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 don...
Dec 10, 2024
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 gu...
Dec 03, 2024
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 hol...
Nov 26, 2024•14 min
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 thei...
Nov 19, 2024•47 min
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. Spo...
Nov 12, 2024•31 min
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 pa...
Nov 05, 2024•27 min
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 revie...
Oct 29, 2024•26 min
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 intervie...
Oct 22, 2024•34 min
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 str...
Oct 15, 2024•18 min
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 ...
Oct 08, 2024•17 min
Hey, homeschoolers! September and all of its new-school-year excitement is behind us, leaving us to face a longer October. If you struggled to complete your plan (or to get your kids to complete the plan), you may be feeling a bit concerned. How will this month be better? Should you rely on push motivation ? Do you need a new system ? These are both issues I’ve discussed in recent episodes. Today, though, I want to help you determine if you truly have a motivation problem. If not, the solution m...
Oct 01, 2024•15 min
Hey, homeschoolers! In 2019, I started a monthly podcast series I called the Trust Project . I wanted us to focus on how to trust God in multiple areas of our lives. Today, though, I’d like to check in with you–not by asking whether you’re trusting God in your homeschool, for your kids, for your health, and so on–but by asking you WHAT you’re trusting in. Life can be very difficult when we trust in something other than God. We may live in constant fear. We don’t have peace or joy. And we are unl...
Sep 24, 2024•16 min
Hey, homeschoolers! I love systems. When I started my series for A Year of Living Productively , I thought I would come up with the perfect productivity system for me and my readers. I have also looked for homeschooling systems, parenting systems, and cooking systems to make my life easier. I know I’m not the only one who loves systems. They sell. If you search for system and its synonyms like approach and program, you will find thousands and thousands of options that promise to deliver a blissf...
Sep 17, 2024•12 min
It’s not too early to plan for homeschool retirement! Here are my best tips for preparing for this season now. Watch on YouTube Sponsor 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 ar...
Sep 03, 2024
Hey, homeschoolers! Are you incorporating online learning into your homeschool this year? Should you? That wasn’t even an option when I started homeschooling in 1999. But now it is, and I’m so excited to share an interview I did with online learning platform founder Amir Nathoo. Sponsor 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 Sch...
Aug 20, 2024•24 min
Hey, homeschoolers! I’ve always been fascinated by life change, thus my pursuit of a career in psychology. But psychology alone didn’t produce the changes I desired in my life. And what’s funny to me is that I can only share steps for how to change your homeschool life in hindsight. I didn’t have a plan. So if you’d like some things to change in your homeschool life, stay tuned for what I learned along the way. Sponsor Are you looking for a new Math Curriculum? CTCMath specializes in providing o...
Aug 13, 2024•29 min
Hey, homeschoolers! I grew up in a rural area where no one I knew took dance classes. Dance was confined to occasional, awkward PE classes. Our nieces were into competitive dance and acro, however, so when I had a preschool-aged daughter of my own, I was excited to enroll her in dance. She enjoyed it, but it was an expensive, time-consuming activity for what amounted to a photo op that I could have set up for free. She ended up more interested in gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming, and volle...
Aug 06, 2024•24 min
Hey, homeschoolers! Whether you are interested in motivating yourself or your children, understanding the three motivational states described in Mark Forster’s book How to Make Your Dreams Come True will help you achieve your goal. Sponsor 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 ...
Jul 16, 2024•26 min
Hey, homeschoolers! In this episode, I’m sharing my top tips for getting more done. Sponsor 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...
Jul 09, 2024•39 min
Hey, homeschoolers! Few things are as distressing as having an anxious child. I’m revisiting the topic today. Watch on YouTube Sponsor Summary In this conversation, Melanie Wilson discusses anxiety in homeschoolers and provides a three-part framework for managing anxiety. The first part of the framework is prevention, which includes ensuring regular sleep and wake times, engaging in exercise, and limiting caffeine intake. The second part is recognizing the symptoms of anxiety, such as muscle ten...
Jul 02, 2024•31 min
Hey, homeschoolers! A homeschool mom posted on Facebook, “I bake homemade bread … but not enough.” I saw in her what I so often see in myself and other homeschool moms: the tyranny of not enough. Whatever we accomplish is immediately invalidated, whether we say it out loud or not. We might think it’s no big deal. Maybe our “not enough” is just being humble and recognizing that we’re works in progress. But there are three negative side effects of “not enough” thinking that I want to share with yo...
