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.

SPONSOR: NOW Programs

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

Links

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.

Sponsor: NOW Programs

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

Introduction

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.

#1 God will finish the work we leave unfinished

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.

#2 We aren’t obligated to be productive

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.

#3 Take time to think

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.

#4 You don’t need to know

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.

#5 Choose goals for your priority roles

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.

#6 Manage interruptions in batches

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.

Conclusion

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?

Sponsor: NOW Programs

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

Podcast Guest: Barb Raveling

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:

• the definition of emotional eating and its effects
• strategies for overcoming emotional eating
• whether it’s possible to really break free from emotional eating or whether it’s something people will struggle with for the rest of their lives

Barb has shared on previous episodes you can listen to:

• Truth Journaling
• End Procrastination
• How to Achieve Your Goals

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! We wish each other happy holidays, but sometimes it’s hard to be happy through the holidays. I have three reasons it can be hard that lead to three steps we can take toward happier holidays.

But first I’d like to thank our sponsor for the podcast: NOW Programs.

Sponsor: NOW Programs

If you’re homeschooling a student with special needs, check out http://NOWPrograms.com

Listen to the podcast

Deal with Disappointment

The first reason George and you and I find it hard to be happy through the holidays is disappointment. Maybe your homeschool year hasn’t been going the way you hoped. The kids don’t love their classes or curriculum. You’re already behind schedule. A learning challenge has been indentified. Maybe your finances are stretched even tighter than you thought. You’ve been ill. Or maybe you’ve experienced a loss. A loved one won’t be joining you for the holidays. A relationship has ended. Or you or your spouse lost a job. George experienced many disappointments like these. He lost his father, a chance to go to college, and the income he hoped for.

Thinking about disappointments is depressing, so we may try to avoid thinking about them. Yet they intrude upon our happiness anyway.

That leads me to the first step we can take to be happy through the holidays: Deal with the disappointment. Instead of eating or doom scrolling over it, acknowledge it. You’re disappointed. You hoped and prayed that things would be different, better. But they’re not.

The quickest way out of disappointment depression is through, not around. Sit by yourself with no noise and no distractions. Allow yourself to think about the disappointment and feel the feelings. If you cry, you cry. If you get mad, you get mad. Give yourself as much time as you need to think and pray about it. Journaling works too. Write out everything you’re thinking and feeling, without worrying about anyone else seeing it. When you’re done writing, you can delete it, destroy it, or password protect it.

When you’ve had the time to process it privately, you can then deal with the disappointment by talking to someone you trust who isn’t a part of the disappointment. You don’t want to worry about hurting someone’s feelings as you share your own emotions, unless you’re trying to resolve a conflict. Sometimes you’ll want to make it clear to the listener that you’re not asking them to fix the disappointment for you, just to listen. Talking it out can make a huge difference in your happiness.

Invest in People

The second cause of unhappiness at the holidays is people. People are hard. They disappoint us. We’ve already covered that. People also annoy us. Maybe we expect the bad behavior, so it’s not as disappointing as it is frustrating. We may struggle to know what to say or do when they’re around. Maybe we feel bad about something we’ve said or done in the past, so we have a serving of guilt to go along with our frustration. George had a challenging relationship with Mr. Potter, who was a constant thorn in his side. He also had to deal with selfish bank patrons and an irresponsible uncle.

While we sometimes avoid thinking about disappointments, we will often ruminate about people problems. We replay the negative things people said and did in the past over and over. We fantasize about what we should have said or done in response. And then we worry about what awful things people will do in the future. George Bailey’s ruminations led him to complete despair.

What should we do instead of ruminating about people? Invest in them. The first time I bought a stock, I followed it closely and my mood was up and down with its price. I tried to time the market and cash out at just the right time. If you know anything about stocks, you know that behavior is laughable. Yet it is what we often do in volatile relationships. We say or do something, hoping to see an immediate payoff. We watch the person like a hawk for signs that they are responding to our investment. That’s not what serious investors do. They’re in it long-term. They keep reinvesting and they don’t watch the price. They believe that what they’re giving will pay off. Of course there are times when it makes sense to sell. But if you value the relationship, you’ll want to keep investing for the long haul without worrying if you don’t see the payoff from each interaction.

George Bailey invested in people. He believed in people. He gave them a chance. He sacrificed so they could have full lives. But because he hadn’t seen the value he’d accummulated, he was ready to cash out completely.

Investing in people means that we continue being kind, loving them, and sharing the reason for the hope that we have. Investing in people means that we help people like themselves when they’re with us. We compliment them and express interest in them. We offer them the gift of hospitality and make them feel welcome. We refuse to stop believing in them.

