Homeschooling IRL

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 — despite your best intentions — there is something in the way, something holding you back from your spiritual growth with your sisters in Christ. But what is it? A silence. A distance with no name. A weapon of the enemy fashioned to drive us apart and stop us from creating the fellowship we need for our growth in Christ.  Something so subtle you might never understand it alone, much less be able to overcome it." -The Quiet Fight Between Women Fletch and Kendra sit down with author Angie Tolpin and haven an honest discussion about the reasons women have a difficult time connecting or feel as if there is an undercurrent of comparison and competition running through our relationships. Join them on this episode as they talk again about how Jesus changes our communication and frees us to stand shoulder to shoulder with each other as we seek to bring glory to God. Timeline 1:02 – Introduction 13:00 – Angie Tolpin Interview, 1 26:30 – Angie Tolpin Interview, 2 38:30 - Q and A with K and A Music clips used on this show: “Scheming Weasel” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/   Special Thanks to our Network Sponsor!   The animated feature, ‘ICE DRAGON: LEGEND OF THE BLUE DAISIES,’ blooms on big screens nationwide for a two-day family-friendly Adventure. Take an amazing journey to an enchanted world that holds a secret…where hope is in a song! In select cinemas nationwide March 24 and 26 only. If you missed the live event, purchase a copy for your home library on Blue Ray, Digital or DVD. Visit  here to learn more.

Ever wonder how to give your kids a healthy love for the world and a desire to know other cultures? How about making missions an every day part of your homeschool and home life? What if you can't travel far from home but want your kids to develop a view that reaches far beyond your hometown? Join us and Sonlight Curriculum co-founder Sarita Holzmann for a lively discussion on homeschooling, reading, missionaries, biographies, a desire to love the lost, and of course, the gospel. SHOW NOTES: Sonlight Curriculum Sandy Cove Family Camp - Homeschool Week Recommended Resources: None Get Social With Us: Follow Fletch/Kendra: Fletch Twitter Kendra Twitter Follow the Studio Dogs: Betty the Surf Dog - Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website Rasta The Chocolate Lab - Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website Previous Episodes Mentioned: None Music clips used on this episode: None used Special Thanks to our Network Sponsor!   The animated feature, ‘ICE DRAGON: LEGEND OF THE BLUE DAISIES,’ blooms on big screens nationwide for a two-day family-friendly Adventure. Take an amazing journey to an enchanted world that holds a secret…where hope is in a song! In select cinemas nationwide March 24 and 26 only. If you missed the live event, purchase a copy for your home library on Blue Ray, Digital or DVD. Visit  here to learn more.    

Raising boys can be tricky business, no? And if we have a heart to see our boys really change the world with solid character, big ideas, and compassionate hearts, we can feel defeated when we see them being goofy and a little out of control as kids. That's exactly why we wanted to have a solid conversation with friend and author Heather Haupt, who has written a book about teaching our boys what it means to take the high road and be "knights" who fight for honor and protect the weak in our world. Heather has hands-on tools and plenty of encouragement to share. We love this episode! SHOW NOTES: Heather Haupt.com Knights in Training Sandy Cove Family Camp - Homeschool Week Recommended Resources: None Get Social With Us: Follow Fletch/Kendra: Fletch Twitter Kendra Twitter Follow the Studio Dogs: Betty the Surf Dog - Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website Rasta The Chocolate Lab - Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website Previous Episodes Mentioned: Parenting Principles over Formulas with Heather Haupt - Episode 142 Music clips used on this episode: None used Special Thanks to our Network Sponsor!   The animated feature, ‘ICE DRAGON: LEGEND OF THE BLUE DAISIES,’ blooms on big screens nationwide for a two-day family-friendly Adventure. Take an amazing journey to an enchanted world that holds a secret…where hope is in a song! In select cinemas nationwide March 24 and 26 only. If you missed the live event, purchase a copy for your home library on Blue Ray, Digital or DVD. Visit  here to learn more.  

