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Sleepover Alternatives

So are you wondering what some alternatives might be for a sleep-over? Join The Busy Mom (Heidi St. John) and her longtime friend and mother of eight, Durenda Wilson as they offer some light-hearted encouragement and insight for today's moms.

Resources from today’s podcast:

Get into the Bible with your family! Check out Firmly Planted Family

Resources for this series:

The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson
Because Motherhood Isn’t Just a Job. It’s a Calling.

A mother’s day is packed with a multitude of tasks that require energy and time: preparing meals, washing clothes, straightening and cleaning the house, and caring for children. These jobs all are necessary and crucially important. But in the dailyness of providing for a child’ s physical, emotional, and social needs, vital opportunities for spiritual nurture and training can be overlooked.

 

The New Dare to Discipline by Dr. James Dobson

Much-needed answers to your toughest parenting questions! Why are boundaries so important? Do children really want limits set on their behavior? My spouse doesn’t seem to care about discipline; why I am I stuck being the “bad guy?” Is it okay to spank my child, or will it lead him to hit others and become a violent person? Join the millions of caring parents who have found answers in the wisdom of parenting authority and family counselor Dr. James Dobson. The New Dare to Discipline is a revised and updated edition of the classic bestseller, designed to help you lead your children through the tough job of growing up. This practical, reassuring guide will teach you how to meet your children’s needs of love, trust, affection―and discipline. (This new edition is part of Dr. James Dobson’s Building A Family Legacy initiative.)

Age of Opportunity by Paul Tripp

Are you hoping to merely survive your teenagers? With compassion, wit, and wisdom, Tripp uncovers the heart issues affecting families during the often-chaotic adolescent years.

What’s the Big Deal? Why God Cares About Sex by Brenna and Stan Jones
Written for children ages 8-11, What’s the Big Deal? helps kids find answers to their questions about sex. It explains the basic facts about sex, why God made adults so they want to have sex, what God says about sex in the Bible, and how to respond when faced with sexual pressure from peers, TV, movies, and magazines.

Passport to Purity by Dennis and Barbara Rainey
A True Connection product. Box with four audiocassettes, 64-page student guide, 88-page parent manual, gold seals, and commemorative passport.

Connect with your preteen or early teen on this once-in-a-lifetime getaway!

Parents, how would you like a workable plan and effective tools to successfully prepare a preteen or early teen for the turbulent adolescent years? This guided weekend retreat for a father and son or a mother and daughter will provide everything needed for a once-in-a-lifetime getaway together.

Short, Precious, Irreplaceable: The Teen Years blog post by Heidi St. John

What Parents of Prodigals Need to Know blog post by Marianne Sunderland

So You’re About to be a Teenager by Dennis and Barbara Rainey with Samuel and Rebecca Rainey
Samuel and Rebecca Rainey, preteens themselves not many years ago, add their perspective as young adults who vividly recall their own successes and failures as teenagers. Covering such topics as friends, peer pressure, boundaries, dating, and sex, the Raineys address the most common traps of adolescence and teach young people how to avoid making poor choices. Short, concise chapters are filled with engaging illustrations and practical applications. This book is essential reading for preteens.

Preparing for Adolescence by Dr. James Dobson
What do you say to an adolescent who’s getting ready to enter those turbulent teenage years? Dr. James Dobson, one of America’s leading family psychologists, knows how to speak directly and sincerely to today’s adolescents about the topics that trouble them most. Topics include avoiding feelings of inferiority, handling peer pressure, drug abuse, puberty, sexual development, menstruation, masturbation, romantic love, overcoming discouragement, sound decision-making, and handling independence.

Teach Them Diligently: How to Use the Scriptures in Child Training by Paul Tripp

Should We Allow Sleep-Overs? Pros and Cons from Experienced Moms

If you have a child in grade school, you’ve probably grappled with the idea of sleepovers. Durenda and I take on this topic today, and offer two different perspectives on having friends to spend the night, etc.  When is it appropriate to host or allow your kids to do sleepovers? When is it not?  Listen in and be encouraged!

