Seasons of Faithful Homeschooling: Kristen Pratt on Trust, Community, and Curriculum Choices
Summary:
In this episode of Show Me Homeschool, Erin sits down with Kristen Pratt—homeschool expert, mother of nine, and the creative force behind the award-winning Language Lessons for a Living Education series and the Master Books Method. Kristen shares her personal journey from being a curious parent seeking educational options, to pulling her daughter out of private school midyear, and eventually becoming a curriculum developer and founder of Kingsway Learning. She opens up about the challenges and joys of homeschooling through different seasons, learning to trust God with both the big and small moments, and how practical decisions (like used curriculum sales and budget-friendly resources) shaped her family’s educational journey.
Listeners will find encouragement as Kristen reflects on finding community, practicing discernment in curriculum choices, and embracing the seasons of motherhood and education. She offers practical advice for new and seasoned homeschool parents alike, discussing the importance of authentic local support, the pitfalls of relying only on online influencers, and how to persevere through burnout. Kristen also talks about her newest venture, Kingsway Learning, where she aims to curate and share time-tested, faith-based educational resources. Whether you’re beginning your homeschool journey or navigating its later years, Kristen’s wisdom and stories will inspire and reassure you.
Links & Resources:
Kristen Pratt’s Kingsway Learning, http://www.kingswaylearning.com
Kingsway Learning on Instagram
Kingsway Learning on Facebook
Curriculum Bundles at Kingsway Learning
Connect with Erin & Joe at Show Me Homeschool:
On Instagram, @show.me.homeschool
On X, @ShowMeHomeSch
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]:
Hello. Welcome back to the Show Me Homeschool podcast. Today I'm excited to visit with Kristen Pratt. She is a dedicated homeschool expert and the owner of Kingsway Learning. She's the author of the award winning Language Lessons for a Living Education series and the developer of the Master Books Method. As a homeschool mother of nine, Kristin's passion is to provide families with effective educational tools to raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Hi, I'm Erin.
Joe [00:00:33]:
And I'm Joe.
Erin [00:00:34]:
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 [00:00:50]:
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 [00:01:04]:
We understand the need for creating connections and building authentic relationships to sustain a healthy homeschool environment for yourself and your children.
Joe [00:01:12]:
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 [00:01:20]:
Shomi Homeschool is here to come alongside you. Kristen, welcome to the show.
Kristen Pratt [00:01:28]:
Thank you so much. I'm excited to be here today.
Erin [00:01:32]:
Well, I am excited too, because after hearing about you and reading more about what you've done and contributed to homeschool curriculum and everything, I am so appreciative because as we see, there's such a growth in the homeschool movement and a lot of that growth has nothing to do with our faith. It has nothing to do with Christianity. There are a lot of people homeschooling now for different reasons, but being a believer myself and wanting to find tools and resources for my own children that reflect our faith, I'm just so thankful that you've created some of those things for us that we've used. So do you want to share a little bit more about your family, how you got into homeschooling?
Kristen Pratt [00:02:09]:
Sure. We have a total of nine children and at one point, I think my children, I think there were six of them that we were actively homeschooling. They were at homeschooling ages. And so life has taken us on a lot of fun journeys. We started out, you know, homeschooling wasn't even on the radar back when we had our first child. It was just beginning to hit the fringes of society, I would say. And everybody was just kind of wondering, what is this strange thing that people are doing? And so we had our first child, and she got to school age, and Randy and I, my husband, Randy and I had started talking a little bit about different educational models, and we had an interest in homeschooling, but it was just such a foreign concept. We just kind of brushed it aside and we put our daughter into a private Christian school, and that's where we started.
Kristen Pratt [00:03:11]:
But some things happened, and we just. We just wanted something different for our daughter. So we pulled her out midway through her first grade year, and we began homeschooling. And no one we knew homeschooled. So it was quite the adventure just figuring out the laws and navigating curriculum choices. And, you know, back then, you didn't have all the choices that you have now. It was just a handful, and you were lucky if they'd even sell to you. And so, you know, it was just an amazing journey that we embarked on that we never could have imagined back then where it has taken us.
