Sarah Mackenzie helps your family fall in love with books, and helps *you* fall in love with homeschooling.
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Felice Gerwitz에서 제공하는 콘텐츠입니다. 에피소드, 그래픽, 팟캐스트 설명을 포함한 모든 팟캐스트 콘텐츠는 Felice Gerwitz 또는 해당 팟캐스트 플랫폼 파트너가 직접 업로드하고 제공합니다. 누군가가 귀하의 허락 없이 귀하의 저작물을 사용하고 있다고 생각되는 경우 여기에 설명된 절차를 따르실 수 있습니다 https://ko.player.fm/legal.
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Advances in Care
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1 Advancing Cardiology and Heart Surgery Through a History of Collaboration 20:13
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On this episode of Advances in Care , host Erin Welsh and Dr. Craig Smith, Chair of the Department of Surgery and Surgeon-in-Chief at NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia discuss the highlights of Dr. Smith’s 40+ year career as a cardiac surgeon and how the culture of Columbia has been a catalyst for innovation in cardiac care. Dr. Smith describes the excitement of helping to pioneer the institution’s heart transplant program in the 1980s, when it was just one of only three hospitals in the country practicing heart transplantation. Dr. Smith also explains how a unique collaboration with Columbia’s cardiology team led to the first of several groundbreaking trials, called PARTNER (Placement of AoRTic TraNscatheteR Valve), which paved the way for a monumental treatment for aortic stenosis — the most common heart valve disease that is lethal if left untreated. During the trial, Dr. Smith worked closely with Dr. Martin B. Leon, Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Chief Innovation Officer and the Director of the Cardiovascular Data Science Center for the Division of Cardiology. Their findings elevated TAVR, or transcatheter aortic valve replacement, to eventually become the gold-standard for aortic stenosis patients at all levels of illness severity and surgical risk. Today, an experienced team of specialists at Columbia treat TAVR patients with a combination of advancements including advanced replacement valve materials, three-dimensional and ECG imaging, and a personalized approach to cardiac care. Finally, Dr. Smith shares his thoughts on new frontiers of cardiac surgery, like the challenge of repairing the mitral and tricuspid valves, and the promising application of robotic surgery for complex, high-risk operations. He reflects on life after he retires from operating, and shares his observations of how NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia have evolved in the decades since he began his residency. For more information visit nyp.org/Advances…
Vintage Homeschool Moms
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Felice Gerwitz에서 제공하는 콘텐츠입니다. 에피소드, 그래픽, 팟캐스트 설명을 포함한 모든 팟캐스트 콘텐츠는 Felice Gerwitz 또는 해당 팟캐스트 플랫폼 파트너가 직접 업로드하고 제공합니다. 누군가가 귀하의 허락 없이 귀하의 저작물을 사용하고 있다고 생각되는 경우 여기에 설명된 절차를 따르실 수 있습니다 https://ko.player.fm/legal.
Vintage Homeschool Moms preserves the best of the past while blessing future generations with the fruit that comes from putting God first and using experience as a teacher.
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58 에피소드
모두 재생(하지 않음)으로 표시
Manage series 64783
Felice Gerwitz에서 제공하는 콘텐츠입니다. 에피소드, 그래픽, 팟캐스트 설명을 포함한 모든 팟캐스트 콘텐츠는 Felice Gerwitz 또는 해당 팟캐스트 플랫폼 파트너가 직접 업로드하고 제공합니다. 누군가가 귀하의 허락 없이 귀하의 저작물을 사용하고 있다고 생각되는 경우 여기에 설명된 절차를 따르실 수 있습니다 https://ko.player.fm/legal.
Vintage Homeschool Moms preserves the best of the past while blessing future generations with the fruit that comes from putting God first and using experience as a teacher.
…
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×Let’s face it: we all have marriage arguments from time to time. Yet, there is a correct way to argue. Can you both be winners? Yes! Let’s win at marriage and make it a blessed place for you, your spouse, and your children. Marriage Arguments You Can Win ~ Episode 549 Why do we argue? We may disagree for many different reasons. And, sadly, we hurt the ones we love the most. Why is this? Because we care. We wouldn’t be so hurt if we didn’t care for each other. Think about this. Often, marriage arguments can be prevented. And the worst ones are those that are in front of the kids. Be mindful of your children and set a good example when discussing differences with your spouse. The kids do not need to hear yelling and slandering; it makes an impression on them. When we argue, we often try to prove a point: I’m right, and you are wrong. Ultimately, one of us will be unhappy. And when we are not right, it makes it even harder! When I was a new bride, I read something that said you should never go to bed angry, and I loved the idea! So, my poor husband would have to say, up to all hours of the night, “discussing” our issue (and he is very stubborn). I kept saying, “I want to discuss this so we are on the same page and it never happens again!” And we got nowhere. Finally, exhausted, he’d say, “Okay, you are right. Can I go to bed now?” I realized something had to change, and fast. Thanks to our episode sponsor, NowPrograms.com , visit the website for more information about a unique reading method. Don’t accommodate, remediate! Detrimental Marriage Arguments When we think about winning an argument in the context of marriage, it can quickly become misunderstood, and by the true-life example I gave you, detrimental to a relationship in the long run. Our focus should not be on winning but more on understanding each other’s positions and putting ourselves in our spouse’s shoes. We must acknowledge their feelings when we understand that the person we love is hurting. It demonstrates that you understand and care and will help de-escalate the situation. Saying the following: I understand you are upset. Can we discuss this calmly, if not now when you are ready? I love you, and I’d like to discuss this situation calmly. Acknowledging each other’s feelings is the first step, and it can de-escalate the situation, but being calm is equally important. As we become upset, our voices rise, and soon we can yell at each other. Taking a deep breath can stall the outburst, or even saying, “I need a minute.” to compose can be helpful. Screaming at each other never works. When we discuss the situation, look at each other and be mindful of your body position. Look into each other’s eyes; don’t have your body angled away or arms crossed. This leads to a signal that you are not open to discussion. Marriage Argument Don’ts No profanity No character assasination No accusations, keep it to “I feel.” What Works: Listen to each other; you can offer to go first or let your spouse do it. Allow the person to talk without interrupting. Yes, this can be hard, but try to listen. Find common ground if at all possible. When it is your turn to talk, express your feelings without attacking or belittling the other person. No character assasination. Taboo words are dumb, stupid, or using profanity. It does not help. Use the “I” position. I feel, or I think. Don’t blame – “you always” or “you don’t care,” etc. Again, keep it as a personal expression. You know what you think about your feelings and can only guess what your spouse is feeling or his motivation. Give each other space if needed, but don’t use this as a delay tactic to keep from discussing the difficult things. It is better to say, “Can we talk in about an hour?” (Or less), rather than say things you will regret. It is okay to say, “I love you, but I need a few minutes to regroup.” Work on resolutions together. It may not be perfect initially, but you both must give it a little. Sometimes, the solution will surprise you. In fact, winning an argument is when you can come to a peaceful solution to strengthen your relationship. It is vital to resolve the issue more so than to say you are right. (Even if you are!) The enemy does not like marriages, especially good ones, and seeks to disrupt them whenever possible. Look at how you get along and do kind things for each other whenever possible to build that bond and relationship. You May Enjoy Healthy Marriage Tips Three Marriage Secrets and What Homeschooling Does To Your Marriage You can both win the arguments within marriage when the result is a happy and harmonious life. One where you look forward to seeing your husband each day, and your husband is excited to see you, and where you look forward to growing old together. That was something my husband and I said to each other in the early years of marriage, and it always made me feel special and cherished. Remember, the key to winning is to get along for the sake of your marriage and your children. The post Marriage Arguments You Can Win appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network . Click the icon below to listen.…
