WEBVTT 00:02.417 --> 00:03.518 [SPEAKER_00]: Christian parenting. 00:05.379 --> 00:07.821 [SPEAKER_00]: Do you want to know the true secret to homeschooling? 00:08.242 --> 00:13.986 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, you already know it, because it's in the title of this episode, but it is consistency. 00:14.587 --> 00:22.152 [SPEAKER_00]: And that is one word that comes up over and over again when I talk to homeschool moms is how do I be consistent? 00:22.293 --> 00:27.657 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, I'm going to break that down a little bit and guess what, it's really not a huge secret. 00:27.817 --> 00:31.660 [SPEAKER_00]: You probably already know what I'm about to tell you, but I'm going to tell you anyway. 00:32.666 --> 00:34.887 [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to Little By Little Home School Podcast. 00:35.087 --> 00:36.667 [SPEAKER_00]: I am your host, Lee Nguyen. 00:37.267 --> 00:39.167 [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm glad that you are here today. 00:39.728 --> 00:44.349 [SPEAKER_00]: Look at us into November and you're probably making some holiday plans like I am. 00:44.669 --> 00:50.690 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm like, okay, this is what we're doing for Thanksgiving and kind of mapping out a little bit of the Christmas holidays. 00:50.770 --> 00:51.990 [SPEAKER_00]: How did we get here already? 00:52.911 --> 00:53.371 [SPEAKER_00]: It's crazy. 00:53.631 --> 00:57.612 [SPEAKER_00]: But I hope that you are having a good homeschool day and just a good day overall. 00:58.012 --> 00:58.912 [SPEAKER_00]: So let's talk about this. 00:59.352 --> 01:09.468 [SPEAKER_00]: consistency, which is what I think is the true secret to homeschooling and maybe I should add the true secret to actually accomplishing homeschool and to doing other things. 01:10.289 --> 01:10.710 [SPEAKER_00]: Guess what? 01:11.551 --> 01:13.834 [SPEAKER_00]: Consistency, it is not glamorous. 01:14.625 --> 01:15.406 [SPEAKER_00]: And that's okay. 01:15.986 --> 01:18.748 [SPEAKER_00]: Most of life is not necessarily glamorous. 01:19.448 --> 01:21.550 [SPEAKER_00]: You can romanticize your days. 01:21.690 --> 01:25.012 [SPEAKER_00]: And I am totally that kind of person. 01:25.452 --> 01:27.053 [SPEAKER_00]: And you can be over the top. 01:27.694 --> 01:33.758 [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm gonna say probably not over the top, romanticizing your days a lot because you're probably going to burn out. 01:34.178 --> 01:40.643 [SPEAKER_00]: But I think there's simple ways that you can kind of make the days just bit more sweeter. 01:41.383 --> 01:50.306 [SPEAKER_00]: And for me, I think a couple of nice ways is just like lower lighting, especially now as it's darker out earlier and longer in the morning. 01:50.786 --> 01:52.067 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's just say I'm not used to that. 01:52.207 --> 01:53.367 [SPEAKER_00]: It's very hard for me. 01:53.387 --> 01:58.029 [SPEAKER_00]: At this point in the season of life, I hit the gym early in the morning and it's been for the past month. 01:58.049 --> 02:06.851 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm like, this is not as easy to get up at 5.36 o'clock in the morning as it was over the summer when I'd wake up and the sun was out in the birds chirping and I'm like, yeah, let's go. 02:06.891 --> 02:07.051 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's 02:08.912 --> 02:09.712 [SPEAKER_00]: Oh, it's cold. 02:10.332 --> 02:23.015 [SPEAKER_00]: It's dark, but I still like to romanticize the days with just low lighting and in the kitchen at the end of the day when we are just all done and cleaned up there's just one little light and just little lights here listen my family has a joke. 02:23.175 --> 02:32.357 [SPEAKER_00]: They know that I do not like overhead lighting and the thing is if I'm ever not at home and their home and it's dark, I will come home and I'm like what is going on is brightest day in here. 02:32.577 --> 02:34.378 [SPEAKER_00]: Anyway, we can romanticize it another way. 02:34.398 --> 02:38.121 [SPEAKER_00]: There can be candles is making really good and delicious meals. 02:38.261 --> 02:44.385 [SPEAKER_00]: It's having just music on the background for dinner or as you're doing homeschool that kind of stuff. 