Kristen Pratt [00:03:48]:
And, you know, God is just good, and he puts those little sparks in your heart, and you have no idea this big picture that he has for us down the road. And so, yeah, that's how we started. You know, it was just an unplanned middle of the school year kind of adventure that we started. And one by one, as our kids, as we've had babies and they got to be school age, we just continued homeschooling. And now we're sliding into the end of that season. We are graduating our second to youngest now, and we just have one. I just did the legal paperwork work for our state this morning, and it was really strange. I only had had one to.
Kristen Pratt [00:04:34]:
To notify, so.
Erin [00:04:35]:
Wow, that is so amazing. It goes fast, doesn't it?
Kristen Pratt [00:04:39]:
It really does. You know, and. And I always tried to savor the moments, as they say you should do, and somehow I thought it would make it go slower. I don't know, but. But it did.
Erin [00:04:49]:
Yeah. So you went from kind of thinking, maybe you'll homeschool after pulling your daughter out mid year, to creating curriculum. How did that happen in that timeframe?
Kristen Pratt [00:05:02]:
Yeah, well, that. That wasn't. That certainly wasn't an instant journey, but I eventually became a chapter leader for our local homeschool group. And we actually. Randy and I started a business called Pennywise Learning, and we sold all sorts of homeschool curriculum. The business was growing, but Randy was called to pastor a church for a time and a season, and we just couldn't do both. So we sold that business to Christian book distributors. And I was kind of lost at that point.
Kristen Pratt [00:05:35]:
I was used to running a business, homeschooling, doing all sorts of things, and I was always one to kind of build my own curriculum plan. And I would take a little bit from here, a little bit from there, and create my own curriculum for my. For my children when the need arose. And so it was a natural part of what I did for our business as well, when I was helping customers. So in this strange place, I found myself. The Lord directed my steps as he's so good to do. And so I was at a homeschool show, and my youngest, my last one, that's home right now, I was pushing him in a stroller, and we had brought a family to homeschool convention to just try to convince them that this was a really good thing to do. But there was a concert that the homeschool convention was putting on, and I knew that my little guy was not going to sit still for that.
Kristen Pratt [00:06:33]:
So he went, you know, or they all went. And I took him into the master Books booth because they were running a video, and we carried their curriculum, or had carried it, And I said to them, I said, you know, you really need to take all these wonderful books and create a curriculum with it so that it doesn't just sit on shelves, so that the kids are using it and interacting with it. And so as I started to walk away, one of them said, wait, wait, wait. You need to contact and, you know, the president of the company and gave me the card, and I'm like, yeah, okay, whatever. I stuffed it in my pocket, kind of went on. And that. That week I was, you know, just doing life, normal life, and I get this email, and little did I know on this ordinary day, this email was just going to change everything. I responded, and connections were made, and before I knew it, I was on a plane flying to Arkansas to meet with the Master Books team.
Kristen Pratt [00:07:37]:
And so that's how it all began. I started off working remote and started helping them put together curriculum packages and creating. They were called parent lesson planners back then, but putting structure to curriculum. From there, I developed the Master Books method. I started to write the language lessons for a living education series. Randy ended up becoming the VP of Marketing, and we ended up moving to Arkansas.
Erin [00:08:07]:
Wow.
Kristen Pratt [00:08:08]:
Yeah. Just, you know, the Lord's good. He directs our steps, and he puts us where we need to be learning what we need to learn. Not only for that season, but for the seasons to come.
Erin [00:08:21]:
Yeah, I love that story because it's so true. You don't go looking for something and then suddenly God's like, here it is on your lap. I love it. You hit on so many things, though, as you're talking and I'm thinking and processing, like, all the questions that I get from homeschool moms. Like, this is our going into our 14th year. We have four kids. I know so many parents right now who are struggling financially. The economy is, you know, creating situations where I have so many friends.
Erin [00:08:47]:
I mean, myself included, honestly. We've started our show me homeschool business where we do coaching and things as a source of income while we homeschool something that we've found to do. Can you maybe encourage or speak to that homeschool mom who feels like she's drowning in children, she's drowning in finances? And you know what? What would you encourage that mom to do from home, maybe, or what are some things that you leaned into when you were making those choices for your family?