Caring for your marriage is essential; a healthy marriage takes work from two spouses. Is there a right or wrong way to approach marriage? Felice Gerwitz shares some of her favorite tips for strengthening marriage in this podcast. Healthy Marriage Tips ~ Episode 548 Before I start, I want to remind you that some of these points may resonate with you, but others will not! Use what works for you and your spouse! Each couple and relationship is unique. Forty-five years of marriage later, and I’m still learning. If you were talking to a newly engaged couple, what marriage advice would you give them? Think about this, or as a fun activity, do this with your spouse! My husband and I sat down to brainstorm the main aspects of marriage that few talk about, or if they do, they gloss over the facts. This list was not very long, but one word is essential: relationship. What is your relationship with God, your relationship (i.e., “love”) with each other, and what do you enjoy doing together? Do you spend time alone building up your marriage? I know it is hard, especially with children, but some things you can do, and others you can find workarounds. The main concept here is relationship. Relationships are Important to a Healthy Marriage Your relationship with God will set the stage for leading a good moral life. It allows you to follow the tenets of the Christian faith: kindness, love, and compassion. For a marriage to thrive, it should be selfless. I do something for my husband, not necessarily because I choose to do it, but because I want to do something kind. I want to love as Christ loves me. Yes, it is always a work in progress. A conscious decision and a choice. Your relationship should be enjoyable. Do you like to spend time together doing different things? My husband tends to enjoy watching television. I’d be happy not to own a television. So, how do we compromise? I want to spend time with him so sometimes I read or do some type of graphics on the computer. I love art, and this is my way to express my creativity. I typically do something that doesn’t take lots of brainpower so that I am available to chat about different things: my husband is also okay with pausing the television to hear something I want to share or read to him. It works. Sometimes we watch movies, most of the time on the weekend, but otherwise, our time spent talking is over meals. A healthy marriage is understanding some key concepts: Marriage is not 50/50 it is 100/100 Forgiveness goes a long way in healing hurts. Manipulation only goes so far and should stop. Listening is key to a long and happy marriage. (Knowing when to talk and when to hold your tongue is gold!) Character assassination is forbidden! Thanks to our episode sponsor, NowPrograms.com , visit the website for more information about a unique reading method. Don’t accommodate, remediate! My husband and I didn’t always prioritize our marriage, and in our 30s, we were growing apart. I focused on homeschooling, taking the kids to lessons, sports, and household management. My husband focused on growing his business, and spent time with the kids and me. In my late 30s, I started a publishing company while pregnant with my third child. When visiting the pediatrician, he asked me if my husband and I would spend time together going to dinner. Truthfully, I was annoyed with him and smiled non-committedly. How was this his business? Later that evening, I shared what the doctor said to my husband, and he was all for going out and spending time alone together. This simple thing rekindled our relationship. We did have some rules, such as no cell phones and talking about the kids being out! We talked about our businesses, our hopes and dreams, and some of our goals. I loved hearing his insights and advice for my business. This wasn’t always reciprocated, but I felt we had a handle on what we wanted and where we headed. We made an effort to parent together, which also cut down on some of our arguments over different parenting styles. We didn’t need to contradict each other. He was way more lenient than I was and needed his backing and support. On the other hand, he was gone all day and missed the kids. So we worked out a plan for when he came home. (Shared on air.) he could first say hi to me, we’d sit a few minutes and chat. I might have had a small snack for him, but it was just us. Then he’d take the kids outdoors or in another room and spend time with them until dinner. The kids were prepped and knew this was happening ahead of time. Even with a young baby, I did this, and it worked wonders in just having that few minutes to reconnect. Communication is important, as well as common courtesy. Being nice to each other, showing you care, and appreciating each other and your contribution to the marriage is important. The little things are so important. I was thankful when he would grill or take the kids out for a few minutes so I could have a break. We did not always support each other’s endeavors but worked toward a common goal. I was ready to grow my husband’s construction business while he wanted to keep it small. So, I expressed my desire to grow a business by launching my own. My husband wanted to keep it small, but it grew so quickly that he came on board! His only request was to minimize travel to conferences, so I started an online platform before that was a thing! (We co-own this homeschool podcast network and our sister network here that has an international reach. So much for keeping it small!) You may be married to a headstrong spouse, and I’m the one in our family, and we can be a handful at times, but once again good communication and a deep caring and friendship really helps. My husband and I are good friends; he is the first one I want to tell things to and the one who understands me the best. Recently through a mini-crisis he was very supportive and brought out good points that I didn’t remember. A good marriage is a spouse who is there for you when you need it, and that doesn’t mean being on call 24/7, but it does mean making time for listening and support. Sometimes, I’m up, and he is down, and sometimes, it is in reverse. Having a person to lean on makes all the difference! I pray this information was helpful and that you can use what you think applies to your relationship. We pray for all of you who listen to this podcast and others on the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network . Thanks for stopping by! The post Healthy Marriage Tips appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network . Click the icon below to listen.…
How many of you struggle in your marriage? I am here to share three marriage secrets. What are they? My husband and I have been married for forty-five years as of this recording, and we’ve practiced them and others. In this podcast, I will discuss marriage secrets from real-life events. Three Marriage Secrets ~ Episode 547 My husband and I have spent hundreds of hours mentoring young, engaged couples at our church for the past four years. We were asked to do this and have struggled to find other couples (until recently) to join our ministry. Why is this? Because many of us struggle with our marriages. Yes, even us. No marriage or life is perfect on this side of heaven, but we can try. We prioritize our marriage and our relationship. Sometimes, it becomes a heroic effort, and that, dear friends, is the issue. Many couples who grow apart have stopped trying. Are there only three marriage secrets? Of course not; there are probably 435 secrets, depending on who you ask! However, these are the top three my husband and I strive for in our relationship. True story: my husband and I have struggled from time to time. Ninety percent of our struggles are when each of us insists we are right. Yes, even after forty-five years of marriage, it happens. In fact, I bought us matching coffee mugs for our last anniversary that say, “45 years of being Mr. Wright” and “45 years of being Mrs. Always Right.” Those are our Sunday mugs. Yes, it is a joke, but it also reminds us that when we focus on being right, we have our eyes on the wrong goal or objective. Our goal is not to catch the other one messing up. It is to lift up the other spouse whenever we can. Women, are we thankful for each day? Men, do you appreciate the efforts your wife makes in your home life? The great news is that we rarely, if ever, argue about big things any longer. We’ve realized that many of our disagreements were petty. We’ve gotten very good at conflict resolution, but that doesn’t mean life is always perfect. There are three main secrets to a long marriage. —>Thanks to our sponsor, NowPrograms.com – their philosophy is to remediate instead of accommodate. Something I’ve been saying for years! A young couple we mentored from our church asked us how we had managed to stay together for so many years while they saw many marriages falling apart. How would you answer this couple? As an aside, that is the most asked question from our pre-marriage couples. We could have given them the list: Be sure you pray. Pray together. Good communication. No character assasination. Always argue in private, not around other people. Work on conflict resolution. Look for the good in each other. Use kind words and words of affirmation Make time to date each other even after marriage. Spend time together doing a mutual hobby. Discuss ways to parent and discipline before marriage. Each of these topics could take an entire podcast in itself, and while I’d love to explore the different points, our three marriage secrets combine some of the points above and exclude others. All of those points are important, but our big three are as follows. Three Marriage Secrets That Work: Number 1: First, Give Your Heart To The Lord. When we give our hearts to the Lord, it means that we are dedicated to a higher authority than our own. We are accountable to God and all that He teaches. It means we seek the good and righteous over the selfishish and petty. As a young woman in my first job, still single, I prayed to the Lord first that I would love Him with all my heart and then that He would bring me the person He selected for me. (I did a podcast some time ago about the True Love Prayer that a friend from college gave me, and I will do another one soon with the full prayer read on air. Yes, I still have a copy.) That prayer impacted my life in a powerful way; it made me focus on the most important thing: my relationship with the Almighty. (Visit A Few Minutes with God Podcast ) I learned to love as Christ loves. ( Podcast here .) Number 2: Divorce Is Not An Option. This is the answer I gave to the young couple, and my husband explained it more fully. “Divorce is not an option. What does that mean?” First, we blew their minds. But, think about it: if you go into marriage with the idea of a temporary situation and a “Let’s see how it goes” approach, that is what you will pour into your relationship, and not in a good way. Many marriages, unfortunately, start in this way. What if we take divorce off the table? It then makes marriage permanent. No one wants a life sentence of strife, disagreement, and unhappiness. So that means you both work hard to make it work; you don’t jump ship when the going gets tough. You work through the ups and downs, the sleepless nights with kids, the career changes, and, in essence, the good times and the bad times because the bad times will come. [Please Note: I’m not talking about staying in abusive marriages where there is physical or mental abuse. Those situations are tragic and, at times, go