Homeschooling High School with Carrie De Francisco
Summary:
Are you feeling overwhelmed at the thought of homeschooling through high school? On this episode, Erin welcomes Carrie De Francisco, author, podcaster, and speaker to the show. Carrie brings her wealth of experience and heartwarming encouragement to the conversation, addressing common fears and highlighting the beauty and challenges of homeschooling in high school, while reminding you that you have what it takes to create a meaningful and successful educational path for your children!
Resources & Links:
Homeschool High School: A Handbook for Christian Education, by Carrie De Francisco. Available at Amazon and at ChristianBook.com
Carrie's website: CoffeewithCarrie.org
Coffee with Carrie: Homeschool Podcast, found on all major podcast players
Carrie on Instagram, @coffeewithcarrieconsultant
Connect with Erin and Joe at Show Me Homeschool:
Show Me Homeschool Website
On Instagram, @show.me.homeschool
On Pinterest, @showmehomeschool
Be sure to leave a rating and review, and subscribe so you never miss an episode! For questions or comments email us: info@showmehomeschool.com
Transcript:
Erin [00:00:00]:
Thank you for tuning in to the Show Me Homeschool podcast. Today, we have a lovely guest, Carrie DeFrancisco. She is a wife and retired homeschooling mom of 2 homeschool graduates living and learning in Southern California. She's the host of the popular podcast, Coffee with Carrie Homeschool Help. She's a speaker author of several books, including Just Breathe and Take a Sip of Coffee, Homeschool and Step with God, and Homeschool High School, a handbook for Christian Education. Through her consulting services, books, blog articles, seminars, and podcasts, she helps moms simplify their homeschooling one step at a time, one day at a time, and one cup of coffee at a time. Carrie is an out of the box thinker, which is probably why she was an outside of the curriculum box homeschooler. She can be found drinking her favorite latte, walking in nature, reading her Bible, cooking a batch of homemade beignets, and laughing at herself and crazy ideas.
Erin [00:01:02]:
I'm Erin.
Joe [00:01:03]:
And I'm Joe.
Erin [00:01:03]:
We're the hosts of the Show Me Homeschool podcast, where we guide parents through the wilderness of home education. Each weekly episode will focus on supporting and encouraging homeschool moms and dads through conversational interviews with like minded Christian leaders in the homeschool community.
Joe [00:01:20]:
In our experience, we've seen the lack of resources and support available for homeschool dads. So we want to address that by covering relevant topics concerning husbands and fathers as they lead their families through this lifestyle of home education.
Erin [00:01:33]:
We understand the need for creating connections and building authentic relationships to sustain a healthy homeschool environment for yourself and your children.
Joe [00:01:42]:
Our goal is not to show you how to replicate our homeschool, but to show you how you can create a home learning lifestyle that is sustainable for your family.
Erin [00:01:50]:
Show Me Homeschool is here to come alongside you.
Thank you for joining me, Carrie. How are you?
Carrie De Francisco [00:02:01]:
I'm great. Thanks, Erin. This is gonna be fun.
Erin [00:02:04]:
I think so. I found Carrie through our mutual friend, Rachel Ellsberry, and she just told me how lovely you were. I was actually at the Wild and Free Conference in Franklin this year, and I did not have the opportunity to meet you. And I was so sad because I I know you were there as well. So Carrie, what else would you like, to tell our guests and our listeners?
Carrie De Francisco [00:02:26]:
Wow. That's a loaded question. Well, first of all, thank you for having me. I've been enjoying your podcast as well. And Rachel is a doll, isn't she? Love her. Yes. She's absolutely a doll. And, actually, I'm glad you brought her up because I was interviewing, Rachel for one of my, episodes.
Carrie De Francisco [00:02:47]:
It was on planning because you know how fabulous Rachel is on the planning and organization. So it was obvious. Right? And so we were finished, and we were just talking after the episode. And she said, you know, you really should write a book about homeschooling in high school. And I said, well, I kinda started it a long time ago, but I put it away. And really, who you know, I I don't have time for that. But then it was Rachel who really got me actually because of Rachel that put, like, the fire in me again Oh, wow. To go ahead and and finish writing, the new book that's coming out March 1st, homeschooling high school.