Kristen Pratt [00:09:13]:
Sure. When my children were young, you know, there wasn't a lot that I could do outside of the home, so everything had to be done within the home. I would take on little jobs here and there. I would babysit. One time I took cloth and sewed the edges of it. I did little things like that here and there. But overall, really, it was just a matter of pressing in and really trusting the Lord to meet our needs. And that wasn't always easy.
Kristen Pratt [00:09:43]:
At one point, I had a babysitting job, and I knew the Lord was telling me that I needed to step down. And I knew it was going to cause a hardship for the family, you know, that I was babysitting for. And I liked having that little bit of extra money that I could just buy my kids things for birthdays and things like that. And the Lord had to. He had to get serious with me. And, you know, I remember laying there, I had a nursing baby. I had a raging mastitis infection that was going septic. And the Lord just spoke to me and said, are you ready now? I have things for you that I need to accomplish, and I need you to obey.
Kristen Pratt [00:10:25]:
And so I had to release that hand of mine, both of my hands to the Lord, and say, okay, you take this and I will trust you. And so I did. And it was a very short time later that my husband got a huge pay increase that we were not. We just were not expecting at all. It was out of the blue, and by Huge. It was like $15,000 or something. Far more than what I was making babysitting. And then over time, it really freed me up to do what the Lord was calling me to do with our local homeschool group, which of course led to the business, which led to, you know, but I needed to release that.
Kristen Pratt [00:11:04]:
And I think sometimes it's a matter of trusting the Lord in the season that you're in. And no matter what season we're in, there is a level of trust that we have to just turn over to the Lord and that never stops. That's a lifetime journey and a lifetime of lessons where we have to continually hold open those hands and allow God to provide, allow him to work. And even when the money is tight, you know, God will provide. He always does. He gives us wisdom, he gives us provision in every step of the way, and he also helps give us strength when we're in those seasons where, you know, we are drowning, we're not getting the sleep, we're feeling like, you know, there's just too much every single day. And I've recently been in a. In a season like that, and I was just sharing with Randy every morning I wake up and I say, okay, God, help me to do things that I have to do today.
Erin [00:12:14]:
I love that. That's such a great reminder because it is very easily done to slip into this panic mode of I've got to fix all the problems. There's all these things that count on me. And as mom, we feel that pressure, especially as a homeschool mom, you're not just the house maker, you know, you're the. The teacher, you're the driver, you're the chef. You're all these things. And it can be so overwhelming if we take our eyes off of what God has before us in that very moment. So I love that prayer and I hope that anyone listening will pray that today, too.
Erin [00:12:47]:
Just to say God, what's before me today and what. And. And walk in that in obedience. Wow. Thank you so much for sharing that. That was a blessing for me to hear. I love that. Kristen, another thing that you talked about, like, with your work with Master Books, like, that's another thing too, as we're talking about, like, this is the end of the school year.
Erin [00:13:05]:
We're about to embark on the next year. I know personally, I'm pulling down books and trying to decide what are we using next year. We've got a used curriculum sale coming up in a couple weeks for our local community. I love the price point of Master Books. Honestly. And there's so many other companies that are good too, about that, because a lot of times as, as newer homeschool families start looking at their options, or they're just kind of going to those curriculum conferences and they're looking at, well, what am I going to do and how much is this going to cost? What advice do you have for parents that are maybe just dabbling in the idea of homeschooling and trying to find that perfect curriculum at the price point that matches their budget?
Kristen Pratt [00:13:44]:
Well, what I, what I always have done, I've always created a spreadsheet. Now, it doesn't have to be on the computer. You could simply do it on notebook paper. But I would research the laws first of all for your state, and you're going to want to look at, you know, where are you in the schooling life cycle? So I have a high school student right now, so I still have to prepare for our new school year, and I have to look at his transcript. And so I build a transcript again. I like spreadsheets. So I have a spreadsheet and I put on all four years and then I start filling those in with ideas for courses and curriculum. I do like to go to HSLDA and look at their guidance for creating transcript.
Kristen Pratt [00:14:31]:
So they offer ideas for three different levels of high school diplomas. And so you can pick which one that you're aiming for and then begin to, to fill in. It's kind of like this little Tetris game of filling it. And you have to be flexible with that. And then that helps build the list that you're going to fill in. As you're looking at all of these curriculums, I would really encourage families to really look at samples and pray over your decisions because you want your curriculum to be honoring to the Lord and to grow their faith. And you want something that doesn't just say that it's Christian, but also is actually more than just a Bible story or a scripture verse thrown in here and there. And so I would really encourage families to make that a priority and then begin to make your list of the things that fill in the need.
