Episodes

Making Homeschooling Work on a Tight Budget In this episode, Fletch and Kendra from the Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network are joined by CPA and homeschooling expert Carol Topp to delve into the topic of homeschooling on a limited budget. The conversation covers valuable insights on managing finances while providing a quality homeschooling experience for your children. Episode Highlights: Sponsor: I want to thank Route 60: A Biblical Highway for sponsoring this podcast. Please check out the li...

We are talking about Family Devotions for the Real Family on this podcast. You know REAL family devotions. The families with the toddler hijacking the deep discussion, the teens are daydreaming, and the mom is falling asleep because it’s been a long, long homeschooling day. Can you relate to family worship that looks like this? Family worship can be trying for most families, and on this episode of Homeschooling in Real Life, we talk with a dozen dads about what it looks like in their homes. Bu...

Homeschooling Exchange Students Live on location in Paris, France! One of our very favorite episodes to record, because in this show we record straight from the streets of Paris, France as we interview our former exchange student about life in the home of a large homeschooling family. This episode brought to you by CTC Math. Tune in as we talk about homeschooling with exchange students and discuss the benefits and potential challenges for families thinking about opening their homes to interna...

Homeschooling Through the Storm: Navigating Difficulties with Linda Difino Hard Time Episode | Introduction: Welcome back to HomeschoolingIRL, your go-to podcast on the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network! In this episode, we tackle a crucial topic that every homeschooling family may encounter at some point – homeschooling when life gets hard. Whether it’s dealing with marital stress, tragedies, health challenges, financial loss, or any combination of these, we understand that these hardships ...

The Homeschool Budget is part one of a series of three podcast episodes dealing with the topic of financial fear. Thank you to our sponsor, CTC Math. With a family of 8 kids, Fletch and Kendra know that homeschooling can get expensive. On this episode, they share tips and tricks they have used over the years to save money and homeschool well within a budget. Along the way, they talk about homeschooling within and out of the charter school system. EPISODE TIMELINE :51 Fluff Time (Hollywood, He...

When our students hope to go to college, the perennial question remains: how in the world will they pay for it? We decided to return to the topic of affording college with College Prep Genius Jean Burk because we know she has valuable information to share. We think you’ll be encouraged and feel equipped as you help your college-bound student get the education they are pursuing! Affording College EPISODE TIMELINE 1:32 – Fluff : Discussion on tragedy, college visits, real life. 8:01 – Interview w...

Are you starting your school year? We are! Let’s gather around the teacher’s lounge and gear up for another year of teaching our kids at home. Fletch and Kendra are starting their 19th year of homeschooling with a bang and letting you in on the fun. In this episode, they are also imparting 5 questions to ask yourself as you head back to school this year. Join us and let’s get the school year rolling! EPISODE TIMELINE :57 – Fluff : Fletch shares his opinion about weddings and baby deliveries. 9:...

You are going to want to grab your spouse for this episode! Fletch and Kendra dive right into the middle of the topic and discuss how the stress of homeschooling can leak into your marriage relationship. Throughout this episode, you will hear live interviews conducted with couples on the floor of the Teach Them Diligently Conference in Nashville, TN. Be prepared for answers that you might not expect! Fletch and Kendra also spend time talking and laughing with TTD conference founders and direct...

Wait! This is NOT a rebroadcast of an old episode! Homeschooling is a Buzzkill has been one of our most popular downloads, so we decided to sit down and record a completely new episode. After more than two years of podcasting, it was time to discuss again one of our favorite topics: how homeschooling can be a “buzzkill”. The first Homeschooling is a Buzzkill was one of our favorite episodes to record, but as we listened to it we both thought the actual recording just stunk. Since then we have n...

Hate math? And I hate teaching science. And writing. Or . . . Let’s get real homeschoolers. Most of us have at least one subject we don’t enjoy teaching. What? That is difficult to justify when we are the ones in charge of teaching all the subjects. So what is a homeschooling parent supposed to do when there are core subjects that must be covered, but there is no motivation by mom or dad to get that subject done every week, or they feel unqualified to teach it? In this episode of Homeschoolin...

Want to know what it takes to have love in the house? What happens when a family goes from relying on rules and rigidity to understanding what it means when Jesus tells us that the grandest commandment is love? Chris and Wendy Jeub are raising (or have raised) 16 children in a home that has seen both the letter of the law and the sweetness of grace and love, and they’re joining us to tell us how love in the family has absolutely changed theirs for the better. It’s an episode you won’t want to ...

