The Homeschool Sanity Show

Melanie Wilson, PhD
  • 4.6 (104)
  • EDUCATION FOR KIDS
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY
The Homeschool Sanity Show

Your prescription for happier, healthier homeschooling with Christian psychologist and veteran homeschooling mother of six, Dr. Melanie Wilson, who interviews experts on the issues that drive you crazy.

  1. FEB 18

    Special Replay: Self-Publishing For Homeschoolers

    At a recent Great Homeschool Convention, a mom asked me for the best way to have her son’s books published. This is the best time in history to become a published author. That’s because you no longer have to convince a publisher that receives thousands of manuscripts a year to choose your book. Neither do you have to pay thousands of dollars to publish the book yourself. My guest today is Grace Walker, a homeschooled student who self-published her first book, Stardust, at just 14. You’re going to want to get your copy of this space-themed adventure novel that’s perfect for teens. But if you are interested in self-publishing for yourself or your student, you’ll want to listen to our conversation. Sponsor Hey, homeschoolers! Before we dive into the topic, I want to thank CTC Math for sponsoring this episode of The Homeschool Sanity Show. Finding a math curriculum that works for your family can be a challenge! With CTCMath, all of your kids from K-12 can learn at their own pace with one family subscription. That's right! With a CTCMath membership, you have access to all grades and lessons, which means your children can work at whatever level is best for them. Whether your kid needs to catch up, keep up, or move ahead, with CTCMath they can finally understand math and work at their own pace. CTCMath is offering listeners a half-price discount plus a bonus 6 months when you register for a 12-month membership. Yep. That means you have access to a complete online homeschool math curriculum for all your kids for 18 months! Self-Publishing Resources Stardust (on Homeschool Sanity) Kindle Direct Publishing Canva Self-publishing group on Facebook Tips for Aspiring Writers

    31 min

  2. FEB 11

    Do’s And Don’ts Of Teen Rebellion

    Hey, homeschoolers! This weekend I met a fellow homeschooler who was down about her homeschooled child's rebellion. She wondered if homeschooling had even been worth it because of what was happening. I did my best to encourage her because I have been there. Because I haven't addressed this topic on the podcast before, I wanted to share what I told her and even more if I had had the time. Watch on YouTube Introduction Before I start by sharing three key do's and don'ts for teen rebellion, I want to say that I'm sorry if you're experiencing this. Few things can be more demoralizing to a homeschool mama. I remember the day my normally compliant teen walked into homeschool gym class, eating a granola bar. I said, "You know we can't eat in the gym. Go to the breakroom to finish that." And right in front of my homeschool friends, he smirked and continued to eat it right where he was. Don't worry if your teen's behavior is far worse. That wasn't the full extent of my teen's rebellion, either. Rebellion hurts our feelings for sure. Before this day, I had a great relationship with my child. But in addition to hurt feelings, we are also terrified about the potential consequences of serious rebellion like lying, stealing, drinking, using drugs, having sex, refusing to cooperate, being violent, or rejecting Christ. We've all heard the horror stories, so when our teen defiantly eats a granola bar in the gym for all the homeschool world to see, it can feel like we're going to be someone else's cautionary tale. If and when your teen rebels, I believe God will guide you. I didn't know the mom or her daughter, so the counsel I gave had to be generic. That is the case on this podcast too. If something I say feels right, wonderful. If it doesn't, dismiss it. You won't hurt my feelings. With that caveat, let's dive in. Don't Blame Yourself My first DON'T is don't blame yourself. All loving mothers take too much responsibility for their teen's choices, but homeschool moms take this to a whole new level. That first bite of granola bar after I sent my teen out of the gym was evidence of my failure as a mom. We only studied obedience as a separate unit study once. We should have done more! We should have memorized more Scripture! I hadn't used enough consequences or the right ones. And on and on. What is funny to me is that my strong-willed son takes after his father, yet I didn't blame my husband. I blamed myself. I'm not suggesting that we pass the buck. But why (if we are co-parenting) do we tend to think it's entirely our responsibility to raise godly kids? That aside, the problem with blaming ourselves is we feel like failures. We can get depressed. We may want to quit homeschooling. We may surrender to the rebellion and fully expect the rest of our children to behave likewise. And they just might if we blame ourselves. The worst problem with blaming ourselves, however, is that we take the burden of responsibility from our teen--where it belongs. Imagine if you stole something from a store and the store owner chased you down to say that it was all her fault for not making it clear that stealing wasn't allowed or making it too easy for you to steal. You would be astonished! But that is the insanity we engage in when we take the blame for our teens' poor choices. Now, I'm fully aware that parents are usually blamed in our culture for kids gone wrong. It hurts when that blame is misplaced. But our focus must be on helping our teen, not worrying what others think.

