Ironically, when your family is together almost all the time, it can be challenging to pull away from the demands of homeschooling to just enjoy being together and have fun as a family. But taking a break is good for parents and children alike. In this episode, I'll share some of my favorite ways to make special family memories, including building family traditions, spending one-on-one time with each child, exploring the world, and enjoying the journey as well as the destination. I'd love...

  There are millions of books available today. How on earth can you choose what's best to read? In this episode, we'll consider how to choose good books—both for yourself and for your children. This is part 2 of a series on why, what, how, and when to read and why and how to build a home library. Three Types of Books To be able to choose good books, you need to understand the different types of books. Apart from the usual categories of fiction and nonfiction, there are three main...

Why should we read? You probably already know some of the benefits, such as education and entertainment, but there are many more. This is part 1 of a series on why, what, how, and when to read and why and how to build a home library. Why am I doing a series about reading on the "Flourish At Home" show? Because reading is an important part of a flourishing life! Education is one of my 7 FREEDOM tools that we discussed in episode 15, and reading is a great way to take care of yourself by...

It’s hard  to get anything done when you’re constantly being interrupted. You know exactly what I’m talking about, don’t you? You’re desperately trying to accomplish some task, and the phone rings. The dryer buzzes. The baby cries. You hear a mysterious crash from the kitchen. The doorbell rings. Calgon can’t even take you away because it’s impossible to get 5 minutes alone in the bathroom. No matter how well we manage our time, our best efforts are often undermined by interruptions. I’m...

Homeschooling is primarily a family endeavor. Even the name "homeschooling" has the word "home" in it! One of its greatest benefits is the ability to customize one-on-one instruction with your children instead of the less personal group instruction they'd get in an institutional school. So would it be inconsistent to move some of your homeschooling back out of the home and into a homeschool co-op? Not at all! Co-ops aren't a good fit for some families, but they're a great blessing to...

Moms are masters of multitasking. We have to be in order to survive! Multitasking is the final tool in my FREEDOM toolbox—7 tools for making the most of our time so we can live balanced, peaceful lives. Here’s a quick review of the tools: * Focus * Reflect * Educate * Eliminate * Discipline * Organize * Multitask Does it seem strange for the tools to begin with focusing and end with multitasking? Isn't that contradictory? No, it's not. The challenge is that you have to...

How do you respond to the word organization? * Does it make you cringe? Do you feel guilty because you’re hopelessly disorganized and wish you could be more organized? * Does it make you smile, with a happy sigh that all’s right with the world? * Do you think a certain amount of clutter is a sign of a happy home? * Do you resist the whole idea of organization—maybe because it reminds you of a neat-freak friend who labels everything in her household, uses color-coordinated storage...

Discipline—self-discipline, that is—is the fifth tool in my FREEDOM toolbox—7 tools for making the most of our time so we can live balanced, peaceful lives. Here’s a quick overview of the tools: * Focus * Reflect * Educate * Eliminate * Discipline * Organize * Multitask Self-discipline is a major factor in how you exercise stewardship over the gifts and responsibilities God has given you—including how you manage your time. It's the tool you use to implement the priorities...

In the previous two episodes, we've been talking about my FREEDOM toolbox–7 tools that help us make the most of our time so we can live peaceful, balanced lives. These are the tools: * Focus * Reflect * Educate * Eliminate * Discipline * Organize * Multitask Today we’ll look at the fourth tool: Eliminate. Have you ever struggled with trying to do it all? The truth is NO ONE CAN DO IT ALL. We all have to be selective about how we use our time and energy. If you want to...

In the previous episode, we began talking about my FREEDOM toolbox--7 tools for making the most of our time so that we can live balanced, peaceful lives. These are the tools: * Focus * Reflect * Educate * Eliminate * Discipline * Organize * Multitask Today we'll look at the third tool: Educate. It's easy for homeschooling moms to get so caught up in educating our children that we forget about educating ourselves! We can get caught up in curriculum, lesson plans, and...

* Are you often discouraged and overwhelmed? * Are you paralyzed by a to-do list so long that you don’t know where to start? * Are you drowning in clutter so that you can never find what you need? * Do you easily get distracted and lose your focus? * Do you feel guilty that you don’t meet someone else’s Supermom standards? Would it surprise you to learn that other moms have faced all of these challenges? I’ve certainly struggled with all of them myself! The truth is that NO ONE...

