The Durenda Wilson Podcast

When we got married, my husband only wanted 2 kids. Today he joins me as we tell our story about how we ended up with eight and share some thoughts and questions about family size that you may not have considered! Resources mentioned in this episode: The Unhurried Homeschooler Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart The Four-Hour School Day Simply Unhurried Community  Raising a Family of 10 on One Modest Income Yes, I Had 8 C-Sections! (P.S. Don't forget to check out my latest book, The Four Hour School Day: How You and Your Kids Can Thrive in the Homeschool Life on Amazon, durendawilson.com, or your favorite bookseller!)

Language Arts includes such a broad array of topics that parents can become overwhelmed and doubtful that they are covering everything well enough.  Years ago I was introduced to Learning Language Arts Through Literature. I loved how it gently covered all of the language arts pieces without being overwhelming. I didn't use it for all 8 kids, but it was one of the mainstays of our overall curriculum choices.  Today, Ashley Wiggers joins me to talk about taking a simpler, unhurried approach to using LLATL and what we loved about it! Resources mentioned: The Unhurried Homeschooler Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart The Four-Hour School Day Homeschooling Today Why Grade Levels Don't Really Matter That Much The Benefits of a More Natural Approach to Learning (P.S. Don't forget to check out my latest book, The Four Hour School Day: How You and Your Kids Can Thrive in the Homeschool Life on Amazon, durendawilson.com, or your favorite bookseller!)

As moms, we set the tone in our homes.  Joy is a key element to learning, but even more importantly, we are called to it as believers. God gives us tools to help recapture joy when it has waned or has been lost completely. Today Jennifer Pepito, owner of The Peaceful Press and author of Mothering By the Book, joins us to talk about the power of reading aloud to recapture joy!  Resources mentioned: The Unhurried Homeschooler Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart The Four-Hour School Day Simply Unhurried Community  Charlotte Mason Companion The Awakening of Miss Prim Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto Passion Driven Education Mere Motherhood Ways to connect with Jennifer and find her new book with a special bonus! www.motheringbythebook.com www.instagram.com/jenniferpepito www.instagram.com/thepeacefulpress www.thepeacefulpress.shop (P.S. Don't forget to check out my latest book, The Four Hour School Day: How You and Your Kids Can Thrive in the Homeschool Life on Amazon, durendawilson.com, or your favorite bookseller!)                

God knows that we will face fear as humans and a particularly intense battle with fear when it comes to being a mom and He graciously gives us tools to help overcome fear.  Join Jennifer Pepito (owner of The Peaceful Press and author of Mothering By the Book) and me as we have a great conversation about the power of reading aloud to help overcome fear!  Resources mentioned: The Unhurried Homeschooler Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart The Four-Hour School Day Homeschooling Today Ways to connect with Jennifer and find her new book with a special bonus! www.motheringbythebook.com www.instagram.com/jenniferpepito www.instagram.com/thepeacefulpress www.thepeacefulpress.shop (P.S. Don't forget to check out my latest book, The Four Hour School Day: How You and Your Kids Can Thrive in the Homeschool Life on Amazon, durendawilson.com, or your favorite bookseller!)

Many parents orient their homeschooling plans strongly around grade-level standards. But how crucial are grade levels and more importantly, where did this concept come from? Listen in for a bit of a history lesson along with some insight and encouragement toward the freedom that is ours in home educating our kids! Resources mentioned: The Unhurried Homeschooler Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart The Four-Hour School Day Simply Unhurried Community  Here is the first in the series on Ecclesiastes https://open.spotify.com/episode/2lpOv8MddcJqkrXz11L8i2 Homeschooling: Purpose or Performance? Let’s Talk About Testing Creating High School Transcripts Life Counts for High School Credit Part 1 Life Counts for High School Credit Part 2 Homeschooling with Confidence When Teaching a Struggling Learner Tips for Disciplining Littles (P.S. Don't forget to check out my latest book, The Four Hour School Day: How You and Your Kids Can Thrive in the Homeschool Life on Amazon, durendawilson.com, or your favorite bookseller!)