undetected until marriage. However, sometimes there are red flags that are ignored. This is a podcast for another time. If divorce is not an option, then marriage is a commitment daily. This is a decision, sometimes not a feeling, but it works! We choose each other. If you feel like your marriage is struggling, think about why you went into your marriage in the first place. There has to be a reason, and often, with some thought, you will remember the reasons and how difficult it was to find “the one.” My husband encourages each of the couples to pray and think about this. Along those lines, we need to pray to forgive each other. If you have a strong foundation of faith, it is easier to do. I have several podcasts on Forgiveness HERE and A sking for Forgiveness HERE . ADD LINKS. Number 3: Outgive Each Other. When we do things for each other because we love each other, we should not keep track on a scorecard. Couples that do keep track have difficulty. I know that no one wants to feel unappreciated, but when we wait to be thanked for being a good wife or a good husband, we miss the point of marriage. We give because we love each other; we have different jobs within the home, sometimes overlapping. These jobs are agreed upon at some point in our marriage, and then we work together. These jobs can change. My husband never changed diapers with our first two kids, but he did with children three through five. He never washed dishes until the kids were grown and out of the house. He took out the trash, mowed the lawn, and kept the outside looking nice. He painted walls inside and out, made repairs, and did the heavy lifting. I baked, cleaned, and took care of the laundry and cooking. He did grill, but even that happened many years into our marriage because my kids were raised to help, and truthfully, they were very capable. For those of you who want to be thanked, think of this. We don’t thank the trash pickup for taking our trash off our property, the mail carrier for delivering our mail, or the grocer for stocking their shelves with food. We expect these things to happen; why? Because it is their job. At the same time, it is our job to work together and to give each other our best. Of course, I’m talking about balance and not a spouse on either side who becomes demanding. So how do you outgive? You think about ways to surprise your spouse with something special for dinner or go out for ice cream without the kids. My husband brings me flowers from the grocery or hardware store. He takes out the trash and I usually tell him that makes me happier than the flowers! It is the little things. The surprises, the sticky notes on the mirror or in his wallet that say, “I hope you have a wonderful day. I’m praying for you!” Or when I was cleaning up and found the first card he gave me soon after our first date. It was a Valentine’s Card with a huge bouquet of helium balloons wh purchased at a parade from a street vendor on the way to pick me up! The card said, “From Jeff,” but it was the cutest thing ever. I still tease him about writing “from.” I’ve given this advice to struggling couples: it takes humility to take the first step. Will you humble yourself with the chance of rejection if it means improving your marriage? I would. At times, we’ve each thought our relationship is one-sided, but if you have faith, you know the evil one works overtime in disrupting marriage. God ordains marriage; it is written about in the scriptures. The evil ones may cause you to become dissatisfied, and whatever weakness you have in your marriage or in your confidence will be exploited. Remember, the three marriage secrets include the most important one, your relationship with the Lord. That will give you the strength and the confidence to make your marriage the best it can be. Well, friends, what do you think about the three marriage secrets? Do they resonate with you? Do you disagree? Do you have a big problem in your marriage that you are struggling with? I will pray for you but know that you are loved and prayed for. We often pray for those who listen to our podcasts, and I pray this podcast was a blessing. Please share this episode with a friend, give me a star rating, and follow me on your favorite social media app! Other podcasts you might enjoy: What is God’s Love? 1. One Wise Choice That Can Change Relationships here 2. True Love and How to Find It 3. What Is God’s Love with Felice and Meredith The post Three Marriage Secrets appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network . Click the icon below to listen.…
Le t’s Talk About Marriage—Best Marriage Tips! with your host Felice Gerwitz [Thanks to our sponsor NOWPrograms . Their philosophy is don’t accomodate, remediate. And it really works.] After 40+ years of marriage, I have some of the best marriage tips ever and these really work. You are probably thinking… oh great! Another know-it-all podcaster trying to tell you how to make your marriage work! Well, I have 35 years under my belt–I’m no expert, but I’m a hard-headed, first-generation Italian, New Yorker, married to a German-Irish-American! It has taken years of give-and-take to make our marriage great. And, I wanted to ask some others who have been married for years to chime in with their tips! This podcast contains advice from: Carol Topp : Dollars & Sense Radio ; Hal & Melanie Young : Making Biblical Family Life Practical ; Meredith Curtis : Finish Well Radio ; Andy & Kendra Fletcher : HomeschoolingIRL Show Notes: Scriptures to Study in Regard to Marriage: Genesis 2:22-24 Proverbs: Some I love!! Proverbs: 5:18-19 ; 20:6-7; 30:18-19; 31:10 Matthew: 19:4-6 1-Corinthians: 7:1-6 Mark: 10:6-9 Ephesians: 5:22-33 Links: Test – Learn Your Love Language Recommended Books: The Bible! Look for Books on “Love Language” at the library or your favorite book store. Advice and Tips: Jeff Gerwitz: Keep Communication and Smooch Them Often! Felice Gerwitz: Don’t go to bed angry: A. You both agree to solve your issues before bed — B. Understand the resolution will be a compromise for Both of You! and If you love giving gifts – A. Don’t expect anything in return and B. Accept gifts graciously Carol Topp: One key to marriage success is to set aside time each day to catch up, even if it’s just 10 minutes. A co-worker gave me this advice over 20 years ago and he was right! My show http://dollarsandsenseshow.com. BTW my husband and I had our 30th Anniversary this year. Hal Young: When God created marriage, the very first reason the Bible gives is companionship – “It is not good that the man should be alone,” God said (Genesis 2:18). We should make it our goal to make our mate our best friend as well as our spouse. That takes time and commitment, but don’t we know how to keep up a friendship? Why not use the same relationship skills in our marriage? Their show, Making Biblical Family Life Practical and you can find it on this network – here is an easy way to find them –( HalAndMelanie.com/radio/ ) and they wrote a wonderful book on marriage “My Beloved and My Friend: How To Be Married to Your Best Friend Without Changing Spouses.” ( www.mybelovedandmyfriend.com ). Meredith Ludwig Curtis: Another Mom with a large family, who has a show on this network specifically for teens and that is Finish Well Radio – FinishWellRadio.com – she is married to a Pastor and says, “A key to marriage success: Put Jesus first! Serve Him together! Love Him together! Raise godly children together! Change the world together!” Andy Fletcher: We were given two pieces of advice. The first was very simple: Out serve one another. If you make it your goal to out serve your spouse, you will be in the right mindset. The second piece of advice was just silly: … you’ll have to listen to their podcast to find out! Catch their show on homeschooling and marriage, What Homeschooling Does to Marriage The post Best Marriage Tips appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network . Click the icon below to listen.…
Are you ready to declutter your life and make things easier for yourself and your family? In this podcast, we look at the things holding you back and how to declutter in a way that is super effective. Declutter Your Life – New Year Episode 546 I’m in the midst of the new year, and I’m in the process of clearing up my files. The house has been put to order, mostly, but the end-of-the-year files need to be labeled, stored, and accessible this year as I prepare to file the new year’s receipts. It is a chore I typically dread and push off as long as I can, but this year, as I mentally prepared for the paperwork mess, I decided to not only take inventory of the old files but also look at my life in the same way. When I store files, I look at the things I need to keep, essential records, and the receipts I can throw away, such as those from the grocery or retail stores. I file the papers I need for tax time or house repairs. I keep a file for warranty items as well. Those files stay available through the years, weeding out the items I no longer have. I especially made an effort to categorize my kid’s homeschool papers so that I could show the progression of the year’s work. This is especially important if you opt to have a homeschool evaluation instead of your kids taking a standardized test. Sometimes, I was overwhelmed with sorting and filing when I restarted my homeschooling in January or, truthfully, after any holiday like Thanksgiving or Easter. Whenever we took an extended period off, it wasn’t easy to jump back in, except for the new school year in September. I created an energized “back-to-school” atmosphere, and the kids looked forward to new school supplies, books, and topics of study. This mess adds to the chaos and can become overwhelming. We all lead busy lives, so giving you a list of ten things to accomplish would be counterproductive. Instead, I would like you to think about the incremental approach. Or, as I call it, one step at a time. What are some actionable things you can do easily in a short amount and find some measure of success? Get up earlier than your children to increase your time. Take time to recharge daily or twice a day if time permits. Set aside time