Mom Schooling

Fun-Schooling Family Stories: Britt Stilwell

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / Leave a comment

Today we welcome Fun-Schooling mam Brittany Stilwell for a guest post!!

Hi, I’m Britt! I am a homeschooling mother to 7 children ages 12, 11, 9, 7, 5, 2, and 3 months. Together we live in sunny South Florida, right on the coast. We are very familiar with neurodiversities as 3 of my children are autistic, as well as myself. We also have one child gifted with dyslexia.

Finding curricula for my children was quite the challenge considering their different needs and abilities. I never wanted them to feel frustrated or like they were “less than” for not being able to properly fill out worksheets with information they may never remember. Instead, I desired something more for them. I wanted to provide them with an education that would help them learn more about themselves while focusing on their gifts and talents. When we found The Thinking Tree, I was intrigued. Could my children really excel using these beautiful books? We tried several of the Minecraft journals as a family–a favorite theme of ours. Our homeschool was forever changed. We haven’t looked back yet!

I wanted to share a little of what I’ve learned over the years that we have been using Fun-Schooling journals and what things look like for us now that we have found our groove. 💕

  1. Keep it simple! Don’t overcomplicate things. Don’t overthink things. Go in with a clear head and an open mind. Be ready to say yes more often than no. ✔️
  2. It’s okay to buy all the journals. 💸 (Yes! I just said that! lol) It’s okay if your child wants to use all of the journals at once. It’s okay if your child wants to use just one at a time. As long as they are learning and getting work done, roll with it. 🤓
  3. Let your kids pick out their journal(s)! 📚 This is so important to my kids. They really feel in charge of their education when they have the freedom to study exactly what they want and how they want. 🌎 🦋 🔬
  4. It’s okay if all of your child’s books are relevant to their journals, or none are relevant at all. Maybe they liked the pretty horse cover but they want to study George Washington. 🤷🏽‍♀️ It’s their journal after all. Let them really own it and create something that reflects themselves. 🪞
  5. Let them loose! Maybe they only do a few really good pages a day or maybe they get excited for the next page and hurry through. ✏️ Don’t discourage their learning by telling them how you’d rather it be done. I have done this plenty and it has always hurt their spirit. 😞
  6. Believe they are capable, because they really are! 🥰
  7. There is no wrong way to use Fun-Schooling journals, but there is a right way. The right way is to always be sure there is FUN in each day! 🎲

And lastly…

8. Lead. By. Example. 👯‍♀️

I can’t stress this one enough. Emulate the behaviors and habits you wish to see in your children. Yes, personalities are different. I have 7 children and no two are alike, but they are all watching ME. The best things we can teach our kids will not come from library books or curricula, but from within our own hearts and what we do with our hands. 💗

With all that said, below are 5 of the journal and book choices of my kiddos. I love the variety!

Want your story to be featured on the blog? Reply in the comments with your ideas!

Best Books for Big Families

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / Leave a comment

Do you have three or more children? Congratulations. You are outnumbered! 
Here are some of the best books for busy moms! Be inspired with PRACTICAL ideas on how to manage a home full of children, and ENJOY IT! These books were chosen because they all give you tips and fun ideas about how to love your kids, without losing your mind! All written by experienced parents, who consider every child a blessing! 

1. Back to Basics: Raising Self-Sufficient Children
http://www.amazon.com/Back-Basics-Raising-Self-Sufficient-Children-ebook/dp/B003XVYHES

2. Windows to Our World: Sarah’s Journal
Growing Up, Crossing Oceans, Finding Love 
& Giving Life to 10 Children  
Kindle:www.amazon.com/Windows-Our-World-Crossing-Children-ebook/dp/B00PBDOTLM
Paperback:www.amazon.com/Windows-Our-World-Crossing-Children/dp/1502510111

3. More Hours in My Day
http://www.amazon.com/More-Hours-Day-Emilie-Barnes-ebook/dp/B005WWN6HU

4. The 5 Love Languages of Children 
http://www.amazon.com/5-Love-Languages-Children/dp/0802403476

5. Loving Our Kids On Purpose: Making A Heart-To-Heart Connection
http://www.amazon.com/Loving-Kids-Purpose-Heart—Heart/dp/0768427398

6. A Sane Woman’s Guide to Raising a Large Family
http://www.amazon.com/Womans-Guide-Raising-Large-Family/dp/1423604512

Make this stack of books YOUR Christmas Wish List!  Just share this blog post with your husband, mom, sisters and friends! 

Have you read any of these books yet?  Write a review here for any of them! 

Free Kindle Reading App – Anybody can read Kindle books—even without a Kindle device—with the FREE Kindle app for smartphones, tablets and computers

Dyslexia Games and the Fight Against Brain Fog (Part 2)

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / 1 Comment

(Guest post by Ferne Hood)

The final week of the first month of the trial saw more and more positive and unexpected outcomes. Moms were feeling less overwhelmed, more organized, more in control, more creative and even remembering where they left their phone and what that person’s name was who they just met! One mom said, “It has been helping me remember things, like names. I’ve been getting increasingly worse at remembering names for the past couple years. I’ve surprised myself a few times lately!”

            At the end of the first month of the trial, Sarah conducted a little poll to see what areas of people’s lives were improving the most as a result. There were an astounding eighteen areas nominated! The area with the most votes being focus, shortly followed by organization, cleaning more and feeling less scatterbrained. Brain fog reduction was fifth on the list, which shows that these other fantastic areas of improvement were wonderfully unexpected by-products of the experiment. Moms reported an increase in concentration, patience, mood and memory. Some moms also discovered that they had some wonderful hidden artistic skills and their creativity was allowed to come to the surface once again. They found themselves bonding with their kids more and making precious time for themselves, sometimes for the first time in a long time. A month of Dyslexia Games also seemed to be helping to calm anxiety and improve mental health, as well as inspire moms to cook and clean more and finish the jobs they start.

