Homeschool is a Work of Heart

Send us Fan Mail Winter break has a funny way of knocking the rhythm right out of family life. One day, you are coasting, the next day it feels oddly hard just to get moving again.  If you have ever thought, "Why does restarting feel harder than stopping?" you are not alone. In today’s episode, we are talking about routines. Not the rigid, rule-heavy kind, but the kind that helps childre...

Send us Fan Mail What if fun wasn't something we believed we had to wait for but something we could make happen whenever and wherever we wanted?  In this episode, I will explore a powerful mindset shift I first heard years ago and have been practicing ever since. Fun is a thought, and it's always available.  We are going to talk about fun not as a constant state of happiness or ridiculou...

Send us Fan Mail Happy New Year. As we step into a fresh season, many of us are thinking about productivity.  We are wondering what we want to do better, how we want this year to feel, and how to set ourselves up for success as homeschool parents.  So, in today’s episode, I’m sharing three simple but powerful shifts I’ve seen make the most significant difference for homeschooling families. These a...

Send us Fan Mail Recently, while prepping for the holidays, I came across a blog post that stopped me in my tracks in the best way. It was written by someone who has a gift for noticing ordinary life and capturing it beautifully.  In that post, our friend's daughter, Kimberlee, shared about a simple practice called color walks and how it has quietly become a joyful part of her life. The idea...

Send us Fan Mail This week, I overheard a moment in a store that made me smile and think at the same time.  A tween, clearly frustrated, looked at her mom and said, “Mom, you’re so extra. Stop crashing out on me.”  Translation for those of us not fluent in today's slang - “Mom, you’re overreacting.”  Most of us have been accused of overreacting, right? Not because we don’t care, but because w...

Send us Fan Mail Are your kids deep in the season of “I want this” and “can I have that”?  You are not alone.  This week’s episode brings you a simple, eye-opening family activity that helps children recognize how much they already have. It is rooted in gratitude, awareness, and a mindset that builds emotional strength for life.  Grab your earbuds, and I will walk you through the exercise I once d...

Send us Fan Mail If you’ve ever looked at your homeschool day and thought, “I wish this could feel lighter and more joyful,” then today’s episode is going to hit home.  We’re talking about something every mom wants, and believe it or not, a little experiment involving dry spaghetti and a marshmallow has a lot to teach us about how children naturally learn and how we can make our homeschool environ...

Send us Fan Mail As we roll into Thanksgiving week here in the States, I wanted to share something special with you.  I am spending the holiday week in Italy this year, taking a moment to soak in gratitude, beauty, and a slower pace.  It felt like the perfect time to revisit one of the most loved episodes from two years ago.  Episode #20, ABC Goals, was one that sparked reflection, journaling, and...

Send us Fan Mail As we step into Thanksgiving week, most of us hope for joy and peace, but real life tends to throw stress, long lists, and short tempers our way.  In this episode, I’m breaking down why yelling at our kids has far less to do with them and everything to do with the stress sitting on our shoulders.  I’ll introduce you to the Family Stress Model, unpack why our nervous system hijacks...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s episode is titled Homeschooling Is Not Fun, which is a thought I recently heard from a homeschooling parent. She shared her struggles, and I could feel how heavy that thought felt for her. This week, I thought we could discuss our thoughts, those sentences in our heads that are serving us, and those that need to go. Thoughts are powerful. They shape our feelings, our actio...

Send us Fan Mail Hello homeschoolers! Welcome back to Homeschool is a Work of Heart. Have you ever met one of your heroes? I did back in 2015 when I met Andrew Pudewa, founder of the Institute for Excellence in Writing.  He was the first person I ever heard connect how the brain works with how we write, and that changed everything for me as a teacher. I’ll always remember how kind, humble, and dow...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wonder why you want what you want?  This week’s episode, The Chase is On , explores the hidden truth behind our goals, wishes, and holiday “must-haves.”  From business dreams to remodeled kitchens and new video games, it’s rarely the thing we’re chasing; it’s the feeling we believe it will bring.  This week, you'll want to pause and ask yourself, “What emotion am I reall...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we are revisiting the familiar Starfish Story, but through the eyes of a homeschooling parent. Yes, someone like you!  If your life often feels like a beach scattered with endless needs and responsibilities, this episode is for you.  You may not be able to handle everything all at once, but you can choose one important thing and do it well.  Today, I am sharing three pr...