to work on personal projects. You need time to recharge. If not early in the morning, then when? Is it late at night? Is it midday? Set aside some time, five, ten, or fifteen minutes, to take a breath and let your mind relax. This is not the time to make lists. If you are afraid, you will forget – jot yourself a note, but that’s it. During a busy season in my life, I put myself last, and when I eventually began having chronic migraines, I needed to reevaluate. Praise God. I learned it was an easy fix, so I drank copious amounts of water and added salt to my diet. Decluttering your life takes a one-syllable word that is two letters. Did you guess the word “No?” If so, you are correct. No was so freeing for me, and it was such a blessing when I focused on my own physical and spiritual health, my spouse, home, and my kids over a homeschool co-op, field trip planning for large groups, or staging a play for 200 kids where I rewrote the play so everyone could have a part. (Yes, I did this for two years.) I eventually learned that I had trained the other homeschool moms to rely on me to get things done, and I also found out that if I set aside one project, some other activity quickly took that place and all of my time to organize. I’m not saying you don’t help or that there is no season for this, but most homeschool moms I know jump in as new homeschoolers and quickly burn out. That is what happened to me. Most of us are highly capable, or we wouldn’t be homeschooling. We can multi-task with the best of them, but seriously, this takes a toll on your family. Saying NO is my number one way to declutter my life to this day. Another is looking at my tasks, setting up a day to complete them, and adding a time element. I started Media Angels when I had two children and was pregnant with my third. (No, this wasn’t planned. ) I then had two more children, all while running a thriving business. I knew traveling and speaking extensively was the norm, but my husband and I decided we’d keep it local and in our state (a few trips out of state), and then online conferences and speaking became a thing. Thank goodness for podcasts and, subsequently, this network that I began in 2013. I had to decide whether the focus was family or business. Sure, many homeschool vendors are successful and make it full-time, but decision-making as a family is imperative, and we decided against full-time travel. What is your big decision to make this year, and how can you compromise as a family? What are some decisions you need to make to thrive at home? Set your priorities. Discuss with your spouse. Bring the kids on board with a plan. Working together as a family has been something I treasure. Whether it is helping to clean the house, make meals, or do the laundry, we are all in this together. Simplifying also means organization. (Media Angels has many planners. One of my favorite planning sets is the 12-Month Organizing & Goal Setting Bundle .) For me, a clean surface helps me declutter mentally. Making sure my kitchen counter does not become cluttered. Workspaces. Having an area to work! School books and materials. Do they have a home? Routines help me with productivity. Daily routines for prayer, meals, chores, lessons, and errands. Daily routines for school. Daily evening routines. Learning to say no, working together as a family, and using available resources are super helpful to start your new year. Whether listening to this during the summer months or in the New Year, looking at ways to declutter your life using an incremental approach is helpful. Lastly, decluttering your personal life. What does this look like? Sadly, I’ve had to detach from different things throughout the year. Social media consumption. Reading for pleasure. Toxic relationships Leaving social media is difficult for some of us, of course we want to catch up with family and friends. However, analyze how much time you spend and what you can do instead if it is taking up your brain space. Does that make sense? This didn’t happen to me regarding social media, but it did in pleasure reading. When the characters take up my thoughts and wonder what they will do to get out of a specific situation, I can commend my fellow authors for a well-done job, but then I need to consider my time and reclaim my head space! And let’s not forget toxic relationships. I’ve had friends who flit from one problem to another and make up a problem if there isn’t one that naturally occurs. Okay, I’m exaggerating, but you probably have a friend in this category, or perhaps you catch yourself in this role. I can’t handle complainers in the long term. And if I do complain on this podcast, you can have permission to email or leave me a post on the podcast show notes and tell me to stop! Of course, we all complain occasionally, but those who chronically complain about everything and everyone make it challenging to deal with in a positive and uplifting way. I’ve made a point of focusing my day on God and prayer in some way. This priority has helped me in my spiritual life and my outlook on life in general. God’s got this, which encourages me as I navigate the sometimes busy and harrowing life of a wife and mom. (Check out A Few Minutes with God Podcast .) Decluttering your life can take many forms, from organizing stuff to becoming more productive in the short term to letting go of the things that bog you down. I commend you for homeschooling and taking the time to focus on your family. I pray this podcast has been helpful and you refer to it at times when you need to be reminded of some quick fixes to help declutter your life! Thanks to our episode sponsor! NowPrograms. I wholeheartedly agree with this unique approach, “Don’t accommodate, remediate. ” Check out the website today! The post DeClutter Your Life – New Year! appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network . Click the icon below to listen.…
Valentine’s Day on the Cheap Episode 254 Are you ready to celebrate Valentine’s day on the cheap, with very little money? In this episode, I will share some great ideas to make the day special for your own Valentine’s Day party for your immediate family or the gang! And there are even ideas for your spouse and for your kids and ways to cut those corners into hearts! Everyone will smile. Thanks to our sponsor! NOW Programs. Valentine’s Day was never my favorite holiday because I didn’t date as a student and didn’t see the examples of the “day” on the “day” at home. My parents told me it was a made-up holiday – yeah, they were realists, and I didn’t see my dad give mom flowers, although I knew they were deeply in love because they were inseparable. We changed all that when we got older and ordered flowers for my mom all the time, in my dad’s name. Gladly, he thought it was great and funny. She never knew! Fast forward to my own experiences with my boyfriend, now my husband and a balloon incident I share on the podcast (listen to hear this funny and embarrassing story!) And, I was hooked! Valentine’s Day can be so expensive. Flowers. Well, where do we begin? So here is my list of those wonderful shortcuts to a grand celebration. Kids: Valentine’s Day On The Cheap Heart cookies. What can be better than heart cookies decorated with sugar crystals or icing? I have a great recipe attached to this podcast. Print it out and enjoy! Bookmarks with glued, cut-out red and pink hearts of assorted shapes and sizes. Purchase a ream of white (at the office supply stores) of 110lb weight. To give you an idea, copy paper is about 20lb weight. You can cut the cardstock in 6 strips, punch a hole for a ribbon. Write the person’s name on the other side with a Bible verse. So much cheaper and prettier than store bought Valentines. Hot cocoa mix. The kids love to make this, I promise, and all you need is sugar and cocoa. No additives. Put it in a container and use it for special occasions. Breakfast: heart-shaped toast – cut off the out ends after you toast the bread, it’s easier! Or try heart-shaped pancakes. Invest in griddle shapes and bring them out for special occasions. One thing I’ve done in the past it put your batter in squeeze bottles and do the outline of the heart free hand and fill it in with batter with a ladle -yes, it works. Lunch: Heart-shaped sandwiches (save edges for croutons or for dinner recipe – see below). Stone soup. Okay, no hearts included but it is a fun cold-weather book to read and then have all the ingredients to make it and the kids can take turns bringing and adding the ingredients for the “best” stone soup ever! Dinner – great ideas include heart-shaped meatloaf (individual) or burgers. Use a cookie heart to shape if needed. Cookies for dessert and/or a cake. Heart-shaped cakes are easy to make. You can use a round cake and a square. Here are some great Pinterest Boards with ideas: Gorgeous Heart Cakes How to Make a Heart Cake Be sure to stay on the email list for the Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network – February’s download is many great ideas for February Adults: Valentine’s Day On The Cheap For Him and Her Flowers, plan a garden. That is what my husband did for me when I stopped his expensive and last-minute gift idea, an enormous bunch of expensive flowers delivered! One look at my credit card bill and that was it! So, he purchased rose bushes for Mother’s day, my birthday, and soon I had a ready-made rose garden! I’m no green thumb so he tended to it and that made it even more special. The kids loved to pick me roses! Time to do a hobby. If your husband likes to play the guitar, give him access with some kid-free time, or does he like to putter in the garage? Again, another great gift. You can give him strips of all his favorite things to select from. Start with five! He will love this gift, I promise. Spend time. My husband loves me to spend time with him. What is your spouse’s love language? Take this quiz together and find out! Quiz for 5 Love Languages here. Dress up – that goes for both of you. No sloppy shirt and hair in a messy bun. Dress up, wear nice – going to church clothes. Yes, I mean it! No devices. Today is media free day! Games with the kids, popcorn, and just time to say, “I love you.” The post Valentine’s Day On The Cheap (Replay) appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network . Click the icon below to listen.…
