The Christy-Faith Show

Homeschooling more than one child and bouncing like a human pinball from phonics to fractions to grading essays? In the finale of the Smooth Homeschool Days series, homeschool expert Christy-Faith, an education and parenting expert with over 20 years of experience, shows you how to homeschool multiple kids without burning out — with a realistic teaching budget, boundaries that protect your sanity, and simple systems that build capable kids.🎁 Free Resource: Sample Homeschool SchedulesSee how real homeschool days come together, and build a schedule that works for every kid in your house.👉 Free DownloadIn this episode, you’ll learn:Your real teaching budget: about 2 to 3 hours a day — total, not per kidHow much of your time littles, elementary kids, and teens actually needWhy everyone in the family needs a printed schedule with margin built inMulti-level homeschooling: which subjects to teach together and which to keep separateThe interruption rule (“blood, fire, or flood”) and how to teach kids to waitThree boundaries that protect your homeschool: your phone, your personal space, and your core school hoursWhy chores are part of school — and how to anchor them to mealsBuilding capable kids with “I do, we do, you do” and the parental involvement indexSponsors:BJU Press Homeschool✔ Flexible curriculum to fit your family’s needs✔ Biblical worldview and critical thinking built in✔ Hands-on learning for every grade level👉 View SamplesCTC Math✔ Get 50% off my favorite online math program✔ Adaptive lessons so kids build confidence at their own pace✔ Teaching, grading, and testing — all done for you!👉 Free Trial👉 Get 50% OffLearningRx✔ Backed by 35 years of research✔ Real long-term help with ADHD and dyslexia✔ Strengthens attention, memory, reading, writing, and mathUse code HOME50 for $50 off your cognitive skills assessment👉 Get $50 Off Your Cognitive Skills AssessmentSummit Healthshare✔ Save 40–60% vs. traditional health insurance✔ See any doctor — no networks, no permission slips✔ Free labs, office visits, prescriptions on select plans👉 View Health Plans & SavingsResources mentioned:Smooth Homeschool Days Part 1 (Ep. 137) — The early years: pre-K to 2nd gradeSmooth Homeschool Days Part 2 (Ep. 138) — The elementary years: 3rd to 6th gradeSmooth Homeschool Days Part 3 (Ep. 139) — The teen years: building independence without losing connectionThe Christy-Faith List — Find homeschool-friendly businesses and providersThrive Homeschool Community — Christy-Faith’s membership community for homeschool momsConnect with Christy-Faith:Instagram: @christy_faith_TikTok: @christy_faithWebsite: christy-faith.comBook: Homeschool Rising🎧 Love the show? Follow, subscribe, and leave a review wherever you listen — it helps more homeschool families find us! (00:00) - Welcome to Smooth Homeschool Days Part 4 (00:56) - When Your House Feels Like a Circus (01:54) - A Multi-Level Homeschool Isn’t Three Separate Schools (02:21) - How This 4-Part Series Works (03:18) - The One Number That Changes Everything (04:00) - Your Real Teaching Budget: 2 to 3 Hours a Day (04:28) - Younger Kids Need More of Your Time (06:01) - How Much Time Your Teen Really Needs From You (06:39) - Why Everyone Needs a Printed Schedule (07:36) - Teach Together Whenever You Can (08:17) - What the Research Says About Mixed-Age Learning (08:42) - Which Subjects to Keep Separate (09:32) - What a Multi-Level Homeschool Day Looks Like (14:08) - Interruptions: The Homeschool Day Killer (14:42) - The Interruption Rule: Blood, Fire, or Flood (15:11) - Teaching Kids How to Wait (17:21) - A Boundary With Yourself: Your Phone (17:57) - Boundaries Around Your Personal Space (19:00) - Boundaries With the Outside World (21:00) - Running a House That Has School in It (21:47) - Anchor Chores to Meals (22:59) - The Planning Fallacy: Why You Need Margin (23:31) - Time-Based vs. Lesson-Based Homeschooling (24:13) - Chores Are Part of School (25:13) - The Independence Trap (28:10) - Capability, Not Independence (30:00) - Gradual Release: I Do, We Do, You Do (30:28) - What Kids Can Do on Their Own, by Age (31:31) - The Parental Involvement Index (33:48) - The Whole Series in Four Sentences (34:47) - Final Thoughts: What Smooth Homeschool Days Really Are

