Joyful Homeschool

Parent Like Marmee, Teach Like Atticus

Leave a Comment / Practical Homeschool Strategies, Strengthening Relationships /

If homeschool feels like ping-pong—one day you’re the drill sergeant, the next you’re the doormat—there’s a steadier path. Psychologist Diana Baumrind described three parenting styles—authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative—based on how parents blend warmth (responsiveness) with structure (demandingness). Maccoby & Martin later added a fourth: uninvolved/neglectful. Because home and school share space in homeschooling, your “style […]

Parent Like Marmee, Teach Like Atticus Read More »

When You’re Called But Don’t Feel Capable

Leave a Comment / Effective Learning, Mindset & Emotional Resilience, Practical Homeschool Strategies, Strengthening Relationships /

Embracing the Homeschool You Never Wanted For the mom who feels nudged by God to homeschool but doesn’t really want to (and has plenty of reasons why she’s “not a fit”). This is not a pep talk—it’s a practical, faith-centered reframing of what success can look like, how to use your actual strengths, and how

When You’re Called But Don’t Feel Capable Read More »

Why Truth, Natural Law and Principles Are Foundational

Leave a Comment / Practical Homeschool Strategies /

According to Audrey Rindlisbacher This week, I had the privilege of interviewing Audrey Rindlisbacher on my podcast.  In a world full of uncertainty, changing opinions, cultural shifts, and so much noise — Audrey Rindlisbacher insists there is something firm to build your life on. She teaches that natural law, timeless principles, and truth are not

Why Truth, Natural Law and Principles Are Foundational Read More »

Connecting Across Differences

Leave a Comment / Practical Homeschool Strategies, Strengthening Relationships /

In a recent podcast interview with Kathy Mellor, we explored some of the cultural forces shaping today’s world—ideas like Marxism, Postmodernism, and Wokeism. These worldviews affect the way people see truth, power, and identity, and they explain a lot about why conversations feel so polarized right now. But our conversation didn’t stop with just defining

Connecting Across Differences Read More »

When Kids Resist: Turning Struggle Into Growth

Leave a Comment / Effective Learning, Mindset & Emotional Resilience, Practical Homeschool Strategies, Strengthening Relationships /

Every homeschool mom faces it. Your child reacts by dragging their feet, complaining, or outright refusal. When this happens, it’s easy to feel like something is wrong—with your child, your plan, or maybe even with you. But here’s the truth: resistance is normal. It doesn’t mean homeschooling isn’t working. In fact, it’s often a powerful

When Kids Resist: Turning Struggle Into Growth Read More »

Drop the Rope: Surrender vs. Defeat in Homeschooling

Leave a Comment / Mindset & Emotional Resilience /

As homeschool moms, we carry a lot—lessons, meals, emotions, expectations. It’s easy to reach a breaking point and wonder: Am I supposed to keep pushing, or am I allowed to let go? That question often leads us into confusion because two very different paths can look similar on the surface: defeat and surrender. Both involve

Drop the Rope: Surrender vs. Defeat in Homeschooling Read More »

Lighten Up: Bringing More Play into Homeschool

Leave a Comment / Practical Homeschool Strategies, Strengthening Relationships /

Homeschooling always starts with such good intentions, doesn’t it? Fresh notebooks, color-coded schedules, detailed lesson plans—we launch into the year full of excitement and determination. And then, a few weeks in, reality sets in. Lessons take longer than we planned. The toddler interrupts. The teen rolls her eyes at the carefully prepared activity. Suddenly, the

Lighten Up: Bringing More Play into Homeschool Read More »

Loving What Is: Homeschooling with God’s Truth

Leave a Comment / Mindset & Emotional Resilience /

Questioning Our Thoughts: Finding Peace in Homeschool with The Work As homeschool mamas, we carry a lot on our shoulders—lesson plans, laundry, meals, managing personalities, and sometimes that nagging thought: “I’m failing at this.” But here’s something freeing: it’s not our circumstances that cause our stress, but the thoughts we attach to them. This idea

Loving What Is: Homeschooling with God’s Truth Read More »