November 15, 2025 • 50 mins
Discover how one family's challenging school experience became a powerful homeschooling journey. What starts as a two-week trial becomes a wake-up call that changes everything. This raw, honest conversation reveals why traditional school wasn't working and how unschooling created the freedom their family desperately needed.
In this episode, we explore:
- The wake-up call that changed everything about their education approach
- Breaking free from "compliance culture" and therapy pressure
- Building community through homeschool co-ops
- France vs. U.S. schooling: eye-opening cultural differences
- What unschooling really looks like in daily practice
- Interest-led learning, morning baskets, and unit studies that work
- Teaching kids how to think, not what to think
- Handling hard days with regulation and nature resets
- Self-care strategies for homeschool parents
- Creating a freedom mindset around time, travel, and family values
Whether you're considering homeschooling, already on the journey, or simply curious about alternative education, Sarah's story offers practical insights and encouragement for raising independent thinkers.
Perfect for: homeschool parents, unschooling families, parents questioning traditional education, those interested in child-led learning
Get Sarah's Emotional Regulation FREE Toolkit here!
A Connected Christmas Unit Study! Start making Christmas memories today!!
📘 The Homeschool How To Complete Starter Guide
Thinking about homeschooling but don’t know where to start? Cheryl created this comprehensive guide, compiling insights from interviews with over 120 homeschooling families across the country. From navigating state laws to balancing work and home life — this eBook covers it all. Stop feeling overwhelmed and start feeling confident on your homeschooling journey.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:05):
Welcome to this week's episode of the Homeschool
How to.
I'm Cheryl, and I invite you tojoin me on my quest to find out
why are people homeschooling?
How do you do it?
How does it differ from regionto region?
And should I homeschool my kids?
Stick with me as I interviewhomeschooling families across
the country to unfold theanswers to each of these
(00:26):
questions week by week.
Welcome.
I have Sarah from Florida herewith me today.
Welcome Sarah, how are you?
Thank you so much for having me.
Now, how many kids do you have?
I have four kids.
You look so young.
Do people tell you that all thetime?
Yes, definitely.
They look at you like a poorteenager had four kids that
(00:49):
she's carroting around.
SPEAKER_01 (00:51):
They're very young, pretty much young.
Oldest is nine.
Good.
Yeah.
My oldest is nine.
I have a seven-year-old and Ihave a six-year-old and a four
and a half-year-old.
SPEAKER_00 (00:59):
Okay, so how long have you been homeschooling?
SPEAKER_01 (01:01):
It's hard to put a number on it, but my oldest is
nine.
He's been in school for twoweeks when he was three, and
that was it.
That was enough for me to neverlook back.
So I guess from the beginning.
SPEAKER_00 (01:11):
Okay.
So what happened in those firstthree weeks, two weeks that made
you say never again?
SPEAKER_01 (01:17):
Okay.
Uh so I moved from Brooklyn toFlorida and I have a
three-year-old and a newbornchild, my firstborn.
And then I just had this wholepressure of checklist when I got
into the school, like into theit was a play group with little,
little kids.
Um I had this feeling that I hadto check many buses.
And then when my kid was justplaying, there was always an
(01:37):
issue with the way he was solike he's not passing on toys
because the camera rang.
So he's supposed to pass on thetoy to somebody else.
Meanwhile, my son is playing athome.
Like, how am I supposed to knowhow to make the puzzle if they
keep interrupting me?
So I told that to the directorand she says, Well, it doesn't
work like this here.
You have to stop and you have toknow how to.
So I was like, okay, that's anissue.
(01:58):
Then she comes to me and shesays, He can't have scotch.
I said, Yes, I know.
I live in Brooklyn.
We don't have scotch in Brooklynuntil a certain age where you
can go freely in the street.
I was like, This is why.
He he's just three.
Meanwhile, he's playing Chineseyo-yo like a 10-year-old and he
was only three.
So me, I'm like, listen, I thinkhe's focused on his hands right
now, so why don't we just givehim a few more weeks?
(02:18):
Oh, it doesn't work like that.
Then I she says, I said, okay,fine, so what do you want to do?
Put him in therapy or just askfor OT to come or whatever.
I said, he's three is old, he'sthree million things out.
What are you talking about?
He's three.
And she says, Well, what do youcare?
It's free.
I said, if I need to sell my kidto to to help my child, I will.
But this is not helping, this isgoing against him.
(02:39):
And she's like, but the wholeclass is in therapy.
Like they all have shadows andstuff.
So I looked at her, I said thewhole class is in therapy.
Okay, got you.
Went into the classroom, tookhis back back, and never looked
back.
The whole class is in therapy.
I mean, it's still having anissue.
I don't want that.
I don't want to.
SPEAKER_00 (02:55):
Were you in Brooklyn at this time or in Florida?
SPEAKER_01 (02:58):
I just moved to Florida.
So he he was born in Brooklyn.
He lived there for three years.
Then we moved to Florida.
First few weeks he's already inschool.
Um, it was September, so thebeginning of the year, and this
happened.
I had a newborn child.
He was 10 days old.
So imagine the pressure betweenhaving a baby, having to school,
telling you your son's can'thops cut, he's three, and then
putting pressure on you to puthim in therapy.
(03:19):
I'm like, okay, okay, okay.
I think he's gonna do muchbetter watching me nurse my baby
all day.
SPEAKER_00 (03:23):
He's paper.
I mean, that is the mostridiculous thing I've ever
heard.
And I never really thought aboutthat before.
But yeah, the passing the toywhen the bell rings, you're not
done playing with it.
And like, what is that teachinga child?
I mean, they're literallypreparing them for school when
you're in the middle oflearning, you know, something
really interesting in history,and they're like, ding, bell
(03:45):
rang.
Sorry, you gotta go to math now.
And my gosh, the conditioning.
Wow.
I mean, that took a lot for youto have the gut instinct to he
would actually be benefitingmore from watching me nurse all
day than being in here, becausethis is actually going to be
detrimental to him.
But what, especially postpartum,what gave you that actual drive
(04:06):
and the courage to say, I'mtaking him out?
SPEAKER_01 (04:09):
Oh, that's a good question.
I actually was uh renting to afriend of mine, she's a
neighbor, um, and she has fourkids also, and they're all in
different schools.
So I went to her and I said,Look what happened.
It makes no sense to me.
And she says, She looks at me,she's like, I I know the type of
woman you are.
It's like you, you, you're a DIYperson.
And she says, Um, I have fourkids in four different schools,
(04:30):
it's the same problemeverywhere.
You're gonna meet this in everysingle school.
So I'm telling you, it's eitheryou comply to them and you do
all the therapies like we dobecause we don't want to have
our kids at home all day, or youdo it yourself.
That's the only way.
And like, for real?
There's no school that I can't,you know, try it to.
And she's like, no, there'syou're gonna meet if it's not
(04:53):
the same, it's not gonna be thesame teacher, not the same
product, not the same label thatwe put on a kid, but it's gonna
be the same issue.
You comply, you participate, youdo what they say, or unless you
have money.
SPEAKER_00 (05:03):
Wow, yeah, and yeah, and what will money do?
Because I mean, even in theexpensive private schools, they
still have rules, somebody'sstill funding them more than you
are.
And yeah, wow.
So she did the private thing,she did all the charter stuff,
and it is the same issueeverywhere.
SPEAKER_01 (05:19):
Same, same.
No, they were all in regularschools, but she told me that's
what you're gonna get.
And then I had, thank God, I hadum a homeschool friend, a
neighbor, also.
So I go to her and I say, Look,what happened?
Also, she's like, How about youcome with me one day at the
co-op and you see how it goes?
I'm gonna show you what we gothrough.
So I tell the school, like, Ineed to take him out, you know,
(05:40):
and I'm gonna try something new.
And then I go with my son and Ihave this co-op and I see like
all these ladies, they were allColombians and they all know,
like, I don't know, they're justplaying with their kids, and all
the kids are walking aroundfreely having a blast.
I started nursing the baby, andright away one takes my my
three-year-old and startsplaying with him, and one and a
(06:01):
half year old and like, oh mygod, there's a whole world out
there.
I had no idea about no, none.
I grew up in France.
There's no one that homeschoolsin France, it's very, very
difficult to homeschool inFrance.
Really?
So yeah, I I've never met ahomeschooler in France my entire
childhood.
SPEAKER_00 (06:18):
Well, that's so interesting.
Now I'm gonna have to go on asearch for is this a thing in in
France?
But the schools are different inFrance, correct?
Like, at least the younger ones.
I know I read a book when I waspregnant with my son, so it was
eight years ago, um, calledBringing Up Bay Bay, and it's a
American woman who moved toParis to be with her husband and
got pregnant there, and she wasjust kind of like talking about
(06:40):
the differences in that school.
And she's like, the chef meetswith like the parents before the
school year starts, and theymake a menu of what the chef is
actually preparing, and there'sreal food that they're giving
these children with you know,vegetables and cheeses and
fermented, you know, whatever.
Um, and the book was basicallyjust comparing how much
(07:01):
different it is in France thanin America.
SPEAKER_01 (07:03):
Yeah, yeah.
So I like to say France isalways 10 years late.
So I think if you go to schoolnow in France, you're gonna get
the US 10 years ago, which isbasically, you know, we always
have they never they never had achef making our food.
Yeah, and that's true.
That for the for the publicschool system has terrible food.
I've watched so many videos andposted some of them, but we
(07:23):
always had amazing, amazingfood, very healthy.
We always had a protein, avegetable, and a carb that was
at every single meal.
I don't remember having dessertever.
There was no sugar being served,no candies being served.
That was me, 34 years old.
So um, that was me growing up.
We did have to go to school formany hours.
So I don't know her experience,maybe when they were little.
(07:44):
We stopped at 3-4, yeah.
But at the end, like startingsixth grade, we we already
finished school at 6 p.m.
every single night.
Um so it was 8 30 to 6 p.m.
We have 10-minute recess in themorning, 10-minute recess in the
evening.
So that was my experience inFrance.
SPEAKER_00 (07:59):
Now that's interesting.
Why do you think they do it forso long?
Is it because the parents are atwork for that long and they kind
of need babysitters, or are theythat diligent about academics?
SPEAKER_01 (08:09):
They were very diligent about academics for
sure, because every school wantsto be number one of them in the
ratings.
So for sure that's it.
But also, I was in a in aprivate school in France and
they were very adamant aboutacademics.
The public school is, I think, 4p.m., 5 p.m., but also very
difficult.
SPEAKER_00 (08:25):
Okay, so how does that shape how you homeschool
today?
Coming from a very rigidbackground where you were there
for almost 10 hours a day, towhat you see in the homeschool
community, which I know there'sunschooling is a huge thing
right now.
Just, hey, you're into trucksthis week.
Let's learn about trucks andwe'll learn math through trucks
and science through trucks andreading through trucks.
(08:46):
So, how did your experience inFrance shape what you do with
your kids right now?
SPEAKER_01 (08:50):
Very interesting.
You're asking that right nowbecause I feel like the only
thing I kept from when I fromthe way I grew up was the food.
I feed my kids every day thesame plates, and I have my carb,
my veggie, and my protein atevery single meal I post every
day on Instagram, but it's very,very funny.
But we are more towardsunschooling.
We lean more towardsunschooling.
I like to say my kids are mycurriculum.
(09:12):
My kids are my curriculum,meaning I follow their
interests, I follow their paceand their learning styles.
So we go deep into certainsubjects because of one of their
interests.
Um, I'm trying to come up withan example.
I happen with my daughter, she'sstarting to learn Spanish.
She wants to learn Spanishbecause we just came back from
Mexico and she wants to talk tothe helper and she wants to talk
(09:32):
to people and it is a lot ofSpanish in Florida.
She hears a lot of Spanish inFlorida.
So she's just interested inSpanish.
And then um I brought her a fewbooks and a few games and a few,
you know, puzzles and stuff todo with Spanish, and she's
learning by herself.
I'm just here helping her,giving her the resources she
needs.
Then I'm talking to my dad, andhe speaks Spanish fluently
(09:52):
because he works in Spain a lotfrom France.
And I grew up with hearingSpanish at home.
And I tell my father, and Ithought he was going to be so
proud.
I was like, hey, my daughter,she's seven, and she's uh
learning Spanish.
And he looks at me and he says,Spanish, what are you talking
about?
Like she's only seven years old.
Second language should come atlike, I don't know, sixth or
seventh grade.
(10:13):
And I'm like, interesting thathe's saying that because it's
not part of the curriculum.
She's interested now, and whatam I gonna say?
No, not right now.
That doesn't make any sense.
So, whatever they're interestedin, I will try my best to
provide the resources that theyneed.
So that's the type ofunschooling that we do.