Family Activity For The New Year ~ Episode 545 What family activity can you do as you close the year or ring in the new year? In this episode, Felice shares how she began the idea of family activities that have a lasting impact and unite the family. Thanks to our sponsor, NowPrograms. I wholeheartedly agree with this unique approach, “Don’t accommodate, remediate. ” Check out the website today! How can you share an activity with your family that will have an impact for years to come? No matter how old (or young) your children are, they can benefit from this idea. When my children were little, most family activities were related to what we did. We cooked, baked, and shared movie night together. There was a routine for these things. If it was movie night or pizza night, we ordered or made pizza, and we picked out a movie to watch as a family and dressed in pjs beforehand. We ate popcorn or some other snack and enjoyed this time together. The person who completed their entire school checklist, including all chores without reminders, could select the movie for the family. There were variations of this for movie selection, which could get contentious between siblings! Family Activity: The family activity had these three elements: Food – breaking of bread Uniting Enjoyable The breaking of bread or eating together has a Biblical symbolism. In fact, many cultures enjoy the family meal, and that is actually a topic of an upcoming podcast in the new year. The family meal is a time to sit together, discuss the happenings of the day, and enjoy each other’s company. Our family rule was to ask permission to leave the table and stay until everyone finished. You may add things like no cell phones or come to the table with one thing you’d like to discuss or talk about — to give the kids time to think and prepare. The developed or planned family activity grew from my children becoming teens and young adults. It was as if I went into hyperdrive to ensure that all that I wanted to teach them about important things were covered before they left. The activity parameters this time were different. It was more about uniting the family, having a faith focus, and ongoing. Let me explain my reasoning so that you can use this as a starting point for your family and add to it as ideas come to you. Family Activity – Gift That Keeps On Giving: Uniting: This brings the family together in some way that helps us realize we are a family that God put together for a reason. Faith Focus: Teaching a deeper truth. God loves us, yes–but there is more. Do we practice the Gifts of the Holy Spirit? 1 Corinthians 12 Ongoing: Something that we think and pray about year-round. When do we do this? We typically hold our activities on the second-to-last day that everyone is with us for the Christmas holiday, but the ideas have been brewing for a while. The ideas came in prayer, but then I tweaked them to make them work the best for our family. One idea stemmed from a favorite Christmas movie, “The Christmas Card.” The story was about a faithful young woman who wrote Christmas cards each year to the soldiers overseas. One of her cards went to a hardened sergeant who, when ordered, took leave and traveled to the town to see for himself if the town was as beautiful as the card made it seem. The family activity was to write a Christmas Card to each other (randomly drawn names) and include a note encouraging them all year long. This turned out to be wonderful, and I treasure the card I received from one of my sons, which sits in my Bible. I take it out from time to time to read. As a family, we do not write to each other, especially when we all live under the same roof and even when the kids leave. It is so much easier to send a text or call. This was one of my favorite activities. Another one was repurposing some cardstock door hangers. I printed them out with one side showing a beautiful mountain scene and a Scripture verse, and on the back, it was blank. I passed out stickers, each labeled with a fruit of the spirit. You can look up the fruit of the Spirit in the book of Galatians 5:22-23. In a nutshell, they are: love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness self-control I asked each person to star the one they wished they had in abundance and put their name on the back of the door hanger. Then I collected them and passed them out randomly to each person. If someone gets their own, they hand it back or trade it with someone else. The “activity” is a year-long prayer for the person who received to receive this gift. I would remind the kids to pray for their “person,” and often, I was told, “Mom, I do each night!” These activities are wonderful examples of how we can take a craft or event even and turn it into a memorable lesson for us all. Parents are included – I’m not sure I mentioned that earlier. Let me be honest here: my adult kids groaned every time I presented this type of thing and then fought with each other (good-naturedly), wanting to do the best job (at the craft part – at least). Did I say I have a very competitive family of athletes? Be sure to let your spouse know about this activity in advance so they can pray in advance and give you ideas or suggestions. This past Christmas, the idea centered around the Power of Three. This is Biblical because numbers are often repeated in the scriptures to teach a more profound truth. We think of the three of the Trinity – one God and three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We think of three in the Holy Family: Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and so on. I explained this to my family, and then I explained that we would do a tangible activity and something they could keep in their Bibles for the year and consider the idea of the power of the Gospel and its impact on our lives. I passed out a sheet of paper and had my family fold them into threes, horizontal and vertical, with the final square being small. Then, I asked them to open the paper and write the “threes” in Scripture that stood out to them. I also site the Scripture verse, Matthew 18:20: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” They dove into this activity, even “cheating” by pulling up the concept on their cell phones and citing the number of times three is used in scripture (467). After completing this, we discussed the importance of family and praying together. I then paired the family into two as prayer partners. Two or more symbolized the two, and the third was bringing God into their prayers. This tiny idea was brewing for some time. At one point, I considered some memento, perhaps on a keychain, that reminds them to pray for each of us in the family. Instead, the folded paper idea won out. If you have ideas, contact me or post them on the website—VHM Episode 545. I’d love to see how you celebrate the new year with your family. I pray this gives you some ideas for an activity you can do with the family after the Christmas holiday or whenever you gather together. I pray you had a blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year. Thanks for listening in, and stay tuned for incredible new and exciting shows from Vintage Homeschool Moms and all of us at the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network. The post Family Activity for the New Year appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network . Click the icon below to listen.…
New Year’s Eve Family Fun Episode 318 New Year’s Eve is the perfect time to make resolutions for the new year and share them with your family. In this episode, we explore ways to make New Year’s Eve memorable. New Year’s Eve is associated with parties and festivities but with family, the ideas will be more in keeping with what really matters! With New Years Day approaching it is fun to make a New Year’s Resolution and prepare with your children ahead of time. Help children think about New Year’s Resolution. Talk about character qualities but don’t point out flaws. Share what you will resolve For example: pray what you will resolve, acts of service, etc. Food & Things To Do: Think light foods – finger foods and snacks Game Day — play board games or outdoor games if time permits. Read: read aloud books Walk Call relatives – use visual Bake/ prepare for New Year’s Day meal Movie Light dinner, pizza or a tray of snack foods Countdown to the New Years Day! Thank you to our sponsor, NOW Programs . The post New Year’s Eve Family Fun appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network . Click the icon below to listen.…
