The Homeschool Sanity Show

At a recent Great Homeschool Convention, a mom asked me for the best way to have her son’s books published. This is the best time in history to become a published author. That’s because you no longer have to convince a publisher that receives thousands of manuscripts a year to choose your book. Neither do you have to pay thousands of dollars to publish the book yourself.

My guest today is Grace Walker, a homeschooled student who self-published her first book, Stardust, at just 14. You’re going to want to get your copy of this space-themed adventure novel that’s perfect for teens. But if you are interested in self-publishing for yourself or your student, you’ll want to listen to our conversation.

Hey, homeschoolers! Before we dive into the topic, I want to thank CTC Math for sponsoring this episode of The Homeschool Sanity Show.

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!

Stardust (on Homeschool Sanity)

Kindle Direct Publishing

Canva

Self-publishing group on Facebook

Tips for Aspiring Writers

The post Special Replay: Self-Publishing For Homeschoolers appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Hey, homeschoolers! This weekend I met a fellow homeschooler who was down about her homeschooled child’s rebellion. She wondered if homeschooling had even been worth it because of what was happening. I did my best to encourage her because I have been there. Because I haven’t addressed this topic on the podcast before, I wanted to share what I told her and even more if I had had the time.

Before I start by sharing three key do’s and don’ts for teen rebellion, I want to say that I’m sorry if you’re experiencing this. Few things can be more demoralizing to a homeschool mama. I remember the day my normally compliant teen walked into homeschool gym class, eating a granola bar. I said, “You know we can’t eat in the gym. Go to the breakroom to finish that.” And right in front of my homeschool friends, he smirked and continued to eat it right where he was. Don’t worry if your teen’s behavior is far worse. That wasn’t the full extent of my teen’s rebellion, either.

Rebellion hurts our feelings for sure. Before this day, I had a great relationship with my child. But in addition to hurt feelings, we are also terrified about the potential consequences of serious rebellion like lying, stealing, drinking, using drugs, having sex, refusing to cooperate, being violent, or rejecting Christ. We’ve all heard the horror stories, so when our teen defiantly eats a granola bar in the gym for all the homeschool world to see, it can feel like we’re going to be someone else’s cautionary tale.

If and when your teen rebels, I believe God will guide you. I didn’t know the mom or her daughter, so the counsel I gave had to be generic. That is the case on this podcast too. If something I say feels right, wonderful. If it doesn’t, dismiss it. You won’t hurt my feelings. With that caveat, let’s dive in.

My first DON’T is don’t blame yourself. All loving mothers take too much responsibility for their teen’s choices, but homeschool moms take this to a whole new level. That first bite of granola bar after I sent my teen out of the gym was evidence of my failure as a mom. We only studied obedience as a separate unit study once. We should have done more! We should have memorized more Scripture! I hadn’t used enough consequences or the right ones. And on and on.

What is funny to me is that my strong-willed son takes after his father, yet I didn’t blame my husband. I blamed myself. I’m not suggesting that we pass the buck. But why (if we are co-parenting) do we tend to think it’s entirely our responsibility to raise godly kids?

That aside, the problem with blaming ourselves is we feel like failures. We can get depressed. We may want to quit homeschooling. We may surrender to the rebellion and fully expect the rest of our children to behave likewise. And they just might if we blame ourselves.

The worst problem with blaming ourselves, however, is that we take the burden of responsibility from our teen–where it belongs. Imagine if you stole something from a store and the store owner chased you down to say that it was all her fault for not making it clear that stealing wasn’t allowed or making it too easy for you to steal. You would be astonished! But that is the insanity we engage in when we take the blame for our teens’ poor choices. Now, I’m fully aware that parents are usually blamed in our culture for kids gone wrong. It hurts when that blame is misplaced. But our focus must be on helping our teen, not worrying what others think.

The first DO is to make it clear to our teen that he or she is fully responsible for the choice they made. Despite anyone else’s behavior or the circumstances, they made the choice and they will own it. The mama I spoke to wanted to know how old a teen has to be to be fully responsible. While the Bible doesn’t give an age of accountability, 13 is the age of accountability by Jewish custom and 20 is the age of maturity given in Scripture. But some 12-year-olds are accountable whereas some 16-year-olds may not be depending on special needs. I will say that I would err on the side of saying your teen is responsible.

