make joy normal: cozy homeschooling

send us a text via Fan Mail! We fall short.... so many times...but how do we handle the guilt from our shortcomings?  Elizabeth and I discuss possible sources of guilt, the importance of healing from our wounds and share some helpful resources. 00:36 - Holy Week and Easter family traditions 2:26 - How do we handle guilt from snapping at our kids? 5:57 - Importance of asking ourselves "why&quo...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Elizabeth and I take on this question, and then I get two other mothers near and dear to me to weigh in on this topic.  Zoe and Rachel share their thoughts on how they make (made) it work with a lotta young ones.  1:54 - Acknowledging the needs of our eldest  6:46 - Opportunities to connect  9:02 - Caring for children with learning disabilities  13:32 - Stepping back a...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Wow, we talk around this idea, culturally what seems to be happening, Zoe's personal experience and reflect on the value of life in the home.  And Zoe, lover of beauty and life in the home, has created this lovely Etsy shop for us ❤️.    Studio Disegno 00:29 - Welcome Zoe and what lead you to making the transition 2:54 - Appreciation for life in the home 11:34 - C...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Our dear listener Shawn shares the joys of having and raising her only child.  We discuss the unique needs of boys, their energy and need for movement, learning to be okay with silence and working side by side.  The importance of community and that you don't need to do it all by yourself. 1:25 - Welcome Shawn and the blessings of having an only child 5:28 - What a...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Firstly!  Congratulations to the Jaloway family, my lovely co-host Christina had her little son Luke...please keep the family in your prayers! And secondly, my sweet daughter Lydia (16) has created a timeline for families to use.  She agreed to interview to tell my listeners about it.  The Good Teens Do Contact On Instagram at @make.joy.normal   By email at makejoynorm...

send us a text via Fan Mail! When you see that your child is ready, how do you capitalize on that? Elizabeth joins me to discuss how to transition from dictation to more concrete writing lessons, working on the foundation, how to teach paragraph writing and how co-ops and IEW can help along the way.    Catholic Heritage Curricula - Ever Ancient, Ever New 3:16 - When should you start teaching writi...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Today I welcome Gina and Laurie to discuss breastfeeding, natural child spacing and motherhood. We share our experiences in ecological breastfeeding and NFP.  1:15 - Welcome Gina and Laurie 2:43 - What is ecological breastfeeding and how does it work? 12:35 - NFP, fertility and benefits of charting 23:31 - Signs that you are transitioning from ecological breastfeeding...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Christina and I chat about the difficulties and temptations we face in parenting - to lash out, to make a sarcastic remark or to yell at our kids. Acknowledging that we are in a spiritual battle and our need for God's grace is the foundation for responding as Christ calls us to.    1:58 - Snapping, temperaments and forgiveness  7:04 - Prayer and self-awareness  14...

send us a text via Fan Mail! A dear listener, Leslie, brings her questions to this episode. Am I doing enough?  Am I doing it right?  Does curriculum need to be Catholic-specific?  2:02 - Should I feel guilt or fear about using secular curriculum? 5:15 - Helpful books to have on hand 8:50 - How to use various resources while maintaining the Catholic lens 10:34 - The benefits of using a wide range...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Two lovely moms meet with me today to chat about what it's like raising and homeschooling an only child.  These delightful ladies have so much insight and so much to offer.  So worth a listen, even if you don't have an only...take a peek inside their world, the challenges and blessings that come with a one child family from two deeply thoughtful moms. Catholi...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Elizabeth and I talk  preteens.  How to respond charitably when facing defiance and giving them space to vent. How planning something different and fun can help the day improve. Finally, we chat about entertaining a young toddler. 3:55 - How do you motivate a preteen who is only motivated by fun?  10:33 - Responding to defiance and having practiced responses  14:02 - A...

send us a text via Fan Mail! 00:50 - owning less stuff 2:29 - investing in the relationship 8:56 - practicing kindness and tenderness #makejoynormal #homeschooling #familylife #parenting #connection #guidance #kindness  Try Riversidefm, Our recording platform.  I use it because it’s easy. I use it because good tech support matters. https://riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_1&utm_medium=affil...

