If I were to ask you if your life ever felt tranquil, you would probably do one of two things: bust out laughing or look at me like I was from another planet.

I get it, I really do.

Which is why I’m so excited to have the author of one of my absolute tippy-top recommended books with me today. Laura Vanderkam is a time management expert, mother of five, and the author of Tranquility by Tuesday: 9 Ways to Calm the Chaos and Make Time for What Matters.

Laura suggests that to bring more tranquility to our abundant, unpredictable lives, we don’t need a perfect schedule, what we need is a resilient schedule. In the book, she outlines nine ways that will help us manage the chaos and live joyful, sustainable lives.

It sounds much more accessible, right? Today, we’re going to talk about how we can actually achieve tranquility in our lives, even in the busiest phases of our lives.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How to reframe the way you think about how much time you have (hint: it might be more than you think!)
• Why doing something three times a week counts as a habit
• The rule that gets the most resistance, and why sticking to it is so essential

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

• Read-Aloud Revival
• Waxwing Books
• Subscribe to the Newsletter

Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/laura-vanderkam

Join us for the upcoming Circle with Sarah Retreat: Happy Homeschooling

What if I told you there’s an Icelandic Christmas tradition where the whole point is to spend an evening sitting around, sipping hot cocoa, and reading books?

Sign me up, right?

Today, we’re talking about Jolabokaflod, which loosely translates to “Yule Book Flood,” how it started, and how you can bring the magic of this bookish tradition into your home this Christmas.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Where the Icelandic Yule Book Flood first began
• How Jolabokaflod is an invitation to slow down and connect with each other during the busy Christmas season
• The only three things you need for your Jolabokaflod, plus tips from RAR members on how they celebrate

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

• Read-Aloud Revival
• Waxwing Books
• Subscribe to the Newsletter

Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/icelandic-christmas

Join us for the upcoming Circle with Sarah Retreat: Happy Homeschooling

We all know there is no shortage of Christmas picture books out there.

But for a book to make it onto my kids’ Christmas stack or onto a Read Aloud Revival Christmas Book List, it has to be excellent.

And the books we choose for Christmas School? Those are the ones that go above and beyond excellent and are some of our most treasured, tippy-top favorite Christmas read-alouds.

Today, I have the author-illustrator of one of my all-time favorite Christmas picture books, Red and Lulu, with me.

You might recognize Matt Tavares from his beloved books Zachary's Ball, Becoming Babe Ruth, or Growing Up Pedro or from his delightful Christmas books in the Dasher series. He’s here to tell us all about his writing and illustrating process, why he loves writing Christmas picture books, and how he created the enchanting journey of Red and Lulu.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How he sets the mood for creating snowy, winter scenes even in the middle of summer
• What Matt always keeps in mind about his audience when writing picture books
• The inspiration behind the tale of Red and Lulu and their journey to New York City

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

• Read-Aloud Revival
• Waxwing Books
• Subscribe to the Newsletter

Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/matt-tavares

Join us for the upcoming Circle with Sarah Retreat: Happy Homeschooling

Have you ever worried that you’re not meeting all of your child’s needs—academically, emotionally, spiritually, or even socially? Pretty much every day, right?

You’re not alone. Most of us have asked ourselves if we are giving our kids everything they need at one time or another.

In this episode, I’m sharing a replay from one of our Circle with Sarah live sessions where RAR Community Manager Kelsey Murphy and I dug into what education is really for, because if we know what it’s for, we’re better able to answer if we’re meeting our children’s needs.

I hope this conversation helps you reimagine your kids’ education in a way that eases your worries and reminds you that education is about relationships, not checklists, and that is very good news.

