Joyfully Homeschooling

I recorded this episode with Rea Berg all the way back in May. It was originally supposed to air over the summer, but life got busy, I took some time off and then due to other contracts I wasn't able to air it in the fall. So, we are going to get it out there now. Better late than never right?

Rea Berg loves organic gardening, farmer's markets, rich espresso, yoga, Paris, and English literature. Rea has brought many classic children's books back into print, such as the D'Aulaire biographies, the Journey books of Mitsumasa Anno, the Obadiah books, and many more. Through her company Beautiful Feet Books, she has crafted guides for teaching history and geography through literature. Rea has a graduate degree in children's literature from Simmons College, Boston. Her favorite thing in the world is spending time with her children and grandchildren. Follow Rea on Instagram at reaberg, or email her at [email protected]. Rea blogs on children's literature at reaberg.com.

We have used a few of Beautiful Feet Books programs through the years and have been blown away by the high-quality literature included, and the ease of use for both parent and child. But, this episode is not just a plug for Beautiful Feet. I promise. Rea and I chat about literature and how we can grow amazing kids through amazing books. It's the perfect episode for any parent who wants to cultivate empathy in their children.

If you liked this episode be sure to leave a rating or review. These serve as a notice to iTunes that I'm not speaking to myself. It will also give you a chance to have your review read online and win a gift from me. Not sure how to leave a review? Here are instructions for iTunes and Stitcher users. Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Podcast sponsor, Masterpiece Society
• Beautiful Feet Books
• How to Combine Beautiful Feet Books and Apologia Science
• Rea's Blog
• Review on Early Elementary History
• Rea's Instagram
• History of the Horse review
• Reading Fiction Makes you a Leader
• Reading Fiction Improves Empathy
• Follow on Instagram
• Follow on Facebook
• Subscribe for weekly encouragement emails AND a coupon to my store
• Joy in the Journey store

One question I get a lot from moms is how to deal with homeschool criticism. This is particularly hard when their family is against homeschooling. I have some experience with this and am sharing my heart today about how to deal when your family is against homeschooling. And, how sometimes, even though we want things to change, the family never comes on board with homeschooling. This was a difficult episode to record, but one that needs to be discussed. I hope it leaves you encouraged and ready to joyfully homeschool. Even if your family is against homeschooling.

Resources related to this episode:

• You Can't Homeschool, You'll Mess Up My Grandkids
• Breaking the News You'll Be Homeschooling
• When Your Loved Ones Decide to Homeschool

This episode is going to be a little different compared to most of my other episodes. I am chatting with my real-life friend about what is working and what is NOT working in our homeschool. In episode 69, I introduced you to Davonne and we talked about how different we were now compared to when we first started homeschooling. BUT, how are things now that we are in the throes of high school? We are both chatting about what is working, and what is NOT working when it comes to homeschooling teens. NOTHING is off the table :) So, join us for this fun chat between two homeschooling moms.

If you liked this episode be sure to leave a rating or review. These serve as a notice to iTunes that I'm not speaking to myself. It will also give you a chance to have your review read online and win a gift from me. Not sure how to leave a review? Here are instructions for iTunes and Stitcher users. Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Podcast sponsor,Masterpiece Society
• Episode with Davonne
• Mr. D Math
• Notgrass History
• Follow on Instagram
• Follow on Facebook
• Subscribe for weekly encouragement emails AND a coupon to my store
• Joy in the Journey store

Today's episode is with Felicia Johnson from The Zoo I call Home.

Felicia is a daughter, wife and mama who has been homeschooling for 17 years. She has 8 kiddos ranging in age from 1.5-20. She believes Every child is unique and special, just the way God made them. I just happened to be blessed with a deaf child, a couple ADD kids, a sensory kiddo, 2 dyslexics and two more incredibly unique individuals. I share about getting organized, curriculum reviews, and embracing the chaos. I may cover a lot of subjects but they all contain one common element: the desire to find rest in the chaos.

In this episode, Felicia and I chat special needs, homeschool joys, struggles and more. It is a great episode if you ever struggle with refilling your tank while caring for the zoo that is your home. And I know it will help you have a more joyful homeschool.

Be sure to listen to the whole episode. This is just a small snippet of our conversation.

If you liked this episode be sure to leave a rating or review. These serve as a notice to iTunes that I'm not speaking to myself. It will also give you a chance to have your review read online and win a gift from me Not sure how to leave a review? Here are instructions for iTunes and Stitcher users.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Podcast sponsor, Masterpiece Society
• Felicia's website, A Zoo Called Home
• Follow on Instagram
• Follow on Facebook
• Subscribe for weekly encouragement emails AND a coupon to my store
• Joy in the Journey store

Today we are chatting with Leah Courtney about the pros and cons of homeschooling.

