As You arrive in our life for the first time
For the first time
We see greatness lie in Your eyes
And this is what we will sing
‘Cause this is only the beginning.
Use today as your beginning. Study the life of Emmanuel, “God with us,” by reading through the New Testament this coming year, together as a family.
My house is a place of creativity, innovation, technology, tradition, beauty, art, music, good food, and education. Fun comes first!
As the one who organizes and orchestrates the events and environment for over a dozen children and an adventurous husband, I’ve embraced an opportunity to throw out the common uses of the rooms in my house.
Most houses were designed to serve as a place of relaxation and comfort for hardworking couples, and school age children. As a homeschooling mom and home-based entrepreneur I began to rethink the way Americans use their homes.
I saw the impractical design of a home as an opportunity to transform the underutilized living spaces into something far more useful and exciting.
What It Looks Like
Our kitchen is now a “Science Kitchen” and a place for fermenting, cooking classes, experiments, a place for making body-care products, and for inventing new remedies and recipes. In the past our kitchen was a birth center, where a few of our kids were born!
Our living room is a lending library and music room where family and friends gather to create music together and to read, share and borrow books. Our living room is also a place where children can play with puzzles and puppets. Sometimes it becomes a church, where we gather daily for Bible stories, worship and prayer.
Our dining room serves the usual purpose of a space for family meals, often squeezing two dozen of us around three tables! But often we set up the space as an Art and Game cafe! Watercolors, beads, and rubber stamps await the touch and imagination of creative kids. We added a coffee bar with three espresso machines and a beautiful assortment of ceramic mugs and flavored syrups. During the week the tables are used as a school space for my five or six youngest kids.
The nook attached to the kitchen is a tearoom, with a DIY tea making station complete with about twenty healing blends of loose leaf teas made from herbs, flowers and spices which were grown in our garden, foraged from our woods and meadows, and imported from around the world. On our recent trips to Italy, Greece and Israel we searched for local blends to bring home and recreate.
The media room in the basement is a Preschool Paradise – even though our youngest child is nine. We fill my house with young moms who have little ones every chance we get.
Our office is a studio of creativity, design, publishing, and relaxation for myself and my team of collaborators who often drop in to work on projects with me.
Our garage is a charging station for two Teslas and a Cybertruck. It is also a gym for my kids who are into fitness and bodybuilding, and another part of the garage is a pottery and jewelry making studio. My husband has a workshop in yet another section of the garage.
Half of the old barn has been renovated into a DIY creative space for neighborhood homeschoolers, complete with a Lego city, shelves full of games, a small stage, and loads of art supplies. The other half of the barn serves as an art studio for our daughters who are studying oil painting and drawing. The space also includes the set for a podcast studio.
Keep reading by clicking here.
Was there a time when you understood what really mattered, and then you looked at your life?
Was there a moment when you understood the truth about all the things that were irrelevant to the precious, meaningless in light of the meaningful, and futile when side by side with the greatest?
When your eyes were open to the purpose of your life, did you find your calling there?
And when you found your calling, did you listen?
And when you listened, did you surrender?
Did you learn to obey the voice calling you to surrender everything, break the chains, and unload the burdens so that you could be free to run your race? Or are you still entangled with the everyday pressures and demands of mediocrity?
Here’s some inspiration for those of you who need to get to that place of throwing off the entanglements.
If you are not free to run your race, it really is time to stop everything and change direction.
Look ten years down the road. If you change nothing, you will be exactly where you are now, just older and with more debt. Every day like the last, striving, struggling, climbing a ladder to nowhere, or digging some hole ever deeper.
But don’t mistake faithfulness in the little things for a meaningless life. If you are being faithful where you are, doing the hard daily work of your calling, you must persevere! For example, your faithfulness as a mother with young children. Your days are long, your work gives you little rest, but the influence of your sacrifice for others is precious, meaningful and great.
Perhaps you heard the call to missions, and you work in the dirt and spend your days feeding dozens of hungry children, cleaning bathrooms in an orphanage, serving in gardens, villages, churches, and schools–but there is nothing romantic about your missionary life. It is hard work and you have dirt under your fingernails. But you are storing up treasures in heaven, and adding many smiles to earth. This hard work may seem thankless, and it’s lonely at times, but your love brings hope, and that’s enough.
Maybe you are a dad, looking for another income stream, putting a roof over dozens of other homes so you can keep a roof over the one home that matters most. It’s hot. It’s long days. It’s thankless work, and you come home to smiling kids and a weary wife. It’s a season where nothing seems romantic; but in a world where so many families are falling apart, your family is sticking together. You look around and what might not seem like much, is actually everything. When it comes to the value of family, you are rich, proud, and looking forward to the day when He says, “Well done my good and faithful servant!”
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When it comes to homeschooling, I’ve always taken an approach centered on creativity and real-world preparation. I begin to teach my children when they’re very little that you can create something with what’s around you that people will pay money for.
Take one of my daughters, for example. She had a passion for dogs and horses her entire childhood. Instead of forcing her into a generalized curriculum, we built her education around her love for animals, helping her explore how she could turn that passion into a meaningful career.