We don't do the radicalunschooling where I just let my
(10:33):
kids roam free and just touchthings and break and see how it
breaks and then make a lessonabout the breaking or the other
things.
I do that with the, I don'tknow, I would do that naturally
as a mom speaking.
So I guess I I have this in me.
So I would talk to my childrenwhen something happens, I would
just say, hey, let's look it up,or things like that.
So I have this mindset, but uh,we do have a lot of material
(10:57):
that's um educational.
I do have a playroom and um ohthat's cool.
SPEAKER_00 (11:02):
That's so cool.
Okay, so you have four kids now,right?
And how do you integrate, like,say your one is interested in
the Spanish, but you haveanother child interested in
trucks?
Like that can be that can soundoverwhelming for the mom that's
like, I'm not homeschooling yet.
I want to homeschool, I likethis unschooling idea.
But yeah, what if they're allinto different things?
Is it overwhelming?
(11:23):
Like, are we putting too muchpressure on ourselves?
How much time a day do youreally have to spend on the
Spanish on the trucks?
Is it even every day?
SPEAKER_01 (11:29):
Yeah, yeah, it's it sounds overwhelming, absolutely,
but once you get into the rhythmof life, it actually is it's not
like that.
We don't do Spanish every singleday.
It's like the material isavailable for her to use.
So when she goes towards that,she sits down.
So we have a two-hour dedicatedfor learning from 9 to 11 every
(11:50):
day, where I sit down in thehomeschool room and then they go
to their baskets and they takewhatever they want from it.
So I prepare it on Sunday.
It takes me about 10 to 15minutes to prepare everyone's
baskets because I want them tolearn grammar, English, you
know, basic math and basic basicEnglish and other stuff.
So I have that in the basket andthen something else about their
(12:12):
interests.
So my son has right now likeastronauts and stuff like that,
right?
So I prepare that on a Sunday,and then during the week, they
just go by themselves and theychoose whatever they want from
that morning basket.
They can do anything or theycannot touch it at all, as long
as they're learning in that roomin those two hours.
So my only rule is we don't domusic in those two hours, so
everybody can focus.
(12:33):
But I would do sometimes a unitstudy.
When I do unit study, there's noSpanish, there's no and there's
no astronauts, there's like andand trucks.
There's only the subject I wantto teach, let's say a holiday
coming up.
In the unit study, I have all mykids learning about the same
topic, but it's differentlevels.
So I would have um a tracingexercise, I would have a puzzle,
I would have um books about thesubject, I would have uh
(12:56):
something that's more for myoldest son and for my youngest,
and coloring and all this stuffin the unit study.
So this is just you know,preparing.
You just think about let's say Iwant to teach about rainbows.
So all of a sudden I have I'mlooking at scanning my my
homeschool room where my all myrainbow stuff are, and then I go
around and I just take them andput them on the table.
And then I'm here to help themnavigate.
(13:17):
When they want to do twodifferent subjects at the same
time, I I do one-on-one, let'ssay 20 to 30 minutes tops.
So in those two hours, I haveall my four kids taken care of.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (13:27):
Awesome.
So, okay, so what does gettingthe baskets look like?
Like, are you going to the storeto get astronaut things?
Or, you know, are you planningahead of time from the library?
Like, I'm gonna need to getthese books out.
So let's order them, you know,on the first so that they're
here by the 15th so that theycan be in that basket.
(13:47):
You know, what does that looklike, the prep work?
Because I don't ask a lot ofpeople that, but it's definitely
a good question and somethingthat I thought about before
homeschooling.
SPEAKER_01 (13:56):
Yeah, it's definitely a good question.
I'm so bad at it.
So bad at it.
I'm like, I get stuff.
I get stuff because I don'tknow, it's it's around.
I think the only times that Iprepared ahead of time and I
actually went on Amazon andordered a bunch of things on
this topic or you know, sp on aspecific topic was when I did a
(14:17):
group setting.
So I would invite friends or wehad a little party at home, got
a little co-op in my house.
That was the only time I orderedan event.
Otherwise, whatever I have iswhat we're gonna use.
And I do have a lot of stuffbecause you know, my oldest is
nine, so he's been through many,many different subjects.
Um, so I guess now I don't buyanything anymore.
(14:37):
But when he was little, I guessthere was more.
There was more of that.
But it's not, it doesn't have tobe too much.
We can even go to the libraryand just stay there to do the
book part of it, you know, andthen you can come back and you
have one puzzle about it andthen and then stress that during
the week.
It's very flowy.
That's the that's the word Ilike to use.
People think it's overwhelmingbecause they think about
(14:58):
structure and they think aboutlike preparation and then
setting it up and then this andthat, but it's more flowy.
Like I just think aboutrainbows, I scan in my head, put
on the table, they come, theyroam around.
So it's more like it's it's lessstressful than it sounds like.
SPEAKER_00 (15:15):
Yeah, and I mean I know AI and Chat GPT might be
the death of us, but while we'restill here and alive, I know
I've used that before, likesaying, hey, Chat GPT, I want to
do a quick lesson on rainbows.
Are there things around my houseI can use to demonstrate this?
The refraction, the whatever,the bending of the light with
the water.
(15:36):
I don't know.
But it will come up with someinteresting stuff.
And you got it right in yourhouse.
I mean, you do that for yourdinner recipes too.
Uh huh.
I have all of this in my pantry.
What can I make for dinner inthe Instapot?
Yeah, I've definitely used that.
I I love unit studies.
I don't think people talk aboutthem enough.
I got some unit studies fromTreehouse Schoolhouse, and she
(15:59):
does she did a connectedChristmas and then she does like
a seasonal one too.
So I have the fall one from lastyear, and she has a lot, I it's
13 weeks long.
I mean, we don't do that muchschooling, so and it's five days
a week.
So last year I did like seven oreight weeks of it, and then this
year uh I'm doing a couple, butuh, it's funny because yeah, I'm
(16:19):
noticing like oh last year I wasa little bit more prepared with
this.
I would go on at the beginningof the month and order four
weeks worth of the books thatshe recommends getting from the
library, and then this year it'slike, oh crap, I we're at the
end of the unit.
Let me let me go on to thelibrary account, order next
week's books, which are gonnaget here in two weeks.
So now we're doing somethingdifferent next week, but it's
(16:39):
okay because it's a unit study.
So, like right now it's woodlandcreatures, which I probably
wouldn't have even known whatthat was.
So it's like little squirrelsand hedgehogs and you know,
porcupines and raccoons andstuff.
So it's cool.
They get you um, she has youtake out certain books from the
library, honest.
You can order those, they comeright to your library, so this
isn't even costing anything.
(17:00):
And um, and then she has a folksong that about you know that
topic.
So the kids are hearing sort ofdifferent kind of music than
they normally would.
And there's a poem that you readtogether, and there's copy work
from the poem, and there's art,and you discuss the art or play
little games that she gives you.
It's amazing.
Here's the artist, read theartist, and um look up where
(17:23):
they're from and what year theywere born, find the year on the
timeline, find their locationthey were born on a globe or a
map.
And so now you're talking aboutgeography and history and stuff.
So it is really cool.
And there's always like an artproject or something at the end,
which today it was as simple ashere are the woodland creatures
that they've printed out foryou, cut them up, hand them to
(17:44):
your children, and have themmake up a story.
So I, you know, they talktogether about what story they
were gonna tell me, and then Icame back in and they, you know,
recited this little play for mewith the little pieces of paper
with the animals on them.
So it's like you're right, itdoes not have to be as difficult
as we make it think before we'reactually homeschooling when we
think it's so daunting.
(18:05):
When you're in it, you realizethey're just learning everywhere
they go.
SPEAKER_01 (18:08):
Yes, also that just look about on a unit study.
It costs us to just go online,look for a subject and unit
study, cost what, five betweenfive and ten dollars a unit
study, and you're done.
You just have to print it, andthen your kids just you know
follow through the the theentire packet.
It doesn't like it doesn't itsounds like my friend saw me
building um an herb rack with myson, and she's like, Oh my god,
(18:31):
you built that with your son.
I'm like, I don't know, the unitstudy said to build one.
So it was like a whole unitstudy from T uh teaching O and
A.
And I got it's a big packet, itwas beautiful about herbs, and I
had just planted some um herbsin my in my kitchen.
Also, all of this because mykids asked me a question like
what happens when you put aseed, what happens when you
(18:52):
swallow, when you swallow aseed, like you know, would it
grow?
My four-year-old asked me, wouldit grow?
So I was like, What does a seedneed to grow?
And then from then on, my sonasked me even a more profound
question, and then the other oneasked me another question.
I'm like, I'm looking at himlike unit study, seeds, let's
go.
And then we did all that, weplanted some stuff, we printed
it.
It didn't, it's like it like Isaid, it's flowing.
I went to the store, I bought acilantro.
(19:14):
That's so cool.
SPEAKER_00 (19:15):
Where did you say you got that unit study from?
I'll put it in the show'sdescription.
SPEAKER_01 (19:18):
Teaching O and A.
She's incredible.
I love her designs, it's sopretty.
SPEAKER_00 (19:22):
Teaching O and then A, like the letter.
Yeah, O and A.
I actually spelled it.
Teaching O and A.
Cool.
All right, I'll put that in theshow's description for anyone
that wants to check it out.
We got a connected Christmasunit study from Treehouse
Schoolhouse two years ago whenmy son was five, and we had so
much fun with it.
Last year we grabbed all thebooks again from our library
(19:43):
because they added so much toour Christmas season.
This year, I am so excited to bedoing it again with both of my
kids, ages three and seven.
Every day includes a song tolisten to, a poem, a beautiful
piece of artwork, a meaningfulstory, a little craft or
project, and a Bible verse forcopywork.
It's such a special way to slowdown and truly connect as a
family.
I know this will be one of thosetraditions that your kids look
(20:03):
back on every Christmas withsuch fond memories.
Grab the link in my show'sdescription to get a connected
Christmas today.
Yeah, so that and that's a greatpoint too, because you mentioned
that you were sort of thisunschooler, and people think,
okay, so you just let your kidshang out all day doing nothing
or sit in front of the TV or thevideo games.
And it's like, no, what itreally is is following their
(20:26):
interests, such as they had aquestion about the seeds, you
went and found the resources andthen did a whole project on it
where they learned so I'm surethey were counting.
So there was math involved,there's science involved,
there's health involved, there'sfood, you know, this home egg.
So interesting.
You could really go with thatanyway.
SPEAKER_01 (20:47):
Yeah, every subject was was was covered.
We we we wrote so much, wecounted so much, and we, you
know, went to the garden and itwas beautiful.
It's such a beautifulexperience.
SPEAKER_00 (20:57):
So, how does this compare to your upbringing with
the 10 hours a day of schoolingand the rigidity of that?
I don't even know if that's aword, because I went to public
school in America.
So, like when the when they're18 and graduating, do you think
that they'll academically be asI don't know, advanced as you
(21:17):
were after all those years spentin a classroom?
SPEAKER_01 (21:20):
Oh, it's such a it's such a good question.
Uh, I have to say, um, okay, sowhen I was in school growing up,
I used to tell everybody I loveschool.
I love school.
First of all, house was boring.
My parents were working likemen.
Um, there was no, like, it wasnot fun to be home.
So I love to go to school.
It was my safe space, also.
So I love going to school.
And then I I got married andlike I still love school.
(21:42):
You know, I went to college andI still love learning and I
love, you know, getting diplomasand stuff like that.
I was I I like to do that.
And then I started homeschoolingand like, what was I doing all
these years?
I was so good playing the thegame of school.
So what I was doing isprofessionate just enough so I
can have this little monster inmeetup and study now the test is
(22:04):
tomorrow.
Okay.
Then I would study online,memorize everything so so well,
go to the test, get an A plus.
The second I return my test, Iwould forget everything.
Like on purpose.
Like I don't need thisinformation in my head.
Boom.
I've just retained enough topass the test, and then that was
it.
My hospital diploma thinking.
The second I finished my wholeschool diploma, we remembered,
(22:26):
we remembered nothing.
Right.
And then I was like, oh my god,I actually was very good at
memorizing and vomiting it as atest.
And then once you're done, youforget all about it.
And now I see with my kids theway I what I focus on is I want
them to integrate what they'resaying.
I want it to be relevant.
So I make sure every topic isrelevant, something they're
(22:47):
gonna they're gonna be using.
That's not gonna be obsolete ina few years, like really, really
also integrate values into it.
So they're learning subjectsthat that mean a lot to them.
That's why they're interested,they're curious, and I integrate
what I want from them to learn.
So the grammar is there, themath is there, all these stuff
are in what they're learning.
And I think even moreimportantly, is learning how to
(23:09):
think rather than what to think.