02:45.106 --> 02:46.927 [SPEAKER_00]: So it is okay to romanticize your days. 02:46.947 --> 02:49.188 [SPEAKER_00]: Just don't push it too much because I'm going to warn you ahead of time. 02:49.209 --> 02:49.909 [SPEAKER_00]: You're going to burn out. 02:50.329 --> 02:55.393 [SPEAKER_00]: But most moms just can't keep up with that day in and day out and guess what that's okay. 02:56.093 --> 03:01.298 [SPEAKER_00]: Even those Instagram accounts that you follow because they have beautiful Reels and really great inspiration. 03:01.418 --> 03:19.373 [SPEAKER_00]: I love those and I'm all for that But don't compare because that mom is probably not having beautiful aesthetic days every day She is having regular days just like you guess what just like you She gets up in the morning and she's here her she's got bedhead and she's got smelly breath Okay, we're all like that. 03:19.513 --> 03:20.854 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm just gonna say it straight as it is 03:21.655 --> 03:22.636 [SPEAKER_00]: And that is fine. 03:22.936 --> 03:32.521 [SPEAKER_00]: We are all just normal and humans living a normal way, but just for social media, it's fun to kind of romanticize and use it as inspiration. 03:33.241 --> 03:34.522 [SPEAKER_00]: So let's get back to the consistency. 03:35.282 --> 03:38.584 [SPEAKER_00]: Consistency, it really is the secret to homeschool. 03:39.344 --> 03:39.905 [SPEAKER_00]: And guess what? 03:40.365 --> 03:45.708 [SPEAKER_00]: It's no different than when you set any other goal or habit that you want to create in your life. 03:46.508 --> 03:48.989 [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you say, you know what, I would like to get more steps in the day. 03:49.009 --> 03:57.292 [SPEAKER_00]: I'd like to exercise a little bit more, or I would like to learn how to cook in certain things, or I want to expand my repertoire at that. 03:57.532 --> 04:08.795 [SPEAKER_00]: I want to learn how to knit or to crochet or to sew or paint or roller skate, roller blade, skateboard, whatever ski. 04:09.575 --> 04:12.776 [SPEAKER_00]: My youngest really wants me to learn how to ski, and I have just told 04:14.677 --> 04:34.186 [SPEAKER_00]: lately we've been having some winters where there's a the mountain is just more icy and I have friends That are older than me that ski and they're like he's like well so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and-so-and- 04:35.487 --> 04:37.008 [SPEAKER_00]: So I'm like I'm a little scared to do that. 04:37.028 --> 04:38.629 [SPEAKER_00]: So it's not on one of my goals. 04:38.669 --> 04:39.629 [SPEAKER_00]: It's one of his goals for me. 04:40.089 --> 04:55.937 [SPEAKER_00]: But anytime you have some type of goal or a habit that you want to do, so let's think of even just a simple habit of saying, I want to have some type of evening routine, just something the kids are in bed and get some things done and just the maybe 30 minutes before I go to bed. 04:56.237 --> 04:57.598 [SPEAKER_00]: I want to have some type of routine. 04:57.618 --> 05:03.741 [SPEAKER_00]: I have some goals and some ideas and things that I want to do to help me wind down and to end the day really well. 05:04.381 --> 05:20.541 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, how do you actually accomplish that goal of maybe ending that day well, maybe it's a goal during that time to have some type of connection with your husband, you're going to say kids are in bed and we're going to make sure the kitchen is cleaned up and then for 15 30 minutes or whatever it is, we're going to sit down, we're just going to have a conversation. 05:21.282 --> 05:24.003 [SPEAKER_00]: that happens because you consistently do it. 05:24.784 --> 05:27.305 [SPEAKER_00]: Whether you feel like it or not, listen, I know how it is. 05:27.885 --> 05:29.105 [SPEAKER_00]: You're like, oh, I got this to do. 05:29.185 --> 05:29.826 [SPEAKER_00]: I got that to do. 05:30.086 --> 05:37.389 [SPEAKER_00]: And the to-do list is calling for you or you just like, I want to zone out and I just want to watch a show or something like that, but you know that it's important. 05:37.749 --> 05:39.470 [SPEAKER_00]: So the things that are important. 05:40.210 --> 05:44.172 [SPEAKER_00]: you decide that they're important and how do you accomplish them by being consistent. 05:44.292 --> 05:45.233 [SPEAKER_00]: It's the same with homeschool. 