    19 min

  3. FEB 4

    Jesus And Your Messy House

    Hey, homeschoolers! I loved having Dana K. White of A Slob Comes Clean on the podcast to discuss the container concept for clutter. If you missed that one, it's gold. When I heard she had a new book coming out, I jumped at the chance to have her back. I was especially intrigued because the book adds a faith-based perspective she hasn't shared before. Watch on YouTube Sponsor: NOW Programs Visit NOW Programs for special-needs resources. Jesus Doesn't Care About Your Messy House Have a happy homeschool week!

    42 min

  4. JAN 28

    How To Upgrade Your Homeschool Style

    Hey, homeschoolers! Are you happy with your homeschool style or approach to education, or could it use an upgrade? In this episode, I'm going to share why we should up our homeschool style and three simple ways to do it. Watch on YouTube What is Homeschool Style? Although I'm not talking about your wardrobe, I will be using fashion as a metaphor. Homeschool style is the educational philosophy that guides the way you teach. Unit studies is the homeschool style I used at the beginning of our homeschooling journey with 5 in a Row and then Konos. Because subjects are related in the real world, I felt it made sense to study all aspects of a topic. We studied kings and queens with music, art, drama, literature, and even food. I'll never forget eating a meal off a trencher or plate made from bread. We had a blast learning with unit studies. But as my older kids started high school, the unit study style wasn't working as well. I could have chosen from many popular styles to improve our homeschool: textbook, online, hybrid, Charlotte Mason, classical, unschooling, or eclectic. You might wonder how important homeschool style is if you're a newer homeschooler. That's a fair question. Referring to the fashion metaphor, I've interviewed two fashion stylists for the podcast. Both women shared that while style isn't the most important thing in life, it is important. When you are comfortable and confident in your clothing, you are happier. When you're happier, your relationships improve, and you have more success. Homeschool style is similar. If you are happy to start a day of school using the approach you've chosen, everything homeschool will be so much easier. Your kids will be happier; you'll spend less money; and you'll get more done. If that sounds good to you, I have three steps that will help you up your homeschool style. Sponsor First, I want to thank NOW Programs for sponsoring the podcast. 3 Steps for Improving Your Homeschool Style The first step in improving your homeschool style is an edit. Like a pair of pants with a snug waistband, your educational materials that don't fit stay in the closet. Same with high heels when most of your time is spent at home or at kids' sports practices. If we were going to upgrade your wardrobe, we would have you look at the unworn pieces in your closet. We will do the same with your homeschool style. Make a list of curriculum you don't or quit using or activities you skipped or dread. With a closet edit, I make a list on my phone of clothing I should not buy in the future: ribbed sweaters, colored boots. Some things that ended up on my don't-buy list for homeschooling were: Latin, foreign language curricula, and lab-heavy curricula. When it came to these things, it didn't matter if my friends or online influencers were loving them--like chunky boots they were going to gather dust in my closet. Doing a homeschool style edit can save you time and money. You won't buy books or sign up for extracurriculars you won't use and enjoy. When you're decluttering clothes, you can choose to give them away or sell them. You have the same options when it comes to physical curriculum. There are local and online sales outlets to consider. Just a note that most digital curriculum is copyright...