Carrie De Francisco [00:03:25]:
So I have her to thank. And she also took all the beautiful pictures of, that I've been using for all the promotions. So
Erin [00:03:32]:
That I love that. Yes, Rachel. You're amazing. Yeah. I still have to book her for my show, so I'm excited to do that. And really what I wanted to talk to you because I know part of what Joe and I found with our homeschooling, we're in our 12th year. We've graduated a student and there's just a plethora of material out there for, for beginner homeschoolers, you know? There's curriculum, there's all these mom helps and homeschooling 101. And I really wanna give more airtime and voice to people like you who have walked that road to completion with homeschooling.
Erin [00:04:07]:
So how did you get into homeschooling? Let's Let's talk, go way back into your journey, even into making that decision. Way back.
Carrie De Francisco [00:04:17]:
That's another loaded question. I was one of those people. I was a classroom teacher in the public and private school. And then I was actually an adjunct professor as well at the 2 universities here in Southern California, teaching the teachers in the credentialing program. So I was definitely one of those people that, whenever someone brought up homeschooling, I thought those people are crazy. They don't know what they're talking about. There's there's no way they could do, you know, what we do in the classroom. But God and my kids had a completely different plan for our family.
Carrie De Francisco [00:04:53]:
And then it it actually happened little by little, but one student, got pulled from my class so that, he could homeschool. And that was, like, the little bug that kinda got put in my head. I was like, wait a minute. Really? You're leaving this fabulous school to homeschool? So that was when the little, you know, what is going on here? And then the Lord just orchestrated the way he does. Everywhere I went, there was homeschooling people. I just kept meeting all these people and talking with them, and I would watch their kids. And I thought, wait a minute. All this stuff that, you know, we were told about homeschoolers, none of it's true.
Carrie De Francisco [00:05:39]:
They're, like, beyond normal. They're fabulous human beings. And, you know, they're not weird and they're so smart, and they actually give you eye contact when you talk to them. And so that got me going, and then I had my first, child. And then when she got to be around 2, that's when I realized, no. The traditional school setting is not gonna work for her. She just thought too differently outside of the box like me. And then like I said, I was teaching in the classroom, and I was teaching teachers, and there were things happening even back then.
Carrie De Francisco [00:06:12]:
This is, like, 25 years ago. Right? That I thought, no. I don't think I really want this for my kids. You know? Yeah. And so that's pretty much how it started. So I call myself an accidental homeschooler. I was never one of those who got married and thought, yes, we're gonna homeschool, and it wasn't my husband who said we're gonna homeschool. We kind of fell into it.
Carrie De Francisco [00:06:34]:
Mhmm. And my husband, would tease and say, alright. We'll homeschool year by year and see how it goes. Well, you know, the rest is history. It's 20 years later and we did it all the way through.
Erin [00:06:46]:
So. I love that. Yeah. Yeah. So as most moms that I know I've talked to you and you probably as well, you get to the point when you're in your homeschool journey, where you you're feeling like you're kind of finally getting the hang of it. And then something happens that shifts that momentum or that drive to continue on. Did she did you wanna talk about a moment maybe where that happened for you?
Carrie De Francisco [00:07:11]:
Oh, yes. There were many. And that's what mom needs to know. Yeah. As soon as you you have it down pat and you're like, alright. I got this thing. And we do this with motherhood too. We're like, oh, yeah.
Carrie De Francisco [00:07:22]:
I think I finally got my groove over. And then something happens or kids starts getting hormones or something happens. Right? And or you have to move, but your husband loses his job and everything changes. And so the same thing happens, in homeschool. And so you're constantly having to kinda revamp and find a new groove. Right? Mhmm. But for me, I think one of my my biggest moments that I can really remember, I call it my, loaves and fish moment. I was reading, Matthew, I think it's 14, and it was about Jesus feeding the 5,000.
