When summer rolls around and you're already exhausted, how do you know if it’s time to press on—or pause?

We're unpacking what it could look like to either keep going with intention or rest with purpose.

Resources from this episode:

Homeschool Plan Like a Mother

Find the complete podcast notes on our website.

To find The Deliberate Day on Instagram, click here.

Looking for items shared in our podcasts?!

• Learn More About Life Skills Now Season 4
• You need the 4 Steps to Mastery, get it here!
• Get the Editable Homeschool Clipboard Template here!
• Here's our Homeschool Plan Like A Mother Guide!
• For the 12 Week Planner, click here! (Use code PODCASTMOM for 20% off!)
• Get your FREE Meal Planning Kit here.
• For the Favorites List, go here.

Instagram lied...there is no "right" childhood and chasing it IS what's stealing valuable peace from our momma hearts.

There's no single perfect childhood you're supposed to recreate for your kids.

Not the one you made up from the 10 moms you follow on IG.

And not even the one you've always dreamed of giving your children.

The truth is, there's no one-size-fits-all version and there's no possible way you could have foreseen every eventuality, the type of children you had, their specific needs, life changes, world changes...we could go on and on.

Each one of these factors changes the game a little.

And even in all this...God is writing your children's childhood through your family.

Today we're pulling back the curtain on the pressure we face chasing a fictitious vision of "good" and embracing the truth that the childhood your kids are living in your home right now is the one they're MEANT to have. Mess and all.

We're going to share a few ways you can lean into that peace, purpose and trust the season you're in.

And while you're listening, we want you to hold this question with open hands:

Lord, what kind of childhood are You inviting me to co-create with You?

• God Knew What He Was Doing (01:35)
• Childhood Looks Different for Each Child in a Family (03:45)
• We're Here to Build a Family, Not a Childhood (05:30)
• What Now (11:15)

Links shared in this episode...

Fr. Mike's Video on Why Bad Things Happen

Find the complete podcast notes on our website.

To find The Deliberate Day on Instagram, click here.

Looking for items shared in our podcasts?!

• Learn More About Life Skills Now Season 4
• You need the 4 Steps to Mastery, get it here!
• Get the Editable Homeschool Clipboard Template here!
• Here's our Homeschool Plan Like A Mother Guide!
• For the 12 Week Planner, click here! (Use code PODCASTMOM for 20% off!)
• Get your FREE Meal Planning Kit here.
• For the Favorites List, go here.

Get ready for the most lovely chat and peek into the Homeschool story of a mom and bed and breakfast owner. You're in for a treat!

Their Beautiful Bed & Breakfast in Virginia: The Orchard House

Follow Sarah and her family on IG

Resources Shared:

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

Call of the Wild & Free Book

"Planned" Unschooling with Nicole Shiffler

Find the complete podcast notes on our website.

To find The Deliberate Day on Instagram, click here.

Looking for items shared in our podcasts?!

• Learn More About Life Skills Now Season 4
• You need the 4 Steps to Mastery, get it here!
• Get the Editable Homeschool Clipboard Template here!
• Here's our Homeschool Plan Like A Mother Guide!
• For the 12 Week Planner, click here! (Use code PODCASTMOM for 20% off!)
• Get your FREE Meal Planning Kit here.
• For the Favorites List, go here.

In this episode, we've got Ginny Kochis…a Catholic wife and mom to three twice-exceptional children.

With a master's degree she's a highly educated former high school English teacher with two decades of experience educating children of all ability levels.

Through her Quirky Catholic Kids website and community, Ginny offers practical support and prayerful encouragement to Catholic families raising neurodivergent kids.

And she believes (just like we do) that God gives curious, creative, intense children the exact mother they need to thrive.

• Ginny Kochis (00:58)

More about Ginny...

Join the Quirky Kids Community

Grab her wonderful resources!

Follow her on Instagram

Find her on Facebook

Find the complete podcast notes on our website.

To find The Deliberate Day on Instagram, click here.

Looking for items shared in our podcasts?!

• Learn More About Life Skills Now Season 4
• You need the 4 Steps to Mastery, get it here!
• Get the Editable Homeschool Clipboard Template here!
• Here's our Homeschool Plan Like A Mother Guide!
• For the 12 Week Planner, click here! (Use code PODCASTMOM for 20% off!)
• Get your FREE Meal Planning Kit here.
• For the Favorites List, go here.

We have to come clean...a recent study by Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute says that research participants scored an average of 94% on memory accuracy. This high level of accuracy was observed regardless of the participants or the time that had elapsed since the event occurred.

However, we have 6% to work with and add to memory stacking!

Memory stacking is all about filling our children's memories with good and beauty from their upbringing and their family, and not memories of "we-nevers or I-nevers" or fighting with siblings...or being forced to *gasp* do chores ALLLLL the time.

All jokes aside, the human brain has a major slant toward the negative. It's a protective mechanism, and it has an important job...but it shows up even it when it isn't needed.

It's easier than it should be to get to the end of the year and question whether or not you've even done anything this year.

It's easy for kids to just complain about what they didn’t get to do, or what they don't have...and it to REALLY FEEL like that's true...even when we know it isn't.

So …. in comes memory stacking...

