or many of us, 2023 was a bit of a doozy. I know a lot of people who walked through some intense challenges. In fact, for us, this is one of several years in a row of walking in faith and holding onto promises not yet seen. But God is whispering something about the freshness of this new year and His desire to blow away the disappointments of the past.
I love this issue. It’s kind of interesting though. It didn’t go to press when we thought it would, so the timing is a little off. Or is it? Actually, I think it’s right on time to usher us into this new year with some freedom and hope. If you have any area of your life that needs a fresh dose of hope, now is the time. I believe God is in the business of restoring this year. So this is the last issue of our 2023 theme breaking free, and it’s also a new beginning.
The next issue will be focused on stepping in. I wanted to share that with you because I want you to see this issue as a transitional moment where we are breaking free so that we can step in to what God has for us next. It’s going to be a great year! We’re going to see God move in our lives in ways we’ve been waiting on for a long time. His whisper is going forth “you have been faithful to Me, and now I’m coming to show you My hand of faithfulness toward you.”
God is the caller and the equipper. The author and the finisher. The beginning and the end.
- Healthy relationships provide a strong foundation for all home learning.
- Children were designed to learn from the day they are born.
- Each child has a unique blend of learning preferences, talents, and passions.
- There’s no one-size-fits-all education—including what they should learn and when they should learn it!
- The more ways kids interact with concepts, the better they understand them.
- Different seasons of life may require different approaches.
- Education should be an adventure!
- YOU are the best teacher for your children.
That’s why we bring you a variety of resources from trusted sponsors and recommended companies we choose to partner with. We hope you’ll check them out!
Your family may be made up of a group of extroverts, introverts, or a glorious mixture of both. You may have kids with needs that include doctor appointments or physical therapy. And you may have children whose talents and passions require special training and equipment even. Of course, there’s not “one set” of right expectations!
So here are a few questions to ask yourself as you think about what the right expectations for your family are:
- Do we have time to nurture relationships with God, one another, and others?
- What are our family’s priorities?
- How can we balance doing with being?
- What does each family member need to fill up their “love bucket”?
This issue is full of both encouragement and practical help to do just that! In Mom to Mom Durenda Wilson shares her own story of feeling guilty as well as the difference between guilt and conviction. And Steve Demme encourages a “new commandment” approach to family in Faith Filled Family—a GREAT foundation for setting the right expectations in your home!
Colleen Kessler reminds us that we can’t do all the things all the time and shares some practical tips for any family, whether you have neurodivergent kids or not. Of course, Jennifer Cabrera combines her classic wisdom with a dose of humor to the topic of letting go of our mistakes. Then Todd Wilson finishes it off with a twist on the parenting book that was all the rage when he and his wife were having children: What to Expect When You’re Expecting. This one is a homeschool edition specifically for dads.
Pushing Past Paralyzing Homeschool Mistakes
ur oldest son loved math. By the time he was in junior high, he had moved beyond my ability to help him. My husband was able to continue assisting him for a little while longer but after that, he was on his own. He was determined to continue moving forward, so he tracked down a math website that was able to give him what we could not.
As a homeschooling mom, it was gratifying to see him so passionate about learning when it came to math. However, language arts was a very different story.
He had two older sisters who loved reading and writing, so he was the first who would rather do just about anything other than reading and writing. The inward battle with guilt over whether or not I was doing enough was real. It felt like a continual push and pull to get him to move forward while not crushing him under the weight of what might be unnecessary. But what was unnecessary? I’m not a college graduate and I had no idea whether our son would go to college or what he would do for a living—although I suspected it would be more math-related than language arts-related. But who really knew? What was important for him to know? There was no sure way to get answers at that moment, but I knew that with seven other children to care for and homeschool, I couldn’t let myself become weighed down with guilt over this. There was too much and too many people at stake.
like calm. I don’t usually enjoy chaos. So remind me again why I had eight kids in thirteen years, five of whom were boys? Actually, I am very grateful to have had our eight kids! No matter how many children you have, there will be times of chaos. Our job isn’t necessarily to always keep a lid on the mayhem, but as moms, we are responsible for the tone in our homes. If there isn’t a certain amount of order, not much can be accomplished.
1. Is the root of the chaos that my children are out of control? In other words, am I setting and keeping healthy boundaries so that my kids have no doubts about what is acceptable and what is not? Am I being consistent in my discipline?
with Steve Demme
on’t know how to set up the right expectations in your homeschool? Begin with the expectation Jesus left with His disciples.