Carrie De Francisco [00:07:58]:
And I just started busting out crying. And I kept thinking, oh my gosh. Jesus is feeding 5,000 people effortlessly and I'm barely feeding and nurturing 2 little ones. And then I felt like I was just failing them. And I just remember the the Lord saying, you know what, Carrie? Just give me your fishes and loaves. That's all I need. Mhmm. I started crying again because I'm thinking all I got is stale bread crumbs and fish heads.
Carrie De Francisco [00:08:27]:
Like, I didn't even have breads bread and fish. But I realized, you know what? No. No. No. He's right. I just need to show up. I just need to give what I can, and that will be good enough. And God and my husband and, you know, everything will come alongside.
Carrie De Francisco [00:08:46]:
My husband found me that day crying and and, he was like, what is wrong? And he just kept telling me, breathe, just breathe. You've got this. And by the way, this happened in February. So I don't know about you, but February was always a rough month, for us trying to get it over that February wall. But I realized that day that God and my family, they weren't calling me to be perfect. Mhmm. They weren't calling me to be teacher of the year. I just needed to be faithful, and I just needed to do what I could do.
Carrie De Francisco [00:09:24]:
And that was gonna have to be good enough until I could give more. Right? Yeah. So, yeah, I I had several of those moments and those times where we would self I would self doubt, and I would think about, am I ruining the kids? Should I put them in school? And and then friends and my husband and my kids would, you know, convince me that, no, no, no. This is this is what we're supposed to be doing. And, and, and then sure enough, everything would, would work out and it always did. So, yeah.
Erin [00:09:55]:
I love that. I find, and I don't know if you see the same thing. I started homeschooling before Instagram and I'm so thankful for that because when you're talking about just being content and showing up, and then you find yourself logging into your favorite social media app and your, I find for myself, it's hard to show up when I see other moms showing up in a different way. And I feel like there's this, it's not even so much a competition aspect as just, I don't feel like I'm being my best self when I'm comparing. So would you wanna maybe walk through that a little bit and how you've navigated that as you've homeschooled and then, you know, seeing all these other moms and peeks into their home, how you've managed to, stay, stay focused on showing up for your own family.
Carrie De Francisco [00:10:47]:
Yeah. Like you, I started homeschooling when there was no social media out there. And so really the only time that, like, that feeling of I'm not doing it like they are, and should I be doing it that way was maybe when we went to park day. Right? And Right. And the kids would be spouting off something they just learned, and I'd sit there and go, oh, I I didn't even think we needed to be doing that right now. You know? Mhmm. That was about the gist of it, but you're right. Nowadays, everywhere you turn, you just see these wonderful, things that other homeschooling moms are doing, and it's just kinda natural for us to kinda think, well, am I doing it wrong or should I be doing it that way or should I be using that? And I just finally got to the point where I had to just go with what fit in our schedule, for 1, fit in our budget.
Carrie De Francisco [00:11:44]:
That was a big thing. Mhmm. And what each of my kids wanted to learn and how they learned. And so when I finally got to the point where I could look at my friend who was like a fabulous homeschooler and they did all these awesome things, And I just realized, well, first of all, my kid doesn't learn that way. So doing all these beautiful lap books and, and arts and crafts projects, and that just wasn't our family. You know? Right. And so, every time I tried to do it, my kids just didn't like it. And so, you know, I had to get rid of that that whole idea.
Carrie De Francisco [00:12:20]:
And so when I started going back to the things that fed my soul and fed my kids' soul and what brought us joy and peace, not what brought us stress or chaos. And we did those things. I found that there was, a whole lot more contentment in in our home and and with, the kids and with me. And and I tried really hard when my friends would show me different things to take it as advice and not as this is what we're doing. It works. You should do it too. Uh-huh.