So that's why we were learnthis, learn that, learn this,
learn that.
Here's the test, here's thetest, that's making you know
this.
With my kids, I barely answertheir questions.
They ask me a question, I say,uh, I know how I started a whole
debate with it.
I hate to just say, Oh, this isthe answer.
I don't like to do that becausethen they don't ask more
questions.
They don't they don't developtheir critical thinking in a
(23:30):
way, and I I don't want that.
So I asked them, oh, why do youthink it's that from that
question?
We start a whole debate onscience, and they have such good
points sometimes on like to goback to school.
You know, because I think purelylogically, no one is like, tell
me what to say, tell me what tosay.
You know, I still have need tohave my papers and my posted
notes.
I still need to have like my tofeel safe.
(23:53):
They just flow and they I don'tknow.
They have not only they ask morequestions and they're very
curious, but also I teach themhow to research.
Yes, I don't answer vitalweighted questions, yes, I ask
them what they think, and we webrainstorm and all this stuff,
but after that we we go andresearch.
Should we go for a book?
Should we go for ChatGPT?
Should we go for Google?
What do we do?
All my kids know how to touch myphone and just ask the question
(24:16):
to Google, right?
So they would do that.
This is really important.
So I know 18 years old, when thetime comes that they're gonna
be, you know, on their ownworking, figuring things out,
they'll know exactly how.
Um I can go on for hours onthis, so like the critical
thinking, then the how to think,right?
So how to research also, andalso knowing that they can
achieve anything they want.
(24:37):
I tell them all day.
For me, this is the mostimportant part of homeschooling
is when you go in the back ofyour kids' ear and you say, I
know you can do this, I believein you.
You got this, you know?
I know it's hard what you cando, hard things.
All these words when they're 18years old is I think all of this
combined is way more importantthan actual information.
So I knew information, but I'veturned in my post-it and I'm 34
(24:57):
years old, like I still need,but they don't, and I see it all
already, you know.
SPEAKER_00 (25:02):
Yeah, that makes me think of like the other day we
were at our homeschooling.
Our friend just has like a creakthing at her house every Monday.
My son lost a tooth there, buthe was like irrationally
hyperventilating because it washanging on by a thread, but it
let me near it, and he's crying,and the snots coming out, and
the blood's coming out, andslime is coming out, and tears
(25:22):
are coming up.
It's like, my god, you'reembarrassing me so I just I I
know at 18 he's gonna be like,Oh, I'm gonna need therapy from
my mother.
Yeah, but pull it together, man.
Come on.
I I'm missing that nurturinggene from my mother.
The the woman I just interviewedwas saying how your children
show you what you lacked in yourchildhood, but like you're
(25:45):
learning from the so I'm like,okay, I do have to be a little
bit more loving, like you know,showing like I'm like, it's a
two.
Come on, I've seen you fly overyour handlebars on the mountain
bike and you get up and likewalk, get right back on the
bike.
Why why is this going on?
So, do you have hard daysthough?
Because even still, like ifyou're like not forcing the sit
(26:08):
in your seat, you know, do yourreading and do your math.
And if you're doing more of theunschooling approach, it's
definitely easier than to fightwith your child about doing you
know rigid curriculum.
But there are still like mom,mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom,
mom.
You're getting it from four ofthem.
And where you just like, or Idon't know, you just lose it.
(26:29):
Like, are do you have thosedays, or how do you get through
those moments not losing?
SPEAKER_01 (26:33):
Yeah.
So I'm gonna I'm gonna sharewith you my hard days, and then
I'm gonna show you what I dowith my hard days, and I'm gonna
show you how hard it is to evenget to that part where you know
what to do with your hard days.
Awesome, awesome.
So um, of course, I have harddays, and of course, it's it's
basically when the mom's needsare not met, right?
So you're hungry, you're tired,you had a hard tough night or
(26:54):
whatever, you're feelingdysregulated, you are
misaligned, or you whatever itis that's happening.
I have very hard days.
I'm like, are you talking to me?
I'm not I'm I don't I don't wantto hear voices now, but uh well
I'm like, wait, I homeschool myfour kids, right?
Get it together.
So like it's it's like the yes,the being pulled in all
directions, and I work at thesame time sometimes um during
(27:15):
the day.
I have to do certain things andthe cooking and the cleaning and
whatever.
So it's so much, so much.
So most of the most of the weekis fine, and then so we have
smooth days and everything'sgood, it's rolling.
Besides for the conflicts, youknow, that's something else uh
as part of the curriculum.
But yes, when I'm not feelingaligned and when I'm not
regulated, we have hard days.
(27:37):
So they are a direct mirror ofus, and sometimes it's them who
are dysregulated.
And either way, whether it'sthem or me, the entire energy
needs to be taken care of.
You need to like realign.
And there's one place in theworld where it works every
single time, that's the beach.
You just pick up everything, welook around, we're like, I'm
(27:58):
out.
The house can stay the way itis.
We're all going to the beach,we're gonna take a reset day, we
can go to a forest, we can go toany place of nature that resets
us.
But for me to even get to thepoint so that to be like, okay,
guys, beach day, we need to go.
Sometimes it's like, what?
What are you guys all doing?
What's wrong?
But if it's like there's nothingthat's going your way that day,
(28:20):
it's hard to even like thinklike maybe I should do something
about it.
And then take them to the beach.
But that's what I would do.
I go to the beach.
Either, other either I resetmyself, so I move away, about
away from my kids when it's toooverwhelming, too much
happening, too too much sensoryor touching or whatever, then I
would say, I need a five-minutebreak.
I need a little time out in myroom.
(28:40):
I'm gonna feel much better whenI come back.
And I move away.
I think no, I'm taking time formyself and breathing and
everything, I come back at amuch clear regulated.
If it's a child, I would takecare of that first, you know, to
be the palm that they canborrow.
That's not enough to say likethey can borrow my palm.
So I would just be with them,whether it's hand-in-hand or
heart to heart or just talking.
I'd be with that video for them.
(29:01):
And if it's the entire family,we're out.
We just get because that's whatwe need.
We just we just can't have, andthat's that's what I love my
freedom for, you know.
You can respond to your family'sneeds as a whole, whether it's
mine, my kids, or all of us.
SPEAKER_00 (29:15):
Yeah, so in short, we should all move to the beach.
We should all be moving toFlorida.
We do have that in New York.
I have we have forests.
We're not too far, like we can Ican get to a beach on a lake.
Well, I assume that'll do thesame.
SPEAKER_01 (29:32):
Yeah.
And this is anywhere wherethere's no walls, that's what it
is.
Yeah.
You need no walls.
Don't take them to don't takethem to um a trampoline park
because this is very good.
Trampolet park are so good.
We try to go at least once aweek, once every two weeks.
It's amazing, but it's not forregulation, it's for using your
bodies or core, you name it.
But if you want to regulate yourfamily, go out in nature.
You know, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (29:53):
No walls.
My daughter today, she's it'slike getting cold here in New
York now.
You know, it was like 40degrees, and she's out with her
sweatshirt, sweatpants, and adress on under it, um, and no
shoes.
And I said to her, I go, Whatare you doing?
It's cold out.
She says, I'm ground she'sthree.
I'm grounding with the earth.
I said, All right, but you'rebut you're standing on pavement.
(30:14):
It's cute that you you arewanting to ground, but you it's
not working.
Like you're cold and you're onpavement.
But yeah, that that makes a lotof sense.
I think, you know, and I made methink too of myself.
What am I doing?
What am I eating?
What am I drinking?
What am I am I sleeping enough?
What am I doing for myselfthat's making me react in such a
(30:35):
way?
Because like for myself, I grew,I don't know, you're from
France, maybe you grew up thesame way.
I don't know.
They say that the French do, butyou know, having a drink like
while I make dinner.
Like, oh okay, let's pour aglass of wine while I make
dinner.
Well I started researching itand like that actually changes
the way your brain works and theway your synapses connect and
(30:56):
your um how you regulate I'msure and how you react to
things.
So like the next day I I thinkit was having an effect on like
my how I how much I can handleas far as being overwhelmed.
Like I probably couldn't handleoverwhelm even from just a
little bit.
And so I was like okay well I'mgonna have to change something
(31:17):
because I feel myself getting sotense all the time.
And so I was like all rightwe're just gonna like eat fairly
clean and you know not have anyalcohol try to drink a lot of
water and stuff and I probablyhave more coffee than I should
have done like three cups two,three cups a day, but it's
organic.
But I feel like I have noticedthat that has made a difference
(31:38):
just cutting that out becausewhen you like research um you
know what alcohol does in yourbody it actually creates
something called acetaldehyde.
So it's like you have a toxin inyour body but then your body is
as a byproduct creating anothertoxin.
So your body's fighting that andfor like 10 days I think alcohol
is in your system.
So even just a little bit.
(31:58):
So that was interesting for meto learn and I was like all
right well that's somethingsimple I can change.
I mean it's simple until yourkids drive you nuts and you're
like oh my God now I got a cockget her again I just want
something for me.
But I've started like okay letme just get a really good book
out of the library and I'm not ahuge reader of for myself but I
was like you know there arebooks I really do enjoy.
So I did I got one that I reallyreally liked and I looked
(32:22):
forward to reading that everynight.
So instead of looking forward tolike oh I'll have a Chardonnay
while I cook dinner tonight Iwas like I'm gonna be like more
awake when everybody goes tosleep.
So I'm I'm gonna read that booka little bit and I did sacrifice
like reading to my kids atnight.
You know so I'll try to do thatearlier in the day or there are
just some days we just don't getto it.
(32:44):
You know, we're out doing thingsyesterday we were out a field
trip the day before we had afriend's house.
So there are some days that Idon't just don't get to reading
to them.
But I was like you know whatit's more important for me to
have this time to myself in theevening where I can take 15
minutes or 20 minutes and read abook that I enjoy.
It's something I'm lookingforward to and it's a healthy
thing for me.
(33:04):
So I did sacrifice reading withthe kids for that before bed.
And it doesn't mean it alwayshas to be that way but I'm like
this is what's working rightnow.
So I think like can you talkspeak to that as like giving
grace and do French people drinkwine with every meal?
SPEAKER_01 (33:17):
No I told my husband I'm low maintenance but I do
drink wine so I guess I am veryum yes we eat we eat we we drink
wine with whatever we eat so ithas to match.
So I'm very big on that.
But I don't do it during workhours and I'm a homeschool mom.
So I learned a few more skillsthe benefits of learning how to
(33:37):
breathe for homeschool momshould be a one-on-one because
when you learn how to breatheyou get the same effect you can
you can feed your prefrontalcortex and just start thinking
again before we can think wehave all these emotions coming
up if I drink a cup of wine whenI'm feeling very emotional it
makes it worse because itattacks my liver my liver is
where my emotions are stored.
(33:58):
So that's not gonna help in theevening when they're sleeping
yes but during the day I preferto take a break in my room take
a very very deep breath and dosome breath work even if it's
like a two three or four minutething like it doesn't have to be
too much.
Just calm down and then smallaffirmations that we do
naturally it doesn't have to bea script that you that you find
or whatever.
It just I can do this I'm gonnacome back out and I'm gonna be
(34:22):
so calm and I'm gonna listen toevery single one of them and see
what they need from me and showup.
You know like I would do that sobut just breathing shifts your
whole entire like head the wayyou handle things the way you
even hear it sometimes my kidsask me something I'm like what
do you all want from me?
Wait, I don't need to breathe ohwhat do you need from me you
know you show up in a differentway once you your your mind is
(34:45):
clear.
There's other ways you know EFTtapping that I'm very big into
this is my secret by the way Idon't know his thing this is the
the ruler to um help bloodcirculation it's uh it's called
the Gasha massager I think it'scalled yeah and this is made of
quartz and if I don't have timeand everybody's going nuts I
would just go in my office Itake these I have a bunch I have
(35:07):
one I have like a massage thingwhatever and I go and I just
help myself just help my blood Ialready feel better.
This is cold it's always cold.
So imagine on your face beingrolled giving a massage to your
face and then helping the bloodcirculating I already feel so
much better.
It's insane it's very fast.
SPEAKER_00 (35:24):
Okay so if you're if you're only listening to this
you'll have to look at theYouTube version too yeah I want
to say someone gave me one ofthose once but with an oil and I
thought it was to rub the oil onand then my face broke out in
this insane rash.
So I I don't know if I threw itout or not.
SPEAKER_01 (35:38):
Maybe I still have the roller I don't use the oil
yeah don't use the oil just makesure it's quartz quartz is the
is already doing the work howcome that is um this these rocks
they like have superpowers.
Yeah I'm very big interestingjust that because I needed
something urgent like when I kidwhen it's like you know the food
I need to make the dinner I needto do this I need to do that it
(35:59):
has to get done I can't just letmy kids and say hey guys let's
reset for 55 minutes.