Jun 26, 2024•20 min
Hey, homeschoolers! I am excited about today’s episode, not only because of the topic that I think addresses a real need we have as parents, but also about my guest. I experienced the pain of feeling different as a child and so did my kids. There’s different good and different bad, right? But kids don’t often like any kind of difference that makes them feel alone. How can we help our kids through that? That’s the topic of the conversation I had with Ali Gilkeson. Ali is a member of the popular C...
Jun 11, 2024•29 min
Watch on YouTube Summary In this conversation, Melanie Wilson shares a life-changing strategy for homeschoolers to have a better homeschool year. She introduces the ‘What’s Better’ strategy and explains its benefits for self-image, mood, and behavior. She provides examples of how to implement the strategy and offers tips for dealing with negative experiences. Melanie also discusses using the ‘What’s Better’ list with various resources and encourages listeners to start implementing the strategy t...
Jun 04, 2024•20 min
Hey, homeschoolers! This is one of the topics I have been asked to talk about over the years but I’ve frankly avoided. Not only can it cause problems with website and social media platforms that flag the posts but there are strong opinions about the issue. I don’t like wading into controversial waters if I can help it. But then I met Kristen Miele at the Great Homeschool Conventions who was speaking about this very issue. I was so impressed with her background and her message that is grounded in...
May 21, 2024•36 min
If you feel like your homeschool year is fizzling out, you’ll appreciate these tips for ending well. LISTEN ON ITUNES LINKS GrammarGalaxyBooks.com/treasure . Instagram at Psychowith6 Rochelle Barlow’s Learn American Sign Language in 31 Days The Organized Vacation Challenge my recent podcast on being disappointed in your homeschool year The post Special Replay: How to End Your Homeschool Year on a High appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network ....
May 07, 2024•10 min
Hey, homeschoolers! If you have a teen daughter, I think this episode is a must-listen. I interview Shannon Popkin and Lee Niehuis, authors of Comparison Girl for Teens, and I haven’t been able to stop talking about it. There is so much wisdom here about our girls and how to help them manage comparison and friendship in a God-honoring way. Shannon Popkin invites you to drink deeply of God’s story, and live like it’s true. Shannon’s books include Control Girl , Comparison Girl , Comparison Girl f...
Apr 23, 2024•45 min
Hey, homeschoolers! Have you considered learning robotics in your homeschool? I don’t have an engineering brain so I enrolled my kids in in-person and online classes. My youngest is now majoring in computer science in college. His classes had a major impact on his career direction. Today on the podcast, you’ll hear about the advantages of including robotics and programming in your homeschool from my guest, Francie Black. I met Francie at the Great Homeschool Convention last year. She is the foun...
Apr 16, 2024•33 min
Hey, homeschoolers, we know we aren’t weird and unsocialized as a popular blog implies, but you might wonder if we are weirder than kids in public school. I was relieved when my oldest son, after having been in a public high school for a few weeks, told me that he thought that the public school kids were just as weird as homeschoolers. We know that our kids can benefit from having good social skills. Here’s why we should teach social skills directly in our homeschool and here are some practical ...
Apr 02, 2024•26 min
Hey, homeschoolers! How to help an anxious, frustrated, or bored child is the most common question I get. In this episode, I’ll share a three-step approach you can use to help your child manage any negative emotion. Watch on YouTube Summary In this episode, Melanie Wilson addresses the common concern of homeschooling parents regarding their child’s ability to manage emotions. She emphasizes that emotional struggles should be seen as skill deficits rather than character flaws. Melanie highlights ...
Mar 26, 2024•18 min
Hey, homeschoolers! If you’ve ever considered attending a homeschool conference, this is the year to do it. If you’ve attended in the past, I have three reasons you should attend again. In short, you should attend for the curriculum, the speakers, and the fellowship with other homeschoolers. Some resources I mention in today’s episode are: Great Homeschool Conventions Grammar Galaxy Books Carole Barnier’s episodes on ADD and reading Dr. S. M. Davis Institute for Excellence in Writing I hope to s...
Mar 19, 2024•19 min