Are your kids begging you to let them go to a sleepover—and you're not sure what to do? We're talking about the pros and cons of sleepovers!

 

Resources from today’s podcast:

Get into the Bible with your family! Check out Firmly Planted Family

Resources for this series:

The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson
Because Motherhood Isn’t Just a Job. It’s a Calling.

A mother’s day is packed with a multitude of tasks that require energy and time: preparing meals, washing clothes, straightening and cleaning the house, and caring for children. These jobs all are necessary and crucially important. But in the dailyness of providing for a child’ s physical, emotional, and social needs, vital opportunities for spiritual nurture and training can be overlooked.

 

The New Dare to Discipline by Dr. James Dobson

Much-needed answers to your toughest parenting questions! Why are boundaries so important? Do children really want limits set on their behavior? My spouse doesn’t seem to care about discipline; why I am I stuck being the “bad guy?” Is it okay to spank my child, or will it lead him to hit others and become a violent person? Join the millions of caring parents who have found answers in the wisdom of parenting authority and family counselor Dr. James Dobson. The New Dare to Discipline is a revised and updated edition of the classic bestseller, designed to help you lead your children through the tough job of growing up. This practical, reassuring guide will teach you how to meet your children’s needs of love, trust, affection―and discipline. (This new edition is part of Dr. James Dobson’s Building A Family Legacy initiative.)

Age of Opportunity by Paul Tripp

Are you hoping to merely survive your teenagers? With compassion, wit, and wisdom, Tripp uncovers the heart issues affecting families during the often-chaotic adolescent years.

What’s the Big Deal? Why God Cares About Sex by Brenna and Stan Jones
Written for children ages 8-11, What’s the Big Deal? helps kids find answers to their questions about sex. It explains the basic facts about sex, why God made adults so they want to have sex, what God says about sex in the Bible, and how to respond when faced with sexual pressure from peers, TV, movies, and magazines.

Passport to Purity by Dennis and Barbara Rainey
A True Connection product. Box with four audiocassettes, 64-page student guide, 88-page parent manual, gold seals, and commemorative passport.

Connect with your preteen or early teen on this once-in-a-lifetime getaway!

Parents, how would you like a workable plan and effective tools to successfully prepare a preteen or early teen for the turbulent adolescent years? This guided weekend retreat for a father and son or a mother and daughter will provide everything needed for a once-in-a-lifetime getaway together.

Short, Precious, Irreplaceable: The Teen Years blog post by Heidi St. John

What Parents of Prodigals Need to Know blog post by Marianne Sunderland

So You’re About to be a Teenager by Dennis and Barbara Rainey with Samuel and Rebecca Rainey
Samuel and Rebecca Rainey, preteens themselves not many years ago, add their perspective as young adults who vividly recall their own successes and failures as teenagers. Covering such topics as friends, peer pressure, boundaries, dating, and sex, the Raineys address the most common traps of adolescence and teach young people how to avoid making poor choices. Short, concise chapters are filled with engaging illustrations and practical applications. This book is essential reading for preteens.

Preparing for Adolescence by Dr. James Dobson
What do you say to an adolescent who’s getting ready to enter those turbulent teenage years? Dr. James Dobson, one of America’s leading family psychologists, knows how to speak directly and sincerely to today’s adolescents about the topics that trouble them most. Topics include avoiding feelings of inferiority, handling peer pressure, drug abuse, puberty, sexual development, menstruation, masturbation, romantic love, overcoming discouragement, sound decision-making, and handling independence.

Teach Them Diligently: How to Use the Scriptures in Child Training by Paul Tripp

Homeschooling Through High School: YES, You Can!

Can you homeschool all the way through high school? The answer is a resounding “YES!” Listen in as we answer FAQ’s and offer encouragement to parents who are considering this wonderful option.