I can't happen it's bedtimealmost like I I need to get
going.
So I go to my room I calm downregulate myself and then when I
come out usually the kids mirrorthat almost all the time it's
very interesting to see ifthey're having a hard day again
I'm regulated so I can help themI don't see it as an issue.
But if I'm not then the entirefamily is you know tense.
(36:23):
So I prefer to take care ofmyself first before it gets
worse.
And that and that usually works.
SPEAKER_00 (36:28):
Yeah and it is hard when you have okay like the
house needs to be vacuumed thedishes are piled up in the sink
we have to think about dinnertonight but yeah we haven't even
gotten through breakfast andlunch yet and you know you want
to make this play date but youreally don't feel like going but
should I go becausehomeschoolers aren't socialized.
(36:50):
Yeah right um you know and thenyou feel bad because you missed
a play date or I had a puppy andan 11 year old lab.
So like my 11 year old can'thold his bowels in so then he's
going to the bathroom I'm tryingto clean that the puppy's
jumping on my three year old I'mlike why did I do this to myself
and then just trying to run evenlike the Instagram page and the
podcast and homeschool and justbe there for my kids for their
(37:11):
emotional needs.
It really is a lot.
So I'm glad that you broughtthat up because you know we
should talk about that and howyou know we are still people and
yeah you you do have to takethose few minutes to yourself or
find a roller or you know maybeit is get a massage once a month
or you know whatever it iswhatever you enjoy doing having
(37:32):
a book that you enjoy readingand and even if it is okay
you're going to bed tonightwithout a story you know because
mom's gonna read her own book oryou can read to yourself or you
can listen to a podcast you knowthey have they have great
podcasts for kids where likeeven is it the Libby app yeah
liby you can go on and get likean audiobook read to your child
(37:53):
for free.
So like my son will he'slistened to the boxcar children
series for years now.
So it's like okay mom's gonna goread her book listen to one of
the children's stories for 20minutes and then they're still
getting the story you know it'sand you're still getting what
you need.
You don't have to do thatforever.
You can just okay this is thismoment in time that mom just
(38:14):
needs a little break.
So it's definitely important todo that.
SPEAKER_01 (38:17):
Yeah we we need to focus on uh filling up our
emotional cup because then youcan't you can't pour properly to
your kids and it's so crazybecause when you go to work or
when you drop off your kids inschool um it's not as intense
that everything that you need towork on is being put in front of
your face.
Like it's just not working.
Homeschooling cannot work untilyou question yourself and say
(38:38):
how can I do better?
How can I change my tone I hadto change a lot of things.
I had to go through so much somuch healing when I was
homeschooling because it's justnot working and you notice and
you have this huge pressure thatyou're a hundred percent
responsible for your kids'education and you're like oh my
God if I don't change my toneit's not gonna work I'm gonna
(38:59):
have to put them back in schooland you don't want that because
you remember why and this andthen that like okay let me
change this up and like numberone I have a client she said all
she needs is to be able to shefigured it out like I need I
know what I need for myself-care I just need to eat.
If I just eat my whole day isamazing if I don't eat I'm a
monster and then another onewould say like I need at least
(39:21):
two hours every night I need todo something for myself I need
to go to the gym I need to thatI don't I'm I'm like everybody
has a different definition ofself-care but you need to make
sure you fill up your own cupand then it could be more
blissful I guess joyful that's agreat way to put it and you're
right our kids are learning fromus too so if you're like a hot
mess all day long they're gonnaend up the same way.
SPEAKER_00 (39:41):
I can see it now in my son certain things like where
he gets really sastic likehyperventilates because he
thinks he's gonna throw up I'mlike crap he's got that from me
he's got the nerves yeah wegotta we gotta self-regulate do
the breaths that's that's hugetoo box breathing and I think
you mentioned you mentioned EFTwhat's going off EFT tapping is
(40:03):
when you have like a series oftaps that you do on your body to
just re um redirect energy.
SPEAKER_01 (40:09):
So you like start here you start here you can
Google it and then you just keeptapping after it's the same
hand.
So after like a few minutes youcan see that you can you let's
say your affirmation that youwant to get better you want to
have a better day whatever youwant um your brain is ready to
to accept like okay let's makethis happen.
So then you show up in adifferent way so it really
reshapes your energy um when youdo EFTs like and you're telling
(40:33):
yourself stuff at the same timeso it's really helpful and I
that I like easy and and andfive minute thing not more I
don't have more time for this.
I know I need to do it and Ineed to regulate myself so my
kids can be calm and regulatedbut I need something short.
SPEAKER_00 (40:46):
Thinking about homeschooling but don't know
where to start well I'veinterviewed a few people on the
topic actually 120 interviews atthis point with homeschooling
families from across the countryand the world and what I've done
is I've packed everything I'velearned into an ebook called the
Homeschool How to CompleteStarter Guide from navigating
your state's laws to findingyour homeschooling style from
(41:06):
working while homeschooling tosupporting kids with special
needs.
This guide covers it all withwith real stories from real
families who've walked this pathI've taken the best insights the
best resources and put them allinto this guide.
Stop feeling overwhelmed andstart feeling confident.
Get your copy of the Homeschoolhow to complete starter guide
today and discover thathomeschooling isn't just about
(41:28):
education.
It's about getting what you wantout of each day not what
somebody else wants out of you.
SPEAKER_01 (41:32):
You can grab the link to this ebook in the show's
description or head on over tothe homeschoolhow to dot com so
I would do a few movementsthere's a few movements that you
can do just swinging your armswhile while letting go of your
back a little bit so you justmove that this is moving energy
so you're feeling very veryintense right now the kids are
pulling you in all directionsmove back take a little break
(41:54):
focus on yourself for just fiveminutes and do one thing that's
that serves you best some peoplejust they they don't like
breathing so they can do alittle bit of movement.
Some people don't like movementyou can do EFT something you
know whatever works for you thatyou can shift yourself back into
super mom mode I guess.
I love that now where can peoplefind you where you mentioned
that you have clients is theresome sort of coaching that you
(42:17):
do yeah so I'm a consciousparenting coach and I have an
expertise on homeschooling so umI do very very deep work with
clients or just simplehomeschooling guidance and they
can find me on Instagram it's umSarah Homeplay with an H.
SPEAKER_00 (42:35):
And my website is www.sarahomplay.com I love that
I'm gonna put all of that in theshow's description too so people
can just hop right in there tocheck that out.
Sarah is there anything anyparting words that you wanted to
leave with us today this hasbeen so informative and really
like motivational.
SPEAKER_01 (42:52):
Thank you so much.
Just a few words for those whothink homeschooling is
overwhelming just continuingthat topic I just wanted to
point out a few like mindsetshifts when it comes to freedom
and how they're very powerfulfor me it was amazing to write
them down.
So I just just to explain whatsome people don't understand
about homeschooling and why theythink it's it's it's sometimes
(43:12):
crazy or or too much on a momthey think that I'm giving up my
freedom when I have my kids athome but I say the opposite and
they're shocked like what do youmean you have your freedom
you're with your kids all daylike yes it's possible it's
coming um they assume that I'msuper overwhelmed that I'm never
alone so again like I would takebreaks and I put them to sleep
early and I have all this stuffthat I do for myself.
(43:34):
I have my weekends I have enoughfor what I need everybody needs
different things but I haveenough what I need they picture
always like a rigid routine thatI need to do replicate school at
home that's very overwhelming ifyou think this is homeschooling
it's really not they think Ican't have a business where I
can't travel or I can't havepersonal goals.
That's not true at all.
(43:54):
Yes my life is around my kidsand around my homeschooling but
I can still do all this stuff.
They think that it's a hugesacrifice that I had to cancel
myself with it.
But I see just a sacrifice whereI'm bringing up my children I
see the exact opposite it's abeautiful sacrifice.
They think that the school isgiving the parents a space and I
(44:14):
know that the school issometimes stealing time from
children and very interestingbecause every time I talk to
people they tell me actually Ihave my space and my time with
my kids then I start breakingdown what I really love about
homeschooling they're like thatactually would have been nice
that actually would have beennice you know like whether it's
carpal or just having to listento teachers complaining about
(44:34):
their own kids and so manythings that when we discuss with
people that go to school come upafter we start discussing and
going deep into homeschoolingwhat I do have is my freedom to
schedule I can decide when wewake up I don't have to run
anywhere I don't have to go andcatch a bus.
I can decide where to learn Ican decide when to rest when to
go explore when to go to thebeach or the forest I have
(44:57):
definitely the freedom to travelwhenever I want I can go with my
kids put them in an airplane orput them in a car and just drive
three hours somewhere with mykids there's no one to tell me
you know you're gonna miss this,you're gonna miss that.
Wherever we go we can goanytime.
I also have freedom of lifestyleif you want to have slow morning
morning if you want to haveearly bedtime whatever we want
(45:20):
to do I choose right if we wantto have a beach day or road
trips um it's it could happen.
I don't need permission fromanyone to to make that happen.
I'm not part of a system for mehaving my freedom from the
system is one of the greatest umbenefits of homeschooling I
don't have to go and wait forhours at pickup and drop off and
I don't have to rush anywhereyou know um and you know be
(45:44):
within the the system of theteachers and the and everything
is happening in school I'm Ijust I feel so free not having
that for me that's what'simportant.
I have the freedom of where Iwant to use my energy you know
where I want to where I want toput my my uh my energy like with
my kids like what I want tofocus on what I want to do.
I don't have to say okay I needto wait for the kids for the
(46:06):
weekend to be able to spend timewith my kids or just connect
with them because at night ishomework and I didn't see them
all day and then we have to eatquickly and take a shower and
this no I can say hey right nowI really want to spend one
entire week on board games withmy kids because I think it's
better for connection orwhatever like this is what I
could do.
I don't have anyone to goagainst my values so that's also
(46:28):
a huge freedom you know ofalignment it's me and I'm
continuing that with my kids.
I choose my rhythm, mypriorities I don't have to
compromise anything like Iremember seeing so much so many
screens the last time I visiteda school and I saw screens
everywhere I was like I don'tlike screen we're actually
screen free family I don't I'mnot interested well you can't
(46:49):
because the school has all thescreens and they get used to it
and they have access to thoseiPads and I don't want that.
Yeah that's that's basicallywhat it is my my freedom that's
what I value most.
SPEAKER_00 (46:59):
Yeah and even just thinking of you know the food
they're getting in school andthe active shooter drills your
kids are subject to and theschool saying you're you know
you misbehave so you're stayingafter and it's like well it's my
kid it's my it's their time tobe home.
Nope they have to stay like likethey own them and uh it's really
(47:20):
it's really backwards and I lovethat list that you just laid
out.
That was so awesome to justreally see the big picture of
it.
SPEAKER_01 (47:27):
And yeah you can literally not even do any
organized curriculum and yourchild is still getting all of
that like think of what a morepeaceful life that is and bell
ringing bell ringing you knowalarm clock I can't imagine my
kids like also then the topic offreedom when people tell me you
don't have freedom I say I dohave freedom first of all I took
(47:49):
those few years in my life tofocus on teaching my kids life
skills my kids now he's nowseven and six they cook they
clean at the at the devil theydo a lot of things in the house
my son just surprised mecleaning the whole patio tonight
pressure washing it andeverything that he's nine I
don't have to worry about it andhe has his own business he has
an active business he's nineyears old he does car washes to
(48:09):
people he knocks on people'sdoors he has a little tag so I
can find him anytime he goeswith his business partner who
has a phone too and she goes andshe it's a family phone just for
emergencies like that.
So he goes and knocks onpeople's doors he makes so much
money my daughter sellseverything she learns from from
her program.
She sells what she makes shebakes she cooks for like she
(48:31):
makes like little pickles uh ina jar and she's seven years old
and she goes she knocks onpeople's doors fearless and goes
and she's like this is what theyshould be spending their day on
you know they have learning theyhave life skills they can take
care of themselves they're notlike well my shirt is dirty they
know they put in a wash theyknow exactly what to do they got
this yes the responsibility ison me but they know how to do
(48:54):
this stuff and for me this issetting up my freedom when
they're all 12 years old I won'thave to do as much as I'm doing
now.
SPEAKER_00 (49:01):
So that makes sense for me.
Oh that's so true and what agood way to round that out
because yes it might lookoverwhelming when all your kids
are young but that's such ashort time in our motherhood.
Yeah it feels like forever untilthey're all older and they don't
need you they're not calling mommom mom mom every time like you
know you won't hear it so muchlater on and you're gonna miss
(49:24):
it.
