Encouraging Moms Who Homeschool

I would not refer to myself as an expert on any topic, a guru at anything, nor a master of a trade. But I can refer to myself as one who has *almost* completed her work as a homeschooler. I am nearing the end of this road; I have been running my race for over two decades and soon this will all be in the past tense... I'm not an expert, but I am seasoned in this lifestyle. Here are a few of the things I have learned over the years.       # 1 ~ Small Children = Short Increments                              Homeschooling is both a coordinated dance and a balancing act - at the exact same time. If you have babies or toddlers, or a broad span of grades you are teaching, then you absolutely must plan out your time in short, manageable increments. This takes a lot of thoughtful planning and work on the front end of each week, but it pays off in spades (more on that in tip # 3). For example, pla...

After a whopping 22-ish years of homeschooling, I have acquired an enormous volume of books/curriculum/supplies. And as my youngest daughter is finishing up her junior year, I have got to get rid of all this stuff . So, I am listing things in groups based on similarity - but they are all available individually. And here's the kicker. All of this is absolutely FREE - you just pay shipping. If  you see something you are interested in, just leave me a comment with your email (and if you don't want to leave your email then email me at janburtauthor@gmail.com). Some of these books are in nearly-new condition, some are well-used and written in. But they all have plenty of use left in them! U.S. History: shipping for all books shown is $10 Middle Ages/Medieval History: shipping for all books shown $4 Misc. History: shipping for all books shown $3 Misc. History: shipping for all items shown $4 Games: shipping for both games $7 Misc. Language Arts: shipp...

I write in my Bible.  I know, I know...some of you are gasping, appalled at such behavior! But others of you have also found that taking notes, underlining passages, and placing dates and specific details near verses that speak to you or that you pray over a situation/for a person has great value. I know how valuable, how meaningful that is to me. In fact, when I so fill a Bible with writing that there is no more room, or when it is falling apart from use, I start with a new Bible.  When I had the opportunity to review a journaling Bible for Zondervan, I jumped at the chance. And since I have read through the Bible in its entirety many times, I didn't "read" this book the way I typically would for a review. It's really more of a review of this Bible's unique features. I'll go through those quickly. First, it is a hardcover Bible, which I really love. Softcover Bibles are fine, but I really prefer a hardcover. They can "fall" open when you ...

I didn't bring a single solitary thing into this old world on the day of my birth, and I ain't gonna take anything with me when I draw my final breath. This is an undeniable, universal truth and no one can get around it. No material thing lasts beyond our life span...we will not care one lick about any of it. If we give it any thought at all, it will be to wonder why we cared so much for "things" and "money" and why we didn't give more...and more...and more.           1Timothy 6:7-8   We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.  So there it is. Herein lies the proverbial rub. How do we do this? How are we western-cultured, red-blooded Americans, capitalists to our core, ever going to be able to live like this? HOW? Well, as far as I know, the only way to live a life content with food and clothing (if that's all you've got, but that ain't all you...

A.W. Tozer. Now there's a name that immediately brings to mind a spiritual giant. His words are quoted in more books, articles and devotionals than one could count. Mentored by A.B. Simpson, Tozer is nearly as well-known as Charles Haddon Spurgeon or Dwight L. Moody in Christian circles. So when I had the opportunity to read and review a book containing never before published material of his, I jumped at the chance. The book is entitled Alive in the Spirit - Experiencing the Presence and Power of God . It was compiled and edited by James L. Snyder. This book isn't a lengthy read at just 188 pages, and the chapters are short enough to read and "digest" them one at a time in a single sitting. I'm a woman who writes in my books - and the more I like a book, the more underling, highlighting and margin notes will be found. My copy of Alive in the Spirit has a fair amount of writing in it. Now that's not to say that I found this to be my favorite book by Tozer...

I'm going to be doing something a little different in terms of my blog posts. Rather than my typical posts that are meant to put encourage women who homeschool, I will be blogging about the Bible. Today I would like to look at one verse in particular and share what I have learned from this verse, and maybe someone reading this will be encouraged by the Word. Better yet, maybe someone (or several someones) will decide to spend more time reading the Bible on a regular (read that daily ) basis. That would be pretty fantastic. Let's get to it:       1 Peter 1:9 - (New Living Translation) The reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of your souls.  Okay, so you already know that trusting Jesus is the only way to have eternal salvation for your soul. ( If you did not know that, let me suggest you read the book of John - right now, don't wait! - and pray and ask the Lord if He would like you to yield your life to Him and make Him your Savior and Lord over all you...

Women who home educate have chosen, in a very loud and clear manner, to take responsibility for the education of their children. Additionally, we have chosen to guide them into adulthood with the goal of them becoming, well, adults . Not only adult as defined by age, but actual adults who no longer behave like adolescents.  Sure, there are times we struggle with letting them grow up. It's hard! For a zillion different reasons, it's hard. And sometimes we hold on too tightly. That may be due to fear on our part, or sadness that this all-defining aspect of our own lives is changing, or perhaps we don't even realize we are still holding on. It is possible to believe you have let go of something only to look down and see it still tightly grasped in your hand. But for the most part, I think homeschooling mothers are working to get their children into adulthood in the proper time frame (as in, they behave like adults when their birth certificate reveals they are legally adults...

Well, it's been quite a good long while since I have posted a book review. Yup - you guessed it...I'm back at it again. A bit more selectively, albeit, but back at it nonetheless. I have been reading through a book written by Dutch Sheets entitled Intercessory Prayer. It is a book about exactly what you think it's about when you see the title; prayer, and specifically that of intercession. If you don't know what that is off the top of your head, no worries - you are certainly not alone. In a nutshell, intercessory prayer is any praying done on behalf of other people or situations that is intended to generate a specific and tangible change. An excellent example would be the time spend praying for your child in one certain way - concertedly, and until God moves and answers. This book, published by Bethany House and available for purchase at Amazon and other retailers, is one of the few books I have read on prayer that actually talks about how to pray. Not vaguely...

Psalm 78:4  says this: " We will tell the next generation ..." Tell the next generation what? What are we to tell them? "... of His power, and the wonders He has done ." Do you know the absolute best way to convey to the next generation God's great power, God's great wonders? It is by being a woman who is consistently thankful. Full of thanks. Always grateful. Speaking of God's great power and astounding wonders with such a thankful heart that the two become inseparable. A thankful woman is a content woman. Is that how you see yourself? How others would describe you? Do you feel discontent? Try some gratitude. The impact will be pretty much immediate. Not to mention, your family will love the "new you". Homeschooling is very much about proclaiming the Lord's mighty deeds and declaring who He is to the next generation (at least for the Christian homeschool family). It is a big part of why we do what we do, isn't it? Do we forge...

I don't know about you, but I will fall flat on my face and end in total failure and disappointment any day which I have not bathed in prayer. I just can't do this thing called life, this monumental task of home education, without the Lord's steady hand upon me. And I can only walk hand-in-hand with Him to the degree that I seek Him first in prayer. If the hand the rocks the cradle truly is the hand that rules the world, then our world is in utter danger if those cradle-rocking hands are not folded in prayer to our Lord each day. Not to put too fine a point on it, but the actual truth for all mothers everywhere is this: we shape the future by the manner in which we raise our children today. Here is a quote from E.M. Bounds on prayer and thanksgiving that inspires and challenges me:           "God does much for us in answer to prayer, but we need from Him many gifts, and for them we are to make special prayer. According to our special n...