Circle with Sarah is my homeschool mentoring program within RAR Premium. Every Monday, members get a quick five to ten minute podcast with just the encouragement they need to be the peace-filled, joyful homeschool mom they’re called to be. Learn more here.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why education is not about meeting all of your child’s potential needs, but about love and relationships
• The three pillars of connection that form the bedrock of our homeschools
• Simple, practical ways to weave those three pillars into your daily life

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

• Read-Aloud Revival
• Waxwing Books
• Subscribe to the Newsletter

Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/education-is-for-love

Join us for the upcoming Circle with Sarah Retreat: Happy Homeschooling

Many of you will already know that I am a huge fan of The Chronicles of Narnia. Today, I want to introduce my fellow Narnia lovers to a new book that jumped right off the shelf as soon as I saw it.

Giant is a middle-grade novel by debut author Judith McQuoid where we meet Davy, a fictional working class boy from East Belfast, Ireland who is sent to work in the wealthy Lewis household in 1908. There, he forges a friendship with Jacks–as C.S. Lewis was known to his friends and family–over books, stories, and building worlds of imagination and adventure.

Giant is a must-read for Narnia fans that adds a whole new depth of experience to C.S. Lewis’s world and will help you read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in a fresh way. And today, I’m chatting with the author about what inspired her to write the book, how much of the story is fictionalized, and how the process of writing the book shaped her identity. And you’re going to love her Irish accent!

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• The way her dad’s love of Narnia and Lewis’s Belfast heritage inspired Judith to write this story
• How Judith started with a “skeleton” draft and added layers of detail and depth with revisions
• The faith that carried Judith through the ups and downs of creating Giant

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

• Read-Aloud Revival
• Waxwing Books
• Subscribe to the Newsletter

Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/judith-mcquoid

Join us for the upcoming Circle with Sarah Retreat: Happy Homeschooling

Astrid Sheckels continues the wit and whimsy of childhood through her marvelous and magnificent illustrations and storytelling.

You might recognize her from the Hector Fox and Friends series or Sea Dog and Sea Dog Rescue, and she created the gorgeous cover and interior illustrations for Beyond Mulberry Glen by Millie Florence.

Today we’re chatting about her new book, Flora and the Jazzers, which Kirkus called “sumptuously illustrated” in their starred review and I couldn’t agree more. This jazz-age Cinderella story starring a ferret named Flora and set in a 1920s New York hotel is going to blow you away, I just know it.

Astrid is a New Englander who loves to paint animals in clothes, so clearly she is a woman after my own heart, and I just know you’ll fall in love with her too.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How childhood family read-alouds instilled a love for stories in Astrid
• The way one of Astrid’s earliest childhood drawings became the inspiration for Flora
• Why a sketchbook is an ideal tool for budding creatives

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

• Read-Aloud Revival
• Waxwing Books
• Subscribe to the Newsletter

Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/astrid-sheckels

Join us for the upcoming Circle with Sarah Retreat: Happy Homeschooling

Peace. It sounds lovely, right? It’s what so many of us want more than anything else in our homeschools. We long for peace, even if it often feels unattainable.

But what does peace actually look like in the midst of a real, chaotic homeschool day?

Last month in Circle with Sarah–my mentoring program for homeschool moms inside RAR Premium–we had a retreat. And our theme? Maintaining Peace in Your Homeschool.

Over four sessions, we walked through practical tips for letting go of guilt and holding onto peace when your day doesn’t go as planned–which we all know is basically every hour of every day, right?

Today, I’m sharing the first session of the retreat, called “What Do We Mean by Peace?”

I hope you find encouragement for maintaining peace within the everyday rhythms of homeschooling and that you get a better picture of the peace that’s available to you right here, right now, regardless of the circumstances you find yourself in.

And if you want to check out the rest of the retreat, all of the sessions are available now as part of RAR Premium (Join us right here!).

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• The real definition of peace (hint: it’s not always calm and quiet!)
• Our primary responsibility as moms and homeschoolers
• How our fears cause us to lose hold of peace

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

• Read-Aloud Revival
• Waxwing Books
• Subscribe to the Newsletter

Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/peace

Join us for the upcoming Circle with Sarah Retreat: Happy Homeschooling