–John 13:34–35
For most of my decades of parenting I did not have a clear picture of what a godly father looked like. As I have reflected on my vision for parenting, I see that it was a collage of sorts. It was wisdom gleaned from books, seminars, radio broadcasts, and other parents that I respected. In hindsight, I recognize that the biggest contributor to my own parenting was from my parents. I sought to emulate what my folks did well and improve on areas where I think they could have done better.
with
Ashley Wiggers
W
e love eating egg-in-a-hole for breakfast. It’s a simple yet tasty way to start the day. Recently, it was such a nice morning here in Florida, my son requested eating our breakfast outside on the back porch. I thought that was a great idea. I encouraged him to clear off the table outside and wipe it down so it was ready for our meal. He accomplished this task and added some candles to it.
It made me stop and appreciate that joy in the simple things, such as having breakfast outside, and making even that a special moment, is being passed on.
Another morning before hubby started work, we all ended up piled on the small couch in our daughter Ruby’s room. Tickles from Daddy always produce giggles and we all had this sense of rest and peace in just being there together.
Join the growing movement of parents who set aside comparisons, take control of their children’s education, choose courage over fear, and let God lead. Parents who homeschool boldly.
Wherever you listen to podcasts or at:
by Kay Chance
Often, when it comes to homeschooling, I think we start focusing on academics more than anything else. I know I often slipped into that. We feel compelled to make sure we cover everything (Oh no, they might have gaps!) while keeping the house running smoothly. We even start labeling ourselves with different roles—wife, mom, teacher—and begin acting as if we are three different people.
And because of that, we make things harder than they need to be.
by Connie Albers
Ah the beautiful journey of parenthood! It’s like riding a roller coaster filled with highs, lows, twists, and turns. And let’s be honest—the weight of expectations in this adventure can sometimes discourage us. From maintaining a picture-perfect home to preparing nutritious meals and making sure our little ones feel the love, the demands can be overwhelming. Ever stop to wonder where these expectations come from? Social media, home decor trends, well-meaning advice—they all play a part, creating a constant comparison game that can leave us feeling not quite up for the job. Enter the notorious “mom guilt.”
Carrie Fernandez
She shares how this easy-to-use, flexible tool breathes creativity and life into the way your kids do school.
Frequently Asked Questions About Notebooking
f you are new to the concept of notebooking as a way to homeschool, you probably have questions. Let’s look at some common questions about notebooking. I think you’ll agree, it’s an easy, flexible tool your children will love!
What is Notebooking?
with
many of us find ourselves feeling guilty… that we’ve failed to be the homeschooling supermom we aspire to. We feel like we don’t have enough money, time, wisdom, or patience. We cannot tell you how many times we have sat at “Mom’s Night Out” events and heard or uttered the phrase, “I feel so guilty for _____________.” We put ourselves on trial and declare our guilt.
Let’s just ban that word from our vocabulary because to quote the Princess Bride, “I don’t think that word means what you think it means.” Most likely you have not knowingly committed a crime or offense or violated a law. We declare you “NOT GUILTY!”
with
Trish Corlew
Ice is seemingly simple when it’s just hanging out in our freezer. However, cold weather and ice outside is magical for kids, and it can naturally prompt their curiosity about weather, temperature, and even states of matter! Lean into that natural curiosity on cold days and try some fun experiments involving ice, like: how to create instant ice, experimenting with rates of freezing, or what happens when you mix ice and salt?
2. Become a Winter Naturalist
Homeschooling parents know how a walk outside can be a powerful reset on rough homeschool days. If your learners are tired of being cooped up in the cold weather, bundle up and go out to explore it! Winter may have transformed your yard into a completely new place. Your learners can take a nature walk, write in a nature journal, or try blowing bubbles in the frigid air!
Enhanced – check your inbox: for activities in The Monthly Toolkit
Enhanced – check your inbox: for activities in The Monthly Toolkit
With both art and nature study, children develop observational skills and eyes to see the beauty around them. Drawing, painting, and chalk pastels give kids a creative way to fill their nature journals with flowers, trees, birds, and more.
What if we saw them all as equally important to our children’s education? What if we actually incorporated art into the academic?
It’s so easy to fall into a trap of making everything separate. Most of us grew up that way! But the beauty of homeschooling is this: we can show our kids the connections by how we choose to study the subjects.
Jennifer Cabrera
Enhanced – check your inbox: for activities in The Monthly Toolkit
All About the Camera
ameras allow us to capture and preserve moments in time. We used a camera throughout our homeschooling to fill our science and history notebooks with photos of projects and activities—including a table-sized paper mâché salt dough map and a 2017 solar eclipse party. So many sweet memories we still revisit.
While our phone cameras allow us to capture that wonderful moment of the kids cuddled on the couch listening to a read-aloud or huddled over their first dissection, “old-fashioned” cameras and photography make a fun science and history study.
