make joy normal: cozy homeschooling

send us a text via Fan Mail! One of the people who lifted me up and encouraged me to look at what God has given me more closely, Katherine is one of my dearest friends.  We talk about being awesome, and how to help others be awesome.   00:12 - Welcome Katherine, how we met and things you do 13:14 - Creating interesting experiences around the liturgical seasons, history  16:57 - It doesn't hav...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Tan has developed a homeschool support system worth taking a look at.  Krista from Tan books is so full of enthusiasm for her work supporting parents and families with what Tan has to offer.  We talk about what homeschooling can look like, and de-stressing the parents who want to create a joy filled environment.  2:12 - Welcome Krista and about Tan books 5:06 - About T...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Greta is a lovely human being.  Second generation homeschool mom with a husband,  four kids and a great attitude.  Adventure, big or small, is a place where we can connect with our family and community.  Greta shares her story, her desire and purpose in adventuring, and her passion.  3:51 - Being a 2nd gen homeschooler and joys of homeschooling 7:49 - About Greta'...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Vivian is so lovely.  Her love of family, literature and God (not in that order) filters out so tangibly to our listeners.  Ignatius has been a remarkable part of our family and faith journey over the years, we're so grateful that they do what they do.  1:08 - Welcome Vivian and about Ignatius Press 2:56 - What is your favourite children's picture book? 11:04...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Elizabeth and I revel in our favourite books once again, story books, novels, parenting,  adult spiritual growth, historical fiction.  So much fun.  1:43 - What is your all-time favourite easy family meal? 5:55 - Favourite story books      Something from Nothing      Our Lady's Wardrobe      Frog and Toad are Friends      Winnie the Pooh      James Herriot's...

send us a text via Fan Mail! TRIGGER WARNING.  See below.  Dear friends...this is pretty raw.  Christina brings a listeners question to the show ~ tell us about your conversion.  It could have been raw-er, I suppose, but  raw enough that I'm not putting it up on social media...  Also, the editing is kind of poor.  Sorry, no excuses.   A while back, someone wrote in that they'd love to he...

send us a text via Fan Mail! If you have children, you need to hear this.  Heather Boyd is an occupational therapist, specializing in... sleep. She is on a mission to help families navigate their baby’s sleep and development through family-centred therapy, evidence, attachment theory, and empathy.  She provides the information and tools you need to help your baby thrive, increase your confidence,...

send us a text via Fan Mail! We discuss some strategies for sibling challenges. 00:22 - What's the best book you're reading right now? 7:00 - How can we help build strong sibling relationships? 12:17 - Finding the common denominator and redirecting 15:43 - Should we let them work it out for themselves?    19:50 - Tools for mitigating those big emotions  33:02 - Using diversion for connec...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Father Harrison shares his wisdom on negative and critical thinking.  We discuss faith, prayers, support and a few good books.  2:00 - Negativity, critical spirit, rooted sin - I'm struggling to overcome these 5:38 - Faith means seeing reality with Christ's eyes  10:26 - The realm of temptation begins in the realm of thought 17:32 - "Jesus, enter this te...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Lauren Loboda, life coach and mom of eight, shares her goals, challenges, successes and journey to  life coaching.  She's real, gifted, and delightfully fun.  We find out what life coaching is, and why most of us might  just need a little coaching.... 1:18 - Welcome Lauren and what is life coaching? 7:33 - Life coaching or spiritual direction?  14:17 - Negative th...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Introducing Nathan Meffert, the developer of the Saintmaker Catholic planner.  This is so good, I produced this little  episode as there is a time constraint on the season that is coming out soon.   This is a short supplementary episode about a Catholic planner that was brought to my attention.  It’s new season is April 1, so I wanted to get it into my listener’s path...

