Lara Molettiere is a Charlotte Mason homeschooling mom of 2 who believes that as mothers we are the gate-keepers, grace givers, and cultivators of our homes and that when we step into our God-given capacity, we are capable of providing a delightful and life-giving education to our children. 

In this episode, Lara shares how we can make Advent a sacred time for our families by slowing down and making space for restful traditions that help us savor our faith.

You can find show notes for this episode including links to all the books and resources Lara mentioned at https://homeschoolcompass.com/episode-61-preparing-room-for-jesus-in-your-homeschool-this-advent-with-lara-molettiere/.

Visit A Gentle Advent to learn more about Lara's Advent courses.

Here are some of the favorite Advent books Lara's family enjoys each year:

• Jotham's Journey by Arnold Ytreeide
• The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado
• One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham
• The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski
• The Tale of the Three Trees by Angela Elwell Hunt
• The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

Also check out Lara's 20 Living Books for Advent and Christmas.

You might also enjoy Aimee's list of Favorite Christmas Books to Read Aloud.

Lara recommended several resources that she uses for her personal reflection and study during Advent:

• Waiting on the Word by Malcolm Guite
• Come, Let Us Adore Him by Paul David Tripp
• Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson

We would love to connect with you outside your podcast player:

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• Download free printable resources for your homeschool
• Browse our book lists
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Jessica Smartt is the author of Memory-Making Mom, Let Them Be Kids, and her newest book, Come on Home. She graduated from Grove City College with an English degree, a religion minor, and a hankering to pour into kids. After teaching middle school English for five years, she was promoted to her current position and dream job: wife, homeschooling mom of 3 kids, author, and Professional Encourager of Weary Moms. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a family farm with horses, chickens, and an ever-increasing number of beloved cats. 

In this episode, Jessica shares how we can build a strong family culture even if we didn't experience a healthy family growing up. No matter where we find ourselves and no matter the challenges we face, we can begin to build a family of grace, deep friendship, and unshakable loyalty that gives our kids a foundation to grow into all God created them to be.

Head here to grab your copy of Come on Home.

You can find complete show notes for this episode at homeschoolcompass.com/podcast.

We'd love to connect with you outside your podcast player!

• Follow the Homeschool Compass on Instagram or Facebook
• Download free printable resources for your homeschool
• Browse our book lists
• Sign up for the Homeschool Compass email newsletter

Thank you for leaving The Homeschool Compass Podcast a rating and a review in your podcast player! It helps new homeschool families find these encouraging conversations. We so appreciate you.

Abbie Halberstadt is a happy wife, home educating mama to 10, and Bible-believing Christian. In this episode she has a message of encouragement for every mom who has ever doubted that she's making a difference. If you find yourself wondering if the seemingly endless sacrifice, the lack of sleep, the mundane tasks, the choosing to die to self daily that motherhood demands of us is worth it, Abbie's answer is a resounding yes. 

Head here to grab your copy of You Bet Your Stretch Marks: Finding Beauty and Worth in the Ways Motherhood Marks Our Bodies and Souls.

You can find complete show notes for this episode at homeschoolcompass.com/podcast.

We'd love to connect with you outside your podcast player!

• Follow the Homeschool Compass on Instagram or Facebook
• Download free printable resources for your homeschool
• Browse our book lists
• Sign up for the Homeschool Compass email newsletter

Thank you for leaving The Homeschool Compass Podcast a rating and a review in your podcast player! It helps new homeschool families find these encouraging conversations. We so appreciate you.

Amy Hughes is a Charlotte Mason unschooling mama of 9 beautiful and unique children who makes her home on the central coast of California. Amy is a regular contributor to Wild + Free and 1000 Hours Outside, a highly sought after homeschool conference speaker, and a parenting coach. Her new book is called Words Like Honey: How to Avoid Unintentional Harm, Model Kindness, and Nurture Your Child’s Faith Through What You Say. 

In this episode, Amy shares the heart behind her book and invites us to be more intentional in the way we speak to our children by pausing to consider the impact our words have on our children’s emotional and spiritual development and replacing careless words that cause harm with words that comfort, heal, and build our children up. 

You can grab your copy of Words Like Honey here.

You'll find the complete show notes for this episode at homeschoolcompass.com/podcast.

We'd love to connect with you outside your podcast player!

• Follow the Homeschool Compass on Instagram or Facebook
• Download free printable resources for your homeschool
• Browse our book lists
• Sign up for the Homeschool Compass email newsletter

Thank you for leaving The Homeschool Compass Podcast a rating and a review in your podcast player! It helps new homeschool families find these encouraging conversations. We so appreciate you.

Christina Carpenter is a homeschooling mom of 4 who is passionate about home education and cultivating intentional family culture. In this episode, Christina shares how she establishes a vision for her homeschool and uses truth, goodness, and beauty to ground her homeschool days. By studying the longstanding educational philosophies and methodologies that have served families for centuries, Christina has blended together the elements that best serve her family to create a unique family culture that encourages curiosity and celebrates the joy of discovery. 

Be sure to check out Christina's Bloom and Blossom Conference coming up on October 11th in San Diego, California. You'll be encouraged and equipped by inspiring speakers like Greta Eskridge, Carrie de Francisco, and Amy Hughes. Grab your spot here!

