Well This Wasn't The Plan!

Send us Fan Mail We crawl out of tax season, admit why the podcast went quiet, and share how hiring a sitter became the simplest way to keep work and homeschooling from crushing us. We break down exactly how we found her, what we pay, how we structure the homeschool block, and why the “six hours back” changes everything! Support the show Our Curriculum we LOVE Homeschool + Working Parents Guide (T...

Send us Fan Mail Homeschooling didn’t break us, but tax season almost did. When you’re two full-time working parents, the hard days don’t look like a cute worksheet moment. They look like nonstop noise, kids picking at each other, and that very real parenting thought of “I just need five minutes of quiet.” We say the part out loud that many families hide, then we talk through what we’re doing abou...

Send us Fan Mail A rapid-fire list of realistic ways to keep working while you homeschool • our long planning runway before homeschooling and why we tested changes for a year  • switching a business to virtual work to make home learning possible  • work-from-home options and early-morning schedules that open up school time  • using online school and virtual curriculum for more independence  • hybr...

Send us Fan Mail • early ADHD signs we notice first, especially screen hyperfocus and the crash afterward  • why teachers see a people pleaser while we see meltdowns at home  • low frustration tolerance with hard skills like reading, swimming, biking, and tying shoes  • our medication conversations, including appetite and growth concerns  • natural supports we try first, including cutting dyes, lo...

Send us Fan Mail We share big podcast news, a new homeschool guide we built for working parents, and what our week looks like when the kids stay with grandparents during tax season. Then we dig into why recess gets cut so often, how that hits kids’ mental health, and we answer your biggest questions about homeschooling at every age.  • why taking away recess feels harmful and how often it happens ...

Send us Fan Mail We juggle tax season, a broken leg, and a new homeschool rhythm while trying to build a house where everyone contributes. We share the chore routines that finally work, why we treat chores like teachable skills, and how teamwork language changes everything. • using a simple structure of daily chores plus laundry days plus a weekly family cleaning day • handling pushback, slow prog...

Send us Fan Mail We ask Saylor—the spark behind our homeschool switch—to answer your questions about slow mornings, ADHD-friendly learning, real social time, sports, screens, chores, and why she never wants to go back to public school. Two focused hours, long outdoor play, and a simple structure turned our evenings from chaos to calm. • why we chose two-hour school blocks and more outside time • w...

Send us Fan Mail We talk with Megan, a public school teacher preparing to homeschool, about curriculum realities, the third-grade shift to screens, the limits of standardized testing, inclusion’s classroom impact, and the persistent myth of socialization. The goal is not to bash schools but to equip parents with clarity, options, and courage. Make sure you subscribe! Support the show Our Curriculu...

Send us Fan Mail We bring on Megan, a Texas elementary instructional specialist and former classroom teacher, who explains why she’s leaving the classroom to homeschool and what parents don’t see day to day. We compare school as it is with what kids actually need—sleep, protein, movement, and long blocks of unstructured play. • why a veteran teacher chose homeschool now • how tech in early grades...

Send us Fan Mail We share how we chose our homeschool curriculum and the pros and cons! • why pencil-and-paper  • how open-and-go lessons cut prep to zero • placement tests and mixing levels by subject • free downloads and what to try before buying • high standards • family-style subjects • using short videos for independence • skipping repetition and replacing boring readers • pricing, value, and...

Send us Fan Mail We share what shocked us about homeschooling as two full-time working parents: the time it takes, how fast kids learn one-on-one, and why our home feels calmer and happier. From tackling gaps in handwriting and grammar to an ADHD breakthrough, we lay out what actually worked. Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss a single podcast episode! Support the show Our Curriculum we...

Send us Fan Mail We trade the post-holiday slump for a simple “goals time” system that gives our kids clear daily reps and gives us reliable work blocks. Short, intentional practice drives Spanish, piano, and sports progress while we scale our accounting workload through tax season. • juggling homeschool with a 42-hour workweek and seasonal peaks • setting kid goals with specific daily reps and cl...

