Encouraging Moms Who Homeschool

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