Your child did long division perfectly on Monday — so why are they staring at the same problems like they’re written in a foreign language today? In Part 2 of the Smooth Homeschool Days series, homeschool expert Christy-Faith explains what kids in 3rd through 6th grade are really ready for, how much independence they can handle, and how to raise the bar without losing the relationship.🎁 Free Resource: Sample Homeschool SchedulesWondering how much school is really enough? See what real homeschool days look like with my free sample schedules.👉 Free DownloadIn this episode, you’ll learn:What’s developing in the brain between ages 8 and 11 — and why abstract math can feel impossibleAttention span by age for assigned work (and the video game myth)How much independent work is realistic at ages 8–9 vs. 10–11Why skills seem to vanish overnight — and why unevenness is not regressionThe math anxiety loop: how worry freezes working memoryThe golden rule for frustrating lessons: two explanations, then stopThe 3 academic hinges of the elementary years and grade-by-grade expectationsThe correction-to-connection ratio and how to batch your correctionsSponsors:BJU Press Homeschool✔ Flexible curriculum to fit your family’s needs✔ Biblical worldview and critical thinking built in✔ Hands-on learning for every grade level👉 View SamplesCTC Math✔ Get 50% off my favorite online math program✔ Adaptive lessons so kids build confidence at their own pace✔ Teaching, grading, and testing — all done for you!👉 Free Trial👉 Get 50% OffLearningRx✔ Backed by 35 years of research✔ Real long-term help with ADHD and dyslexia✔ Strengthens attention, memory, reading, writing, and mathUse code HOME50 for $50 off your cognitive skills assessment👉 Get $50 Off Your Cognitive Skills AssessmentSummit Healthshare✔ Save 40–60% vs. traditional health insurance✔ See any doctor — no networks, no permission slips✔ Free labs, office visits, prescriptions on select plans👉 View Health Plans and SavingsResources mentioned:Smooth Homeschool Days Part 1 (Ep. 137) — The early years: pre-K to 2nd gradeHomeschool Rising — Christy-Faith’s book, including the chapter on deschoolingThe Christy-Faith List — Find homeschool-friendly businesses and providersThrive Homeschool Community — Christy-Faith’s membership community for homeschool moms⭐ New to homeschooling? Start with Episode 101 — the New Homeschooler Series is the best place to begin.Connect with Christy-Faith:Instagram: @christy_faith_TikTok: @christy_faithWebsite: christy-faith.comBook: Homeschool Rising🎧 Love the show? Follow, subscribe, and leave a review wherever you listen — it helps more homeschool families find us! (00:00) - Welcome to Smooth Homeschool Days Part 2 (01:01) - The Math Meltdown Every Mom Knows (01:47) - How This 4-Part Series Works (03:08) - What’s Developing in Kids Ages 8 to 11 (03:51) - Concrete Thinking: Why Worksheets Feel Harder (05:12) - Attention Span by Age for Assigned Work (06:48) - Working Memory: Why Writing It Down Helps (11:23) - The Great Myth of Independent Work (12:34) - How Much Independent Work Is Realistic by Age (13:58) - Why Skills Vanish Overnight (16:27) - The Emotional Life of Elementary Kids (18:21) - Shame, Comparison, and “Are You Mad at Me?” (21:05) - The Math Anxiety Loop (25:26) - The Golden Rule: Two Explanations, Then Stop (27:11) - The 3 Academic Hinges (29:16) - Grade-by-Grade Expectations: 3rd to 6th (32:33) - The Correction-to-Connection Ratio (33:27) - Routine and Batching Your Corrections (35:59) - Dignity Around Mistakes (36:25) - Final Thoughts: Protect the Relationship

