Aug 27 • 55:45
Home Schooling is Good News! With Carole Joy Seid
Episode:

Home Schooling is Good News! With Carole Joy Seid

August 27, 2024 • 55:45 • Greta Eskridge

What a treat to have one of my earliest home school mentors on the podcast today. This is a powerful episode where we hear how Carole met God and how He led her to home schooling, which she initially thought was absolute insanity! Carole and I talk about the early days of home schooling when it wasnt legal or illegal and so different than it is now. 

Hear how Caroles son JJ has joined her in sharing the message of home schooling. What a dream that is! She shares books galore too. My favorite kind of episode! 

Carole Joy Seid is a joy indeed and you are going to love the encouragement and wisdom she brings from speaking on home schooling for 30 + years. 

 

Here are the resources Carole recommends in this episode: 

Read and learn about home schoolings pioneers: 

John Holt 

Dr. Raymond Moore 

Susan Schaeffer Macaulay 

Read their books: 

How Children Learn by John Holt 

Better Late Than Early by Dr. Raymond Moore 

For the Childrens Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay 

For the Familys Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay 

 

Here are the other books Carole recommends in this episode: 

The Common RuleHabits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction 

Theology of the Body for Beginners 

The Least of These My Brothers  

Father Arsenypriest, prisoner and spiritual father 

Little Britches series 

 

Where to find Carole: 

Her website here 

Her seminars here 

Her podcast here 

Her Instagram account here 

 

Some favorite quotes from todays episode: 

God doesnt waste a thing. GE 

Home schooling was the farthest thing from my mind. CJS 

Home schooling is a huge liberty, and we dont want to take it for granted. CJS 

Its so thrilling to see the next generation of home schoolers carrying out the way of living that is so rich and blessed. CJS 

Sharing the message of home schooling has been the joy of my life. CJS 

The very first home school conference I ever attended was with Carole Joy Seid and it was absolutely transformational. GE 

You can home school with a bible, a library card and a math book. CJS 

High school and college is where your childs theology makes up its mind. CJS 

If youre tired, do something fresh and give yourself a grace package. Because that is what God gives to us. CJS 

Your goal is to get shining eyes! CJS 

The gift of home schooling for me has been all about freedom. The freedom to pursue education in the way that works best for our family, the way that works best for each kid and the way that works best for me as a teacher. GE 

Be the expert on your child. CJS 

Never stop reading out loud to your children. CJS 

The gospel needs to permeate everything you do. CJS 

 

Dont forget to subscribe to this podcast. And Id be so very grateful if you leave a 5 star rating and a short review of the podcast. 

Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. 

Thank you for listening and being part of my team.  

I love you guys! 

Greta 

Podcast:

The Greta Eskridge Podcast

With Greta Eskridge
We're living in a time filled with distraction and disconnection from the things that matter most. Things like faith, family, friendship, and childhood innocence feel harder and harder to hold onto. But I believe a joyful, connected life is possible with Jesus's help because he offers us life to the full! It's time to open our eyes to the wonder God has put all around us, so join me each week on The Greta Eskridge Podcast as some of my favorite friends and I explore ways to create connection in our families and chase joy through both the peaks and valleys of parenting and life.
All Episodes:
Feb 3 • 1:3:05
What the Body Teaches the Soul about Breath, Exercise, Sex and God s Design for Healthy Habits. with Justin Earley

Episode 102 It was so good to have my friend Justin Earley back on the show today! If you missed the last episode with Justin and Brook Mosser, hosts of the Intentional Fatherhood podcast, you can listen to it here. It is a fun one and you dont want to miss it.

In episode 102, Justin and I dive into his newest book, The Body Teaches the Soul: Ten Essential Habits to Form a Healthy and Holy Life. I loved reading Justins book. As you can imagine, that made it hard to narrow down what parts of the book to focus on. But ultimately, I asked Justin if we could focus on the chapters of his book that covered 3 specific topics: breath, exercise and sex. It was such a good conversation! I walked away learning so much and I know you will too.

