by Abby Sasscer | Spring is definitely in the air and what better time to declutter and organize our domestic church than during this beautiful season of Lent. Despite the on-again, off-again winter weather we’ve been experiencing here in Virginia, the Great Purge of 2014 is well underway in our little home in the hills.

For the homeschooling mother of many, there's always more; more to organize and more to do. Always more little faces to wash, more nails to clip, more hair growing back into bright, smiling eyes, more boo-boos needing more band-aids and more baby teeth to brush.

Sometimes it seems like the work for Mom is never ending in our large Catholic families. By Thanksgiving, the first quarter assignments have been completed and the homeschooling is clipping along nicely. Then Bang! Along comes the Christmas season, doubling the work load but halving the class time! It’s more than a little discouraging!

Some think that a chaotic home means you can't homeschool. John Clark disagrees, and encourages you to focus on establishing something more important first.

Abby Sasscer, homeschool mom of 3 and public speaker on simpler living, shares her top 3 benefits to living with less and 7 steps to a simpler home!

When I was four years old and living in the Philippines, there was an elderly man who would come around our street once or twice a month to beg for food. He was ill and had a difficult time speaking. Nobody in the neighborhood seemed to know his name. Every time he came, my Lolo, or grandfather, greeted him with a hearty "Hello My Friend!" From then on, all of us children called him "My Friend".

Like most Catholic-Christian parents, we are dedicated to the care of our children. The Philippine culture is notable for the utmost importance it places on the family. In fact, in the Filipino communities, it is normal to find a modestly-sized house occupied by several extended family members.

Since I am a professional historian, I am dismayed when I hear anyone say, “I hate history.” Their lament almost always means that the person is as yet unprepared to face history's challenges, the first and foremost of which is the ability to retain a great deal of data. To succeed in that undertaking, we must understand that retentiveness is a by-product of intellectual exercise.

Ten years ago, our family embarked on a journey which entailed leaving our comfortable life in Northern Virginia to live a life of simplicity in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. And ...

We recently asked our readers to share homeschooling advice that they have found helpful or that they often share with others. Here are five of the most popular Catholic homeschooling ...

Stressed out home schooling moms tell me that it is not the actual home schooling that is sapping their strength. It’s not the housework, or yard work, or meal preparation. ...

When you lie down, you need not be afraid; when you rest, your sleep will be sweet. (Proverbs 3:24) How can any mom and dad, much less parents of a ...

How to write book reports are not as hard as they seem; it's like following a roadmap that teaches children to think analytically.

I feel like my life is a treadmill.  It’s always running ahead of me and I am always trying to catch up. My book, Catholic Home Schooling, has a chapter ...

Training the children to do their tasks on time and in a timely manner is no small feat, yet it can be done with planning, keeping to the schedule, and ...

The first two volumes of Ginny’s Gems have proved to be pretty popular — far better received than I ever expected. I have to confess that the whole idea behind ...

32 quotes and homeschooling tips from Seton families who jumped to share their top tips on organization, staying holy, family time & more! Editor’s note: Seton Magazine asked our Facebook page ...