Gena is our Heart & Soul Homeschool Mama here at TOS, and her steadfast dedication to the Lord is an inspiration to all of us as we work together each day. I hope you enjoy this glimpse into her life.
After the interview, we’ve got two giveaways for you! Keep reading. 
How did you decide that homeschooling was right for your family?
Gena: Paul and I had discussed it when we were dating, believe it or not. He knew of a family who was homeschooling their kids and he liked what he saw. I thought homeschoolers were weird based on what a neighbor told me (I was 19 and really dumb so I swallowed it). I was a little surprised my fiancé (Paul) was interested in pursuing homeschooling as THE educational option of choice for our future children, but I was so smitten with him, it didn’t really matter. “So what if homeschoolers are weird? Paul’s so dreamy” (sigh – I know).
Is homeschooling easy? Difficult?
Gena: Yes. ‘Nuff said. Everyone immersed in “this thing called homeschooling” has probably figured out by now that there are challenges and joys, thrills and frights, just like anything else in life that requires dedication and conviction. We’re in it for the long haul; the Lord balances it all out in the end if we are following and obeying Him. Biggest advice – get into His word and stay there (daily). He will speak to you through it, guide you, direct your path. He called us to this task and He is faithful to complete what He has started in us.
There is so much information available for homeschoolers on the internet. How does a new homeschooler go about deciding what curriculum or materials to use without being completely overwhelmed?
Gena: My advice is to start with Kate Kessler’s product reviews department at TOS Magazine. She’s our longest standing columnist and dead serious about her job at the magazine. She’s managed to complete over 5,000 reviews and you can access every one of them on our site. It’s a good place to start. But start HERE first with some free stuff for anyone considering homeschooling – you can read ’til you drop, and then some.
Thank you, Gena! What a comfort to know that God is faithful to lead us through any situation that homeschooling or family life may bring. We can cling to that and rest in His strength.
Gena asked us to share a special message with any readers who may be experiencing financial difficulty: “TOS is here to help. We have over 150 digital products we’ve produced in our store, and if anyone with a true need comes to us, we’ll not turn them away – they can have whatever they want if we have it. God bless all of you.”
If you haven’t already read the Summer issue of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, just click here to read the digital version absolutely free. Enjoy!
Giveaway Time!
Update: The giveaway has now closed. Winners will be selected and notified by email. We’ll leave the comments open, but future comments will not be entered in the giveaway.
Today, we’re giving away two great gifts from TOS. One winner will receive a one-year digital subscription to The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, and a second winner will receive a digital copy of the 2011-12 Schoolhouse Planner.
One-Year Digital Subscription to The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine
What do you look for as you homeschool? Motivation? A little encouragement? Perhaps a unit study? Maybe an art activity? Within each issue of The Old Schoolhouse® you’ll find amazing resources, candid interviews with business owners, glimpses into the routines of other homeschools, articles from the experts in homeschooling, as well as up-and-coming innovators helping our days run a little more smoothly. Find them all in our pages along with their insight, expertise, and honesty as we all homeschool together!
Along with your subscription, you’ll receive free access to Teacher’s Toolbox, our exclusive, subscribers-only website packed with daily recipes, “This Day in History” lessons, printables, unit studies, and more!
E-Book: The 2011-12 Schoolhouse Planner
Jump into a great year with The 2011-12 Schoolhouse Planner! Erase the frazzled feel of disorganization with the 2011-12 Schoolhouse Planner and bring order and efficiency to your school year. Packed with relevant articles, clever calendars, useful forms, handy lists and so much more, this planner is the key to meeting your many goals for the 2011-12 school year. We put our heart into the 2011-12 Schoolhouse Planner so you’ll have more time to put your heart into your home. Click here to view sample pages from the Planner.
Have fun!
I love the magazine and especially now that it’s available in a digital format!
I have only been homeschooling for two weeks now and I already figured out that there are highs and lows
Thanks for the encouragement in your interview that this is normal and will work out because I am doing the will of the Lord.
I love that Gena admitted homeschool was hard!!!
I love TOS and I love Gena!! She is such and inspiration to me. Mostly because she is real, and has the same struggles as me. TOS has been a life saver more than once. When I have been in the wrong mind set they have come at just the right time and got me back on the correct path. Thank you TOS and Thank you Gena!!!
What I love best about TOS magazine is that it encourages me, inspires me, reminds me of the reason I chose to homeschool! Some days I need to be reminded! Lol! Another reason, our finances don’t allow me to go to a homeschool conference, so this for me is the next best thing! It really is! It gives me back my spark for teaching. So, thank you TOS Magazine Staff for all you do!