• Recognize & Create Memory-Stacking Moments (02:20)
• Document Your Memory-Stacking Moments (05:50)
• Strew the Memories Everywhere (08:40)

Use our Homeschool Plan Like A Mother to brainstorm memory-stacking ideas and give them a home. Then put them on your calendar (or get Britt's Beautiful Calendar to make space for those memories and keep them top of mind for everyone!)

Remember....

You are doing beautiful work!

Remember sweet momma,

You are doing beautiful work.

Find the complete podcast notes on our website.

To find The Deliberate Day on Instagram, click here.

Looking for items shared in our podcasts?!

• Learn More About Life Skills Now Season 4
• You need the 4 Steps to Mastery, get it here!
• Get the Editable Homeschool Clipboard Template here!
• Here's our Homeschool Plan Like A Mother Guide!
• For the 12 Week Planner, click here! (Use code PODCASTMOM for 20% off!)
• Get your FREE Meal Planning Kit here.
• For the Favorites List, go here.

Mostly, homeschoolers must do one of three things to close their year with the state...

A Portfolio

A Evals

Testing

Depending on where you live and what flavor of homeschool you follow the requirements will be different...check HSLDA to see what your state requires.

But let's look at some out-of-the-box ways to say goodbye to this year's homeschool adventures:

• Your Own Yearbook or Movie (01:30)
• An Interview or Narrative (04:00)
• Celebrate Accomplishments (06:55)
• Purge Books, Materials, & Unwanted Manipulatives (08:05)
• Start Planning for Next Year (10:25)
  • Use our Homeschool Plan Like a Mother, or you can do this with a piece of copy paper
• Recap (12:45)

We like these because they fit no matter your capacity or your season...they have a wide range of doable...so don't choose A giant waterpark day where you're going to video interview each of your kids before they go down a slide in a magical transition emerging as a brand new "6th grader" only to come home and purge your home and start your planning for the next year....ALL ON THE SAME DAY.

We gotta work with what we have, mommas.

And never forget,

YOU are doing beautiful work!

P.S. Don’t forget about the FREE LifeskillsNow Summer Camp! (This would be a great week to get your kids busy working on life skills while you purge and plan!)

Find the complete podcast notes on our website.

To find The Deliberate Day on Instagram, click here.

Looking for items shared in our podcasts?!

• Learn More About Life Skills Now Season 4
• You need the 4 Steps to Mastery, get it here!
• Get the Editable Homeschool Clipboard Template here!
• Here's our Homeschool Plan Like A Mother Guide!
• For the 12 Week Planner, click here! (Use code PODCASTMOM for 20% off!)
• Get your FREE Meal Planning Kit here.
• For the Favorites List, go here.

Gardening doesn't have to be complicated. It can be manageable and small and still make a big difference for your family.

Nicky Schauder and her husband, Dave, are on a mission to help families grow their food.

Their garden journey began when their kids were diagnosed with “failure to thrive” due to multiple food allergies. Because of these health issues, they felt called to grow organic at home... and since they have supplied 25% of their fruits and veggies from their tiny townhouse backyard.

From their permaculture gardens to speaking at Green Festivals to their most recent project: a permaculture garden designer app (which successfully launched on Kickstarter last year!) to growing their family of 8, they are doing some pretty amazing and beautiful work in the world.

• A Challenging Diagnosis (02:25)
• A Life-Changing Idea (06:10)
• The Difference Between Organic Gardening and Permaculture (09:05)
• Time to Grow (19:00)
• Permaculture Zones of Use (21:45)
• Gardening Can Bring Peace to a Mom's Heart (22:45)
• The Many Benefits of Gardening (28:35)
• A's to Our Q's (32:20)

Nicky had the kids in mind when she made the Start with Sprouting course!

You’ll also see Nicky and her kids in two separate courses in the LifeskillsNow Summer Camp (affiliate link)! It’s FREE and it’s June 9th-13th!

Finally, if you need a kick-start to get growing, check out the 5-day Plant Your Pantry Challenge!

And, check out the Permaculture Gardens website to see more about Nicky and her beautiful family!

Find the complete podcast notes on our website.

To find The Deliberate Day on Instagram, click here.

Looking for items shared in our podcasts?!

• Learn More About Life Skills Now Season 4
• You need the 4 Steps to Mastery, get it here!
• Get the Editable Homeschool Clipboard Template here!
• Here's our Homeschool Plan Like A Mother Guide!
• For the 12 Week Planner, click here! (Use code PODCASTMOM for 20% off!)
• Get your FREE Meal Planning Kit here.
• For the Favorites List, go here.

This is the #1 question we get regarding the clipboard system.

I think our brains just want to tell us we don't know what to put to protect us from trying something new because it's meant to keep us safe, and if we aren't trying anything new, it feels safe.

But you know. Mommas, we know…and if you really don’t, grab our Homeschool Plan Like a Mother from the shop and figure it out!

There is no wrong answer.

• Clipboard Guidelines (01:25)
• Ideas (09:15)

Find the complete podcast notes on our website.

To find The Deliberate Day on Instagram, click here.

Looking for items shared in our podcasts?!

• Learn More About Life Skills Now Season 4
• You need the 4 Steps to Mastery, get it here!
• Get the Editable Homeschool Clipboard Template here!
• Here's our Homeschool Plan Like A Mother Guide!
• For the 12 Week Planner, click here! (Use code PODCASTMOM for 20% off!)
• Get your FREE Meal Planning Kit here.
• For the Favorites List, go here.