Episodes

This is our final installment in our mini-series of episodes called: Surviving the Holidays. This episode is all about being spread too thin during the holidays. We begin the discussion talking about the unique aspect that holidays can bring to a homeschooling mom. You are already dealing with a full plate and often the holiday season is just one more thing. Next, if we are being really honest, we will admit that the holidays are pre-designed to stress out moms, because everything falls on thei...

We are in the middle of producing a mini-series of episodes called: Surviving the Holidays. What happens when you are forced to spend time during the holidays with a tricky family situation. On this episode, we focus on what to do when your family does not accept your choices or you struggle with the choices they have made for themselves. How do we gather with our larger families during the holiday season and represent the love and grace of Jesus? How do we as families learn to celebrate the ho...

For the next few weeks, we are producing a mini-series of episodes called: Surviving the Holidays. On this first episode, we are focusing on the financial strain the holidays can cause. How do we look at our holiday spending in light of the gospel? How do we communicate as a family the importance of the holiday in light of the abundance displayed by our culture? And most importantly, how do we participate and celebrate in commerce and gift-buying without shifting our hope? Join Fletch and Kendr...

On this episode, we discuss the topic of homeschooling gifted kids. Do you think your child might be gifted? Off the charts? An outlier? We are going to jump into the discussion on this episode together. Join Fletch and Kendra as they sit down with educator and homeschooling mom of exceptional kids, Colleen Kessler, for a conversation that will open your eyes to the world of homeschooling gifted kids. You’ll be encouraged by her experience and equipped with her realistic and helpful suggestions...

When is the right time to start giving your kids freedom in the area of their finances? At what age should they have a checking account? What about a credit card? And when should we trust them with the internet, social media, and a smart phone? Hal and Melanie Young, authors of Raising Real Men and podcasters right here on the Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network, have parented their teens and young adults with the belief that they are raising adults, not kids. For them, walking alongside their ch...

We are beyond the days of speculating about whether social media will last. Instead social media continues to morph and reinvent itself into new platforms with new target audiences. Whether it focuses on 140 characters of shared data or photos or just modified chatting with friends, social media is invasive. Are you wondering how to navigate the virtual worlds of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Snapchat with your teenagers? One of our HIRLers wrote in and asked us to tackle the topic of teenage...

Do you think you are homeschooling a child with dyslexia? Join Fletch and Kendra as they interview Maryann Sunderland. Maryann is the author of Dyslexia 101 and an expert at the subject of homeschooling with dyslexia. She is a homeschool mom of 7 kids (and 6 of them have been diagnosed with dyslexia). This is a great discussion and we think you will love it. EPISODE TIMELINE 1:00 – Introduction 13:10 – Part One – Interview with Maryann Sunderland 40:09 – Part Two –Interview with Maryann Sunder...

The statistics say it all, 1 in 5 children will be sexually abused before the age 18. A child is much more likely to be abused by a trusted adult than a stranger. We teach our kids fire safety. We teach them about water safety. We teach them about traffic safety. Somehow the conversation about personal safety from sexual abuse often gets skipped. Join us on this episode as we interview Justin and Lindsey Holcomb. The Holcombs have recently authored a new book called God Made All of Me – A Book T...

On this episode, we welcome back a favorite guest on this podcast. Thomas Umstaatd, Jr. joined us on Episode 26 when we discussed his viral blog post: Is Courtship Fundamentally Flawed? On this episode, we return to the topic and discuss again if courtship is better than dating? Are families who practice courtship instead of dating out of touch, or have they found a method of creating solid marriages? We discuss with our guest how the current courtship movement began during the early decades of...

This is not the first time we have tackled the topic of girls on the podcast. On Episode 10, we talked about many of the common pitfalls we have observed in homeschool families raising daughters. From restrictive environments to preventing any access to higher education, we dove into tough topics. On this episode, we are getting very practical, especially as it relates to raising daughters into the pre-teen years. Join us as we dive into the discussion on how to navigate the tricky years of hor...

Back in Episode 9, we sat down with our friends and fellow podcasters, Hal and Melanie Young from Making Biblical Family Life Practical, to discuss the topic of boys. We talked about how these rambunctious little piles of energy can completely undo the unprepared homeschool mom. From peeing on the carpet to falling from the top of the trees, we discussed how the overload of testosterone is a God-given gift to young men who need discipling and direction from both parents, especially as you prepar...

Our discussion on this episode comes right out of the current headlines. Homeschool graduate and reality TV star, Josh Duggar, has fallen from the spotlight due to his confessions of struggling with adultery, pornography and a history of molestation. We jump into to discuss the frequent failures we have seen by men in the homeschooling movement. We talk openly on this episode about what happens when we forget the one thing that tethers us to the truth. If you’ve been following the Josh Duggar s...