In episode 12, we looked at the first 3 of 7 powerful planning tools to help you organize your busy life: Big Dream, Yearly Goals, and Monthly Calendar. In this episode, we'll look at how to use the last 4 tools: * Weekly Plan * Daily Tasks * Running To-Do List * Stop-Doing List If 7 planning tools seem a bit overwhelming, feel free to fit them to tweak your own life. Just remember that no matter how many forms or lists you use, you still have to make decisions in each of...

What Do I Do Next? Planning Tools (Part 1) As you go about your busy day, do you have a hard time deciding what to do next? How do you focus on what's most important, and how do you make tough choices when there are more tasks than hours in the day? What Do I Do Next? Planning Tools (Part 1) I've developed 7 powerful planning tools that will help you set long-term and short-term goals to evaluate, prioritize, and conquer your never-ending to-do list. In this episode of the "Flourish at...

Think you're too busy to set goals? The truth is that the busier you are, the MORE you need to set goals and create a plan for meeting them! In this episode of the "Flourish at Home" show, I share how setting goals helped me move from the chaos of flying by the seat of my pants to a more peaceful, balanced life. You'll learn my strategies for setting specific, measurable, big, written, shared goals that will make a powerful difference in your daily life. If you want more...

Do you ever feel pressured to create a Pinterest-perfect Christmas? Let go of burdensome expectations and focus instead on creating meaningful traditions that you and your family can enjoy year after year . . . without losing your sanity! In this episode I share some of my own favorite Christmas traditions: keeping Christ in Christmas, decorating the tree and the house, collecting special ornaments, giving gifts, sending Christmas cards, and enjoying delicious food. I also share my...

Homeschooling moms are sometimes so busy training our children that we can forget to examine our own hearts. Do you ever struggle with guilt or fear? Are you paralyzed by perfectionism? Are you ever tempted to complain  about your own life or to envy someone else's? On this episode of the Flourish at Home show, we’ll be talking about how we can make a choice every day to honor God with our thoughts, attitudes, and emotions as well as our actions.

Laundry and dishes and dust--oh my! Laundry and dishes and dust! Do you ever feel like you're walking through a dark, creepy forest, but instead of the unknown threats of lions and tigers and bears, you're facing a never-ending mountain of laundry and dishes and dust? Sometimes the busyness of life can overwhelm us and tempt us to forget the profound significance of our work as homemakers. In this episode, we'll consider the importance of homemaking with a grateful heart; learn some...

Ironically, when your family is together almost all the time, it can be challenging to pull away from the demands of homeschooling to just enjoy being together and have fun as a family. But taking a break is good for parents and children alike. In this episode, I'll share some of my favorite ways to make special family memories, including building family traditions, spending one-on-one time with each child, exploring the world, and enjoying the journey as well as the destination. I'd love...

People often ask me how I manage to homeschool and run a home business as a single mom. One of the most important factors is that I have taught my sons how to run the household. In this episode, I'll talk about how to train your children to be independent and responsible, how to take initiative, and how to serve others cheerfully. These four things will prepare your children well for adulthood and contribute greatly to building a balanced life for your whole family now. These sample chore...

Are you committed to homeschooling but finding it hard to get it all done? Join Mary Jo Tate as she shares 6 of her best practical strategies developed over 18 years of homeschooling.

Are you considering homeschooling and wondering whether it will work for your family? Are you trying to choose curriculum? Are you an experienced homeschooler who could use a reminder of the benefits and a little encouragement? Join Mary Jo Tate as she explores the why, how, when, and where of homeschooling. You'll learn that there is NO One Right Way to homeschool because the right way for YOU to homeschool is what works best for you and your family.

Have you ever thought, “I could get everything done if I just had more than 24 hours in a day?” I’ve certainly fantasized about having more hours in my day! Time is our most priceless resource because we can’t get any more of it. Each person has exactly 168 hours a week—no more, no less. Think about the most productive people you've ever known or heard of—prolific authors, political leaders, military commanders, dedicated missionaries, CEOs, brilliant inventors, tireless volunteers, and so...

Does your life seem like a juggling act? Do you feel like you're always dropping the ball? You're not alone! In this episode of the Flourish At Home show, Mary Jo Tate shares how to give up the juggling act, stop giving in to the tyranny of the urgent, and find a pace you can maintain for the long haul. You'll learn why balance isn't a myth, how to change the way you think about time, and how to find peace in the space between the ideal and reality. Join us if you're ready to trade in...

What is the Flourish At Home show about? Join your host, Mary Jo Tate, as she discusses the challenges faced by homeschool moms, work-at-home moms, and stay-at-home moms and shares her story of moving toward a more balanced life. She promises to be realistic and offer you an attainable standard while providing encouragement, inspiration, and motivation to help you balance your busy life!