Need a Pick-Me-Up no matter what the age of your kids?  Renee Tougas is the answer.  Renee is a homeschool mom to 3 teenaged and young adult children.  She is a talented blogger and adventurer.  Her words are profound, inspiring and beyond encouraging.  You could not ask for a better person to turn your homeschool from frustrating to flourishing!  We walked away from this conversation feeling great about what we’re doing now to prepare for life with teenagers.  Listen now! How to connect with Renee: Blog: http://renee.tougas.net/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/reneetougas  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reneetougas/   My part-time work: content writer, community, marketing, and media manager for B-RAD Podcast & https://bradtoews.com/    Loving This Week Angela:  Accuweather App Maren:  Y Weave Rectangle Storage Bin - Room Essentials   Visit our website Support us on Patreon here. Join our closed Facebook group: Unrefined Homeschoolers Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube Angela on Instagram: @unrefinedangela Maren on Instagram: @unrefinedmaren Email us any questions or feedback at homeschoolunrefined@gmail.com Visit our Amazon Shop: https://www.amazon.com/shop/homeschoolunrefined We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.  

92: Where We Relax Into High School With Renee Tougas, Part 1

Are you ready for a homeschooling experience you can enjoy? One with less stress and more fun? Are you ready to think differently about homeschool? Join Maren and Angela every Monday as we encourage each other, laugh, and get real about homeschool.

Kids & Family

Parenting

Education for Kids

Join us as we discuss getting honest about socialization!   This is a biggie! When people ask about socialization, they’re usually wondering about one of the following:   How will the homeschooled child spend time with other children?   How will the homeschooled child learn to act appropriately in situations where other people are around?    Will homeschooling turn a child into a weird, eccentric kid?   We’re here to validate any concerns you might have about socialization and help put your mind at ease.      This last season of our podcast is for homeschooling parents, traditional school parents, and everyone in between. This is our last season and definitely our best season!   We’re here to show you how to: Identify learning opportunities in everything you do, how to celebrate your child’s differences, and how to give yourself and your kids credit for all the things you’re already doing. If you have felt unwelcome in other spaces, we hope you feel welcome here.    LTWs  Angela:  Favorite New Summer T-shirt I’ve already stocked up for summer!   Maren:   HIdrate Spark Water Bottle If you’ve been around Homeschool Unrefined for a while, you know I’ve used this smart water bottle in the past! After several year’s hiatus, I’m back. The new, updated water bottle is smarter, way easier to clean, and comes with a long-lasting, rechargeable base. It solves all the problems I had with their old bottle, and then some. I love the new tumbler model, which sits by my side all day long.   You can now pre-order our book!  Our book will be released on June 18th! You can pre-order "Think Differently About Learning: A Homeschool Where Children And Parents Thrive" from the following vendors, or wherever books are sold.    Bookshop.org  Amazon  Barnes & Noble    Connect with us!  Visit our website and follow us on Instagram: @homeschoolunrefined. Follow Maren for ADD, homeschooling, and parent coaching: @alwayslearningwithmaren. Sign up for our newsletter and get our Top 100 Inclusive Book List. We are listener-supported! Support us on Patreon and get access to our special Q&P; (Question and Process) episodes! Email us any questions or feedback at homeschoolunrefined@gmail.com.

208: Getting Honest About Socialization

Join us as we talk about easy ways to connect with your kids!   Connection is the foundation for everything and is the answer to a lot of common issues.   We explore these easy ways to connect with your kids:   Enter their world, listen, and be curious   Let go of your expectations and plans   Own your mistakes   Invite vs impart      This last season of our podcast is for homeschooling parents, traditional school parents, and everyone in between. This is our last season and definitely our best season!   We’re here to show you how to: Identify learning opportunities in everything you do, how to celebrate your child’s differences, and how to give yourself and your kids credit for all the things you’re already doing. If you have felt unwelcome in other spaces, we hope you feel welcome here.    LTWs  Angela:  Klorane Dry Shampoo This is the best dry shampoo I’ve tried - I have this on auto-ship!    Maren:  Superhuman Email I have ADHD. The moment I received my first email address in college, life has gotten a little more complicated. Since then I’ve been chasing Inbox Zero to no avail, until Superhuman. Superhuman makes managing and organizing my email simple, and dare I say it, easy. I now see important emails coming in. I can find old emails I need at the right moment. And I often get to Inbox Zero. I’m finally at peace with email. Use my link for a free month!   You can now pre-order our book!  Our book will be released on June 18th! You can pre-order "Think Differently About Learning: A Homeschool Where Children And Parents Thrive" from the following vendors, or wherever books are sold.    Bookshop.org  Amazon  Barnes & Noble    Connect with us!  Visit our website and follow us on Instagram: @homeschoolunrefined. Follow Maren for ADD, homeschooling, and parent coaching: @alwayslearningwithmaren. Sign up for our newsletter and get our Top 100 Inclusive Book List. We are listener-supported! Support us on Patreon and get access to our special Q&P; (Question and Process) episodes! Email us any questions or feedback at homeschoolunrefined@gmail.com.