    15 min

  5. JAN 21

    How To Get Everything Done And Still Have Time To Play

    Hey, homeschoolers! I recently read Mark Forster's book How to Get Everything Done and Still Have Time to Play and I absolutely loved it. It's been another of his books that has been life-changing for me. In this episode, I want to share principles from the book that can help you accomplish your homeschool and other goals this year and have plenty of free time too. Watch on YouTube Sponsor NOW Programs for students with special needs. Defining Everything How can we possibly get everything done? We can't. Mr. Forster is very clear that by everything, he means everything we have decided we can and must do. Most of us are trying to do way too much--too many curricula, too many activities, even too many fun things. Until we limit the number of tasks and projects and commitments we take on, we will continue to struggle. With that caveat out of the way, let's talk about the struggle to get everything done. I would say that all my life I have had the same issue: I do a good job accomplishing a few top priorities, but everything else seems to get put on the back burner until it becomes a crisis. For example, when I create a task plan for the week, quarter, or year, writing curriculum like Training Aliens or preparing for a Great Homeschool Convention is the top priority. Publishing this podcast is the next highest priority. But what about social media? That gets pushed aside along with website changes and home projects and I don't even want to talk about taxes! I have a feeling you can relate. Approaches for Getting Everything Done For you, maybe it's math and English that are prioritized, meaning that science experiments, foreign language, or art get put off. I've shared before about loop scheduling being a great option for this. You have a day or a time block that you assign two or more activities to. Then you loop or rotate through them in order. If last time you did a science experiment, then today you'd do foreign language. Theme days are another way of dealing with these lower priorities. If you never get around to decluttering your art supplies, you might dedicate Saturdays to decluttering. Or you dedicate the last day of the month to deep cleaning. These approaches have worked for me for a time. But when I missed enough of my looping or theme days, I would usually determine that I needed to give up the activity altogether and focus on my top priorities. The negative cycle would begin again. Enter Mark's book, which sets the stage with a fairy tale. Story-based inspiration? I'm here for it. This fairy tale has the hero, Hans, seeking wisdom for getting things done so he can focus on his top priority--winning the princess's hand in marriage. I found myself relating to Hans as he tried many recommended approaches to getting things done. They worked for a while and then led to the same problem of lower priority tasks becoming a crisis. Poor Hans struggled to be successful AND win the princess. The Get Everything Done Approach Enter Mark Forster as our wise guide. He suggests an approach that reminds me of what I had recommended years ago in a blog post I calle...

    15 min

  6. JAN 14

    How To Teach Leadership

    Hey, homeschoolers! I used to be of the mind that leaders were born, not made. What I mean is, I thought you needed to be a Type A extrovert to be a leader. There didn't seem to be much point to teaching my introverted kids how to lead. But my opinion has changed as I've watched my introverted, Type B child become a leader. I've also changed my thinking after interviewing Kerry Beck for the podcast. Her definition of leadership motivates us to teach every child these skills. I'm thrilled to be joining Kerry for the Raising Leaders, Not Followers conference starting February 25th. You can sign up now for free if you know you'll be able to watch live or register for the VIP option at homeschoolsanity.com/leaders. I'll be sharing how to help your child make and keep friends. I would love to have you join me. Kerry Beck helps you get past the perfect Instagram image & move on to real-life ways to raise your kids to lead, instead of follow. She offers practical tips to encourage your kids to love learning, think critically and influence those around them as adults. She inspires moms with her personal & spiritual stories of moving from overwhelmed to peace & resting in God. Kerry homeschooled her three (now adult) children for 10 years. She has a free homeschooling ebook for you at HowToHomeschoolMyChild.com. Watch on YouTube Sponsor NOW Programs provides services to benefit special-needs learners. Leadership Resources Homeschool Coffee Break Podcast: https://howtohomeschoolmychild.com/podcast2024/ Facebook   https://www.facebook.com/groups/HowToHomeschoolMyChild Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/howtohomeschoolmychild/ YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpuF_qVYrSVUUZrL8mWhYfA Pinterest  https://www.pinterest.com/howtohomeschool/ Leadership Summit http://homeschoolsanity.com/leaders Have a happy homeschool week!

