Encouraging Moms Who Homeschool

 I see a lot of "stuff" in the online space about mom life. And so much of it is really, really great. Advice I wish I'd had when my now-adult children were still at home & we were still in the thick of homeschooling. In some ways, I kind of felt like I was on my own. Going it alone. That was hard! Now, yeah, I guess I did learn a whole lot via the inter-webs back in the day. But it's just all so much more accessible. Like, the gold is just everywhere for parents & homeschoolers. (And there is a lot out there that isn't gold, too... but that's probably a topic for another day's post! You don't have time for me to get started down that rabbit trail today.) I like to research, I love to read, and I am not afraid to try something new - all three of those things served me pretty well during my 25 years of home education.  But not everyone likes to research and read and try new things. So, I may well be the odd-man-out, something of an outlier. I th...

If you've been homeschooling for any length of time, you have had to deal with those days when kids in public school get the day off. Do you take the day off? Do half the day's work? When those days hit you out of the blue and the neighbor rings the doorbell to ask if your kiddos can come outside and play... those were never my favorite moments as a homeschooling mom. When the school day is rolling along splendidly, it's hard to just up and stop it all! And when public schoolers get a snow day, it doesn't exactly apply to us. I mean, the drive to school on slick roads is very different than the walk from the bedroom to the kitchen table in a cozy-warm house. I did come up with a fun little way to add some "zest" to the long winter months.  Whenever the forecast called for snow, I would issue to call for the much sought-after " Snow Prize ". Here's how it worked in our family's homeschool:      Whoever saw a snowflake first would receive some...

 It's January again. Another new year. And for homeschoolers, this stretch from January through March can be L-O-N-G. So I thought I'd share a fun freebie with you.  It's a free pdf download Bible reading plan for preteens and teens (but it could be adapted for your younger children and you could even use it yourself, my homeschooling mom friend!) Here's the link ~ One Year Annual Bible Reading Plan ~ & I have to brag a sec... it was created by my daughter. She's starting to build up her printable shop & I think this is an excellent way to kick things off. Grab your free copy today and please share this post with your friends who would benefit from this freebie. I'm sure it will come in handy! Happy New Year & Happy Homeschooling to you! ~ Jan L. Burt P.S. - Sharing my new Amazon storefront,  Rooted and Renewed Finds with Jan L. Burt's Amazon Page , curated with finds that I love. (Commissions earned via the Amazon Influencer program allow me to...

  I am so thankful to be this week's guest host on the amazing podcast "The Practically Speaking MOM" with Val Harrison . Val is a pillar within the homeschool community , and her podcast has encouraged hundreds of moms & homeschoolers (and so has her blog, her books & resources, & her speaking engagements!) I'd be so blessed if my words could encourage any of my mom friends this December and I hope you feel free to share the podcast with anyone and everyone who might be blessed by it.  Click HERE to listen to the Christmas devotional! Have a very Merry Christmas, and my prayer is for you to have a ridiculously blessed & exceptionally happy New Year!! ~ Jan   JanLBurt.com The Burt (Not Ernie) Show Podcast  - winner of the 2021 Spark Media Award for Best Solo Podcaster author of  The Homeschooling Mother's Bible Study  & All Things Homeschool Devotions for Moms eBooks Volumes 1 & 2  & The Power of God's Will - 40 Days...

 My friend, you are doing a good work.  Raising your children, focusing on the Lord's will, giving of yourself day in and day out for your family. You are doing a very, very good work. Can I pray for you today?          Lord, for every mama who reads these words, I ask this of You on their behalf: May they daily have ample energy for every need of their family and for all the rigors that come with a lifestyle of home education. Grant them rest each night and renew their strength each morning. Give them creativity when they need it, wisdom and favor and knowledge and understanding, and an abundance of peace that surrounds them all day, every day. May these dear mothers know how precious they are to You, Lord, and may they sense Your eyes upon them as they go about their daily work. Protect them, encourage them, bless them and keep them as the apple of Your eye.       You are for them - You love them dearly - You are watchin...