Kristen Pratt [00:15:35]:
So I always like to have my children be a part of what they can. There's going to be some subjects that I just make the decision. But wherever I can, I like for my students to take a look, choose, give them maybe two or three options to pick from, and then make those decisions. And as you're making those decisions, you know, remember to keep it all in prayer and then ask for the Lord's provision And then from there, you just begin to shop and check pricing. And if you have something that you just can't afford, then begin to pray. And God is amazing. He sometimes will lead us in a whole different direction that we didn't expect. And sometimes we'll just miraculously, even though we know it's not really.
Kristen Pratt [00:16:22]:
It's all God, nothing's too hard for him. You know, we'll come. We'll come across what we're looking for. I just had a story that was told to me by one of my adult children. She needed some clothing and wasn't able to find it anywhere. She could not find her size. And so she went into a used store and ended up with a whole bag of exactly her size for, like, it was like $5 or something.
Erin [00:16:51]:
Oh, wow.
Kristen Pratt [00:16:51]:
Excited. And he'll do that for us, too. When it comes to our curriculum. I mean, how much more important is our curriculum than a few extra pairs of jeans? And so, you know, God's good that way. And so we do the part of investigating and organizing and developing a plan, and then he just steps in and does the provision.
Erin [00:17:16]:
I love it. Yeah. I mean, it can feel, I think, overwhelming, especially when you go into the bigger curriculum conferences and see booth after booth after booth and you just don't know. But, yes, prayer. Taking it back to what does God have for our family for this year? And like you said, like, I have my own stories, too, of, like, going into a used sale, and there was a book set that I really, really wanted, and it had, like, all five of the books, and they were a dollar each, and I was like, no way. So, yeah, he really does provide, and he does make those allowances for us. I would say, like, he could work. You know, money is our.
Erin [00:17:49]:
Our method. He works outside of that so much. So what have you learned in. In this process here as you're choosing curriculum? Like, you. You hinted a little bit, and I. I could list probably several of the same companies you're talking about, but there's a big difference between a Christian author writing curriculum and weaving God into that in the biblical truths versus something that says, well, we're a Christian company, but they're really like, you know, slap the Bible verse on there. What advice do you have for a mom who maybe is a new believer or new to this whole idea that God should be a part of curriculum? Maybe she's just withdrawn her children from public school. What advice would you give that mom on how to find those kinds of materials?
Kristen Pratt [00:18:37]:
Well, I would say get plugged in to a good solid group of Christian homeschoolers. And so you can find them. Sometimes there's statewide organizations you can check online, check your church, ask, you know, ask people that, you know, homeschool and get their outlook on homeschooling. You know, not every Christian family really understands the importance of giving their children curriculum that's not just solid educationally, but solid biblically. And so you want to just make sure that whatever they're recommending really lines up with, you know, what you believe to be true, that it lines up biblically. I think that's been one of the hardest things to teach people, is that discernment. And so you really want to preview, you want to ask questions, you want to do your homework. And then, you know, once you have the curriculum, once you've selected it, you've purchased it, even if you have spent quite a bit of money on it, if you find things in it that are going to damage your students faith, get rid of it, replace it, trust the Lord with it, and you will make some mistakes.
Kristen Pratt [00:19:50]:
And that's a part of the process. And you're going to learn from it and have the discussions with your children about those mistakes. Because when you do make mistakes, you're giving an opportunity to show your children what to do. And we go to the Lord and we confess it and we repent and he forgives us, and then, you know, he redeems that. And so we teach our children that by modeling mistakes. And so while we want to take it really, really serious, what we put before our children, we also don't want to go into it that we're, we're living under fear of making this mistake that's going to destroy our children's lives, you know, because we, it is such a serious thing. And I think as moms, we do sometimes get very, you know, anxious about that. And we can trust the Lord also to guide us in that and if we do make a mistake, that he will redeem that.
Erin [00:20:50]:
Absolutely. You touched on a topic that's near and dear to my heart, and that is the local homeschool community. You know, when we first started homeschooling, I knew one other family that was homeschooling. They had moved out of state. And she and the mom was like, hey, just go meet with this local group. And I'm like, but I don't live in that town and there's nothing in my town. She's like, oh, no. They serve everybody around the area.
