Let's Talk Homeschool

In this 12-part series on Radically Intentional Parenting, we’re talking about issues in a chronological order as much as possible. That is, we’re addresses topics as they most likely come to you. Part 1 was an introduction. Then in parts 2 through 7, we covered church, meal times, discipline, family size, K12 Education, and extra-curr. activities. Today in part 8, you are most likely at a point when your kid got their first invitation to a sleepover. Do you let them go? Are these nothing but innocent fun and games? Are their any dangers? Listen and find out what a radically intentional parent can do?

Happy New Year. It’s 2021. January is a month when people commonly make resolutions and goals for the year. We love engaging in this annual practice. Today, we’d like to share some of the details in our goal setting with hopes that you will take away some new and practical ideas. We'll look at long-term, medium term, short-term, and now-term strategies.

Today is December 21st. Christmas is practically here folks. And we’ve got a special gift for you today. Today’s show includes a dramatization of the Christmas story called "Mary Remembers." After the presentation, you can listen to an original song from the perspective of one of Jesus’s siblings called “This Brother of Mine” — written and composed by Anne MacCallum. The show will close with a gospel message.

It’s here. We are officially starting the Advent season. As a matter of fact, we’re already in the second week of Advent. We hope you have plans to enjoy this holiday season, remember and ponder the incarnation of Jesus Christ, and make some good memories with loved ones. Christmas is often a time of gift giving…and receiving. So how can you help your family, and especially the little ones, focus more on the real reason for the season and not get caught up in all the stuff? In this show, we share some ideas to help.

It’s Thanksgiving. What do you have planned for this week? We love Thanksgiving, and on this show we share some of our  Thanksgiving family traditions and why this holiday is one of our absolute favorites.

This is part 7 of a 12-part series on Radically Intentional Parenting. Part 1 was an introduction. Then in parts 2 through 6, we covered church, meal times, discipline, family size, and K12 Education. Now you are most likely at a point when your kids are getting more involved in extra curricular activities. It’s real easy to overcommit. So how do you choose between soccer, tee-ball, ballet, piano, taekwondo, 4-H, math club, chess club, and the myriad of other options. How do you decide what to say “yes” to and what to say “no” to? We'll provide some ideas from our experience.

You may have heard homeschooling referred to as a lifestyle. That’s great, but maybe right now you’re just trying to figure out how to have structure, order, or some kind of routine to each day. And the kids just aren’t cooperating. So how can you “go with the flow” yet still have a rhythm that you and your kids can enjoy as you spend all this time together and work to educate them at home? Tips and practical advice included in this episode.

In this 12-part series on Radically Intentional Parenting, we’re talking about issues in a chronological order as much as possible. Part 1 was an introduction. Then in parts 2 through 5, we covered church, meal times, discipline, and family size. Now you are most likely at a point when you need to make decisions about how your kids will be educated. Will you choose public school, private school, or homeschool? What should be considered in this important decision? Is there an ideal? We'll help walk you through some things to consider.

When the shelter-at-home orders were put in place in March of 2020, millions of families suddenly found themselves in a mandatory trial run of homeschooling. As the weeks turned into months and a new school year approached, a large number of these families decided to stay the course and continue educating their kids at home. Curriculum providers, like Apologia, found themselves struggling to supply the increased demand for resources. Homeschooling was already the most significant educational movement of the last 50 years. Now a coronavirus pandemic ushered in a tidal wave of new homeschooling families. Are you riding the wave or treading water, lost and adrift at sea?

This show is part of the Radically Intentional Parenting series. This is part 2 where we talk about things you should consider when it comes to having more kids including giving control back to God.

This is part 5 of a 12 part series titled Radically Intentional Parenting. In this series, we’re talking about issues in a chronological order as much as possible. That is, we’re addresses topics as they most likely come to you. Part 1 was an introduction. Then in parts 2, 3, and 4, we covered church, meal times, and discipline, respectively. By now a couple has one or two kids and is facing that big question about whether to stop having babies or go for one more. Very few are looking at having as many blessings as God would bring into their family, and probably because that is too RADICAL of a thought. In this show we give our testimony about how we ended up with 7 arrows in our quiver.

This episode is a short devotional about TIME with scripture references from Psalm 90:12, Genesis 1:1, Ephesians 2:10, James 4:14, Psalm 90:9, Proverbs 27:1, and Ephesians 5:15-16.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many new homeschooling families. Are you one of the millions of brand new homeschoolers? If so, then this episode is for you. We present three tips that we wish we knew when we started our own homeschooling journey. We're hoping this helps you get off to a good start in this new school year.

Our family loves butterflies. We have had a butterfly bush in our yard for 15+ years, and it definite attracts the butterflies. Several years ago, Rachael planted some milkweed, and eventually raised some Monarch butterflies. That was such an exciting project, that we turned a whole section of our front yard into a bonifide butterfly garden complete with milkweed, butterfly bushes, and more. Now every August and September, Rachael leads our family on a wonderful adventure of raising butterflies from eggs to caterpillars to chrysalises to butterflies. It’s a glorious journey from start to finish. And it’s a great way to start each new homeschool year. In this episode, Rachael shares some details so that you can do the same.

COVID-19 has shaken parents and the educational system to their core. The pandemic has proven to be a disruption of epic proportions, interfering with public and private education, health care, government services, businesses large and small, churches, travel, sports, entertainment, international trade, and more. In this 2-part series, we take a closer look at the pandemic’s effects on K-12 education.

COVID-19 has shaken parents and the educational system to their core. The pandemic has proven to be a disruption of epic proportions, interfering with public and private education, health care, government services, businesses large and small, churches, travel, sports, entertainment, international trade, and more. In this 2-part series, we take a closer look at the pandemic’s effects on K-12 education.

This is a short 6-minute devotional based on Matthew 23:27.

Parenting is not for the faint of heart. It’s hard work. It’s so hard that some parents essentially throw in the towel and let it happen to them rather than taking the bull by the horns and being proactive and intentional. It may seem easier, but trust us. You really don’t want to be a random, whatever kind of parent. In this episode, we talk about Discipline. What practical advise would you give to a parent who wants to break their child’s will without breaking their spirit. How can we get to their heart and not just their behavior? What does it look like to be intentional on this matter of discipline?

Homeschooling is often viewed as for the few, a minority, the called. Many homeschooling parents are an independent lot, comfortable with blazing new trails or taking the path less traveled. In the past few months, every family in America (and the world for that matter) have experienced what I call a mandatory trial run of homeschooling. Now everyone can say they did this at least once in their lives. Stories are surfacing reporting anywhere from 22 to 60% of parents plan to continue this fall. Is this because they enjoyed a new found quality of life, improved academic results, or the freedom to call the shots? Rachael, what would you say about the idea of “feeling the freedom?”

Welcome to part 3 in a series titles RADICALLY INTENTIONAL PARENTING. Today we want to talk about Family Meal Times. In Deut 6, parents are told to teach their kids to love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Then it gives four times to do this teaching. When you rise up, when you lie down, when you walk along the way, and when you sit down. I’m thinking some good “sit down” opportunities are meal times. Why is it important to be intentional about this aspect of family life?