Family and Faith | Heart of the Matter

Helping Your Children Listen in Church

As Christians, our main goal in homeschooling should be to disciple our children in the ways of the Lord. As they grow, we should begin to expect our children to listen quietly during a church service and other meetings where...

Are You Still Trying?

I’m nothing if not persistent. When I set my mind to do something, I am tenacious about seeing it through from start to finish. I love checklists because crossing completed items off my to-do list gives me a sense of...

The Hidden Value of Chores

When I started telling people that I’d decided to homeschool my boys, I got a lot of skeptical comments. I think my favorite has been, “You know you’re going to have to cut the cord eventually right?” If you heard the...

Video Blog with Planner Perfect’s Jenny Penton

Jenny Penton is a homeschooling mother of seven children and loves the closeness that being home with them provides. Un-schooling is how they live and learn and she blogs about their learning experiences at...

Life Skills Learned Through Chores

Invaluable Life Skills Learned Through Chores Learning household tasks is an outstanding foundation for children. They learn early-on what it takes to run a family, home, and daily life. Our boys will grow to be men who provide...

Be Strong and of Good Courage…Because Conference Season Is Here!

I’m currently at the Teach Them Diligently Conference in Spartanburg, SC. Part of me loves conferences and part of me wants to run and hide when I get there. Why? Conferences can be SO overwhelming! There...

Making More of Easter

For years now, I have wished and wished for a way to lead my family to truly engage in the Easter season. My evangelical roots never mentioned Lent, only Easter. It was about resurrection, yes, but it was also about new clothes...

Homeschooling While Distracted

I’m writing this in February, but you are reading it in March. That means I sincerely hope that by the time these words reach the broader world, I will be half way around that world having just met our new daughter. Adoption...

Dealing with Chronic Illnesses, Part 5: Organization Helps

Before y’all glare at me for suggesting more work for us who can barely manage the basics most of the time, let me assure you that being organized can help us. I promise. The end result of becoming and staying organized...

Raising Super Models

When you dream of what you want your kids to be when they grow up, how often does “super model” come into your mind? No? Really. Shocking. What if I asked you how you would rank on the “super model” scale. Do you...