Why do so many Christian marriages struggle even when both spouses truly love each other? Homeschool expert Christy-Faith sits down with licensed professional counselor Debra Fileta to talk about her new book, Relationship Skills, and the four seasons every marriage passes through. Healthy marriages aren't found — they're built.🎁 Free Resource: My Curriculum RecommendationsI spill the tea! No paid sponsorship placements! Grab the list, by subject, of the most reputable homeschool programs on the market (in my opinion).👉 Free DownloadIn this episode, you'll learn:Why Christian marriages struggle from a lack of skill, not a lack of loveThe difference between a difficult, dysfunctional, and toxic relationship — and when to get professional helpThe four seasons of marriage: spring, summer, fall, and winterWhy the goal of Christian marriage isn't just longevity — it's transformationHow to change old patterns by starting with what you bring to the tableThe 90-second hack for building emotional intimacy in marriageHow to apologize to your spouse in 3 steps: own it, validate, and share your plan for changeWhy marriage repair after conflict can make you stronger — and why there's hope even in winterSponsors:BJU Press Homeschool✔ Flexible curriculum to fit your family's needs✔ Biblical worldview and critical thinking built in✔ Hands-on learning for every grade level👉 View SamplesCTC Math✔ Get 50% off my favorite online math program✔ Adaptive lessons so kids build confidence at their own pace✔ Teaching, grading, and testing — all done for you!👉 Free Trial👉 Get 50% OffLearningRx✔ Backed by 35 years of research✔ Real long-term help with ADHD and dyslexia✔ Strengthens attention, memory, reading, writing, and mathUse code HOME50 for $50 off your cognitive skills assessment👉 Get $50 Off Your Cognitive Skills AssessmentSummit Healthshare✔ Save 40–60% vs. traditional health insurance✔ See any doctor — no networks, no permission slips✔ Free labs, office visits, prescriptions on select plans👉 View Health Plans & SavingsResources mentioned:Relationship Skills by Debra Fileta — Debra's newest book on the four seasons of relationshipsPeople Skills by Debra Fileta — a great relationship-skills book for homeschool familiesRelationship Skills Quiz — free quiz to find which skills your relationship needs in this seasonTalk To Me: The Debra Fileta PodcastDebra Fileta Counselors Network — faith-forward, clinically trained counselorsThe Christy-Faith List — Find homeschool-friendly providersThrive Homeschool CommunityAbout our guest:Debra Fileta is a Licensed Professional Counselor, national speaker, and founder of the Debra Fileta Counselors Network. She is the bestselling author of ten books, including RESET, Soul Care, and her newest book, Relationship Skills. Debra is the host of the popular podcast and nationally syndicated radio show Talk To Me, where she facilitates on-air, authentic counseling-style sessions with notable pastors and leaders.👉 DebraFileta.com👉 @DebraFileta on InstagramConnect with Christy-Faith:Instagram: @christy_faith_TikTok: @christy_faithWebsite: christy-faith.comBook: Homeschool Rising🎧 Love the show? Follow, subscribe, and leave a review wherever you listen — it helps more homeschool families find us! (00:00) - Introduction (01:07) - Why the Church Is Ready to Talk About Mental Health (03:00) - Healthy Marriages Aren't Found, They're Built (05:13) - Difficult vs. Toxic Relationships: An Important Disclaimer (08:34) - Is He a Narcissist? When to Get Professional Help (11:03) - The Four Seasons of Marriage (15:44) - What Does God Want for Our Marriages? (23:38) - Spring: Planting New Seeds in Your Marriage (26:55) - Why Change Starts With You (29:03) - Summer: The Emotional Intimacy Gap (31:08) - The 90-Second Connection Hack (37:08) - Fall: Vulnerability and What Not to Hide From Your Spouse (42:03) - Rupture and Repair After Conflict (43:18) - How to Apologize to Your Spouse in 3 Steps (47:50) - Why Repair Is God's Heart for Relationships (54:05) - Winter: There Is Hope for a Cold Marriage (59:17) - Resources From Debra Fileta