The Homeschool Sanity Show

We know what to do when our child gets hurt – a skinned knee, a bruise, a cut. But we may feel ill equipped to help when our child’s heart is hurting. Teasing, feeling different, even bullying can cause woundedness. I have written Training Aliens Social & Emotional Skills curriculum because I am passionate about kids and parents having tools to build confidence. That’s why I wanted my guest to share her unique approach to helping parents and kids respond to hurts. Listening will encourage you as you guide your child.

Ruth Wilkey is an educator, musician, and storyteller with a heart for nurturing the souls of children and families. Raised in a generous German-Lutheran family known for their hospitality and faith, Ruth learned early the power of love shared through stories, songs, and community. After earning her teaching credential from Christ College Irvine, she taught English, Spanish, music, and drama before founding Creative Cottage Piano Studio, where she inspired students for over thirty years. Today, through Sonflower Press and her new children’s book series at SociableBunny.com, Ruth continues to shine God’s light, helping families grow in love and joy through story and song.

Before I share our chat, I want to thank CTC Math for sponsoring the podcast.

Training Aliens

Sociable Bunny books and questions

Sociable Bunny on Facebook

Sociable Bunny on Instagram

Have a happy homeschool week!

The post How To Help A Child Who’s Hurting appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Hey, homeschoolers! If you’ve been discouraged lately, know that I can relate. I’ve been through a season that has diminished my courage to keep podcasting, writing, and building relationships. I went through similar seasons while homeschooling.

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There are three lies the enemy tells us that can deflate us and three responses that can get us homeschooling courageously again. Before I share them I want to thank the NIV Application Bible for sponsoring the podcast.

I am taking the three lies from a biblical account that is well known to you if you’re familiar with Scripture. In Luke 4:1-12, we read that Jesus fasted for 40 days and was hungry. Hungry seems like an understatement, but I like the word for our purposes. We are often hungry for things in our homeschooling: hungry for order and organization, hungry for our children’s hearts to be turned toward us and the Lord, hungry for our husbands to be our partners in every sense of the word. We can be hungry for so many other desires that have gone unsatisfied–a return to health for us or our family members, financial provision, healing in relationships.

When we are hungry, the devil comes calling. To Jesus, the devil said, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” I’ve read excellent theological commentaries on this statement, but when the devil tempts me this way, he is saying, “There is no help. Meet this need yourself. God hasn’t provided and He won’t. It’s time for you to do something.” And with my classic “If it is to be, it’s up to me” attitude, that’s what I so often do.

I research. I consult. I buy books, courses, supplements. And when I remain hungry, I spend even more time trying to find the answer to my need. Never mind the fact that most of the time the food that will fill this aching need of mine is not what I’m shopping for. The food that fills me comes from the Lord often unexpectedly, subtley, gradually.

While there is nothing inherently wrong with looking for the equivalent of bread when we’re hungry, Jesus tells the devil that we need more than what’s available in this world to live. In fact, it’s been when I have stopped trying to fill my own gnawing need that it seems my needs are attended to as they were for Jesus.

The devil says to us: “Meet your own need because God won’t.” Our response can be to repeat to ourselves Psalm 27:14: “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

A book that has helped me so much in waiting on the Lord is Hind Feet for High Places. I have read a chapter a day and it feels like I am journeying with the main character Much-Afraid every step of the way.

When we are in a discouraging season, the devil comes back with lie number 2. There is no Holy One. The devil shows Jesus the kingdoms of the world and says, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.  If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” In this, the devil shares a partial truth. The Bible calls him the prince of this world with some power and control. That is true.

In times of vulnerability, we can start to believe that he’s the ultimate authority. Worldly steps to success may seem better than waiting on God to meet our family’s needs in homeschooling or our personal needs. The worldly way can seem like a sure thing–Door #1 that’s open to reveal what’s inside versus Door #3 that holds an unknown future.

Most of us when tempted in this way don’t become atheists. Instead, we make some compromises. We give a little here and a little there because maybe God isn’t as good as we thought. That’s why Jesus’ response is so powerful. He says, ““It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”

I pray most days for a nation using the Operation World app. One of the most common descriptions of a nation with a church in crisis is that its believers have mixed aspects of their pagan religion into their theology. Whenever I’m tempted to judge, I realize how well this describes our own culture. We can compromise and justify a little bit every day until we are nearly indistinguishable from our unbelieving neighbors.

When the devil says, “There is no Holy One,” we can answer with 1 Samuel 2:2: “There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.” Although the devil has some power, he is certainly not holy. If you need a reminder of that and you’ve been off the grid for a long time, read the news for just one day. Otherwise, I advise reading a Christian hero’s biography. One of my favorites is If I Perish by Esther Kim.

For the final temptation the devil took Jesus to the top of the temple. He said, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here…” Because the devil also tells him that God and the angels will protect Him if He jumps, I didn’t realize that he was suggesting Jesus kill himself. This is the final lie the devil tells us in a season of discouragement: There is no hope.

Hopelessness is not just a symptom of depression but a warning sign that the depression is severe. We are more likely to be hopeless when we have tried to help ourselves and we have tried worldly prescriptions for getting what we need to no avail. Jesus hadn’t bought the devil’s first two lies and so answered with more truth: ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’

As discouraged believers we don’t put God to the test by jumping off a tall building, but we might be giving Him ultimatums: If this tutor doesn’t help; if my husband doesn’t get this job; if this medication doesn’t work… The unspoken end to that sentence is I am giving up hope.

When we are tempted by this lie, we can say Romans 5:5: “…and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Why would our loving God who lives in our hearts disappoint us? When I am wondering why God isn’t giving me what I ask, I remember Matthew 7:11, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” The only reasons we refuse to give gifts to our children is because the thing they’ve asked for is not good or we have something better in mind.

When we are tempted to give up hope, we can list the unanswered prayers we are grateful for. This current prayer of ours may one day be added to the list. As we wait, we can know for certain that God will either answer our prayer as requested or He will give us the grace to accept His will. I love the song “Sometimes He Calms the Storm” for reassurance of this.