When a police officer on On Patrol Live (a new favorite show of mine) pulls a driver over, one of the first things they say is what they were doing wrong. You didn’t stop at the light. You were doing 40 mph in a 25. You were crossing the center line. That’s what we want to do with our teen. Calmly state what the misbehavior was. Unfortunately, many of the drivers on the show On Patrol Live will deny they did anything wrong, will make excuses, or will verbally attack the officer. If your teen behaves this way, stay calm and restate what they did wrong.

http://NowPrograms.com for special-needs students

Many times parents panic when they see signs of rebellion. All privileges are revoked. No socializing is permitted. The teen is essentially in solitary confinement. This might be called for in cases of chronic rebellion, but not for a first offense. It is especially common for parents who have done little disciplining in the early years to respond this way to rebellion. But in this case, the approach could be called too much, too late. I didn’t go authoritarian on the granola-bar incident, but I did go authoritarian later on.

There are three problems with an authoritarian approach to teen rebellion. Teens are learning about life just as you are learning about parenting teens. If they test the boundaries and discover that they can create chaos with one misstep, they will want to do some more experimenting–not less. If our teen lacks attention, excitement, or a challenge, they’ve discovered a powerful new way of getting it. If you haven’t been paying as much attention to your teen, now your child can act out any time she wants to be the star of the show. If your child is bored, telling friends and even other family members about your draconian response to a minor infraction and seeing your reaction can be very entertaining. If you have a strong-willed child, adding new rules will be a challenge this child cannot resist. If you have an especially smart strong-willed child, you will be exhausted trying to block every exit from your solitary confinement.

Ask them what led them to the choice they made without the angry, hysterical tone. The officers with On Patrol Live generally ask calm questions like, “Where were you going? Why were you in a hurry?” Although they are often lied to, officers usally respond calmly with an accepting attitude. With teens, we can respond in kind with “Okay,” and a restatement of what they’ve said.

Stage two of the officers’ conversations with drivers is to say, “Honesty will go a long way. Am I going to find anything illegal in your car?” In the same way, we can encourage our teen to tell us the truth for a more lenient response. After getting a response and doing a search, the officers take some time to make a decision on consequences. Minor infractions are allowed to go after a stern warning. Moderate offenses earn a ticket. We want to respond likewise to our teen. Take some time to think, pray, and discuss potential responses. I prefer logical consequences. For more on this, check out the book Parenting Teens with Love and Logic.

The On Patrol Live officers let drivers who haven’t committed serious crimes go. They may follow them a little way, but they don’t follow them all the way back to their house or pull them over every time they see them out driving to give them a breathalizer test.

There may be situations where spying is warranted. But as a rule, this approach is destined to fail. Tailing your teen is exhausting. How long will you be your teen’s security detail? Will you continue when they’re in college or living in their own apartment? Your teen will sense your mistrust and may begin to internalize the idea that they aren’t trustworthy.

Spying also fosters more rebellion. Your teen will be motivated to be even more secretive and to break more rules. Your teen can also easily get friends and extended family on their side as they relay your intrusiveness.

The mom I talked with mentioned not wanting her teen to make the mistakes she and her husband made. Her husband had had us laughing with tales of his high school antics. This fear that our kids will rebel in the same way we did is a key driver of spying. However, we want to remember there are differences between how we were raised and the way we raised our kids. There are differences between our faith as kids and our teens’ faith. It isn’t fair for our teens to be suspects because of our poor choices.

A coach uses influence and teaching to help people make better choices. A coach doesn’t spy on her clients. She expresses her belief that her clients can and will be successful. We want to do this too. What a coach does not do is take full responsibility for clients’ choices.

To coach a rebellious teen, we want to help them consider the consequences of various choices. Teens generally lack the maturity to consider how their actions may affect them in the future. Helping them acquire this skill protects them in every situation, where rules and consequences can only manage limited situations.

Let’s consider a teen who wants to attend a party. You may want to have the address and talk to parents to make sure there will be adult supervision before you say okay. But understanding that teens have a way of making poor choices despite supervision, you might ask your teen: “What will you do if you are offered alcohol?” Most likely your teen will parrot back the required response that they won’t drink it. You can warn your teens that they should only drink beverages that they have prepared and kept in their possession so drugs and alcohol cannot be added without their knowledge. Then you can say, “Let’s say you decide to have a couple of drinks. You feel the effects much more than you expected. What will you do?” You can lay out the options and potential consequences, while sharing what you are willing to do to help your teen. For example, you could say that if your teen ever asks you for a ride home, they will not be punished. It’s that important to you that they are safe. I am not saying you have to adopt these principles. I’m only using them as examples.

