To the people of New York City, Mother Cabrini was more than a brilliant, accomplished woman; she was more than a great humanitarian. She was a saint. Mother Cabrini did not make the cut. In 2019, it was decided that the Italian born saint who dedicated her life to that famous compassion for immigrants that […]
Mother Cabrini – She Built NYC Read More »
You’ve heard of the conversational narcissist, the person who talks about himself non-stop in a conversation except for occasional pauses to take a refreshing glance at his reflection in your eyes? Today, on Homeschool Impossible we will take a look at the new and not so improved twenty-first century conversational narcissist – the conversational googlist
The Conversational Googlist Read More »
Has your homeschooled teen outgrown you yet? Don’t freak out. It’s a normal phase of development. I remember how it was with Miss Number Five. She didn’t do the schoolwork when I told her to do it. She didn’t do it the way I said to do it. For example: now. But mostly she just
When your Homeschooled Teen Outgrows You – with Audio Read More »
To be good at homeschooling, or at least to not let it lick you, you have to be good at the failures that are part of the everyday – the drawer full of broken pencils, the quarrel over the last working pen, the notebook that fell in with the odd socks and was swallowed whole.
When the Homeschooling Husband Helps Teach – Nicht! With Audio Read More »
My alma mater, Thomas More College, recently asked me what my liberal arts education did for me. TMC: You are a homeschool consultant as well as a speaker and author. How did the education you received at the College prepare you for your writing career, as well as educating your children and helping others to
What my Liberal Arts Education Did for Me Read More »
It was one of those homeschooling days. The kids were brutes and I was a beast. Later, when I forgot the soup and it turned to swill, I thought, “How appropriate.” The family assured me that it tasted fine but I didn’t like it – not the swill, not the beastly behavior, not the whole
Homeschooling Is your Second Job – with Audio Read More »
Homeschooling with a baby in the house seems distracting but it teaches kids values and life skills that go way beyond books. On this episode of Homeschool Impossible, we answer one of homeschooling’s frequently asked questions: How do you teach older kids with a baby in the house? Stay tuned. The answer will surprise you.
Homeschooling with a Baby in the House – with Audio Read More »
Sigrid Undset (1882-1949) was a model of women’s achievement both in her writing and her personal life. Writing at a time when female authors were known for fluff romances, her stories were taken seriously – and she even didn’t have to change her name to George (as in Sand or Eliot). Undset was young, attractive,
Sigrid Undset: Sin, Sainthood and Sanity Read More »
The rugged life of Ukrainian Catholic Martyr Blessed Nykyta Budka (1877–1949) shows that Christianity and grit run deep in the Ukrainian soul. When you read about the Eastern Rite saints who lived under Roman persecution, you might wonder if they were really as heroic as their biographers say they were. It was so long ago.
Ukrainian Catholic Martyr Blessed Nykyta Budka: Die with your Boots on Read More »
If you’re barely getting homeschooling done because there’s too much going on, take a lesson from your junk drawer. Do you have a junk drawer? I do. It has dry pens, broken pencils, grubby crayon stubs, rogue staples, crumbs, and erasers that some long grown baby tried to eat for breakfast. But that isn’t the
Barely Getting Homeschooling Done? A Lesson from your Junk Drawer – with Audio Read More »
St. Josaphat was born a child of divorce. By this I don’t mean that his parents split up but rather that his Church did. By the time he was born in 1580 in what is now Ukraine, the Great Schism of 1054 was hundreds of years old but no less bitter. I won’t go into
St. Josaphat: That They May all Be One Read More »
What is a homeschool dad? If you said it’s a guy whose wife homeschools, you’re usually right. These dads come in more or less helpful varieties. The unhelpful ones put their wives on trial with a “let’s see how you perform” mentality. They’re not sold on homeschooling, merely tolerating it. They are dubious that it
Three Kinds of Homeschool Dads Read More »
Cries of “Feminist!” greeted a recent compilation of articles under the heading, Homeschool Moms Discuss Raising Strong Daughters. Not your usual reaction to the phrase “homeschool moms” so I suppose the “strong daughters” were to blame. Anyway, it was a title guaranteed to interest me – a homeschool mom of six daughters. It didn’t hurt that
Homeschool Moms Have Unsung Strength Read More »
If you ever wondered whether the holy men and women of the Old Testament are considered saints by the Church, December has your answer. The Eastern Rite calendar contains the individual feast days of five prophets: Nahum, Habacus, Sophonias (aka Zephaniah), Aggeus, and Daniel. That’s not all. The two Sundays before Christmas are devoted to
Old Testament Saints?? Read More »
Just in time for Halloween, this month’s saint was a real charmer. Literally. Don’t get him mixed up with the other, famous, respectable St. Cyprian who was once bishop of Carthage and is now mentioned in the Mass. This is the other one. The one who went around conjuring up Satan. Cyprian was born in Antioch
St. Cyprian the… Sorcerer? Read More »
Homeschool summers are those glorious three months when we get to enjoy all the benefits of homeschooling without doing any of the work. Summer is the sabbath of homeschooling. We’ve done our 180 days, finished all of our books, ended our co-op, completed our testing, seen our evaluator and turned in our paperwork. It is
Why We Take Homeschool Summers off Read More »
Are you stuck in homeschooling? Do you feel as if you’re running in place? Gasping for breath, feeling the burn but going no where? Time seems to loop like the movie Ground Hog Day; every day is like the one before. The only sign of growth is the mold on your shower curtain. Everyone is
8 Ways to Make Homeschooling Great Again Read More »
St. Gianna Molla embraced life with gusto. She was adventurous and passionate by nature. Her oldest child, Pierluigi, remembers that his mother loved to drive fast. If the roads were clear she put the pedal to the metal. She was that way with love too. Whatever or whomever she loved, she loved daringly with her whole
St. Gianna Molla Told her Future Husband “I Love You” First Read More »
While we’re all talking about the must-see new series, I Forgive, hosted by Immaculee Ilibagiza on EWTN, here is an interview I once did with her. When Immaculée Ilibagiza first published her memoir Left to Tell, it was with the modest hope of sharing the book with friends. Her agent, however, told her to quit
Immaculée Ilibagiza on Screen Read More »
What did Melville write again, “The damp, drizzly November in my soul whenever I find myself pausing involuntarily before coffin warehouses?” That is exactly how homeschool burnout feels – only forget November. November is National Decorating Season in America. Having died before reaching the age of one hundred seventy-two, Melville never knew. I feel certain
Beat Winter Homeschool Burnout with 20 Minutes of Joy Read More »