Should you turn the TV on?  Yes or no? On this episode we  jump into a topic that is quick to divide families as we answer the question: Is there any redeeming value in having television in your home, or should we avoid this portal into American culture? Join along and listen as Fletch and Kendra talk openly about welcoming television back into their home and the parameters involved in their decision to navigate culture with a television. This is an episode that is sure to get you thinking and talking. SHOW NOTES: Recommended Resources: None Follow Fletch/Kendra: Fletch Twitter Kendra Twitter Follow the Studio Dogs: Betty the Surf Dog - Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website Rasta The Chocolate Lab - Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website Previous Episodes Mentioned: None Music clips used on this episode: None Special Thanks to our Network Sponsor!   The animated feature, ‘ICE DRAGON: LEGEND OF THE BLUE DAISIES,’ blooms on big screens nationwide for a two-day family-friendly Adventure. Take an amazing journey to an enchanted world that holds a secret…where hope is in a song! In select cinemas nationwide March 24 and 26 only. If you missed the live event, purchase a copy for your home library on Blue Ray, Digital or DVD. Visit  here to learn more.

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 love to know how other moms manage to do that."  Anna, this episode is just for you! We decided to hit this topic alone. We are not strangers to burnout. In fact, we are in the middle of our own homeschool/homeschooling/homeschoolers burnout as we sat down to record this show. Our listeners get a front row seat as we discuss honestly how we are choosing to work through our own burnout. Tune in as we offer practical advice to both mom and dad as we answer the question about how to deal with homeschool burnout. Timeline 1:53– Introduction 8:00 - Letter #1 - Jennifer, Binge Listener/Fluff Lover 10:37 - Letter #2 - Heather, Hope Shifting 16:00 – Homeschool Burnout - Segment 1/Practical Response 31:58 - Homeschool Burnout - Segment 2/"Me" Time 41:30 - Homeschool Burnout - Segment 3/Fletcher Burnout Music clips used on this show: "Slow Down'" Keb' Mo' (Buy It Here On iTunes)   Special Thanks to our Network Sponsor!   We’d like to thank our Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network sponsor Sony and their new DVD release, The Star, the Story of the First Christmas! Visit  here to learn more.  

Tragedy. In terms of media and social media, tragedy has become a staple of our daily diet. The world seems to be going crazy and the news is full of stories that are difficult for kids to process and understand. How do we talk to our children about race issues, murder, terrorism, and other tragic current events?  On this episode, we dive right into modern events and take on the headlines of the day. We discuss ages and appropriateness of content and conversation, how to address our children's fears, and of course how to bring the gospel into every conversation.   Special Thanks to our Network Sponsor!   We’d like to thank our Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network sponsor Sony and their new DVD release, The Star, the Story of the First Christmas! Visit  here to learn more.

When Cindy West reached out to us and asked to talk about something she's seeing in the homeschool community at large, we jumped at the opportunity. And it's this: Some homeschoolers feel they must adhere so closely to a particular homeschool philosophy that they have lost all their homeschool joy. Essentially, their homeschools are owning them. So what's the remedy? Tune in to "When Your Homeschool Owns You" to find out! SHOW NOTES: Recommended Resources: Cindy West can be found here: Our Journey Westward. Get Social With Us: Follow Fletch/Kendra: Fletch Twitter Kendra Twitter Follow the Studio Dogs: Betty the Surf Dog - Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website Rasta The Chocolate Lab - Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website Special Thanks to our Network Sponsor, Veritas Press! We'd like to thank our sponsor, Veritas Press and their app, The Phonics Museum! The Phonics Museum is the only complete reading app that will teach your child to read in record speed. Taking a “tools of learning” approach, the app helps establish a strong foundation of reading for children through a complete commitment to a phonics approach. Vintage Homeschool Moms is excited to be able to offer you the chance to try The Phonics Museum for two weeks FREE. To redeem this exclusive offer, click here to get your first two weeks free! LISTEN HERE Are you ready to listen to Fletch and Kendra get real about homeschooling? Press the PLAY button below.