So yeah you have to investyou're investing in your kids in
your own freedom actually oh Ilove that I love that Sarah
thank you so much for being heretoday this has been so fun so
informative and like I saidbefore it's so motivational I
think we all needed to hear thistoday.
So thank you.
Thank you so much for having me.
Thank you.
And I will put all your links inthe show's description so if
(49:45):
you're listening or watchingdefinitely check that out.
All right have a good night byethank you for tuning in to this
week's episode of the HomeschoolHow to if you've enjoyed what
you heard and you'd like tocontribute to the show please
consider leaving a small tipusing the link in my show's
description or if you'd ratherplease use the link in the
(50:06):
description to share thispodcast with a friend or on your
favorite homeschool groupFacebook page.
Any effort to help us keep thepodcast going is greatly
appreciated.
Thank you for tuning in and foryour love of the next generation
Welcome to this week's episode of the Homeschool
How to.
I'm Cheryl, and I invite you tojoin me on my quest to find out
why are people homeschooling?
How do you do it?
How does it differ from regionto region?
And should I homeschool my kids?
Stick with me as I interviewhomeschooling families across
the country to unfold theanswers to each of these
(00:26):
questions week by week.
Welcome.
I have Sarah from Florida herewith me today.
Welcome Sarah, how are you?
Thank you so much for having me.
Now, how many kids do you have?
I have four kids.
You look so young.
Do people tell you that all thetime?
Yes, definitely.
They look at you like a poorteenager had four kids that
(00:49):
she's carroting around.
SPEAKER_01 (00:51):
They're very young, pretty much young.
Oldest is nine.
Good.
Yeah.
My oldest is nine.
I have a seven-year-old and Ihave a six-year-old and a four
and a half-year-old.
SPEAKER_00 (00:59):
Okay, so how long have you been homeschooling?
SPEAKER_01 (01:01):
It's hard to put a number on it, but my oldest is
nine.
He's been in school for twoweeks when he was three, and
that was it.
That was enough for me to neverlook back.
So I guess from the beginning.
SPEAKER_00 (01:11):
Okay.
So what happened in those firstthree weeks, two weeks that made
you say never again?
SPEAKER_01 (01:17):
Okay.
Uh so I moved from Brooklyn toFlorida and I have a
three-year-old and a newbornchild, my firstborn.
And then I just had this wholepressure of checklist when I got
into the school, like into theit was a play group with little,
little kids.
Um I had this feeling that I hadto check many buses.
And then when my kid was justplaying, there was always an
(01:37):
issue with the way he was solike he's not passing on toys
because the camera rang.
So he's supposed to pass on thetoy to somebody else.
Meanwhile, my son is playing athome.
Like, how am I supposed to knowhow to make the puzzle if they
keep interrupting me?
So I told that to the directorand she says, Well, it doesn't
work like this here.
You have to stop and you have toknow how to.
So I was like, okay, that's anissue.
(01:58):
Then she comes to me and shesays, He can't have scotch.
I said, Yes, I know.
I live in Brooklyn.
We don't have scotch in Brooklynuntil a certain age where you
can go freely in the street.
I was like, This is why.
He he's just three.
Meanwhile, he's playing Chineseyo-yo like a 10-year-old and he
was only three.
So me, I'm like, listen, I thinkhe's focused on his hands right
now, so why don't we just givehim a few more weeks?
(02:18):
Oh, it doesn't work like that.
Then I she says, I said, okay,fine, so what do you want to do?
Put him in therapy or just askfor OT to come or whatever.
I said, he's three is old, he'sthree million things out.
What are you talking about?
He's three.
And she says, Well, what do youcare?
It's free.
I said, if I need to sell my kidto to to help my child, I will.
But this is not helping, this isgoing against him.
(02:39):
And she's like, but the wholeclass is in therapy.
Like they all have shadows andstuff.
So I looked at her, I said thewhole class is in therapy.
Okay, got you.
Went into the classroom, tookhis back back, and never looked
back.
The whole class is in therapy.
I mean, it's still having anissue.
I don't want that.
I don't want to.
SPEAKER_00 (02:55):
Were you in Brooklyn at this time or in Florida?
SPEAKER_01 (02:58):
I just moved to Florida.
So he he was born in Brooklyn.
He lived there for three years.
Then we moved to Florida.
First few weeks he's already inschool.
Um, it was September, so thebeginning of the year, and this
happened.
I had a newborn child.
He was 10 days old.
So imagine the pressure betweenhaving a baby, having to school,
telling you your son's can'thops cut, he's three, and then
putting pressure on you to puthim in therapy.
(03:19):
I'm like, okay, okay, okay.
I think he's gonna do muchbetter watching me nurse my baby
all day.
SPEAKER_00 (03:23):
He's paper.
I mean, that is the mostridiculous thing I've ever
heard.
And I never really thought aboutthat before.
But yeah, the passing the toywhen the bell rings, you're not
done playing with it.
And like, what is that teachinga child?
I mean, they're literallypreparing them for school when
you're in the middle oflearning, you know, something
really interesting in history,and they're like, ding, bell
(03:45):
rang.
Sorry, you gotta go to math now.
And my gosh, the conditioning.
Wow.
I mean, that took a lot for youto have the gut instinct to he
would actually be benefitingmore from watching me nurse all
day than being in here, becausethis is actually going to be
detrimental to him.
But what, especially postpartum,what gave you that actual drive
(04:06):
and the courage to say, I'mtaking him out?
SPEAKER_01 (04:09):
Oh, that's a good question.
I actually was uh renting to afriend of mine, she's a
neighbor, um, and she has fourkids also, and they're all in
different schools.
So I went to her and I said,Look what happened.
It makes no sense to me.
And she says, She looks at me,she's like, I I know the type of
woman you are.
It's like you, you, you're a DIYperson.
And she says, Um, I have fourkids in four different schools,
(04:30):
it's the same problemeverywhere.
You're gonna meet this in everysingle school.
So I'm telling you, it's eitheryou comply to them and you do
all the therapies like we dobecause we don't want to have
our kids at home all day, or youdo it yourself.
That's the only way.
And like, for real?
There's no school that I can't,you know, try it to.
And she's like, no, there'syou're gonna meet if it's not
(04:53):
the same, it's not gonna be thesame teacher, not the same
product, not the same label thatwe put on a kid, but it's gonna
be the same issue.
You comply, you participate, youdo what they say, or unless you
have money.
SPEAKER_00 (05:03):
Wow, yeah, and yeah, and what will money do?
Because I mean, even in theexpensive private schools, they
still have rules, somebody'sstill funding them more than you
are.
And yeah, wow.
So she did the private thing,she did all the charter stuff,
and it is the same issueeverywhere.
SPEAKER_01 (05:19):
Same, same.
No, they were all in regularschools, but she told me that's
what you're gonna get.
And then I had, thank God, I hadum a homeschool friend, a
neighbor, also.
So I go to her and I say, Look,what happened?
Also, she's like, How about youcome with me one day at the
co-op and you see how it goes?
I'm gonna show you what we gothrough.
So I tell the school, like, Ineed to take him out, you know,
(05:40):
and I'm gonna try something new.
And then I go with my son and Ihave this co-op and I see like
all these ladies, they were allColombians and they all know,
like, I don't know, they're justplaying with their kids, and all
the kids are walking aroundfreely having a blast.
I started nursing the baby, andright away one takes my my
three-year-old and startsplaying with him, and one and a
(06:01):
half year old and like, oh mygod, there's a whole world out
there.
I had no idea about no, none.
I grew up in France.
There's no one that homeschoolsin France, it's very, very
difficult to homeschool inFrance.
Really?
So yeah, I I've never met ahomeschooler in France my entire
childhood.
SPEAKER_00 (06:18):
Well, that's so interesting.
Now I'm gonna have to go on asearch for is this a thing in in
France?
But the schools are different inFrance, correct?
Like, at least the younger ones.
I know I read a book when I waspregnant with my son, so it was
eight years ago, um, calledBringing Up Bay Bay, and it's a
American woman who moved toParis to be with her husband and
got pregnant there, and she wasjust kind of like talking about
(06:40):
the differences in that school.
And she's like, the chef meetswith like the parents before the
school year starts, and theymake a menu of what the chef is
actually preparing, and there'sreal food that they're giving
these children with you know,vegetables and cheeses and
fermented, you know, whatever.
Um, and the book was basicallyjust comparing how much
(07:01):
different it is in France thanin America.
SPEAKER_01 (07:03):
Yeah, yeah.
So I like to say France isalways 10 years late.
So I think if you go to schoolnow in France, you're gonna get
the US 10 years ago, which isbasically, you know, we always
have they never they never had achef making our food.
Yeah, and that's true.
That for the for the publicschool system has terrible food.
I've watched so many videos andposted some of them, but we
(07:23):
always had amazing, amazingfood, very healthy.
We always had a protein, avegetable, and a carb that was
at every single meal.
I don't remember having dessertever.
There was no sugar being served,no candies being served.
That was me, 34 years old.
So um, that was me growing up.
We did have to go to school formany hours.
So I don't know her experience,maybe when they were little.
(07:44):
We stopped at 3-4, yeah.
But at the end, like startingsixth grade, we we already
finished school at 6 p.m.
every single night.
Um so it was 8 30 to 6 p.m.
We have 10-minute recess in themorning, 10-minute recess in the
evening.
So that was my experience inFrance.
SPEAKER_00 (07:59):
Now that's interesting.
Why do you think they do it forso long?
Is it because the parents are atwork for that long and they kind
of need babysitters, or are theythat diligent about academics?
SPEAKER_01 (08:09):
They were very diligent about academics for
sure, because every school wantsto be number one of them in the
ratings.
So for sure that's it.
But also, I was in a in aprivate school in France and
they were very adamant aboutacademics.
The public school is, I think, 4p.m., 5 p.m., but also very
difficult.
SPEAKER_00 (08:25):
Okay, so how does that shape how you homeschool
today?
Coming from a very rigidbackground where you were there
for almost 10 hours a day, towhat you see in the homeschool
community, which I know there'sunschooling is a huge thing
right now.
Just, hey, you're into trucksthis week.
Let's learn about trucks andwe'll learn math through trucks
and science through trucks andreading through trucks.
(08:46):
So, how did your experience inFrance shape what you do with
your kids right now?
SPEAKER_01 (08:50):
Very interesting.
You're asking that right nowbecause I feel like the only
thing I kept from when I fromthe way I grew up was the food.
I feed my kids every day thesame plates, and I have my carb,
my veggie, and my protein atevery single meal I post every
day on Instagram, but it's very,very funny.
But we are more towardsunschooling.
We lean more towardsunschooling.
I like to say my kids are mycurriculum.
(09:12):
My kids are my curriculum,meaning I follow their
interests, I follow their paceand their learning styles.
So we go deep into certainsubjects because of one of their
interests.
Um, I'm trying to come up withan example.
I happen with my daughter, she'sstarting to learn Spanish.
She wants to learn Spanishbecause we just came back from
Mexico and she wants to talk tothe helper and she wants to talk
(09:32):
to people and it is a lot ofSpanish in Florida.
She hears a lot of Spanish inFlorida.
So she's just interested inSpanish.
And then um I brought her a fewbooks and a few games and a few,
you know, puzzles and stuff todo with Spanish, and she's
learning by herself.
I'm just here helping her,giving her the resources she
needs.
Then I'm talking to my dad, andhe speaks Spanish fluently
(09:52):
because he works in Spain a lotfrom France.
And I grew up with hearingSpanish at home.
And I tell my father, and Ithought he was going to be so
proud.
I was like, hey, my daughter,she's seven, and she's uh
learning Spanish.
And he looks at me and he says,Spanish, what are you talking
about?
Like she's only seven years old.
Second language should come atlike, I don't know, sixth or
seventh grade.
(10:13):
And I'm like, interesting thathe's saying that because it's
not part of the curriculum.
She's interested now, and whatam I gonna say?
No, not right now.
That doesn't make any sense.
So, whatever they're interestedin, I will try my best to
provide the resources that theyneed.
So that's the type ofunschooling that we do.
We don't do the radicalunschooling where I just let my
(10:33):
kids roam free and just touchthings and break and see how it
breaks and then make a lessonabout the breaking or the other
things.
I do that with the, I don'tknow, I would do that naturally
as a mom speaking.
So I guess I I have this in me.
So I would talk to my childrenwhen something happens, I would
just say, hey, let's look it up,or things like that.
So I have this mindset, but uh,we do have a lot of material
(10:57):
that's um educational.
I do have a playroom and um ohthat's cool.
SPEAKER_00 (11:02):
That's so cool.
Okay, so you have four kids now,right?
And how do you integrate, like,say your one is interested in
the Spanish, but you haveanother child interested in
trucks?
Like that can be that can soundoverwhelming for the mom that's
like, I'm not homeschooling yet.
