Easy Homeschool Program for First Timers
Welcome back to The Lighten Up Podcast, friends!
How many homeschool moms do we have out there?!! 🙋🏼♀️ In this episode we are going to dive into my experience in the world of homeschooling so far! Let’s be honest, homeschooling sounds pretty scary especially if you have a tendency to lose your patience sometimes, like me 🤪 But luckily we live in a time where we no longer have to sacrifice our time with our kids in order for them to get a quality education. And you don’t have to be an Einstein to do it!
This decision to homeschool my kids was daunting to say the least, but let me tell you… my whole family is happier because of it. We spend more time together, have more flexibility, AND we’re actually paying less in tuition fees than what we would normally pay for private school!
If you’re interested in learning more about Liberty Online Academy, the program that we use with our kids, you can click the link below! It’s a Bible based, affordable option that is PERFECT for first timers!
If you are a homeschool mom and have any helpful hacks that make your homeschool life easier, send them in using the form on my website or by sending me a DM on Instagram. We’ll share them with each other in The Group Chat 💬 next episode, Monday, December 8th!
Don’t forget to subscribe to my channel to make sure you stay caught up on all the juicy tea and fun convos with the girls 💛
Make Pineapples Normal Again (…and Why We Decided to Homeschool)
If you’ve been hanging out with me on the Lighten Up Podcast, you already know we are not afraid to talk about the real, the ridiculous, and the really holy—often all in the same conversation. Today’s episode was exactly that.
We’re kicking things off with pineapples (yes, really) and ending with one of the biggest decisions our family has ever made: homeschooling.
So grab your coffee, your Bible, and maybe your favorite fruit-themed cup holder, and let’s get into it.
Hannah Tea: The Pineapple Problem
Forget Make America Great Again or Make America Healthy Again.
I’m launching a new movement: Make Pineapples Normal Again.
How wild is it that the enemy can take something as darling as a pineapple and twist it into something perverted? So many of us had no idea that an upside-down pineapple is used as a symbol in swinger culture. I didn’t know. A bunch of you didn’t know. And yet here we are, needing to clarify fruit.
When I shared about this on Instagram, your comments had me absolutely howling. And because this is the Lighten Up “group chat,” I had to share a few.
When Pineapples Go Rogue
One of you said you bought your husband pineapple swim trunks and later found out upside-down pineapples meant you were “looking.” Another friend realized people kept complimenting her adorable pineapple bike at a campground… and following her. Only later did she realize why. Bless it.
Then my aunt (the feisty, will-fight-for-you kind of aunt) jumped into the comments and said, “You should look up what a pineapple in the front seat of a grocery cart means… and also what white stacked rocks mean in someone’s front yard.”
So of course I had to look it up.
Apparently, some “signs” people use to signal to other swingers include:
Pampas grass in the front yard
A black ring or wedding ring switched to the right hand
An upside-down pineapple in a shopping cart
A pineapple door knocker
White landscaping rocks in the front yard
A fire pit or hot tub in the yard
Anklets
A red ball cap
A yin-yang tattoo
Now listen: none of these things automatically mean anything, okay? We literally have a fire pit in our backyard, and I promise you we are not swingers. But if someone has all of the above going on… maybe just proceed with caution. 😂
Mostly, I just find it so frustrating (and very on-brand for the enemy) that he takes what God made good and tries to twist it. He does it with rainbows. He does it with sexuality. And apparently, he does it with pineapples.
What a loser.
The Original Meaning of the Pineapple
One of my favorite comments came from a listener in Virginia who shared that in their area, you’ll see pineapples carved above the doors of colonial homes. For centuries, the pineapple has been a symbol of hospitality—a way of saying, “You’re welcome here. Come in, you’re family.”
That feels so much more like the heart of God, doesn’t it?
Another way I like to think about pineapples is this little saying I shared in a previous episode:
A confident woman is like a pineapple—she stands tall, wears a crown, and is sweet on the inside.
I love that. That’s the kind of “pineapple energy” I want for us as daughters of God—rooted in Christ, confident in who He made us to be, and tender-hearted toward others.
So yes, I’m serious:
Let’s make pineapples normal again.
Let’s reclaim them as symbols of hospitality, confidence, and God’s creativity—not the enemy’s perversion.
A Little Tim Tebow Confirmation
Before we move into homeschooling, I have to mention this little God-wink.