As always, please share this episode and if youve never left a review of the podcast, do that today too! Id be so grateful. And if you havent yet picked up your copy of Its Time To Talk to Your Kids About Porn, consider this your weekly reminder to do so. You can find your copy here. 2026 is your year to have these conversations with your kids! Thanks for listening friends. I cant wait to see you next week!

Resources mentioned in this podcast:

Find Justins website here

Find Justin on Instagram here

Find Justins book here

Find the Intentional Fatherhood podcast here

Find tickets to the Intentional Fatherhood retreat here

Find info about Gretas Womens Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds here

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Jan 27 • 21:16
Ask Me Anything! with Greta Eskridge

Episode 101 

Its been a while since I did an Ask Me Anything episode, so here we are! 

This episode is all over the place, which only makes sense because you listeners gave me the topics to talk about. And you are all different and want to know different things. I love that! 

So in this episode I shared about hormones and perimenopause, favorite books, raising young adults, my womens walking retreat in the Cotswolds, and more. I hope you enjoy another little peek into my life. 

Putting links to the walking retreat below, as well as a link to the book you need to read in 2026, Its Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn. Ive said it before and Ill say it again, make this the year you have one of the most important conversations in modern day parenting with your kids. Dont worry, I wrote a guide to help you. 

 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Get info on my Womens Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds here 

Get my book here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Jan 20 • 46:22
Gretas 100 Favorite Things for the 100th Episode

 Episode 100 

10 Favorite (current) Worship Songs 

1. My Testimony by Elevation Worship 

2. Yet Not I but Through Christ in Me by City Alight 

3. Scars by I Am They 

4. I Thank God by Maverick City Music 

5. Goodness of God by CeCe Winans 

6. Sing Wherever I Go by We the Kingdom 

7. Thank You Jesus for the Blood by Charity Gayle 

8. What an Awesome God by Phil Wickham 

9. Bless God by Brooke Ligertwood 

10. Jesus Lifted Me by Cain 

 

10 Favorite Bible Verses 

1. Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10 

2. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,4who comforts usin all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. II Corinthians 1:3-4 

3. As for you, you meant evil against me, butGod meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. Genesis 5:20 

4. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19 

5. I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart. I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you. I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. Psalm 9: 1-2 

6. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Act 4:12 

7. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12 

8. So I will restore to you the yearsthat the swarminglocust has eaten, Joel 2:25 

9. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 6-7 

10. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel. Ephesians 6:19 

10 Favorite Treats 

1. Milka chocolate bars 

2. Iced lattes 

3. Manzanilla green olives from Trader Joes (yes, specifically these) 

4. Homemade popcorn 

5. Coffee ice cream 

6. Roasted and salted macadamia nuts  

7. Kettle cooked potato chips 

8. Kouign-amann pastries 

9. Chips and salsa 

10. Italian Confetti Almonds from Trader Joes (yes, specifically these) 

10 Favorite Books 

1. How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn 

2. Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri 

3. The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings 

4. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom 

5. The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder 

6. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 

7. Persuasion Jane Austen 

8. The Chronicles of Narnia (the whole series) C. S. Lewis 

9. Rainbow Valley by Lucy Maud Montgomery 

10. Gods Smuggler by Brother Andrew 

10 Favorite Movies 

1. Its a Wonderful Life 

2. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 

3. Napoleon Dynamite + Nacho Libre (cannot pick one and they are a pair to me) 

4. My Fair Lady 

5. Sleepless In Seattle 

6. Little Women (1994 version) 

7. Sense and Sensibility 

8. That Thing You Do 

9. To Kill a Mockingbird 

10. Up 

 