Coaches use stories to warn and inspire clients. Use them liberally with your teens. Tell your own story, the stories of people you know, and stories you have read. I have shared the story of a friend’s relative going to prison for killing someone after driving under the influence and the story of George Mueller, a rebellious teen who ended up caring for 10,000 orphans through faith alone.

As your coach, I encourage you to read the story of Samson in the book of Judges. Samson was a rebellious teen who gave his godly parents grief. While he experienced severe consequences for his foolish actions, he also led Israel for 20 years and was listed in Hebrews 11, the faith hall of fame.

My rebellious, granola-bar chomping teen was surprised when I said he wouldn’t be joining us at the trampoline park later that day. I made sure he knew what he had done, and I don’t think the consequence was draconian. Over the next couple of years, we did a lot of talking, and we did a lot of coaching. That teen is now a grown man and while imperfect like us, the positive impact of our homeschooling and our coaching on him is obvious.

The last thing I said to the mama with the rebellious teen was to pray and trust God. We are not in this alone. God is giving our teen the responsibility for choices, is talking with our teen (even if he or she isn’t always listening), and is coaching our teen through the Holy Spirit (even if they haven’t yet made a profession of faith). After all, her husband who was a rebellious teen himself, is now a committed Christian and a homeschool dad. There is hope.

Thanks again to NOW Programs for their support of the podcast. If you have a friend with a rebellious teen, please share this episode with them. You can find it and the books I mentioned at homeschoolsanity.com/rebellion.

Have a happy homeschool week!

The post Do’s And Don’ts Of Teen Rebellion appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Hey, homeschoolers! I loved having Dana K. White of A Slob Comes Clean on the podcast to discuss the container concept for clutter. If you missed that one, it’s gold.

When I heard she had a new book coming out, I jumped at the chance to have her back. I was especially intrigued because the book adds a faith-based perspective she hasn’t shared before.

Visit NOW Programs for special-needs resources.

Jesus Doesn’t Care About Your Messy House

Have a happy homeschool week!

The post Jesus And Your Messy House appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Hey, homeschoolers! Are you happy with your homeschool style or approach to education, or could it use an upgrade? In this episode, I’m going to share why we should up our homeschool style and three simple ways to do it.

Although I’m not talking about your wardrobe, I will be using fashion as a metaphor. Homeschool style is the educational philosophy that guides the way you teach. Unit studies is the homeschool style I used at the beginning of our homeschooling journey with 5 in a Row and then Konos. Because subjects are related in the real world, I felt it made sense to study all aspects of a topic. We studied kings and queens with music, art, drama, literature, and even food. I’ll never forget eating a meal off a trencher or plate made from bread. We had a blast learning with unit studies.

But as my older kids started high school, the unit study style wasn’t working as well. I could have chosen from many popular styles to improve our homeschool: textbook, online, hybrid, Charlotte Mason, classical, unschooling, or eclectic.

You might wonder how important homeschool style is if you’re a newer homeschooler. That’s a fair question. Referring to the fashion metaphor, I’ve interviewed two fashion stylists for the podcast. Both women shared that while style isn’t the most important thing in life, it is important. When you are comfortable and confident in your clothing, you are happier. When you’re happier, your relationships improve, and you have more success.

Homeschool style is similar. If you are happy to start a day of school using the approach you’ve chosen, everything homeschool will be so much easier. Your kids will be happier; you’ll spend less money; and you’ll get more done.

If that sounds good to you, I have three steps that will help you up your homeschool style.

First, I want to thank NOW Programs for sponsoring the podcast.

The first step in improving your homeschool style is an edit. Like a pair of pants with a snug waistband, your educational materials that don’t fit stay in the closet. Same with high heels when most of your time is spent at home or at kids’ sports practices.