Erin [00:12:55]:
Yeah. Yeah. I love that answer. It is hard, I think, sometimes to just, we need to be more simple in what we're doing and, you know, I it's funny because now, you know, we're on Facebook, we've got all these different groups for specific things. And one thing that I see is it's so niched down in these groups. You know, you're not only homeschooling in this methodology, but you also have this little thing over here and it, it can be so all consuming if we aren't focused truly on what does God have for my family and what did he call my family to do? What are their interests? I wanna touch a little bit on the fact that you're an out of the box curriculum person because there are so many companies out there. Great. Lots.
Erin [00:13:38]:
I mean, I love a good book. I will buy a new book every second of the day if I could. And I love, you know, the creativity of the homeschool community. And then, you know, there's other people with outside the homeschool community that are now marketing to homeschoolers and the choices can be overwhelming. So how did you make curriculum choices with your children?
Carrie De Francisco [00:13:59]:
Well, first of all, budget was a big thing. And so if I found with my kids that if it was a all in one kind of a curriculum, we usually never got that mainly in the beginning because it was just usually too expensive. But then as I got my feet wet in this whole home education thing, I realized that, my kids didn't really need, you know, all of the bells and whistles. But for us, we didn't actually use formal curriculum, until, like, 5th, 6th grade. Yeah. And so, like, with math, I would just go to Costco or the dollar store, and I would get those really cute math workbooks that you can get for, like, $20. We would do that, and we played lots of math games because my kid my kids learn much better through games and and play and stuff like that. And we just wrote a lot instead of using a formal writing curriculum.
Carrie De Francisco [00:14:59]:
We didn't really do formal writing until, like, 6th grade. But I found that my kids learn best through read aloud. And so for our family, we would do an awful lot of family style learning. Uh-huh. And so because of that, doing that one room schoolhouse approach, I didn't have to buy separate curriculum for separate subjects, for separate grade levels. Right? So I didn't have to have a, a reading and a grammar and a spelling and history and a science for 5th grade, and and then the same thing for 3rd grade. So I find that if you try and teach as much as you can or learn as much as you can as a family together, you don't really need an awful lot of boxed commercially made curriculum. There are some really great stuff out there that I did use throughout the years.
Carrie De Francisco [00:15:51]:
I was very eclectic. I tended to, piece things together, and I definitely tried to do what my kids needed. So if my kids like, one kid really needed the hands on math and the other one really needed, like, a computer based kind of a math, as much as I hated it, that's what he needed. So, you know, I would do those kinds of curriculum things when they were needed. And there's a lot of kids out there that they learn best through textbooks. They do. You can literally give them a textbook, and they could go in their room and teach themselves. Yeah.
Carrie De Francisco [00:16:26]:
But not everybody is like that. And, so we did an awful lot of family style learning. We did our reading together. We did our history. We learned the same science together. We did music together and art art together. We didn't really branch off into separate corners and separate levels except for math and then, with writing because my daughter is, you know, older than than Joe. So, but that's pretty much how we did a lot of out of the box.
Carrie De Francisco [00:16:57]:
Uh-huh. We did a lot of learning.
Erin [00:16:59]:
I love that. And and I brought that up because I feel like it's so important to remind, especially the newer homeschool moms, that even though there's a lot of curriculum out there, it, it isn't necessary to, to buy all of that, to have a great education. I like to say that if you have a library card, access to nature and an internet connection, you can have a stellar education. You know, this day and age, you know, our founding fathers, they were amazing at, you know, forming a nation. And most of them were either privately tutored or educated at home. And we have everything at our fingertips and they did not. And, you know, what can you do with all of that? You know? And so I like to remind moms that it doesn't take a box to have a great education. So I would really love to talk with you about your book because I feel like it's, it's so needed and I'm so thankful for Rachel for cheering you on and pushing you in that direction because I need to read that book.
Erin [00:17:56]:
We have one that we've graduated. We have, 2 other high schoolers right now, and then we have a big age gap. So I'll I'll be back in that phase in about 10 years. But, so tell me about the book. What what is the premise of it? What are you hoping what are you hoping to accomplish, through writing it?
