Latter-Up

Highlights

In this episode, Fabiola sits down with her dear friend Karem Ryker to explore how her perspective on education evolved—from accelerated summer school sprints and non-traditional schooling to discovering the true purpose of learning at college. Karem shares how her journey led her to homeschool her children, navigating the joys, physical demands, and changing dynamics from early childhood through the middle and high school years. Together, they talk about relying on the Lord when homeschooling gets heavy, taking education one year at a time, and finding peace in doing what is right even when it isn't easy.

Key Takeaways:

Resources and Links Mentioned Curious about our community and how we support homeschooling families? Visit our website to explore programs, events, and resources designed to inspire, connect, and encourage you on your homeschool journey.

Here are the concepts highlighted in this episode—perfect for exploring further and supporting your homeschool experience:

Highlights

As parents, we spend so much energy trying to make thoughtful choices for our children, often searching for guarantees. In this unique episode, co-host Fabiola steps into the guest seat to share the story that shaped her approach to faith, family, and learning. Fabiola discusses how true connection comes from pausing to be curious, embracing both the light and the struggles of parenting, and trusting that God will magnify our sincere, everyday offerings.

Key Takeaways:

Curious about our community and how we support homeschooling families? Visit our website to explore programs, events, and resources designed to inspire, connect, and encourage you on your homeschool journey.

👉 Check it out here: Latter Up: A Latter-Day Virtual Co-Op 

Here is the resource highlighted in this episode—perfect for exploring further and supporting your homeschool experience:

Theme: Habits & Executive Function

Does your child have plenty of things they want to accomplish—but struggle to figure out how to actually get there?

This week, we're talking about SMART goals and the executive-function skills behind them.

A goal like "I want better grades," or "I want to be more organized" sounds great, but it's difficult to act on because it doesn't tell the brain what to do next.

SMART goals help children turn a broad dream into a clear, manageable plan.

In this episode, we'll talk about how parents can help their kids:

Most importantly, we'll talk about why struggling to follow through doesn't always mean a child isn't motivated. Sometimes they simply need help turning an intention into a plan.

SMART goal setting strengthens three important executive-function skills:

Planning — Breaking a larger goal into clear, manageable steps.

Goal Setting — Creating goals that are realistic, measurable, and motivating.

Future Thinking — Connecting the choices we make today with the person or outcome we're working toward tomorrow.

Your child's goal doesn't have to be perfect. The goal is to help them practice thinking ahead, taking action, noticing what works, and adjusting when necessary.

S — Specific

M — Measurable

A — Achievable

R — Relevant

T — Time-Bound

Choose one small goal with your child and ask:

What's the first step?

Then:

What comes next?

Keep going until you have a simple path from where they are now to where they want to go.

For example:

Goal: Read for 20 minutes every night this week.

Steps:

The goal is to make the invisible steps visible.

Try replacing some reminders with questions that help your child think through the plan:

These questions help shift some of the thinking from parent-managed to child-managed.

This week, choose one small goal with your child.

Help them make it SMART, then ask:

"What's the very first step?"

Let your child come up with the answer whenever possible.

You don't have to create the perfect plan. You're giving your child a chance to practice creating one.

A child who struggles to follow through isn't necessarily lazy or unmotivated.

Sometimes they simply haven't learned how to turn an intention into a plan.

Executive-function skills develop through practice.

So this week, don't worry about climbing the whole mountain.

Help your child see the next step.

Small steps, repeated consistently, can turn a dream into a plan—and a plan into progress.

As parents, we spend so much energy trying to make thoughtful choices for our children, often searching for guarantees. In this episode, Fabiola discusses how true emotional and spiritual peace doesn't come from eliminating uncertainty or knowing every outcome, but from learning how to carry it and taking the next faithful step.

Key Takeaways:

Curious about our community and how we support homeschooling families? Visit our website to explore programs, events, and resources designed to inspire, connect, and encourage you on your homeschool journey.

👉 Check it out here: Latter Up: A Latter-Day Virtual Co-Op 

Here is the resource highlighted in this episode—perfect for exploring further and supporting your homeschool experience:

Tara Brach provides valuable resources on techniques that can help parents manage stress, release feelings of inadequacy, and cultivate more patient, connected presence with their children.

If you’ve ever found yourself saying…

“Did you check your planner?”

…you’re not alone.

Sometimes what looks like a motivation, organization, or responsibility problem is actually an environment problem.