In conclusion, I want to point out that Luke Chapter 4 begins this way: “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil.” If you’re in a season of temptation to discouragement and you’ve been tempted with the lies of there is no help, Holy One, or hope, it is not punishment but preparation. You cannot guide your children through a similar season if you have not been in the wilderness. You cannot mentor other homeschool moms in the future as I am now doing if you have not been in the wilderness. I don’t think we can even fully serve God if we have not been in the wildnerness. Another favorite book I want to commend to you for this season is Sidetracked in the Wilderness by Michael Wells.

If this podcast encouraged you, please share it with others. Have a happy homeschool week!

The post Homeschooling Through A Season Of Discouragement appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Hey, homeschoolers!

In 2019, I started a monthly podcast series I called the Trust Project. I wanted us to focus on how to trust God in multiple areas of our lives.

Today, though, I’d like to check in with you–not by asking whether you’re trusting God in your homeschool, for your kids, for your health, and so on–but by asking you WHAT you’re trusting in. Life can be very difficult when we trust in something other than God. We may live in constant fear. We don’t have peace or joy. And we are unlikely to be successful in what we undertake.

I want to begin our discussion of trusting God with the account of King Asa from 2 Chronicles 15. If you end up believing that you’re like Asa and not putting your trust in God, I’ll have a suggestion for changing that.

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2 Chronicles 15:1 reads, “The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded. 2 He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 3 For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law.”

The Israelites were not following God at this time. Homeschooling also became popular again at a time when fewer people were following God. Certainly fewer were following God in public education. And parents like me were distressed about it.

2 Chronicles 15 continues…4 But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them. 5 In those days it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. 6 One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. 7 But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”

When we first begin homeschooling, we need that encouragement to be strong and not to give up because it rarely goes the way we hope and expect. Those of us who persevere believe that our work will ultimately be rewarded.

Continuing with 2 Chronicles 15:

8 When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of[a] Oded the prophet, he took courage. He removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the altar of the Lord that was in front of the portico of the Lord’s temple. 15 All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest on every side. 17 Although he did not remove the high places from Israel, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life. 18 He brought into the temple of God the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated. 19 There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.

When we made the decision to keep our kids home, where we could teach them God’s Word, I was relieved. Like Asa, I felt a lot more secure because of God’s blessing of our family. But as time went on, a temptation entered.

2 Chronicles 16 reads: In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah. 2 Asa then took the silver and gold out of the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus. 3 “Let there be a treaty between me and you,” he said, “as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me.”

King Asa had to deal with a rebellious king of Israel. Sometimes when we have a rebellious child or another challenge that God doesn’t seem to be handling, we think we have to take control. We need to lean on our own understanding. We are willing to let go of what should be sacred in our homes. Continuing with 2 Chronicles 16:

4 Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim[a] and all the store cities of Naphtali. 5 When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and abandoned his work. 6 Then King Asa brought all the men of Judah, and they carried away from Ramah the stones and timber Baasha had been using. With them he built up Geba and Mizpah.

It seems like King Asa succeeded in his efforts. And often when we rely on something other than God to help us, we see initial success. But what’s the long-term implication? We read in 2 Chronicles 16, beginning in verse 7.

7 At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. 8 Were not the Cushites[b] and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen[c]? Yet when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.”

Uh-oh. It honestly didn’t seem like a foolish thing at first, did it? And so often our choices in response to trouble seem wise. But if we aren’t trusting in the Lord, we will likely live to regret it.

Like Asa, we may trust in political power rather than God. We may put our trust in our country’s bill of rights, our state’s favorable homeschool laws, or a pro-homeschooling leader. But even though these are blessings we want to support, they are not what we want to put our trust in. This election season, we want to remember that God is ultimately in control. Romans 13:1-2 reminds us: “There is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God” and Proverbs 21:1 explains, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.”

Politics aren’t the only foolish choice for our trust. We can place our trust in classes in curriculum. We may believe if we just choose the right ones, our kids will be sure to succeed. We want to consider the options and pray over them, of course, but there is no class, curriculum, or college that will guarantee our kids’ success. Deuteronomy 8:18 says, “But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”

We may also trust our alternative healthcare approach, our money, or our prepping for our health and safety in these tumultuous times. Yet Psalm 4:8 encourages us: “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

Despite the truth that we should trust God with every aspect of our lives, we are constantly being tempted to trust in other things. From the beginning, our enemy Satan has questioned whether we can trust God. Now we are bombarded by media with the same message.

When what we are truly trusting in is gone, we may panic as Asa did. That’s how we know we were trusting in it. Ask yourself what besides God gives you security for the future. Of course, we don’t have to eliminate these things! But we do need to put more trust in the One who can truly deliver us from any disaster.

How can we do that? My number one tip is what I’ve already demonstrated in this episode: spend time in God’s Word. Asa quickly forgot how the Lord had delivered him despite being outnumbered. Had he often reviewed God’s character and actions, he likely would have sought the Lord first and avoided war in the future.

How much time do we need to hear from God? Consider the ratio. How often are you hearing from the enemy? I know for me it’s constantly. Here are some practical tips for increasing your time in the Word.

This single approach of spending more time in God’s Word is simple to implement, but we will experience resistance to it. We will be interrupted, too tired, or just bored. But at these times, pick up a dollar bill and read our country’s motto that is still In God We Trust. We must fight the good fight to keep living that motto out.

Have a happy homeschool week!

The post Special Replay: What Are You Trusting In? appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Hey, homeschoolers! How to help an anxious, frustrated, or bored child is the most common question I get. In this episode, I’ll share a three-step approach you can use to help your child manage any negative emotion.

Summary

In this episode, Melanie Wilson addresses the common concern of homeschooling parents regarding their child’s ability to manage emotions. She emphasizes that emotional struggles should be seen as skill deficits rather than character flaws. Melanie highlights the lack of emotional management education in schools and the need for explicit teaching in this area. She introduces a three-step framework for teaching emotional skills: prevention, recognition, and substitution. The chapters cover topics such as the importance of sleep, diet, and environment in preventing negative emotions, teaching children to recognize signs of frustration, and finding constructive responses to boredom. Melanie encourages parents to provide practice and grace as children learn to manage their emotions and emphasizes the role of prayer and faith in this process.