It seems as though we need more discernment than ever, especially as moms. We are raising the next generation of image bearers who will carry with them the values that we instill in them. We want those values to be solidly rooted in biblical truth and for them to not only be well-versed in them but to meaningfully apply them.  But where do we start? What does discernment really mean? How do we walk out a life that practices discernment?  How can wisdom change a person’s life and the lives of those around them? Listen in as Hannah Anderson gives us a deeper understanding of what it looks like to be discerning wives, moms, and women! The Unhurried Homeschooler Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart The Four-Hour School Day Homeschooling Today Ways to connect with Hannah Website Facebook Instagram Twitter Hannah's Books: Made for More Humble Roots All That's Good Turning of Days Heaven and Nature Sing (P.S. Don't forget to check out my latest book, The Four Hour School Day: How You and Your Kids Can Thrive in the Homeschool Life on Amazon, durendawilson.com, or your favorite bookseller!)

The topic of humility can conjure up images of feeling restricted or in bondage to something, but as odd as it sounds this invitation to humility is incredibly freeing! It’s another one of those principles that are simple (not to be confused with easy) and surprisingly has a very direct impact on our level of anxiety and stress! This podcast is LOADED with encouragement!  Listen in as Hannah Anderson answers questions like: How does humility free us from the stress of comparison, of always evaluating our performance against someone else’s? How does humility free us from stress in our work? Why is the message of humility particularly relevant in this day and age? And more!!! Resources mentioned: The Unhurried Homeschooler Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart The Four-Hour School Day Homeschooling Today Ways to connect with Hannah: Website Facebook Instagram Twitter Hannah's Books: Made for More Humble Roots All That's Good Turning of Days Heaven and Nature Sing (P.S. Don't forget to check out my latest book, The Four Hour School Day: How You and Your Kids Can Thrive in the Homeschool Life on Amazon, durendawilson.com, or your favorite bookseller!)

I recently made a big mistake in terms of what online mentoring can or should look like. It’s important to understand what role our online resources CAN play and what role they can NOT play so we aren’t expecting things that we shouldn’t.  I’m also including some important counsel regarding the local church because our family found ourselves struggling for several years to find a church that was biblically sound. I know some of you are struggling with that as well. BE ENCOURAGED! Resources mentioned: The Unhurried Homeschooler Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart The Four-Hour School Day Simply Unhurried Community  Applying Romans 13 to Here and Now  Links to messages that lay out the church’s biblical role (transcripts included): Who is the Church and What is She For? Local Church Leadership Pt 1 Local Church Leadership Pt 2 (P.S. Don't forget to check out my latest book and best seller on Amazon, The Four Hour School Day: How You and Your Kids Can Thrive in the Homeschool Life on Amazon, durendawilson.com, or your favorite bookseller!)

They say it can't be done, but clearly, it can. However, I have learned so much from my experience and I'm hoping to encourage you all through my story!  Resources mentioned: The Unhurried Homeschooler Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart The Four-Hour School Day Homeschooling Today Podcast mentioned: Children a Blessing, NOT a Burden Story mentioned: Celebrating Silas (P.S. Don't forget to check out my latest book, The Four Hour School Day: How You and Your Kids Can Thrive in the Homeschool Life on Amazon, durendawilson.com, or your favorite bookseller!)      

It's easy to feel the pressure to dive headlong into "school" once our kids reach the age of 5, but the truth is that a slow, more unhurried approach has proven to be far more beneficial. There are many reasons for that, many of which I share in my simple, mercifully short book, The Unhurried Homeschooler.  Today my daughter, who has 4 kids 7 and under,  joins me to talk about what a simple, unhurried, more natural, more effective, and WAY less stressful approach looks like! If you have little ones 7 and under, you won't want to miss this episode! The Unhurried Homeschooler Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart The Four-Hour School Day 100 Easy Lessons to Teach Your Child to Read (P.S. Don't forget to check out my latest book, The Four Hour School Day: How You and Your Kids Can Thrive in the Homeschool Life on Amazon, durendawilson.com, or your favorite bookseller!) (Credit for image below: flandersfamily.info)  