10 Favorite Places Ive Visited 

1. Cinque Terre, Italy 

2. The Cotswolds, England 

3. Big Sur, CA 

4. Murren, Switzerland 

5. Meteora, Greece 

6. Olympic National Park, WA 

7. Annecy, France 

8. Hyderabad and Secunderabad, India 

9. Reykjavik, Iceland 

10. Glacier National Park, MT 

 

10 Favorite Coffee Shops  

1. Scout Coffee, San Luis Obispo, CA 

2. Honest Coffee, Franklin, Tenn 

3. Orange Inn, Laguna Beach, CA 

4. Certified Kitchen and Bakery, Boise, ID 

5. Merchant, Long Beach, CA 

6. Giovanni Cova & C, Milan, Italy 

7. Jos Coffee, Austin, TX 

8. Barista Parlor, Nashville, TN 

9. Hooray Coffee, Redlands, CA 

10. Sant Eustachio Il Caffee, Rome, Italy 

 

10 Favorite Things That Were Also Really Hard 

1. Natural childbirth 

2. Writing books 

3. Being a public high school teacher 

4. Becoming a speaker 

5. Sharing the most vulnerable parts of our marriage story publicly 

6. Running a half marathon 

7. Fighting porn 

8. Parenting teens and young adults 

9. Home schooling 

10. Becoming a podcaster 

 

10 Favorite Things from Nature 

1. Giant Sequoia trees 

2. Cardinals 

3. Sea otters 

4. California Poppies 

5. Coast Live Oak trees 

6. Moss 

7. Tidepools 

8. Red Tailed Hawks 

9. Wild Mustard 

10. Dolphins 

 

10 Favorite Adventures 

1. My Christian walk 

2. Being married to Aaron 

3. Becoming a mom 

4. Spending 2 summers in my teens in India with my dad 

5. Summering in Scotland with 25 teens + Aaron when we were newlyweds 

6. Becoming an author 

7. Family road trip from California to Minnesota 

8. Home schooling our kids 

9. Backpacking through Europe as a young married couple 

10. Family trip to Italy 

 

10 Misc Favorite Things: 

1. The color yellow 

2. My Blundstone boots 

3. My Nugget ice maker 

4. Wearing brand new socks 

5. Watching travel shows with Aaron (especially Stanley Tucci, Rick Steves and Travel Man) 

6. Colorful bags from Orla Keily 

7. My collection of Yearly bangles that Aaron started for me 

8. Red shoes 

9. Stickers especially travel and encouraging words 

10. My collection of Ronnie Kappos jewelry that Aaron started for me

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Jan 13 • 58:16
Helping Women Find Freedom from the Addiction and Shame of Masturbation with Molly Bertles

Episode 99 

If you had told me 15 years ago, or even 5 years ago that Id be doing a podcast episode on masturbation, Id never, ever believe you. But here we are, 99 episodes into my podcast having a conversation that I couldnt imagine having. But over the years as I have talked with parents about creating a healthy sexual culture in their homes, one of the most common questions I get is: how do I talk about masturbation with my kids? So it is something we absolutely need to talk about. But Ill be the first to admit, it is a challenging topic. 

 

Thats why I appreciate people like Molly Bertles and her boldness and vulnerability in writing an entire book on the topic of masturbation. And more specifically on women and masturbation, which is even less talked about. In fact, the topic of women and masturbation often has so much shame and loneliness attached to it. And that is part of the reason it is hardly ever talked about. Molly bravely and compassionately steps into this topic in her book and in this podcast episode with me.  

 

Our goal is to help women find freedom from the shame and the addiction of masturbation and instead experience the goodness God is offering. This episode might be one you need to listen to for yourself, or to offer understanding and hope to a friend, or to equip you to talk about this with your own daughters and sons. I hope youll listen to this episode and hear in our voices and conversation that you dont have to be embarrassed or uncomfortable talking about this topic. God cares about every part of our lives, our struggles our heartaches, our questions and our confusion. So yes, He cares about this. And we do too. So join us for episode 99, the one where we talk about masturbation.  