Extracurricular Overkill on the HIRL Podcast On this week’s special back-to-school replay with Fletch and Kendra, they talk about Extracurricular Overkill. When is enough too much? On this episode of HomeschoolingIRL, Fletch, and Kendra answer a letter from a listener wondering how to filter extracurricular activities into your homeschool. When should you say yes? When should you say no? We invite good friends Nate and Ali Miller into the studio to talk through the topic of extracurricular ove...

Can Your Homeschooler Go To College? The answer to this question is obvious: we all know that homeschoolers can go to college! This episode is brought to you by CTCMath.com – a wonderful math curriculum for all of your homeschool needs, or to brush up on new skills. On this episode of Homeschooling In Real Life, Fletch and Kendra get real and challenge their listeners to join them in a difficult discussion about fear and trusting God as they contemplate sending their children onto higher educ...

Homeschooling Will Save Your Kids? Most of us won’t say outright that we think homeschooling will save our kids, but many of us pack this idea in the back of our minds: if we only do it right, our kids will turn out to be good, godly adults. Is that true? Can we trust that homeschooling will save your kids? On this episode, we share our own homeschool journey. Where we think we got it right, where we know we got it wrong, and then we’ll bring some levity to the whole show by recommending some...

Thinking about homeschooling? Have a friend who is? Are you thinking about homeschooling? On this episode of Homeschooling IRL, we’ll answer your burning questions about homeschooling, such as, “Will my kids have to raise their hands to ask to go to the bathroom?”, “What about the prom?”, and “Who gets to be the lunch lady?” Just kiddin’. We’ve polled moms and dads who are thinking about homeschooling and asked them what concerns them most. We didn’t prompt or suggest their comments, and you j...

Are you stuck in holiday traffic? Are you locking yourself in the bathroom at your family get-together to avoid Crazy Uncle Larry? Are you sick of hearing Christmas music? This quick episode is just for you! Merry Christmas HIRLers! Join Fletch and Kendra in this short and fun episode as we share Christmas laughs with you. You might find out a few things that you didn’t know about Fletch and Kendra. (No, she really doesn’t like Italian Christmas music!) Find out more facts as we play a quick r...

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...

Are you a homeschooling mom who needs to work? Are you contemplating a job alongside homeschooling? Join us for this episode of Homeschooling in Real Life as we talk with Jimmie Lanley, a mom who found the need to be employed but also wanted to continue educating her daughter at home with excellence. Jimmie is straightforward and encouraging as she shares her experience and wisdom with our listeners. SHOW NOTES: Recommended Resources: JimmieLanley.com Get Social With Us: Follow Fletch/Kendra:...

Does Santa have any place in the celebration of Christmas? If you listen to some homeschoolers talk about it, event the mention of Santa Claus associated with Christmas will land you in the “loner’s corner” of your co-op. Yet, others celebrate good ol’ jolly Santa Claus right next to the baby Jesus. There is also a third category of homeschoolers (like Fletch) who enjoy stirring the pot and cracking off remarks like: “You know…if you rearrange the letters in Santa…it spells S-A-T-A-N.” Fletch ca...

On this week’s episode of Homeschooling in Real Life, we’re answering listeners emails on a wide variety of topics. Judgmental homeschoolers? We got that. Homeschooling high school? Yep, that, too. Chances are, if you’ve had a question for Fletch and Kendra, you’ll hear the answers you’ve been waiting for. It’s fast-paced, light, sometimes serious, but always with the goal of keeping the main thing the main thing. Get Social With Us: Follow Fletch/Kendra: Fletch Twitter Kendra Twitter Follow th...

Need some motivation? Encouragement? Tips? Join us for 5 Ways to Rock Your Homeschool! We originally titled this one “The Practical Episode”, and that is exactly what we’re talking about. Let’s go back to school with some tips that will hopefully bring you some freedom and joy this year! After 17 years of homeschooling, we’ve picked up a few ideas that have helped us as we’ve homeschooled our 8 children. We’ll share those ideas with you and encourage you as you kick off the school year. Let’s d...

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...

Special Replay: 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 op...

On today’s episode of Homeschooling In Real Life, Martha called in to ask, “How Do I Make My Homeschool Fun?” We loved this question, so both Fletch and Kendra take a stab at answering. As you have come to expect, their answers line up perfectly with the “have to” parent and the “get to” parent. Tune in to make your homeschool fun! For the next few months, we will be running a “Best of” series of the Homeschooling IRL episodes. Many of these episodes were earlier episodes that you might have mi...