Making Biblical Family Life Practical

For a holiday in the church calendar, it's amazing how many opinions and practices and scruples Christians have about celebrating Christ's birth! This week we start from a friend's question about Christmas trees and look at the underlying issues of Christian liberty, conscience, grace, and the gospel. Join us for this timely and practical look at Christmas and convictions! 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)  

We all have to deal with it - there are days when the kids drive us crazy, or even, just one kid pushes us a little too far. What do you do when the anger rises? How do you deal with mad feelings? Is it okay to express our frustration ... or should we bury it instead? This episode, we're talking about anger and what we do with this powerful emotion ...  

Pollsters tell us that Americans are planning to spend $862 each this Christmas. Well, maybe your family doesn't have a $1700 gift budget ... or maybe yours does, but you want to give presents with lasting value. How do you go about that? This episode we talk about things we do to make gift-giving both meaningful and affordable! Gallup News - "Consumers Remain In Good Holiday Shopping Mood," 11/17/17 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.

Are you a frightened parent? It's one thing to be prudent, because there are real dangers that threaten our kids ... but when our caution becomes fear, it can interfere with our children's healthy development to competent adults ... and psychologists say that anxiety is a hallmark of the Millennial adult. This episode, we look at some ways that loving parents might accidentally make things worse when they operate in fear, not faith!

It's been a hot discussion in homeschooling for decades - what should we teach our kids about finding a mate? What's really the Biblical model? After following one philosophy for several years and then realizing some of the assumptions really weren't playing out in reality, we delved back into the Scriptures and found some surprising things people didn't talk about. Join us for our quick tour of what we found the Bible really says about finding a mate! Examples We Referenced The Executive VP Goes Cousin Shopping - Genesis 24 Hello, and Where Did I Get This Scar? - Genesis 2 A Funny Thing Happened After the Service - Judges 21 Principles Honoring parents (Ephesians 6:2) Flee sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18) Leaving and cleaving (Genesis 2:24) Providing for one's own (1 Timothy 5:8) Treating younger women as sisters, in purity (1 Timothy 5:2) Resources We Mentioned Our workshop on "Dating, Courtship, and All That" MoreThanFriends.io - the app with 42% less awkwardness 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.

Are you in ministry, or do think you might be called into some kind of Christian service, but have mixed feelings and doubts about the role of your kids? How do you do Kingdom work with little ones in tow? Is it even possible? We'd suggest that not only is it possible, sometimes having your family along enhances your ministry.  This episode we look at ways to approach ministry, from Saturday volunteering up to full-time vocational service, when you've got children along. 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.

Sometimes you have a student who struggles - but just in one area! How do you understand and help a student who's "twice exceptional" - who's both gifted and special needs at the same time? Resources We Recommend We have several resources on our website - CLICK HERE to check them out! Home School Foundation Special Needs Homeschooling Homeschooling When Learning Isn't Easy by Heather Laurie  

Sometimes even the best-intentioned relationships come to an end. It's going to be awkward, and it's probably going hurt. Does the Bible give us any direction on how to do this? You bet - let's talk about it and let's prepare our kids to act like believers even in a situation they never dreamed they'd be in.

The process of applying for college can be stressful for homeschoolers. It's hard enough being both Mom and Teacher - now she has to play Guidance Counselor too! Can your son prove he's ready for college? How can you showcase your daughter's real gifts? Will admissions offices believe it when Mom gives the grades? Hal and Melanie have successfully launched four children from homeschooling to the college classroom - this episode, they share some important principles for building an awesome - and truthful! - college application. Download our FREE College Decision Resource Package! CLICK HERE to get yours now!   Special Thanks to our Network Sponsor! We'd like to thank our Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network sponsor Raddish - a cooking club and curriculum, specially designed FOR KIDS by chefs and educators! Raddish is perfect for homeschooling families! Teach thematic cooking lessons that incorporate math, science, nutrition, geography, and culture. With Raddish, the kitchen is the tastiest place to learn! Use coupon code PODCAST at checkout for $15 off a 6 or 12 month membership. Visit RaddishKids.com/Homeschool to learn more and to download a free lesson. Check out this info pack: Raddish One Page