Carrie De Francisco [00:18:13]:
Well, like I said, Rachel kinda prompted me to, get back in there and dust off that project and and start writing it again. But it kinda came to be, like, 2 years ago when I picked it back up when my son had graduated, and I thought I was just meeting with so many moms who were either just starting off with homeschooling and they needed help. But I found I was meeting a whole lot more with moms who wanted to continue homeschooling through high school, but were just scared to death to do it. And they didn't know what to do or how to do it. And I could totally relate to that because I was that mom. As much as we loved homeschooling when, neighbors and, in laws and family members would ask us at Christmas, you know, oh, this homeschooling thing, it's so cute, but you're really not gonna do it in high school, are you? Right. And my answer for a long time was no way. I'm not smart enough, organized enough.
Carrie De Francisco [00:19:19]:
I'm not good enough. No way. I'm putting them in in school at that point. But like I said, Don and my kids had different plans, and my kids really wanted to continue homeschooling, through the high school years. And so when, Joe graduated, I thought, I'm meeting with so many moms who just feel this, this desire and this tug to continue this beautiful journey of home education through graduation, but they just didn't know how to go about it. And like we were talking about, they felt so pressured that they had to follow these standards or they had to use these curriculums or they had to set it up the way the traditional public school does it down the street. Right? And so, I sat down and I thought, you know what? That was, like, the main reason why I went ahead and started to to write the book, book, but it winded up being very therapeutic for me. It winded up being my therapy.
Carrie De Francisco [00:20:17]:
Oh, I know. Because when my youngest graduated, my husband and I became empty nesters. They both you know, my daughter was already living on her own, and Joe was away at college, and I was a retired homeschooling mom. So this life that I had for 20 years was now different. Right. And the house was quiet. I couldn't believe that. And all the laundry was already always done and, you know, it was just like, wow.
Carrie De Francisco [00:20:46]:
And so it was very therapeutic as well for me to sit down and reflect on what we did and how we did it and how our friends did it and what worked and what didn't work and what resources we used. And it just brought up all these beautiful memories and all these, fun treasures, that we accumulated because we took that leap of faith and we homeschooled all the way through high school. So, I hope moms, and and dads who read it are blessed by it, and it helps them, because it certainly encouraged me Yeah. To sit down and actually put into writing just the different ways that you can do this. But it it's definitely written for parents and teens. I I would love for teens because I always tell the the parents when I sit down to to talk with them, I always want, if they will come, the teen or the high schooler to be in the meeting as well so that we can talk about what high school can look like for them and, you know, how to tailor it to what their goals are and their, dreams are and things like that. And so I'm I'm really hoping that not just parents, but teens will enjoy this book. But also, I wrote it because we're such an out of the box family.
Carrie De Francisco [00:22:05]:
I wrote it in such a way that if your student is college bound and they wanna go to a 4 year university, even an Ivy League school, there's stuff in there for you. And if your kid, you know, wants to go the trade route or start in the workforce right away or start their own business or take over mom and dad's business, I got stuff in there for them. And then if there's the kid who has no idea what he or she wants to do, I got stuff in there for them too. Yeah. And just different ways that if you're Charlotte Mason y, there's, you know, ways you can do high school that way. And if you're classical, there's stuff in there for you there. And if if you're traditional, there's stuff in there for you. And then if you're an unschooler, there's, you know, stuff in there for you as well.
Carrie De Francisco [00:22:49]:
And so and I even included an appendix with lots of forms and samples that you could, photocopy or print and, book list and things like that so that my my goal was that as you were reading it, it was such an easy read that you felt like we were just sitting at a coffee shop and we were just kinda talking about how awesome homeschooling the high school years can be. And then using stuff in the book, as soon as you finish the book, you could literally start the next week. Love it.
