The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast

Welcome back to the Smiling Homeschooler Podcast. This week, we're talking about something that is true for almost every homeschool mom, and that is doubt.

Whether it comes from social media, well-meaning friends and family, or even the voice in your own head, it's easy to wonder if you're doing enough or making the right decisions for your kids. The truth is, we all have voices competing for our attention. The real question is: which ones are we choosing to listen to? This week, we're talking about how to feed hope instead of fear, how to respond when others criticize your homeschooling journey, and how we can encourage not only ourselves but the families around us.

We'll also share a listener's email that perfectly captures the struggle so many homeschool parents experience and why choosing confidence over comparison can make all the difference. As always, our goal is to leave you encouraged

But before we start, we want to thank Teaching Textbooks for all of their support of the Smiling Homeschooler. They are one of the best math curriculums around, and we believe they help more homeschoolers smile, and you should use their math curriculum for this school year. So go check them out at teachingtextbooks.com.

  Today’s show was also underwritten by Samaritan Ministries and Redeem HealthShare. Where Members are committed to honoring Christ and serving one another through health care needs. As Todd likes to say, "We use, love, and recommend Samaritan Ministries. You can learn more about REDEEM HealthShare by Samaritan Ministries and get a free quote over at samaritanministries.org/familyman

Have a great week and don't forget to smile!

 

Hey everyone, welcome back to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week is a special Todd epsidode as he tackles a question many parents ask themselves: Is it really possible to do it all? He shares his thoughts on the stress of trying to juggle homeschooling, family life, work, and everything else that fills our days and offers some practical encouragement about focusing on what matters most instead of trying to keep every ball in the air.

We want to thank Teaching Textbooks for making The Smiling Homeschooler possible. They're the math curriculum that helps homeschoolers smile—and the one our family uses! You can learn more and support them at TeachingTextbooks.com.

Today's show was also underwritten by Samaritan Ministries and Redeem HealthShare. Their members are committed to honoring Christ and serving one another by sharing one another's healthcare needs. As Todd likes to say, "We use, love, and recommend Samaritan Ministries." You can learn more about Redeem HealthShare by Samaritan Ministries at SamaritanMinistries.org/FamilyMan.

Have a great week, and don't forget to smile!

Welcome back to the Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week, we're talking about something that every family has, whether they realize it or not, and that is a family culture.

Every home has its own personality. Some families revolve around sports, others around academics, work, or adventure. The real question isn't whether you have a family culture; it's whether you're intentionally building the one you want. What values are your kids picking up from your home? What traditions are shaping them? And what kind of family do you hope they'll remember years from now?

Join us as we discuss why family culture matters, how it impacts your children, and some practical ways you can begin intentionally building a home that reflects the values you want to pass on for generations. But don't worry, as always, this is going to be an encouraging conversation!

We want Teaching Textbooks for all of their support of the Smiling Homeschooler. They are one of the best math curriculums around, and we believe they help more homeschoolers smile, and you should use their math curriculum for this school year. So go check them out at teachingtextbooks.com. 

Today’s show was also underwritten by Samaritan Ministries and Redeem Healthshare. Where Members are committed to honoring Christ and serving one another through health care needs. As Todd likes to say, "We use, love, and recommend Samaritan Ministries." You can learn more about REDEEM HealthShare by Samaritan Ministries at www.samaritanministries.org/familyman

Have a great week and don't forget to smile! 

Welcome back to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week we're celebrating America's 250th birthday!
As the Fourth of July approaches, we're talking about what makes our country so special, why we should never take the freedom to homeschool our children for granted, and how we can help our kids appreciate the blessings we enjoy. We also share some of our favorite American historical sites to visit and reflect on why this holiday is about so much more than fireworks and cookouts.

We hope this episode encourages you to celebrate with gratitude and make some great memories with your family.

We want to thank Teaching Textbooks for all of their support of the Smiling Homeschooler. They are one of the best math curriculums around, and we believe they help more homeschoolers smile, and you should use their math curriculum for this school year. So go check them out at teachingtextbooks.com. 

Today’s show was also underwritten by Samaritan Ministries and Redeem Healthshare. Where Members are committed to honoring Christ and serving one another through health care needs. As Todd likes to say, "We use, love, and recommend Samaritan Ministries. You can learn more about REDEEM HealthShare by Samaritan Ministries here https://hubs.ly/Q03VZL7c0

 

Have a great week and a Happy 4th of July, and don't forget to smile! 

Welcome back to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week we're talking about something that can be really easy to overlook in the middle of homeschooling, parenting, work, and everything else life throws at us, which is our marriage.

When the days are filled with lesson plans, laundry, meals, activities, and trying to keep the house from completely falling apart, it's easy for your relationship to become more about managing a family than actually enjoying each other. But a healthy marriage doesn't happen by accident, and it's one of the greatest gifts we can give our kids.

On this episode, we are joined by Debbie Wilson to share some practical ideas that have helped us stay connected to our spouses through the busy seasons, along with a few simple reminders that have made a big difference for us.

We want to thank Teaching Textbooks for all of their support of the Smiling Homeschooler. They are one of the best math curriculums around, and we believe they help more homeschoolers smile, and you should use their math curriculum for this school year. So go check them out at teachingtextbooks.com. 