On the last episode we sat down with our good friends Jeremy and Michele White to have a serious discussion about adoption. We discussed the beginning of their homeschool journey, why they chose to adopt and the changes that happened as a homeschool family. On this podcast we dig just a little bit deeper. The White’s second adoption did not end as they had planned. They open up about their story and share their journey with our listeners. This couple is not afraid to get real and share how the ...

We have had several listeners ask us to address the topic of adoption, and while it would be really easy for us to produce a podcast explaining how to adopt and the benefits involved when a family adopts, we wanted to tackle all of the issues a family might be experiencing when bringing a child into the home. In this two-part series, we sit down with our good friends in real life, Jeremy and Michele White, for a serious discussion about adoption. In this first episode, we discuss the beginning ...

So, you’ve decided that homeschooling is the best option for your kids this year, but the response from your kids has been less than positive. You want to follow God’s calling, but your kids are threatening a mutiny. What do you do now? Fletch and Kendra dive right into this discussion, because it is very close to home. They had a similar situation with a child in their home, and on this episode of Homeschooling in Real Life, they discuss how they navigated their relationship with that child an...

Can you afford to homeschoool? What if your budget is already at its max, and you feel you’re barely scraping by just to provide the basics for your family? Join Fletch and Kendra as we sit down with our Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network colleague and CPA Carol Topp for a lively and quick discussion of how to make homeschooling work on a small or non-existent budget, the realities and expenses of homeschooling older kids, and the need to examine our hearts when it comes to finances and what God...

As we head into another homeschool year, it is so easy for many of us to get behind before we even get started. If we are not careful, we can get buried in the details and never get our heads above water. On this episode of HomeschoolingIRL, we dive into the discussion about organizing your homeschool. You know that we are not afraid to talk about potential pitfalls in both the uber-restricted and chaotic homeschool environments. Along the way, we share some of our favorite apps and technology ...

As homeschooling moms, some subjects are very difficult to talk about, especially if we are feeling pressure to put on a facade that our lives are polished and life at home is picture-perfect. Struggling with depression in the homeschooling community can very quickly lead to shame and loneliness. Let’s face it folks, the pressure to have everything all together can make the struggle that much more difficult and the Christian homeschooling world does not always create a safe environment to be rea...

We love to sit down in the studio and discuss the questions sent in from listeners. On this episode of Homeschooling in Real Life, Fletch and Kendra we respond to a listener who asked how she can homeschool when her non-supportive spouse is skeptical and negative about her efforts. Here’s the deal: we don’t have the answers and there are no magic bullets out there, but that does not stop us from tackling this very difficult topic. This was the perfect question to get us thinking and working our...

This is our second stab at the topic of homeschool burnout. Back in Episode 39, we interviewed four homeschool moms and discussed the topic: I Love Homeschooling, But I’m Totally Burned Out. On that episode we verified that homeschooling moms burn out often and regularly. Our listener Anna, wrote in and asked if we would expand the topic a little more. “I’m just having a really hard time figuring out how to carve out some (consistent) space in our life for me to recharge my batteries, and I’d l...

Back in Episode 25, we talked about launching your kid into college. During that discussion, we explained how we have chosen to launch our kids during their senior year of high school, which allows them the freedom to begin making life decisions before they even leave our home. One of our listeners wrote in and asked if we would explain what that looks like from a practical standpoint. On this episode, we talk through what launching your high schooler into life can look like when you begin that...

There is a quiet fight going on under the surface in homeschooling for a long time. “Let’s face it. The quiet fight between women in homeschooling often comes down to pride.” – Angie Tolpin We dive back into familiar waters on this episode and tackle the issue of competition and pride that we see generally among women in the church, but specifically within the walls of homeschooling. “You know there are greater possibilities of friendship and Christian fellowship in your life. And yet — despit...

This is the second installment in our two-part series, Why the Rise in African American Homeschooling? In part one we sat down for a rich discussion with Dr. Ama Mazama to discuss the issues of racism in our school system and why so many African American families were choosing to leave the public school system to begin homeschooling. Like us, many of our listeners responded to that first episode by telling us that their thoughts were really challenged on the hidden ways racism continues to thri...

We received a message on the HomeschoolingIRL Facebook page that said, “Please, please, please do an episode on siblings fighting. Thanks!” Sibling relationships. Sibling rivalries. Siblings fighting. We put out the question to our listeners and they responded with story after story of siblings who know how to tease, fight and use sarcasm like professionals. On this episode, we dig into the topic of parenting through sibling relationships in your homeschool. Fletch and Kendra open up about thei...