Erin [00:21:12]:
So what I found was that I could sit in those Support meetings every month that would talk about homeschool one on one, talk about homeschooling through high school. And I had these moms in front of me who had been doing this for 10 plus years. When you talk about the discernment piece and homeschoolers that are newer or even parents that have older kids that have just started homeschooling, what would you encourage them to find? We started homeschooling just as like social media started coming around. And I see all these influencers out there and I just cringe and die a little inside every time I see someone who's putting out all this curriculum and these busy worksheets and all these things. And then you look at their profile and their oldest child's four, you know, like, and then these homeschool moms are looking to these people as like the sage advisors. What would you say to those that situation or can you speak to that, like social media and homeschooling and influence and all that?
Kristen Pratt [00:22:11]:
Oh, absolutely, absolutely. And I've witnessed some of those things I remember years ago, you know, I guess it has that many years ago, because we're still talking about the day and age of influencers. And there was one influencer that would actually have her kids use every single curriculum that she was talking about. And I was just, what, just like, what are you doing? You, you can't handle your children's education like that. And so, you know, you have to be really careful. What I, what I liken it to is, you know, and this, this analogy that I'm going to give you when it comes to people that you have in your life, and I'm going to use it the same way, but with who you trust in homeschool circles. And so, you know, first of all, you have your spouse. If, if you're not married, then, you know, you still have the Lord.
Kristen Pratt [00:23:09]:
So it's you and the Lord. And if you have a spouse, the spouse. And so, you know, you have that intimacy that you have those discussions, discussions with, around what you choose for your homeschool, for your homeschool curriculum. So have those discussions in that inner circle with, with the people who know your children best, which is, you know, your husband, the parents of the children. And then you're going to go to people that you know, your closest friends and family who understand what the Lord is calling you to now. You're going to have friends and family that are opposed and come against. Those are not the people that you want to go to for curriculum advice. You want to go to the ones that really, you know, understand and understand the faith component of it.
Kristen Pratt [00:23:57]:
And I would come up with a list of questions that you ask them, and so you can jot down the different answers and ask them for recommendations. So those people you're going to trust a little bit more because you know who they are, you know how their families are run, you know the level that you can trust their advice, as you start to go farther and farther out in the rings and the circle rings, you're going to come to people like influencers. You really do not know anything other than what you're seeing on a screen. You know, you're hearing my voice right now. All. All the parents are hearing my voice, and they don't really know much about me just based on this interview alone. And so my husband Randy and I have done a lot of talks, and you might know a lot about me, more so than maybe just one influencer that has one or two podcasts out there, but that doesn't hold a candle to the people that are actually in our life. And so the people that are in your world that you know and that know you, they're the ones to be most trusted when it comes to particular curriculum advice.
Kristen Pratt [00:25:18]:
It's not that we can't gather really good information from podcasts and influencers. We can. We just need to make sure that any advice is given lines up with the word of God. And we do our homework, we do our research, and we also ask for wisdom from the Holy Spirit. And so we can't just blindly. Please don't. If I say, hey, such and such is a great curriculum, please don't go. Go buy it, because I said that because it may be a disaster for your particular child.
Kristen Pratt [00:25:55]:
You know, I wrote the language lesson series, but there are years that I don't use it for a particular student because it's not the fit for the season or whatever. And so you really need to be guided by the Holy Spirit and not just use something because somebody that you really like is using it. And so you just want to think about it in those terms of, you know, those circles you have, those closest to you that you rely on, and you respect their opinion a lot more than somebody that's way outside in an outer ring.
Erin [00:26:32]:
Right, That's. That's excellent advice. I wholeheartedly agree with that. Like, don't listen to me. I mean, obviously, I'm very thankful for people who are in the audience listening and for people who seek advice. But like you said, if you don't know me, Personally, I, I want you to find the best knowledge that you have that you can get and that's from the people that you know. Personally, I can have good advice, you can have good advice, but always going back to that inner circle, I like that. And that's another thing too is like there's so many people that are now homeschooling.