Can you homeschool all the way through high school? The answer is a resounding "YES!" Listen in as we answer FAQ's and offer encouragement to parents who are considering this wonderful option.

 

Visit our sponsor: Zonderkidz and be sure to check out “Case for Grace for Kids!”

Resources for this podcast:

Homeschooling the Teen Years

Discover the Rewards of Homeschooling Your Teen
·Create unlimited learning on a limited budget
·Discover teaching methods for teens with different learning styles
·Utilize the best resources and technology
·Prepare your teen for college, career, and adult life
The teen years can be the most exciting time in your child’s life. He or she is becoming an independent young adult and beginning to make decisions for the future. Yet growing concern about the negative social pressures, safety, and efficiency of our traditional high schools has prompted many parents just like you to teach their teenagers at home. With Homeschooling: The Teen Years as your guide, you’ll discover it’s not as daunting a task as you’ve been led to believe. Using real-life stories from dozens of families, this book reveals the secrets of making homeschooling work for you and your teen. You’ll discover how to:
·Work with your teen to create a unique, individual learning experience
·Make coursework interesting, challenging, and fun
·Allow your teen to discover the best vocational path, including selecting a college
·Know when your teen has “completed” high school
·And much more!

Debra Bell has helped numerous homeschooled students, including four of her own, gain college admission and win substantial scholarships to the schools of their choice. Now she can help you and your child navigate high school at home and successfully transition to the college and adult years. Inside this incredible resource, you will find:

*Tools for developing critical and creative thinking skills
*Study-smart strategies for maximized learning
*What to do if your child is behind or ahead
*How to help your teen discern his gifts and calling
*How to prepare your child for high school during grades 6 through 8

 

The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling Teens by Debra Bell
Here are all the forms, charts, and resources you will need to teach your child through high school, as well as a guide to taking advantage of new media and the best online learning opportunities. Learn what college admissions officers say they look for in a prospective student and how you can help your teen apply for and receive merit-based scholarships and maximum financial aid. There’s also a bonus section on making the most of the college years.

 

Setting the Records Straight: How to Craft Homeschool Transcripts and Course Descriptions for College Admission and Scholarships by Lee Binz

Give Your Homeschooler the Advantage in the High Stakes College Admission Sweepstakes! Parents who consider homeschooling their children through high school are often consumed by insecurity – “Are we ruining their college chances?” Well, worry no more! When it comes to college admissions and scholarships, homeschoolers have what the colleges are looking for!

It’s a Heart Thing: Discipline with Love

God has a lot to say about discipling children—God cares about it!  Join Heidi St. John as she talks with Durenda Wilson about how to balance encouragement and discipline with your kids.  Practical applications? YES!~  Listen in!

Are you struggling with the idea of "training" your child? We're talking about the importance of training and discipline of our kids today—even through we're tired and maybe... we would rather just let things slide. Your first job to your kids is to be their mom! You can do it! Join us for 15 minutes of encouragement to love your kids in this way! Get into the Bible with your family! Check out Firmly Planted Family

Resources for this series:

The New Dare to Discipline by Dr. James Dobson Much-needed answers to your toughest parenting questions! Why are boundaries so important? Do children really want limits set on their behavior? My spouse doesn’t seem to care about discipline; why I am I stuck being the “bad guy?” Is it okay to spank my child, or will it lead him to hit others and become a violent person? Join the millions of caring parents who have found answers in the wisdom of parenting authority and family counselor Dr. James Dobson. The New Dare to Discipline is a revised and updated edition of the classic bestseller, designed to help you lead your children through the tough job of growing up. This practical, reassuring guide will teach you how to meet your children’s needs of love, trust, affection―and discipline. (This new edition is part of Dr. James Dobson’s Building A Family Legacy initiative.)

The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson Because Motherhood Isn’t Just a Job. It’s a Calling. A mother’s day is packed with a multitude of tasks that require energy and time: preparing meals, washing clothes, straightening and cleaning the house, and caring for children. These jobs all are necessary and crucially important. But in the dailyness of providing for a child’ s physical, emotional, and social needs, vital opportunities for spiritual nurture and training can be overlooked.