If we were going to upgrade your wardrobe, we would have you look at the unworn pieces in your closet. We will do the same with your homeschool style. Make a list of curriculum you don’t or quit using or activities you skipped or dread. With a closet edit, I make a list on my phone of clothing I should not buy in the future: ribbed sweaters, colored boots. Some things that ended up on my don’t-buy list for homeschooling were: Latin, foreign language curricula, and lab-heavy curricula. When it came to these things, it didn’t matter if my friends or online influencers were loving them–like chunky boots they were going to gather dust in my closet.

Doing a homeschool style edit can save you time and money. You won’t buy books or sign up for extracurriculars you won’t use and enjoy.

When you’re decluttering clothes, you can choose to give them away or sell them. You have the same options when it comes to physical curriculum. There are local and online sales outlets to consider. Just a note that most digital curriculum is copyrighted and cannot be resold.

Sometimes you have to make the difficult decision to stop participating in activities. I’ve been there. This is really tough when other families are involved. You may have to stick things out for a semester or a year. But at least you’ll know a change is coming.

After doing an edit, the second step in upgrading your homeschool style is to choose guide words. A popular strategy for determining a personal style for fashion is to choose three words that characterize how you want to look. My current words are classy, chic, and striking. I get to define what those words mean for me. Some trends don’t feel chic to me, even if others think they are. My words help me eliminate outfits just like my edit list does. I tried on a pair of tall, chunky boots that are on trend and felt anything but classy. They were a no.

Looking back at my early homeschool years, I would say my guidewords were stories, fun, and faith. I wanted our learning to be grounded in good books; memorable, active activities; and a biblical worldview. Those guide words helped me make choices about curriculum, extracurriculars, and our schedule. Of course, you don’t have to limit yourself to three words, but three words are easier to remember. I think choosing guidewords can be a family focus. We can ask our kids what words best describe their ideal homeschool. I think my kids would have chosen the words I use as the tag line for Fun to Learn Books: fast, easy, fun.

When it comes to determining our fashion style, women are usually encouraged to make a vision board. Collecting photos or pinning them on Pinterest can help us identify the common features we are most drawn to. When I did this originally, I found myself frequently pinning outfits with camel-colored belts. Buying a camel belt was an easy way to improve my style.

With homeschooling, we can save photos of homeschool approaches we see online that we’re drawn to. We can save the tea-party pictures, the gardening pics, or the experiment videos because they look just like what we want in our homeschool. Save them and then go back later and ask yourself what commonalities you see. Are there lots of nature photos? You might want to incorporate more nature study into your approach. Are you inspired by kids starting their own businesses? You might want to incorporate more unschooling into your style. Do you have pictures of parents and kids learning together? You may be more motivated if you’re taking the writing class or the cake decorating class with your child. Make a list of what you’d like to incorporate into your homeschool approach going forward.

After you’ve edited and gotten clear on what you’d like to incorporate into your homeschool style, it’s time to do what guest Jennifer Mackey Mary says: try it on. There’s nothing like giving a wardrobe piece a trial run and taking pictures of yourself in it. I love high-necked or spaghetti-strap tanks on other women. On me, not so much. Actually, not at all. The spaghetti-strap tops are not only unflattering but they’re not comfortable because I have to wear a strapless bra and feel it sliding down my torso the whole time.

What does this have to do with your homeschooling style? In the same way that I had this idealistic vision of me wearing a spaghetti-strap top, we tend to do this with homeschool approaches. Let’s use full-time RV homeschooling as an example. In my mind, I blissfully travel from one incredible location to another where we hike and learn all about the flora and fauna of the whole United States. And so little cleaning to do. Low stress with minimal belongings. This is what I was thinking when I told my teen daughter that I knew someone who was going to RV full time as a homeschooler. I asked, “What would you think of that?” She said, “I think it would be horrible!” “Yeah. You’re right,” I said, laughing. Now I am not saying that it would be horrible for everyone, just like spaghetti-strap tops aren’t. But the day-to-day reality of full-time RV schooling is not what I want. Fortunately, I don’t have to try it to know that.

But sometimes we do have to try it. Ask your friend to take your family through a day of Charlotte Mason homeschooling. See if you can shadow at Classical Conversations. Borrow curriculum. Plan an unschooling week. When you find something that isn’t comfortable, ask yourself how you can tweak it. I have a camisole with a built-in bra that isn’t bad.

As homeschoolers, we get to modify approaches to customize them to us and our kids. What a blessing that is! An eclectic approach as my kids entered high school was perfect for us. We used aspects of many different styles.

