Reasons and help letting go of comparison and intimidation from publishers and professionals, unrealistic expectations, other homeschool families. 

About Jennifer

Jennifer Cabrera, the Hifalutin Homeschooler, is the writer of homeschool truth, humor, and inspiration.  Jennifer lives in Salado, Texas with her husband and three brilliant boys.  She is a licensed Physician Assistant/MPH, but set aside that career for her ultimate life's work.  She is also the author of Socialize Like a Homeschooler: A Humorous Homeschool Handbook and Revolting Writing, a hilarious writing, vocabulary, and illustration journal for reluctant writers.  She is a featured speaker with Great Homeschool Conventions and her memes and witty insights are widely shared on social media.

Connect

Jennifer Cabrera | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Website

Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website

Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube

Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there!

For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show.

View full show notes on the blog.

How do we muster the will to rise and get dressed and get back a life of learning in the cold and winter months? Much less entice our teens to do the same? With new resolve and new fleece pajamas, homeschooling in winter is a privilege filled with opportunities for getting ahead academically, productive family time, and remembering why we homeschool in the first place.

About Jennifer

Jennifer Cabrera, the Hifalutin Homeschooler, is the writer of homeschool truth, humor, and inspiration.  Jennifer lives in Salado, Texas with her husband and three brilliant boys.  She is a licensed Physician Assistant/MPH, but set aside that career for her ultimate life's work.  She is also the author of Socialize Like a Homeschooler: A Humorous Homeschool Handbook and Revolting Writing, a hilarious writing, vocabulary, and illustration journal for reluctant writers.  She is a featured speaker with Great Homeschool Conventions and her memes and witty insights are widely shared on social media.

Connect

Jennifer Cabrera | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Website

Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website

Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube

Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there!

For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show.

View full show notes on the blog.

It feels like there is so much opposition to homeschooling. Though today there is a far greater degree of acceptance, plenty of voices remain which not only question but blatantly oppose our efforts to raise our children at home. That said, the greatest opposition probably comes in our own self doubts and even resistance to what homeschooling requires of us. And what does it require? Just about everything. But if we learn to yield to the requirements, to the sacrifice, we learn the secret - giving is receiving, losing is reclaiming. Death is life. 

About Sean

Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home.

Resources 

The Well Ordered Homeschool Planner - Undated Edition

Find a Great Homeschool Convention near you!

Connect

Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website

Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website

Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube

Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there!

For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show.

View full show notes on the blog.

January is the perfect time for a mom's personal retreat. In this episode Jessica will share tips and tricks of hosting your own personal homeschool mom retreat. With a little bit of creativity, you can benefit from taking the time to rest, pray, plan, and goal-set for the second half of the school year.

About Jessica

Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud.

Connect

Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website

Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website

Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube

Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there!

For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show.

View full show notes on the blog.

Have you ever thought how odd it is to have children move from grade to grade in lockstep with other children, even though they develop and learn at different rates in different subjects? Did you know that this idea of grade segregation is relatively new in the history of the world? Homeschoolers usually figure out how illogical the whole idea is, but I thought this excerpt from one of my favorite old books, Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher, might give you a glimpse of how learning levels used to work.

About Janice

Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com.

Resources 

Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher 

Article - What Grade Are You In?

AmblesideOnline

Charlotte Mason's Education Books

Connect

Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website

Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website

Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube

Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there!

For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show.

View full show notes on the blog.

In this episode Jessica interviews Lyndsey from Treehouse Schoolhouse about all sorts of things related to homeschool mom life. They chat about why Lyndsey and her husband decided to move from Florida and buy land to build their dream home as well as how to balance physical health goals, homeschooling, and running two businesses from home!

