Many of my adult friends have an ambivalent relationship with the Christmas season. Why is that? It's often because their mothers were stressed and anxious about achieving a "perfect Christmas."  In a recent discussion, Diane Boden, the creator of the Minimalist Mom's Podcast, joined Jennifer Pepito to talk about how to create a minimalist Christmas. The focus is on planning, creating meaningful moments for your family, and choosing what brings you joy and connection. During the holiday...

The holiday season is just around the corner, and it's easy to feel overwhelmed, but it doesn't have to be that way! We want to help you create joyful memories for you and your children. Join Jennifer and Emelie for an exciting discussion on how to stay healthy and make the most of this beautiful time of year. Plus, don't miss our insightful chat with Megan Ziegenfus about empowering our daughters to understand hormones! Let's embrace the season with positivity and joy! This great...

The wonderful Barb Roose, author of Stronger than Stress: 10 Spiritual Practices to Win the Battle of Overwhelm, joins Jennifer Pepito for episode 107. This hard-hitting episode is all about stress! It is so timely to transition into the holiday season. Barb is full of profound wisdom and helpful insight on stress, what it is, what it isn't, and how to deal with it. As mothers, we can be conduits of Christ-centred peace or agents of chaos. This episode is for you if you are struggling with...

Sometimes, in the nitty gritty of parenting, we get so focused on what isn't happening, or we focus on our current "reality" rather than the promises of God. This can cause us to spiral into fear, control, panic, and reactionary decision-making. Our children are the actual sufferers when we allow this spiral to happen. What would happen if, instead, we started to step back in those moments and ask God to show us what he is doing or asked him for advice on how to deal with or respond to a...

Welcome to episode 105 of the Restoration Home Podcast. What a conversation we have for you today. We had the honour of hosting Katy Faust of the "Them Before Us" movement. She comes on with heart-hitting facts about the cost of divorce, the crisis in a divorce generation, and the irreplaceable role of fathers.  Today, 50% of divorces are over low-level conflicts that build, and the long-term cost of a self-serving "happiness' decision is our children's physical, mental, and spiritual...

We are delighted to welcome Sally Clarkson back to the Restoration Home Podcast! She is a dear friend and our first repeat guest on the podcast. She has recently published a new book, Well Lived: Shaping a Legacy of Gratitude and Grace.  Her newest book is a memoir and an inspiration to mothers young and old, new and veteran. She joins Jennifer to talk about living a life of generosity and faithfulness. We often live our lives going from goal post to goal post, waiting until we've "arrived"...

Have you ever wondered what fear was doing to your brain? Are there times when you have felt like you were on a perpetual rollercoaster of hard days? Does it sometimes feel like your days, weeks, months blend together in a cacophony of disappointment, failure, fear, and stress?  Chris and Jennifer Coursey creators of Thrive Today and the 28 Day Joy Challenge join Jennifer Pepito for an incredible and practical conversation about how to create more joy-filled lives.  Episode sponsored by the...

Alyssa Bethke, author of When Doing it All is Undoing You, joins Jennifer Pepito to talk about how to avoid burning out in the pursuit of being a great parent. Sometimes we forget that offering our best to our children can only come when we have first taken care of ourselves emotionally, spiritually, and physically. This can feel challenging in the early days of motherhood, but it is so essential to carve out this time for the sake of our children and our family.  This is a beautiful and...

What if homeschooling was hard simply because there were still some areas where past pain continued to steal the joy and whimsy from our present life? And what if taking our precocious, intelligent 4-year-old from preschool to 12th grade, without turning them into "barely interested test takers", was possible? What if everything we thought about education was a myth? What if a little more balance and less stress could have a whole lot of impact?  In this delightful episode 101, Emelie and...

It's my pleasure to introduce Christie Thomas, the creator of Little Shoots and Deep Roots, as she joins Jennifer for an enriching discussion on nurturing and educating our children. As parents, our deepest wish is cultivating a love for God and joyful righteousness in our children. However, we often feel overwhelmed by distractions, grapple with fears, confront feelings of inadequacy, or simply struggle to find the time. But in Episode 100, you'll discover empowering and actionable insights...

Welcome to Episode 99. Join Jennifer Pepito on a solo episode about crafting a homeschool mission statement. There is so much pulling at our attention and every "yes" is a "no" to something else, and every "no" opens up new opportunities to say "yes" to something better for your family down the road. But until we have a clear idea of our values for why we are homeschooling and what we want our family to look like, we can end up saying "yes" and "no" to the wrong things because we get caught...

Welcome to Episode 98. This week's guest, Natalie Abbott, is the co-creator of Dwell Differently. This business has developed an innovative method for memorizing scripture. This episode delves into the founding of Dwell Differently and the importance and power of scripture memorization. Natalie's story is a beautiful reminder of the power of the Word of God. Join Jennifer and Natalie in this beautiful and inspiring conversation about righteousness, living in holiness without judgement,...