It’s such a blessing and I’m so grateful to God for you all!
Thanks for the encouragement!
I have been homeschooling for 8 years now and I am still always looking for new encouragement and different ways to get my kids to learn.TOS I a great encouragement for that.
Gena, I loved how you told it like it is. Homeschooling is not all that easy but neither is it all that hard. Prayer works! Thank you for the encouragement!
Just having so many quality products by homeschoolers for homeschoolers is a real blessing. Thanks for all you do.
I love TOS magazine because of all the info it has. Even though I have a homeschool group at my church and there are a lot of homeschoolers here in Las Vegas most of my resources are online and TOS magazine and website are where I head first.
I am looking forward to reading the comments of other home school parents, and the interviews. We have been home schooling for a year now and I sure could use some advice! Thank you for this chance and God Bless.
I LOVE this magazine and all that you do…. I have been homeschooling for 25 years and your magazine is the one I go back to all the time, my large stack sits by my bedside to be read over and over!!!
I don’t think I can comment on ONE thing I like about your magazine. I love them all. Great interview Gena. I was homeschooled as a teenager and my husband and I talked about hs’ing our children while we were still dating also.
I have been reading TOS since ’06 or ’07. Their free on-line try-before-you-buy issue back then helped me seal the deal to start homeschooling. I’ve been devoted ever since. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve given away copies to. Strangers have come to my door and asked if I homeschool and I’ve been blessed enough to send them away with a TOS magazine and any extra curriculum I’ve had laying around. My computer is crammed stuffed with free e-books, unit studies, and recipes from all of their extraordinary resources. They bless me and I pass it along.
This article was awesome. I had forgotten Gena hasn’t always been apart of homeschooling. I had no idea she thought it was kooky. But what she says is true they will help you succeed anyway they can with whatever you have.
Oh I love love love TOS magazine. When it arrives in the mail, I devour it from cover to cover! I can hardly put it down. I get so much encouragement from all the articles. And I find great resources and helps. I love you guys!
I am new to this and am excited for all the information and encouragement here. All I can say is homeschooling is a journey but a precious one.
The Old Schoolhouse has been one way that the Lord has kept my focus in homeschooling. The articles are perfect for reading when I need a shot in the arm and because they are short but meaty, I can read an article in one sitting. I find that keeping my mind sharp and focused on the grander purposes of homeschooling important when going through the daily routines. TOS helps to keep that vision before me. Thank you for an excellent resource and encouragement.
I am a homeschooling mom of 5 and was encouraged by this interview. Also excited about the giveaways!!
Love all the encouragement I get as I continue on my homeschooling journey. Usually just what I need right when I need it. Love “Keeping them home where they belong.”
Thanks!!!
I am a new home schooler and have loved all the encouragement I have recieveced from TOS! Thank you!!
I love all the encouragement that TOS has given me since we decided to homeschool our 3 school aged kids. Thank you!
I appreciate her reminder to be in the Word and how God will guide us through this challenging journey!
I love how Gena encourages homeschooling moms to pursue their kids hearts and God’s plans for their lives- not OUR plans! I’ve love TOS for years and hope the digital will be as great. Thanks for all you guys do for us moms in the trenches!
I love the new digital format. We travel and this makes it possible for me to read the day it comes out instead of waiting possibly up to 2 month later when I get to check my mail.
I love that each issue has a different focus, so it never gets stale or boring! I also love the truth that is spoken and the encouragement within the pages. Happy Birthday!
I think the interview was great…very “real and true”. I love the magazine and all that it offers. This magazine inspires me and encourages me on those difficult homeschooling days.
It is such a pick-me-up when I need it most. Still mulling over the going digital aspect but suspect I will get used to it. Now I just need to see about a tablet:-)
Blessings to you for all you do!
TOS magazine has quickly become my favorite magazine. There is no other publication like it! My favorite parts of the magazine always include Deborah W.’s words of encouragement and any article about people homeschooling in other countries. I like hearing about life and homeschooling in interesting countries even though I’ll probably never live anywhere but the midwest
I also enjoy the Teacher’s Toolbox online. I’ll miss the paper issues, though-that will be hard for me! There’s nothing like curling up with a real magazine in your hands!
Thanks, Gena for your comments. When you’ve determined to be in something “for the long haul” whether it’s marriage or homeschooling, God will see you through! Often when a low time hits, just the right encouragement pops in from a TOS article-like the recent article using the letters ART. Thanks for all your hard work and encouragement.