 Well hey there & hello again!  Today I wanted to take a few moments to encourage you in your journey as a mom & to share a really wonderful new resource I was blessed to learn about. I am, and likely always will be, a bookworm. While apps & the internet & all the things are great (I mean, I host an award-winning podcast, so of course I love the ways technology has allowed writers & speakers to reach people for the Lord) my mainstay is an actual, printed, hold-it-in-my-hands book.  And for the busy mom, this book I am sharing about today is really top notch. The book is "Joyful, Patient, Faithful - A 90-Day Devotional Book for Moms" & was written by Jenifer Metzger. (find her on instagram @jenifermetzger). I'm going to share the link to the book on Amazon HERE & at the bottom of this post ~ Joyful, Patient, Faithful ~  Note this is not an affiliate link. I'm sharing for the sole purpose of blessing every mama that I possibly can with inf...

 Spring has sprung & in the homeschool world, that can mean a couple of things. #1 - You've almost finished the school year. #2 - You haven't almost finished the school year, but the school year has nearly finished you ... #3 - It's graduation season. It's different process in every state, city, community & homeschool family, to be sure, but the completion of homeschooling your child throughout high school is really something of an accomplishment.  It's actually a very big deal. For the student, for sure.  Also for the homeschooling parent (who often times is primarily the mom in the family).  You may be able to participate in a group graduation (in our community all five of our children participated in a very professionally done ceremony with other local homeschoolers via a homeschool organization). Or you may do your own thing with just friends or family (which happened a lot due to COVID... isn't it interesting how so many things that were "weird...

 Welcome to spring of 2021!!! Anybody else feel a bit like you've made a climb up Mount Everest and now that you're back to normal altitude you're beginning to catch your breath again? And what usually follows a catching-my-breath season is a getting-a-fresh-burst-of-energy season. That kind of sums up how I'm feeling this spring. Looking back to one year ago, I am refreshed instead of nervous; excited about the future rather than feeling pensive; remarkably well rested and hoping to continue to live at a slower-than-pre-COVID pace even as I reenter the world after the year that was 2020.  I hope you are feeling some of those same things! Now, sure, my children have all flown the coop and I'm no longer actively homeschooling (but I have spoken at several homeschool conferences and summits over the last few years, so I don't feel as if I am completely disconnected from homeschooling). But my feeling of joyfulness when winter finally gives way to spring has not le...

 Today's blog post is pretty short & sweet - just some info about an upcoming online event that has a 100% free option. I mean, as a homeschool mom to five kiddos, there have been many times that the only way I could participate in an event was via the free option. So I really do try and promote valuable content that is affordable for homeschoolers. Fair warning: I will likely blog again to mention this conference (& not just because I am a speaker!).       The host is partnering with the organization Unbound in their fight against human trafficking. Seriously - the main reason I will be sharing about this event is because of the host's decision to use the event as a way to raise knowledge about human trafficking & to raise some $$$ to donate to Unbound. (Which obviously means there is a "not free" option for the event, right?) The host, Kerry Beck, is donating 5% of her proceeds directly to Unbound. So am I. And she will meet my 5% and double i...

 Okay, so there is this friend of mine from the wide world of everything-homeschool who has a Facebook group for homeschoolers & each month she hosts online "parties". Basically, lots of encouragement, she gives away free stuff (like, quite a bit of free stuff geared just for homeschooling families) and answers questions & if she doesn't have the answer someone needs for their particular homeschool question - well, she tries her best to find someone who does have the answer.  In a nutshell, she just serves and serves the homeschool community. And I had this thought - why have I not been sharing about her monthly events with my blog readers?  So, yeah, not my finest moment... How could I not connect those two dots and share free stuff, encouragement and support right here and right now? I feel pretty foolish that I didn't think of this sooner.     Without further adieu, here is a link to the Facebook party hosted by the founder of the "How to Homeschool M...