Express Gratitude

The third reason it can be challenging to be happy during the holidays is our experience of injustice. We’re doing everything for our family, but the kids keep complaining. We are the ones hosting or helping or changing our schedule again to accommodate everyone else. We’ve been doing the right things for years, but we aren’t as successful or wealthy as people we know who do the wrong things. George felt that way. He did everything right but was wronged. He expected a punishment he didn’t deserve.

Our experience of injustice can lead to self-righteousness. Self-righteous people are not happy. Instead of focusing on our experience of injustice, we want to express our gratitude. The gift of children or grandchildren to teach is so precious. The fact that we can legally homeschool them is a gift. The extra time we have to be with our children and learn alongside them is worth more than the extra income we could have were we not homeschooling. And having to deal with imperfect people is a blessing compared to being alone.

Gratitude isn’t just something we should express because it’s the right thing to do to honor God. It’s a focus that can make us happier immediately. We can consider every good and perfect gift we have now. That’s the easiest gratitude list to make. But what about gratitude for gifts we experienced in the past? We can express gratitude for the good times we had in relationships and seasons that have ended. I’m thankful that I had family members and friends that were so wonderful that I miss them now that they’ve passed. We can also express gratitude for the good we know God will work together in the future. We don’t know that our circumstances will change the way we want them to in this life, but we know we can look forward to God’s perfect plan and presence in eternity. If you need some encouragement on that topic, I suggest listening to the episode I recorded with Jordan Raynor. We can express gratitude daily in prayer, in writing, and in relationships.

George was focused on the injustice he experienced until his eyes were opened to the many gifts he had to be grateful for. He wanted to go back to the old life he had so bitterly complained about.

Conclusion

The three steps to being happy through the holidays we’ve covered today are dealing with disappointent, investing in people, and expressing gratitude. I recently learned that Jimmy Stewart was in a very similar situation to George Bailey. He was demoralized after serving in the war and was ready to give up acting to run his family’s hardware store when director Frank Capra offered him the role of George Bailey. Although the film wasn’t a box office hit and it didn’t win any of the academy awards it was nominated for, it has become one of the most loved films of all time. Referring to director Capra, Jimmy Steward said, “He not only saved my career; he saved my life.”

I’m so grateful to God for the same reason. He saved my life and gave me the most fulfilling career–first homeschooling my kids and then writing and speaking for homeschool families. I’m also grateful for people like you who listen and read the materials I write. In gratitude, I am offering 20% all materials excluding bundles at FunToLearnBooks.com/shop with code BLACKFRI through Cyber Monday. My prayer is that you will be blessed with happy holidays. And if you haven’t watched It’s a Wonderful Life, I encourage you to watch it soon.

Have a happy homeschool week!

The post How To Have Happy Holidays As A Homeschool Mom appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Hey, homeschoolers! Pushing back against a consumerist culture is an issue all year but is on our minds even more during the holidays. My guest today has experience in teaching kids to combat consumerism with good old-fashioned hard work. I’ll introduce him after this message from our sponsor. Now programs.

Watch on YouTube

Podcast Sponsor: NOW Programs

http://NOWPrograms.com

Podcast Guest: Keith Phillips

Keith Phillips is a former US Army helicopter pilot who, along with his wife Becky and their six children, is dedicated to building productive families and enduring Christian legacies. He introduces BUNKEYS, small DIY linked log cabin kits to America, promoting family unity through shared meaningful work. Keith believes in the power of family and community with work as the cornerstone and advocates for living a life of biblical producerism. I so enjoyed our conversation.

Takeaways

• • Consumerism thrives on neglecting our inherent call to produce.

• • Family work fosters cooperation and contributes to family unity.

• • Saying no to passive entertainment encourages creativity in children.

• • Boredom can lead to innovative play and activities.

• • Fear of missing out drives consumerist behavior in children.

• • Creating space for meaningful activities is essential for family bonding.

• • Overcoming societal pressure is crucial for resisting consumerism.

• • Hard work can replace addictive behaviors and foster fulfillment.

• • Engaging in family projects teaches valuable life skills.

• • Reading together strengthens family connections and shared experiences.

Resources

Keith’s Substack article on consumerism

Bunkies

Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/show/5gBadT2mixwLThvz8GqI7z

Apple

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-stay-at-work-home/id1762916088

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/@TheStayatWorkHome?sub_confirmation=1

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/stayatworkhome

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/stayatworkhome

Read Aloud List

https://stay-at-work-home.ck.page/b3004580e4/index.js

See also my interview with Joshua Becker

The post Combatting Family Consumerism 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.

