Educating At Home

October is the perfect month to reset your heart.

That’s why I created the Pumpkin Mom Freebie Packet—a 8-page resource to help you scoop out the pulp of stress and be filled with God’s light.

Inside you’ll find:
Reflection questions
4 verse mapping pages
4 scripture memory cards
A prayer-writing page
Pair it with my new Pumpkin Mom blog post for a fresh perspective on motherhood, homeschooling, and faith this fall.

Read the post and get the freebie: https://www.educatingathome.com/post/pumpkin-mom

Let’s choose to be women filled with joy and peace this season. 🎃

Pumpkin Mom Out in the patch sits a row of pumpkins. From the outside, they look strong, solid, and unshakable. Their hard shells seem to protect them from anything. But you and I know better—if one slips from your hands and crashes to the ground, it shatters into pieces.Sometimes, as a mom, I feel like that ...

If you missed our Homeschooling with AI: Friend or Foe? workshop today, no worries—the replay is ready! 🎥

You can watch it right from your inbox once you sign up for the freebie I shared:
👉 20 AI Prompts for Homeschool Moms

It’s the perfect companion to everything we talked about—practical, simple, and ready to use right away.

🌸 Comment “Replay!” below, and I’ll send you both the replay and the free printable.
Thanks to everyone who joined live! It was such a sweet, encouraging chat.

When I first started experimenting with AI in my homeschool lessons, I was a little skeptical too.

Would it actually help—or just make more work?

Then I used it to create personalized reading passages for one of my students who had lost confidence in his reading… and everything changed.

That’s what I’ll be sharing in my free homeschool workshop—
👉 Homeschooling with AI: Friend or Foe?

We’ll talk about:
🌸 How to make personalized lessons fast
🌸 What to avoid when using AI
🌸 How to keep your homeschool creative and heart-centered

Want the Zoom link?
💬 Comment “Send me the link!” below, and I’ll message it to you.
📅 Thursday, October 16, 2025 - - 12:00 PDT

No camera needed—just come and be encouraged.

Big news, friends! 🌸

I’m hosting a free Zoom workshop this Thursday, October 16 at 12:00 pm PDT called: ✨ Homeschooling with AI — Friend or Foe? ✨

We’ll talk about how AI (like ChatGPT and other tools) can actually lighten your homeschool load — and how to use it wisely.

I’ll share real stories from my own teaching — like how one student went from frustrated with math to confident and smiling again with a little help from AI-created lessons.

Grab your tea or coffee, and come hang out with me! ☕️

No need to turn on your camera — just pop in and listen.

Want to join? Comment “I’m in!” below and I’ll send you the Zoom link 🌸

Can’t wait to chat with you!

Homeschooling in fall doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes the simplest traditions—like carving pumpkins—can hold the biggest lessons.

The Pumpkin Patch Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs is a sweet way to show kids how God cleans us out and fills us with His light. I put together a Pumpkin Patch Parable Packet to help you dig deeper: coloring pages, journaling, verse mapping, a life cycle activity, and more.

Read the blog post here: https://www.educatingathome.com/post/pumpkin-patch-parable-activities

Homeschool moms, I’m curious… do you see AI as a friend or a foe? 🤔

Some moms are loving it for quick worksheets and lesson planning. Others worry it might make learning “too easy.”

I’ve been testing it out, and I have to say—it’s been a HUGE time-saver. But I’d love to hear your thoughts:

Would you ever use AI in your homeschool? Why or why not?

Read the new post here: https://www.educatingathome.com/post/homeschooling-with-ai-yay-or-nay

“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 4:6

That verse inspired the Pumpkin Mom blog post AND the free October Pulp Removal Calendar.

Each day of October, you’ll find a simple practice—prayer walks, scripture meditation, journal prompts, worship songs—that helps you scoop out the pulp of chaos and let God’s light shine through you.

This freebie is waiting inside the blog post—because moms, we don’t have to walk through October on empty.

Read & download here:https://www.educatingathome.com/post/pumpkin-mom

Fall is the perfect season to slow down, carve pumpkins, and reflect on how God shines His light in us.

The Pumpkin Patch Parable Packet is filled with K-6 printables—verse mapping, journaling, comic strips, and more—that pair beautifully with Liz Curtis Higgs’ book The Pumpkin Patch Parable.

Grab the packet here: https://www.educatingathome.com/product-page/pumpkin-patch-parable-activities

Read the blog post here: https://www.educatingathome.com/post/pumpkin-patch-parable-activities

Hello to my new and old followers!
I thought it was about time I re-introduce myself. My name is Arika, and I’m a newly retired homeschool mom turned coach and consultant for other homeschool moms.

A little about my story: I recently graduated my second (and final!) daughter from homeschooling—so yes, I’m officially “retired!” After years of lesson plans, read-alouds, and community days, I realized I didn’t want to step away from this community. Instead, I want to keep equipping moms to design their homeschool according to their season of life—because every family is unique, and your homeschool should reflect that.

Here are a few fun facts about me:
- - I love naps and tea time (both are non-negotiables).
- - I’m pretty picky about the books I read.
- - I still sometimes catch myself planning units—even without kids at home.

My mission? To help homeschooling moms find peace, confidence, and joy. Through support, practical guidance, and faith, I walk alongside moms who feel discouraged so they can thrive as both teachers and mothers.

On this account, you’ll find:
- - Tips on homeschool routines
- - Curriculum encouragement
- - A sprinkle of printables
- - Organizing hacks for mom life

I’m so excited to share encouragement, ideas, and a little inspiration with you here. Thank you for following along—I can’t wait to get to know you better!

Do you ever feel like a pumpkin? 🎃

Tough on the outside, but one more sibling squabble, one more math meltdown, one more button pushed…and you’ll shatter?

That’s me some days. But here’s the good news: just like a pumpkin has to be scooped out before it can shine, God wants to scoop out the pulp of stress, striving, and worry in our lives too.

I wrote about this in the Pumpkin Mom blog post, and I created a free October “Pulp Removal” Calendar to help you reset each day with prayer, scripture, and simple reflection.

Read the blog & grab your free calendar here: https://www.educatingathome.com/post/pumpkin-mom

“For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts . . ” – 2 Corinthians 4:6

Moms, we weren’t meant to stay filled with the pulp of chaos, worry, and striving. God longs to fill us with His Spirit and let His light shine through us—to our kids, our husbands, and everyone around us.

I put together a blog post called Pumpkin Mom—a reminder to trade pulp for peace. And because I know how hard it can be to live this out daily, I also created a Pumpkin Mom Freebie Packet with:
--Reflection questions
--Verse mapping pages
--Scripture memory cards
--A prayer-writing page

Let’s be moms who glow with His light, not moms who are bursting with pulp. 🎃

Read the blog: https://www.educatingathome.com/post/pumpkin-mom