Encouraging Moms Who Homeschool

 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 it

 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 My

 Today I wanted to share a little excerpt from a devotional I wrote for homeschoolers. I hope it encourages you, blesses you, and spurs you in your work as a homeschooling mother.  This is very, very good work that you are doing.  And you are doing a very, very good job. Don't worry if it seems as if your "Happily Ever After" will never arrive.  It will! Every single thing God has promised comes to pass, exactly according to His perfect timing.  Sometimes living in the right-now means accepting that your "Happily Ever After" hasn't yet come to pass, but that living a joy-filled life involves deriving our joy (which is far, far better than happiness) from the Lord, even while waiting for His promised "Happily Ever After" to arrive.    (The entire devotional eBook is available for $5 at JanLBurt.com   & while you're there, you can grab a free pdf download of "The Next 7 Days - A Weekly Prayer Journal" Lord bless you today!  ~ Jan L.

  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, when yielded to Jesus, c

 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 you surrounded