Watch on YouTube

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

Sponsor: NOW Programs

http://nowprograms.com

Resources

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.

Sponsor: NOW Programs

https://www.nowprograms.com

Podcast Guest: Stefanie Hohl

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.

Watch on YouTube

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.

Hey, homeschoolers! When it comes to seeking a more relaxed homeschool, we can find numerous tips for adjusting our schedule and curriculum. But there is only one source for true rest. My guest today is going to share how we can find it.

Watch on YouTube

Before I introduce her, I’d like to thank our sponsor: CTC Math.

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.

Guest: Amy Sloan

My guest for this episode is Amy Sloan. Amy is the host of the long-running Humility and Doxology podcast, where she shares her passion for classical homeschooling, family discipleship, and joyful, restful learning. As a second-generation homeschooler, Amy brings years of experience not only as a student but now as a mother of five, navigating the ever-evolving journey of home education.

Today, Amy will be sharing her insights on how we can find true rest in the gospel, especially in the midst of our busy lives. I know you’ll enjoy getting to know her as I did.

Takeaways

• • Homeschooling can be a fulfilling yet challenging journey.

• • Understanding our identity in Christ is crucial for homeschool moms.

• • Our value is not based on our children’s accomplishments.

• • God’s love for us is unconditional and eternal.

• • We are called to respond to God’s love with obedience.

• • Homeschooling should not be viewed as a vending machine for perfect outcomes.

• • Family worship and devotions are foundational to a Christ-centered home.

• • Humility is essential in recognizing our need for God’s grace.

• • The Holy Spirit works in our children, not our efforts alone.

• • Community and resources are vital for encouragement in homeschooling.

Resources

HumilityandDoxology.com

https://www.youtube.com/c/HumilityandDoxology

https://www.instagram.com/humilityanddoxology

Have a happy homeschool week!

The post Finding Homeschool Rest In The Gospel appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Hey, homeschoolers! I was so excited about heaven as a little girl that I wasn’t afraid to die. My mother was freaked out and realized she needed to change her approach. What are you teaching your kids about heaven? As believers, we want what we teach to be biblical, but which aspects of heaven should we emphasize?

Watch on YouTube

I chatted about this topic with former guest Jordan Raynor, who has authored a new picture book for kids called The Royal in You. The YouTube version of our interview includes some beautiful artwork from the book. Before I share our discussion, I want to thank NOW Programs for sponsoring the podcast.

Sponsor: NOW Programs

https://www.nowprograms.com

Takeaways

Many Christians dread the thought of heaven due to misconceptions.
Cultural views of heaven often misrepresent biblical truths.
The new earth will be filled with the best things from our current world.
We will work and reign with Christ on the new earth.
Understanding our future in the new earth gives us hope today.
The Bible emphasizes a physical resurrection and renewed earth.
Work in the new earth will be fulfilling and joyful.
Parents can cultivate hope for eternity in their children.
Scripture provides clarity on the nature of heaven and the new earth.
Engaging activities can help children understand their faith better.

Resources

The Royal in You

Jordan’s Podcast

Jordan on Instagram

Have a happy homeschool week!

The post What To Teach Kids About Heaven appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Hey, homeschoolers! As we are solidly into the school year, you may be experiencing some challenges. I want to share the top five struggles I dealt with in my 25+ years of homeschooling and how I dealt with them or would deal with them today. My hope is that you will feel normal if a psychologist and mother of six had the same issues that you do. My hope is also to encourage you that you can overcome these difficulties. You absolutely can!

Watch on YouTube

1. Keep the house in order

My first struggle, as most of you know, was keeping my house in order while actually homeschooling. When I started I was accomplishing neither. I cared for my three kids, but it seemed like that was all I could handle.

I knew I couldn’t homeschool or have any more children the way it was going. That’s when FLYLady changed the way I thought about routines. I thought they were enslaving when they were really liberating. Doing the same things in the same order in the morning and evening in particular helped me feel on top of my house and my homeschool. I’ll put links to some episodes on this topic in the show notes.

But today I want to stress one aspect of our routine that helped me keep our home in order over the years: kids doing chores. I don’t have a specific chore system to recommend to you. I tried them all–chore boards, badges, apps and various approaches. And they all worked for a while. What I learned was that it wasn’t the specifcs of the chore plan that mattered as much as expecting and needing my kids to help. Without their help, our house would have been a disaster and I would have been stressed out. But with their help, everything else in our homeschooling went more smoothly. I reminded them constantly that I needed their contribution.