The news is full of alarming stories - hurricanes, flooding, wildfires, and more - and it's nearly impossible to shield our kids from hearing about it. How do you help your children understand natural disasters and bad news with concern but not panic? Do you talk with your teenagers differently than your young kids? What should we be thinking ourselves? Don't miss this timely episode --     Resources Article on our blog Another article, about bad news that's man-made Get Our Newsletter!   Free Checklist Free Workshop "Homeschooling in Hard Times"   Special Thanks to our Network Sponsor! We'd like to thank our Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network sponsor Raddish - a cooking club and curriculum, specially designed FOR KIDS by chefs and educators! Raddish is perfect for homeschooling families! Teach thematic cooking lessons that incorporate math, science, nutrition, geography, and culture. With Raddish, the kitchen is the tastiest place to learn! Use coupon code PODCAST at checkout for $15 off a 6 or 12 month membership. Visit RaddishKids.com/Homeschool to learn more and to download a free lesson. Check out this info pack: Raddish One Page  

Emergency Homeschooling ~ Episode 180 We love meeting families who decide to homeschool when they're still years from "school age" - but sometimes people end up homeschooling suddenly (or emergency homeschooling.) What do you do if you have to jump into home education because of an unexpected relocation, an unacceptable situation at school, or a serious illness or injury? How do you handle emergency homeschooling when you weren't planning to homeschool at all?   RESOURCES YOU MIGHT APPRECIATE Home School Legal Defense Association (Having trouble with playback? Click on "Play In A New Window" or try a different browser)

We had six boys, one after another, and thought our family's sort of crazy was just normal life. Then people who had girls first started asking, "How in the world do you manage to homeschool all those boys?" The fact is, they are very different from their sisters - and from the moms who teach them both. This episode, we look at some basic principles we've learned about creating a homeschool that works with boys as they are rather than struggling to fit them into a less boyish mold. RESOURCES YOU MIGHT APPRECIATE Our hour-long workshop, "Ballistic Homeschooling"  --- Our book, Raising Real Men

  Long ago, we noticed a revolving door at the eighth grade - parents who homeschooled their children from the beginning putting their kids into the school system, and public school parents pulling their kids out of the very same pipeline. Maybe the problem isn't the school, but the student! This episode we talk about early teens who get restless and uncooperative about schoolwork, and some strategies to help everyone get through this struggle! Resources You Might Appreciate Our workshops on: * Parenting Preteens  * Homeschooling High School (and Transcripts)  * Homeschooling Is Not Enough   Sign up for our newsletter!  CLICK HERE AND STAY IN TOUCH!

One of the most disturbing, even frightening, experiences of our parenting journey was learning of a child's spiritual doubts. After pouring love and Scripture into our children for ten years, we may find that it hasn't taken root - or that the early buds of childlike faith didn't mature with time! This episode, we talk about a very common passage in children's lives, how we can prepare for it, and what to do about it when it comes. Resources We Mentioned: Our workshop on Parenting Preteens Our online class series, Boot Camp 9-12 (live sessions start August 1o!) The Gen2 Survey (2015) Books We (and our kids) Found Helpful: (Affiliate links below!) More Than A Carpenter - Josh McDowell Evidence That Demands a Verdict - Josh McDowell Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis The Case for Christ - Lee Strobel

One of the reasons many people start homeschooling is to avoid "negative peer interaction," which often means bullying. Sadly, though, it can happen at church, at homeschool meetings, or simply any gathering of kids. It can even happen inside your own family! This episode, we're talking about approaches for dealing with bullying situations - how should we parents respond, how can we help the victims, and what can be done about the perpetrators. (Check out our article, "Five Things to Do When Your Child is Being Picked On")