In this enlightening episode, we explore the intricacies of balancing family life, work, and faith with guests Carol and Hope. They share their personal experiences in homeschooling, managing household responsibilities, and nurturing their children's spiritual growth. Discover practical tips and heartfelt insights on how to navigate the challenges of motherhood while fostering a strong family bond. Join us for a conversation filled with wisdom, laughter, and encouragement as we journey together in building the city of God!
Resourses:
Read Aloud Revival https://readaloudrevival.com
Atomic Habits by James Clear https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits
FlyLady https://flylady.net
Mother's Rule of Life by Holly Pierlot https://www.amazon.com/Mothers-Rule-Life-Organizing-Yourself/dp/1933184210

Chapters: (00:00) The Desert Wanderers interview priests, religious, and laity (00:34) Carol and Hope talk about parenting techniques and systems (01:37) Hope and Carol talk about balancing motherhood and family life (02:32) Hope Ryan didn't start working until her daughter was 12 (08:34) I was active in the campus ministry there. So I was the campus minister (12:31) Hope uses Seton Home Study to homeschool her three children (16:36) You had conversations with your husband early on that you wanted to homeschool (23:00) There's more to education than just the books and the curriculum (28:14) A lot of people say that homeschooling is different from public school (32:27) How do you balance the needs of everyday life? Or how did you balance (35:42) You can train your kids to do a lot of things in 15 minutes (38:46) You're constantly evaluating whether homeschooling is working or not (40:45) How did you manage needs and expectations from your children while working (45:12) How do you teach your kids how to behave in mass (46:17) What is appropriate mass behavior? Because my oldest is not quiet (49:19) You know, address their need. Go to a daily mass if you need quiet time yourself (52:45) What were the hidden costs of working outside of the home or homeschooling (57:08) What systems and habits helped you through different stages of homeschooling (01:02:18) Sometimes you just have to take a breath and accept what's going on (01:02:42) What does a normal homeschooling day look like for you (01:06:13) Mass was very important to our homeschooling, too (01:09:10) Also something that I really, really value is prayer at 9 o' clock (01:13:03) With an autistic kiddo, we had to be very regimented (01:14:53) So going back to the behavioral piece, though, did you ever fight with your kids (01:18:50) What are some tips specifically for schooling boys that you think are valuable (01:22:13) How do you deal with burnout when there's so much to do (01:24:53) When did your kids start doing chores? What kind of chores were you expecting (01:28:55) Lower your expectations and you'll be happier, she says (01:29:35) Did you intentionally outsource or just stop doing or skipping things (01:32:40) Was there anything that you guys intentionally skipped or didn't do (01:34:38) How is your husband taking on different tasks throughout the season (01:35:47) Every family is different. And there's different techniques to homeschooling (01:40:33) What would you give parents starting out or really in the thick of it (01:42:43) Being intentional in your parenting is important, Hope says