As I began to prep for this episode, I honestly wasn’t really sure what I wanted to talk about. It’s my typical start of summer, end of the school year podcast but with everything else going on I didn’t really know how I wanted to end the school year. I was honestly going to throw something together on summer and rest, but I wasn’t feeling it. You know? And I want these episodes to bring you all something. To have a purpose because I know you take time to listen, and I don’t want you to feel lik...
May 29, 2020•24 min•Ep. 110
Today’s interview is with Inga Hope from Gentle Guitar. Inga and I are chatting today about music, homeschooling, the importance of introducing our kids to music, how we can do that even when we are not musically inclined and so much more. It is a super fun episode and helpful to me as I have one kiddo who loves music, and I can simply can not carry a tune. Specific questions we discuss music and homeschooling: How can a busy homeschool mom add music into her day? What are some ways to teach mus...
May 22, 2020•32 min•Ep. 109
Today I am chatting all about homeschool curriculum with my good friend Davonne Parks. We are talking all things curriculum and geeking out over our favorite things. Here are a few things we are chatting about: What has been your favorite curriculum? What has been your kid’s favorite curriculum? What is one curriculum you really wanted to work, but it just didn’t? How has your curriculum changed over the years? What do you plan on using next year? (35:27 if you want to skip straight there) We ar...
May 15, 2020•54 min•Ep. 108
Last summer my daughter, heard about a camp called Worldview Academy while listening with me to the Heidi St. John podcast. She and I both immediately felt that this camp would be perfect for her and she begin working in various capacities to pay for her tuition. That camp changed her life. I do not say that lightly. I dropped off a teenage girl and picked up a young lady who was even stronger in her faith than she was before. Because of this change that I saw in my daughter, I reached out to Wo...
May 08, 2020•44 min•Ep. 107
Today’s episode is with Connie Albers and we are talking about emotional overwhelm from mom and kids. I was listening to a podcast episode from Connie that she did with Sherri Seligson and she was talking about moms and them feeling sorry for themselves, and just being overwhelmed with everything going on. And, I cried listening to it because I had legit just had a HUGE pity party. I had been grumpy and just ugh. Not a nice person to be around. So, I asked Connie if she would come onto the podca...
May 05, 2020•31 min•Ep. 106
Today I am chatting with September McCarthy. I first heard of September at the beginning of the school year. I was looking for a character study and came across her cards. Now, I am a huge fan and listen to her podcast, and can’t believe I didn’t know about her earlier. She is such a wealth of knowledge and was a huge blessing to chat with. In this episode, we go back to the basics and do a traditional Fess Up Friday interview. September and I chat homeschool regrets, struggles, joys and so much...
May 01, 2020•39 min•Ep. 105
Is anyone else having a hard time getting school done, and many of us may be wondering if we’ve done enough in the midst of chaos. We may be trying to push through despite the feelings and the emotions we are all feeling. This older episode goes along great with the topic of whether or not we are doing enough. So, I wanted to reshare it with an update from me, because it is relevant to what we are all dealing with today. In our home right now, the kids are a little bit more agitated with each ot...
Apr 24, 2020•22 min•Ep. 104
Months ago I recorded this episode with Beth Napoli from Techie Homeschool. I found it very relevant and wanted to push it out now while in the midst of this COVID19 crisis because SO many people are turning to online learning. Especially those who have been thrown into unexpected homeschooling. In this episode, Beth and I chat the pros and cons of online learning in our homeschool, how it is different from online public school, the best programs and subjects for online learning, and so much mor...
Apr 17, 2020•52 min•Ep. 103
Who else feels like they have been living in a scientific thriller? MAN, guys, things are CRAAZY. I never thought I would be approached by public school teachers and asked to help them and others homeschool in the midst of a crisis. However, I truly believe that God is doing something big in the homeschool community. Literally just about every child in the United States is learning at home right now. Who would have ever thought this would happen? But, it has, and it is an opportunity that we may...
Apr 14, 2020•28 min•Ep. 102
As you may know, podcasting takes a lot of time. I typically mass record 3 months’ worth of episodes in one month. This gives time for editing, show notes to be written, and for me to record introductions beforehand and solo episodes. Therefore, this episode will of course not address the current COVID19 pandemic. It may also reference homeschool conventions or other events that are now closed. I apologize in advance, however, the content and advice given in the episode is something we can all l...