I want to homeschool, I likethis unschooling idea.
But yeah, what if they're allinto different things?
Is it overwhelming?
(11:23):
Like, are we putting too muchpressure on ourselves?
How much time a day do youreally have to spend on the
Spanish on the trucks?
Is it even every day?
SPEAKER_01 (11:29):
Yeah, yeah, it's it sounds overwhelming, absolutely,
but once you get into the rhythmof life, it actually is it's not
like that.
We don't do Spanish every singleday.
It's like the material isavailable for her to use.
So when she goes towards that,she sits down.
So we have a two-hour dedicatedfor learning from 9 to 11 every
(11:50):
day, where I sit down in thehomeschool room and then they go
to their baskets and they takewhatever they want from it.
So I prepare it on Sunday.
It takes me about 10 to 15minutes to prepare everyone's
baskets because I want them tolearn grammar, English, you
know, basic math and basic basicEnglish and other stuff.
So I have that in the basket andthen something else about their
(12:12):
interests.
So my son has right now likeastronauts and stuff like that,
right?
So I prepare that on a Sunday,and then during the week, they
just go by themselves and theychoose whatever they want from
that morning basket.
They can do anything or theycannot touch it at all, as long
as they're learning in that roomin those two hours.
So my only rule is we don't domusic in those two hours, so
everybody can focus.
(12:33):
But I would do sometimes a unitstudy.
When I do unit study, there's noSpanish, there's no and there's
no astronauts, there's like andand trucks.
There's only the subject I wantto teach, let's say a holiday
coming up.
In the unit study, I have all mykids learning about the same
topic, but it's differentlevels.
So I would have um a tracingexercise, I would have a puzzle,
I would have um books about thesubject, I would have uh
(12:56):
something that's more for myoldest son and for my youngest,
and coloring and all this stuffin the unit study.
So this is just you know,preparing.
You just think about let's say Iwant to teach about rainbows.
So all of a sudden I have I'mlooking at scanning my my
homeschool room where my all myrainbow stuff are, and then I go
around and I just take them andput them on the table.
And then I'm here to help themnavigate.
(13:17):
When they want to do twodifferent subjects at the same
time, I I do one-on-one, let'ssay 20 to 30 minutes tops.
So in those two hours, I haveall my four kids taken care of.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (13:27):
Awesome.
So, okay, so what does gettingthe baskets look like?
Like, are you going to the storeto get astronaut things?
Or, you know, are you planningahead of time from the library?
Like, I'm gonna need to getthese books out.
So let's order them, you know,on the first so that they're
here by the 15th so that theycan be in that basket.
(13:47):
You know, what does that looklike, the prep work?
Because I don't ask a lot ofpeople that, but it's definitely
a good question and somethingthat I thought about before
homeschooling.
SPEAKER_01 (13:56):
Yeah, it's definitely a good question.
I'm so bad at it.
So bad at it.
I'm like, I get stuff.
I get stuff because I don'tknow, it's it's around.
I think the only times that Iprepared ahead of time and I
actually went on Amazon andordered a bunch of things on
this topic or you know, sp on aspecific topic was when I did a
(14:17):
group setting.
So I would invite friends or wehad a little party at home, got
a little co-op in my house.
That was the only time I orderedan event.
Otherwise, whatever I have iswhat we're gonna use.
And I do have a lot of stuffbecause you know, my oldest is
nine, so he's been through many,many different subjects.
Um, so I guess now I don't buyanything anymore.
(14:37):
But when he was little, I guessthere was more.
There was more of that.
But it's not, it doesn't have tobe too much.
We can even go to the libraryand just stay there to do the
book part of it, you know, andthen you can come back and you
have one puzzle about it andthen and then stress that during
the week.
It's very flowy.
That's the that's the word Ilike to use.
People think it's overwhelmingbecause they think about
(14:58):
structure and they think aboutlike preparation and then
setting it up and then this andthat, but it's more flowy.
Like I just think aboutrainbows, I scan in my head, put
on the table, they come, theyroam around.
So it's more like it's it's lessstressful than it sounds like.
SPEAKER_00 (15:15):
Yeah, and I mean I know AI and Chat GPT might be
the death of us, but while we'restill here and alive, I know
I've used that before, likesaying, hey, Chat GPT, I want to
do a quick lesson on rainbows.
Are there things around my houseI can use to demonstrate this?
The refraction, the whatever,the bending of the light with
the water.
(15:36):
I don't know.
But it will come up with someinteresting stuff.
And you got it right in yourhouse.
I mean, you do that for yourdinner recipes too.
Uh huh.
I have all of this in my pantry.
What can I make for dinner inthe Instapot?
Yeah, I've definitely used that.
I I love unit studies.
I don't think people talk aboutthem enough.
I got some unit studies fromTreehouse Schoolhouse, and she
(15:59):
does she did a connectedChristmas and then she does like
a seasonal one too.
So I have the fall one from lastyear, and she has a lot, I it's
13 weeks long.
I mean, we don't do that muchschooling, so and it's five days
a week.
So last year I did like seven oreight weeks of it, and then this
year uh I'm doing a couple, butuh, it's funny because yeah, I'm
(16:19):
noticing like oh last year I wasa little bit more prepared with
this.
I would go on at the beginningof the month and order four
weeks worth of the books thatshe recommends getting from the
library, and then this year it'slike, oh crap, I we're at the
end of the unit.
Let me let me go on to thelibrary account, order next
week's books, which are gonnaget here in two weeks.
So now we're doing somethingdifferent next week, but it's
(16:39):
okay because it's a unit study.
So, like right now it's woodlandcreatures, which I probably
wouldn't have even known whatthat was.
So it's like little squirrelsand hedgehogs and you know,
porcupines and raccoons andstuff.
So it's cool.
They get you um, she has youtake out certain books from the
library, honest.
You can order those, they comeright to your library, so this
isn't even costing anything.
(17:00):
And um, and then she has a folksong that about you know that
topic.
So the kids are hearing sort ofdifferent kind of music than
they normally would.
And there's a poem that you readtogether, and there's copy work
from the poem, and there's art,and you discuss the art or play
little games that she gives you.
It's amazing.
Here's the artist, read theartist, and um look up where
(17:23):
they're from and what year theywere born, find the year on the
timeline, find their locationthey were born on a globe or a
map.
And so now you're talking aboutgeography and history and stuff.
So it is really cool.
And there's always like an artproject or something at the end,
which today it was as simple ashere are the woodland creatures
that they've printed out foryou, cut them up, hand them to
(17:44):
your children, and have themmake up a story.
So I, you know, they talktogether about what story they
were gonna tell me, and then Icame back in and they, you know,
recited this little play for mewith the little pieces of paper
with the animals on them.
So it's like you're right, itdoes not have to be as difficult
as we make it think before we'reactually homeschooling when we
think it's so daunting.
(18:05):
When you're in it, you realizethey're just learning everywhere
they go.
SPEAKER_01 (18:08):
Yes, also that just look about on a unit study.
It costs us to just go online,look for a subject and unit
study, cost what, five betweenfive and ten dollars a unit
study, and you're done.
You just have to print it, andthen your kids just you know
follow through the the theentire packet.
It doesn't like it doesn't itsounds like my friend saw me
building um an herb rack with myson, and she's like, Oh my god,
(18:31):
you built that with your son.
I'm like, I don't know, the unitstudy said to build one.
So it was like a whole unitstudy from T uh teaching O and
A.
And I got it's a big packet, itwas beautiful about herbs, and I
had just planted some um herbsin my in my kitchen.
Also, all of this because mykids asked me a question like
what happens when you put aseed, what happens when you
(18:52):
swallow, when you swallow aseed, like you know, would it
grow?
My four-year-old asked me, wouldit grow?
So I was like, What does a seedneed to grow?
And then from then on, my sonasked me even a more profound
question, and then the other oneasked me another question.
I'm like, I'm looking at himlike unit study, seeds, let's
go.
And then we did all that, weplanted some stuff, we printed
it.
It didn't, it's like it like Isaid, it's flowing.
I went to the store, I bought acilantro.
(19:14):
That's so cool.
SPEAKER_00 (19:15):
Where did you say you got that unit study from?
I'll put it in the show'sdescription.
SPEAKER_01 (19:18):
Teaching O and A.
She's incredible.
I love her designs, it's sopretty.
SPEAKER_00 (19:22):
Teaching O and then A, like the letter.
Yeah, O and A.
I actually spelled it.
Teaching O and A.
Cool.
All right, I'll put that in theshow's description for anyone
that wants to check it out.
We got a connected Christmasunit study from Treehouse
Schoolhouse two years ago whenmy son was five, and we had so
much fun with it.
Last year we grabbed all thebooks again from our library
(19:43):
because they added so much toour Christmas season.
This year, I am so excited to bedoing it again with both of my
kids, ages three and seven.
Every day includes a song tolisten to, a poem, a beautiful
piece of artwork, a meaningfulstory, a little craft or
project, and a Bible verse forcopywork.
It's such a special way to slowdown and truly connect as a
family.
I know this will be one of thosetraditions that your kids look
(20:03):
back on every Christmas withsuch fond memories.
Grab the link in my show'sdescription to get a connected
Christmas today.
Yeah, so that and that's a greatpoint too, because you mentioned
that you were sort of thisunschooler, and people think,
okay, so you just let your kidshang out all day doing nothing
or sit in front of the TV or thevideo games.
And it's like, no, what itreally is is following their
(20:26):
interests, such as they had aquestion about the seeds, you
went and found the resources andthen did a whole project on it
where they learned so I'm surethey were counting.
So there was math involved,there's science involved,
there's health involved, there'sfood, you know, this home egg.
So interesting.
You could really go with thatanyway.
SPEAKER_01 (20:47):
Yeah, every subject was was was covered.
We we we wrote so much, wecounted so much, and we, you
know, went to the garden and itwas beautiful.
It's such a beautifulexperience.
SPEAKER_00 (20:57):
So, how does this compare to your upbringing with
the 10 hours a day of schoolingand the rigidity of that?
I don't even know if that's aword, because I went to public
school in America.
So, like when the when they're18 and graduating, do you think
that they'll academically be asI don't know, advanced as you
(21:17):
were after all those years spentin a classroom?
SPEAKER_01 (21:20):
Oh, it's such a it's such a good question.
Uh, I have to say, um, okay, sowhen I was in school growing up,
I used to tell everybody I loveschool.
I love school.
First of all, house was boring.
My parents were working likemen.
Um, there was no, like, it wasnot fun to be home.
So I love to go to school.
It was my safe space, also.
So I love going to school.
And then I I got married andlike I still love school.
(21:42):
You know, I went to college andI still love learning and I
love, you know, getting diplomasand stuff like that.
I was I I like to do that.
And then I started homeschoolingand like, what was I doing all
these years?
I was so good playing the thegame of school.
So what I was doing isprofessionate just enough so I
can have this little monster inmeetup and study now the test is
(22:04):
tomorrow.
Okay.
Then I would study online,memorize everything so so well,
go to the test, get an A plus.
The second I return my test, Iwould forget everything.
Like on purpose.
Like I don't need thisinformation in my head.
Boom.
I've just retained enough topass the test, and then that was
it.
My hospital diploma thinking.
The second I finished my wholeschool diploma, we remembered,
(22:26):
we remembered nothing.
Right.
And then I was like, oh my god,I actually was very good at
memorizing and vomiting it as atest.
And then once you're done, youforget all about it.
And now I see with my kids theway I what I focus on is I want
them to integrate what they'resaying.
I want it to be relevant.
So I make sure every topic isrelevant, something they're
(22:47):
gonna they're gonna be using.
That's not gonna be obsolete ina few years, like really, really
also integrate values into it.
So they're learning subjectsthat that mean a lot to them.
That's why they're interested,they're curious, and I integrate
what I want from them to learn.
So the grammar is there, themath is there, all these stuff
are in what they're learning.
And I think even moreimportantly, is learning how to
(23:09):
think rather than what to think.
So that's why we were learnthis, learn that, learn this,
learn that.
Here's the test, here's thetest, that's making you know
this.
With my kids, I barely answertheir questions.
They ask me a question, I say,uh, I know how I started a whole
debate with it.
I hate to just say, Oh, this isthe answer.
I don't like to do that becausethen they don't ask more
questions.
They don't they don't developtheir critical thinking in a
(23:30):
way, and I I don't want that.
So I asked them, oh, why do youthink it's that from that
question?
We start a whole debate onscience, and they have such good
points sometimes on like to goback to school.
You know, because I think purelylogically, no one is like, tell
me what to say, tell me what tosay.
You know, I still have need tohave my papers and my posted
notes.
I still need to have like my tofeel safe.
(23:53):
They just flow and they I don'tknow.