Helping the Anxious Child

Helping the Frustrated Child

How to Deal with a Troublemaking Child

Homeschooling a Child with ADHD

The post Special Replay: How To Help Your Child Manage Emotions appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Hey, homeschoolers! Are you overwhelmed? Is it embarrassing to be overwhelmed this early in the year? I can empathize. I’ve been feeling the same way, even though I’m a homeschool business owner and not teaching this fall. I asked the Lord for wisdom and I wrote down three steps we can take to get out of overwhelm now. I already feel so much better after taking them, and I pray that you will too.

Before I share more, I want to thank NOW Programs for sponsoring the podcast. Be sure to check out their resources if you have a student with a learning difference. Watch on YouTube

To begin, let’s clarify what we mean by overwhelm. First, it’s not a true crisis. If you’ve just been in a car accident or your parent just had a heart attack, your response to that is stress and shock that may feel overwhelming, but that’s not the kind of overwhelm I’m talking about. Plus, if you’re in a true crisis, I doubt you’re listening to me now!

Instead, overwhelm is when we respond to life circumstances as though they were a true crisis. Our kid hates the Spanish class we signed them up for. The kids keep arguing. We didn’t get through the 20 different curricula we thought we could cover in a day. We forgot to put dinner in the crockpot and the dog just rolled in mud.

Overwhelm feels like everything is going wrong, but it is really garden-variety anxiety. I didn’t realize that overwhelm is just anxiety until I felt overwhelmed myself this week. But I am well aware of how we tend to respond to anxiety. When we’re anxious, we avoid. If crowds make us anxious, we avoid them. Elevators, avoid. Algebra, avoid. Obvious, right? So what does that look like with overwhelm?

We avoid the anxiety of overwhelm in multiple ways. First, we distract ourselves. We doomscroll, watch a show, or eat chocolate. If you’re like me, you do all three. Next, we try something new to avoid the anxiety of overwhelm. We research new curriculum. New curriculum will fix everything, we are sure. We may think that a whole new approach to homeschooling is the answer, so we start reading and watching YouTube videos. Or we decide that now is the pefect time to start a business and we spend time working on that. When the anxiety of overwhelm is severe, we may decide that we have to stop something. We may think we aren’t cut out for homeschooling. We start looking into other options. We may consider dropping out of a co-op or leadership role.

And it’s possible that some of these avoidance responses could create positive change, but they are all reactions to anxiety and not carefully considered. I finally understand why I start a new hobby, dive head first into a new business idea, or try a new productivity approach when I’m already overwhelmed. It’s my way of avoiding anxiety.

If you’ve ever heard me talk about anxiety, you know what I always say: avoiding makes anxiety worse, not better. If crowds make you anxious and you avoid them, pretty soon you’ll consider your in-laws and even your church a crowd that you need to avoid. Fortunately, there is another way out of overwhelm.

You’ve likely heard the poem by the same title made popular by Elisabeth Elliott. I’m going to read it for you again so we can truly take it in.

From an old English parsonage down by the sea There came in the twilight a message to me; Its quaint Saxon legend, deeply engraven, Hath, it seems to me, teaching from Heaven. And on through the doors the quiet words ring Like a low inspiration: “DO THE NEXT THING.”

Many a questioning, many a fear, Many a doubt, hath its quieting here. Moment by moment, let down from Heaven, Time, opportunity, and guidance are given. Fear not tomorrows, child of the King, Trust them with Jesus, do the next thing. Do it immediately, do it with prayer; Do it reliantly, casting all care; Do it with reverence, tracing His hand Who placed it before thee with earnest command. Stayed on Omnipotence, safe ‘neath His wing, Leave all results, do the next thing. Looking for Jesus, ever serener, Working or suffering, be thy demeanor; In His dear presence, the rest of His calm, The light of His countenance be thy psalm, Strong in His faithfulness, praise and sing. Then, as He beckons thee, do the next thing.

Ah. I feel better just saying it. I hope you feel better hearing it.

Many times the next thing is obvious. The baby needs changing. It’s time to make lunch. Trash pick up is this morning, so we have to get the cans out.

Other times, we aren’t sure. I have some suggestions for the other times.

First, take a walk. When I was overwhelmed recently, walking outside, getting some exercise, and listening to praise music via my earbuds. Many homeschool days when I was overwhelmed, I would get the kids outside to walk with me and I felt better. The kids are less likely to argue and fuss if they’re outside walking. That’s a bonus.

My next suggestion for do the next thing is clean up. A cluttered environment contributes to the feeling of overwhelm. Every misplaced object seems to cry for our attention. Set a timer for five minutes and have the kids race to see if you can get the whole room picked up before the timer goes off. Play some upbeat music while you work. An uncluttered space will help you feel more in control.

Finally, doing the next thing may be to rest. Like our kids, we often struggle with overstimulation. If you haven’t gotten enough quality sleep, if you’re hormonal, or if you’ve had lots of stress, rest is key to getting out of overwhelm. Mercifully, short naps are even more effective than longer ones. If you can’t nap, give the whole family a quiet time. If you need to use an electronic babysitter for a short time, do it. Your mental well being is worth it.

Step 1 is do the next thing.

When I’m overwhelmed I start thinking about all the things I’m confused about. In my homeschool years, I wondered what to do about foreign language, whether I should teach a speech class, and whether or not I should be blogging. I would be paralyzed by my indecision.

Many years ago our pastor shared our church’s philosophy on the Bible: “We focus on the parts of the Bible that are clear, not the parts that aren’t.” That made so much sense to me.

In the same way, we can focus on the things in our homeschool lives that are clearly something we should be doing. Practically speaking, here’s what we can do.

First, stick with your routine. I wasn’t clear about foreign language, teaching a class, or blogging. But the rest of our routine of Bible, memory work, read alouds, etc. was clearly on point. Not only that, but staying on routine as much as possible makes me feel less overwhelmed. The anxiety may tell us that we need to stop everything until we make decisions, but we will feel worse, not better. Continue using your workable routine.

Second, stay with your calling. There were many frustrating days when I felt that I was failing. But one thing I knew for sure: God had called me to homeschool. But that’s not all. I wasn’t sure about teaching a class or blogging, but at the time, I knew God had called me to write for a parachurch ministry and to speak for women’s retreats. I wanted a five-year plan, but God wasn’t ready to reveal the future to me. And truthfully, I wasn’t ready to hear it. Continue in your current calling and you will feel less overwhelmed.