Send us Fan Mail We push past holiday overload to unpack a big question: what happens when schools move all work onto screens, and what do kids lose along the way.  • school device policies and filter workarounds • screen time displacing handwriting, grammar and composition • our guardrails: shared computers, short videos, supervised access • targeted skills: typing, file basics, safe browsing • s...

Send us Fan Mail We finish our first semester of homeschooling and share what worked, what didn’t, and how we balanced real jobs with real learning. Honest wins, hard pivots, and a few surprises changed our mornings, our kids’ confidence, and our plans for next term. • routine that protects work blocks and quiet hours • pen-and-paper curriculum improving writing speed and focus • testing revealing...

Send us Fan Mail A holiday road trip, a house full of flu, and deadlines stacking up—then the realization that our “get back on track” grind was making everything worse. We decided to slow down, skip a day when fevers hit, say yes to hot chocolate and a matinee, and rebuild our rhythm around what actually makes our family feel good. The shift was simple and powerful: less pressure on perfect routi...

Send us Fan Mail We unpack why we chose homeschool over private school, how we juggle work with learning, and what actually changed in our home life. From winter routines to Outschool wins and cutting December chaos, we share what’s working, what isn’t, and what we’re adding next. • letting go of pressure during holidays and keeping daily reading • handling family reactions and setting screen boun...

Send us Fan Mail EPISODE RERUN FOR THANKSGIVING BREAK! We walk through the million little reasons we left public school to homeschool three kids while running a business, trading rushed mornings and rigid schedules for slower starts, focused learning, and family time. Nothing against teachers; this is about fit, values, and the lives we want to build. Support the show Our Curriculum we LOVE Homesc...

Send us Fan Mail We share how better sleep, steady routines, and clear expectations made our homeschool days calmer and our evenings useful. Then we dive into kid goal setting, phone etiquette that starts with us, and everyday choices about cleaning products and food that keep balance and sanity intact. • shifting bedtimes to protect 10–12 hours of sleep • using mornings with purpose and avoiding...

Send us Fan Mail We share the life skills that we get to teach now that we homeschool! Wins, stumbles, templates, and the small habits that build real responsibility. • moving to a new city and practicing friend-making on purpose • weekly meal planning with kid choices and a shared grocery list • kids cooking and cleaning entire meals to see consequences • balanced nutrition using a simple protein...

Send us Fan Mail We faced these issues head-on after years in public school with our three kids. Two full-time working parents, zero plans to homeschool, and a growing list of friction points pushed us to try something different. The result surprised us: calmer days, happier learners, and more time for the life skills we thought we’d lost. We unpack the exact moments that tipped the scale: recess...

Send us Fan Mail We talk through trading public school for homeschool while traveling Costa Rica, turning delays and detours into life lessons. From family pushback to new friends, movement tech to money talks, we share what’s working and what’s still hard. • why we left public school and what changed • travel setbacks as practice for patience and problem-solving • the Spartan race mixups and what...

Send us Fan Mail We make homeschool work while both of us work full time, even from Costa Rica before a Spartan race. We answer rapid-fire listener questions on hours, schedules, curriculum, reading breakthroughs, travel schooling, routines, and why we quit a co-op. • why a focused two-hour block four days works • how shift work can support homeschool • three-day and weekend-only schooling options...

Send us Fan Mail We share the simple routine that lets two full-time parents homeschool three kids without chaos, and we get honest about the social tradeoffs and timing that make it possible. Expect practical rhythms, age-specific advice, and tools that keep kids learning all day without living on screens. • why the switch worked during a busy work week • curriculum fit and keeping lessons short...

Send us Fan Mail We share two months of homeschooling as two full-time working parents, the choices that made it doable, and the mindset shifts that dissolved our fear. From co-ops and Outschool to reading habits and life skills, we explain how short, focused days create more learning and happier kids. • why two hours of focused homeschool beats eight hours of school • large co-ops vs small groups...

Send us Fan Mail "Two hours a day? Impossible!" That was my first reaction when someone suggested we could homeschool our three children in such a short time. After all, traditional schools keep kids for 7-8 hours daily, so surely homeschooling requires the same commitment, right? Wrong. After unexpectedly becoming homeschoolers while maintaining our full-time careers, we've discove...