: 
Brittney
Jenna
Jake
Ben
Luke
Sam
 
(Please check out my latest book, The Four Hour School Day: How You and Your Kids Can Thrive in the Homeschool Life on Amazon, durendawilson.com, or your favorite bookseller!)

College Alternatives: Excel College (Podcast 443).mp3

Durenda Wilson is the owner/host of her podcast and is a wife to one for 34 years, mom to eight, and nana to 10. She has homeschooled all of her kids from the beginning. She loves to share simple, effective approaches to motherhood, homeschooling, and life in general. These tools are a result of many years of walking with the Lord and finding freedom in letting His voice quiet all the others.

Kids & Family

Parenting

Education for Kids

As busy homeschooling moms it can be easy to get caught up in the details of the day-to-day, so now and then it’s good to step back and look at the bigger picture to help us keep perspective on both the big and seemingly smaller things.
 
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Link to podcast episode search bar
Raising Boys to Men Book
Raising Boys to Men Audiobook
The Unhurried Homeschooler
The Unhurried Homeschooler Audiobook
CTC Math
Heritage Defense (my.heritagedefense.org/access-the-vault)
Our CPS Story
The Excel Camp 
College Alternative: Excel College Podcast Episode
The Unhurried Homeschooler
Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart
The Four-Hour School Day
Subscribe to my monthly email and receive access to Unhurried Grace for a Mom's Heart: 31 Days in God's Word
Places I am speaking in 2024
 
Nurturing Sibling Relationships (the first of three episodes)
Remaining Faithful in the Midst of Trials
You've Already Won (song by Shane and Shane)
Link to the lyrics

Why We are Here and How That Affects our Day to Day (Podcast 521)

Turmoil in the world can easily spark fear in moms as we try to nurture our families and cultivate life-giving home environments. We can feel anxious and scared, exhausted by the barrage of bad news and moral dilemmas. Today we want to talk about how to push back the darkness by creating sacred homes, places of joy, hope, and life through intentional habits.
 
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Link to podcast episode search bar
Raising Boys to Men Book
Raising Boys to Men Audiobook
The Unhurried Homeschooler
The Unhurried Homeschooler Audiobook
CTC Math
Heritage Defense (my.heritagedefense.org/access-the-vault)
Our CPS Story
The Excel Camp 
College Alternative: Excel College Podcast Episode
The Unhurried Homeschooler
Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart
The Four-Hour School Day
Subscribe to my monthly email and receive access to Unhurried Grace for a Mom's Heart: 31 Days in God's Word
Places I am speaking in 2024
 
Ways to connect with Jennifer:
Habits for a Sacred Home (book)
Jennifer’s website
Restoration Family Podcast
 
You can save 20% off Peaceful Press with code Peaceful 
 
And at https://www.thepeacefulpreschool.com/habitsforasacredhome
 
You can also download a free booklist and poster pack.

Habits For a Sacred Home (Podcast 520)

According to analysis from The Washington Post, homeschooling has become the fastest-growing form of education in America. More and more parents are realizing that they can give their kids a great education and eliminate so many negatives that are part of the traditional school setting. 
With that in mind, my dear friend, Monica Swanson joins me today to share her family’s journey of becoming homeschoolers! As a veteran homeschool mom of 4 boys, Monica is both encouraging and full of helpful resources!
 
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Link to podcast episode search bar
Raising Boys to Men Book
Raising Boys to Men Audiobook
The Unhurried Homeschooler
The Unhurried Homeschooler Audiobook
CTC Math
Heritage Defense (my.heritagedefense.org/access-the-vault)
Our CPS Story
The Excel Camp 
College Alternative: Excel College Podcast Episode
The Unhurried Homeschooler
Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart
The Four-Hour School Day
Subscribe to my monthly email and receive access to Unhurried Grace for a Mom's Heart: 31 Days in God's Word
Places I am speaking in 2024
 
Ways to connect with Monica
Becoming Homeschoolers (Book)
Author Website: https://monicaswanson.com/
Social Media:
https://www.facebook.com/TheGrommom 
https://www.instagram.com/monicaswanson_
 
 
Freebies from Monica:
A new 5-day devotional "What Your Kids Need Most" is available on my website: https://monicaswanson.com/5-day-devotional/

Giving Your Kids an Education, Family, and Life They Will Thank You For Later (Podcast 519)

Families are like little churches. They are meant to be places of discipleship, worship, and rest— places where we can fine-tune the gifts God's given us so we can bless the world. They can be full of surprises and joy. But family life can also be heartbreaking and downright discouraging. Trained counselor and mother Melissa Hannigan knows how hard it is to cast and keep a vision of rich family life. How do we cultivate a family culture that's vibrant and encouraging—a refuge amidst life's storms?
Listen in as Melissa also shares how the importance of this investment has hit home after losing her teen son less than a year ago.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
 
Inconvenient Parenting Book
 
Link to podcast episode search bar
 
Raising Boys to Men Book
 
Raising Boys to Men Audiobook
 
The Unhurried Homeschooler
 
The Unhurried Homeschooler Audiobook
 
CTC Math
 
Heritage Defense (my.heritagedefense.org/access-the-vault)
 
Our CPS Story
 
The Excel Camp 
 
College Alternative: Excel College Podcast Episode
 
The Unhurried Homeschooler
 
Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart
 
The Four-Hour School Day
 
Subscribe to my monthly email and receive access to Unhurried Grace for a Mom's Heart: 31 Days in God's Word
 
Places I am speaking in 2024

Inconvenient Parenting (Podcast 518)

Today's guest is Bridgette Cameron Ridenour. She is the sister of Kirk Cameron and Candace Cameron Bure. You may not even know she existed, but she is here today to talk about what it was like to grow up in a famous family and how God worked in her life as she learned that when we belong to God, we are never overlooked.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Bridgett's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bridgette_r/Website: https://bridgettecameron.com/Link to book, Overlooked: https://www.amazon.com/Overlooked-Bridgette-Cameron-Ridenour/dp/B0CPQYRR8J
Link to podcast episode search bar
Raising Boys to Men Book
Raising Boys to Men Audiobook
The Unhurried Homeschooler
The Unhurried Homeschooler Audiobook
CTC Math
Heritage Defense (my.heritagedefense.org/access-the-vault)
Our CPS Story
The Excel Camp 
College Alternative: Excel College Podcast Episode
The Unhurried Homeschooler
Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart
The Four-Hour School Day
Subscribe to my monthly email and receive access to Unhurried Grace for a Mom's Heart: 31 Days in God's Word
Places I am speaking in 2024

College Alternatives: Excel College (Podcast 443).mp3

Download our free app to listen on your phone