A third way to do what you know to do is to do what you did at first. This admonition is straight out of Revelation. Whether you had a practice that worked when you first began homeschooling or worked when you began the new school year, return to it. Often we don’t have a good reason for abandoning a positive practice. We may have gotten distracted, lazy, or bored, but when we are overwhelmed, we are well served to return to what we did well at first instead of researching a perfect alternative for hours. Consider the schedule, habits, or ideas that you were excited about early on and use them again.

Planning my day the night before was working for me. I then got out of the habit, leaving me overwhelmed by a vague list of tasks in the morning. I’m recommitting to this practice now. What will you do that worked for you at first?

After doing the next thing and doing what you did at first, the third step out of overwhelm is to do what Jesus is doing. I’ve been reflecting on the overwhelm that Jesus’ disciples must have experienced. They left their occupations and families, dealt with large, demanding crowds, and were then tasked with being traveling missionaries. Instead of looking for a different Savior, researching good recipes to feed a crowd, or checking napsack reviews on Amazon, these men dealt with overwhelm by following Jesus and doing what He did.

Whenever they stopped following and imitating, they were right back in overwhelm. Of course, we can’t see Jesus the way they could. But we can do what Jesus is doing first, by staying in the present. The disciples wanted to know the future. And while Jesus often gave glimpses of what to expect, He was crystal clear in saying we weren’t to worry about tomorrow.

If worry is overwhelming you, I recommend the book Stop Worrying; Start Living by Dale Carnegie. I also recommend a practice that helps me. I ask myself, “Am I okay right now?” If the answer is yes, I know my overwhelm is based in the future. If the answer is no, I know I need to ask for help.

Stay focused on the present to do as Jesus did. Next, welcome the unexpected. We all feel more secure in routine. We even have less of a tendency to be overwhelmed. But we also have a need for something new. Fortunately, God is a fan of new too. Often we think the knock on the door, our child’s insistence that we watch a particular video, or the power outage are distractions from our real life. I have learned that these interruptions are often God’s way of spicing up my life. We chatted with an interesting person at the door, laughed until our stomachs hurt at the video, and made memories reading by the window during the power outage.

Imagine the disciples trying to keep Jesus on a schedule. It’s laughable! Instead, they could be open to experiencing what He did each day. We can be the same.

After staying present and welcoming the unexpected to get out of overwhelm, we can stay connected to the Father as Jesus did. When overwhelmed, the tendency is to think that we don’t have time for relationships. Unfortunately, our relationship with our Heavenly Father is one of the first to be sidelined.

In the Garden, Jesus dealt with overwhelm by spending even more time in prayer. We probably don’t have the bandwidth for formal prayer. The Bible says that at these times the Holy Spirit will pray for us without words. What that often looks like for me is just to sit quietly. It’s a struggle not to pick up my phone. Avoidance, remember? But if I stick with it, I will often feel the tears come–a release of stress hormones. I make myself present and vulnerable to my Father, who already knows I am struggling. In fact, at one of these times recently, I told God that I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t manage the overwhelm. I was out of tricks.

You won’t be surprised that I immediately felt better. I pray that when you do the next thing, do what you know to do, and do what Jesus is doing that you too will come out of overwhelm to feel His peace.

If this episode spoke to you, I would love to hear from you. Email me, message me, or tag me on social media.

Have a happy homeschool week!

The post Out Of Overwhelm: 3 Steps For Homeschool Moms appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Want a better homeschool year—but without buying a new curriculum, rebuilding your schedule, or starting over from scratch?

Sometimes the biggest homeschool changes don’t begin with a planner or a new routine. They begin with a mindset shift.

In this episode of the Homeschool Sanity Show, Melanie Wilson shares a simple but powerful strategy called “What’s Better” to help homeschool moms improve self-image, reset negative thinking, and move through challenges with more peace and perspective. If your homeschool year has felt heavy, frustrating, or just not quite what you hoped, this encouragement may be exactly

Want encouragement you can listen to while you fold laundry, prep lunch, or reset your homeschool mindset?

Listen to How to Have a Better Homeschool Year from the Homeschool Sanity Show and discover how one simple question can shift the tone of your homeschool days.

what you need.

Enjoy this Episode? Keep 

It doesn’t take much for homeschool moms to start feeling like they’re falling behind.

A hard day can quickly turn into a hard week. A rough subject, a resistant child, or a plan that isn’t working can make it feel like the whole year is off track.

But what if a better homeschool year didn’t require a full reset?

What if one simple shift in perspective could help you move forward with more peace and confidence?

That’s exactly what Melanie Wilson shares in this encouraging episode.

The “What’s Better” strategy is a simple mindset tool that helps you look for improvement instead of perfection.

Instead of asking:

You begin asking:

That question changes everything.

It helps you notice growth, progress, and small wins that are easy to miss when you’re overwhelmed or discouraged.

A better homeschool year often begins with a better lens.

When homeschool moms focus only on what is lacking, it becomes easy to feel defeated. But when we begin noticing what’s improving, even slowly, we create room for hope.

This strategy can help improve:

And the best part? It doesn’t require adding anything new to your plate.

Here are a few simple ways to use this mindset in real homeschool life:

“We’re always behind.”

Try:
“We finished more this week than we did last week.”

“My child hates writing.”

Try:
“She wrote two sentences today without tears. That’s better.”

“This year is a mess.”

Try:
“We’ve found a rhythm in the mornings that is working better.”

“I’m not doing enough.”

Try:
“I’m showing up, adjusting, and growing. That’s better.”

These small reframes can have a powerful effect over time.

You can begin using the “What’s Better” strategy today by creating a short list at the end of each homeschool day or week.

Ask yourself:

You may be surprised by how much progress is happening—even in a season that feels messy.

If you’ve been tempted to scrap everything and start over, this is your reminder:

You may not need a brand-new homeschool year.
You may just need a better way to see the one you already have.

Growth doesn’t always look dramatic.
Sometimes it looks like patience.
Sometimes it looks like consistency.
Sometimes it looks like noticing what’s better.

And that is worth celebrating.

How to Make Your Dreams Come True by Mark Forster

Grammar Galaxy, Training Aliens, The Organized Homeschool Life, A Year of Living Productively

Great Homeschool Conventions

Watch on YouTube

Have a happy homeschool week!