Did they do the chores perfectly or even well every time? No. Did they ever complain about their chore assignments for the day? For sure. But having the kids help carry the load allowed me to overcome this challenge in my homeschooling life. It had other benefits including preparing my kids for a job, living with a roommate, and running their own home in the future.

A routine and having my kids do chores enabled me to focus on teaching. For help with this, I recommend the Organized Homeschool Life. After getting my home in order, I ran into another challenge:

2. Fit it all in

Trying to fit it all in. I wanted to teach everything in part because I wanted to learn everything. Learning along with your kids was one of the unexpected blessings of homeschooling for me. I wanted to learn how to make new kinds of bread. I wanted to learn how to code. I wanted to revisit calligraphy. And I wanted to learn all of these things on top of the core subjects this year. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t fit it all in. Can you relate?

At first, I thought we had to do school longer. That was a separate challenge I’ll discuss in a minute. Loop scheduling was a big help. I could do multiple subjects by not trying to do them all every day. I had a block of time devoted to three subjects. We would do the next subject in line, rotating through them.

But I needed more than that. I couldn’t loop schedule 20 subjects! I had to accept that I couldn’t do everything this year. One thing that helped was realizing that some subjects like science and history don’t have to be explicity taught every year. You’ll always be learning science and history along the way, but you may not have to have a formal curriculum if you have other priorities this year.

Hindsight allows me to see that we only accomplished a fraction of what I wanted to do, but it was enough. With God as our Guide, it will be enough books read, enough skills practiced, enough experiences had. I’m still accepting that I won’t be able to learn all the things, but as I grow in this area, I have more peace and joy.

One way to fit math in to your school day is using CTC Math, the sponsor of this podcast.

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.

3. School in the afternoons

As I tried to fit more school and activities in, I tried extending our school hours. With more kids in our family and more commitments, we would just have to add more to our afternoon schedule, I thought. When I was homeschooling two kids with a little one who napped, I could fit a science experiment or a craft in the afternoon. But as our family grew, I found I was able to do less and less formal schooling after lunch.

On days we had outside classes in the mornings, I would be determined to get afternoon lessons in, and it just never happened. I would tell myself it was because I was pregnant or it had been a particularly busy morning or because I was lazy. I would surely fit afternoon school in the next time. But it rarely worked.

I finally realized that with young students in particular, we needed to get our critical work done in the morning. Our attention and energy didn’t support doing book work in the afternoons. What we could do in the afternoons was co-op. The social energy kept the kids motivated. We could also do field trips and educational videos.

When my kids became independent learners, they chose to do more work in the afternoons. Even with my own work today, I find that if I keep hitting resistance to working in the afternoon, I need to make a change. I now do my creative work in the mornings and leave easier tasks for afternoons.

Instead of berating yourself and trying harder, my advice is to experiment with different schedules. Be curious about how you and your children respond and you’ll achieve more with less stress. For help with this, I recommend A Year of Living Productively.

4. Deal with sibling squabbles

Getting chores and school done was often impeded by my children’s arguing over whose turn it was to have the easy chore or get the preferred blanket for school time. Precious time was taken discussing this, which in hindsight I see was probably my children’s attempt to delay work.

I not only struggled with the lost time but I found it demoralizing. I wanted an orderly home and educated kids, but even more than that, I wanted them to love one another. Their squabbles were evidence that I was failing in this most important goal.

I used practical approaches to deal with these issues and they were successful in large part. I either rotated sets of chores through all the kids or randomly assigned them to stop the “it’s not fair” grumbling. Of course, the kids would complain that one child wasn’t really doing their chore which I will discuss as a next challenge. The other thing I did was assign my kids a day of the week to have as their priority day. That meant they got to choose a seat, a blanket, and even a restaurant if we were going out. One of my favorite memories is of my daughter as a preschooler. When she woke up on Friday, she would gleefully announce, “It’s ma day.” If I were doing this again, choice of restaurant would not have been part of a child’s day. Too often we went out on the same day of the week.

Next, a child’s day was when I spent special time with them in an activity of their choice. We often played a game. One child loved having me play a racing video game with him because I was so bad at it. Another wanted me to play Typer shark because I’m a fast typist. He just enjoyed watching me win! Having time alone with me during which we could discuss how things were going with siblings was a big help to reducing sibling rivalry.