In Home Room this week, students are learning how their surroundings can either support their habits or make good habits harder. Instead of relying entirely on memory, willpower, or repeated reminders, they're learning to design their environment to make success easier.

And this is a skill parents can practice right alongside them.

We talk about:

Why our environment has such a big influence on our habits

How the spaces around us can send helpful—or distracting—messages

Why making a good habit easier can be more effective than simply telling ourselves to “try harder”

How visible reminders can support memory and organization

How removing distractions can make focusing easier

How parents can help children build environmental supports without taking over the responsibility for them

Why small changes are often more sustainable than trying to completely reorganize everything

1. Make the good habit easy to see.

Put the things your child needs where they'll naturally see them.

Try:

Keeping the planner in a consistent, visible location

Leaving a book somewhere your child will notice it

Keeping a water bottle filled and visible

Creating a consistent place for school supplies

Packing the backpack the night before

2. Make distractions harder to reach.

Instead of constantly asking your child to resist distractions, change the environment.

Try:

Moving the phone away during schoolwork

Turning off unnecessary notifications

Creating a quieter workspace

Clearing unnecessary items from the desk

Keeping only the materials needed for the current task nearby

This week, become an Environment Designer with your student.

Choose ONE habit that is currently difficult.

Then ask:

What can we add to make this easier?

OR

What can we remove to make this easier?

Make one small change and experiment with it.

Then notice:

Did getting started become easier?

Did your child need fewer reminders?

Was it easier to stay focused?

What worked?

What could you change next?

Remember, the goal isn't a perfect environment.

The goal is to create an environment that helps your child succeed.

Ask your student:

“What is one thing we could change about your environment that would make one of your habits easier?”

Then let them come up with the idea.

That small conversation can be more powerful than another reminder.

Executive function isn't simply about expecting kids to remember more, organize better, or have more self-control.

We're helping them learn how to build systems and supports that work for them.

When students learn to notice what helps them focus, what distracts them, and what environmental changes make tasks easier, they're developing skills they can carry with them as they become more independent.

And parents get to practice right alongside them.

You don't have to redesign everything.

Just design one thing a little better.

Don't just work harder on the habit. Look at the space around the habit.

A small change in the environment can make a good habit easier to start, easier to remember, and easier to repeat.

In this encouraging episode of the Latter Up Podcast, Fabiola and Karem explore how easily homeschooling can become a place where we measure our worth through our children’s accomplishments, our routines, our spiritual lives, or how our families compare to others. What begins as inspiration can quietly turn into self-criticism and what Tara Brach describes as a “trance of unworthiness.”

Together, they explore what it looks like to step out of comparison and into greater peace by remembering that our worth isn't something we have to earn. Fabiola introduces Kristin Neff’s three components of self-compassion—mindfulness, common humanity, and self-kindness—and explains how self-compassion allows us to acknowledge our struggles honestly without turning them into judgments about who we are.

The episode offers practical ways for parents to interrupt negative thought patterns, reconnect with their divine identity, and grow without using shame as motivation—ultimately modeling healthy self-compassion for their children.

Key Topics Discussed:

Curious about our community and how we support homeschooling families? Visit our website to explore programs, events, and resources designed to inspire, connect, and encourage you on your homeschool journey.

👉 Check it out here: Latter Up: A Latter-Day Virtual Co-Op 

Here is the resource highlighted in this episode—perfect for exploring further and supporting your homeschool experience:

Tara Brach provides valuable resources on techniques that can help parents manage stress, release feelings of inadequacy, and cultivate more patient, connected presence with their children. 

Self-Compassion with Kristen Neff offers exercises and resources that can help homeschooling parents overcome the "comparison trap" and navigate the daily stresses of educating their children with greater emotional resilience and grace.

Latter Up Home Room Podcast — Week 5: Tiny Habits, Big Results

A short, encouraging conversation for parents about helping students develop executive function skills, task initiation, habit formation, self-monitoring, and reflection—while remembering that parents are learning and growing too.

What if becoming more organized, responsible, consistent, or independent didn't require a huge life overhaul?

This week in Latter Up Home Room, students are learning how tiny habits can make a big difference over time. Rather than trying to change everything at once, students are practicing how to choose one small, manageable action, make it easier to start, and keep going—even when they miss a day.

And parents get to practice right alongside them!

This week's lesson connects to several important executive function skills:

Task Initiation: Learning how to make the first step small enough to actually begin.