Apr 10, 2020•48 min•Ep. 101
The Joyfully Homeschooling podcast is TWO YEARS OLD!! I can NOT believe it. I have been blown away by the response to the podcast and I just LOVE it. Today to celebrate, I am bringing my dear friend Davonne on to interview me :) Here are a few takeaways from this birthday celebration! The podcast has been downloaded in 67 countries By the time this podcast episode airs we will be at over 100K downloads! Davonne interviews ME with our traditional fess up Friday interviews, PLUS she throws me a fe...
Apr 07, 2020•49 min•Ep. 100
As you may know, podcasting takes a lot of time. I typically mass record 3 months’ worth of episodes in one month. This gives time for editing, show notes to be written, and for me to record introductions beforehand and solo episodes. Therefore, this episode will of course not address the current COVID19 pandemic. It may also reference homeschool conventions or other events that are now closed. I apologize in advance, however, the content and advice given in the episode is something we can all l...
Apr 03, 2020•53 min•Ep. 99
Checking in with all of you to see how everyone is doing while homeschooling through the pandemic. I am chatting a few things in this episode including: My Instagram COVID-19 diary What our current homeschool looks like How to help your public school friends who suddenly are "homeschooling" their kids and asking YOU for help How we can be the hands and feet of Jesus while also staying quarantined How to talk to our kids about disappointment, cancellation, fear and more If you liked this episode ...
Mar 31, 2020•22 min•Ep. 98
As you may know, podcasting takes a lot of time. I typically mass record 3 months’ worth of episodes in one month. This gives time for editing, show notes to be written, and for me to record introductions beforehand and solo episodes. Therefore, this episode will of course not address the current COVID19 pandemic. It may also reference homeschool conventions or other events that are now closed. I apologize in advance, however, the content and advice given in the episode is something we can all l...
Mar 27, 2020•39 min•Ep. 97
As you may know, podcasting takes a lot of time. I typically mass record 3 months’ worth of episodes in one month. This gives time for editing, show notes to be written, and for me to record introductions beforehand and solo episodes. Therefore, this episode will of course not address the current COVID19 pandemic. It may also reference homeschool conventions or other events that are now closed. I apologize in advance, however, the content and advice given in the episode is something we can all l...
Mar 20, 2020•51 min•Ep. 96
Today I am ditching our regularly scheduled programming and discussing the very REAL pandemic going on right now. As Christians, should we fear the coronavirus? As homeschoolers, how is will this affect our day to day lives? What does the bible say about fear? How can we talk to our kids about the Coronavirus? How is this affecting our families personally? What about my daughter’s upcoming trip to Spain? What actions should we be taking as people of faith? My friend Davonne and I talk all of the...
Mar 13, 2020•40 min
Guys! I am SO excited to share with you all today about a fun storytelling-based app that also teaches kids a second language. Since I recorded this episode I have had the chance to use the Fabulingua app with Daniel and I also downloaded it on my daughter's phone for her to use with babysitting as I mention in this episode and guys, this app is AMAZING. I am not even joking. I think you all will love it. In this episode we answer the following questions: What is FabuLingua? Why is learning a se...
Mar 10, 2020•42 min•Ep. 95
One of the most popular podcasts ever is the one on Homeschooling a child with ADHD. Because of this, I wanted to share another blog post that I wrote a few years ago about homeschooling the distracted child. Three years later, this is still something we struggle with. Even after the kids are in middle and high school. A distracted child is a common occurrence in many homeschool families. When left undealt with it means long homeschool days, a frustrated homeschool mom, and a child who is consta...
Mar 06, 2020•24 min•Ep. 94
Have you noticed that the work ethic in many children nowadays leaves much to be desired? I have! And, I want to raise kids who are different. I want to have kids who want to work, and serve, and glorify God in ALL that they do. And today, I am chatting this topic and so much more with Mark Baker, owner of Christian Homeschool Entrepreneurs. Mark holds a Master’s degree in International Business Management and is a serial web entrepreneur. He loves creative thinking. And is currently working on ...
Feb 28, 2020•31 min•Ep. 93
In this episode, I chat with Wendy Gunn from Your Home for God. We talk about the comparison trap, and Wendy shares the lesson she learned about embracing the unique story God has created just for her, and how we all can learn from that lesson. We also talk about the regret she has regarding her kids and letting them make their own mistakes while they were under her roof. "The journey doesn't stop when our children are grown, it just changes" This is just an all-around great episode and I can’t ...