In the last episode, we talked about Tim Tebow, his testimony, and how his mom spoke life into him in a way that shaped his confidence as a man of God. We also talked about how God doesn’t make mistakes—that you are His masterpiece, carefully and intentionally designed.
Then this week I saw an article from the Today Show with the headline:
“Tim Tebow reveals how having dyslexia helped him achieve success: ‘God’s never made a mistake.’”
I about fell out of my chair.
We had just talked about that—how God never messes up, how He uses even what we see as “weakness” for His glory. I love when the Lord just confirms something like that. It makes us feel seen, known, and reminded that He’s paying attention to the tiny details.
Okay. Deep breath.
We’ve covered pineapples and Tim Tebow.
Now let’s get into the big topic of the episode…
Our Homeschooling Story (Spoiler: It Wasn’t My Idea)
If you had told me a few years ago that I would homeschool my kids, I would’ve laughed, cried, and then probably panicked.
I grew up going to private school and loved it—the community, the friendships, the sense that I wasn’t missing out. I loved having godly women teaching me and pouring into me. So for years, that’s what I wanted for my kids too.
My daughter was in private school from preschool through fifth grade. My son went from preschool through second grade. Our school experience was almost perfect. No big drama. No huge issues. We loved our school.
So why did we leave?
Because our kids wouldn’t stop asking.
“Mommy, can we homeschool?”
“We just want to be home.”
“We can do it, Mom!”
They had been asking for years. My husband and I kept thinking, We’re too busy. We work. We travel. It doesn’t make sense.
But they kept asking. And their hearts were so sincere.
So I started praying:
“Lord, what do You want for our family?”
Not what culture expects, not what my parents did, not what looks “impressive” on paper. What’s best for our family, in this season, with these kids?
Our kids are close. We’re homebodies. We genuinely love being together. They like being here. I realized I needed to stop ignoring that and start paying attention to what the Lord might be highlighting.
The Night Everything Changed
One evening, we were outside by the fire pit (which means nothing, by the way, after our swinger-symbol conversation 😂). The topic came up again, and my husband and I looked at each other like, Maybe… maybe this is the year we try it.
Later that night, I sat down with the kids and asked them straight up:
“Do you want to homeschool next year?”
Their reactions? Pure joy. Jumping. Screaming. Laughing. They were elated.
Meanwhile, I was in the corner sobbing, absolutely convinced:
I was going to ruin them.
I’d be the meanest, most impatient mom.
They’d resent me for life.
But even in my fear, I could feel the Lord nudging: Trust Me.
So we emailed the school. We made it official.
We had no curriculum picked yet. No plan. Just a baby step of obedience.
Choosing a Homeschool Program (Why We Picked Liberty)
Once we made the decision, I had one big non-negotiable:
I wanted something simple and sustainable for a first-time homeschool mom.
I did not want to:
Write my own lesson plans
Juggle stacks of workbooks and paper
Track a million things for the state
So I started researching and asking you guys on Instagram what you loved. Over and over, one program kept coming up:
Liberty University Online Academy.
Here’s why it worked so well for us:
It’s fully online and user-friendly
It has a biblical foundation, including a Bible class
It serves kids all the way through high school
It’s accessible from anywhere (we live in Texas, Liberty is in Virginia)
It was significantly more affordable than private school for two kids
At the time we enrolled, they also had a promotion: if your child goes all the way through as a full-time student and graduates with Liberty Online Academy, they can get 50% off tuition if they choose to attend Liberty University on campus.
Now, we’re not the kind of parents who say, “You must go to college.” My husband has a GED and is incredibly successful as a musician, in real estate, and investing. I went the college route; he didn’t. We’ve seen both paths work.
So for us, it wasn’t about forcing a traditional path. It was about having options. Liberty gave us that flexibility plus a Christ-centered education, which felt like a win.
What Our Homeschool Days Actually Look Like
We started in August. As I’m writing this, we’re about four months in.
Our “schedule”—and I use that term loosely—looks something like this:
I usually wake up around 7:30, have coffee, and spend time in the Word.
The kids get up around 8:30–9:00, eat breakfast, and then we start school.
My daughter (6th grade) is very independent and meticulous. She does most of her lessons on her own, popping in when she has a question—usually math. 😉
My son (3rd grade) and I work more closely together. We sit at his little desk, log into Liberty, and go subject by subject:
Bible – Read the lesson, talk about it, sometimes draw or write and upload a photo of his work.
History – Read together, take turns reading aloud, answer questions.