    32 min

  7. 12/17/2024

    Special Replay: Organizing Challenges for the New Year

    Organizing is a popular goal for the new year. If you're a homeschooler wanting to get organized, it can be hard to know where to start. Consider the six areas I share in this podcast episode. SPONSOR: NOW Programs Have a child with learning challenges? NOW Programs offers help.   Want to read the podcast as a blog post? READ HERE or SUBSCRIBE ON ITUNES or ON STITCHER Links Airtable.com a comprehensive post about the best places buy/sell used curriculum Konmari method  for folding clothes Plan to Eat Tastefully Simple’s 30 day meal plan free meal planning book The Organized Homeschool Life   Which area are you organizing first? Let's chat about it on Facebook.

    1 sec

  8. 12/10/2024

    Special Replay: Redeeming Your Time: How To Make The Most Of Every Moment As A Homeschool Mom

    Hey, homeschoolers! I’m a time management/productivity enthusiast, which you know if you have my book, A Year of Living Productively. That book is the result of my experiments with more than 80 different productivity approaches. I did the reading and the experimenting to make the process of creating your own productivity formula faster. What I’ve discovered about has enabled me to write, speak, run a business, homeschool, maintain relationships, keep a home, and enjoy hobbies. But I’m never done wanting to improve. Sponsor: NOW Programs If you have a special-needs learner, check out NOW Programs! Introduction Every season of our lives presents new challenges for using our time. I have just two high school students at home now and they both work. I’m done teaching public speaking at our local homeschool academy. Now I want to provide YouTube videos to help homeschooling parents. So it’s a good time for me to reevaluate how I’m doing things. That reevaluation led me to read the book Redeeming Your Time by Jordan Raynor. Honestly, I was prepared to be disappointed. Most time management books are basic. You know: Your time is valuable. Have a morning routine. Plan your day. Christian books about time typically emphasize spending time in prayer about your priorities. These practices are so important, but they aren’t new to me after years of focus on productivity. So I was surprised by Jordan’s book. I needed it. Maybe you do, too. So I’m going to share six lessons from Redeeming Your Time that will help you make the most of every moment as a homeschool mom. #1 God will finish the work we leave unfinished Too many time-management teachers imply that we can get it all done. Just say no to things, trim down your extracurricular activities, use practical curriculum and you’ll finish your homeschool plan early. Yeah, right! This idea has left me feeling like a failure. Sometimes I give up. I quit putting effort into activities or I stop using the curriculum. Other times I try harder. I commit to getting up earlier, being firmer with my kids about meeting deadlines, or working faster through lessons. Because that’s a recipe for joy, right? There are so many lessons and subjects I wanted to teach my kids before they went off to college but didn’t. I have honestly schemed about how I could talk them into doing the lessons when they’re home for college. “Hey, guys, let’s watch this amazing video together. Here’s a fantastic book that I’m going to read aloud to you.” Yeah, that won’t happen. As a writer, I have so many ideas for books. I want to write them all! Truthfully, I’d like to write them all this year. But Jordan gently helped me see that I won’t write them all this year. I may not write them all in five years. I may not write them ever. But it’s okay. God knows that we won’t get all the work done even if we’re still in denial about it. He will finish the work that He wants done. Our kids will learn the lessons they need to learn without us. Hard to believe, I know. They’ll hear a message in church, get it through experience, or will seek the knowledge themselves because we have taught them how to learn. I have seen this in my kids time and time again. So, take a deep breath, and know that God will finish everything on your to-do list that He wants done, even if He uses someone else to do it.

    17 min
See All (97)

4.6
out of 5
104 Ratings

About

Your prescription for happier, healthier homeschooling with Christian psychologist and veteran homeschooling mother of six, Dr. Melanie Wilson, who interviews experts on the issues that drive you crazy.

Information

  • Creator
    Melanie Wilson, PhD
  • Years Active
    2013 - 2025
  • Episodes
    97
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    Copyright © Ultimate Radio Show 2017
  • Show Website
    The Homeschool Sanity Show

More From Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada