Homeschooling IRL

Homeschool critics seem to be everywhere and some of us have had our share of uncomfortable conversations about our choice to homeschool, how we’re going about it, whether or not we’re qualified to teach our own kids, and even what they’re learning. Learning how to answer homeschool critics, especially those who are close to us, sometimes requires […] The post Answering Hom...

It’s very common for homeschooling moms to feel as if we spend all day telling the kids what they have to do, and then at the end of the day, dad swoops in and saves the day! And while we love that our kids are excited to see dad (or mom, if it’s reversed in […] The post Some Dads Have All The Fun – HIRL Episode 41 appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network .

Fletch and Kendra are back in the hot-seat for another round of questions. On this 40th episode of Homeschooling In Real Life, we are answering questions from our listening audience again. Questions we tackle in this episode include: What do you do with the college kids that live in your home and interrupt your homeschool life? Any […] The post Ask Us Anything You Want, Again – HIRL Ep...

Let’s be real folks! It’s February and the mid-year homeschooling doldrums can hit any of us. One of our listeners sent us a great email with five questions all about homeschool challenges and wanting to throw in the towel. As we read through the questions he asked, we decided to combine all of them into one podcast […] The post I Love Homeschooling…But I’m Totally Bu...

We were contacted a few weeks ago by HIRLer Derek Anderson who asked: Could you talk about the challenges of owning a home business as a homeschooler?  For many homeschoolers, owning a home business is the dream. The idea that small business ownership provides the ultimate in freedom and flexibility for a homeschool family is sought by […] The post Balancing Home Business and Homeschool – HI...

We are talking about relationships and asking the question, “Is it possible to be friends with our homeschool kids?” Most homeschooling families seem to have a good understanding of curriculum to use with their kids. Conventions and conferences often address how to teach math, writing and language. As parents we also have a natural understanding for […] The post Can We Be Friends...

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! We love to surprise our listeners with fun stuff! We are super excited to announce that Homeschooling In Real Life has become a WEEKLY podcast. That’s right! Each and every week we plan on releasing a brand new show for you. But here’s the deal: great content and interviews take a lot of time and we are […] The post How Do I Make Homeschooling Fun? &...

Sometimes our listeners ask tough questions of us, and then our most meaningful episodes are created.  On this episode of HomeschoolingIRL, Fletch and Kendra respond to listener Cindy, who asked, “What if your child is the black sheep of the homeschool group, the one the kids won’t play with?” It’s a tender topic, and one that […] The post Black Sheep Homeschoolers &#...

Kimm Crandall was the perfect homeschooling mom: she had her curriculum chosen carefully, her children lined up quietly and obediently in the church pew, and her home-ground wheat bread delivered piping hot from her oven. She was doing everything “right”. Still, God seemed angry with her, and she felt as if nothing she did would make Him […] The post Christ in the Chaos – H...

So you don’t have a teaching credential and you’ve never been to college. Does this make you unqualified to teach your kids at home? Continuing our series of “I Love Homeschooling But…”, we get real with the idea of feeling inadequate to teach your children and discuss, “I Love Homeschooling, But I’m Not A Good Teacher.” Join us […] The post I...

So you love the idea of homeschooling, but you are totally disorganized? Is this a deal killer? Should you pack up your kids and send them off to the local school house where they will be kept on track by rigid teaching plans that maintain scope and sequence? It’s time for us all to get […] The post I Love Homeschooling But I Am Totally Disorganized – HIRL Episode 32 appeared fir...

And I hate teaching science. And writing. Or . . . Let’s get real homeschoolers, most of us have at least one subject we don’t enjoy teaching. What? That is difficult to justify when we are the ones in charge of teaching all the subjects. So what is a homeschooling parent supposed to do when there are core subjects that must be covered […] The post I Love Homeschooling But I Hate...

On this episode of the HomeschoolingIRL podcast, Fletch and Kendra begin a new series called, “I Love Homeschooling But…” and discuss the topic of having your kids with you All. The. Time. We really do love this aspect of homeschooling, and many of us want to spend the best hours of our kids’ days with […] The post I Love Homeschooling But My Kids Are With Me All the...

Homeschooling can be a difficult choice for families to make. It takes time, planning and hard work when you decide to school your children at home. That decision is made even more difficult when you are doing it alone. LaToya Edwards and Mary Jo Tate are single homeschooling moms who have successfully learned how to keep their children home […] The post All The Single Ladies – HIRL Ep...

What are the best tools for technology in your homeschool? Has the internet become any safer for your kids to surf? What precautions should you take to guard your kids from life online? On this episode of Homeschooling In Real Life, Fletch and Kendra sit down with John Wilkerson from The Wired Homeschool Podcast and Blog to […] The post The Internet In Real Life – HIRL Episode 28 appea...

The answer to this question is obvious: we all know that homeschoolers can go to college! On this episode of Homeschooling In Real Life, Fletch and Kendra get real and challenge their listeners to join them in a difficult discussion about fear and trusting God as they contemplate sending their children onto higher education. Along the way, they sit […] The post Can Your Homeschooler Go To Co...

On this episode of HomeschoolingIRL, Fletch and Kendra tackle the topic of courtship and dating in the homeschool family. They interview Thomas Umstattd, Jr. to discuss his popular viral blog post:  Why Courtship Is Fundamentally Flawed. Timeline for this episode: 13:45 – Thomas talks about his blogpost and why he wrote it. 26:38 – Fletch […] The post Is Courtship Fundamentally F...

Do you have a student whose dream is to head to college? How do you know if she’s ready? Have you imparted everything you wanted to teach him before he heads off to work on a degree, live on campus, and make all of his own choices? Join Fletch and Kendra on this episode as […] The post Launching Your Kid to College – HIRL Episode 25 appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast N...

      Need some motivation? Encouragement? Tips? Join us for 5 Ways to Rock Your Homeschool! We originally titled this one “The Practical Episode”,  and that is exactly what we’re talking about. Let’s go back to school with some tips that will hopefully bring you some freedom and joy this year! After 17 years of homeschooling, we’ve picked […] The...

Have you ever watched a TV sitcom where the characters live in a cool New York City apartment? Have you ever dreamed of walking down Park Avenue or strolling leisurely through Central Park? Has the thought ever crossed your mind about living and homeschooling in a big city? On this episode of HomeschoolingIRL, Fletch and Kendra […] The post Homeschooling in New York City – HIRL Episode...

Hard times! As much as we might like it to be, life is not all ponies, rainbows, and watercolor daisies. On this episode of HomeschoolingIRL we discuss the issue of homeschooling when life gets hard. Difficulties can look different in every family – marital stress, tragedies, health challenges, financial loss – and we’ll consider how each […] The post Homeschooling Through...

It seems that we can’t stop talking about sex! This week’s episode is our response to Episode 16: How Do I Talk to My Kids About Sex?, where we heard from several young adults who shared how their parents failed or succeeded in teaching them about sex. This time we also respond to a few […] The post Let’s Talk Sex…Again – HIRL Episode 21 appeared first on Ultima...

HomeschoolingIRL is celebrating our 20th episode! We’ve interviewed, asked questions, listened, discussed, and laughed a lot along with you. Now it’s your turn — if you could ask Fletch and Kendra anything you want, what would you ask? Join us for Episode 20: Ask Us Anything You Want for questions our listeners sent in and answers that […] The post Ask Us Anything You Want &#8211...

It’s time for an episode that’s all about the men.     On this episode of HomeschoolingIRL, Fletch talks with three other homeschooling dads about what they wish their wives knew . They discuss the trap of micro-managing, the pressure to perform that their wives feel acutely, and what they really think about making curriculum choices and attending […] The post What Home...

What are you doing to prepare your homeschool graduates for life in the real world? A listener called into the podcast and shared a story of how his son had his homeschooled eyes opened at his first job. World views, coarse language, sexual innuendo were all present in abundance.   In a world full of […] The post Homeschool Grads Tell All – HIRL Episode 18 appeared first on Ultima...