Leah Courtney is a child of God, wife, mother, and homeschooling mama. She's homeschooled four children since birth, and is now the mother of two homeschool graduates. In her (very rare) free time, Leah loves to read and color complicated pictures while listening to audio books. You can find her blogging at As We Walk Along the Road where she's posting literature-based homeschooling resources and encouragement for other homeschooling mamas.

Leah talks with me about a time in her life when the local Montessori school looked like a better option than what she could offer her two younger kids. She felt overwhelmed at the idea of juggling multiple grades and thought there was a better option right down the road.

If you have ever been tempted by the big yellow school bus or doubted your ability to juggle all of your kids, this episode will leave you better equipped for a more joyful homeschool!

Be sure to listen to the whole episode. This is just a small snippet of our conversation.

If you liked this episode be sure to leave a rating or review. These serve as a notice to iTunes that I'm not speaking to myself. It will also give you a chance to have your review read online and win a gift from me Not sure how to leave a review? Here are instructions for iTunes and Stitcher users.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Podcast sponsor, Masterpiece Society
• Leah's Blog, As We Walk Along the Road
• Leah's Unit Studies
• Joyfully Homeschooling FB group
• Seasons of Homeschooling with Leah Courtney
• Homeschooling High School with Ann Karako
• Overcoming the fear of homeschooling high school
• Follow on Instagram
• Follow on Facebook
• Subscribe for weekly encouragement emails AND a coupon to my store
• Joy in the Journey store

Today, I am answering a question from one of my podcast listeners,

Dawn writes,

My daughter has some special needs that have not been diagnosed but are apparent. I'm listening to your podcast on friendships and would love a podcast on children that have "needs "and friendships... theirs and ours as moms. Even in the same homeschool community and church family. Would you do a podcast on special needs children being left out AND the family being left out... how to handles the isolation when we are the biggest cheerleaders for our children. What do we do when we are looked at as weird or strange

So, this question brought tears to my eyes, and I didn't want to answer it alone, so I actually brought a friend on to help me answer it. Davonne Parks and I are chatting special needs, difficult friendships and so much more in this episode.

Raising children with special needs comes with challenges. It comes with hurt. It comes with the huge weight of knowing that the world is going to be harder for your children. It comes with the understanding that not everyone will "get" your kids. It comes with the reality that many will tell you how you should or shouldn't approach these special needs. It comes with the realization that your child may never have that friend who truly gets them and loves them for who they are. It comes with challenges.

We are tackling Dawn's question and these as well:

• How can homeschool communities reach out and encourage special needs families?
• In regards to friendships, we can't make our kids be friends with other kids. But, how can we teach our kids to be inclusive and supportive of those different from them?
• How do you handle conflict amongst friends in small homeschool communities? Those where the kids are going to continue seeing each other but just don't get along?
• What do you do when you flat out have a mean girl situation and you can see that your child is being left out intentionally?
• How can we encourage our kids to be set apart like God calls us to be?

Don't miss this episode!

Be sure to listen to the whole episode. This is just a small snippet of our conversation.

If you liked this episode be sure to leave a rating or review. These serve as a notice to iTunes that I'm not speaking to myself. It will also give you a chance to have your review read online and win a gift from me. Not sure how to leave a review? Here are instructions for iTunes and Stitcher users.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Podcast sponsor, Teaching Textbooks
• Davonne's website
• My previous episode with Davonne
• Follow on Instagram
• Follow on Facebook
• Subscribe for weekly encouragement emails AND a coupon to my store
• Joy in the Journey store

In today's episode, Meredith and I chat about her 5 kids, all of whom have graduated from her homeschool. She truly feels that who her children have become are her best accomplishment, and gives us some amazing advice and encouragement to help us find joy right where we are on our homeschool journey.

Meredith Curtis is a pastor's wife, homeschooling mom of five amazing children, and grandmother to 3, loves Jesus, leads worship, homeschools, writes, mentors ladies, and sometimes even cooks dinner! She believes that all of life is a grand adventure with so much to learn and discover about Jesus. She is the author of Joyful and Successful Homeschooling, HIS Story of the 20th Century, Americana Newspaper Reporting, and God's Girls Beauty Secrets, as well as Bible studies, unit studies, curriculum, and high school courses. Meredith wants to encourage Christian ladies and families to enjoy a joy-filled life filled with the Presence of God. Visit Meredith at powerlineprod.com/, jshomeschooling.com/, meredithcurtis.com/, ultimateradioshow.com/finish-well/ and facebook.com/PowerlineProductionsInc .

One of the bonuses for signing up for my email list right now is a 5-day Choose Joy series. This series started a few years ago after I had a REALLY bad first day of school. I started a choose joy challenge on Instagram and had SO much fun with it. When I first began this series it truly changed my life. It changed my home. It changed my family. God has done amazing things and I want to share that journey with you all. You can sign up here.