Faith Building Activities Episode 325 Having fun and learning while teaching the faith, yes! Faith-building activities are discussed, as well as ways to help your children see the spiritual connection between faith and the Bible. So, we all want to help our children grow in the Lord; in fact, the Scriptures tell us this Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. And of course, Deuteronomy 6:5-9 Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA) Scriptures as Faith Builders Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole strength. And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thy heart: And thou shalt tell them to thy children, and thou shalt meditate upon them sitting in thy house, and walking on thy journey, sleeping and rising. And thou shalt bind them as a sign on thy hand, and they shall be and shall move between thy eyes. And thou shalt write them in the entry, and on the doors of thy house. There are so many more Scriptures as well! However, the most amazing thing I’ve learned, and I am sure you’ve experienced this, is that our kids pick up our worse habits! And, I’m sure it is because it is the ones that are modeled the most – yes, I’m talking to myself here as well. But the good news is that if we model great behavior, praying, reading our Bible, and doing Bible Study, the kids will also pick up our habits. Prayer as a Faith Builder First, stop and pray. Ask the Lord how best to teach your children. Ask the Lord to help you to find those teachable moments that bring home the love and compassion the Lord has for each one of us and especially His unconditional love for us! You know, when you look at other religions outside of Catholicism and Christianity, you find that the gods that these faiths worship require different things. Some require obedience and submission, others require worship or ritualistic sacrifice. Our God only requires our obedience and love, and He returns His love to us. Christianity is the truth. It is the real thing. It is not a falsehood. And, with that comes an amazing responsibility to teach our children and share the good news. Here are my top 10 favorite Faith Building Activities: The First 5 Faith Building Activities Attending Church Praying as a family – before meals, in the evening. Daily praise reports – what are we thankful for each day? We do this every evening after our evening prayers or devotionals Reading the Bible – and add a journal for older kids, be sure to check out this podcast on Teaching the Bible Listening to good Christian audios: Such as Christian music, or teaching audios like Adventures in Odyssey And 5 More Faith Building Activities Watching good Christian films, for example, on sites like PureFlix . Story Starters: make a list of questions such as: What would Jesus do? Give them different scenarios, such as when mom asks you to pick up your clothes, help with the dishes, or do chores in general. Games that teach Christian concepts – https://childrensministry.com/10-active-indoor-sunday-school-games/ One we use to play as kids focused on the need to trust. What you would do is have someone stand in front of an adult and tell the kid to fall back. Most of the time, kids just can’t let go. The idea is that God is there all the time for us, and we need to let go to feel his arms around us, His embrace. Another fun game that was in the handout link on the show notes is giving two different kids a set of combination locks. One is given the combination, and the other isn’t. One will struggle, and the other will open the lock easily. The point here is to show that when we try to do things on our own, without listening to God, we struggle. But if we listen to God and follow His instructions, things will go so much easier. Acts of service. Helping at a food kitchen, collecting clothes and gently used toys to donate, visit the elderly at nursing homes. Memorizing Scripture and Prayers. Remember Friends, remember that the best way to teach about our faith is by demonstrating your love of God to others and setting an example. I pray that this podcast has been helpful and ask that you share the show with a friend, give me a star rating on iTunes or any podcast app where you listen, and please join me next week when I discuss helpful tips for parenting. This holiday replay episode is sponsored by NOW Programs. The post Holiday Replay | Top 10 Faith Building Activities appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network . Click the icon below to listen.…
Best Homeschool Planning Tips Episode #214 The best homeschool planning tips are the ones we often forget. With this simple outline your year will begin with a great start! Often, what we do is we get laser focused on school and forget we have a life. We are so excited we have our books – our schedule laid out and then when the afternoon rolls around we are FREAKED OUT we don’t have anything planned for dinner. In this episode I cover three simple guidelines. Visit our podcast sponsor! NOW Programs. Show Notes: The Best Homeschool Planning Tips The best advice I can give you about planning your school year is don’t forget about the REST of your life. God Spouse School Meals Laundry Meals Doctors Field Trips Do take time to plan your entire year – yes, your year Do you seasonal themes especially if you school younger children – older children love this too. Do plan breaks and save days for field trips as they come up Do plan time for family chores Do plan time for meal prep – mega cooking and FREEZE or can Utilize cooking in your schedule – 3. Think through things once and forget it! Just like the crock pot recipe commercials would say the set it and forget it – the same thing with your planning. School Schedule. Times! Break fail – after lunch very hard to get back to work Finish math – or writing projects Science experiments Read Year End Notebook Keep work samples for each subject ALL YEAR LONG Put in pocket sheets and clear vinyl slip sheets to keep things like pictures, samples of math, writing, history, and science papers. Art projects etc. Tests and progress Go out bag. Put in all the things you will need. Pick it up and go. If you have older kids put a laminated card on the outside and someone can double check the bag to be sure nothing wandered out or was not replaced. (Tell forgetting diaper bag – had the baby!) One for field trips One for the park One for church Chore chart – Meals Laundry Day The post Best Homeschool Planning Tips (Replay) appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network . Click the icon below to listen.…
Holiday Savings – Episode 544 Can you save money during the holidays? There is no way, right? Holiday savings can happen no matter the season; Felice shares ten ways to make your holidays shine, from reusable decorations to gift-giving and regifting items that work. Now Programs sponsors this episode. If you have a child who learns differently and needs help, check the website for more information. One of my friends purchased an amazing home. It had turrets, a huge wood wrap-around porch, and many amazing extras like a library and room on the third floor she transformed into a school room. The fixtures were brass, there was an antique stove in the kitchen, and the lighting fixtures were priceless. This home went for way below market value, and all due to the downturn of the housing market and the overspending of the recipient of an inheritance given ahead of time. The house was built using money that was a gift from the still-living parents. They wanted to see their children spend the money they left them while they were alive. So, the opportunity wasn’t because the family could not afford it but because it was a gift. While you may not have a million dollars to gift your children for Christmas, this idea can spur you to think about what you have that you can give your kids. What have you inherited from your grandparents, an aunt, or your parents that you can give (without hard feelings) to your children? Here is a list of some items I have: Petrified stone – the state parks now outlaw this for removal. Large conch shells – this, too, is no longer allowed to be removed from oceans. Crystal Fine china Expensive glass artifacts Jewelry Tools Furniture (anything you plan to replace?) Machinery Art So, some of my kids may not appreciate these gifts, but others would. There are many meaningful ways to give or regift. Early on in our married life, none of us had much money, so when we gathered with my husband’s sisters, they were more frugal than I by a long shot. One sister took a wicker basket and placed an electrical clock on the front, and I used this in my kitchen for years until it broke. What gave her the idea? I had wicker baskets of all sizes hanging on the wall around my kitchen as decoration. What a great idea that cost so little; it probably cost under $5 if you considered getting the basket at a thrift store. What do you know about the person you are buying for, and how can you use this knowledge to your advantage? There are gift cards. Check your credit card dashboard to see if you can redeem points for gift cards. This is normally a fairly good way to redeem your points, but it changes depending on your cards. I use these for stocking stuffers. Look for early Black Friday deals. Some restaurants offer ten-dollar gift cards with the purchase of one hundred dollars in advance. If you frequent this restaurant, it is worth the purchase. There are also deals on attractions. The zoo, aquarium, and all the attractions here in Florida. While $89 a person may be steep on sale, the usual price is $140. If you are planning to visit a unique location, check out the Black Friday sales, and you may save a ton of money. Gift cards for services. I loved the gift cards for a neck rub, car wash, or even cleaning my glasses! I wore contact lenses so much of my life that when I switched to glasses at home, I could not stand even a speck of dirt. You can suggest gift cards for “services” you might enjoy from your little ones. Thrift store shopping. My best friend from high school came to visit a few weeks ago, and I took her to thrift stores in a neighboring city near a high-end part of town. She knows her stuff and the cost. We ended up with amazing finds. She bought an entire place setting of china for less than four plates. There were some special sales, and we took advantage of them. I gained some wonderful candle sconces for the top of my fireplace for bargain prices and would have loved those as a gift! While it may be hard to buy a gift from the Thrift store if your family is not so inclined, others may value these gifts. Past Podcasts – Holiday Savings: Christmas Preparation Best Christmas Ever Christmas Memories Last Minute Christmas Prep Christmas Countdown Gifts Under Ten Dollars Top Ten Chrismas Movies Christmas Final Touches You can definitely use thrift store items for decorations, and they are usually amazing. I purchased tablecloths in two colors and use them all year long: deep red and golden. I pair them with different-colored napkins depending on the season. I use cheap clear glass plates for my “expensive” tableware. If they break, I am not heartbroken. What can you recycle, regift, or make for your family or friends? One of the treasured items these days is baked items. Many people I know do not bake sourdough, which is a new item on my gift-giving list. I’ve finally made the bread giftable. What item do you bake that is a good gift? For those who do not like to bake, one of the best gifts I’ve received from friends who don’t cook is dipped chocolate items. One friend purchased large hard pretzels in a bag and used dipped chocolate on half with a drizzle of white chocolate and a light coating of sprinkles. She then bagged these and gifted them in a basket. (Again, something you can buy at bargain stores.) Gift baskets are always well received, especially those created with love. That is the standing joke in our family: the food is made with love, and the gifts are given with love. We recently started making homemade pasta with a pasta machine. Once we perfect the drying-out process, this will turn into another gift-giving idea. The pasta is made for pennies (yes, I know pasta is cheap), but it does not taste the same! Brainstorm with your children (their ideas are often hilarious) and your spouse. See what you can come up with that are options and enjoy the Christmas season with less stress to break the bank! The post Count Down – Holiday Savings appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network . Click the icon below to listen.…
