Joyfully Homeschooling

I've seen the photos of huge curriculum piles. The homeschool rooms that make me think mine is less adequate. I dream of being able to take my kids anywhere they want to go for a field trip. And all these things make me lose sight of the big picture. They zap my joy, steal my energy, and make me want more. Without realizing what I have.

You see, it's not about the material possessions. It's not about what we have to use in our homeschools. The best gift we can give our kids? The answer may surprise you!

Is homeschooling fun? Yes! And Amy Milcic from Rock Your Homeschool is the QUEEN of homeschooling fun. In this episode I am chatting homeschool fun, morning time, raising and homeschooling boys and so much more. After this episode, you will be ready to ROCK your homeschool with some fun ;)

Woohoo! The second season of the Joyfully Homeschooling podcast is here. In today's episode, I am sharing with you five things that I'm afraid to tell you. Yes, it's homeschool confession time! Homeschooling isn't easy, and sometimes it's important to put it all out there. Yep, you're not alone, and hopefully neither am I...

These are confessions related to homeschooling, my family, and life in general. Hopefully, after this episode you still love me :)

We are officially done with school for the year! I look forward to Summer vacation each year, but it wasn't always like that. There was a day when I started a new school year, still burnt out from the year before. Then, I realized what the problem was.  I was doing what a homeschool mom should NOT do on summer vacation. I am sharing what that is, and how you can enjoy your summer, and give your kids the gift of a more joyful mom!

Yes, homeschooling works. That is one thing that Colleen Kessler has taught me through the years. If you have ever doubted your ability as a homeschool mom or wondered if you were screwing up your kids, Colleen is here to encourage you.  In this episode, she shares how she trusts herself as a homeschool mom, finds joy in observing her kids, and reminds herself daily that balance is a myth!

While I may love homeschooling, there are also numerous things I dislike about homeschooling! I am sharing a few of those homeschool pet peeves today. While homeschooling has been a HUGE blessing to my family, it's not all peaches and cream. Here are some things to consider before you begin homeschooling.

In a world that tells our kids everything a Christian is not, we need to be able to point them back to the Lord. My friend Lynna is telling us how to do that with grace, and maybe some mistakes along the way. She is sharing her fears, struggles, and finding joy in the midst of it all. Let's learn how to raise our children to love the Lord with Lynna Sutherland. 

Lynna's blog Homeschooling without Training Wheels

Learning Year by Year with Rebecca Rupp

Schoolhouse Teachers Art

Choose Joy Challenge

One of the biggest things I hear when I talk about homeschooling with other Christian parents is that their kids go to school to be the salt and the light.  I have heard that our local public school would be a better place if I let my kids go there because they could be a light in a dark place. Both make me want to vomit.

Because it's not my child's job to be the salt and the light.

Today is Apraxia Awareness day and I am so excited to share with you our story with Apraxia, what it means to me, the struggles that Apraxia has brought to our family, and how we have learned to look past the diagnosis into the beautiful gift that is our son.

Homeschooling with special needs can be difficult, defeating, and at times overwhelming. But, special needs homeschooling doesn't have to be a drudgery. It can be a gift. I am tackling the topic of special needs homeschooling today with my friend Shawna Wingert. Even if you are not homeschooling with special needs you will get a lot from this episode because all of our children have quirks, they all learn in different ways, and we can celebrate the child God has given us.