Erin [00:27:02]:
And what I've found, and you might be able to speak to this as well, is just from even when I started just 14 years ago, it went from, we meet together first of court because we have homeschooling in common. But now I see so many factions where it's like we homeschool together in this community because we use the same exact curriculum and these little pockets of people, it's like as soon as someone does make a different choice for a kid that maybe that particular curriculum doesn't work for, then it's like their whole circle just implodes because they're no longer going to that co op or that, you know, whatever they're doing. Have you seen those kinds of things in your homeschooling experience? Like when it comes to co ops and how that fits in with homeschooling for your own family?
Kristen Pratt [00:27:50]:
Yeah, I have seen that. In fact, when we moved, we moved. We had a drastic move from the Buffalo, New York area to Arkansas. And so we did struggle to really find that close knit community that we had had in New York. In New York it didn't matter what you used. You know, we were there as Christian families to support each other. But when we moved here, it's a little different. And it's like you said, if you didn't you, if you don't use a particular curriculum or use a certain style, is very difficult to find a group.
Kristen Pratt [00:28:26]:
And I would say the best thing to do is to just start gathering like minded moms and start your own support group and you know, let, let the Lord guide you in that. But you know, you don't even have to make it real formal. It can just be okay, we're all going to gather at such and such a time doing this activity, you know, and so you may go to meet at the park, you may go to a museum together, you know, maybe the moms get together and get coffee and just encourage each other. So there's a lot of different ways that you can overcome some of that. But it can be difficult when, you know, it seems like everybody in an area, you know, they, they just all do XYZ and that's not what we do. And we're pretty much not invited to the club unless we do that. And so, you know, we. It is.
Kristen Pratt [00:29:21]:
It can be a challenge, and it can feel a little isolating and a little bit lonely. And the best thing to do is just to get out there and create the group that you wish you had.
Erin [00:29:31]:
Yeah, I love that. That was one of the things. We have a support group that I mentioned earlier, and one of the moms kept consistently, you know, saying, I just. Nobody talks to me. I don't have any friends. And I asked, you know, well, who did you introduce yourself to at the last meeting? And of course, it was no one. And it's like, you can't always say it's everybody else, that they're leaving me out and excluding me. That sometimes we do have to take that first step and say, hi, I'm new here, too.
Erin [00:29:58]:
Because I pointed out, I'm like, well, you don't know if that was one of your first meetings. That could have been the other mom's first meeting. So we have to work together as a team. And sometimes that. That takes getting over that initial anxiety of introductions. So as we're talking about curriculum and making these choices, we talked a little bit about some. Sometimes that's overwhelming. Can you speak to maybe a season in your life where you just felt burnt out as a homeschool mom? Or we're like, I can't do this anymore.
Erin [00:30:24]:
Because I think that we all have those times.
Kristen Pratt [00:30:26]:
I'm thinking, yeah, I mean, I don't. We don't have time in this podcast to talk about all times. I felt that my oldest daughter, you know, anybody who has followed my husband and I, they've probably heard this story. And I won't go to all the details because of that, but it was tough. And I actually expelled her from homeschool and turned her over to her father because I. I was at my wit's end. And, you know, the Lord really used that. That was actually the beginnings of us purchasing our business, Pennywise Learning.
Kristen Pratt [00:30:59]:
Well, not purchasing. We started it. We'd looked at a business to purchase, and so that was. Those were the seeds that the Lord used for us to start that whole season of our life. And, you know, it was. It was really, really hard. But, like, all the hard seasons in our life, we learned and grew through that. And it was just the soil that God was churning up.
Kristen Pratt [00:31:25]:
When my husband was pastoring, he had a sermon, and. And we still have the photos that he took of our garden. And it was just such a strong image of how It's a violent process when you go into your garden and you dig up and turn over the soil from last year, and it can feel really painful, you know, as you're digging in, and just the hardship of flipping over that soil to prepare for the next crop. And sometimes when we're feeling overwhelmed in just the frustration of it, you know, understand that God is using these times that we are frustrated and burned out, and we may not not be able to see what next. What this next season's growth is going to be, but God can. And it's. Again, it all comes back to trusting him in these times. And one little practical tip that I'd like to share, that I've encouraged moms for a long time, ever since way back when I was leading our local group.
