How to Anchor Your Homeschool in Changing Times

Homeschool Better Together with Pam Barnhill

Pam Barnhill

Kids & Family, Christianity, Education, Religion & Spirituality

4.9 • 683 Ratings

🗓️ 15 July 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Are you facing a move and feeling completely overwhelmed about starting over with your homeschool? Maybe you’re wishing for some sense of rhythm and comfort when everything else around you is shifting.

In this episode, I talk with Melaney Smith, a pastor’s wife and homeschool mom of three, about what it’s like to leave everything behind and begin again. Melaney recently moved her family from Stockton, California, all the way to the snowy prairies of North Dakota. She generously shares what it was like to grieve, adjust (and freeze!), and eventually discover her new groove as a homeschooling mom.

We talk about what really happens when your routines get tossed upside-down and how to handle the emotional load, the reality of creating community in a completely new place, and how tools like Autopilot became Melaney’s secret weapon during the chaos. In her story, you’ll find surprising insights about why familiar routines matter so much during big transitions and how flexible habits can truly anchor your family when everything else feels unfamiliar.

If you are walking through a big life change or just need some honest encouragement (plus a few laughs about frozen winters and missing good hot sauce), you’ll find practical help and camaraderie right here.

What you’ll learn:

What actually happens (emotionally and practically) when you move cross-country with your family and begin homeschooling again
How consistency and familiar homeschool rhythms can help everyone adjust after a big move
Why planning tools and a supportive community are essential during chaotic seasons
The basics of “Minimum Viable Days” and why these can be a lifesaver when your regular routines are impossible
Creative ideas for adapting your homeschool to new climates, schedules, and cultures
Why taking three to five years to feel at home is normal—and perfectly okay
How letting go of perfection and choosing to show up faithfully brings peace and growth

Resources mentioned:

For full show notes and a transcript of today’s episode, head to pambarnhill.com/hsbt42

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Are you ready for homeschooling to feel joyful again?
0:05.4	Do you long for support as you learn alongside your kids?
0:10.3	Welcome to Home School Better Together, a podcast about building a homeschool experience that works for your family.
0:18.2	I'm Pam Barnhill, and it's time to step out of the overwhelm and
0:22.0	in to the wonder. Let's do this. I am here today with my very special guest, Melanie Smith. Melanie
0:32.4	is a pastor's wife. She's a homeschooling mom of three. She's an amateur birdwatcher and a self-proclaimed podcast
0:40.2	junkie. Now, her family recently made a big move to the wild and beautiful Northern Prairie of
0:46.3	North Dakota, where they have found a great co-op and enjoy exploring local nature reserves,
0:52.9	but that's only when everything isn't frozen.
0:56.2	Through it all, Melanie delights in how the Lord has provided for her family every step of the way.
1:01.8	Melanie, welcome to the podcast.
1:03.6	Hi, thanks.
1:04.3	I'm happy to be here and help encouraging, encourage moms in moving.
1:09.6	Yeah.
1:10.6	Yeah, it is a big thing when you have to move.
1:12.9	So did you move in the middle of your homeschool year or was it kind of in the summer or
1:17.9	how did that happen?
1:18.8	It was a blessing because it was in the summer.
1:20.6	So we happened to move this summer.
1:23.2	We came out of a candidate in the spring and we really transitioned from Stockton, California,
1:30.3	to here nice and slowly. It wasn't like a quick move. So my husband and I were both pretty
1:35.7	organized and were planners. So it was nice. We had time to, we packed slowly and methodically. We
	...

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