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 can be cheeky that way! Where does that leave us? Should we allow Santa to have a seat at the Christmas table or should he and Rudolph be hidden high up on the shelf with that pesky elf? With sleighbells ringing and all the yuletide they can muster, Fletch and Kendra sit down for an open, honest discussion about the celebration of Christmas and answer the question: What should Christian homeschooling parents do with Santa Claus at Christmas? Tune in and join them for a fun and lively debate on this edition of HomeschoolingIRL.     Recommended Resources: Prodigal God by Timothy Keller Hope Shifting by Jim Applegate 5 Terrific Christmas Advent Devotionals - HomeschoolingIRL Blog Previous Episodes Mentioned: None Music clips used on this episode: Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley - Go buy it on iTunes Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Willie Nelson - Go buy it on iTunes Special Thanks to our Network Sponsor, Kiwi Crate!   We'd like to thank our Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network sponsor, Kiwi Crate! KiwiCo has monthly subscriptions of hands-on projects that make learning fun! Their core offering is projects that make learning about STEAM -- science, technology, engineering, art, and math -- accessible and are designed to spark creativity, tinkering, and learning. Some recent favorite crates are the Slime Lab, Physics Carnival, and Paper Circuits. Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network is excited to be able to offer you the chance to try them for FREE. To learn more about their projects for kids ages 2 to 16 AND to redeem this exclusive offer, click here to get your first month free today (just pay $4.95 for shipping) LISTEN HERE Are you ready to listen to Fletch and Kendra get real about homeschooling? Press the PLAY button below.

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 on this short and fun episode as we share some 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 round of "Q and A with K and A." Then see if you agree as we comment on your answers to our Facebook questions like "What Christmas song drives you nuts?" We each have goodies to lock into the HIRLer's Treasure Chest and then join us as we finish the podcast with a Christmas edition of "Would you rather..." This episode is meant to be light hearted, but it also gives you a chance to take a private peek at your two hosts. Join us as we celebrate Christmas week on this episode of Homeschooling In Real Life.   SHOW NOTES: Recommended Resources: Hope Shifting - by Jim Applegate Previous Episodes Mentioned: Why the Rise In African-American Homeschooling - Episode 54 Music clips used on this episode: Wonderful Christmas Time- Paul McCartney - Go buy it on iTunes Last Christmas - Wham! - Go buy it on iTunes Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley - Go buy it on iTunes Baby It's Cold Outside - Dean Martin - Go buy it on iTunes 12 Days of Christmas - Bing Crosby - Go buy it on iTunes All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey - Go buy it on iTunes Christmas Song - Chipmunks - Go buy it on iTunes Carole of the Bells - John Williams - Go buy it on iTunes Grandma Got Runover By A Reindeer - Elmo and Patsy - Go buy it on iTunes Christmas Shoes - Newsong - Go buy it on iTunes Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Bruce Springsteen - 

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 their own family and share practical advice for handling those tricky, sticky moments when brothers and sisters want to be anything but best friends. We also announce our coffee contest winner and we each answer the question: "What Ben/Jerry's ice cream flavor would you create and what would you call it?"   Music clips used on this show: "George Street Shuffle" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Three Little Birds, Ziggy Marley (Click on link to purchase) Pick A Little/Talk A Little, The Music Man (Click on link to purchase)   Special Thanks to our Network Sponsor, Kiwi Crate!   We'd like to thank our Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network sponsor, Kiwi Crate! KiwiCo has monthly subscriptions of hands-on projects that make learning fun! Their core offering is projects that make learning about STEAM -- science, technology, engineering, art, and math -- accessible and are designed to spark creativity, tinkering, and learning. Some recent favorite crates are the Slime Lab, Physics Carnival, and Paper Circuits. Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network is excited to be able to offer you the chance to try them for FREE. To learn more about their projects for kids ages 2 to 16 AND to redeem this exclusive offer, click here to get your first month free today (just pay $4.95 for shipping)