Kristen Pratt [00:32:28]:
When you have the wins, you know, homeschooling has highs and lows, just like life. And when you have those wins and those wins do not have to be big. It could be the smile on a student's face as they discovered something new, you know, or it could be something like, you know, they finally broke through and, you know, learned to read. Or, you know, there could be a sweet poem that they wrote that expresses their faith, any of those things. Jot those things down, take a picture, somehow make a record of that. I suggest keeping a book and just jotting those things down. And then when the going gets tough, you have something to look back on. I think about in the Bible, how the Lord had the Israelites create the memorial stones, and it reminded them of God's faithfulness.
Kristen Pratt [00:33:26]:
And sometimes we need that when we're in the trenches of the day that just nothing seems to be going right. You know, I remember a few of those days. I remember holding one of my little ones at the end of a very long day, and the next thing you know, he threw up all down my shirt days, you just want to sit down and cry. But when you are able to get some perspective by looking through a notebook that you've started and look at how God's been good and look at how far you've come in the secular world, they say, measure the gains. And so, you know, that is a different way to look at it. But we don't just look at gains for the sake of looking at gains. We look at the gains because they're a measure of God's glory. It shows us all that he's doing in our life, and it encourages us that he's going to continue to do those things in our life.
Kristen Pratt [00:34:28]:
And, you know, he's just so good when we take a pause in the middle of the chaos and just recognize and give him praise and glory for all that he's done. And the crazy thing about all of that is then it turns around and we're encouraged and we can finish strong because we've given him praise and him glory. What feels like a sacrifice to us is actually the very thing that strengthens us.
Erin [00:34:57]:
That's such a good word. Yes. That is so true. Oh, man. And I think just having another of my children graduate this year, you start reflecting on all of those things. And when you look at what did we do right? What did we do wrong? What does he know and not know, and what could we have done different? And you do start evaluating that. And. But when you look at that bigger picture and you think, this was.
Erin [00:35:17]:
I wouldn't trade this for anything. Even those hard times when we were struggling, it's just amazing. So how in all of this, you know, when you talk about working, you talk about homeschooling, we talk about balance. And what are your thoughts on balance when it comes to being a mom and having a business and homeschooling and running the household? What do you feel like is the thing that's helped you out?
Kristen Pratt [00:35:43]:
I think it's important to understand that there are seasons in life we. I haven't always worked. I spent a lot of years where I was just changing diapers and nursing babies and, you know, dealing with spit up and, you know, all of those things. And so we have to recognize that seasons change. And so, you know, you may feel like you're in a season right now where maybe that is all that you're doing. You're feeling like it's really not substantial. Substantial. You know, you're not bringing in extra income when you need extra income.
Kristen Pratt [00:36:22]:
You're not able to do this. You're not able to do that. But I think when we turn that paradigm to look at it and say, look at what I get to do. I get to be with my little ones, you know, there's nothing. There's nothing more satisfying than when a little one comes up and wraps their arms around you and you give them a big hug and they melt into you. You know, when we look at it, like, look at what I get to do right now. You know, I can't go back to those years, and I love what I do now, and I love homeschooling. I'm one that really enjoys a challenge.
Kristen Pratt [00:37:01]:
I enjoy starting my own business. I love all those things. But even I have to stop and say, okay, make sure that I'm just not busy for the sake of being busy and because I like to be busy. And that I am taking time to really hear from the Lord. And when life comes at you with things you didn't expect, just remembering it's all a season and it doesn't. Even if you are on top of the world and everything is wonderful, that's a season too. And so, you know, just really holding it all loosely and seeing the hand of the Lord where you're at. I.
Kristen Pratt [00:37:43]:
And I, I've got to say, that's a big one for a lot of us, including me, is always looking to the. It'll be better when instead of taking the time to really enjoy the now. Because, you know, we're just always looking for the next thing and something to relieve the pressure. But sometimes we just need to sit and enjoy it for what it is.
Erin [00:38:07]:
I agree, definitely. So as you're closing your chapter on homeschooling, you've got the one left out of the nine. You talked about your work with Master Books. You also started Kingsway Learning. Do you want to talk a little bit about what you do through that?
