Encouragement in Shifting From Surviving to Thriving (VLOG)

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Encouragement in Shifting From Surviving to Thriving (VLOG)

Even the best homeschool mom faces days or weeks where she questions if she should quit or not- sometimes after a year and sometimes after 5. Other times, we can also recognize that we've not taken the time to really reflect on our WHY for educating at home or cast a true vision for our homeschool. Those are both INCREDIBLY important.

In this video, I discuss why this matters, along with ending with some general "points of refreshment" that I use to encourage myself during challenging seasons. It could be called "A List of What I Have Learned." I hope you enjoy!

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How to Effectively Discipline Your Child Using God's Word (Cheat Sheet!)

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How to Effectively Discipline Your Child Using God's Word (Cheat Sheet!)

I'll confess up front, I do NOT have this all figured out. After four kids, I've been blessed with the wisdom to know I will NEVER have it "all figured out." In general, my life is like herding cats... drunk cats. On a daily basis, I lose my cool on someone, get totally irritated with dealing with the SAME SIN ISSUE again and again, and almost weekly I unabashedly question my sanity for even making all these tiny little crazies in the first place. I mean, I LOVE them... but WHY does it have to be so hard sometimes? 

But the fact of the matter is, it's hard because of sin. It's hard because I'm a big sinner raising little sinners. We are all far from perfection, and our only hope is found in Christ alone. It's my profound duty and honor to daily seek out this sin, reveal it, and direct our hearts toward Jesus so that we can all pursue righteousness. 

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FREE "Cheat Sheet" for Math + Writing {Elementary}

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FREE "Cheat Sheet" for Math + Writing {Elementary}

I have a daughter with dyslexia. For my sweet girl, one of the most confounding aspects of her learning disability is a poor working memory and the amount of effort (and incredible repetition) needed in order to move information from "temporary storage" into her permanent, long-term memory. During the elementary years, it can take a dyslexic students YEARS of practicing parts of speech, place value, multiplication tables, writing dates and months before they TRULY master it and put it into their long-term memory.

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How I'm Saving $989 on Curriculum This Year

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How I'm Saving $989 on Curriculum This Year

I'm going to *guess* that you've probably received a few emails and have seen a few social media posts about the Build Your Bundle Sale? Honestly, in years past... I thought it was obnoxious. I'd even purchased a bundle here and there, but I tend to ignore "the thing" everyone is talking about. I couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. But the truth of the matter was I never really looked into it either- I totally blew it off. 

Over this past year, my attitude has evolved. I've become a huge fan of digital curriculum for two reason: space and MONEY. Digital curriculum is almost ALWAYS less expensive, while not lacking anything in quality, AND I don't have to have a bookshelf for it. Win. Win.

The numbers are impressive, so what about content? How much value is truly in each or these bundles... Or is there just filler?

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Need the ULTIMATE Student Planner? (FREE 5 Page Editable PDF Download)

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Need the ULTIMATE Student Planner? (FREE 5 Page Editable PDF Download)

Is it time to get in gear for next year (or maybe just survive the end of this one)? Regardless of where you are right now, a well-constructed planner is always much-needed. So you can snag it now and save it for when the next school year is on your mind, or put it to use ASAP! Just like I mentioned in the FREE Planner Bundle for Mom, I had something in mind that I wanted dearly, but just could not find it. 

I created this planner out of a desire to have ONE place to track all of the following in 5 pages (and I went all out! You get two versions... normal printable AND editable PDF all in one zip file!): 

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I'm Impatient with My Kids {Because I'm Distracted}

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I'm Impatient with My Kids {Because I'm Distracted}

I want to openly admit that I've been completely distracted lately... by an overwhelming to-do list, endless obligations, spreading myself thin, and spending WAY too much time on social media. It has resulted in my being irritable and impatient with my kids.

The insane amount of time I spend on my phone is one of those things that I've been "aware" of for some time, but it's also something I find myself making a ton of excuses about. I work online so I need access to my email, my blog, and my social media. Plus I'm a stay at home mom with littles, so I don't get out and have many adult conversations. I have friends and family who don't live close by, so I need to keep up with their lives too. Plus, those same family and friends want to see what we're up to. RIGHT? And with many life changes going on right now and various tasks popping up left and right... of course my mind is overflowing 24/7. My brain is an internet browser with 4.7 million tabs open at all times.

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FREE Homeschool + Ministry + Home Management Planner (10 Pages!)

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FREE Homeschool + Ministry + Home Management Planner (10 Pages!)

I'm a "fixer." I'm always tinkering, never satisfied, always searching for a "better" way. It can be both a blessing and a curse. I try to share my tinkerings here so that the blessing aspect of being nit-picky can outweigh how irritating this part of my personality is (my poor husband!).

When I was looking for a planner at the beginning of my school year, I wanted something that covered EVERYTHING. I don't want one planner for school, another for home and appointments, another for my blog, and another for church/ministry obligations. I need it all in one place, and as much as I heavily rely on my phone to remind me of stuff, I still want a physical print-out to help me manage my time. 

I was looking for something that would work for someone who homeschools, runs a home, meal plans, AND either works from home or is involved heavily in ministry (which is about 90% of the homeschool moms I know!).

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Need Some "Adventure" in Your Homeschool? (FREE Printable!)

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Need Some "Adventure" in Your Homeschool? (FREE Printable!)

I'm a highly eclectic homeschooler, with some very clear Charlotte Mason and Classical tendencies... but I'm also so eclectic that I don't even tend to homeschool the same "way" each year, all year long. I ran across this notion of "tidal homeschool" a while ago via Pam Barnhill's podcast and her interview with Melissa Wiley. Once I heard Melissa describe their "ebb and flow" of learning throughout their year, I knew that what had been a natural tendency for us was not a mere lack of "diligence" on my part.

I'm an INFJ (sometimes ENFJ), and as such, I am highly intuitive. Certain seasons of life, seasons of the year, and life events change how and why (and where) we homeschool. I have always made those adjustments to fit the circumstances naturally- but also fought guilt over not always (well, ever) finishing the "whole curriculum."

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When You Want to Quit Homeschooling (Part 4 of 5)

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When You Want to Quit Homeschooling (Part 4 of 5)

Here we are! We are almost finished! This has been a long series, but rightfully so. The idea of drastically altering how you approach education for your children is no small matter. We are now on the final "question" of this series, question 3. There are worksheets (FREE) in the Practical Joy Resource library to add significant depth to this exploration. You definitely, definitely want those. Grab the workbook from the Resource Library here. 

Question 3: Should I just take a break from homeschooling? Will that fix whatever the problem is? 

I want to explore a few different aspects of this question, but I want to assert up front that there is not a right or wrong answer. As has been the case in every portion of this series, what's right for YOU and your family, your season, your child, will not be the right answer for everyone else. This is a journey of finding YOUR place in homeschooling and being certain that it truly is best for everyone involved. 

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