Feb 21, 2020•33 min•Ep. 92
I did an episode on burnout back on episode 41. But, I wanted to bring the topic up again with my friend Davonne Parks. In this episode, we are going to be chatting about the warning signs of burn out, how to overcome it and lessons we have learned about it. This season right now is the time when SO many of us are overwhelmed and just feel blah when it comes to homeschooling. And guess what? It doesn’t have to be that way! I hope this episode encourages you to have more joy in your homeschool an...
Feb 14, 2020•48 min•Ep. 91
Through the years I have had SO many people tell me they can’t homeschool because they can’t afford to quit working. But, the reality is SO many moms work and homeschool. Some things my friends do, they work outside the home as an office manager, nurse, professor at the local college, cleaning houses or office buildings, a realtor. They work from home working with VIP KID, Usborne books, blogger, podcaster, VA, graphic designer, writer, editor, and so many more. I am surprised by the number of m...
Feb 07, 2020•32 min•Ep. 90
One of the biggest things I hear when I talk about homeschooling with other Christian parents is that their kids go to school to be the salt and the light. I have heard that our local public school would be a better place if I let my kids go there because they could be a light in a dark place. Both make me want to vomit. Because it's not my child's job to be the salt and the light. The other day we were doing our daily bible study and we came across the verse where Jesus was choosing His discipl...
Jan 31, 2020•26 min
I chatted with Sarita Holzmann a few months ago about literature and encouraging our kids to have a love for good books. While we chatted we started to get on the topic of missions. This is a HUGE topic in our home as my oldest is feeling led to the mission field. I wanted to have Sarita back on the podcast just to chat about this topic. We are going to be talking about raising global-minded kids with a heart for the world. Particularly, missions and how we can raise mission-minded kids. Sarita ...
Jan 24, 2020•41 min•Ep. 89
Today’s interview is with Alisha Gratehouse from Masterpiece Society. As some of you know, my middle is an artist. And a good one. So, we were excited to get the Masterpiece Society Studio for her about a month or so ago. She has absolutely LOVED it. So, I reached out to Alisha about possibly coming on as a guest to talk about art, and not only did she agree, but she also offered to SPONSOR the podcast. So, of course, I said YES. But, who is Alisha, let’s learn more about her! Alisha Gratehouse ...
Jan 20, 2020•26 min•Ep. 88
I am SO excited about this interview because it is with the first guest, I believe, who is no longer homeschooling. I feel like she brings a unique perspective to this podcast and feel that she has a story to tell that many of us can learn from. Sarah Mae is the author of the book, The Complicated Heart: Loving Even When it Hurts , a story for all the broken-hearted daughters who need to know if their little-girl hearts could ever heal. She is the host of The Complicated Heart podcast, she speak...
Jan 10, 2020•42 min•Ep. 87
By now everyone is probably back in the groove of homeschooling, OR at least trying to be right? I think the transition from Christmas break back into school is harder sometimes than the transition back after a summer break. It seems like we just want to hibernate for the winter right?! Well, one way you can get back into the groove of things is by doing some fun tech activities with your kids! Today’s guest can help you do just that. I am chatting with Monica Burns. She recently sent me a book ...
Jan 07, 2020•33 min•Ep. 86
Today’s episode is going to be about anger, and patience and homeschooling, and I want to warn you all in advance that this is a vulnerable episode for me. I am going to be real, and honest, and hopefully by doing that I can encourage you all that you are not alone. Because, while I was on this unglued journey, I felt very alone. And judged. And it was hard. Moms, we will make mistakes. We all have our weak moments. Mine may be becoming unglued, yours may be something else. What is important is ...
Jan 03, 2020•34 min•Ep. 85
So, we have been homeschooling now for 10 years. 10! About this time 10 years ago Alyson had her last day of public school preschool. She left school and has never gone back. In that 10 years our homeschool has changed a LOT, and today I want to talk about some of our favorite homeschool memories, some of our worst, and I want to let you all have a peek into what my kids really think of homeschooling. Here is what we are sharing today: What has been your favorite homeschool memory What has been ...
Dec 17, 2019•43 min•Ep. 84
Today’s episode is tear-jerking for me a little bit. I FINALLY got to sit down with my real-life homeschool mentor, Ms. Jamie Brown. If you are a regular listener of this podcast then you have heard of Jamie before. She is the number one reason, (next to the Lord) why I am homeschooling. I can honestly say, without a shadow of a doubt that I would NOT be here, where I am today, without God placing her in my life. We are chatting about her homeschool joys, struggles and so much more. Don't miss t...
Dec 13, 2019•25 min•Ep. 83