Habit Formation: Repeating a behavior until it becomes easier and more automatic.

Self-Monitoring: Paying attention to what helps us succeed and what gets in the way.

Reflection: Looking back at our experience so we can make better choices next time.

Big changes often begin with very small actions.

Instead of:

"I'm going to stop procrastinating forever!"

Try:

"I'm going to work on this assignment for five minutes."

Instead of:

"I'm going to keep my whole room clean."

Try:

"I'm going to put my dirty clothes in the hamper."

Instead of:

"I'm going to become completely organized."

Try:

"I'm going to write tomorrow's assignments in my planner."

Tiny habits are easy to begin, easy to repeat, and easy to remember.

Over time, those small actions can lead to meaningful change.

Executive function skills don't magically appear when our children become teenagers or young adults. They develop through practice, repetition, reflection, and lots of opportunities to try again.

Home Room gives students a chance to practice these skills in a supportive environment.

At home, parents can reinforce that learning by helping students ask:

What is one small thing I can do?

When will I do it?

What will help me remember?

How can I make it easier to start?

What got in the way?

What can I change?

If I miss a day, how can I start again?

The goal isn't a perfect streak.

The goal is learning how to keep going.

Choose a habit together with your student.

Start with:

"I want to become someone who..."

Then choose ONE action that takes less than five minutes.

For example:

I want to become someone who is more organized.

My tiny habit:

I will prepare what I need for school the night before.

Then decide:

When will I do it?

How will I remember?

What could make it easier?

And finally:

What will I do if I miss a day?

The answer?

Start again.

Instead of relying only on willpower, help your student change the environment around the habit.

Try:

Putting needed supplies somewhere visible

Connecting the new habit to something they already do

Setting one reminder

Doing the habit at the same time each day

Preparing what they need ahead of time

Making the habit so small that it feels easy to begin

Ask your student:

"What could make this easier?"

That's often a much more productive question than:

"Why didn't you remember?"

Your student doesn't need to see you doing everything perfectly.

They can learn a lot from watching you:

Try something new

Forget

Notice what happened

Adjust

Laugh about it

Start again

When we model this, we're showing our children that growth isn't about getting everything right.

It's about learning, adjusting, and continuing.

Try one of these questions this week:

What's one thing you'd like to get better at?

What's a tiny habit that could help?

When would be the easiest time to do it?

What could help you remember?

What might make it difficult?

How could we make it easier?

What will you do if you miss a day?

How could this tiny habit help your future self?

Small enough to start.

Your child isn't just building a habit.

They're practicing the belief:

"I can start."

And those are skills that will serve them far beyond Home Room.

Choose one tiny habit for yourself this week.

Make it less than five minutes.

Make it easy to remember.

Notice what helps.

Notice what gets in the way.

And if you miss a day?

Start again.

Then invite your student to do the same.

You don't have to change everything.

Just take the next small step.

Getting started can be one of the hardest parts of a task—especially when something feels boring, difficult, or overwhelming.

In Week 4 of Home Room, students are focusing on task initiation and habit formation. They’re learning that they don't have to wait until they feel like doing something. Instead, they can connect small actions to the person they want to become.

The goal isn't to make huge changes overnight. It's to help students understand how small, repeated actions can build habits and support greater independence.

We’re talking about:

Students are choosing an identity statement such as:

Then they're identifying one small action that supports that identity.

The connection they're learning is:

Identity → Action → Habit

Every time students practice a positive behavior, they're creating evidence of the person they're becoming.

Instead of asking:

“Do I feel like doing this?”

They can begin asking:

“What would a learner do?”

or

“What would an organized person do?”

This simple shift can help students move from reacting to how they feel in the moment toward making intentional choices.

Task initiation doesn't mean simply telling a student to “just do it.”

When a task feels overwhelming, students can practice asking:

“What's the smallest step I could take?”

Starting with one small action can make a large task feel more manageable and help create momentum.

You might see this when your student:

These may seem like small things—and that's exactly the point.

Students are also practicing flexible thinking and planning ahead with an “If…Then…” strategy.

For example:

“If I get distracted, then I will return to my task for five more minutes.”

Instead of waiting for an obstacle to happen and then deciding what to do, students can create a plan ahead of time.

This helps them practice self-management, problem-solving, and resilience.

Instead of only saying:

“You need to clean your room.”

Try asking:

“What would an organized person do right now?”

This helps your student connect an everyday task to the identity they're working to build.