Kristen Pratt [00:38:23]:
Sure. That was one of those curveballs. Master Books was purchased by a Christian investment group and the environment has turned a little bit more corporate on the backside of things. And I am not a sit in meetings kind of gal. So we all agreed that I am much more of an entrepreneur and they've blessed my endeavors and I've continued to do consulting work and things like that. And Randy has stayed on as the president of the company. And so it's all been a really good thing. But it was unexpected.
Kristen Pratt [00:39:00]:
And so, you know, this. It just was, okay, God, what are you doing here? And so, yeah, the Lord's just taken us on a whole other journey. But what is really exciting to me is that as we are building Kingsway Learning and we're still putting together some of the internal pieces of. Of it and solidifying things, so we'll be offering a lot more than what we have right now. But the fun in it is I can now begin to share some things that I have not been able to share under the Master Books umbrella. So I'm very eclectic. So I don't, you know, as long as it's glorifying God, it doesn't matter to me what the style is. It matters to me if you know where the wisdom is coming from.
Kristen Pratt [00:39:46]:
But you know, the style, whatever works. And there is no one size fits all. And so I Love being able to bring in things. For example, A Reason for Handwriting. I love A Reason for Handwriting because it utilizes scripture, and so it teaches the penmanship, both print and cursive, through writing scripture. And it's what I used for my younger students to learn handwriting. Well, I could never recommend that under the Master Books umbrella, but I knew it was really good. But as a spokesperson for Master Books, I couldn't recommend it.
Kristen Pratt [00:40:25]:
So there's just some gems like that. And we did. We did a few Teach Them Diligently conferences this year with launching our business, and it was really fun to see people come up. And we brought A Reason for Handwriting, and we also brought ywam Books. And so we had people coming up saying, oh, it's so good to see some of the old favorites come in, you know, onto the convention floor and be offered again. And so I'm really excited about not just bringing back some of the older titles that maybe don't get as much love anymore, but are still fantastic. But we're also in the process of curating new titles, and there are some real gems out there. And so it's really exciting to me to kind of step back, but yet forward.
Kristen Pratt [00:41:22]:
I don't know how else to explain that it's not Pennywise learning anymore. It's Kingsway learning. And there's just something really neat about being able to take on something that I used to do, but do it in a whole different way. And so, yeah, we're super, super excited about getting this going. One of my daughters was able to join me on the marketing side. And then I have a bunch of my family just waiting in the wings as we grow to step in and help us out with all that.
Erin [00:41:56]:
How cool and exciting. So I was taking a look at your website, and I was like, oh, I love that title. I love that title. So you've really got some really cool stuff on there that I've personally used as well. And I just find it really amazing that you're curating all of that. I love that, and I love that your kids are wanting to. To do that with you. That's really cool.
Erin [00:42:13]:
There's. I mean, there's a whole movement within the homeschool community about entrepreneurial families and kids, and I feel like that's kind of a. A niche that is so fitting when you have that lifestyle of home education. It's not just about choosing a method of teaching your children. It is so much more than that. So thank you so much, Kristen, for joining us today. How can our listeners find you on the Internet or are you on social media?
Kristen Pratt [00:42:40]:
You'll be seeing a lot more of us on social media. We are just getting started. We are planning to do a grand opening. Even though the website is live right now, we are still trying to get some, some things settled. But we're planning to do a grand opening around July 1st. But yes, be watching social media, watch the website kingswaylearning.com and there's gonna be a lot of things that we have launching in, you know, between now and the end of the year. We're really planning some fun things. My daughter Brittany, she, we just met this morning.
Kristen Pratt [00:43:18]:
She and went over some things and she's just, oh, she's amazing. And so we're, we're just really excited and so we are excited about having people like you join us in this and this, this fun endeavor. And I don't know, I'm just excited about it. So we will be on a lot more social media. Not much is happening right now today, but stay tuned because in a very short bit, you're going to be hearing a lot from us.
Erin [00:43:46]:
Sweet. Well, thank you. Thank you so much. And we will link your website and all that to our show notes and put those out for our listeners, too. So thanks for listening and we will be back next time with another great show. To learn more about booking one on one 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 website www.showmehomeschool.com and sign up for our weekly newsletter. You can also follow us on Instagram at Show Me homeschool on PinterestIomeHomeSchool or email us at infohomehomeschool.com this episode was sponsored by Podcast with Faith, our favorite Christian podcast production company.