 

Important things we talk about in this episode:  

*That kids using masturbation is most often not a sexual act, but simply a kind of self-soothing. 

*When masturbation does changes into a sexual activity. 

*How so many of us never had parents or anyone talk about it with us as kids or teens. 

*The way we act like masturbation is a male problem only and how that impacts women. 

*Why people use masturbation and how it is often used to numb negative feelings. 

*How masturbation is unhealthy and even harmful. 

*How culture tries to make us think masturbation is perfectly fine and healthy. 

*How masturbation hurts others. 

*The danger of fantasy and masturbation. 

*Why the gospel isnt about performance or working for Gods love, but accepting the free gift God gave us. 

*How some people choose masturbation after theyve been hurt sexually and how God loves you so much in that place and why there is hope in this place! 

 

Resources and other important things mentioned in this episode:  

*Find Gretas book, Its Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here 

*Quote from Mollys professor: Sex in marriage is as holy as prayer. 

*The 2 lies Satan wants people to believe when they are stuck in sexual sin: you are uniquely ruined by this and no one can ever find out. Sam Alberry 

*The gospel applies to every part of our life, even our sex life. Greta Eskridge   

*We can, through Christ, renew our minds. That is spiritual and scriptural and scientific! Romans 12:2 is a good place to start with this understanding from a scriptural standpoint. 

*Find more on the topic of women using masturbation and porn in this episode right here that I recorded with Joy Skarka and in Joys book here

 

Where to find Molly 

Find Mollys book here 

Find Molly on Instagram here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Jan 6 • 45:16
How Understanding Multiple Intelligences Helps You Understand Your Child with Dr. Kelly Cagle

Episode 98 

Happy New Year friends! I am delighted to be starting a new year with you on the podcast and I already have so many great things in store for us. 

Were starting today with my guest, Dr. Kelly Cagel. Dr. Kelly is all about helping families navigate life with kids who interact with the world differently through things like ADHD.  She came to the US from Brazil as a little girl, knowing no English and that experience made her want to help kids who are navigating school and growing up in the midst of challenges, just like she did. 

If you are feeling frustrated or discouraged about your kid who always wants to move or be with his friends, let this episode be the one that encourages you to see those things as a benefit and not a detriment. Weve all been in that place of discouragement, but we dont have to stay there. Dr Kelly has tons of resources for you to help you with all this and more. Use the links below to find her! 

Also, as we start this new year, can I ask a favor of you? Will you leave a review of this podcast? Its one of the best ways for the podcast to grow. Leave one here. 

Secondly, if youve read it, can you leave a review of my book, Its Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn?  Thousands of you have read the book, but most of us dont bother to leave reviews. But they are wildly important to the success of a book because they help put the book in front of more people. So please, will you take a moment and leave a couple of reviews for me?  Thanks friends! And happy new year! 

 

Where to find Dr. Kelly: 

Find Dr. Kellys website here 

Find Dr. Kellys podcast here 

Find Dr. Kelly on Instagram here 

Find Dr. Kellys book here 

Where to find Greta: 

Find Gretas most recent book here 

Find info about Gretas upcoming Womens Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

About the Host

Greta Eskridge

Greta Eskridge is a second-generation homeschooler, an author, a speaker, and a podcast host. Greta’s faith in God is the lens through which she sees the world.

Greta loves encouraging parents to pursue joyful, connected parenting. And she is passionate about helping families create connection in a disconnected world through things like purposeful adventures, online safety, and keeping their eyes wide open to wonder. Greta firmly believes that “joy is the serious business of heaven” and is on mission to chase joy through both the peaks and valleys of parenting and life.

Greta lives in sunny southern California with her artist husband, Aaron, and their four kids–1 young adult and 3 teens. Greta loves nature, books and coffee and her favorite place to be is on a hiking trail. 

More from Greta →