Reading today’s Homeschool Minute was JUST what I needed. Thank you for your willingness to be a mentor, and thank you for the tip to be in God’s word daily. I can tell the days when I stray from this advice!
I love the diversity of the contributors for TOS. Often gives me a fresh perspective on things!
I love all the practical encouragement and that it’s there to refer back to so I can keep moving forward! Keep up the great work!
I love TOS Magazine! I love the wonderful, encouraging articles and all the great resources.
What do I like about TOS? Wow, I am totally uplifted and encouraged as a homeschooler. It is the best homeschool magazine out there and I’m not just saying that. We have been home schooling for 18 full years and I’ve read a lot and seen a lot. I have been very discouraged at times and am always encouraged when I read something from TOS. Also I love reading Gena’s articles. She is soooo real in her articles that I always feel much better as a home school Mama after reading them. Thanks TOS for all you do and bless everyone that enters.
I appreciated the reminder to get in His word and stay there! Thanks for the encouragement.
Gena, there is not enough room to list all of the ways in which the magazine has helped our family, especially me, regarding homeschool, home, and life. Each of the editors and writers are always encouraging, uplifting, and supportive in every possible way. There is not an issue of the magazine that I am don’t pick up on something new, something to try, and a better way to do something that I have already been doing – whatever it might be! I have truly been blessed to have had the Old Schoolhouse come along at the beginning of our decision to homeschool and still be here for me now. I look forward to the upcoming years in “our relationship” as things only seem to get better! Thanks for all that you, the magazine and the people invovled do, we have really appreciated it, more than words can say!
Great interview. Thanks Gina for always telling it like it is <3 Thanks to everyone at TOS who strives to make it the marvelous resource that it is to all of us in the 'trenches' : )
Blessings,
Kristy ~AKA~ Mama to the Man Crew
I LOVE TOS because just when I seem to hit a roadblock or start feeling like an extreme failure, it seems to show up in my mailbox just in time and fills me up with new energy for the task ahead of me! It always reminds me that this is my calling and my children, whether we stick to the plan every day or not, are absolutely thriving and learning. I’m THANKFUL for TOS!
I love TOS and Gena. Thank you for all your encouragement. Just when I was feeling down I read the interview and got lifted up again. Thank you!
Thank you for all your collective wisdom and perspective. I am not sure if our homeschool journey would be so fruitful without your wisdom and perspective. Thank you.
Thank you Gena and Paul for being committed in providing this homeschool magazine and all the resources for all these years! I love how just when I am feeling down or burnt out you have a story or article on just that! God has been reminding me lately that He called us to homeschool and He will provide and complete it to His perfection. He gave me Phil. 4:13 as my homeschool verse to remind me to stay focused on Him when I need the strength. Not in my doing, but His. As we enter into high school next year I am realizing that it is all okay…He has this. The key is to stay focused on that and not lose sight! Thank you for guiding and helping keep that focus by your encouragement and your compassion through our able, loving God!
I love your “weird kid” comment! When discussing homeschooling with my husband, which was also before we were married, we also didn’t want to raise the “weird homeschool kid”!! LOL Love and appreciate your attitude Gena! SOOO thankful for you and that you have connected so many Moms across the country traveling this journey together instead of alone!!
I love that TOS has a clear focus on God’s Word and God’s Ways – very encouraging as a Christian homeschooler – and yet it is still readable by my non-religious friends, or people thinking about homeschooling. They seem to be impressed with the content and professional presentation of the magazine even if they are not looking at home education from a faith point of view.
TOS is full of great advice and encouragement for homeschool moms! I am thankful for Gena for sharing how homeschooling really is. It is reassuring to read that other homeschool moms, even seasoned ones, struggle sometimes to keep it all together.
I love that Gena is a “heart and soul homeschool Mama”. The reason the magazine does so well is because it comes from the heart and soul of Gena and all those that contribute. There’s just no better way to approach anything in life.
I love TOS simply because it’s real, honest, and encouraging! Whenever I feel that there are too many struggles to continue I get an newletter/email with articles that let me know that this is normal and that I can continue with prayer and understanding that others are experiencing the same turmoil. Thank you TOS!!!!!!
I think I love everything about the magazine, but I always enjoy readong about the old schoolhouses that are on the covers.
I love your magazine and all the informative emails that arrive in my inbox. Thank you for your dedication and example.
I loved this new magazine, it’s encouraged me so much. I also love Gena’s encouragement of being in the Word daily. For me this has proven true, when I’m in the Word, it’s so much better. Thanks for all you do.