The post Special Replay: How To Have A Better Homeschool Year appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Trying to homeschool with a toddler climbing your leg and a baby on your hip? Take heart — the early years are gloriously messy and gloriously short. You don’t need a perfect preschool to raise a curious, thriving little one. A few gentle rhythms, a basket of busy activities, and a whole lot of reading aloud go further than any boxed curriculum ever could.

Below you’ll find one homeschool mom’s honest story of teaching preschool three different ways — and after it, favorite episodes from across our shows for homeschooling with babies, toddlers, and preschoolers underfoot.

Hey, homeschoolers! Will you have a preschooler this year or next? Do you know someone who wonders how to homeschool a preschooler? If so, this episode is for you or your friend. I’ll be sharing how I started teaching preschool, how I changed my approach with experience, and what I would do if I were homeschooling my preschool grandchildren.

Are you looking for a new Math Curriculum?

CTCMath specializes in providing online video tutorials that take a multi-sensory approach to learning. Favorably reviewed in Cathy Duffy’s 102 Top Picks and The Old Schoolhouse Crew Review, the lessons are short and concise to help your children break down concepts and appreciate math in a whole new way!

The lessons are taught the traditional way, not to a “test”.

Each one of the video tutorials is taught by an internationally acclaimed teacher, Pat Murray, who is renowned for teaching math concepts in a simple, easy-to-understand way (and in only a few minutes at a time). CTC Math uses a multi-sensory approach, having the combination of effective graphics and animation synchronized with the voice of a friendly teacher together with practical assessment. This three-pronged attack makes learning so much easier and more effective. Even students who struggled with math are getting fantastic results! And ones who were doing OK before are now doing brilliantly.

Visit ctcmath.com today to start your free trial.

__________________________________

Homeschool preschool has a special place in my heart because that’s where I started. I thought it was a perfect testing ground for determining if homeschooling would work for me. The short answer to that question was a resounding no. It didn’t work for me! I thought I just wasn’t cut out for it, but the real problem was I had no routine. I went to bed at different times, got up at different times, and wasn’t getting any homeschooling done. That wasn’t because I had such a clean home or because I was working from home; I wasn’t. Instead, I had grand plans for teaching my preschooler that all fell flat.

Granted, I had a baby and a toddler in addition to my preschooler. But all I was able to do at that point in my life was keep them alive.

Let’s talk about my preschool plans at the beginning. I had a preschool curriculum book that focused on a letter at a time. So far, so good. I do think that teaching kids letters and numbers is a great foundation for later learning. I also bought a preschool craft book. Because of my all-or-nothing craving for complete preparation, I literally bought every craft supply needed to complete every craft in the book. You heard that right. I had enough craft supplies to supply a neighborhood of preschoolers with activities. That’s because you can’t buy a couple of tongue depressors—you have to get a box of 500.

I was so excited to do the activities with my son, and this is where it gets silly. I don’t even really like doing crafts with kids. Kids are very messy with glue and especially with the the brainchild of Satan—glitter. When my child would begin using the watercolor paints I bought him and mixing colors without cleaning out his brush, my anxiety would build to the point that I needed a nap even if he didn’t.

Because I had this all-or-nothing mentality, I felt like I had failed if I didn’t do our lesson from the book or make one of the crafts early in the day. So I would delay our studies “until the next day” when I could do them perfectly. With three boys three and under, the perfect day never arrived.

It is true that I read to my preschooler constantly. But because I had been reading to him from birth, I didn’t give myself credit for actually homeschooling him. If you’re familiar with my story, you know that I felt like a failure at homeschooling and mothering. Neither my husband nor I thought that I could handle home educating our kids long-term or adding another child to the family.

That’s when someone recommended FlyLady to me. I began building routines that allowed me to get up at the same time roughly and do the same tasks in the same order. The best part of that was waking up to a clean kitchen. I had run the dishwasher the night before and washed the larger dishes, so I didn’t feel like a failure at the beginning of the day. I added other habits like laying my clothes out the night before, and preparing things for the day ahead.

Running my dishwasher the night before allowed me to have my preschooler unload the kid-friendly dishes. This became a chore routine that made my home and life feel manageable. It also taught my son an important life skill.

If you’d like to build an organizing routine, check out my guide The Organized Homeschool Life.

With the chore habit established, I was able to add preschool lessons to our routine. I was finally teaching! I also got the kids into preschool activities for homeschoolers and for the community. The boys went to playdates at the park, gymnastics, and swim lessons. And that leads me to how I taught preschool later on.

I continued to do chores at the beginning of the school day as we added more kids to the family. I would keep my youngest kids with me and help them do their chores while the older kids worked independently—or at least claimed to be working independently.

Once I had elementary students, I had to decide when to work with my preschoolers. I took the advice to spend time with my preschoolers first, then allow them to play in an adjacent room. This was effective; however, I had a long day to fill. This is when I started using the Managers of Their Homes scheduling approach. The idea that was most valuable to me from this approach was to pair a younger child with an older one for a short session. Usually this involved reading to them or playing with them.

I began to feel that I was shortchanging my preschoolers, however. I was focused on teaching more advanced skills to my older kids. That’s when I heard about creating preschool activity packs. The concept was that you would create multiple packs of a couple of different educational activities for preschoolers and would then exchange them with other moms who had made different activity packs. I thought this was brilliant!

However—and you knew that “however” was coming, didn’t you?—I barely used the activity packs. I wondered why on earth I had invested the time and money into creating them when there are so many inexpensive preschool activities that I already owned or could purchase. Things like letter puzzles and games that I already had.

I also heard Steve Demme’s excellent advice based on his notion that curriculum book time at back-to-school is a preschooler’s version of Christmas without me. I decided to purchase books for my preschoolers to spend time in while the older kids did their independent work. Most of them were activity books like Kumon books that help them learn to write.

The best curriculum I found for homeschoolers around this time was from a company called Dakota Publishing. As a South Dakota native, I loved that the company was headquartered there, but I loved the approach of Little Hands to Heaven even more. The preschool curriculum was broken up into little—what I call—missions. Short teachable moments that could be completed before the other kids were fighting or the dog escaped the yard. Even though I never finished a complete lesson, I felt successful because I had completed parts of it.

As my younger kids became preschoolers, though, I simply allowed them to participate in our reading and activities as their interest and ability allowed. To keep them engaged when I was working with the older kids, I tried rotating toys and books that were for school time only. But because the kids seemed to enjoy throwing small toys around the playroom more than using them as intended, I had limited success with this.