Most wardrobe upgrades don’t involve replacing all of a woman’s clothes. Homeschool style upgrades can also occur with some small changes. Wardrobe upgrades are also not one and done. I upgrade my clothing style quarterly. I am a member of Jennifer Mackey Mary’s Style Circle. I upgraded my homeschool approach twice a year–in January and in the summer.

Trying on new-to-me styles typically has me excited and getting compliments. My matching scuba-knit athleisure sets from Amazon are getting me the most compliments lately. I felt the same way when I tried on a new homeschool style. I was refreshed when I moved from a unit-study approach to history to using The Mystery of History. I found my kids were newly motivated by new styles too. That doesn’t mean you have to change everything. Some materials were like closet basics for us that we didn’t change–like Apologia Science. Ask yourself what your homeschool basics are and what you new materials or activities you could add this season.

Improving your homeschool style starts with an edit. You admit what you’re not using or loving. Next you choose your style guide words. What words define your homeschool. I would love to hear what you choose. Let me know on your favorite social media platform. Begin using your guide words to make choices for curriculum or activities. Finally, try it on. Try some new things on a regular basis that complement the homeschool basics you love.

Thanks again to NOW Programs for sponsoring the podcast. Have a happy homeschool week!

The post How To Upgrade Your Homeschool Style appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Hey, homeschoolers! I recently read Mark Forster’s book How to Get Everything Done and Still Have Time to Play and I absolutely loved it. It’s been another of his books that has been life-changing for me. In this episode, I want to share principles from the book that can help you accomplish your homeschool and other goals this year and have plenty of free time too.

NOW Programs for students with special needs.

How can we possibly get everything done? We can’t. Mr. Forster is very clear that by everything, he means everything we have decided we can and must do. Most of us are trying to do way too much–too many curricula, too many activities, even too many fun things. Until we limit the number of tasks and projects and commitments we take on, we will continue to struggle.

With that caveat out of the way, let’s talk about the struggle to get everything done. I would say that all my life I have had the same issue: I do a good job accomplishing a few top priorities, but everything else seems to get put on the back burner until it becomes a crisis. For example, when I create a task plan for the week, quarter, or year, writing curriculum like Training Aliens or preparing for a Great Homeschool Convention is the top priority. Publishing this podcast is the next highest priority. But what about social media? That gets pushed aside along with website changes and home projects and I don’t even want to talk about taxes! I have a feeling you can relate.

For you, maybe it’s math and English that are prioritized, meaning that science experiments, foreign language, or art get put off.

I’ve shared before about loop scheduling being a great option for this. You have a day or a time block that you assign two or more activities to. Then you loop or rotate through them in order. If last time you did a science experiment, then today you’d do foreign language.

Theme days are another way of dealing with these lower priorities. If you never get around to decluttering your art supplies, you might dedicate Saturdays to decluttering. Or you dedicate the last day of the month to deep cleaning.

These approaches have worked for me for a time. But when I missed enough of my looping or theme days, I would usually determine that I needed to give up the activity altogether and focus on my top priorities. The negative cycle would begin again.

Enter Mark’s book, which sets the stage with a fairy tale. Story-based inspiration? I’m here for it. This fairy tale has the hero, Hans, seeking wisdom for getting things done so he can focus on his top priority–winning the princess’s hand in marriage. I found myself relating to Hans as he tried many recommended approaches to getting things done. They worked for a while and then led to the same problem of lower priority tasks becoming a crisis. Poor Hans struggled to be successful AND win the princess.

Enter Mark Forster as our wise guide. He suggests an approach that reminds me of what I had recommended years ago in a blog post I called How to Homeschool in an Hour a Day.

The idea is that you make a list of the top projects or life areas that you want to give attention to. This should not exceed 10 areas or projects. Homeschoolers can include the subject areas you want to cover in your day. But you would also include a home category with things like organizing, and hobbies you want to make take time for. Those of you who want to start a business would list a project for it as well.

My initial list included Writing Training Aliens Curriculum, Podcast publishing, Business Administration, Other Work Projects, and Social Media. I had a home and family category and a personal one. Before beginning to use your list for the day, Mark recommends having a task or checklist that you want to accomplish for each project or area. I missed that recommendation when I began using the approach, however.