If you liked this episode be sure to leave a rating or review. These serve as a notice to iTunes that I'm not speaking to myself. It will also give you a chance to have your review read online and win a gift from me Not sure how to leave a review? Here are instructions foriTunes and Stitcher users.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Podcast sponsor, Teaching Textbooks
• Meredith's Website
• Follow on Instagram
• Follow on Facebook
• Subscribe for the 5 Day Choose Joy Challenge
• Joy in the Journey store

In today's episode, I am chatting teenagers and their transition to adulthood with Dachelle McVey. Teens can be rough. VERY rough. And I feel we lack mentors in how to parent teens. Many people are ready to give advice when it comes to babies, toddlers, and even young school-agers.

But teens? No one wants to go there. And I think it is because we don't feel very confident in how we are parenting our teenagers. They mess up. We mess up. And we all wonder whether or not we are doing things the right way.

And we just don't talk about it. But, today, we are changing that. Dachelle gets real, she gets raw, she shares her mistakes, her failures, what she did right, and what she would do differently.

Dachelle is a working homeschooling mom of 3 in the South. She is the owner of HideTheChocolate.com, a blog about her adventures in homeschooling and parenting. She is also the author of dozens of online book clubs for kids from preschool to high school at her site Literary Adventures for Kids. You can often find her reading a good book (or even sometimes just an okay book) and enjoying a jar of Nutella — don't judge. ;)

If you are parenting teens, feel like a failure at this whole motherhood thing, or are just nervous about one-day having teens, don't miss this episode! It will help you have more joy in your homeschool. I guarantee it!

If you liked this episode be sure to leave a rating or review. These serve as a notice to iTunes that I'm not speaking to myself. It will also give you a chance to have your review read online and win a gift from me Not sure how to leave a review? Here are instructions foriTunes and Stitcher users.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Podcast sponsor, Teaching Textbooks
• Parenting an Adult, Hide the Chocolate Blog
• You are More than Your Children, Hide the Chocolate Blog
• Are you a Homeschool Fraud, Hide the Chocolate Blog
• Hoopla
• Jim Elliott book from YWAM
• Daniel Boone book from YWAM
• Parenting Beyond the Rules by Connie Albers
• Episode with Dachelle
• Episode with Connie
• Follow on Instagram
• Follow on Facebook
• Subscribe for weekly encouragement emails AND a coupon to my store
• Joy in the Journey store

As I recorded I was a few weeks into our school year. Chances are you all are a few months in by now. And, how many days have you missed already due to over-scheduled days, or unplanned circumstances? How many times does something in your day distract you or your kids and lead you all away from school? I guarantee you it has happened to every single person listening to this episode at least once. Guarantee it!

I decided to take a look before this episode at our homeschool group event calendar. And, in the first three months of school, there are 15 events scheduled. FIFTEEN. They are all good things. Co-op classes, a picnic, kayaking day, a field trip to the zoo, a field trip to Cosi, a local theatre performance, a field trip to a farm and the fire department, plus other events as well. All great things. But, also disruptions to our school schedule. There are also other things. The everyday distractions.

We are tackling how to overcome these distractions and be more consistent in homeschooling. You can do this! Believe me!

Be sure to listen to the whole episode. This is just a small snippet of our conversation.

If you liked this episode be sure to leave a rating or review. These serve as a notice to iTunes that I'm not speaking to myself. It will also give you a chance to have your review read online and win a gift from me Not sure how to leave a review? Here are instructions for iTunes and Stitcher users.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Podcast sponsor, Teaching Textbooks
• How to Be More in Consistent in Your Homeschool Blog Post
• Homeschool planning packet
• 5 Simple Steps to Schedule Your Homeschool Day
• 100 non-fiction books for your homeschool
• Follow on Instagram
• Follow on Facebook
• Subscribe for weekly encouragement emails AND a coupon to my store
• Joy in the Journey store

As many of you know, my grandmother passed away last August She and I were VERY close, and the morning that she passed away was actually the same morning that I had the results of my MRI and the doctor told me that he thought I had cancer. The kick-off to last years Back to School was anything but joyful for me. Instead, it was a time of grief. A time of unknown and just an overall HARD season. Today's guest, Renee Brown knows her share of grief and homeschooling through it.

In this episode, she will share her story with grief, the illness, and death of her father, and how her son learned to be independent in his homeschool learning while she was away caring for her family.

Be sure to listen to the whole episode. This is just a small snippet of our conversation.

If you liked this episode be sure to leave a rating or review. These serve as a notice to iTunes that I'm not speaking to myself. It will also give you a chance to have your review read online and win a gift from me. Not sure how to leave a review? Here are instructions foriTunes and Stitcher users.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Podcast sponsor, Teaching Textbooks
• Renee at Great Peace
• Follow on Instagram
• Follow on Facebook
• Subscribe for weekly encouragement emails AND a coupon to my store
• Joy in the Journey store