Today’s show was also underwritten by Samaritan Ministries and REDEEM HealthShare. Where Members are committed to honoring Christ and serving one another through health care needs. As Todd likes to say, "We use, love, and recommend Samaritan Ministries. You can learn more about REDEEM HealthShare by Samaritan Ministries here https://hubs.ly/Q03VZL7c0

Have a great week and don't forget to smile!

Welcome back to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! Today we're talking about taking back the summer from technology. We had to reupload this due to an issue with Apple Podcasts. If you already listened to this episode from another source, then you don't have to listen to this version! 

There are so many things demanding our attention these days, especially social media and technology. We discuss some practical strategies for cutting back on these distractions so we can focus on what really matters this summer: making memories with our kids and spending time together as a family.

We also talk about Kids Day, a Wilson family tradition, as well as Father's Day and ways we can encourage and celebrate the dads in our lives.

We want to thank Teaching Textbooks for all of their support of the Smiling Homeschooler. They are one of the best math curriculums around, and we believe they help more homeschoolers smile, and you should use their math curriculum for this school year. So go check them out at teachingtextbooks.com. 

Today’s show was also underwritten by Samaritan Ministries and Redeem HealthShare. Where Members are committed to honoring Christ and serving one another through health care needs. As Todd likes to say, "We use, love, and recommend Samaritan Ministries. You can learn more about REDEEM HealthShare by Samaritan Ministries here https://hubs.ly/Q03VZL7c0

Have a great week and don't forget to smile! 

Welcome back to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! Today we're talking about taking back the summer from technology.

There are so many things demanding our attention these days, especially social media and technology. We discuss some practical strategies for cutting back on these distractions so we can focus on what really matters this summer: making memories with our kids and spending time together as a family.

We also talk about Kids Day, a Wilson family tradition, as well as Father's Day and ways we can encourage and celebrate the dads in our lives.

We want to thank Teaching Textbooks for all of their support of the Smiling Homeschooler. They are one of the best math curriculums around, and we believe they help more homeschoolers smile, and you should use their math curriculum for this school year. So go check them out at teachingtextbooks.com. 

Today’s show was also underwritten by Samaritan Ministries and Redeem HealthShare. Where Members are committed to honoring Christ and serving one another through health care needs. As Todd likes to say, "We use, love, and recommend Samaritan Ministries. You can learn more about REDEEM HealthShare by Samaritan Ministries here https://hubs.ly/Q03VZL7c0

Have a great week and don't forget to smile! 

Welcome back to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week we're talking about something that almost every mom experiences but doesn't always talk about: exhaustion.

There are seasons when parenting feels overwhelming. The days are long, the responsibilities never seem to end, and it can feel like everyone needs something from you all the time. Yet somehow, you have to keep showing up day after day.

If that's where you are today, we hope this episode encourages you. We want to remind you that God sees your faithfulness, even on the hard days, and that the work you're doing matters more than you know. We think this conversation is something that every mom needs to hear!

We want to thank Teaching Textbooks for all of their support of the Smiling Homeschooler. They are one of the best math curriculums around, and we believe they help more homeschoolers smile. Please support them over at teachingtextbooks.com. 

Today’s show was also underwritten by Samaritan Ministries and Redeem HealthShare. Where Members are committed to honoring Christ and serving one another through health care needs. As Todd likes to say, "We use, love, and recommend Samaritan Ministries. You can learn more about REDEEM HealthShare by Samaritan Ministries here https://hubs.ly/Q03VZL7c0

Have a great week and don't forget to smile! 

Welcome back to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week we're talking about what comes after the school year ends.

We start by discussing why summer breaks matter so much, the importance of play, and why our kids don't need every moment scheduled. Then we talk about graduates and young adults, and how to help them take their next steps, how much guidance parents should give, and how to encourage them as they move toward adulthood.

We had a great conversation, and we think you'll be encouraged. Enjoy!

We want to thank Teaching Textbooks for all of their support of the Smiling Homeschooler. They are one of the best math curriculums availible, and we believe they help more homeschoolers smile, and you should use their math curriculum for this school year. So go check them out at teachingtextbooks.com. 

Today’s show was also underwritten by Samaritan Ministries and Redeem HealthShare. Where Members are committed to honoring Christ and serving one another through health care needs. As Todd likes to say, "We use, love, and recommend Samaritan Ministries." You can learn more about REDEEM HealthShare by Samaritan Ministries here https://hubs.ly/Q03VZL7c0

 

Have a great week and don't forget to smile!

Welcome back to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week, we’re talking about something every parent thinks about at some point: what are the things our kids are actually going to remember when they look back on childhood?

Will it be the family vacations? Learning to ride a bike? Playing games together? Family traditions? Or maybe just those simple everyday moments that didn’t seem all that important at the time.

Especially as we’re wrapping up the school year and heading into summer, we think this is a great topic to reflect on. We have some encouragement and thoughts to share as we talk about making memories and enjoying the time we have with our kids.

We want to thank Teaching Textbooks for all of their support of the Smiling Homeschooler. They are one of the best math curriculums around, and we believe they help more homeschoolers smile. Go check them out at teachingtextbooks.com. 

Today’s show was also underwritten by Samaritan Ministries and Redem Healthshare. Where Members are committed to honoring Christ and serving one another through health care needs. As Todd likes to say, "We use, love, and recommend Samaritan Ministries. You can learn more about REDEEM HealthShare by Samaritan Ministries here https://hubs.ly/Q03VZL7Q0

Have a great week and don't forget to smile!