Countdown to Christmas Planning Episode 310 The countdown to Christmas can be a wonderful and blessed time, especially if we make a plan that this year will be different. The stress and harried approach is now in the past and we are going to do this with prayer and the grace that comes only from God! In this episode Felice shares some of her secrets to getting it down with plenty of time to spare. Our sponsor — NOW Programs. Friends, it is time to take charge of our lives and get ready for the best Christmas ever with the focus on what really matters. I have about three steps to this plan so it is easy to implement and so simple! One thing I would recommend is that you begin each day with prayer and end each day with prayers. We use an advent wreath. I have a special countdown to Christmas activity you can do with your children and I’ve podcasted about this as well – the link for that podcast is on this episode 310 First is make a list and cross off anything you do not want to do. I’m serious! Here is what a typical Christmas countdown list looks like: Decorate the house / buy or put up the tree Take a Christmas picture for a card/write and send cards Buy or make presents for ____ people. Wrap Presents Bake cookies or gifts to give or keep to eat. Shop for Christmas dinner Prepare ahead for Christmas dinner Set Up for Christmas day Finish last minute prep – presents or wrapping Make Christmas Dinner What is on this list that you can avoid? The two that stand out for me are the Christmas cards and the baking. Everything else you have to do… whether you buy presents or make them. You still have to wrap them. Second is put your list in order of deadlines Print out a month at a glance calendar – I have one on the show notes of VintageHomeschoolMoms.com if you don’t have one. You will need to add the dates to the calendar as it is blank. Use a pencil and list your deadline dates. Try to get your shopping done one week ahead of time. Third: Implement your list! Helpful Christmas Countdown Hints: Decorate in one day if at all possible. This includes setting up the tree (in our case we buy a fresh tree). It also means getting help to watch the little ones and enlisting the help of the entire family! Shop online whenever possible. I’ve enclosed a link to a helpful article on Moolah.com about 5 best apps. The one I use is Honey. It does a great job online in telling me if there is a coupon I can use and it automatically https://www.joinmoolah.com/blog/5-best-apps-for-receiving-a-price-drop-alert/ When you are shopping check your phone and compare – I know you do this anyway, but many times it is just as cheap to buy it now in the store. Stores have become very good at price comparing themselves. Use gift bags… this is a huge time saver. One of my friends has 11 children and she uses one large gift bag to keep all the children’s gifts in. They love the idea of getting to their gifts quicker (her words) and she says they take turns watching each child open their gifts. Christmas baking – one friend doesn’t bake at all it stresses her. For me the stress in not in baking – it is my destresser! It is in sending out 100+ Christmas cards with a Christmas letter. Now, I only send out cards to immediate family and if we can get a picture taken at Thanksgiving, then great! If not – the card goes out without the photo. Making vs. buying gifts. If you have time, I love the idea of personally created gifts. You can make gift mixes (my December printable will have some of my mix ideas for muffins). Otherwise, start this in the summer. It is so much easier that way! Thank you to Heirloom Audios. Lasting value and spiritual benefits — Christian history – audio adventures Movies for the Minds CD Sets GiveTheAdventure.com and NOW Progams for sponsoring this podcast episode. The post Countdown To Christmas Planning appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network . Click the icon below to listen.…
Giving Thanks – Episode 543 It is the season to give thanks, but giving should be our mission, no matter the season. How can we encourage our children, spouse, and families to see the bright side? Felice shares simple tips and activities you can do with your family in this podcast. Thanks to our sponsor, NowPrograms . Visit the website to learn about a unique way to help those who learn differently, regardless of age. Here are some great Thanksgiving Podcasts for Kids: Kids Crafts Thanksgiving Memories As I entered church this past Sunday, I noticed that the giving tree was up in the lobby. On this tree are name tags with a number and the item or product the family desires for their child. This year, I noticed our Parish selected a neighboring church that we ministered to many years before when my children were little. Several families banded together to create a party for the people at the church after a church service one Sunday. We were treated like royalty; all we did was put up festive decorations and bring trays and trays of cookies, cakes, and other foods that accompanied their vast trays of “real” food. We were trying to teach our children that giving thanks for what we had was more important than what we received. It failed. Why did this fail? It failed in the way we thought it would go, as we were hoping to bless this community. However, the lovely people who had nothing gave back so much in gratitude. We were blown away by how thankful the people were and how many kids came up and hugged us—even our kids! Truly, it wasn’t a total failure because our children did notice. They noticed how happy the families were who, by our standards, had nothing. We pointed out that the materially poor did not equal happiness and thankfulness. Giving Thanks – Hands-On We can talk about giving thanks or show our children in real and concrete ways. My co-author in the Creation Science Series, Jill Whitlock* would take her boys to the soup kitchen each Thanksgiving and help prepare and distribute meals to those struggling and less fortunate. She shared that often, there were families that joined the lines of those without. She began this after her divorce as a way to show her family that was struggling that others had it worse than they did. What a testimony to God’s love. *Jill went to be with the Lord in 2007, and I miss her even today. She was such an inspiration for God’s love and faithfulness. How can we teach our children to give? By giving ourselves. Some children have this innate love of giving. My youngest would find things around the house, wrap them up for me, and then gift them to me. I was often surprised at the trinkets he thought would be a good gift for his mom. It showed a loving heart; I could nurture this as a mom. It isn’t difficult for some children to give, but what about those who tend to be a bit more stingy? One way is to enlist this child to help you brainstorm ideas or collect items to donate to others. My daughter would teach her children to select one stuffed animal or toy to give away yearly in a drive for gently used toys. Some children were on board, and others were not. She didn’t force the issue. However, she praised the children who did, marveling at their choices. This helped by providing an example for the reluctant child to participate. But, if the child did not, she didn’t make it a big deal and squelched any sibling peer pressure. She explained that it was better to give from the heart or not at all — and she was right. You can’t force giving or someone to be thankful. I have a child who has struggled through his life to be grateful. One reason could be that hardships seem to follow him, but another is that he does not appreciate what God has given him. Love and thankfulness are free. It is a gift, but it is totally free, and only when we recognize it can we appreciate it. Years ago, a downturn in the housing market hit us financially. Goen were the years of plenty, and we were in for the long haul of making do with what we had. I took an inventory of our lifestyle. It was easy for the children and me to gather together and look at what we could take away from our budget. The youngest three were the ones who learned the most from this trial. We stopped buying paper plates, stopped bottled water delivery (it was way cheaper to bring empty bottles to the place and have them exchanged), and stopped the cleaning service we previously enjoyed. Everyone pitched it. When a dog came up for sale, the children band together, putting their hard-earned money toward the purchase of $100. They only had $95, and when we went to the private individual selling the dog, he accepted the $5 less. He saw they were a bunch of small bills, and I told him the children only had this much money. This beloved dog passed away only a year ago; they had the dog for sixteen years. Life lessons can not be taught and don’t come out of a book. Each Christmas, when the family gathers, all young adults now have an activity we share before they scatter to their own homes. Two are out of town, and the other three live in the same town. These activities keep us together and praying for each other all year long. First, when everyone gathers each night before bed, we pray, and