Of course, many parents worry, “Well, what if my kid’s not interested in something?” To me, that’s not a roadblock — it’s an opportunity. I don’t focus only on a career. What it comes down to is your child’s innate calling. One of my sons needed to be the kind of person who does a diverse number of different things. He needed to try a variety of experiences and be encouraged to explore, and this helped his calling to surface!
I tell my kids this: “When you’re 13 or 14, if you’re ready to start a business, we’re going to invest in your business.” When I was young, kids used to be excited to be 16 and get a driver’s license. Now you see 13-year-olds excited for their first phone. In our family, instead of focusing on getting a phone, my kids look forward to that moment where we’re going to invest in their business. They know to think toward that and plan toward that leading up to their 13th birthday.
Instead of spending $100,000 for them to get a degree for who-knows-what, I’d rather invest early in something that’s meaningful to them. We start by investing one to three thousand dollars in their interests, and then we spend the next 4 or 5 years immersing them in the careers they want to have. They get one-on-one lessons, equipment, and a high-quality learning experience in their fields as teenagers. It’s about letting them major in the thing they want to do.
I really believe that as I encourage that child to follow that path and their calling, the doors are going to open for them. As that calling begins to develop, I look for an opportunity to find a mentor or a Masterclass to continue their knowledge beyond what I can provide. It’s not about following a rigid path but is instead about trusting the process and nurturing their growth along the way.
My approach isn’t about perfection or endless resources. There are a variety of ways to homeschool your children in a career-based fashion when limited budgets come into play. That’s where creativity comes in! In 2014, we were living with 9 kids, on $80 a day. Our home was in Croatia, and it had no running water. We had one electrical outlet, and we got our water out of a cistern. Even then, I found ways to support my kids’ dreams.
For example, my first son had dreams of becoming a chef. For his 13th birthday, we made an Amazon wish list for friends and family, and every item was related to his dream of being a chef. Within a year, he ended up being a personal chef for a woman with celiac disease. When given resources and support, I truly believe a child with a calling can achieve their wildest imaginings!
Another way I help support my children is by letting them be a part of the Fun-Schooling journals. When my kids are ready to jump into a career, I make a Fun-Schooling book with them that they can sell as a way to help fund their goals.
Ultimately, when parents worry about how their kids will make a career out of niche interests, I tell them to just trust. If your child loves dinosaurs, don’t worry that he loves dinosaurs. A lot of times we worry about how our child is going to make a career out of their interests, but it ends up coming down to the same thing. Just trust.
We are so excited to share the news that the new Reading Therapy is out!!! I’ve been working on this all year to create a new workbook to help kids who are struggling to sound out words to read fluently! I’m so excited about this. Take 20 minutes a day to work with your child to master 150 wonderful words! By the end of the book your child will be writing stories, poems and letters!
This book is created for the kids who are reading words like farm and cat, but want to read words like radiant and mighty!
Do you want to be part of our research study? Let me know at Sarah@BrownIdea.com
Get the PDF now to print at home for all your kids.
This book is the bridge between Dyslexia Therapy and grade level schoolwork. It’s the book I wish I had the year I failed 3rd grade.
Are you a 2nd or 3rd grade teacher with students who are struggling to read?
I’d love to give you this workbook as a gift to use in your classroom. Tag a teacher!
Giveaway!!!
Get the PDF version of our new book for Free!!! “150 Wonderful Words – Vocabulary, Spelling & Reading”
Coupon Code: 150WonderfulWords
Get it here: https://www.funschooling.com/product-page/pdf-150-wonderful-words-vocabulary-spelling-reading
Code expires December 17, 2024
See something else you need?
Here’s a “Buy One Get One Free” offer for any of our PDFs!
Coupon Code: FunSchoolBOGO2024
Expires December 31, 2024
In every era of rapid technological advancement, humanity faces a crossroads. Today, as AI and robotics threaten to replace human labor on an unprecedented scale, we are confronted with deep questions: What will happen to our jobs, our purpose, and our value? How will we spend our time, our energy, and our lives?
This isn’t the first time we’ve faced such a dilemma. A striking parallel existed in the 1950s when household technologies revolutionized daily life. Tasks that had once demanded weeks of effort—gardening, raising meat and eggs, canning food, sewing clothing—were suddenly replaced by mass production and modern appliances. The washing machine, refrigerator, vacuum cleaner, and telephone transformed the role of the housewife, freeing up vast amounts of time.
For many women, this was both liberating and disorienting. The work that once defined their survival and value within the family became unnecessary. They were no longer the primary producers of food and clothing, and their contribution shifted. Many entered the workforce or turned to consumerism and leisure.
But this “freedom” came with unforeseen consequences. Fast-forward 75 years, and we see a society grappling with obesity, mental health crises, loneliness, and fractured families. The very technologies that promised to make life easier have left many people without a sense of challenge or purpose.
Now, as AI advances at breakneck speed, we are entering a new era of disruption. Entire industries may be transformed or rendered irrelevant. What will happen when robots and technology handle most of the tasks that once filled our days? Will humans—like the 1950s housewives—find themselves with too much time, too little purpose, and no meaningful challenges?
