Encouraging Moms Who Homeschool

  When was the last time you felt frustrated?   For me, it was probably about ten minutes ago.  Frustrations are a part of life. Things don't go according to plan. People are inconsiderate and inconsistent. Circumstances are always in a state of flux. Homeschooling can be just plain hard. And so, we can become frustrated.   Bur there is a solution for our frustration, and that solution is Jesus. When frustration comes, then it is time to run to Him. Pray and ask specifically that the Lord will fill you with His good and perfect and pleasing will for the exact situation that is frustrating you. (I have found that my prayer is usually answered by the Lord reminding me to act in love and kindness...)   This isn't a pep talk. Nor is it a self-help segment that I heard on a podcast or read on a blog. You cannot do this on your own and neither can I. But if you ask, the Lord will do it through you and it will glorify Him.   So remember that frustration, whe...

 First, a big --- fat --- hefty dose of encouragement for you, my wonderful homeschooling friend.  As you get ready to roll into the fall of 2020...stop for just one moment and hear what God's Word has to say to you right here, right now, on the brink of the last stretch of what has possibly been the most turn-your-whole-world-upside-down year ever.  Psalm 125:2 - As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people both now and forevermore.   You are surrounded.  Completely & totally, that's exactly how surrounded you are.  Going into the great unknown as, say, a working mom whose children are going to be doing school online at home (or a working mom homeschooling and working from home for just the next several months, but not planning on continuing to home educate after things "normalize" again).  This is God's promise just for you as you embark upon this season of life. I really, truly believe He wants you to know that He has yo...

  1 Chronicles 5:20b says this: "... they cried out to Him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in Him. "   Oh that's a good word for us homeschoolers, isn't it?    None of us ever has to battle it out on our own.  Hey, there will be times when you will not even need to prepare for the battle! Just cry out to God and trust Him to help you, the exact same way that He did for Israelite's in the fifth chapter of 1 Chronicles.   God is trustworthy. He really, truly will aid you as you seek to home educate your children for His glory.  Now, I can tell you this over & over again - and in spite of the fact that this is absolute truth, it won't move from your ears into your heart until you decide that it's not only true for me, but it is also absolutely true for you. Because truth that is left "outside" somewhere, as in "Sure, that's true...and I am encouraged that God moved on your behalf...but I'm not tot...

Just a super quick reminder about the online prayer retreat which starts Monday, August 3rd @ 9am in the Facebook group (search for Praying Through the Storm - Online Prayer Retreat --- or click the link below!)  Here is the "schedule"... and no worries about not being able to be there for all the live sessions - you can watch any of them later on (they'll be available in the group forever!) Monday, August 3rd 9am (Central Time Zone) - Facebook Live "Welcome" & "What Is Prayer" 10am - Facebook Live "Psalm 91" 11am - Facebook Live "A Quick Look at the Sermon on the Mount" 11:30am - 1pm - BREAK - (Solitude & Personal Prayer Time) 1pm - Facebook Live "Luke 11:1-13" 2pm - Facebook Live "Day 1 Prayer Session" 3pm - BREAK - (Solitude & Personal Prayer & Listening Time) 8pm - Facebook Live (I will pop on and wrap up Day 1) Tuesday, August 4th 7am (Central ti...

Bit of a touchy topic here on the blog today. But I'm not really one to mince words, so I suppose I'd best just cut to the chase... You ready for it? Okay, here goes...but don't say I never warned you that this might be a touchy subject! Please, oh pretty please, beware that coddling your children will not result in any long-term or lasting good. It won't! It can't! DEFINITION OF THE WORD "CODDLE":  treat in an indulgent way; to treat with extreme or excessive care of kindness; to tend indulgently   SYNONYM = "mollycoddle" Ever meet someone, anyone, whether a child or full-grown adult, who had been overindulged at some point in their life? who did not know how to live in the real world (which is not exactly an easy place to live, mind you)? It's tragic to see, isn't it? And yet as homeschoolers who love our children & desperately work to train them up with a deep & abiding sense of security & protection, ...

Hey there, fellow homeschooler! How are you doing? No, I mean really...how are YOU doing? Please take a moment to answer this question for real, on a personal & honest level. It may be the first time in weeks that someone has asked you this question. It may even be the first time in months that you've considered answering beyond the two very overused words: "I'm fine." So, how are you? Whether you are homeschooling due to the impact a global pandemic has had on your community or are a life-time home education proponent (I did this gig for 25 solid years, so I guess I'm in that camp), this is a rough season for a lot of people. Even for me, an extreme introvert, there are days when I think I may go flat bonkers. Don't expect to get through this time totally unscathed. That's probably not very realistic. Do expect to be blessed by the Lord during this time - that's totally Biblical & therefore totally realistic. God's perf...

In Mark 13:28 - 29 we find Jesus speaking about His future return to this world. He offers the example of the fig tree beginning to bud. The NLT says this:   "Now, learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its buds become tender and its leaves begin to sprout, you know without being told that summer is near. Just so, when you see the events I've described beginning to happen, you can be sure that his return is very near, right at the door."  I love that this translation (the New Living Translation, or NLT) tells us to "learn a lesson".  That is pretty much the work we homeschoolers are trying to do all day, all week, all year, is it not?!?  We are imparting lessons to our children.  Listen, folks, the buds are sprouting everywhere around us.  And while we can know that the Lord will soon return, we can also know that waste is not a part of God's economy. The Lord has not set us here in this manner at this moment in time for nothing, fo...

Okay, so I just got wind of this new thing going around the inter-webs. (It's for sure not a new idea or concept, but this group of homeschoolers doing this is a new thing & it's pretty awesome!) A monthly rotation of "deals" just for the homeschool community...how fun is that?!? I so wish this had been a thing when I was in the thick of home educating my five children because wow would I ever have looked forward to a cup of coffee & 10 minutes to check out whatever each month's new "deals & special offers" were being made available to me, the homeschooling mama in the thick of it all. So I am thinking I will be sharing about these offers on my social media platforms & with my email list for one reason: I would have wanted to know about this kind of thing! Here are some details (with the links and coupon codes for the deals & discounts) and if you are interested in future info & would like to be on my email list for...

So homeschool moms tend to do all the things... ~ Wife things ~ Mom things ~ Education/homeschool things ~ Feeding the fam things ~ Money things ~ Growing in faith things ~ and every single other thing... I've been there, believe me you. 25 years of homeschooling plus all the other things of life (health issues, military deployments, financial strains, teaching multiple grade levels, and now empty nesting...) I remember how much a good dose of encouragement did for me - to help keep me moving forward, grew my faith and just gave me a little something just - for - me... The New Year, New Beginnings 2020 Conference for Moms is right around the corner. It kicks of January 6th & is entirely online (with lifetime access to 50 speakers on all sorts of subject matter that relates to all things mom-related & $500 worth of freebies + giveaways) Tickets are just $15 until January 6th (then they bump up to $25, which is still a great deal!) And for m...