Language Arts – Read assigned books like The Boxcar Children, Flat Stanley, etc., plus handwriting and short writing assignments.
Math – He’s a total math whiz, so we usually fly through this.
Science – Simple lessons and occasional experiments we record and upload.
Most days, we are done in about 1.5–2 hours. Sometimes as fast as 45 minutes. On days we’re really in the zone, we’ll knock out two, three, even four days of lessons in one go.
That means:
We can work ahead if we’re traveling or have a busy week coming.
They still get all the normal holidays built into the program.
If we need to school on the go, all they need is a laptop and Wi-Fi.
And if we ever get stuck? There’s a teacher hotline, email support, and tutoring options built in.
For a first-year homeschooling mom who didn’t want to drown in prep work, this has been a game changer.
“But What About Socialization?”
One of the biggest questions many people have about homeschooling is:
“Will my kids be socially awkward?”
Honestly? Our kids’ social life has probably grown since we started homeschooling.
They still have friends from their old school, and we are intentional about keeping those relationships strong. I’ll go pick up my son’s best friend after school for playdates, my daughter has hangouts and activities, and they spend a ton of time with each other.
Plus, when I really thought about it, I realized I was already spending 1–2 hours a day helping with homework after a full school day. Except back then, everyone was exhausted, overwhelmed, and emotional.
Now we spend that time earlier in the day, when we all have more patience and emotional margin. It’s the same “teaching time,” just in a much healthier window.
Choosing Your “Hard”
Is homeschooling hard?
Yes.
Is sending your kids away from you eight hours a day also hard?
Also yes.
You just have to choose your hard.
For me, my biggest fear was that my lack of patience would damage my relationship with my kids. I didn’t want to be “Mean Mom Homeschool Teacher” in their memories.
But here’s what the Lord showed me:
Homeschooling wasn’t just about their education;
It was also about my sanctification.
If patience is a fruit of the Spirit I struggle with, what better place to let the Lord grow that in me than right here—up close, in daily life with my kids?
Have I lost my temper? Yes.
Have I had to apologize? Also yes.
But my kids are seeing a mom who:
Owns her mistakes
Repents and asks forgiveness
Is actively letting Jesus refine her
And our relationship has grown sweeter because of it, not weaker.
The Unexpected Gifts of Homeschooling
Some of the sweetest surprises of this journey have been things I didn’t even know I was missing.
I’m seeing my son’s humor and personality blossom in ways I only used to hear about from his teachers.
I get a front row seat to both kids’ confidence growing as they master new concepts.
I’m more present for my daughter as she heads into the preteen years, with all the emotions, changes, and heart conversations that come with that.
Our family as a whole feels closer, calmer, and more connected.
We’re still just a few months in, and every year may look different, but right now I can honestly say:
For our family, in this season, homeschooling has been 100% the right decision.
If You’re Considering Homeschooling…
If you’re wrestling with this decision, here’s what I’d encourage you to do:
Ask the Lord: “What do YOU want for our family?”
Pay attention to your kids’ hearts and personalities.
Get honest about your fears—but don’t let fear be the loudest voice.
Remember: you don’t have to commit for life. You’re allowed to try it for a year and reevaluate.
Homeschooling is not the “gold star” Christian choice. Private school isn’t either. Public school isn’t automatically evil. Every family, every child, and every season is different.
The goal is not to copy someone else’s decision.
The goal is to follow Jesus for your family.
Let’s Keep the Conversation Going
If you have questions about homeschooling, our experience with Liberty, or even just want to vent your fears, I’d love to hear from you.
You can:
Submit questions and stories at hannahcrewsblog.com/podcast
Hang out with me on Instagram at @hannahcrews.blog
Follow the podcast account at @thelightenup.podcast for clips, questions, and group chat moments
And if this post resonated with you, you might also love my devotionals:
Goodness Gracious: 90 Unfiltered Devotions for the Sometimes Too Serious Life – all about joy, humor, and learning to lighten up in Jesus
A Confidence That Changes Everything: Devotions to Shine Bright in This Topsy-Turvy Life – all about godly confidence (yes, more pineapple energy 😉)
You can grab both on Amazon to support the show.
Friend, I love you. I’m obsessed with Jesus. And I’m so grateful we get to walk through the crazy, beautiful, sometimes ridiculous parts of life together.
Don’t forget to lighten up—because there is so much joy in Jesus. 💛🍍
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