Erin [00:23:20]:
I love that. I feel like that this is the perfect time for this, Carrie. This is amazing because, you know, I tell parents that are thinking about, oh, my kid's in middle school and I don't think I could do this. Or, you know, I'm like, you you literally just do what you did before. Moms are super sleuths. We're researchers and creative people, and we figure it out. You know, you know your kid the best. And I always think, why would you sow all these little seeds when they're little and you have the couch time and the couch school and, you know, doing all these read alouds and then you don't get to see the, the bloom, you know, after you've invested all that time, because that's what high school is.
Erin [00:23:55]:
And I think high school, I mean, rivals anything you do with your little ones, because it is so amazing.
Carrie De Francisco [00:24:04]:
I love that. That's actually how I started the book. Oh. I said, you know, God saved the best for last. I really didn't think that homeschooling high school could top the mud pies and the finger painting and, you know, the snuggles on the couch and but it did. Those years with my teenagers walking alongside them and watching them become the, the, the person that God had created them to be and watching them figure out their calling in this life. And just all the crazy shenanigans and the driving lessons and the philosophical lessons or talks at 12 at night and all of it. It was just so precious.
Carrie De Francisco [00:24:51]:
And it was, I I can't believe it, but it really did top the wonder years when they were just little itty bitties. And I just wish moms could take that leap of faith and just trust that, you know, yeah, there are gonna be challenges, but like you said, I became an expert Googler because if I know the answer and my kid didn't know the answer, we either called grandpa if it was chemistry, or we called uncle if it had something to do with legal issues, like it was government and everything else. There was, hey, Siri.
Erin [00:25:25]:
Yes. Exactly.
Carrie De Francisco [00:25:26]:
So or you outsource, you know, you find a mentor or you find someone that can teach it to your child or tutor your teen, or they take an outside class. There's just so much.
Erin [00:25:38]:
Yeah. And there's a misconception of homeschooling. I think sometimes people think that that means you're at home and you're the primary teacher and all the subjects, and you really don't have to do that. And you can be creative in ways that you find classes for your children. The Internet's a beautiful thing and I love social media and I hate it sometimes, but there's so many wonderful connections that can be made and you just ask questions and you put out to your friends. Hey, my kid's really into art. Do you know anybody? And of course someone knows someone and then you call that person and you see if that's a good fit. I love that.
Erin [00:26:08]:
So one thing that I would love to talk with you about before we finish up, because this conversation has gone so fast. I'm gonna have to have you back on leadership within the homeschool community as a mom. Who's been there, done that. I've do you feel like you see, I don't know, a revival sorts of moms who are reinvesting into the homeschool community, or how would you encourage moms as they're finishing out their high school career with their their children to continue to participate and help those moms behind them?
Carrie De Francisco [00:26:37]:
Yeah. I think that's real important because the new generation of homeschooling families that are coming up, a lot of them have that COVID mindset, you know, that this is how it was done in school, so therefore, we have to do it this way, or this is how we did it for 2 years because we were online. And so, you know, it has to be this way. I just feel like the moms who are finishing up, they've been there. They've done that. They literally did it, I'm sure, on their knees like I did, praying every step of the way. For them to really come alongside, the new generation, to just say the things that you you said, that really simple is best. Less is more.
Carrie De Francisco [00:27:18]:
All you need is a library card and some dice and cards for some math games and an old fashioned composition notebook, and you've got everything you need. And to just come alongside them, to just keep reassuring them that it's gonna be okay. If God's called into this, they can definitely do it. I just know I wish that's one of my my hindsight in this whole thing is I wish I would have listened to those mentor moms so, so long ago at park day, when they would tell me, just breathe. Take it easy. They're going to be fine. They're just fabulous human beings. And if they go to college, they're gonna know how to read when they get there.
Carrie De Francisco [00:28:04]:
And if they, you know, once they get a job, they're gonna make money. It's gonna be fine. Yeah. And, you know, you're just so stressed in the beginning. And then when you start high school, you're so stressed. You think that, you know, you're always kind of thinking, are we gonna be doing enough? But, yeah, moms need to put on that retired mom's school hat and get in there and mentor and and just be there to encourage and keep their foot in the door of their homeschool group that they were, you know, so that, they can be there for the, the, the moms who are just starting out. And I think it's really, really, really important.