They have not only they ask morequestions and they're very
curious, but also I teach themhow to research.
Yes, I don't answer vitalweighted questions, yes, I ask
them what they think, and we webrainstorm and all this stuff,
but after that we we go andresearch.
Should we go for a book?
Should we go for ChatGPT?
Should we go for Google?
What do we do?
All my kids know how to touch myphone and just ask the question
(24:16):
to Google, right?
So they would do that.
This is really important.
So I know 18 years old, when thetime comes that they're gonna
be, you know, on their ownworking, figuring things out,
they'll know exactly how.
Um I can go on for hours onthis, so like the critical
thinking, then the how to think,right?
So how to research also, andalso knowing that they can
achieve anything they want.
(24:37):
I tell them all day.
For me, this is the mostimportant part of homeschooling
is when you go in the back ofyour kids' ear and you say, I
know you can do this, I believein you.
You got this, you know?
I know it's hard what you cando, hard things.
All these words when they're 18years old is I think all of this
combined is way more importantthan actual information.
So I knew information, but I'veturned in my post-it and I'm 34
(24:57):
years old, like I still need,but they don't, and I see it all
already, you know.
SPEAKER_00 (25:02):
Yeah, that makes me think of like the other day we
were at our homeschooling.
Our friend just has like a creakthing at her house every Monday.
My son lost a tooth there, buthe was like irrationally
hyperventilating because it washanging on by a thread, but it
let me near it, and he's crying,and the snots coming out, and
the blood's coming out, andslime is coming out, and tears
(25:22):
are coming up.
It's like, my god, you'reembarrassing me so I just I I
know at 18 he's gonna be like,Oh, I'm gonna need therapy from
my mother.
Yeah, but pull it together, man.
Come on.
I I'm missing that nurturinggene from my mother.
The the woman I just interviewedwas saying how your children
show you what you lacked in yourchildhood, but like you're
(25:45):
learning from the so I'm like,okay, I do have to be a little
bit more loving, like you know,showing like I'm like, it's a
two.
Come on, I've seen you fly overyour handlebars on the mountain
bike and you get up and likewalk, get right back on the
bike.
Why why is this going on?
So, do you have hard daysthough?
Because even still, like ifyou're like not forcing the sit
(26:08):
in your seat, you know, do yourreading and do your math.
And if you're doing more of theunschooling approach, it's
definitely easier than to fightwith your child about doing you
know rigid curriculum.
But there are still like mom,mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom,
mom.
You're getting it from four ofthem.
And where you just like, or Idon't know, you just lose it.
(26:29):
Like, are do you have thosedays, or how do you get through
those moments not losing?
SPEAKER_01 (26:33):
Yeah.
So I'm gonna I'm gonna sharewith you my hard days, and then
I'm gonna show you what I dowith my hard days, and I'm gonna
show you how hard it is to evenget to that part where you know
what to do with your hard days.
Awesome, awesome.
So um, of course, I have harddays, and of course, it's it's
basically when the mom's needsare not met, right?
So you're hungry, you're tired,you had a hard tough night or
(26:54):
whatever, you're feelingdysregulated, you are
misaligned, or you whatever itis that's happening.
I have very hard days.
I'm like, are you talking to me?
I'm not I'm I don't I don't wantto hear voices now, but uh well
I'm like, wait, I homeschool myfour kids, right?
Get it together.
So like it's it's like the yes,the being pulled in all
directions, and I work at thesame time sometimes um during
(27:15):
the day.
I have to do certain things andthe cooking and the cleaning and
whatever.
So it's so much, so much.
So most of the most of the weekis fine, and then so we have
smooth days and everything'sgood, it's rolling.
Besides for the conflicts, youknow, that's something else uh
as part of the curriculum.
But yes, when I'm not feelingaligned and when I'm not
regulated, we have hard days.
(27:37):
So they are a direct mirror ofus, and sometimes it's them who
are dysregulated.
And either way, whether it'sthem or me, the entire energy
needs to be taken care of.
You need to like realign.
And there's one place in theworld where it works every
single time, that's the beach.
You just pick up everything, welook around, we're like, I'm
(27:58):
out.
The house can stay the way itis.
We're all going to the beach,we're gonna take a reset day, we
can go to a forest, we can go toany place of nature that resets
us.
But for me to even get to thepoint so that to be like, okay,
guys, beach day, we need to go.
Sometimes it's like, what?
What are you guys all doing?
What's wrong?
But if it's like there's nothingthat's going your way that day,
(28:20):
it's hard to even like thinklike maybe I should do something
about it.
And then take them to the beach.
But that's what I would do.
I go to the beach.
Either, other either I resetmyself, so I move away, about
away from my kids when it's toooverwhelming, too much
happening, too too much sensoryor touching or whatever, then I
would say, I need a five-minutebreak.
I need a little time out in myroom.
(28:40):
I'm gonna feel much better whenI come back.
And I move away.
I think no, I'm taking time formyself and breathing and
everything, I come back at amuch clear regulated.
If it's a child, I would takecare of that first, you know, to
be the palm that they canborrow.
That's not enough to say likethey can borrow my palm.
So I would just be with them,whether it's hand-in-hand or
heart to heart or just talking.
I'd be with that video for them.
(29:01):
And if it's the entire family,we're out.
We just get because that's whatwe need.
We just we just can't have, andthat's that's what I love my
freedom for, you know.
You can respond to your family'sneeds as a whole, whether it's
mine, my kids, or all of us.
SPEAKER_00 (29:15):
Yeah, so in short, we should all move to the beach.
We should all be moving toFlorida.
We do have that in New York.
I have we have forests.
We're not too far, like we can Ican get to a beach on a lake.
Well, I assume that'll do thesame.
SPEAKER_01 (29:32):
Yeah.
And this is anywhere wherethere's no walls, that's what it
is.
Yeah.
You need no walls.
Don't take them to don't takethem to um a trampoline park
because this is very good.
Trampolet park are so good.
We try to go at least once aweek, once every two weeks.
It's amazing, but it's not forregulation, it's for using your
bodies or core, you name it.
But if you want to regulate yourfamily, go out in nature.
You know, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (29:53):
No walls.
My daughter today, she's it'slike getting cold here in New
York now.
You know, it was like 40degrees, and she's out with her
sweatshirt, sweatpants, and adress on under it, um, and no
shoes.
And I said to her, I go, Whatare you doing?
It's cold out.
She says, I'm ground she'sthree.
I'm grounding with the earth.
I said, All right, but you'rebut you're standing on pavement.
(30:14):
It's cute that you you arewanting to ground, but you it's
not working.
Like you're cold and you're onpavement.
But yeah, that that makes a lotof sense.
I think, you know, and I made methink too of myself.
What am I doing?
What am I eating?
What am I drinking?
What am I am I sleeping enough?
What am I doing for myselfthat's making me react in such a
(30:35):
way?
Because like for myself, I grew,I don't know, you're from
France, maybe you grew up thesame way.
I don't know.
They say that the French do, butyou know, having a drink like
while I make dinner.
Like, oh okay, let's pour aglass of wine while I make
dinner.
Well I started researching itand like that actually changes
the way your brain works and theway your synapses connect and
(30:56):
your um how you regulate I'msure and how you react to
things.
So like the next day I I thinkit was having an effect on like
my how I how much I can handleas far as being overwhelmed.
Like I probably couldn't handleoverwhelm even from just a
little bit.
And so I was like okay well I'mgonna have to change something
(31:17):
because I feel myself getting sotense all the time.
And so I was like all rightwe're just gonna like eat fairly
clean and you know not have anyalcohol try to drink a lot of
water and stuff and I probablyhave more coffee than I should
have done like three cups two,three cups a day, but it's
organic.
But I feel like I have noticedthat that has made a difference
(31:38):
just cutting that out becausewhen you like research um you
know what alcohol does in yourbody it actually creates
something called acetaldehyde.
So it's like you have a toxin inyour body but then your body is
as a byproduct creating anothertoxin.
So your body's fighting that andfor like 10 days I think alcohol
is in your system.
So even just a little bit.
(31:58):
So that was interesting for meto learn and I was like all
right well that's somethingsimple I can change.
I mean it's simple until yourkids drive you nuts and you're
like oh my God now I got a cockget her again I just want
something for me.
But I've started like okay letme just get a really good book
out of the library and I'm not ahuge reader of for myself but I
was like you know there arebooks I really do enjoy.
So I did I got one that I reallyreally liked and I looked
(32:22):
forward to reading that everynight.
So instead of looking forward tolike oh I'll have a Chardonnay
while I cook dinner tonight Iwas like I'm gonna be like more
awake when everybody goes tosleep.
So I'm I'm gonna read that booka little bit and I did sacrifice
like reading to my kids atnight.
You know so I'll try to do thatearlier in the day or there are
just some days we just don't getto it.
(32:44):
You know, we're out doing thingsyesterday we were out a field
trip the day before we had afriend's house.
So there are some days that Idon't just don't get to reading
to them.
But I was like you know whatit's more important for me to
have this time to myself in theevening where I can take 15
minutes or 20 minutes and read abook that I enjoy.
It's something I'm lookingforward to and it's a healthy
thing for me.
(33:04):
So I did sacrifice reading withthe kids for that before bed.
And it doesn't mean it alwayshas to be that way but I'm like
this is what's working rightnow.
So I think like can you talkspeak to that as like giving
grace and do French people drinkwine with every meal?
SPEAKER_01 (33:17):
No I told my husband I'm low maintenance but I do
drink wine so I guess I am veryum yes we eat we eat we we drink
wine with whatever we eat so ithas to match.
So I'm very big on that.
But I don't do it during workhours and I'm a homeschool mom.
So I learned a few more skillsthe benefits of learning how to
(33:37):
breathe for homeschool momshould be a one-on-one because
when you learn how to breatheyou get the same effect you can
you can feed your prefrontalcortex and just start thinking
again before we can think wehave all these emotions coming
up if I drink a cup of wine whenI'm feeling very emotional it
makes it worse because itattacks my liver my liver is
where my emotions are stored.
(33:58):
So that's not gonna help in theevening when they're sleeping
yes but during the day I preferto take a break in my room take
a very very deep breath and dosome breath work even if it's
like a two three or four minutething like it doesn't have to be
too much.
Just calm down and then smallaffirmations that we do
naturally it doesn't have to bea script that you that you find
or whatever.
It just I can do this I'm gonnacome back out and I'm gonna be
(34:22):
so calm and I'm gonna listen toevery single one of them and see
what they need from me and showup.
You know like I would do that sobut just breathing shifts your
whole entire like head the wayyou handle things the way you
even hear it sometimes my kidsask me something I'm like what
do you all want from me?
Wait, I don't need to breathe ohwhat do you need from me you
know you show up in a differentway once you your your mind is
(34:45):
clear.
There's other ways you know EFTtapping that I'm very big into
this is my secret by the way Idon't know his thing this is the
the ruler to um help bloodcirculation it's uh it's called
the Gasha massager I think it'scalled yeah and this is made of
quartz and if I don't have timeand everybody's going nuts I
would just go in my office Itake these I have a bunch I have
(35:07):
one I have like a massage thingwhatever and I go and I just
help myself just help my blood Ialready feel better.
This is cold it's always cold.
So imagine on your face beingrolled giving a massage to your
face and then helping the bloodcirculating I already feel so
much better.
It's insane it's very fast.
SPEAKER_00 (35:24):
Okay so if you're if you're only listening to this
you'll have to look at theYouTube version too yeah I want
to say someone gave me one ofthose once but with an oil and I
thought it was to rub the oil onand then my face broke out in
this insane rash.
So I I don't know if I threw itout or not.
SPEAKER_01 (35:38):
Maybe I still have the roller I don't use the oil
yeah don't use the oil just makesure it's quartz quartz is the
is already doing the work howcome that is um this these rocks
they like have superpowers.
Yeah I'm very big interestingjust that because I needed
something urgent like when I kidwhen it's like you know the food
I need to make the dinner I needto do this I need to do that it
(35:59):
has to get done I can't just letmy kids and say hey guys let's
reset for 55 minutes.
I can't happen it's bedtimealmost like I I need to get
going.
So I go to my room I calm downregulate myself and then when I
come out usually the kids mirrorthat almost all the time it's
very interesting to see ifthey're having a hard day again
I'm regulated so I can help themI don't see it as an issue.
But if I'm not then the entirefamily is you know tense.
(36:23):
So I prefer to take care ofmyself first before it gets
worse.
And that and that usually works.
SPEAKER_00 (36:28):
Yeah and it is hard when you have okay like the
house needs to be vacuumed thedishes are piled up in the sink
we have to think about dinnertonight but yeah we haven't even
gotten through breakfast andlunch yet and you know you want
to make this play date but youreally don't feel like going but
should I go becausehomeschoolers aren't socialized.