I love everything about the Old Schoolhouse Magazine. If I had to pick one thing though, I think it would be the unit study ideas included in every issue. I can’t wait to get the digital issues every month instead of quarterly! I will miss the print edition though, as I loved to carry them in my bag to have on hand to read when ever I was waiting somewhere.
Darlene
I so love TOS and all the wonderful folks associated with it. The magazine is a true blessing to me. I am not always able to get to the homeschool conferences in my area so I really enjoy the TOS webinars. I have been loving Teacher’s toolbox for years now. Gena’s transparency is quite an inspiration and encouragement. I pray often for all of you at TOS. God bless
I love everything about the magazine, especially that it is going to be monthly instead of quarterly!
I can identify with Gena in that my husband and I knew we were going to homeschool before our first child was born. One day way back in about 1983 — my, how that dates me! — I first learned of homeschooling on the radio program, “Focus on the Family.” As I listened to the program, I knew immediately that this was what the Lord wanted us to do. We began sharing about homeschooling with various friends and two couples we knew began homeschooling their children. Their children graduated successfully, and all but one of our children have also — homeschooling these days seems relatively simple with only one high school student left to teach. We’ve had lots of fun and precious times along the way; we’ve had difficult and weary times, too. But we would never, ever consider any other way because we know this is God’s desire for us. All of our children know Jesus as their Savior and they are all solid Christians; if that is all that we could achieve with homeschooling, that would be more than enough! But God has blessed us in many other ways as well.
I love the print magazine but I find myself using the schoolhouse store and blog more and more. I expressly like the Teacher’s Toolbox each month. I love the newsletter the most. They always have new and useful information that I can use in our everyday life. I think that is what I like most about all of the old schoolhouse site.
Aside from the free digital edition, I’ve never actually seen the magazine (I live in Australia, and it’s hard to get here, and much of the material is not relevant to us), but I’ve been so blessed and encouraged by “Homeschool Minutes”. I especially love Deborah’s insights and Gena’s honesty. Thanks ladies for your encouragement.
I didn’t know this blog existed! I read TOS magazine from cover to cover slowing savoring it. I am always encouraging others to subscribe. I have been homeschooling for 21 years and have seen all the magazines. It is the best homeschooling magazine out there!
I love sitting down with my magazine reading through all the great articles and advice within. All of the contributing writers have such great info to share. Some of my favorite articles are about the missionaries who homeschool their children and how they incorporate God’s calling for missions with His calling for homeschooling. Sometimes it seems hard to find a balance between the two God given callings, but I love hearing how they make it work!
A friend of mine had a subscription for several years. She just finished homeschooling her 5th child. I just started homeschooling my teens – we took them out for several reasons. One of the biggest is it costs less to homeschool them than it does to send them to public school. This had been a desire of my heart for many years. Anyway, she gave me all the magazines she kept. I’m enjoying them immensely!
I didn’t know about the blog! I love it! I love Gena, she’s always so honest and down to earth…thanks for the entertaining interview! Love the magazine, and love even more that it comes in digital format!
My whole family loves the magazine. I also appreciate Gena’s transparency and honesty.
Thanks so much for your ministry!
I am looking forward to having TOS magazine for the first time. I can’t wait to get one. I bet it will be very helpful.
Would love to win either one of these great gifts. Thanks for the great giveaway.
I appreciate the tip on where to find curriculum reviews. Will go through it now. As a newbie homeschooler, I need all the help and encouragement I can get. I have been looking at the planner for the longest time!
I LOVE TOS!! Even through hard economic times, it is the ONLY magazine subscription I never let expire.
Hey Everyone, thanks so much for all the sweet comments. It’s this sort of thing that keeps us and our staff pressing forward. The Lord has really blessed, and we pray that we will continue to serve you for decades to come.
Love,
gena
TOS is such a breath of fresh air! Through your magazine, God provides me with the ‘pick me ups’ I need just in time.
TOS is a rock solid resource for me as an educator. Each edition encourages me to the core as “home school mom;” it challenges my thinking, it urges me to deeper consideration of family, home school, and life, issues. TOS is a like my very close friend with whom I’ll gladly share a cup of tea…eager to enjoy a quiet moment, knowing I’ll come away satisfied.
I love how Gena is so solid in her foundation. She’s got her ‘heart and soul’ in the absolute best place – the Lord!
I love TOS magazine and always look forward to getting the next magazine.
what did I appreciate? Gena’s focus on God and being with him daily. and how over time it all balances in the end.