Once you have your list of areas or projects written, you will write the number 5 next to each. You will then set a timer for 5 minutes and dedicate that time to the first area on your list. Mark mentions that you may be using that first 5 minutes to clarify your plan for that project. I set a timer and looked over my notes for writing a Training Aliens lesson. When the timer goes off, you cross off the number 5 and write the number 10 next to it. You will then reset the timer and proceed to work for 5 minutes on the next area on your list.

When you have dedicated 5 minutes to each area on your list, you will go back to the top and will work for 10 minutes on each area. When you have finished what you want to do for that area, Mark recommends writing a 5 next to that area. If you still have work to accomplish, you will increase the time by 5 minutes for each pass you make until you hit 40 minutes. After working for 30 minutes total (and not after finishing a task), Mark tells us to stop what we’re doing and take a 5 minute break.

This may sound confusing, but the bottom line is that we do a short burst of work on multiple areas throughout the day, adding 5 minutes to the time we work on each pass through.

One of the things that makes this approach so powerful is its adaptability. Mark gives many variations of the approach, using a smaller number of areas and different timing options. There isn’t a wrong way to do it.

As you consider trying this, think about using it for skill practice for you or your kids. Practice piano or foreign language for 5 minutes and then 10 minutes until you’ve met the daily goal. This approach would also work beautifully for exercise. I am not using it for that purpose because it’s already a scheduled habit for me. But it would be a relatively painless way of building the habit.

How to Get Everything Done & Still Have Time to Play is a quick and engaging read. I highly recommend it and giving it a try. It would be an engaging experiment for kids and teens, and may be especially useful for those with ADD. I wrote about many approaches like this in my book A Year of Living Productively. Thanks again to Now Programs for sponsoring the podcast.

Have a happy homeschool week!

The post How To Get Everything Done And Still Have Time To Play appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Organizing is a popular goal for the new year. If you’re a homeschooler wanting to get organized, it can be hard to know where to start. Consider the six areas I share in this podcast episode.

Have a child with learning challenges? NOW Programs offers help.

Want to read the podcast as a blog post? READ HERE or SUBSCRIBE ON ITUNES or ON STITCHER

Airtable.com

a comprehensive post about the best places buy/sell used curriculum

Konmari method  for folding clothes

Plan to Eat

Tastefully Simple’s 30 day meal plan

free meal planning book

The Organized Homeschool Life

Which area are you organizing first? Let’s chat about it on Facebook.

The post Special Replay: Organizing Challenges for the New Year appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Hey, homeschoolers!

I’m a time management/productivity enthusiast, which you know if you have my book, A Year of Living Productively. That book is the result of my experiments with more than 80 different productivity approaches. I did the reading and the experimenting to make the process of creating your own productivity formula faster. What I’ve discovered about has enabled me to write, speak, run a business, homeschool, maintain relationships, keep a home, and enjoy hobbies. But I’m never done wanting to improve.

If you have a special-needs learner, check out NOW Programs!

Every season of our lives presents new challenges for using our time. I have just two high school students at home now and they both work. I’m done teaching public speaking at our local homeschool academy. Now I want to provide YouTube videos to help homeschooling parents. So it’s a good time for me to reevaluate how I’m doing things.

That reevaluation led me to read the book Redeeming Your Time by Jordan Raynor. Honestly, I was prepared to be disappointed. Most time management books are basic. You know: Your time is valuable. Have a morning routine. Plan your day. Christian books about time typically emphasize spending time in prayer about your priorities. These practices are so important, but they aren’t new to me after years of focus on productivity.

So I was surprised by Jordan’s book. I needed it. Maybe you do, too. So I’m going to share six lessons from Redeeming Your Time that will help you make the most of every moment as a homeschool mom.

Too many time-management teachers imply that we can get it all done. Just say no to things, trim down your extracurricular activities, use practical curriculum and you’ll finish your homeschool plan early. Yeah, right!

This idea has left me feeling like a failure. Sometimes I give up. I quit putting effort into activities or I stop using the curriculum. Other times I try harder. I commit to getting up earlier, being firmer with my kids about meeting deadlines, or working faster through lessons. Because that’s a recipe for joy, right?

There are so many lessons and subjects I wanted to teach my kids before they went off to college but didn’t. I have honestly schemed about how I could talk them into doing the lessons when they’re home for college. “Hey, guys, let’s watch this amazing video together. Here’s a fantastic book that I’m going to read aloud to you.” Yeah, that won’t happen.