About Lyndsey

Lyndsey is a homeschool mom of four and the founder of Treehouse Schoolhouse. Before motherhood, Lyndsey had a career in children's ministry and special needs education. Her home education centers around living books and ideas, hands-on learning, nature exploration, and biblical discipleship. She shares experiences and home education inspiration through her Instagram and blog, as well as creates curriculum and resources for families around the world. Her most popular curriculum titles are An Expectant Easter, A Connected Christmas, and Treehouse Nature Study.

About Jessica

Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud.

Resources 

Memory-Making Mom by Jessica Smartt 

Let Them Be Kids by Jessica Smartt

Jessica's Homeschool Bootcamp

Connect

Lyndsey Mimnagh of Treehouse Schoolhouse | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Pinterest

Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website

Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website

Thank you to our sponsors!

Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance

Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works

Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there!

For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show.

View full show notes on the blog.

A while back, I came across an interesting comparison of two middle school reading lists — one from 1908 and one from a bit more than 100 years later. The original article compared the lists based on time period, thematic elements, and reading level, and I'll share that comparison along with a few ideas for interesting middle-grade reading.

About Janice

Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com.

Resources 

Raising them Right by Theophan the Recluse

Live Not by Lies by Rod Dreher

Connect

Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website

Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website

Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube

Thank you to our sponsors!

Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance

Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works

Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there!

For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show.

View full show notes on the blog.

In this brief episode you'll learn why penmanship, including cursive, is important for learning, and you'll get practical tips for helping your children master this useful art.

About Janice

Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com.

Resources 

Penmanship Matters, an article and video with links to many studies on the benefits of handwriting

Why Writing by Hand Could Make You Smarter 

Writing to Learn by William Zinsser

How to Hold a Pen or Pencil

CursiveLogic penmanship curriculum

What’s Lost as Handwriting Fades

Connect

Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website

Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website

Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube

Thank you to our sponsors!

Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance

Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works

Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there!

For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show.

View full show notes on the blog.

In this brief episode you'll learn why penmanship, including cursive, is important for learning, and you'll get practical tips for helping your children master this useful art.

About Janice

Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com.

Resources 

Penmanship Matters, an article and video with links to many studies on the benefits of handwriting

Why Writing by Hand Could Make You Smarter 

Writing to Learn by William Zinsser

How to Hold a Pen or Pencil

CursiveLogic penmanship curriculum

What’s Lost as Handwriting Fades

Connect

Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website

Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website

Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube

Thank you to our sponsors!

Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance

Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works

Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there!

For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show.

View full show notes on the blog.

In this brief episode you'll learn why penmanship, including cursive, is important for learning, and you'll get practical tips for helping your children master this useful art.

About Janice

Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com.

Resources 

Penmanship Matters, an article and video with links to many studies on the benefits of handwriting

Why Writing by Hand Could Make You Smarter 

Writing to Learn by William Zinsser

How to Hold a Pen or Pencil

CursiveLogic penmanship curriculum

What’s Lost as Handwriting Fades

Connect

Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website

Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website

Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube

Thank you to our sponsors!

Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance

Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works

Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there!

For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show.

View full show notes on the blog.

Everything, and I mean everything that is right and true is under assault today. For instance, we've moved far beyond questioning whether a woman's rightful place is in the home rearing her children. Today, the world and all her emissaries of confusion question whether such a thing as a woman even exists. For decades we've been told that women are just as capable as men, no matter the field, no matter the task. Predictably (and at the same time inconceivably) we are told today that men are just as capable as women to the point that they may also become pregnant and bear children. This upsidedownedness came as a direct result of our collective failure to not only recognize but appreciate the wisdom and beauty of God's respective callings in each of our lives. We each have unique, precisely crafted roles. It is true we may choose not to fill them; but we do so at our own peril. This episode is a call to embrace and, just as importantly, give thanks for how God made us and who he calls us to be.

About Sean

Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home.

Resources 

Find a Great Homeschool Convention near you!

Connect

Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website

Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website

Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube

Thank you to our sponsors!

Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there!

For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show.

View full show notes on the blog.