The basic principles of the pinhole camera can be traced back to ancient China and Greece. Chinese philosopher Mozi (circa 470-391 BC) documented the phenomenon of light passing through a small hole and creating an inverted image on the opposite wall of a dark room. Aristotle (384-322 BC) also described the concept of a dark room with a small hole, which he used to explain how the sun’s rays formed an image during a solar eclipse.
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Charla McKinley
This past year Charla McKinley of The Artisan of Adulting and Beyond Personal Finance has joined us as a featured columnist. Providing practical help for teaching finances, Charla shares tips for parenting that instill financial wisdom in children and teens in a natural way.
remember a time when there was a predominant belief that going to college was the key to achieving the “American Dream.” We know better now. We’ve heard so many stories of young adults with undervalued degrees working in retail while there is a shortage of skilled labor in well-paying trade professions. The fact is, if we don’t help our teens develop a realistic plan to support themselves, they will face heartache and frustration when they are starting a life on their own.
bestselling author
bestselling author
Colleen Kessler, M.Ed.
asked my daughter to take a minute to grab all the trash from the car before she got out and then left her to it while I headed inside to see what the other kids had been up to while their sister and I were gone for a few hours. I’d left a list of schoolwork and chores. On some of these “appointment days” the fourteen and ten-year-olds crushed the to-dos, and on others, my house looked like a tornado hit while I was gone. Today was a tornado day…
Homeschooling is filled with seasons of highs, lows, and everything in between. As a homeschool mom, it’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting to do it all every day and keep the house, kids, meals, and planning perfect in the process. The reality, though, is that no one can do all the things all the time. In the midst of lesson planning, extracurricular activities, household chores, and the myriad of responsibilities that come with being a parent—it’s crucial for homeschool moms to recognize that it’s okay not to do it all every single day. In fact, acknowledging this truth can be liberating and pave the way for a more fulfilling and sustainable homeschooling experience.
with Cheryl A. Bastian
with Cheryl A. Bastian
We’re tackling some of the most common questions parents ask and sharing simple action steps to make it easy.
Do I need to keep a traditional schedule for my high schooler?
knocked on his bedroom door, turned the knob, and opened the door slightly. “Have you completed your geometry today?” My son’s answer challenged my traditional thinking.
Curriculum Consultants
Gina Burmeier & Amber Garcia
or kids who like to dabble in paint, Painting By Number™ kits by Royal & Langnickel are an excellent winter project kids can take pride in! Painting with these kits is as easy as 1, 2, 3! Aside from creating lovely pictures, these sets are a great way for kids to increase their confidence and experiment with various techniques. These inexpensive sets contain no extra “fluff.” The painting areas are small and there is a lot of mixing of paints involved, so keep that in mind with children on the lower end of the age range. Paint pots in the small and large kits are numbered on the packaging only; keep it handy for reference! Winter Wonderland is a small canvas and shows children building a snowman. Larger portraits include Dancing Snow, a picture of a beautiful reindeer as snow is falling, and Snow Wolf pictures a wolf in a snowy landscape.
Gina Burmeier & Amber Garcia
or kids who like to dabble in paint, Painting By Number™ kits by Royal & Langnickel are an excellent winter project kids can take pride in! Painting with these kits is as easy as 1, 2, 3! Aside from creating lovely pictures, these sets are a great way for kids to increase their confidence and experiment with various techniques. These inexpensive sets contain no extra “fluff.” The painting areas are small and there is a lot of mixing of paints involved, so keep that in mind with children on the lower end of the age range. Paint pots in the small and large kits are numbered on the packaging only; keep it handy for reference! Winter Wonderland is a small canvas and shows children building a snowman. Larger portraits include Dancing Snow, a picture of a beautiful reindeer as snow is falling, and Snow Wolf pictures a wolf in a snowy landscape.
When You’re Expecting to Homeschool (for Dads)
ife is busy here. Just got back from vacation, and I feel like we’ve had non-stop babies being born since the middle of summer. If you’re keeping track, we’ve had three grandbabies since July and one in the oven due in March.
It seems like only yesterday that we were the ones having babies, and now our babies are having babies. Actually it’s kind of fun watching them navigate the turbulent baby years. We just watch and smile knowing that they’re going to figure it out… just about the time they’re done having babies.
Back in the day, my rule-following wife was researching and reading what she could on how to do it all right. I remember one book that was all the rage at the time that stayed beside her chair called What to Expect When You’re Expecting.
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Bible Study Guide for All Ages
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Celebrate Simple & Cheryl Bastian
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Glory to God Fitness
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Harding University
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Rainbow Resources
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Samaritan Ministries
www.samaritanministries.org
Spelling Power
www.thespellingpower.com
The Smiling Homeschooler & Todd Wilson
www.thesmilinghomeschooler.com
Symmetry Learning Systems
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Top Picks Homeschool Curriculum Fair
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Towers of Light
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Unconformed
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