But the most important way I dealt with this particular challenge was to surrender to it. I wanted to get to our Bible time, our math, our history. But my children obviously needed social, emotional, and character training instead. We would discuss it, air grievances, and brainstorm possible solutions. And while I know I was not perfect in this area, I also don’t regret focusing our school time on these skills when the situation called for it. I do wish I had had a curriculum like Training Aliens as an organized approach to teaching them. But you can grab a free sibling rivalry sample of it at FunToLearnBooks.com/siblingrivalry.

5. Review kids’ work

Another challenge for me in homeschooling was my reluctance to review my kids’ work. I did not like going over their homework with the exception of their writing. To me it was boring busywork. So I put it off. You heard me describe in previous episodes how not checking resulted in my son not doing his math for months.

Homework wasn’t the only thing I didn’t review. I absolutely hated checking the kids’ chores. In this case it wasn’t just because I felt it was boring. The truth is I didn’t want to be unhappy when I saw that chores were skipped or not done well. If they were, I would have had to take more time to supervise my child and train him or her to do it correctly.

I tried using willpower to get myself to review their work and sometimes I was successful. Making it a part of my routine worked even better. But this is a challenge that I would handle differently if I could. Here’s how. I would have rewarded my kids for coming to me to have their work reviewed. I used an app on my phone to give kids a spin for a randomized reward. You can set this up too, using a randomizer app. That would have been very effective. It would have had two positive effects. First, the kids would have pestered me to check to get the reward, so I would have been prompted to do it. Second, they would not have asked me to check unless the work had been done and done well. I could have made this more rewarding for myself by giving myself points every time I checked a child’s work. What I wanted most at this time in my life was personal time to do what I enjoyed. The added advantage of this is my personal time would have been guilt-free because I knew I had checked my kids’ work.

Conclusion

Today I discussed five challenges I had in homeschooling: keeping the house in order, fitting it all in, school in the afternoons, sibling squabbles, and reviewing kids’ work. I shared with you how I dealt with those challenges or would deal with them now. What I didn’t share is that I’m thankful for these challenges. They taught me to be more organized and productive. They grew my character, my parenting skills, and my dependence on God. And they also allowed me how to serve homeschoolers like you. Do you have a challenge I didn’t mention? Screenshot this podcast episode and tag me at homeschoolsanity on social media. I’d love to chat about it.

To find the links to CTC Math and the resources I mentioned, visit the show notes page at homeschoolsanity.com/5challenges.

Have a happy homeschool week!

The post My Top 5 Homeschool Challenges 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

First, let’s define a homeschool detour.

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.

Why do we find ourselves on these detours?

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.

How can we get even more off track?

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.

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.

How to Get On Track After a Detour

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.

• • Take stock of where you are. Sometimes it won’t be pretty. It certainly wasn’t for me. I had added two hours to an already long trip. But often it’s not as bad as you fear. You’ll never be able to course correct until you admit where you are. Get an assessment. Gather data. See how much has to be done to get up to speed. It can be painful but not as painful as continuing on the same path.

• • Determine the best way forward. Don’t look back. It was tempting for me to fantasize about going back in time to take a different route. Instead I looked at the map to see how we could get on the fastest route home. Given your current circumstances, what can you do to meet your goals in the quickest, most reasonable way?

• • Ask for help. The truth is I am directionally challenged. I can follow verbal directions from my app, but navigating from a map is much harder. I showed my husband the map and he gave me his advice for getting back on the best route. It’s humbling to ask for help, but it also builds the helper’s confidence. My husband doesn’t like not being tech savvy. He loved feeling smarter than the GPS. Talk to veteran homeschoolers, teachers with experience in a particular area, and homeschool-friendly professionals about the challenge. You’ll build them up and help yourself at the same time.

• • Trust God. God alone knows how natural disasters, other people’s choices, and our own weaknesses will interact to put us on a detour. What’s even more incredible is that He uses these circumstances to get us where He wants us. Was there a reason I ended up driving two hours out of our way? Maybe! But I know that He is my Guide and yours. He doesn’t want us to worry about our homeschool or our family. Trust in Him and follow His leading. Of course, we can and should ask Him for help in the first place. I did not pray for GPS guidance I’ll admit.

• • Finally, have a sense of humor. I was amazed that my husband and kids weren’t furious with me when I broke the news. I shouldn’t have been. Even at that time, I had a long history of them giving me grace and not thinking a thing of my failings that I imagine are so monumental. I apologized and took responsibility for it and it was over. Except we laugh about this detour often. I hope you can laugh at some of the minor detours you’ve taken in your homeschool journey, too.

Conclusion

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 How To Handle Homeschool Detours appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.