Join us on this episode of Homeschooling in Real Life as we talk about the ins and outs of traveling with kids. On this episode we are NOT talking about vacation planning. Instead we are talking about giving your family a love for travel, a love for God's world and a love for taking your love for Jesus around the world as a family ambassadors living on mission. Live from the Teach Them Diligently convention floor in Nashville, TN, Kendra interviews family travel expert Jen Reyneri from WordTraveling.com. Listen as they discuss about traveling and finding the Glory of God all over the world. This episode will encourage you and motivate you as a homeschool family to show your children something more than your own backyard. SHOW NOTES: Recommended Resources: WordTraveling with Jen Reyneri Betty The Surf Dog Twitter Feed - Home of Betty the Surf Dog Fletch Twitter Kendra Twitter Previous Episodes Mentioned: Music clips used on this episode: Jet Airliner - Buy it on iTunes Here Special Thanks to our Network Sponsor, Kiwi Crate!   We'd like to thank our Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network sponsor, Kiwi Crate!   KiwiCo has monthly subscriptions of hands-on projects that make learning fun! Their core offering is projects that make learning about STEAM -- science, technology, engineering, art, and math -- accessible and are designed to spark creativity, tinkering, and learning.  Some recent favorite crates are the Slime Lab, Physics Carnival, and Paper Circuits. Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network is excited to be able to offer you the chance to try them for FREE. To learn more about their projects for kids ages 2 to 16 AND to redeem this exclusive offer, click here to get your first month free today (just pay $4.95 for shipping) LISTEN HERE Are you ready to listen to Fletch and Kendra get real about homeschooling? Press the PLAY button below.  

Homeschooling Multiple Ages! How does a homeschooling parent possibly educate older kids while at the same time juggling preschoolers, toddlers, and babies? Is it even realistic to think we could do a good job while spinning so many homeschool plates? On this episode of Homeschooling in Real Life, Fletch and Kendra talk about how they've managed to homeschool 8 kids, how to structure a day so that schooling actually gets done, and how mom can survive and thrive during the demanding years of homeschooling multiple ages.   EPISODE TIMELINE :50 Fluff - LOST, Father's Day, Publishing, Summer Vacation 7:25 Homeschooling Multiple Ages, Part 1 18:16 - Homeschooling Multiple Ages, Part 2 33:35 The show is over. Goodbye! SHOW NOTES: Recommended Resources: Three Essential Keys to Homeschooling Multiple Ages Preschoolers and Peace Website Betty the Surf Dog - Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website Rasta The Chocolate Lab - Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website Fletch Twitter Kendra Twitter Previous Episodes Mentioned: All of them Music clips used on this episode: None SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE AN iTUNES REVIEW: Allow the magic of the internet to deliver Homeschooling In Real Life to your tablet or smart phone. Let us show you how easy it is: * Follow this link to our iTunes page. * IMPORTANT STEP: Under our big red HomeschoolingIRL logo, just click on View in iTunes * The iTunes program will automatically launch and take you to our podcast page. * FIRST - Click SUBSCRIBE. Voila! All or our podcasts will come directly to your computer and smart phone. * NEXT - Click RATINGS AND REVIEW. Remember the best reviews are 5-stars (hint hint!). * Thanks for being one of our listeners! HIRLers rock! WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO LISTEN TO HomeschoolingIRL? * You can listen right on this page. There is an audio player below. * You can listen on your iPod, Smartphone or tablet. Open the PODCAST app on your device, search podcasts for "HomeschoolingIRL" and click subscribe. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. * Subscribe to the HomeschoolingIRL website and you will be notified when every new episode is released. Follow this link and begin your FREE SUBSCRIPTION. Special Thanks to our Network Sponsor! We'd like to thank our Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network sponsor Sony and their new movie, The Star, the Story of the First Christmas - Coming in Theaters November 17th! Visit

