Encouraging Moms Who Homeschool

      There's a lot I do not know about life, about parenting, about homeschooling.  But there is one thing I do know:        Encouragement Matters. Not just a little bit. It matters a whole lot. And so today, I'm here to drop this bit of encouragement on your lap. You. Are. The. Mom. For. The.  Job. PERIOD. FULL STOP. No one else knows or loves your children like you do. Thus, no one else is better equipped to teach them, to spur them on, to disciple and discipline them, to be with them day in and day out.  Homeschooling is a long road. (Ask me how I know.) But that road comes to an end, and that day comes up on you a lot faster than you ever dreamed it would. (Again, ask me how I know.) So today, I offer this simple encouragement to you, my homeschooling friend. What you do day after day in your own home with your own kiddos? It matters profusely and profoundly. Don't talk yourself into believing that you're somehow not the mom for the job of raising your own children

 Anybody else struggle with the forced slow-down that sometimes comes when the mom in the homeschool family gets sick?  It's hard to take a break and hit the pause button on all-the-things when it feels forced and when it isn't for a good reason, or a fun reason, like a scheduled homeschool break or a vacation.  And the forced slow-down isn't frustrating simply because mom is dealing with some sort of illness; it's frustrating because being forced to slow-down when we don't want to slow-down is agitating. (For me, at least...) A few days ago, my husband came home early from work feeling under the weather and he has been home sick for four days now. And this morning, I woke up with a case of "I-caught-this-from-my-husband". Based on the way he's been feeling, I'm not expecting a quick recovery or bounce-back. And while I'm not actively homeschooling now that my kids have all grown up and flown the coop, I do have plenty of things planned that I

Let's get brutally honest for a moment. Homeschooling isn't always our kiddos favorite thing in the whole wide world. (And I know this is true for all homeschool families, not just my homeschool family...I mean, none of us LOVES every aspect of home education every second of every day, right?) Over the course of a couple of decades and some change of homeschooling my five children, these three things helped "turn that frown upside down" & ended up being the things that helped my kids to love homeschooling. (Hold the eye roll please, because my children are all adults now and they have actually told me that these things made homeschooling pretty great for them.) As always, I'll keep this post short & sweet. THING #1 that helped my kids love homeschooling:            They could work ahead in any & every subject & once they finished that year's assigned work, they were DONE homeschooling for the year...as in FINISHED, no take backs, pinky swear, A

  Recently I recorded an episode on The Prayer Podcast about moms who pray for their children. I thought I'd share the YouTube version with my blog readers, as well as a link to the podcast (Apple Podcasts & via the Podbean website).  I hope it encourages you today, my fellow praying mom! And thank you for being a mother who prays for her children! ~ Jan L. Burt Are You a Mom Who Prays for Her Children? Then This Episode is For You! Episode #35 | The Prayer Podcast with Jan L. Burt (podbean.com) (2) Encouraging Moms to Keep Praying for Their Children - YouTube P.S. - Here is a link to a fun quiz for homeschoolers created by my good friend Kerry Beck -  click here to take the quiz. 

 I have an important question for all my fellow homeschoolers...   Pets or no pets?  This is actually a serious question. For so many reasons! Pets are a big commitment. They add a lot to our lives, and to our homeschools, too, I suppose. But they require a lot as well.  It's not a one-size-fits-all thing, this question of pets or no pets. And not all pets are created equal. Dogs require a lot more work than, say, goldfish. An ant farm can be part of science for the homeschool family, but can a slew of ants be considered pets? (rhetorical question - we all know the answer).  So, are you a pet-loving homeschool family? Do you have your own personal version of a hobby farm?  Maybe, like our family, severe allergies limit what kinds of pets are a viable option.  If so, did you find a workaround that allowed your children to enjoy some form of pet in spite of allergies or other concerns? Pets or no pets? Pets that have a long life-span, or shorter? If you've come to the end of your

 I'm no stranger to difficult conversations with my children. I've explained and over-explained so many things in the hope that some of what I said would ring true and speak louder to them than the world. To parody the insurance commercial tagline, I know a thing or two because I've seen a thing or two. But isn't there always something that crops up, trying to gain access to our children's hearts and minds? Isn't there always? Yes, indeed there is. And even though my children are all adults now, even though I am no longer actively homeschooling, I continue to speak at homeschool conferences and summits and to groups of moms and women in person and via my podcasts and social media platforms. I still very much want to encourage and support homeschoolers and Christian parents in any way possible.  And today, my messages have been full of parents dealing with an unexpected source of frustration that involves the latest Taylor Swift album... Here's a quick rundow

  Guard what goes in & your heart will be better off... Homeschooling mothers, as a whole, are really good at guarding what our children see and hear. The books they read, who they spend time with, the movies they watch - all this and more is carefully considered and managed. But do we manage our own hearts with the same caution and tenacity? There is just too much garbage that is too readily available at too many moments throughout the day. How often are we seeing things that we'd guard our children from seeing? Not every choice is made wisely... Glancing at your phone while your son completes his spelling list is, quite frankly, and unwise choice. I do not need to explain why it is unwise; you already know. Truth is truth. It does not shock you to read these words. The hard truth is that constant access to timewasters and pop-culture is of absolutely no eternal benefit - and even damages relationships and can harden the heart. Apply the same standards across the board in y

  In this post, I'd like to try and give very specific answers to the question: Does Bible study really matter? And will it make a difference in my life? If I were sitting in a coffee shop with you and this was the topic of discussion, this is what I might share with you about personal Bible study and what it does and doesn't do for us. ~ Bible study matters in our lives because it provides us with peace of mind.  Peace of any sort is a commodity that is in short supply as far as the non-Christian world goes. There just isn't real or lasting peace outside of the Lord Jesus. When we study the Bible, we gain peace of mind, because we learn better and better what God has to say about a whole slew of issues, and how He desires for us to live out our days. Knowing God better via knowing His word better leads to peace of mind. And if our minds are at peace, everything in our life will be improved. ~ Bible study matters in our lives because it provides us with renewed hope. Hope d

  A couple of months ago I found myself taking part in a live webinar that was aimed at helping Christians who do some (or all) of their ministry in the online space. The goal of this event was *supposed* to give lots of encouragement and helpful tips to the webinar attendees, specifically when they speak to people. Now this was meant to include all types of speaking - podcasting, interviews, going live on social media...pretty much any circumstance involving speaking or being part of a live event.  And it was touted as a way to be more comfortable in this role and in your own skin.  Because, in all honesty, when doing an interview or guesting on a podcast, running a Facebook live, recording content for a course or for YouTube, can be very awkward. You're either talking to nobody (when you record content for a solo podcast or a course, for example) but also you'll be talking to an unknown number of people when the content is released. Or you're being interviewed or go live