You can find the complete show notes for this episode at homeschoolcompass.com/podcast.

We'd love to connect with you outside your podcast player!

• Follow the Homeschool Compass on Instagram or Facebook
• Download free printable resources for your homeschool
• Browse our book lists
• Sign up for the Homeschool Compass email newsletter

Thank you for leaving The Homeschool Compass Podcast a rating and a review in your podcast player! It helps new homeschool families find these encouraging conversations. We so appreciate you.

Tricia Goyer is a homeschooling mom of 10 children who believes that the preteen years are a prime window of opportunity for discipleship. This can be a turbulent time of big feelings and fluctuating hormones, but if we lean in and pursue connection with our kids, instead of shrinking back in fear, we can plant seeds that God will water and bring to fruition throughout our children's lives. 

Be sure to grab your copy of Faith That Sticks: 5 Real Life Ways to Disciple Your Preteen by Tricia Goyer and Leslie Nunnery for more help navigating this season of parenting. 

You can find the complete show notes for this episode at homeschoolcompass.com/podcast.

We'd love to connect with you outside your podcast player!

• Follow the Homeschool Compass on Instagram or Facebook
• Download Christianbook's new free printable homeschool planner
• Browse our book lists

Thank you for leaving The Homeschool Compass Podcast a rating and a review in your podcast player! It helps new homeschool families find these encouraging conversations. We so appreciate you.

Melissa Ferguson is a homeschooling mom and best-selling author who lives in Tennessee in the sweet farmhouse you'll find at the center of her first children's book, Our Friendly Farmhouse. In this episode, Melissa shares how God led her comfortable suburban family to take a leap of faith, purchasing a farmhouse in the Appalachian Mountains and embracing homesteading life. Even though God has brought her to places she never expected, Melissa is finding so much joy in the simple, slower-paced life that her family has discovered through homesteading and homeschooling.

Head here to grab your copy of Our Friendly Farmhouse at Christianbook.com.

You'll also want to check out Melissa's heart-warming romantic comedy novels:

• The Perfect Rom-Com
• How to Plot a Payback
• Famous for a Living
• Meet Me in the Margins

You can find the complete show notes for this episode at homeschoolcompass.com/podcast.

We'd love to connect with you outside your podcast player!

• Follow the Homeschool Compass on Instagram or Facebook
• Download Christianbook's new free printable homeschool planner
• Browse our book lists

Thank you for leaving The Homeschool Compass Podcast a rating and a review in your podcast player! It helps new homeschool families find these encouraging conversations. We so appreciate you.

Sarah Clarkson is a second-generation homeschooling mom who lives in Oxford, England with her Dutch husband, Thomas, and their 4 children. In this episode, Sarah shares with us about her new book, Reclaiming Quiet: Cultivating a Life of Holy Attention, and invites us to consider how we can take hold of the kind of inner quiet that ushers us into the presence of our Creator right in the middle of our demanding homeschool days.

Grab your copy of Reclaiming Quiet here!

You can find the complete show notes for this episode at homeschoolcompass.com/podcast.

We'd love to connect with you outside your podcast player!

• Follow the Homeschool Compass on Instagram or Facebook
• Download Christianbook's new free printable homeschool planner
• Browse our book lists

Thank you for leaving The Homeschool Compass Podcast a rating and a review in your podcast player! It helps new homeschool families find these encouraging conversations. We so appreciate you.

Eryn Lynum is a homeschooling mom of 4, certified Master Naturalist, educator, and host of the popular podcast for kids, Nat Theo: Nature Lessons Rooted in the Bible. Today she joins us to talk about her new Bible study, The Nature of Rest: What the Bible and Creation Teach Us About Sabbath Living. Eryn shares what Biblical rest actually looks like and how we can create Sabbath rhythms in the midst of our busy homeschool days that allow us to serve our families from a place of peace and connection with God.

Grab your copy of the Nature of Rest here.

You can find the complete show notes for this episode at homeschoolcompass.com/podcast.

We'd love to connect with you outside your podcast player!

• Follow the Homeschool Compass on Instagram or Facebook
• Download Christianbook's new free printable homeschool planner
• Browse our book lists

Thank you for leaving The Homeschool Compass Podcast a rating and a review in your podcast player! It helps new homeschool families find these encouraging conversations. We so appreciate you.

Julie Bogart is a prolific author, speaker, podcaster, and founder of the award-winning online writing program, Brave Writer, which has helped thousands of families around the world teach writing and language arts. A veteran home educator, Julie homeschooled her five now-adult children for 17 years. She is the author of several books that are beloved in the homeschool community, including The Brave Learner and Raising Critical Thinkers. Julie's latest book is titled Help! My Kid Hates Writing: How to Turn Struggling Students into Brave Writers. In this episode Julie shares the heart behind her book and gives practical tips you can use today to help your kids grow as writers.

Grab your copy of Help! My Kid Hates Writing here.

Find show notes for this episode at homeschoolcompass.com/podcast

We'd love to connect with you outside the podcast!

• Follow the Homeschool Compass on Instagram or Facebook
• Download Christianbook's new free printable homeschool planner
• Browse our book lists

Thank you for leaving The Homeschool Compass Podcast a rating and a review in your podcast player! It helps new homeschool families find these encouraging conversations.