For the rest of the year, we will be running a "Best of" series of the Homeschooling IRL episodes. Many of these episodes were earlier episodes that you might have missed. Enjoy! Let's be real folks! It's February and the mid-year homeschooling doldrums can hit any of us. One of our listeners sent us a great email with five questions all about homeschool challenges and wanting to throw in the towel. As we read through the questions he asked, we decided to combine all of them into one podcast and return  to a popular theme and call this episode, I Love Homeschooling But I'm Totally Burned Out. Don't be confused. You may think this is an episode for just the homeschool moms, but moms and dads alike are going to relate to the questions and discussions. As we answered his questions, we also turned our microphones onto other loyal listeners and asked three seasoned homeschool moms how they survive homeschool burnout in their home. These moms did not disappoint! Their answers were terrific and timely as we all approach midyear burnout in our homeschool  classrooms. Episode Timeline 2:12 - Introduction - The Fluff! 10:30 - Question 1 - Have you ever wanted to throw in the towel and put the kids in public school? 18:33 - Question 2 - Has mom ever been burned out? 24:35 - Question 3 - Has there ever been a disagreement about the direction of your homeschool between mom and dad? 33:28 - Question 4 - What do you do with lazy kids? 37:33 - Question 5 - Has dad ever needed to step in and stop the direction of the family? Academically Socially? Show Notes: Guests: Michele White, Kari Clark, and Cheryl Pitt Intro clip: Wipeout by the Surfaris - We encourage you to purchase this directly from iTunes ---------------------------------------------------------------- Special Thanks to our Network Sponsor! We'd like to thank our Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network sponsor Sony and their new movie, The Star, the Story of the First Christmas - Coming in Theaters November 17th! Visit TheStarMovie.com to learn more.

For the rest of the year, we will be running a "Best of" series of the Homeschooling IRL episodes. Many of these episodes were earlier episodes that you might have missed. Enjoy! How important is it for us to practice transparent parenting with our children? What should you do when your children ask you questions that are just too personal or too painful to answer? If we do practice transparency, will our kids simply follow our example? In this episode, we sit down with marriage and family therapist, Chris Oneth, to discuss the topic of transparency in our parenting. We answer these questions and many more as we talk through this very difficult topic. Join us as we discuss the importance of being honest with our kids and share techniques for walking into the difficult conversations. We share with our listeners how the gospel helps us to conquer our fears. We also address the error of parenting from a place of shame and as always we encourage you to celebrate the freedom that comes when we embrace the grace of God. Join us on this episode as we encourage you to press into your anxiety, to get real in your marriage, and to practice transparency with your children. Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)   Special Thanks to our Network Sponsor! We'd like to thank our Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network sponsor Sony and their new movie, The Star, the Story of the First Christmas - Coming in Theaters November 17th! Visit TheStarMovie.com to learn more.

On this episode of the HomeschoolingIRL podcast, Fletch and Kendra begin a new series called, "I Love Homeschooling But..." and discuss the topic of having your kids with you All. The. Time. We really do love this aspect of homeschooling, and many of us want to spend the best hours of our kids' days with them. But the reality is, there are days when we feel as if we're all breathing down each other's necks, and that can be difficult to navigate with grace. Joining Fletch and Kendra in the studio is HomeschoolingIRL listener, Angela Hoffman, from HomeschoolInnovation.com. After a frustrating day of homeschooling and tweeting with Kendra, we thought it would be real and very current to have her on the episode with us. Episode Timeline 3:50 Studio discussion part 1. 19:00 Fletch and Kendra spend time with Angela Hoffman 29:42 Studio discussion part 2. 43:27 HIRLers Treasure Chest ------ For the rest of the year, we will be running a "Best of" series of the Homeschooling IRL episodes. Many of these episodes were earlier episodes that you might have missed. Enjoy! Special Thanks to our Network Sponsor! We'd like to thank our Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network sponsor Sony and their new movie, The Star, the Story of the First Christmas - Coming in Theaters November 17th! Visit TheStarMovie.com to learn more.