That leads me to how I would homeschool preschool with my grandkids.

I survived homeschooling preschool for all six of my kids. Not one of them is in a mental institution because I failed to teach them their letters, numbers, or shoe-tying at the optimal time.

Given my experience and my 20/20 hindsight vision, here is how I would homeschool preschool now:

First, I would continue reading to them. I would read picture books with them and take them to the library as I did with my kids, treating it like the gift and adventure that it is. I would also have them raid Grandpa’s bookshelves. My husband is a sales rep for school library books, so we have a literature-rich home. We would read picture books to address social and emotional skills as well as academic topics. I would relish telling them about their parents’ bad behavior when they were little. Just kidding. Kind of.

Second, I would use a more by-the-way, unit study approach to teaching. For example, if there were a class or field trip that appealed to preschoolers, we would go and would then do reading and activities related to it. I would make ample use of the internet to find videos, recipes, experiments, and easy art projects that don’t involve glitter. The most important aspect for me would be not having an overly planned schedule that could make me feel behind.

Third, for curriculum, I would use a children’s Bible, Little Hands to Heaven, Color Me Mozart and other easy, engaging resources to teach specific topics. We would start off with these resources before reading and pursuing other activities.

Finally, I would use lots of board and active games to teach academics and social skills. I used the Phonics Game, Jr. to teach my kids to read and I would use it again. I would leave the computer games for the parents to use when they need down time. I would rely on lists of games that are easy to play and set up when I wanted to cover a particular subject like math or vocabulary or just to let the kids burn off steam.

In conclusion, I know I didn’t do a perfect job teaching preschool. But the good news is I didn’t have to. My kids enjoyed their early homeschool years and benefited from them. Yours will too. I hope my experience will help you create a realistic and enjoyable plan for educating your little learners.

Have a happy homeschool week!

• Homeschooling with Babies & Toddlers Around
• Homeschooling Several Ages at Once (Natalie Burton)
• Homeschooling Multiple Ages
• Tips for Traveling with Toddlers

• Teaching Preschoolers & Kindergarteners to Read
• Homeschool Art in the Early Years (Rachel Hirt)
• Chores for Ages 2-10: More Capable Than You Think
• Cleaning with Kids
• Why “No” and “Mine” Are Good Words for Toddlers

Get our free Christian Homeschool Starter Kit for a gentle, confident start, and find encouraging podcasts made for these busy years.

The post Homeschooling Preschool While Keeping Your Sanity appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Hey, homeschoolers! If you’re not where you expected to be in your homeschool, I’ve got you. In this episode, you’ll learn why we find ourselves on a detour, how we can get even more off track, and 5 tips for reaching our destination quickly.

Watch on YouTube

Detours for our purposes can be taking the same route we planned, but it’s taking far longer than we thought. This was the most common detour for me. I experienced a version of it every one of my 25 years of homeschooling. We didn’t get through the curriculum as quickly as we thought we would. Or we didn’t even start it. That happened more times than I’d like to admit, too. The character issues that I thought my kids would master right away were still being learned in high school.

A classic detour, though, is taking a different route to the destination because the intended route wasn’t available or workable. Homeschool detours can be anything new that you weren’t planning: classes, schedule, approach, baby, job, home.

One obvious reason that applies in the wake of Hurricane Helene is events out of our control. Illness, a facility closure, a job loss.

Other detours are more the result of a family member’s choice: your spouse needs you to work, your teen wants to go to school, your child wants to compete at an elite level.

Finally, there are detours that are the result of our choices. I do think detours can have all three characteristics at once. Something happens that’s out of your control. Your spouse wants to do something about that. And your choice solidifies your direction.

Years ago, I was driving my family home from the beach, a 12-hour drive with stops. I entered our home address into my phone’s GPS and was on my way. My husband was in the back of our van, watching movies with the kids. After the movie was over, he said, “I don’t recognize this town.” I waved him off, telling him that I was taking the route the GPS told me. But the truth was I didn’t recognize it either. I figured I just hadn’t paid attention on our last trip or the GPS was taking me on a better, faster route.

The first reason we find ourselves on a detour of our own making is because we aren’t paying attention. I wasn’t looking at the surroundings as I drove. I also didn’t check my son’s math homework for weeks, only to realize he hadn’t been doing it. I wasn’t checking my son’s laundry, so I didn’t realize he’d been putting his clean laundry in his dirty clothes hamper just so he wouldn’t have to put it away.

I was on a coming-home-from-vacation detour primarily because I wasn’t paying attention. But the second reason we find ourselves on a detour of our own making is because we trusted but didn’t verify. I trusted my GPS to navigate me home but I didn’t verify that it was giving me the fastest route. I trusted my kids to do the right thing and didn’t verify. But I also trusted homeschool and parenting experts that if I did everything they said to do that my kids would be giants of the faith with full-ride scholarships. You won’t be surprised to hear that I haven’t yet arrived at that destination.

The third reason we find ourselves on a detour of our own making is our pride. “I know what I’m doing!” I thought, as my husband expressed doubt in our direction. He didn’t know what was going on, I thought. He’s too busy watching a movie! When someone questions our homeschooling or parenting, we may dig our heels in and do even more rather than admit to our weakness.

A few more hours went by on our drive home and my husband piped up again. “I don’t recognize this town either. Are you sure we’re on the right route?” Actually, I think he was a lot more forceful than that, but I’m giving him grace in the retelling of it.

“Uhhh,” I stammered. I couldn’t study the map as I was driving and my husband didn’t know how to use my app. I kept driving.

The first way we can get even more off track on a detour is avoidance. I got on a detour home by not paying attention. I got even further astray by avoiding the issue. I didn’t look at the route GPS had mapped out for us. When something in our homeschool isn’t working, it can be frightening to think about. So we may choose to do anything else but think about it. Meanwhile we’ve gone even further off track. You might avoid discussing a child’s learning disability or what you’ll do if a potential layoff happens. Meanwhile the fear gets bigger and the potential consequences worse. You want to avoid dealing with the issue even more than before.