            Because of Dyslexia Games, many moms are now feeling more in control of their lives, while also finding new ways to spend time with their kids, reconnecting over puzzles and pictures. Sarah has since created a range of Mom Brain Games specific for this purpose, to help mothers everywhere reclaim their lives, harness their thoughts, own their day-to-day and even clean a garage or two.

            “I felt exhausted, depressed, frustrated and nothing seemed to get accomplished. By the time I was halfway through the first book in this series I had retrained my brain to completely focus and complete one small task at a time. Now, I am able to get things accomplished. My anxiety and depression is no longer an issue. I am not overwhelmed–I can look at things and break it down into small chunks that are doable… This would not have happened without doing these brain fog series. I don’t know how it works but I am proof it does work !!!” – Krista.

            So many moms who have done this trial have had such fantastic results and are now a part of an ever-growing community. They have found a way to find themselves again, with a little daily focus, some time and dedication, some pretty pens, and maybe a green lemonade or two along the way.  

(Read Part 1 by clicking here)

Sarah Janisse Brown - Morning Light
Sarah Janisse Brown, Creator of Dyslexia Games/Art & Logic Therapy

What’s In My Mom’s Chill Basket?

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / 2 Comments
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Just wondering… do you ever feel like you don’t fit in with other homeschooling families? Why?

For years I felt like I had to put my girls in long skirts to be accepted at our homeschool food co-op. I felt bad that we were just faking the Amish look, but I wanted to show respect to the other families… turns out a bunch of them were dressing their kids in long dresses cause I was…

No more! Let’s just be who were are. It took a while to embrace the idea that Homeschooling doesn’t have a dress code… unless PJs count.

I also thought that to be in the Homeschool cool-club I had to grind my own grain, milk my own goat, grow my own watermelon and sew my kids clothing. I also noticed that most of my homeschooling friends had four kids… I only had three… then I had seven, now ten! It doesn’t matter what your family size is! It’s all good!

As a family we did some of these things just for the joy of it, and for health reasons, but we don’t all have to grind wheat to be friends. Here is the truth… a lot of homeschoolers eat Lucky Charms and go to Wendy’s.

I thought that “good homeschool moms” teach their kids to read at age 4. That worked with Isaac. But most of my kids are reading around age 9. Isaac never learned multiplication facts! Here is the truth, a lot of homeschoolers have kids that struggle with math or reading.

It was a hard lesson to learn that we don’t have to dress, eat, sew, skin rabbits, and have a zoo pass to be good homeschooling moms. Here’s the truth, a lot of homeschoolers shop at Walmart, and don’t always eat organic. Some do. Cool.

Oh, and here’s another confession… my kids play with Pokemon Cards and watch Disney movies. That’s how they learn math and music. I felt like I could lose friends over this at one point.

Here’s another one: Good homeschool moms have clean houses and wake up before the sun. I make my appearance at 9:30am on most days, and my house looks like a work in progress.

Another tough one to swallow was the idea that unschoolers can’t be Christians. What the heck? I was a closet unschooler!

Do you need to “hang up” any of your hang ups? Hang-um in the comments, and support each other!
You can read more of my journey to joy and freedom in my book – Windows to Our World… 

Check out my son’s Homeschooling Vlog here. Click the image below, to watch “All a 7-Year-Old Needs to Homeschool”:

What is Your Calling?

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / 4 Comments

What’s your calling? This matters. Do you know yourself?

While raising 15 children, and mentoring many parents and children over the years, I’ve always tried to encourage parents to focus on four different areas. These areas are: the child’s learning style, talents, passions and calling.

These four areas are each unique and important!

All four of these factors are essential to a person’s education! Yet these things are so personal that schools generally overlook them and opt for standardization because it would be impossible to customize each child’s learning experience based on their vast individuality.

As homeschooling parents we have a precious privilege and opportunity to base our child’s education around their calling!

I have not taken time yet to speak about the concept of preparing a child for their calling. I’m still trying to figure it out! What is their purpose? What are their dreams for how they will influence the world around them?

So let’s start the conversation.

A person’s calling is their drive to make a difference. There are probably countless callings, but I have decided to narrow it down to the seven that I feel “called” to nurture in my children, in order to equip them to become who they were meant to be.

Here are the seven callings. Think about what callings stir most deeply in your own heart, and then consider where your children shine! You can generally see sparks of calling in children from a very young age! Watch them play for clues!

Are you Called?

1. Called to Nurture (Parenting, Family Care, Community Care, Medical care, therapeutics, natural healing, nursing care, nature care.)

2. Called to Lead (Political Leadership, Business Leadership and Community Leadership)

3. Called to Serve (Volunteering, Religious Service, Military Service, Community Service)

4. Called to Create (Arts, Entertainment, Performance, Design, Building, Invention, Solutions, Innovative Technology)

5. Called to Equip (Education, Teaching, Training, Mentoring)

6. Called to Produce (Business, Economics, Investing, Food Production, Entrepreneurship, Product Production, Wealth, Prosperity, Provision)

7. Called to Communicate (Journalism, Advertising, Marketing, Broadcasting, News Media, Publishing, Radio, Podcasting, Public Speaking, Authorship, Social Media, Film Making, Satire, Sales, YouTubing.

So, let’s start with YOU. What are your TOP TWO callings!!! Then think about your family members. Join the conversation for a chance to win your next book!!!