send us a text via Fan Mail! I share some thoughts on family life :  helping our relationships flourish, understanding our family's history and tradition,  how kindness changes everything and how to reduce unnecessary busyness. 1:07 - Truth in family life: what does that mean?  9:20 - Finding joy and dignity in relationships 22:21 - Chaos undermines kindness  25:14 - Tools for discerning comm...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Elizabeth and I chat about kids in the transition years .  Wait, they're all transition years...but some, of course, are more dramatic than others, and emerging teens and adults leave parents treading new waters.  1:39 - Navigating bedtime as kids get older 8:20 - Including them in the decision making 14:21 - Our role as parents 20:15 -  When your child becomes an...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Allison shares so beautifully about the struggles faced in motherhood and in the postpartum period.   Her journey in healing physically, emotionally, spiritually and the transformation that comes one day at a time by God's grace. 2:48 - Welcome Allison! 5:23 - Realizing that something needs to change 10:15 - A beginning for getting help  15:41 - Did people around...

send us a text via Fan Mail! It's a great question - How do we approach the topic of differences in discipline with a young child who notices these things and is asking?   We also discuss how small families can approach their homeschooling communities despite large families being the norm. 2:00 - How do you explain parenting differences to a child?  8:45 - When others are disapproving of your...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Such a pleasure to welcome Lucero and Michelle who bring their questions about homeschooling into the teen years. We discuss challenges, counterwill and burnout. The importance of open communication and how community and fun are at the heart of a healthy wholesome homeschooling experience for the entire family.  1:11 - Welcome Lucero and Michelle 6:23 - Importance of c...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Well we start with dictation but move into some great conversation about "to push or not to push, to plan or not to plan" and Elizabeth brings her honesty to the table about the hard moments and the great moments. Catholic Heritage Curricula - Ever Ancient, Ever New 4:26 - When dictation is not working 11:32 - Learning skills along the way for teaching our ch...

send us a text via Fan Mail! We do a Christmas Ball each year (except not during pandemics) and this year's Ball was a huge success as people are so ready to get some social life!  I thought it would be fun to share what we do and, more importantly, why we do it.  Some tips for success, some ideas to get you started.  Catholic Heritage Curricula - Ever Ancient, Ever New Contact On Instagram a...

send us a text via Fan Mail! A blessed Christmas to you all! Contact On Instagram at @make.joy.normal   By email at makejoynormal@gmail.com Search podcast episodes by topic   www.bonnielandry.ca Shop my recommended resources Thanks for listening to Make Joy Normal Podcast! 

send us a text via Fan Mail! In today's episode, Elizabeth and I chat about questions that often come up about dictation.   When do we know our child is ready for dictation, where to begin and whether dictation can be used with an older child. And for practical tips, check out a new video of dictation with my six year old grandson . 1:12 -  How dictation works 8:00 - How to choose what to wri...

send us a text via Fan Mail! This is coming out as a supplementary episode because you are probably gonna want this book after listening and you need it before Christmas... I talk with the cocktail man, Michael Foley once again, ultimately, about joy.  His new book Why We Kiss Under the Mistletoe” is so much more than a book about Christmas traditions.  We can learn history through Christmas tradi...

send us a text via Fan Mail! How do we lead our children closer to God?    4:02 - Raising children who desire to draw closer to God  12:38 - What do we do when our kids misbehave? 17:11 - Our goal as parents  Art programs by Catholic Heritage Curricula Ever Ancient, Ever New: Art History, Appreciation, Theory and Practice the fundamental elements of kindness part one (blog post) #makejoynormal #ho...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Crystal joins me again to share her passion and knowledge of classical education, and tells us about her new podcast Classical Matters.  00:30 - Classical education and a new podcast  13:45 - Education for the transformation of souls  27:53 - Adapting to change, need for assessment 33:55 - When a child pushes back against school work 38:00 - How to choose curriculum 41...

send us a text via Fan Mail! What can we do to build resilience in our lives?  2:02 - Creating joy and peace is an act of surrender 7:25 - Characteristics of resilient people 27:53 - A mother's duty of the moment building resilience, cultivating joy (blog post) Bishop Barron on prayer (video) The Temperament God Gave You by Art and Laraine Bennett The 5 Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman   #m...