207: Easy Ways To Connect With Your Kids

Join us as we talk about reframing mental health!   Caring for ourselves and teaching our children how to care for themselves is critical!    In this episode, we talk about:   A simple and effective general assessment to help you and your kids self-regulate during challenging times.    The importance of knowing when you need a break and when you need a challenge.   How to be proactive in talking with our kids about mental health.   Advocating for our kids and knowing how best to support them.   What to do when our kids are struggling.     Note: The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours/day via call or text.   This last season of our podcast is for homeschooling parents, traditional school parents, and everyone in between. This is our last season and definitely our best season!   We’re here to show you how to: Identify learning opportunities in everything you do, how to celebrate your child’s differences, and how to give yourself and your kids credit for all the things you’re already doing. If you have felt unwelcome in other spaces, we hope you feel welcome here.    LTWs  Maren:   Hard Feelings Podcast with Jeannette McCurdy   Angela: Stronger By the Day App Before the Barbell on IG   You can now pre-order our book!  Our book will be released on June 18th! You can pre-order "Think Differently About Learning: A Homeschool Where Children And Parents Thrive" from the following vendors, or wherever books are sold.    Bookshop.org  Amazon  Barnes & Noble    Connect with us!  Visit our website and follow us on Instagram: @homeschoolunrefined. Follow Maren for ADD, homeschooling, and parent coaching: @alwayslearningwithmaren. Sign up for our newsletter and get our Top 100 Inclusive Book List. We are listener-supported! Support us on Patreon and get access to our special Q&P; (Question and Process) episodes! Email us any questions or feedback at homeschoolunrefined@gmail.com.

206: Reframing Mental Health

Join us as we talk about a new approach to neurodivergent learning (that works for everyone!).   We discuss the importance of meeting our kids where they’re at and cover learning practices that are good not only for neurodivergent kids, but for everyone!   To help kids with learning differences (and anybody, for that matter!) it’s important to focus on:   Connection    Flexibility    Fostering a love of learning   Focusing on our child’s strengths     This last season of our podcast is for homeschooling parents, traditional school parents, and everyone in between. This is our last season and definitely our best season!   We’re here to show you how to: Identify learning opportunities in everything you do, how to celebrate your child’s differences, and how to give yourself and your kids credit for all the things you’re already doing. If you have felt unwelcome in other spaces, we hope you feel welcome here.    LTWs  Maren:   Bento Style Lunch Boxes Angela:  Moose Master   You can now pre-order our book!  Our book will be released on June 18th! You can pre-order "Think Differently About Learning: A Homeschool Where Children And Parents Thrive" from the following vendors, or wherever books are sold.    Bookshop.org  Amazon  Barnes & Noble    Connect with us!  Visit our website and follow us on Instagram: @homeschoolunrefined. Follow Maren for ADD, homeschooling, and parent coaching: @alwayslearningwithmaren. Sign up for our newsletter and get our Top 100 Inclusive Book List. We are listener-supported! Support us on Patreon and get access to our special Q&P; (Question and Process) episodes! Email us any questions or feedback at homeschoolunrefined@gmail.com.

205: A New Approach to Neurodivergent Learning (That Works For Everyone!)

Join us as we discuss 4 Homeschool Tentpoles!    These tentpoles help hold up our homeschooling structure. They’re like filters, helping us make decisions about what to prioritize and what to intentionally leave out.    These are top-tier life skills and serve as a guide for our homeschool:   Expansive thinking and inclusive practice   Noticing the learning   Rocking our strengths   Critical thinking     This last season of our podcast is for homeschooling parents, traditional school parents, and everyone in between. This is our last season and definitely our best season!   We’re here to show you how to:   Identify learning opportunities in everything you do, how to celebrate your child’s differences, and how to give yourself and your kids credit for all the things you’re already doing.   If you have felt unwelcome in other spaces, we hope you feel welcome here.    LTWs  Maren:  She's Birdie Personal Safety Alarm   Angela:  Nature's Way CalmAid Lavender Softgels    You can now pre-order our book!  Our book will be released on June 18th! You can pre-order "Think Differently About Learning: A Homeschool Where Children And Parents Thrive" from the following vendors, or wherever books are sold.    Bookshop.org  Amazon  Barnes & Noble  Connect with us!  Visit our website and follow us on Instagram: @homeschoolunrefined. Follow Maren for ADD, homeschooling, and parent coaching: @alwayslearningwithmaren. Sign up for our newsletter and get our Top 100 Inclusive Book List. We are listener-supported! Support us on Patreon and get access to our special Q&P; (Question and Process) episodes! Email us any questions or feedback at homeschoolunrefined@gmail.com.

92: Where We Relax Into High School With Renee Tougas, Part 1

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