The second way we can get even more off track is blaming others. In my mind, the only problem with our route home was my husband complaining about not recognizing it. He didn’t understand GPS like I did. If he wanted to drive, then he could choose the route! When the doctor, the co-op teacher, or your child is to blame for your detour, you can continue avoiding it. It’s someone else’s problem to solve. But if that person doesn’t act to get you back on track, the problem will grow.

The third way we can get even more off track is guilt. I secretly felt guilty that I had not looked at the route my GPS chose before I took off. I hadn’t verified it and to make matters worse, I had ignored my husband’s concerns. I worried about what it would mean if I was responsible for making our long ride home even longer. And even though I blamed the boys for their dishonesty with math and chores, I felt responsible. If I had allowed my guilt about it to make me fearful and avoid the issue, the problem would have continued and gotten worse.

Homeschool moms often feel guilt about every aspect of their family’s lives because they feel overly responsible. In addition to more avoidance, guilt can also lead to rash course correction. Turning around and heading back to the beach so I could take a better route would have been crazy, but so would dropping our math curriculum that had been working well and choosing to put away all my kids’ laundry myself.

I’ll share what happened when I finally admitted I was on a detour after this message from our sponsor: CTC Math.

Before we dig in, I want to thank our sponsor: CTC Math.

Are you looking for a new Math Curriculum?

CTCMath specializes in providing online video tutorials that take a multi-sensory approach to learning. Favorably reviewed in Cathy Duffy’s 102 Top Picks and The Old Schoolhouse Crew Review, the lessons are short and concise to help your children break down concepts and appreciate math in a whole new way!

The lessons are taught the traditional way, not to a “test”.

Each one of the video tutorials is taught by an internationally acclaimed teacher, Pat Murray, who is renowned for teaching math concepts in a simple, easy-to-understand way (and in only a few minutes at a time). Using a multi-sensory approach having the combination of effective graphics and animation synchronized with the voice of a friendly teacher together with practical assessment. This three-pronged attack makes learning so much easier and more effective. Even students who struggled with math are getting fantastic results! And ones who were doing OK before are now doing brilliantly.

Visit c-t-c-math.com today to start your free trial.

I finally pulled over and studied the route GPS had me on. I couldn’t deny that I didn’t recognize the route any longer. The shocker was realizing that it had me go two hours out of our way on top of a 12-hour trip. I would love to say it was because of a road closure or an error in the app. But the truth was I wasn’t paying attention, blamed my husband out of pride, and avoided dealing with the issue out of guilt.

When you realize you’re on a homeschool detour, here’s what to do to get to your destination quicker.

We get on homeschool detours when we don’t pay attention, trust but don’t verify, and are prideful. We can get on an even longer detour when we avoid dealing with the issue, blame others, or feel guilty about it. The quickest way to get back on track after a detour is to take stock of where you are, determine the best way forward, ask for help, Trust God, and have a sense of humor.

I have a postscript to this. Last year I was driving four hours to visit a friend and then continuing on a couple hours to stay with my mom. I had driven more than three hours when my husband called. He asked me if I had seen the new bridge on the drive. “No,” I said. “You know I don’t pay attention to that stuff.” My ADD is in high gear when I’m driving. He asked me

I would love to hear about any funny detours you’ve taken. Screenshot this podcast and tag @homeschoolsanity on social media. Thanks again to CTC Math for their sponsorship. Have a happy homeschool week!

The post Special Replay: How To Handle Homeschool Detours appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Do you lack confidence as a homeschool mom? A number of moms on the Homeschool Sanity Facebook page have commented that they do. This is The Homeschool Sanity Show, the episode where we discuss how we can have more confidence as homeschool moms this year.

Hey, homeschoolers! Before we dive into the topic of mom confidence, I’d like to thank CTC Math for sponsoring this episode.

Finding a math curriculum that works for your family can be a challenge! With CTCMath, all of your kids from K-12 can learn at their own pace with one family subscription. That’s right! With a CTCMath membership, you have access to all grades and lessons, which means your children can work at whatever level is best for them. Whether your kid needs to catch up, keep up, or move ahead, with CTCMath they can finally understand math and work at their own pace. CTCMath is offering listeners a half-price discount plus a bonus 6 months when you register for a 12-month membership. Yep. That means you have access to a complete online homeschool math curriculum for all your kids for 18 months!

Before we can talk about building confidence, let’s talk about why we lack it in our homeschooling.

The first reason is fairly obvious: we haven’t homeschooled before. Even classroom teachers can be intimidated by the prospect of teaching all subjects to multiple students–especially their own. It’s normal to lack confidence without experience.

The second reason we lack confidence is we are aware of our shortcomings. I was keenly aware of my lack of organization–something I’ve written and spoken about extensively, and which troubles many a would-be homeschool mom. And it wasn’t just messiness I was worried about. I’d been excited about a lot of projects in the past that I’d lost interest in. What if I did that with homeschooling?

Many homeschooling moms didn’t get good grades in general or in particular subjects, causing them to worry about their ability to teach their own children.

The third reason we lack confidence is because of messaging from other people. We may have family members or friends who disapprove of homeschooling and tell us about homeschool horror stories. From childhood, we may have heard about our shortcomings repeatedly. Or we were mistreated, causing us to wonder who we are to take on this important responsibility. Finally, other homeschoolers can make us feel less than confident by presenting an unattainable picture of homeschooling. Engineers in your support group who lead a championship robotics team. Homeschoolers who pay for expensive private tutoring and classes to ensure their child’s success. Mothers with supportive family who have lots of time to plan and implement an enriched education. You may feel like you’re not qualified.

Inexperience, shortcomings, and others’ messaging can make us feel ill-equipped to homeschool successfully. But here is how we can overcome and take on homeschooling with a new confidence this year.

First, we can begin seeing ourselves as co-learners rather than professors. I learned more about child development and education by homeschooling my kids than I ever did in school or my work as a psychologist. We don’t want to fail in our homeschooling and parenting, but failing is the only way we learn. There are no homeschooling parents who haven’t made mistakes. There are also no classroom teachers who have been perfect.

The only way to grow in confidence as a homeschool mom is to do it. If we are so terrified of making mistakes with our kids that we never try homeschooling or quit at the first sign of challenge, that is the real failure. I’m not saying that everyone is called to homeschool. But if you feel called and you don’t take that call because of fear of messing up your kids, I think you will live to regret it.