Erin [00:28:42]:
I would agree. So let's not forget to talk about what are your kids doing now that they've graduated? How have you seen them blossom from homeschool?
Carrie De Francisco [00:28:52]:
This really is the best time of life, even though I don't like the empty nest, but the house is way, way too quiet. I have sunk roast seeds to watching all those seeds that my husband and I planted and all those mentors that were in their lives planted that we worry so much. Are they learning anything? Is this sticking because you don't really see a lot of fruit during the process, you know, when you're in the trenches, But man, on this side of it, the front row seats are beautiful. I'm just so excited watching, all the fruits and the the blossoms, coming through in my my kids as they begin to walk their journey. You know, what God has called them to do. But my daughter, she's 25, and, she's the overachiever in the family out of the 4 of us. She has 2 degrees already. And Wow.
Carrie De Francisco [00:29:45]:
Yeah. She's a clinical psychologist, and so she's working with, in that area in Hollywood, California. So, that's what she's doing right now. And my son is a junior in college playing collegiate baseball, and, he's studying business with, entrepreneurship kind of concentration because, he would like to start his own business or, you know, do something along those lines. So, yeah, they're moving along, doing the things they wanna do, planning out their, their goals. And
Erin [00:30:21]:
I love that. So, and you're finding yourself writing books and, speaking on Jeff.
Carrie De Francisco [00:30:27]:
Picking up old projects. You got this.
Erin [00:30:30]:
Do you have any speaking events coming up anytime soon? Thanks for asking.
Carrie De Francisco [00:30:34]:
Yeah. Yeah. Actually, I just finished this past week. It was so fun. A group of a small group of homeschooling moms in Florida, because I live in California. Yeah. Obviously, I couldn't go to Florida. And so we did a Zoom on Monday morning.
Carrie De Francisco [00:30:48]:
It was an hour and a half, and it was a lot like this. They just kinda ask questions. And, so I do a lot of that. So that's a lot of fun. But speaking, I'll be at, the Utah convention in April, and I'm gonna be at the Great Homeschool Convention in California. And I love the it's a new one. The Northern California Homeschool Convention
Erin [00:31:11]:
Oh, sweet.
Carrie De Francisco [00:31:12]:
Will be there, this summer. And Arizona too. That's gonna be another one. I think that one's in July. So
Erin [00:31:18]:
yeah. Yeah. Well, I know I am so encouraged. I listened to your podcast. Do you wanna remind our listeners what the name of your new book is and when it is going to be released?
Carrie De Francisco [00:31:28]:
Yes. So it's called Homeschool High School, a handbook for Christian education. It does come out March 1st on Amazon, and it will be available, for purchase from christianbooks.com, mid March, I think. Mhmm. And, the audible version will be ready to go, by the end of March, and the Kindle will be released on March 1st too. So I love that. Get any form of it they want.
Erin [00:31:56]:
Yeah. So I know that you are introducing a membership option for your Mhmm. Coffee with Carrie. You wanna talk about that? I I just I love promoting other people and I just I I love what you're doing and I just really wanna support you and I want to send my people over to you.
Carrie De Francisco [00:32:11]:
Thank you. Yeah. We started the it's called the coffee house, but, basically, it is a a membership. But what we do there is once a month, we have what we call coffee and conversation. And so the 1st Monday of every month, it's basically like this. It's just all of us get on, Zoom, and there's a topic we talk about, but then we open it up for free for all. So it's q and a. It's the moms asking each other, hey.