As a writer, I have so many ideas for books. I want to write them all! Truthfully, I’d like to write them all this year. But Jordan gently helped me see that I won’t write them all this year. I may not write them all in five years. I may not write them ever.

But it’s okay. God knows that we won’t get all the work done even if we’re still in denial about it. He will finish the work that He wants done. Our kids will learn the lessons they need to learn without us. Hard to believe, I know. They’ll hear a message in church, get it through experience, or will seek the knowledge themselves because we have taught them how to learn. I have seen this in my kids time and time again.

So, take a deep breath, and know that God will finish everything on your to-do list that He wants done, even if He uses someone else to do it.

Jordan didn’t put it quite this way. Instead, he said, “God loves us no matter how productive or unproductive we are in this life.” He isn’t sighing in disappointment when He sees me chatting with friends instead of teaching a lesson on research paper writing. He isn’t rolling His eyes when I’m looking at clothes on Pinterest instead of making a faith video to share on Instagram.

Jordan explains that no matter how much we accomplish, it isn’t possible for God to love us more. And no matter how much we mess up, it isn’t possible for God to love us less. He reminded me of a blog post I wrote years ago on obligation-based procrastination. We strong-types don’t like feeling like we have to do things. That’s why I never practiced piano when I had to practice for my teacher each week. As soon as my parents gave me permission to quit, I began playing an hour a day–simply because I wanted to.

What this means is that God doesn’t require us to check off a long list of tasks. We aren’t required to do them to earn His love. Suddenly, we are free to do them simply because we want to.

What tasks can you let go of that God isn’t requiring you to do? Let them go and rediscover what you’re passionate about.

When I had severe shoulder pain, sitting in our hot tub was one of the few things that gave me relief. But that time had an added benefit. I had nothing to do but think. I already knew what a blessing thinking time was for me. I love driving long distance alone. I talk to God, work through emotions, and come up with my best ideas. I had the idea for Grammar Galaxy while driving.

But I needed the reminder to take this time even when I’m at home. The popular practice of meditation is not what I’m talking about here. Secular meditation is chasing thoughts away by focusing on the breath or repeating a phrase. I think that’s the opposite of what we need to do. We need to let the thoughts come so we can acknowledge them and learn from them.

Jordan makes the point that we have so little quiet time to think that the thoughts come in a rush when we step into the shower, are having a conversation, or try to go to sleep at night. We have blocked them by reading, listening, and watching constantly.

The first time I practiced this after reading Jordan’s book, the answer to a question I had about how to spend my time came to me so clearly that I was dumbfounded.

After having time to read God’s Word and praying, sit and think. Notice what comes to mind without trying to block the thoughts.

I told you about the lessons I learned doing a social-media fast. So I was surprised to learn more on this topic.

Jordan called me out on some of my reading habits. He writes, “We love being the first to know something…There is ego in trying to stay up on everything…in trying to appear the most informed person in the room.” Ugh. Then he quotes Jen Wilkin: “Our insatiable desire for information is a clear sign that we covet the divine omniscience.” In other words, she’s saying I’m trying to be God. If I were God, I would need to know all the things.

After reading the book, I moved some things out of my inbox. What’s funny is that my husband and friends are always repeating what I read anyway. But I apparently really like being in the know and I’ve started reading them again. Preparing this podcast is a good reminder to me that I don’t need to know.

Jordan says that we weren’t created to take in information like it’s coming out of a firehouse. I remember getting a 75-page homeschool newsletter in my early homeschooling days. The number of decisions I had to make about homeschool activities each month was so overwhelming that I stopped reading it. Instead, I told my friends to tell me about anything I shouldn’t miss.

If you’re drowning in information you don’t need, consider having your friends and family keep you posted about what the critical and letting the rest go.

Jordan’s roles as husband, father, and entrepreneur guide his goals. I believe in the priority of marriage and talk about it. But I realized after reading Jordan’s marriage goals that I don’t have any goals related to my marriage. That’s in part because we have a healthy marriage. My business is also doing well. Yet I have many goals for it. There is clearly a mismatch between my marriage priority and my goals.

Jordan has date nights as a goal. I don’t need that. My husband and I both work from home, go out on dates regularly, and spend focused time together morning and evening. Then I recalled what Sandy had said about doing good to her husband all the days of her life. I shared this in a previous episode that I’ll link in the show notes. Now I had a goal. Each day I would look for a day to do my husband good.