05:45.693 --> 05:46.593 [SPEAKER_00]: homeschool is important. 05:46.653 --> 05:48.114 [SPEAKER_00]: It has to be important. 05:48.694 --> 05:54.938 [SPEAKER_00]: It really does because I don't want to be too dramatic, but your children's future depends on it. 05:55.858 --> 05:56.498 [SPEAKER_00]: to a degree. 05:56.839 --> 06:11.446 [SPEAKER_00]: The education and the curriculum, the resources, all those things, they're not everything and all be all, but when I say homeschool it's overall it's just the pouring in to your kids of all the things that they need during these years and that includes and especially includes the gospel. 06:12.267 --> 06:14.808 [SPEAKER_00]: The consistency really is the secret to homeschool. 06:15.888 --> 06:21.270 [SPEAKER_00]: They give it just like when you have any other type of goal or habit you want to create, you have that happen. 06:21.390 --> 06:24.531 [SPEAKER_00]: It happens because you are just consistent and you just do it anyway. 06:25.512 --> 06:30.014 [SPEAKER_00]: It just requires homeschool in general of reaching any goals. 06:30.834 --> 06:37.877 [SPEAKER_00]: But homeschool specifically as we're talking about, it requires you just showing up every day that you say you're going to show up. 06:39.168 --> 06:39.989 [SPEAKER_00]: That is all it is. 06:40.310 --> 06:41.411 [SPEAKER_00]: That's the secret. 06:41.571 --> 06:43.273 [SPEAKER_00]: That is the magic to homeschool. 06:43.454 --> 06:45.316 [SPEAKER_00]: Is you showing up when you need to? 06:46.197 --> 06:48.640 [SPEAKER_00]: If you don't show up, are your kids going to show up? 06:49.407 --> 06:52.508 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, you might have one or two that we'll show up. 06:52.608 --> 06:55.088 [SPEAKER_00]: I remember having one that would most likely show up. 06:55.548 --> 06:58.749 [SPEAKER_00]: The other two, if I said we're not doing homeschool today, guess what? 06:59.289 --> 07:02.830 [SPEAKER_00]: They were not going to say, well, I really wanted to do that math lesson. 07:02.870 --> 07:07.311 [SPEAKER_00]: They were like a hip hip hooray and they were often running and didn't want to do homeschool. 07:07.771 --> 07:10.932 [SPEAKER_00]: But if I say we're doing homeschool, they had to show up. 07:11.712 --> 07:14.114 [SPEAKER_00]: So it just requires you showing up every day. 07:14.154 --> 07:18.678 [SPEAKER_00]: That's what consistency requires is you showing up each day. 07:18.959 --> 07:20.240 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, which days do you homeschool? 07:20.540 --> 07:21.761 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, you get to decide. 07:21.841 --> 07:31.290 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to put a link in the show notes for some ideas that you can use on how to create your homeschool year, a calendar, kind of set those days and what that can look like. 07:31.330 --> 07:35.013 [SPEAKER_00]: Something that I found to be really helpful for me through all the years of homeschooling. 07:36.593 --> 07:43.236 [SPEAKER_00]: So in general, if we're going to kind of like nail this down for you right here, what does consistency look like? 07:43.977 --> 07:48.839 [SPEAKER_00]: I think that it looks like creating an overall vision for the year with goals. 07:49.960 --> 07:53.382 [SPEAKER_00]: Again, if you don't know what you're aiming at, then you can't really aim at it. 07:54.403 --> 08:12.368 [SPEAKER_00]: It requires that also having some type of baby rhythm, routine or schedule for your year again you're going to listen to that link that's going to be in the show notes a schedule for your so a rhythm routine or schedule you can use whatever word you want for your year your months your weeks your days. 08:13.028 --> 08:24.076 [SPEAKER_00]: your hours and you can be as type A or type B as you want when it comes to this and I think that there are pluses and minuses to being type A and to being type B. 08:24.617 --> 08:32.742 [SPEAKER_00]: If you find yourself to be more of a type B mom you might say you know what I just might need to be a little bit more type A I might just need to be a bit more 08:33.743 --> 08:41.067 [SPEAKER_00]: Regimented with this and just say that there is a certain time that we are starting homeschool and that is what we do because it's an important overall for you to get that done. 