(36:50):
Yeah right um you know and thenyou feel bad because you missed
a play date or I had a puppy andan 11 year old lab.
So like my 11 year old can'thold his bowels in so then he's
going to the bathroom I'm tryingto clean that the puppy's
jumping on my three year old I'mlike why did I do this to myself
and then just trying to run evenlike the Instagram page and the
podcast and homeschool and justbe there for my kids for their
(37:11):
emotional needs.
It really is a lot.
So I'm glad that you broughtthat up because you know we
should talk about that and howyou know we are still people and
yeah you you do have to takethose few minutes to yourself or
find a roller or you know maybeit is get a massage once a month
or you know whatever it iswhatever you enjoy doing having
(37:32):
a book that you enjoy readingand and even if it is okay
you're going to bed tonightwithout a story you know because
mom's gonna read her own book oryou can read to yourself or you
can listen to a podcast you knowthey have they have great
podcasts for kids where likeeven is it the Libby app yeah
liby you can go on and get likean audiobook read to your child
(37:53):
for free.
So like my son will he'slistened to the boxcar children
series for years now.
So it's like okay mom's gonna goread her book listen to one of
the children's stories for 20minutes and then they're still
getting the story you know it'sand you're still getting what
you need.
You don't have to do thatforever.
You can just okay this is thismoment in time that mom just
(38:14):
needs a little break.
So it's definitely important todo that.
SPEAKER_01 (38:17):
Yeah we we need to focus on uh filling up our
emotional cup because then youcan't you can't pour properly to
your kids and it's so crazybecause when you go to work or
when you drop off your kids inschool um it's not as intense
that everything that you need towork on is being put in front of
your face.
Like it's just not working.
Homeschooling cannot work untilyou question yourself and say
(38:38):
how can I do better?
How can I change my tone I hadto change a lot of things.
I had to go through so much somuch healing when I was
homeschooling because it's justnot working and you notice and
you have this huge pressure thatyou're a hundred percent
responsible for your kids'education and you're like oh my
God if I don't change my toneit's not gonna work I'm gonna
(38:59):
have to put them back in schooland you don't want that because
you remember why and this andthen that like okay let me
change this up and like numberone I have a client she said all
she needs is to be able to shefigured it out like I need I
know what I need for myself-care I just need to eat.
If I just eat my whole day isamazing if I don't eat I'm a
monster and then another onewould say like I need at least
(39:21):
two hours every night I need todo something for myself I need
to go to the gym I need to thatI don't I'm I'm like everybody
has a different definition ofself-care but you need to make
sure you fill up your own cupand then it could be more
blissful I guess joyful that's agreat way to put it and you're
right our kids are learning fromus too so if you're like a hot
mess all day long they're gonnaend up the same way.
SPEAKER_00 (39:41):
I can see it now in my son certain things like where
he gets really sastic likehyperventilates because he
thinks he's gonna throw up I'mlike crap he's got that from me
he's got the nerves yeah wegotta we gotta self-regulate do
the breaths that's that's hugetoo box breathing and I think
you mentioned you mentioned EFTwhat's going off EFT tapping is
(40:03):
when you have like a series oftaps that you do on your body to
just re um redirect energy.
SPEAKER_01 (40:09):
So you like start here you start here you can
Google it and then you just keeptapping after it's the same
hand.
So after like a few minutes youcan see that you can you let's
say your affirmation that youwant to get better you want to
have a better day whatever youwant um your brain is ready to
to accept like okay let's makethis happen.
So then you show up in adifferent way so it really
reshapes your energy um when youdo EFTs like and you're telling
(40:33):
yourself stuff at the same timeso it's really helpful and I
that I like easy and and andfive minute thing not more I
don't have more time for this.
I know I need to do it and Ineed to regulate myself so my
kids can be calm and regulatedbut I need something short.
SPEAKER_00 (40:46):
Thinking about homeschooling but don't know
where to start well I'veinterviewed a few people on the
topic actually 120 interviews atthis point with homeschooling
families from across the countryand the world and what I've done
is I've packed everything I'velearned into an ebook called the
Homeschool How to CompleteStarter Guide from navigating
your state's laws to findingyour homeschooling style from
(41:06):
working while homeschooling tosupporting kids with special
needs.
This guide covers it all withwith real stories from real
families who've walked this pathI've taken the best insights the
best resources and put them allinto this guide.
Stop feeling overwhelmed andstart feeling confident.
Get your copy of the Homeschoolhow to complete starter guide
today and discover thathomeschooling isn't just about
(41:28):
education.
It's about getting what you wantout of each day not what
somebody else wants out of you.
SPEAKER_01 (41:32):
You can grab the link to this ebook in the show's
description or head on over tothe homeschoolhow to dot com so
I would do a few movementsthere's a few movements that you
can do just swinging your armswhile while letting go of your
back a little bit so you justmove that this is moving energy
so you're feeling very veryintense right now the kids are
pulling you in all directionsmove back take a little break
(41:54):
focus on yourself for just fiveminutes and do one thing that's
that serves you best some peoplejust they they don't like
breathing so they can do alittle bit of movement.
Some people don't like movementyou can do EFT something you
know whatever works for you thatyou can shift yourself back into
super mom mode I guess.
I love that now where can peoplefind you where you mentioned
that you have clients is theresome sort of coaching that you
(42:17):
do yeah so I'm a consciousparenting coach and I have an
expertise on homeschooling so umI do very very deep work with
clients or just simplehomeschooling guidance and they
can find me on Instagram it's umSarah Homeplay with an H.
SPEAKER_00 (42:35):
And my website is www.sarahomplay.com I love that
I'm gonna put all of that in theshow's description too so people
can just hop right in there tocheck that out.
Sarah is there anything anyparting words that you wanted to
leave with us today this hasbeen so informative and really
like motivational.
SPEAKER_01 (42:52):
Thank you so much.
Just a few words for those whothink homeschooling is
overwhelming just continuingthat topic I just wanted to
point out a few like mindsetshifts when it comes to freedom
and how they're very powerfulfor me it was amazing to write
them down.
So I just just to explain whatsome people don't understand
about homeschooling and why theythink it's it's it's sometimes
(43:12):
crazy or or too much on a momthey think that I'm giving up my
freedom when I have my kids athome but I say the opposite and
they're shocked like what do youmean you have your freedom
you're with your kids all daylike yes it's possible it's
coming um they assume that I'msuper overwhelmed that I'm never
alone so again like I would takebreaks and I put them to sleep
early and I have all this stuffthat I do for myself.
(43:34):
I have my weekends I have enoughfor what I need everybody needs
different things but I haveenough what I need they picture
always like a rigid routine thatI need to do replicate school at
home that's very overwhelming ifyou think this is homeschooling
it's really not they think Ican't have a business where I
can't travel or I can't havepersonal goals.
That's not true at all.
(43:54):
Yes my life is around my kidsand around my homeschooling but
I can still do all this stuff.
They think that it's a hugesacrifice that I had to cancel
myself with it.
But I see just a sacrifice whereI'm bringing up my children I
see the exact opposite it's abeautiful sacrifice.
They think that the school isgiving the parents a space and I
(44:14):
know that the school issometimes stealing time from
children and very interestingbecause every time I talk to
people they tell me actually Ihave my space and my time with
my kids then I start breakingdown what I really love about
homeschooling they're like thatactually would have been nice
that actually would have beennice you know like whether it's
carpal or just having to listento teachers complaining about
(44:34):
their own kids and so manythings that when we discuss with
people that go to school come upafter we start discussing and
going deep into homeschoolingwhat I do have is my freedom to
schedule I can decide when wewake up I don't have to run
anywhere I don't have to go andcatch a bus.
I can decide where to learn Ican decide when to rest when to
go explore when to go to thebeach or the forest I have
(44:57):
definitely the freedom to travelwhenever I want I can go with my
kids put them in an airplane orput them in a car and just drive
three hours somewhere with mykids there's no one to tell me
you know you're gonna miss this,you're gonna miss that.
Wherever we go we can goanytime.
I also have freedom of lifestyleif you want to have slow morning
morning if you want to haveearly bedtime whatever we want
(45:20):
to do I choose right if we wantto have a beach day or road
trips um it's it could happen.
I don't need permission fromanyone to to make that happen.
I'm not part of a system for mehaving my freedom from the
system is one of the greatest umbenefits of homeschooling I
don't have to go and wait forhours at pickup and drop off and
I don't have to rush anywhereyou know um and you know be
(45:44):
within the the system of theteachers and the and everything
is happening in school I'm Ijust I feel so free not having
that for me that's what'simportant.
I have the freedom of where Iwant to use my energy you know
where I want to where I want toput my my uh my energy like with
my kids like what I want tofocus on what I want to do.
I don't have to say okay I needto wait for the kids for the
(46:06):
weekend to be able to spend timewith my kids or just connect
with them because at night ishomework and I didn't see them
all day and then we have to eatquickly and take a shower and
this no I can say hey right nowI really want to spend one
entire week on board games withmy kids because I think it's
better for connection orwhatever like this is what I
could do.
I don't have anyone to goagainst my values so that's also
(46:28):
a huge freedom you know ofalignment it's me and I'm
continuing that with my kids.
I choose my rhythm, mypriorities I don't have to
compromise anything like Iremember seeing so much so many
screens the last time I visiteda school and I saw screens
everywhere I was like I don'tlike screen we're actually
screen free family I don't I'mnot interested well you can't
(46:49):
because the school has all thescreens and they get used to it
and they have access to thoseiPads and I don't want that.
Yeah that's that's basicallywhat it is my my freedom that's
what I value most.
SPEAKER_00 (46:59):
Yeah and even just thinking of you know the food
they're getting in school andthe active shooter drills your
kids are subject to and theschool saying you're you know
you misbehave so you're stayingafter and it's like well it's my
kid it's my it's their time tobe home.
Nope they have to stay like likethey own them and uh it's really
(47:20):
it's really backwards and I lovethat list that you just laid
out.
That was so awesome to justreally see the big picture of
it.
SPEAKER_01 (47:27):
And yeah you can literally not even do any
organized curriculum and yourchild is still getting all of
that like think of what a morepeaceful life that is and bell
ringing bell ringing you knowalarm clock I can't imagine my
kids like also then the topic offreedom when people tell me you
don't have freedom I say I dohave freedom first of all I took
(47:49):
those few years in my life tofocus on teaching my kids life
skills my kids now he's nowseven and six they cook they
clean at the at the devil theydo a lot of things in the house
my son just surprised mecleaning the whole patio tonight
pressure washing it andeverything that he's nine I
don't have to worry about it andhe has his own business he has
an active business he's nineyears old he does car washes to
(48:09):
people he knocks on people'sdoors he has a little tag so I
can find him anytime he goeswith his business partner who
has a phone too and she goes andshe it's a family phone just for
emergencies like that.
So he goes and knocks onpeople's doors he makes so much
money my daughter sellseverything she learns from from
her program.
She sells what she makes shebakes she cooks for like she
(48:31):
makes like little pickles uh ina jar and she's seven years old
and she goes she knocks onpeople's doors fearless and goes
and she's like this is what theyshould be spending their day on
you know they have learning theyhave life skills they can take
care of themselves they're notlike well my shirt is dirty they
know they put in a wash theyknow exactly what to do they got
this yes the responsibility ison me but they know how to do
(48:54):
this stuff and for me this issetting up my freedom when
they're all 12 years old I won'thave to do as much as I'm doing
now.
SPEAKER_00 (49:01):
So that makes sense for me.
Oh that's so true and what agood way to round that out
because yes it might lookoverwhelming when all your kids
are young but that's such ashort time in our motherhood.
Yeah it feels like forever untilthey're all older and they don't
need you they're not calling mommom mom mom every time like you
know you won't hear it so muchlater on and you're gonna miss
(49:24):
it.
So yeah you have to investyou're investing in your kids in
your own freedom actually oh Ilove that I love that Sarah
thank you so much for being heretoday this has been so fun so
informative and like I saidbefore it's so motivational I
think we all needed to hear thistoday.
So thank you.
Thank you so much for having me.
Thank you.
And I will put all your links inthe show's description so if
(49:45):
you're listening or watchingdefinitely check that out.
All right have a good night byethank you for tuning in to this
week's episode of the HomeschoolHow to if you've enjoyed what
you heard and you'd like tocontribute to the show please
consider leaving a small tipusing the link in my show's
description or if you'd ratherplease use the link in the
(50:06):
description to share thispodcast with a friend or on your
favorite homeschool groupFacebook page.
Any effort to help us keep thepodcast going is greatly
appreciated.
Thank you for tuning in and foryour love of the next generation
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