Humans need to be challenged. We thrive on purpose, on working hard for something that matters, and on the satisfaction of overcoming obstacles. If AI takes over the bulk of our work, the question is not “What will we do with our time?” but rather, “How will we use it meaningfully?”
Click here to consider some answers to these questions, and discover some actionable points for you and your family.
What is a natural interest? A natural interest is an area of life that you’re drawn to! For a lot of people, they might call this their hobby or side project. Natural interests can cover a vast variety of subjects – from a specific animal to the overarching act of reading, to drawing with charcoal or recording/writing music! Natural interests are our callings. So how do you spot this in your child from an early age?
Identifying your child’s natural interests can help guide their growth and learning! Here are some simple ways to spot what excites and intrigues them:
Learn more about preparing your child for their future calling/career here.
Find journals for every possible area of interest imaginable by clicking the image below!
Until Thursday, you can enjoy some wonderful discounts on the heels of our Black Friday sales!
Shop at Funschooling.com today!
When I was about 14 years old, I started to feel angry about what feminism was doing to society. I dreamed of being a mother—specifically, a mother to seven daughters. When people asked me what I wanted to become, I would proudly say, “A mom and an artist.” Their reactions were always dismissive, as though they couldn’t decide which dream was worse, so they trashed them both.
But I didn’t let that stop me. I wanted to create a magical home for my children. As a child, I dreamed of living in a big Victorian house filled with treasures and souvenirs from all over the world. I imagined traveling with my daughters, teaching them to be great artists. I pictured a house full of pets, a kitchen filled with the smells of food from every culture, and a life brimming with creativity and adventure.
I always envisioned my daughters as teenagers who were smart, confident, industrious, and, most importantly, deeply in love with each other as sisters. When people told me it would be a shame to bring children into such a dark world, I would reply with conviction, “My children will be the ones to light up the world.”
I fought for that dream. I read pioneer love stories and Amish romances that inspired me to make everything from scratch and to create beauty everywhere I could. My roots gave me strength—my mother was a successful artist, her mother was the first female civil engineer in California, and her mother was one of the founders of the Humane Society. My great-great-grandmother left Bohemia at 19 to build a life for herself in New York City. Many of my ancestors were outliers, and I’ve since learned that several of them probably had traits of Asperger’s. They taught me resilience, optimism, and how to think differently.
These women inspired me to dream big. Despite their accomplishments, they always put family first. My grandmother adored Ronald Reagan, and even though I come from a line of intelligent, powerful women, they held traditional values, believed in their daughters, and cherished family. I wanted to pass that on. A daughter is your legacy—and I wanted seven.
As I watched feminism take root in my generation, I saw it corrupt many of my friends. They believed they couldn’t live fulfilling lives if they were “slaves” to children. But I’m so thankful I never bought into those lies. By the time I was 35, I was living my dream—I had seven daughters! And I didn’t stop there.
Motherhood is such a beautiful, life-giving gift, and I believe we need to encourage our daughters to embrace their own unique gifts, talents, purpose, and the joy of being mothers too.
If you are dreaming of forging a legacy of strength in your daughter, this is a valuable tool:
Get up to 50% OFF on these amazing Thinking Tree Books! Stock up on fun, creative, and educational resources for your homeschool. Here’s what’s on sale:
1. Fun-Schooling Spelling Journal Boost your child’s spelling skills with creative, fun activities designed to engage and inspire.
2. How to Write Research Papers A comprehensive guide for students to learn how to research, organize, and write their own academic papers.
3. Homeschooling for Girls Winter A seasonally themed learning journal full of creative prompts, activities, and lessons tailored for young girls.
4. All About Money Teach your kids financial literacy with engaging exercises on saving, budgeting, and understanding money.
5. Are You a Math Genius? A fun, interactive journal packed with math puzzles and activities to challenge and delight learners.
6. Multiplication Games – 180 Days A workbook designed for daily practice with exciting games to reinforce multiplication skills.
7. A Proverb a Day Explore wisdom and life lessons through proverbs with daily activities and reflection prompts.
8. All About Sharks Dive into the fascinating world of sharks with fun facts, activities, and research challenges.
9. Transportation History Learn about the evolution of transportation with creative lessons and activities.
10. The Chef’s Fun-Schooling Journal Combine cooking and learning in this journal full of recipes, culinary challenges, basic subjects, and creative prompts.
11. All About Space Blast off into space exploration with a journal filled with science, astronomy, and fun experiments.
12. Top 30 Grammar Mistakes Master grammar with this fun and easy-to-understand guide to common language errors.
13. The Baker’s Fun-Schooling Journal Perfect for aspiring bakers, this journal mixes learning with delicious recipes and creative projects.
14. Fun-Schooling Math Mysteries Solve math mysteries with fun problem-solving activities and puzzles to sharpen critical thinking.
15. Picturing the Past Explore history with engaging activities that combine art and research.
Shop the Sale: Visit Funschooling.com or click the journal images below for the sales!
Sale ends soon, so act fast!
Now through December 1st!!!