These are the things I was afraid of when I began homeschooling: being too disorganized to follow through; having a child who couldn’t read; having an impulsive, immature child who would get hurt; choosing the wrong discipline strategy; having a child behave inappropriately online; having a child who couldn’t write well; having a child rebel; having a child embarrass me. I experienced ALL of these things. And praise God that I did. I’m not afraid of them anymore. The Lord got me through every single one of them.

The second way we can grow in confidence is to focus on our strengths. Organization wasn’t my forte’, but making learning fun and exciting was. As long as our homeschool was reasonably organized, my kids would focus on the fun unit studies, field trips, and co-op activities we did. And that’s what my kids remember.

I disliked gathering the supplies needed to do experiments only to discover that something didn’t work. What I loved doing was teaching literature, writing, and speaking. So my friend and I swapped those responsibilities based on our strengths. She was organized with the labs and I was organized with language arts. Teach your kids from your strengths and share responsibilities with a friend or co-op in your weaker areas.

We also focus on our strengths when we pursue our passions. Teaching world history wasn’t my strength because I had no background in it. But that’s why I was so excited about the topic. I would have read the lessons even without my kids. Even if you’ve struggled with a subject in the past, you can be an exceptional teacher because you’re passionate about learning and teaching it now.

The third way we can grow in confidence is to make the right comparisons. You’ve probably heard that when we feel we are falling short, it’s because we are comparing the inside of our homeschool (and what’s really going on) to the outside of someone else’s homeschool (where it’s carefully curated to present the best image).

But don’t get me wrong. There will be areas that another homeschool mom is further ahead than you are. She’s been doing it longer, has different abilities, has a supportive family, or kids with different strengths. Before you wish you were her, realize that she has made choices that you wouldn’t make. I used to feel inadequate with a mom who was constantly planning fun outings for the kids down to healthy snacks for them to enjoy afterward. But I couldn’t be her and didn’t want to be her. I placed a higher priority on academics and cleaning at home. Yet, what a blessing it was to enjoy her gift for planning activities that my kids enjoyed!

The Bible describes the kinds of comparisons we make as being as foolish as a foot comparing itself to an eye in importance. We are all part of the same body. We can all help one another as homeschoolers so we can achieve our unique goals.

When a friend or family member who doesn’t approve of homeschooling questions your ability to homeschool because of some shortcoming, you can say, “Oh, there are bigger issues than that to prevent me from doing a good job at homeschooling.” You’re likely to surprise a homeschool hater that way.

We can stop worrying about what another mom we know or what a social media influencer is doing because that’s not our role. But we can also stop the comparisons by comparing ourselves to Jesus. Are we as loving and faithful and just as He is? No? Then we should give up. Really. We can stop trying to be great homeschool moms and realize that we can’t do it. Instead, we need Jesus to take over. We need Him to use our unique combination of weaknesses and strengths to be the homeschool mom He planned all along.

Instead of worrying about whether we are going to ruin our kids for life, we can give the responsibility back to Jesus, trusting that He will work everything together for their good and ours. In that sense, we can be confident as homeschool moms because we are confident in Him. What a relief it is for me to know even now that I don’t have to worry about what I did or didn’t do. God had it under control and He still does. Philippians 1:6 is a verse we can hold on to: “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

We can grow in confidence this year as we continue to homeschool, focusing on our strengths, and making the right comparisons. Ultimately, we can be confident that we don’t have what it takes to homeschool our children successfully, but Jesus working through us does. Amen?

I pray this episode has been a blessing to you. Thanks again to CTC Math!

Have a happy homeschool week!

The post Special Replay: How To Have More Confidence As A Homeschool Mom This Year appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

There are three words that can ruin your day: What’s for dinner?

We make a decision, shop for a meal, prepare it, and almost before the kitchen is cleaned, these family members of ours are back for more. For help with meal planning, you’ll want to listen to my discussion with guest Allison Schaaf.

Allison is the founder and CEO of Prep Dish, a meal-planning service that helps busy individuals and families save time while enjoying healthy, stress-free meals. As a registered dietitian and trained chef, Allison combines her expertise in nutrition and culinary arts to create practical, delicious meal plans designed for real life. With a passion for simplifying mealtime, she has helped thousands of subscribers reclaim their evenings and enjoy meal time. Allison and her husband have 4 kids and enjoy living in the Texas Hill Country with their chickens, goats, cats and bees.

We discuss meal planning with:

Special dietary needs

Batch cooking

Getting kids involved Ready to start meal planning for homeschool sanity? Listen, watch, or read now.

Are you looking for a new Math Curriculum?

CTCMath specializes in providing online video tutorials that take a multi-sensory approach to learning. Favorably reviewed in Cathy Duffy’s 102 Top Picks and The Old Schoolhouse Crew Review, the lessons are short and concise to help your children break down concepts and appreciate math in a whole new way!

The lessons are taught the traditional way, not to a “test”.

Each one of the video tutorials is taught by an internationally acclaimed teacher, Pat Murray, who is renowned for teaching math concepts in a simple, easy-to-understand way (and in only a few minutes at a time). CTC Math uses a multi-sensory approach, having the combination of effective graphics and animation synchronized with the voice of a friendly teacher together with practical assessment. This three-pronged attack makes learning so much easier and more effective. Even students who struggled with math are getting fantastic results! And ones who were doing OK before are now doing brilliantly.

Visit ctcmath.com today to start your free trial.

Melanie Wilson

__________________________________

//RESOURCES

https://prepdish.com/sanity

https://youtube.com/prepdish

https://instagram.com/prepdish

As a new homeschooling mom of three, I knew I would benefit from meal planning, but I found the process overwhelming. If you can relate, I encourage you to grab your copy of The Organized Homeschool Life. I break the challenge of meal planning up into four 15-minute missions that will get you started. In the Organized Homeschool Life Planner, you’ll find a weekly meal planning page and grocery list plus a space to remind yourself what you’re making on the daily page. You’ll have time to get your ingredients in the crock pot before you even start school. Best of all, you’ll have a ready answer for the dreaded question.

//WHAT TO LISTEN TO NEXT

~ Working and Homeschooling

~ Chicken Keeping in Your Homeschool

~Teaching Your Kids to Cook Independently

____________________________________

Have a happy homeschool week!

The post Meal Planning For Homeschoolers appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.