Last week I had our oldest daughter join me to talk about Tips for Life with Littles (0-6ish yrs old)reminding moms that although this season with our kids can feel repetitive and even mundane at times, there IS purpose in it! Today I wanted to share some tips on disciplining littles. I even open a can of worms that most believers aren’t willing to, not because I actually wanted to open it, but because I think it is necessary. Resources mentioned: The Unhurried Homeschooler Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart The Four-Hour School Day Tomato Staking: A Relational Parenting Tool https://www.durendawilson.com/podcast/episode/c788594f/the-homeschool-life-tomato-staking-a-relationship-based-parenting-tool-podcast-163 Parenting books: Parenting by Paul Tripp Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp Don’t Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Hubbard    

Life with little ones is busy. Much of what we do can feel repetitive and mundane but make no mistake, there is purpose in this season! Today my oldest daughter joins me to talk about the importance of prioritizing during these years with our little ones. She currently has 4 kids 7 and under and at one point I had 6 kids 9 and under so we get it!  The purpose of this episode is to encourage you and help you keep your eyes on what is important during these very special years with your kids! A great resource to understand your child's developmental stages (Use biblical discretion as these are not a Christian resource, but still very helpful!)  Your 1-Year-Old Your 2-Year-Old Your 3-Year-Old ETC. Other resources mentioned: The Unhurried Homeschooler Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart The Four-Hour School Day   (P.S. Don't forget to check out my latest book, The Four Hour School Day: How You and Your Kids Can Thrive in the Homeschool Life on Amazon, durendawilson.com, or your favorite bookseller!)  

If you've homeschooled for more than 5 seconds you know that every kid has their own learning style! It's what makes them unique! However, it can also become problematic if we are trying to teach them in a more conventional way.  Dianne Craft is back today to share about right-brain teaching strategies that go around the disconnection to help give immediate success and show our kids that they really are smart! (But we already knew that, right?) Resources mentioned: The Unhurried Homeschooler Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart The Four-Hour School Day diannecraft.org The Brain Integration Therapy Manual Right Brain Spelling  Right Brain Math Strategies Right Brain Phonics  Right Brain Sight Words Right Brain Writing (P.S. Don't forget to check out my latest book, The Four Hour School Day: How You and Your Kids Can Thrive in the Homeschool Life on Amazon, durendawilson.com, or your favorite bookseller!)         

Many of us are homeschooling struggling learners. It can be easy to feel like we are not qualified, but I firmly believe that we are in fact the best facilitators of our kids' education.  No one loves and cares for our kids like we do and no one is more invested in their future.  I also think that we can often make things more difficult than we need to. I believe that God can give us simple, effective strategies and resources that allow us to relax and enjoy our kids as we home educate them, whether they are struggling learners or not. One of the things I love to do on the podcast is to connect moms with great resources, so I am excited about our guest today. (Resources below) The Unhurried Homeschooler Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart The Four-Hour School Day Homeschooling Today Magazine Dianne Craft Resources: diannecraft.org Brain Integration Therapy Manual Dyslexia Identifying and Correcting Blocked Learning Gates Assessment Identifying and Correcting Blocked Learning Gates Checklist (P.S. Don't forget to check out my latest book, The Four Hour School Day: How You and Your Kids Can Thrive in the Homeschool Life on Amazon, durendawilson.com, or your favorite bookseller!)    

Dr. Kathy and I talked about the importance of being in the word with our kids in the last episode and today we want to talk about a fun way that you can engage your kids in the word and help them learn to love it! The Unhurried Homeschooler Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart The Four Hour School Day The Importance of Being in the Word with Your Kids www.PictureSmartBible.com Code is “Durenda” (Price will then be $99 for the Bible which includes one set of participant sheets. The normal price is $149.) Ways to connect with Dr. Kathy: CelebrateKids.com Celebrate Kids Podcast with Dr. Kathy (P.S. Don't forget to check out my latest book, The Four Hour School Day: How You and Your Kids Can Thrive in the Homeschool Life on Amazon, durendawilson.com, or your favorite bookseller!)