Community is such an important part of our well being and flourishing. In fact the health of your relationships is the number one indicator of your health and happiness. It has also been a lifeline for the Pepito family through their time in Mexico and a mainstay of their approach to parenting. Community doesn't end with our peers, it includes our family, our extended family, and is part of our walk as Christians. Join Jennifer and Emelie as they talk about community, what works and what...

In episode 96 of Restoration Home, Jennifer is joined by author of Enneagram for Moms Beth McCord. This episode is all about the joys of raising individuals, how the Enneagram can become a useful tool for understanding your children's unique personalities, and how we can use this personality test to understand ourselves more as well. Jennifer and Beth also dive into the history of the Enneagram, and the facts and fiction that surround it. Episode sponsored by the Peaceful Press! Order...

Welcome to episode 95 of the Restoration Home Podcast.  Join our hosts, Jennifer and Emelie, as they share relatable stories about developing practical skills for hospitality, living overseas, and developing hobbies from the adventures and life skills presented through the Peaceful Press Bundles. Whether you are homeschooling, homesteading, or building your family's sacred home in the suburbs and the precious after-school hours, this episode is excellent for its practical advice and...

Durenda Wilson author of Raising Boys to Men and creator of Simply Unhurried and the Durenda Wilson Podcast joins Jennifer Pepito for an incredibly podcast all about boys. This episode is about creating a space and mindset that is hospitable towards our sons. Their mindsets and energy levels, the way in which they are wired, are different from our daughters, different from ourselves and in a society that prioritises soft, social skills the energy and aggression that little boys carry is often...

“Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life” ~ Charlotte Mason Creating a home that is hospitable is closely connected to creating a home that is conducive to learning for our children.  Episode 93 is a conversation between Jennifer and Emelie about the hospitality they have experienced over the years, the way in which hospitality shaped their lives and how we can be hospitable. The home is a powerful place, and how we treat our space, the boundaries we set, and the atmosphere we...

Tsh Oxenreider creator of the Rule of Life Course joins Jennifer Pepito in episode 92 to talk about how we create a Rule of Life for our families and our children's longing for the fences and borders of Godly structure even when they push against us.  Episode sponsored by the Peaceful Press! Order Jennifer's new book, Habits for a Sacred Home, and get access to exclusive bonuses.  Are you starting to plan for next year's schooling and looking for homeschooling tips?? Check out the Peaceful...

While this episode is focused on homeschooling, it is for anyone who wants to better engage with their children's education, improve the learning atmosphere in their home, and offer their children opportunities to become strong independent thinkers and doers.  Join Jennifer and Emelie Pepito in episode 91 as they discuss everything from the way we set up our home to practical maths. There is so much to education, and whatever curriculum you choose or method you prefer, there are simple steps...

Welcome to episode 90 with Jennifer Pepito and Cindy Rollins.  Cindy Rollins homeschooled her nine children for over 30 years using Charlotte Mason’s timeless ideas. She is the author of Mere Motherhood: Morning Time, Nursery Rhymes, and My Journey Toward Sanctification, The Mere Motherhood Newsletters, Hallelujah: Cultivating Advent Traditions with Handel’s Messiah and Morning Time: A Liturgy of Love. In this episode Jennifer and Cindy talk about the power of stability for nurturing a...

Welcome to episode 89 with Jennifer Pepito and Joy Clarkson.  Joy is a professor, author, and the daughter of Sally Clarkson. This episode is a wonderful listen as we get a behind-the-scenes look at how the Clarksons lived family life, encouraged critical thinking, enjoyed family time, curated atmosphere, and launched children who were capable of making a difference in the world.  If you're looking for an inspiring summer read, check out Joy's new book, You Are a Tree. Episode sponsored by...

A few years ago, Erin Loechner, author of Other Goose and The Opt Out Family, and her family decided to remove social media and opt out of a technologically driven lifestyle. This means having a smartphone that is no more used than a dumb phone, an iPad that can only play scales, and saying no to the digital community in favour of building community amongst your neighbours.  Join Jennifer and Erin in Episode 88 as they dig into what it looks like to walk away from social media, the unexpected...

In this special episode, Jennifer Pepito brings her 26 years of expertise to the table to help you plan, organise, and enjoy your summer months.  From decluttering to planning the perfect summer activities that protect rhythms you built up in the school year, this episode is full of thoughtful insights, advice on how to wrap up the school year, enjoy the summer, and stay on track with your goals. Finally, we are so excited to announce that the Restoration Home Community is opening one more...

Home education through elementary is fairly undaunting and highly enjoyable. When high school rolls around, the pressure to socialise children and prepare them for careers, college, and life begins to amp up, and uncertainty about how equipped we are to tackle the job at hand or even if it's a good idea in the first place can weigh us down.  Whether you're considering homeschooling through high school, in the midst of it, or looking for fresh ideas after homeschooling your third child, this...