08:41.667 --> 08:56.976 [SPEAKER_00]: But then on the flip side, you could be type A and you could take it to more of an extreme and there might be some heart issues or some character development will say that needs to happen, but you're like, no, this is the time we start homeschool, we are going to ignore that and we are starting open up your math books kids. 08:57.436 --> 08:58.237 [SPEAKER_00]: So there's. 08:59.017 --> 09:23.062 [SPEAKER_00]: There's, you know, some things there that we all kind of have to work on and listen, I'm guilty of both of those at different times, but you can be as tight as you want about your rhythm routines, schedule, whatever you want to call it, but really taking a look at your overall vision and for the year with your goals and then breaking that down, also consistency looks like using curriculum and resources that are best for your family. 09:23.922 --> 09:24.362 [SPEAKER_00]: Guess what? 09:24.663 --> 09:25.803 [SPEAKER_00]: I can't tell you what that is. 09:26.184 --> 09:32.608 [SPEAKER_00]: I can tell you some of the things that we used, you can ask your friends in real life, your co-op, different moms that are there. 09:32.648 --> 09:42.714 [SPEAKER_00]: You can look online and read blogs, watch YouTube videos, listen to podcast episodes, and find out what other people did, but when the rubber meets the road, you get to decide. 09:43.115 --> 09:48.238 [SPEAKER_00]: And you have to decide each of those curriculums and the resources and things that you're going to spend your money on. 09:48.878 --> 09:49.999 [SPEAKER_00]: What is best for your 09:51.560 --> 09:56.845 [SPEAKER_00]: do not outsource that you get to decide and then you be consistent and carry through with it. 09:58.102 --> 10:03.605 [SPEAKER_00]: Consistency also looks like participating in activities that add life to your family. 10:03.665 --> 10:07.127 [SPEAKER_00]: If it's sucking life from your family, you don't have to keep saying, yes, do it. 10:07.188 --> 10:08.328 [SPEAKER_00]: It's okay to say no. 10:09.369 --> 10:17.834 [SPEAKER_00]: Consistency ultimately looks like just putting your head down and doing the thing day in and day out and that thing is homeschool. 10:17.954 --> 10:23.977 [SPEAKER_00]: I personally found it hardest to stay consistent in the fall and the spring of the 10:25.038 --> 10:37.262 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, when there were some years that we did more year-round homeschool, and so that would be in the summer, I had a hard time that also with a consistency of that, but I also then learned that I needed to start off just slower. 10:37.843 --> 10:41.404 [SPEAKER_00]: And when we would do year-round, the summer would be focused on in the beginning. 10:41.764 --> 10:44.145 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's just get a couple of our core things done. 10:44.165 --> 10:50.307 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's focus on that getting really good at our math, really good at the English, and then we could slowly add in 10:50.927 --> 10:56.393 [SPEAKER_00]: other subjects as the year went on as maybe we got a little bit more into the fall and out of the summer. 10:56.433 --> 11:09.387 [SPEAKER_00]: But when the weather was nice, I always had a little bit harder of a time staying consistent, but I would tell myself that it's okay to go and have some fun and enjoy things and I would try to build those into the calendar. 11:09.707 --> 11:12.188 [SPEAKER_00]: So it wasn't like, oh, we have this homeschool day. 11:12.248 --> 11:18.089 [SPEAKER_00]: And then because I know we're going to throw it all at the window, like, no, you know what, this is a great time of the years, especially the fall, love to go on hikes. 11:18.489 --> 11:22.411 [SPEAKER_00]: And so you could just say, you know what, every Friday is a hike day. 11:22.631 --> 11:27.372 [SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, kids listen, Monday through Thursday, we're going to put our heads down. 11:27.392 --> 11:28.532 [SPEAKER_00]: We are going to do really well. 11:28.552 --> 11:29.232 [SPEAKER_00]: We're going to excel. 11:29.252 --> 11:29.813 [SPEAKER_00]: We're going to learn. 11:29.833 --> 11:30.753 [SPEAKER_00]: We're going to work together. 11:31.293 --> 11:32.013 [SPEAKER_00]: on this homeschool. 