Age of Opportunity by Paul Tripp Are you hoping to merely survive your teenagers? With compassion, wit, and wisdom, Tripp uncovers the heart issues affecting families during the often-chaotic adolescent years.

What’s the Big Deal? Why God Cares About Sex by Brenna and Stan Jones Written for children ages 8-11, What’s the Big Deal? helps kids find answers to their questions about sex. It explains the basic facts about sex, why God made adults so they want to have sex, what God says about sex in the Bible, and how to respond when faced with sexual pressure from peers, TV, movies, and magazines.

Passport to Purity by Dennis and Barbara Rainey A True Connection product. Box with four audiocassettes, 64-page student guide, 88-page parent manual, gold seals, and commemorative passport. Connect with your preteen or early teen on this once-in-a-lifetime getaway! Parents, how would you like a workable plan and effective tools to successfully prepare a preteen or early teen for the turbulent adolescent years? This guided weekend retreat for a father and son or a mother and daughter will provide everything needed for a once-in-a-lifetime getaway together.

Short, Precious, Irreplaceable: The Teen Years blog post by Heidi St. John

What Parents of Prodigals Need to Know blog post by Marianne Sunderland

So You’re About to be a Teenager by Dennis and Barbara Rainey with Samuel and Rebecca Rainey Samuel and Rebecca Rainey, preteens themselves not many years ago, add their perspective as young adults who vividly recall their own successes and failures as teenagers. Covering such topics as friends, peer pressure, boundaries, dating, and sex, the Raineys address the most common traps of adolescence and teach young people how to avoid making poor choices. Short, concise chapters are filled with engaging illustrations and practical applications. This book is essential reading for preteens.

Preparing for Adolescence by Dr. James Dobson What do you say to an adolescent who’s getting ready to enter those turbulent teenage years? Dr. James Dobson, one of America’s leading family psychologists, knows how to speak directly and sincerely to today’s adolescents about the topics that trouble them most. Topics include avoiding feelings of inferiority, handling peer pressure, drug abuse, puberty, sexual development, menstruation, masturbation, romantic love, overcoming discouragement, sound decision-making, and handling independence.

Teach Them Diligently: How to Use the Scriptures in Child Training by Paul Tripp

Dare To Discipline – Part 1

I see a lot of fear in great parents these days over this topic of discipline. Here's some direction and encouragement for you to go ahead and train your child—while making sure that your AIM is straight for their heart.

Get into the Bible with your family! Check out Firmly Planted Family

Resources for this series:

The New Dare to Discipline by Dr. James Dobson

Much-needed answers to your toughest parenting questions! Why are boundaries so important? Do children really want limits set on their behavior? My spouse doesn’t seem to care about discipline; why I am I stuck being the “bad guy?” Is it okay to spank my child, or will it lead him to hit others and become a violent person? Join the millions of caring parents who have found answers in the wisdom of parenting authority and family counselor Dr. James Dobson. The New Dare to Discipline is a revised and updated edition of the classic bestseller, designed to help you lead your children through the tough job of growing up. This practical, reassuring guide will teach you how to meet your children’s needs of love, trust, affection―and discipline. (This new edition is part of Dr. James Dobson’s Building A Family Legacy initiative.)

The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson
Because Motherhood Isn’t Just a Job. It’s a Calling.

A mother’s day is packed with a multitude of tasks that require energy and time: preparing meals, washing clothes, straightening and cleaning the house, and caring for children. These jobs all are necessary and crucially important. But in the dailyness of providing for a child’ s physical, emotional, and social needs, vital opportunities for spiritual nurture and training can be overlooked.

Age of Opportunity by Paul Tripp
Are you hoping to merely survive your teenagers? With compassion, wit, and wisdom, Tripp uncovers the heart issues affecting families during the often-chaotic adolescent years.