send us a text via Fan Mail! And a few other topics as well.  We cover a lot of territory in this episode! 2:42 - Do you have any non-negotiable lessons for the day? 5:01 - Do you have any book recommendations for teaching science? 13:50 - How do you dig deep in a unit and get your kids excited about it? 20:59 - Could you recommend a single book resource for teaching different periods in history?...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Today Christina and I cover an array of topics such as finding time to read aloud, managing our time and our stress, decluttering, slowing down our day and being mindful of how we speak. 5:20 - Reading aloud and tips for managing our time and space 14:47 - Stacking our tasks and reading for ourselves 18:25 - How a gentle tone of voice is effective in discipline 24:49 -...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Brittany, a listener from Manitoba, brings her questions to the show, her questions reflect scenarios we've all experienced in our family life.  If you are interested in bringing your questions to me in an episode, contact me here:  makejoynormal(at)gmail.com 4:34 - How do you navigate an older child hitting the toddler out of frustration? 11:33 - How do you deal...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Fr. Jeffrey Kirby shares insights for making this Lenten season a time of spiritual growth and how not to miss the opportunity for deepening of our faith and relationship with the Lord.    4:00 - A primer on Lent : what it is and it's purpose 7:06 - How does the individual and the Church benefit from Lent? 10:32 - How A Holy Lent program is structured 16:15 - What...

send us a text via Fan Mail! My husband Albert and I chat with our dear friends and co-conspirators in our beautiful little Catholic community, Brian and Laurie Dennison.   We talk about why community matters, what it takes from individuals, how to be a part of community and what we can do to build communities. 1:04 - Welcome Dennisons and how our families met each other 8:33 - A snapshot of our c...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Our Dads weigh in on why attachment matters and what kind of relationships they desire to have with their children.  Three Dads discuss how they came to understand gentle discipline, and their movement towards it.  These guys share a range of experiences, long time dad of seven,(34 years,) Dad in the thick of it, baby-15 years seven children and newer dad, with two you...

send us a text via Fan Mail! We cover a lot in this episode! I make a proclamation about flying by the seat of one's pants.  Elizabeth brings several questions to the table.  Is there a correct order to teach topics what if we miss something how do we know we've covered everything how do we teach spelling how to choose dictation passages  and, finally, should we make our kids apologize 1...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Today we welcome back Matthew and Esther, co-founders of Veritas Current Events.  We talk about the importance of addressing current world events with our kids and how to make it relevant and engaging.     2:16 - What Veritas is and how to use it 7:45 - How current events help form our young people 9:12 - Making it relevant and lesson plan overview 35:49 - Age range an...

send us a text via Fan Mail! The question that comes up is: what if a mom desires gentle discipline for her family, and dad doesn't believe it can work? This question has crossed my path several times since starting the podcast, it's a tough one to be sure.  Christina and I discuss what attachment is, and what discipline means.  Where can we seek support with this conflict, and how we mi...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Sometimes we just need a few minutes to get work done or to make supper. Today we welcome back Drew Vernon from Toniebox. Tonies will entertain your kids for hours...without a screen!  00:13 - Screen-free storytelling 04:41 - Great new content for kids 08:57 - Does audio storytelling aid in literacy? 12:21 - Personalized options and subject areas available 21:17 - Lang...

send us a text via Fan Mail! It's a great question - how much is too much?  How much is virtuous? We also delve into some other questions, securing attachment and encouraging leadership in children.  00:33 - Am I putting too much on my older children? 05:32  - Keeping a cheerful tone in your household 15:26 - Securing healthy attachment and growing in leadership 28:10 - How to reconnect with...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Time sensitive, my dear listeners! I think you are going to love this episode. I deeply apologize for the compromised sound issues...but Johanna's content is SO good that I wanted to get this out as soon as possible. Johanna exudes love and passion for mental wellness and has developed a program that helps us regulate our emotions alongside our children. Check out...

send us a text via Fan Mail! My deepest apologies for all who started this episode.  Here is the actual part two.   Well, this episode we cover science, social studies, second language, physical education and the fine arts.  Crystal and I compare our approaches and the advantages and shortcomings we have with our kids!  2:12 - How to approach History  10:37 - Don't let curriculum be the maste...

send us a text via Fan Mail! In this episode, I welcome back Crystal Campbell, a passionate lady on the topic of homeschooling and classical education.  Stayed tuned for part two!  We discuss what it looks like on the day to day.  We also discuss the importance of speech arts, how to make read aloud most effective.  1:01 - Crystal's passion for cultivating classical educators 3:49 - Snapshot...