Carrie De Francisco [00:32:38]:
I'm having trouble keeping my preschooler occupied. What are you doing? And, you know, so it's not just me, because, you know, there's all the moms out there have fabulous ideas and inspiration. And so we do that once a month, and then at the end of each month, we have our curriculum chat. And so every month, we focus on a particular academic area. So, like, coming up in February, we'll be talking about science. So, again, we just all come together. And if there's a curriculum or a resource or something that you've been using for science that you absolutely love, we share that. And then the moms who are stuck, you know, they're like, oh, we just can't seem to get the science thing down pat.
Carrie De Francisco [00:33:20]:
They soak up all of, the recommendations, and then we post those, in the coffee house so that everybody could go click on those links when we're all done. We also have it's like every other month, I do, an online seminar, just to kind of give the moms ideas. So, like, the one coming up in March will be on the looping schedule, like how to do learning time and get to that pile of stuff. You say that when we have time, we'll get to, but you never get to.
Erin [00:33:47]:
Yeah. I've got that pile.
Carrie De Francisco [00:33:49]:
So Yeah. Yeah. And so, like, I have those kinds of seminars. Like, we have one on teaching math with games and just whatever. I kinda feel out the moms what what they would like to to hear and to learn about, and then we do a seminar with that. And then those are recorded, so they're always up in the coffee house. So, like, if the moms can't come when it's live Mhmm. They could watch it at their leisure with their PJs on.
Carrie De Francisco [00:34:14]:
And then we also have, like, discussion boards so the moms can, shoot each other questions about just different things like high school students with learning differences, you know, homeschooling with large families, homeschooling with an only child. Uh-huh. So it really is. I wanted it to be a place, where moms knew it was safe to go and that they had a community because I was also finding when I go to different conventions, just how spoiled we are here in Southern California when it comes to homeschool groups. Mhmm. There's just many where we live that when I go to different, areas of California and different states, I I find that a lot of moms say, I wanna get in community. But where I live, there's hardly any either homeschoolers around me or the nearest group is, like, you know, an hour and a half away. Yeah.
Carrie De Francisco [00:35:05]:
And so I thought, well, you know what? I know online's not in person, but it's better than nothing.
Erin [00:35:11]:
Yeah. Absolutely.
Carrie De Francisco [00:35:12]:
That's why, yeah, that's why I I created the the the copy house so that at least those moms in particular Uh-huh. Could at least have Unity. If they didn't have it in person, they could have it with all of us who are hanging out.
Erin [00:35:26]:
Yeah. I I I appreciate you. I think that's awesome. So do you wanna go ahead and tell our guests where to find you on the web, your podcast and how to connect? Thank you.
Carrie De Francisco [00:35:36]:
You're so sweet. You know? Thanks. It's weird, sweetheart. Yes. Everybody can find me. Basically, if you just go to my website, coffee with carrie.org, that will bring you to everything. But my podcast is called Coffee with Carrie Homeschool podcast, and I drop a new episode every Thursday. And, so they can find me on Itunes and just just about everywhere.
Carrie De Francisco [00:36:02]:
And I'm on Instagram, so you can find me at coffee with carrie consultant if you're an Instagrammer. And pretty much anything else, like, if you wanna join the coffee house, all of that will be at the website, coffee with carrie.org. And my book, like I said, you can get that March 1st. So
Erin [00:36:19]:
Excellent. Well, I'm very much looking forward to reading it. I can't wait. Thank you for joining me tonight, and we appreciate you listening to the Show Me Homeschool podcast. Joe and I really wanna bring you great content and connect you with wonderful people. And if you have any feedback or questions, you can email us at info at show me homeschool dot com. Thank you for listening. This episode was sponsored by Podcast With Faith, our favorite Christian podcast production company.
Erin [00:36:48]:
For more information, visit them at www.podcastwithfaith.com. To learn more about booking 1 on 1 or group homeschool coaching sessions with us, upcoming events, see our speaking schedule, or to get access to more resources. Be sure to check out our website, www.showmehomeschool.com and sign up for our weekly newsletter. You can also follow us on Instagram at show.me.homeschool, on Pinterest at show me homeschool, or email us at infoshowmeshomeschool.com.