What’s the Big Deal? Why God Cares About Sex by Brenna and Stan Jones
Written for children ages 8-11, What’s the Big Deal? helps kids find answers to their questions about sex. It explains the basic facts about sex, why God made adults so they want to have sex, what God says about sex in the Bible, and how to respond when faced with sexual pressure from peers, TV, movies, and magazines.

Passport to Purity by Dennis and Barbara Rainey
A True Connection product. Box with four audiocassettes, 64-page student guide, 88-page parent manual, gold seals, and commemorative passport.

Connect with your preteen or early teen on this once-in-a-lifetime getaway!

Parents, how would you like a workable plan and effective tools to successfully prepare a preteen or early teen for the turbulent adolescent years? This guided weekend retreat for a father and son or a mother and daughter will provide everything needed for a once-in-a-lifetime getaway together.

Short, Precious, Irreplaceable: The Teen Years blog post by Heidi St. John

What Parents of Prodigals Need to Know blog post by Marianne Sunderland

So You’re About to be a Teenager by Dennis and Barbara Rainey with Samuel and Rebecca Rainey
Samuel and Rebecca Rainey, preteens themselves not many years ago, add their perspective as young adults who vividly recall their own successes and failures as teenagers. Covering such topics as friends, peer pressure, boundaries, dating, and sex, the Raineys address the most common traps of adolescence and teach young people how to avoid making poor choices. Short, concise chapters are filled with engaging illustrations and practical applications. This book is essential reading for preteens.

Preparing for Adolescence by Dr. James Dobson
What do you say to an adolescent who’s getting ready to enter those turbulent teenage years? Dr. James Dobson, one of America’s leading family psychologists, knows how to speak directly and sincerely to today’s adolescents about the topics that trouble them most. Topics include avoiding feelings of inferiority, handling peer pressure, drug abuse, puberty, sexual development, menstruation, masturbation, romantic love, overcoming discouragement, sound decision-making, and handling independence.

Teach Them Diligently: How to Use the Scriptures in Child Training by Paul Tripp

Dear Mom, You’ve Got This

Every young mom wonders if she’s going to be able to meet the challenges that parenting brings. If that’s you—listen in, because we’ve got some encouragement for you!  Trust your instincts! You’ve got this.

Every mom needs encouragement. Truly! I have seven kids and I didn't know what I was doing when I had my first... or my second ... and do you know what I learned? That's how we learn. You've got this, precious mom! Join Durenda and me today as we give you a little love for your mama's heart.

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Visit our SPONSOR: YWAM Publishing to find wonderful, engaging, life-changing stories for the entire family!

Resources for today’s podcast:

The 5 Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman

Does your child speak a different language? Sometimes they wager for your attention, and other times they ignore you completely. Sometimes they are filled with gratitude and affection, and other times they seem totally indifferent. Attitude. Behavior. Development. Everything depends on the love relationship between you and your child. When children feel loved, they do their best. But how can you make sure your child feels loved?

Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know by Dr. Meg Meeker

In today’s increasingly complicated world, it’s often difficult for parents to connect with their daughters–and especially so for fathers. In this unique and invaluable guide, Dr. Meg Meeker, a pediatrician with more than twenty years’ experience counseling girls, reveals that a young woman’s relationship with her father is far more important than we’ve ever realized. To become a strong, confident woman, a daughter needs her father’s attention, protection, courage, and wisdom. Dr. Meeker shares the ten secrets every father needs to know in order to strengthen or rebuild bonds with his daughter and shape her life–and his own–for the better.

Parenting by The Book: Biblical Wisdom for Raising Your Child by John Rosemond

Picture respectful, responsible, obedient children who entertain themselves without television or video games, do their own homework, and have impeccable manners. A pie-in-the-sky fantasy? Not so, says family psychologist and bestselling author John Rosemond.