11:32.334 --> 11:38.216 [SPEAKER_00]: And then Friday, we are going to pack up lunch and we're going to go on a hike, maybe you meet some friends and just enjoy the weather. 11:38.356 --> 11:41.337 [SPEAKER_00]: I personally would still call that consistency. 11:42.058 --> 11:48.020 [SPEAKER_00]: But anyway, I found it hardest during those different times of the year to be a bit more consistent. 11:48.060 --> 11:48.661 [SPEAKER_00]: But guess what? 11:49.381 --> 11:58.107 [SPEAKER_00]: I've always lived in the northeast and therefore we have some cold winters and I wouldn't just would say, you know, what we are going to push through hard. 11:58.487 --> 12:03.190 [SPEAKER_00]: Like every day, we are going to do the work that I have set out for us to do during those cold months. 12:03.630 --> 12:09.294 [SPEAKER_00]: And we would come out the other side in the spring and we would have accomplished so many of our goals. 12:09.614 --> 12:14.097 [SPEAKER_00]: So as right now, you're heading into the holidays, sometimes it can be harder to stay consistent. 12:14.817 --> 12:19.001 [SPEAKER_00]: and we'll talk a bit more about the holidays here in the next in a couple of weeks or so. 12:19.842 --> 12:22.164 [SPEAKER_00]: And so it can be a little harder, but just tell yourself, you know what? 12:22.584 --> 12:25.727 [SPEAKER_00]: Definitely when we start back up in the new year, we were just going to put our head down. 12:26.188 --> 12:31.232 [SPEAKER_00]: January, February, March, and some of us live in places that April is not very pleasant to either. 12:31.613 --> 12:36.778 [SPEAKER_00]: And we are just going to stay consistent, put our head down, do the work, and we're going to come out the other side. 12:37.518 --> 12:48.226 [SPEAKER_00]: And it's going to be spring and the birds we chirping and then the trees and everything are going to be budding and it's going to be great because we will put in that work we can come out the other side and be like all right we can take a little bit more days off. 12:49.490 --> 13:13.378 [SPEAKER_00]: I just want to end here and tell you that if you think that there is something special or unique about every other homeschool mom out there that is crushing it with homeschool now yes she is special and unique and you are special and unique but if you think that all the other homeschool moms the ones that you see that are just doing amazing if you think oh well she just has a special gift or she's just unique to do that no. 13:14.238 --> 13:16.739 [SPEAKER_00]: Honestly, she's probably just putting in the work. 13:16.779 --> 13:18.379 [SPEAKER_00]: She is just putting her head down. 13:18.800 --> 13:21.901 [SPEAKER_00]: She has created an overall vision and goals for the year. 13:22.001 --> 13:30.824 [SPEAKER_00]: She's got a rhythm for the year, the months, weeks, days, hours, and she is using curriculum and resources that are best for her family. 13:31.204 --> 13:34.065 [SPEAKER_00]: She's participating in activities that add life to her family. 13:34.145 --> 13:35.685 [SPEAKER_00]: And again, she's just putting her head down. 13:36.086 --> 13:36.986 [SPEAKER_00]: She's doing today. 13:37.446 --> 13:38.446 [SPEAKER_00]: She's doing the next day. 13:38.606 --> 13:40.467 [SPEAKER_00]: And the next day, she's doing the days 13:43.008 --> 13:43.388 [SPEAKER_00]: That's it. 13:43.468 --> 13:44.149 [SPEAKER_00]: That's the secret. 13:44.589 --> 13:45.590 [SPEAKER_00]: How do you be consistent? 13:45.790 --> 13:46.810 [SPEAKER_00]: You just be consistent. 13:47.251 --> 13:52.674 [SPEAKER_00]: I know I wish that I could give you something a bit more glamorous, but that really is just what it comes down to. 13:53.174 --> 14:06.163 [SPEAKER_00]: If you need some help on creating that vision, those goals and creating that rhythm and everything for your days and your years, there's going to be some links in the show notes, but if you're ready to dive in a little bit deeper, that's where you and I can partner together in your homeschool blueprint. 14:06.223 --> 14:08.544 [SPEAKER_00]: There'll be a link for that in the show notes, but it's little by 14:11.206 --> 14:14.771 [SPEAKER_00]: but now that you know the true secret to homeschooling, go ahead and share it with others. 14:15.032 --> 14:17.395 [SPEAKER_00]: And maybe share this episode as well. 14:17.716 --> 14:19.859 [SPEAKER_00]: All right, friends, have a good one and we'll see you back here soon.