The first day my husband was asking me what I would make for dinner and he suggested pork chops. I wrinkled my nose. Pork chops are just okay for me. Then I remembered the goal. Making pork chops would be the good I would do him. But that’s it. That’s all he gets. I’m kidding!

What are your three top roles in life? Choose a goal that matches each role.

Most people check their email and text messages many times a day. Jordan’s metaphor shows us how ridiculous this is. He writes, “I want you to imagine something. Instead of delivering mail to your home once a day, the mailman has started making deliveries one hundred times a day. And he no longer stays at the curb. With each delivery, he rings your doorbell and you get up from whatever you’re doing, open the door, take the piece of mail, and open it…That would be insane, right?”

Yep, insane. I realized that although I had my phone on silent while I was writing, I kept being interrupted by the tap of my Apple watch. A friend sent a news article for me to read. Even when I didn’t stop to read it, I was distracted. It took time for me to focus on my writing again.

You may not have a problem with email or messaging but with children interrupting you. You’re tutoring one child and two more come to you asking for help.

After reading the book, I started using the Focus setting on my phone. I couldn’t believe the difference it made to get no digital interruptions during my writing. My next step is to put a “recording” sign on my door so my family knows not to interrupt my podcast and YouTube sessions.

Consider set times for checking your email, messages, and your kids’ schoolwork. Take advantage of apps that will block non-emergency interruptions.

There is so much more to Redeeming Your Time. He is writing to a business audience primarily, but it’s a worthy read for a homeschool mom. Let me know what you think of it and your results with the tips I shared.

Join me next time as we discuss how to homeschool if your child won’t listen.

Have a happy homeschool week!

The post Special Replay: Redeeming Your Time: How To Make The Most Of Every Moment As A Homeschool Mom appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Do you ever eat because you’re bored, anxious, or excited? The is the episode where we learn how to say goodbye to emotional eating so we can stay focused on homeschooling.

Hey, homeschoolers! The problem with emotional eating for homeschooling parents is two-fold. We hate the consequences for ourselves and we hate even more the example it sets for our kids. But how can we get past it?

http://nowprograms.com for your special-needs learners

My guest for this episode will help us! Barb Raveling has joined me on the show before. I’ll put links in the show notes. She is a retired homeschool mom, now a prolific Christian author you can learn more about at BarbRaveling.com. She has a  soon-to-be-released book on this topic called Say Goodbye to Emotional Eating.

Barb and I discussed:

Barb has shared on previous episodes you can listen to:

To preorder Barb’s book and claim valuable bonuses, go to SayGoodbyeToEmotionalEating.com.

Have a happy homeschool week!

The post Special Replay: Say Goodbye To Emotional Eating With Barb Raveling appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Hey, homeschoolers! How will you homeschool through the holiday season? There are many approaches that can work for you, but you’re most likely to feel good about the season when you’re intentional about it. I invited guest Katie Trent back to share with us some ideas for adjusting our homeschooling during the holidays. I also asked her about her new book that is a must-add-to-cart title.

Before I get to our interview, I want to thank NOW Programs for sponsoring the podcast.

http://nowprograms.com

How to Homeschool Through a Move with Katie J Trent

A Merry & Bright Adventure

KatieJTrent.com

Katie on Instagram

Katie on Facebook

Have a happy homeschool week!

The post How To Homeschool Through The Holidays appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Hey, homeschoolers! When I began homeschooling, I thought I would have to teach reading on the couch. That’s a lot more comfortable for kids than at desks, but I didn’t know that I could do better–especially for my boys. Before I introduce my guest, I want to share this message from our sponsor, NOW Programs.

https://www.nowprograms.com

Stefanie Hohl is an experienced educator specializing in early literacy and movement-based learning. She is passionate about finding innovative ways to save parents’ sanity while still engaging young learners. She developed a fun and effective program called ABC See, Hear, Do. This program is designed to help children develop essential reading skills through a multi-sensory approach that incorporates visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles.

I really enjoyed hearing her ideas, and I know you will too.

Resources

ABCSeeHearDo.com

Stefanie on Facebook, Instagram

Have a happy homeschool week!

The post Teaching Reading The Active Way appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.