When your student is struggling to start, ask:

“What's the smallest step you could take?”

A small beginning can make an overwhelming task feel much more manageable.

Ask:

“What might get in the way, and what could you do if that happens?”

This encourages your student to think ahead and practice flexible thinking rather than viewing an obstacle as a reason to quit.

Try not to expect a new habit to happen perfectly.

Students will forget. They'll get distracted. They'll miss a day.

That's part of learning.

Instead of focusing on the missed day, help your student practice starting again.

The goal isn't:

“I never missed my habit.”

It's:

“I noticed I got off track, and I know how to get started again.”

That is self-monitoring, flexibility, and resilience in action.

This week, notice one small action your student is taking that reflects the person they want to become.

Ask:

“What does that action tell you about who you're becoming?”

And when something doesn't work, try:

“What could we change so it's easier to do next time?”

These questions help students notice their own progress and begin thinking about their own strategies.

The goal isn't for parents to build and manage every habit for their middle schooler.

It's to help students gradually learn how to build habits, solve problems, recover from setbacks, and manage themselves.

Small actions matter.

Every time a student starts, practices, adjusts, and starts again, they're building more than a habit—they're building evidence of the person they're becoming.

At Latter Up, we believe the goal isn't perfection. It's progress, one step at a time.

Keep learning, keep growing, and Latter Up.

In this heartfelt episode, host Fabiola turns the mic to her Latter UP co-host, Elizabeth, for a candid look at her real-life journey as a homeschooling mother of five (ages 12 to 22). Designed to offer encouragement and doable next steps for overwhelmed parents, Elizabeth shares the mindset shifts and practical systems that keep her family grounded.

Key Topics Discussed:

Curious about our community and how we support homeschooling families? Visit our website to explore programs, events, and resources designed to inspire, connect, and encourage you on your homeschool journey.

👉 Check it out here: Latter Up: A Latter-Day Virtual Co-Op

What if your middle schooler could begin to see how the choices they make today connect to the person they want to become?

In Week 3 of Home Room, students are focusing on goal setting and future thinking—two important executive function skills that help students move beyond what needs to happen right now and begin thinking about where they want to go.

Students are learning that a dream is something they hope for, while a goal is something they can make a plan to achieve.

The goal isn't for students to have their entire future figured out. It's to help them understand that small choices and actions today can contribute to future growth.

We’re talking about:

Future thinking means being able to imagine where you want to go and consider how your choices today can help you get there.

Students are learning to ask:

“What kind of person do I want to become?”

and then consider:

“What can I do today that moves me in that direction?”

This helps students begin to understand that the future isn't simply something that happens to them. Their choices, habits, and actions can play a role in shaping it.

Students are practicing a simple strategy called Think Forward.

Before making a choice, they can pause and ask:

These questions help students slow down, consider the bigger picture, and identify an action they can take now.

Big goals can feel overwhelming.

Instead of thinking:

“I have to accomplish this huge thing.”

Students are learning to ask:

“What is the next step?”

A small action may not feel significant in the moment, but small actions repeated over time can create meaningful progress.

This is an important part of developing executive function skills, goal-setting skills, and independent learning habits.

When a goal feels overwhelming, try asking:

“What’s one small thing you could do next?”

Help your student focus on an action they can actually take rather than the entire goal at once.

Try asking:

“How does this choice help the person you want to become?”

This encourages your student to practice future thinking without you making the decision for them.

Notice the action—not just the final outcome.

You might say:

“That was a small step, but it moved you closer to your goal.”

Recognizing progress can help students see that growth happens through consistent effort.

Try not to make your student's future goals your goals for them.

As parents, it's natural to have ideas about what we think our children should accomplish or who we think they should become.

But developing independence means giving students opportunities to identify their own goals and think through their own next steps.

The goal isn't to control their future.

It's to help them develop the skills to think about their future and make choices that move them toward it.

This week, when your student is facing a choice or working toward something difficult, try asking:

“Will this help your future self?”

Then follow it with:

“What’s one small step you can take today?”

Those two questions can help shift the focus from immediate results to intentional action.

Your middle schooler doesn't need to know exactly what their future will look like.

They need opportunities to dream, set goals, take small steps, reflect, and adjust along the way.

Every time your student identifies a goal and takes one step toward it, they're practicing the executive function skills that support greater independence, confidence, and self-management.

At Latter Up, we believe the goal isn't perfection. It's progress, one step at a time.

Keep learning, keep growing, and Latter Up.