then we go around the room saying what we are thankful for. It is an old routine from their youngest years and comes full circle into adult life. I pray and ask the Lord for ideas for activities, and they change over the years. I hope to have a book for sale within the next year to share these activities. Currently, there are only twenty, but they have made an amazing impact on our lives. Last year, I placed words of encouragement in an envelope, and these were selected randomly. Each person kept their “word,” and we as a family wrote them down and prayed for each member for this word. Two people received the word “hope.” Two people received the word “peace.” Two people received the word “love.” And, one received the word “joy.” My son, the one who struggles with thankfulness, received joy! I received the word peace along with my son in the military. I suggested we change out the activity this past Easter, and all said no! They wanted it to continue. I have no idea what the activity will be this year, but God does — so we will wait and see! Look for life lessons in your family, whether it is making bread for the neighbor who lost their husband, helping to mow a neighbor’s lawn, or helping a poor church by purchasing gifts for each of the tags you select from a giving tree. When the children were younger, they would each select a gift and contribute to the purchase of an item with their “earned” money. I never paid for chores, but I did have a list of “extras” the kids could do to earn money. Any time the kids wanted to earn money, there were plenty of weeds to pull, trash to take out to the road (usually dad’s job), the garage to clean, cars to wash, etc. The job standards were high, so payment required a job well done with all items picked up in the end. Out of five children, I have three who are extremely frugal and two who are not. Yet, all are thankful for the lives we’ve lived some years of struggling. This year, as we approach Thanksgiving, my husband needs a knee replacement. While the holidays are not a time I’d select, I’m thankful for the doctor who is a personal friend of the family, thankful for all of you who will pray and thankful for my family who is here to surround us and help. May you have a blessed Thanksgiving, or whatever the upcoming holiday is, as you listen to this podcast–any season is the right season to be thankful and praise God for all that He has allowed to happen in our lives. Easy, no, but believe me, it will help you to be thankful for all those things that are free. The sunset, the sunrise, the food on the table, and the things we take for granted each day. Look around. What are you thankful for each and every day? Make it a habit, and it will bless you and your family! The post Giving Thanks ~ No Matter What The Season appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network . Click the icon below to listen.…
Thanksgiving Memory Book ~ Episode 416 What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory? Another episode just for kids! Join Felice as she shares her encouragement to notice those little things that are important to appreciate. Thanks to NowProgams for sponsoring this episode. Be sure to go to VintageHomeschoolMoms.com – episode 416 and you will find a copy of the Thanksgiving Memory Book – Thanksgiving Memory Book Thanksgiving is a time to make memories and share joy with others. A fun craft is to take branches and make a Thankful tree. You add leaves to the tree and on each, you can put a word that reminds you of something you are thankful for. Think About This: What are you thankful for? People may ask you that question and you may say, “I don’t know!” I get it, sometimes it seems that the questions you get asked don’t really have good answers. Here is a challenge for you. Do you think you can do this? Start looking around. What do you see? Here are some possibilities. You see people in your family, you see the things that you own, you see the things that are part of your world. Maybe a pet, or something you think is important. It may not be valuable meaning it costs lots of money, but it is valuable to you. So what are those things? Maybe you are thankful for: Your family. Your home. You brothers or sisters. Your friends. Your toys. The food that you eat. Your pets. A favorite vacation. A favorite sport you play. A hobby you have. These are just a few of the things you may be thankful for. We did this quickly, but you can take more time to do this on your own. So, the next time someone asks you what you are thankful for you will be able to answer it quickly. Have you ever had a super fun time doing something and wish you had pictures or written down exactly what you did? How about keeping a memory book? Have you ever kept a journal? A memory book is something like that. I have a free one you can download here: – Thanksgiving Memory Book You can add things like what you are grateful for but you can also list who was at your celebration, what you did, and what you ate. Maybe your family plays games. What is it that made the day special. What are some traditions that your family does every year? Think about this. Do you have your celebration at your house? Do you go somewhere special for Thanksgiving? Do you eat turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy? What is your favorite dessert? One time, friends of mine lived far away from their family and friends, in fact, they had just moved to a new town. So they decided they wanted to have a different type of Thanksgiving and had a picnic. They had turkey sandwiches, and fun sides, and they played games at the park. The kids all said it was one of their favorite Thanksgiving memories. Have you ever heard that what makes something special is what you put into it? You might not think the food at Thanksgiving is very good, maybe you don’t like turkey and gravy. But, either way what you are celebrating makes it special to you. (Remember – what are you putting into the celebration?) I had another friend who used Thanksgiving as a day to help out at a soup kitchen, a place that cooks meals for the poor. She said she felt so thankful for all that God had given her that she wanted to give of her time for others. That is truly being unselfish, isn’t it? Each person can give from what they have and share it with someone else. You can do this in your family as well. Whatever you do to celebrate this happy day, I pray that you make memories that you will always remember. I hope you have a very special thanksgiving with your family and your friends. Even if you have a turkey sandwich at the park this year, make it the best Thanksgiving memory ever! The post Thanksgiving Memory Book appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network . Click the icon below to listen.…
Education At Home ~ with Sam Sorbo ~ Episode 542 Have you considered education at home as an option for your family? Join Felice Gerwitz and Sam Sorbo, actress, author, conservative pundit, and home education advocate, for a lively discussion that will dispel many false concepts about home education. Thanks to NowProgams for sponsoring this episode. We are all called to homeschool, but few take up the challenge. There are many valid excuses for this, yet for those who believe, God will provide. Over the years, I’ve been a homeschool advocate. I homeschooled my five children for thirty-two years, yet I’ve never thought everyone should homeschool. I’ve changed my mind. The toxic culture in which we live begs for a new generation of Christian children who can stand up, articulate, and be heard. These are the kids whose faith only strengthens within the home and becomes the shining light of truth and justice. Educating this new generation of children is imperative for our culture to flourish. (End of soapbox rant My special guest today is Sam Sorbo! Mrs. Sam Sorbo is an actress, conservative pundit, radio show host, writer, and passionate child home education advocate. She released a PARENTS’ GUIDE TO HOMESCHOOL: MAKING EDUCATION EASY AND FUN – a soup-to-nuts, all-you-need-to-know-to-get- you-started workbook for parents who want to homeschool their children. Mrs. Sam Sorbo offers personal experience, insights, and encouragement to begin your and your children’s true educational journey. Visit her at Sorbo Studios. Sam’s perspective on homeschooling changed dramatically after placing her children in what was considered the best school at the time. In fact, they moved to be in the school district because of the school was highly recommended. She also became intune to her son’s outside influence within the structure of school and interactions with children of the same age. Sam’s passion is evident, and she is more than an advocate for homeschooling; she is the next champion of home education for new generations of parents. These are parents who care about their children’s academic education, yes, but more so about the future of their children’s minds and hearts. Having the ability and the passion for homeschooling, Sam has dedicated time to mentoring other parents at Sam Sorbo Locals – visit the link her for a sneak peak of the videos available. Education At Home ~ Discussion: Why Sam began homeschooling. The false concept of public/private education. The foundations of education and the impact on children today. The “brainwashing” of our children. Authority of teachers vs. parents. The fundamental right Christian parents abdicate by putting their children into traditional and even Christian schools. The calling of God to home-educate A “Parent’s Guide to Homeschool” and the purpose of this book. Homeschooling shouldn’t be hard. Why is that? Sam’s book helps parents figure out how they want to homeschool. It is a wonderful resource. One concept is to look at what you want in your life and how you want your relationship with your children to look, not only now but in the future. Check out the book on Sam’s website and get an autographed copy. The post Education At Home ~ Sam Sorbo Homeschool Advocate appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network . Click the icon below to listen.…
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