The Stay-at-Homeschooling Mom Podcast

Homeschoolers are uniquely positioned to keep Advent in the way the Church encourages, bringing back traditions to deepen our faith as we prepare for the coming of Our Savior.

Today, Mary Ellen and Ginny bring home the message that, despite what the big-box store says, Christmas does not begin when Halloween ends. Here’s what your family can do.

Show Notes:

In recent years, the practice of observing Advent has grown lukewarm. 

Many fo...

Want to be the hero of your homeschool week? Pull out a game board!

In this episode, Ginny and Mary Ellen share how to “gamify” your homeschooling—turning lessons into fun challenges that build motivation, confidence, and joy in learning. Discover how games activate the brain’s reward system, sneak in skill-building, and bring your family closer together (while making Mom look like a genius).

Show Notes:

• Activating the brain’s rew...

So many problems that homeschool moms face can be solved by developing the habit of consistency. Lack of consistency has derailed many a homeschool.

Today, Ginny and Mary Ellen distill their years of experience into ten simple and practical tips to bring harmony of practice, firmness of character, and lasting success to your homeschool.

Show Notes:

Consistency can be hard in every season of homeschool life. It’s hard for everyone. Mo...

Remember life as a newlywed?  You vaguely knew you would have to cook, but hey, your husband could cook, and maybe you'd eat dinner out sometimes. 

Now, three or four kids later, you barely have time to shop for the food, much less prepare it!  Need help? Ginny and Mary Ellen have solutions and more on today's podcast.

Show Notes:

Struggling to find time to plan and prepare meals?

Use the KISS Meal Plan: Keep it Simple, Stupid

...

Has anyone questioned your sanity for deciding to homeschool? 

The questions you hear range from silly to insulting. Today, Mary Ellen and Ginny prepare you for those questions in a fun way.

Show Notes:

Don't be caught off guard. These replies, mostly tongue-in-cheek, provide responses to various things homeschool detractors might say to you. 

1. Homeschooling? Is that even legal?

The pandemic may have rendered this question moot, but I...

Homeschooling an only child or the youngest with older siblings? Ginny and Mary Ellen share tips to keep your ‘caboose’ happy, engaged, and thriving. Tune in for encouragement and practical ideas!

Show Notes:

Got a homeschool ‘caboose baby’—the only child left at home? Here are six creative ways to keep them happy, engaged, and thriving.

Tip #1 – Search for Co-ops

• Even if you’ve checked before, look again—new groups often form.
• Som...

Jesus Christ calls us to spread the Good News. Fostering religious vocations is one of the most effective ways to answer that call. Sensitive to the issue, Catherine contacted us on Facebook and asked us to discuss ways we can foster these vocations.

It’s a timely topic, and today, Mary Ellen and Ginny are delighted to discuss ways to foster vocation in our homeschool families. 

Show Notes:

Hey, you are already fostering vocations bec...

Do you remember when you took your wedding vows and promised to accept children from God and raise them in the faith? You repeated that vow each time one of your children was baptized. But what does this vow require of us homeschoolers?  Today, Ginny and Mary Ellen discuss keeping that promise and training our children to be responsible and respectful adults by living according to Church teaching.  

Show Notes:

Why it's Importan...

Some homeschool moms on social media are miserable.  Their kids are out of control, and it's often described as a typical day. 

Well, it wasn't our typical day – and it doesn't have to be yours either. Nothing can derail home education faster than out-of-control kids.

Today, on The Stay-at-Homeschooling Mom Podcast, Mary Ellen and Ginny discuss why this is happening and share the ways to fix it. 

Show Notes:

Out-of-control ...

In just a few decades, we’ve gone from floppy disks to artificial intelligence. Computers that once filled entire rooms now slip easily into our pockets and purses. The digital revolution is here—and homeschooling parents can’t ignore it. So how do we navigate this ever-changing landscape while staying true to our values and educational goals? That’s what Ginny and Mary Ellen are diving into today on the Stay-at-Home Schooling Mom ...

Do you have buddies who are toying with the idea of home education but have not yet made the leap? If you do, this is the show to pass on to them. Mary Ellen and Ginny discuss it all today, as they discuss Why NOW is the time to start homeschooling.

Show Notes:

Public schools are a disaster.

• NAEP Reading Assessment – ⅔ of students do not reach basic proficiency in ELA: ¾ in math.  
• Major universities have students taking re...

Mary Ellen and Ginny began homeschooling before the age of influencers. They say that was an enormous blessing because there is a lot of bad advice out there. 

The good news is that, using their combined over 50 years of homeschool experience, they have this to share: "The 5 Worst Pieces of Homeschooling Advice." 

Program Notes:

Let's jump into some bad homeschooling advice.

1. If it's hard, you are doing it wrong.  F...

Homeschooling can take a lot of time.  Then, we have to cook meals, clean the house, and do laundry. Oh, and do the shopping and cart kids around to activities.  

It all can seem daunting, but Ginny and Mary Ellen share their proven solution: Take some of those chores off our plates and put them smack on the kids' plates.  

Program Notes:

1. Start early - really early!  As soon as they can walk.  

• When you change a diaper, hav...

Does teaching Shakespeare, the Constitution, or Apologetics terrify you? The fear can arrive even before high school. When my grandkids took 5th-grade life science, my DIL did a way better job teaching it than I would have. She’s a nurse and understands that stuff!

First potential solution:  

Ask among your friends, neighbors, and folks at church. Maybe a mom who quit her nursing job when she had kids wants to make a few extra bucks ...

Motivating our students can be an uphill battle. We want them to focus and work hard, but they are inclined by their nature and encouraged by society to be distracted. There is always something more interesting or fun to do.

Today, Mary Ellen and Ginny open their tool kit of ways to encourage our children to work hard and develop good study skills without it being a constant battle. Hang on, this will be fun.

Program Notes

Motivation ...

Feeling isolated on your homeschooling journey because you live “out in the boonies”? Worried your kids will miss out on friends—or that you’ll never meet another mom who “gets” it?
Today Ginny and Mary Ellen tackle the unique challenges of homeschooling with little local support. Drawing on decades of experience, they share concrete ways to build community, keep kids socialized, and stay sane—no matter how many miles lie between yo...

Remember when you started homeschooling your oldest in kindergarten? People would ask, "What will you do when you have to teach trigonometry?" No worries, that was years away.

Then high school arrives. But fear not—Mary Ellen and Ginny homeschooled through high school and produced great adults. Here’s how they did it and how you can, too.

8 Steps to High School Success

1. Set an alarm and get an early start in the morning, ...

Why do we homeschool?  Don't like the public schools in your district?  Can't afford the Catholic school?  Or there is no Catholic school?  Family togetherness?  Better academics?   

All are good reasons, but today, Ginny and Mary Ellen discuss why most of us need to start and keep homeschooling our children. If this were Star Trek, we would call it The Prime Directive.

Show Notes:

There are days when sainthood is not our fi...

Isn’t it funny that one meal seems to take up 9/10ths of our brain daily? Dinner or meal planning is one of our most requested topics. We’ll answer these questions and more:

·      What are easy meals? 

·      How do I plan for meals?

·      How much should the children be helping?  

Dinner is the big kahuna in terms of time, expense, and general stress but this will help:

8 Rules to Cook By to organize and streamline for healthy econom...