In the 1960s, American parents stopped listening to their elders when it came to child rearing and began listening instead to professional experts. Since then, raising children has become fraught with anxiety, stress, and frustration. The solution, says John, lies in raising children according to biblical principles, the same principles that guided parents successfully for hundreds of years. They worked then, and they still work now!

The New Strong-Willed Child by Dr. James Dobson

Is a willful little darling driving you to distraction? The New Strong-Willed Child is the resource you need—a classic bestseller completely rewritten, updated, and expanded for a new generation of parents and teachers. Challenging as they are to raise, strong-willed children can grow up to be men and women of strong character—if lovingly guided with understanding and the right kind of discipline. Find out what Dr. James Dobson, today’s most trusted authority on parenting, has to say about what makes strong-willed children the way they are; shaping the will while protecting the spirit; avoiding the most common parenting mistake; and much more. If you are struggling to raise and teach children who are convinced they should be able to live by their own rules, The New Strong-Willed Child is a must-read!

Choosing Curriculum and Socialization

How do you choose curriculum without going broke or crazy?  Do you need it for every subject? What happens if your curriculum doesn’t work? Join Heidi and Durenda as they share ways to stretch your curriculum budget and find what works for you. Also, we’re talking about socialization—and why we think it’s a good reason to homeschool!

Have you ever wondered what some veteran homeschool moms would do differently? Now's your chance to find out!

 

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 Resources for today’s podcast:

The Busy Homeschool Mom’s Guide to Daylight: Managing Your Days through the Homeschool Years by Heidi St. John

Do you need encouragement and fresh ideas for your homeschool day? Help is on the way!

Tick Tock, Tick Tock…

Can you hear it? Are you “burning daylight?” If you have ever experienced a series of days, weeks or even months when you felt like you just could NOT get on top of all you had to do, you are not alone. Juggling homeschooling and homemaking can be challenging—or so we’ve heard!

Whether you’re struggling with managing your day, or simply looking for encouragement and fresh ideas for tackling your list of things to do, you will enjoy hearing from the heart of busy homeschool mom of seven, wife and author, Heidi St. John.

You’ll laugh out loud, learn some of Heidi’s favorite tips on everything from home organization to meal preparation, and discover how you can homeschool in freedom and joy.

Are you ready to be encouraged? Then join Heidi in discovering that real moms sometimes serve cereal for dinner—and live to write about it!

Educating the Whole Hearted Child
by Clay and Sally Clarkson  Since 1994, Educating the WholeHearted Child has been a trusted guide for thousands of homeschooling families. This extensively revised and expanded third edition provides a solid biblical foundation for educating and nurturing your children’s hearts, minds, and soul.

Pocketful of Pinecones
Karen Andreola, renowned interpreter of the Charlotte Mason method of education, has written a unique sort of book in the homeschool world. Pocketful of Pinecones is a teacher s guide the nature study cleverly disguised as a heartwarming story written in the form of a mother s diary.

The Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola
Now you can realize the joy filled homeschool of your dreams! This modern classic is written by the homeschool mom who first carried Charlotte Mason’s writings to America in her suitcase in 1987. Miss Mason’s books were soon republished for a new generation. After ten years of intense study and successful application of Miss Mason s principles with her own children, Karen wrote A Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections on The Gentle Art of Learning ™.

Today’s parents can now see what a Charlotte Mason education looks like in a contemporary setting while gleaning from its many benefits. Charlotte Mason’s principles of education are not only a way of learning but also a way of life. A Charlotte Mason Companion gives you powerful tools to create an extraordinary learning experience. At the turn of every page, you will meet a practical idea and the inspiration to carry it out. Topics on using good books, heroes in history, poetry, art and music appreciation, nature study, the atmosphere of home, the discipline of habit, keeping up enthusiasm, (to name a few) are referred to again and again by Karen s readers. It is one of the most trusted and often quoted books in the home school world since 1998. Plenty of encouragement, wisdom and gentle instruction await you in this beautifully written and beautifully illustrated book. You will not want to loan this one out!