Send us Fan Mail "Reactions" are a funny thing. They can happen so fast.  Before our kids (or we) can control ourselves, we speak sharply, and then wish we hadn’t.  That flash between feeling and action is where regret lives, but it is also where growth begins.  This week, we are talking about what I call The Pause Principle, the skill of catching yourself in that half-second before reac...

Send us Fan Mail Parenting trends change from one generation to the next.  For most of us, we'd agree that there are parts of various parenting trends that we can get behind and other parts that make us cringe.     In today's world, is it possible we are so focused on helping kids feel good about themselves that we have forgotten to help them do good?  This week, I'm encouraging eve...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we’re tackling something that might just change the way you and your kids approach learning. We'll be discussing the importance of planning. Not the rigid, soul-crushing kind, but the kind that actually frees up your energy, lowers stress, and leads to real progress. We’ll delve into self-regulation theory (SRT), and I’ll demonstrate why calendars and schedul...

Send us Fan Mail It’s officially fall, y'all, and the cooler, crisper air begs for memories in the making.  Picture apple picking in the morning and enjoying a warm pie right out of the oven after dinner, or a surprise drive-in movie under the blankets.  The choices you make today will become tomorrow’s stories.  In this episode, I’ll share why fall fun isn’t fluff, especially when it’s tied...

Send us Fan Mail Hello friends. This week, I’m inviting you to put on your coaching hat . During a long drive, I kept circling back to something my brother said, "As a doctor, I've learned that the best diagnoses start with the best questions."  It hit me how often our children (and we) default to “Do I have to?” A question that limits curiosity and growth.  As moms, educators, and...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's episode, I speak from a heavy heart after the tragic murder of Charlie Kirk.  My desire is to share biblical encouragement to help you guide your children with prayer, hope, and love.  Let's remember, even in darkness, God works for good and prayer does matter.

Send us Fan Mail How are you doing at accepting life as it is? When it's going great, it's an easy ride, but half of the time, things may be challenging. How do you show up then? In this episode, we'll consider the futility of fighting reality and what it means to live with the truth that life is 50/50—half joy, half challenge.  From messy houses to reluctant writers to schedules th...

Send us Fan Mail We’re off and running with a new WOW Writers Clubhouse semester.  We have excited kids, parents, and teachers everywhere!  But here’s what's happening: when life gets busy, we skim. We skim over directions, assignments, lessons, and so on. Frustrations rise. Confusion sets in. Next thing we know, we're all feeling overwhelmed.  Yet, in today's society, speed matters...

Send us Fan Mail Deadlines get a bad reputation, but what if they could actually become your homeschool secret weapon?  In this episode, I’m sharing why deadlines aren’t restrictive. In fact, they’re empowering.  You’ll hear how removing deadlines once cut my students’ completion rates in half, why our brains actually crave goal markers, and how simple mini-deadlines can turn stressful projects in...

Send us Fan Mail This week, I’m inviting you, my Freedom Scholars, on a little time-travel adventure through homeschooling’s historical and incredible transformation.  We will start in the 1970s, when just 13,000 students learned at home in what was considered an underground movement, and end in today’s vibrant world, where over 4 million families design unique education ecosystems.  I’ll share wh...

Send us Fan Mail Feeling ready to reset and refocus this fall? I've got ya! In this episode, I will introduce a powerful and practical acronym to help you and your homeschooler set and actually achieve meaningful goals. You’ll discover how to guide your child to achieve "K.I.D.S" goals: Know what they want and why it matters Intend to succeed with a clear plan Do the work through co...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we’re diving into the powerful concept of TNT - Takes No Talent .  Inspired by legendary coach Lou Holtz, TNT refers to simple, impactful habits that require zero natural talent but lead to massive success.  Things like being on time, showing effort, and having a positive attitude can completely transform your homeschool environment and parent-child relationships....