Joy When Motherhood Feels Crushing

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Joy When Motherhood Feels Crushing

And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. -1 Thessalonians 5:14‭-‬24 ESV

There it is. In black and white: Rejoice Always. Literally two words for an entire verse. That's how big and powerful and important. Rejoice always.

But how? I was awake the entire night rocking a teething baby. I walked downstairs to what looked like a war zone. No one had done their chores, a 2-year-old was running wild like a banshee, and the house reeked of overdue diapers to be trashed.

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Playing in Motherhood: Mother Culture

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Playing in Motherhood: Mother Culture

This is a guest post contributed by Lara Chomout. You can learn more about Lara in her bio at the bottom of her post.

The tick, tick, tick of the clock starts to drown out my thoughts.

I’m finally slowing down from the daily hustle of my routine of laundry and dishes, making meals, sibling arguments, spills- daily motherhood, really- and home education. The children are calm as we settle into our “quiet time” for the day - and perhaps now, for the first time, I can think.

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Home Education as Process

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Home Education as Process

This is a guest post contributed by Stephanie Radcliffe. You can learn more about Stephanie in her bio at the bottom of her post.
It’s far too easy to think that when our days don’t look smooth and seamless that we are failing or that we aren’t offering quality education to our children. Somewhere along the way, we got it into our heads that cooperative children, perfectly executed rhythms and routine, and checking off all of the boxes in our curriculum guides was not only the standard and evidence of success; but also whether we feel accomplished or not as homeschool mothers.


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Celebratory Homeschooling: What it is...and How You Can Have it Too!

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Celebratory Homeschooling: What it is...and How You Can Have it Too!

This is a guest post contributed by Leah Hudson. You can learn more about Leah in her bio at the bottom of her post.

In a busy and overfull life, the tiniest of things delight me. I mean miniscule. Well-prepared food, well-placed words, soft smiles on the faces of my loved ones, a nap on a rainy day. These are the delights of my soul. They introduce wonder into my day, usher in the most natural thanksgiving - a smile.

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Traditions and How They Shape Your Family

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Traditions and How They Shape Your Family

This is a guest post contributed by Lara Chomout. You can learn more about Lara in her bio at the bottom of her post.

The fall and winter seasons are times that many hold dear - for many they mark the beginning of holiday traditions. The days are filled with cozy evenings, romping in the pumpkin patches, watching the first snow fall, spending time around tables laughing with friends and family - frequent pauses from “everyday life” we don’t seem to take as often in the seasons that follow. We are doing what we were made to do - spending time together, loving each other, serving each other well.

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FREEBIE: Watercolor ABC Flashcards (Print with Arrows)

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FREEBIE: Watercolor ABC Flashcards (Print with Arrows)

There are truly a plethora of ABC flashcards available on the market these days- I even have four sets in my own shop. Once upon a time, this set was in my own shop as well.

But can we really have too many beautiful options? In the early years of education, flashcards become a staple in our homeschool and in our schooling space…

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I Am Not a Teacher

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I Am Not a Teacher

𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿.⁣
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My youthful ambitions were to be famous and make money.⁣ (Deep, I know.)
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I never wanted kids. I definitely would never be "that mom" who doesn't work, doesn't climb the ladder, doesn't have "huge" accomplishments to show the world.⁣
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I was the least homeschooler-type person in all the world.⁣
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Then the Lord knocked. He placed a baby on my heart then one in my tummy. Then another.⁣
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And during that first set of babies, he placed a book in my hand: 𝘈 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯. I rocked a massive belly and read ideas about motherhood and education that might as well have been from Mars.⁣

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The Purpose of Catechism (Is it just for Catholic families?)

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The Purpose of Catechism (Is it just for Catholic families?)

This is a guest post contributed by Lara Chomout. You can learn more about Lara in her bio at the bottom of her post.

It was Tuesday evening, and I was exhausted and ready to curl up in my own bed with a good book. Naturally, I didn’t want to let our 3-year-old’s bedtime routine linger. I read her a couple of books, not giving into her requests for “just one more,” and started to move on to our prayer.

For some reason, despite my longing to keep it quick, I decided to ask her one of our catechism questions from our preschool curriculum.

I looked at her sweet little face and asked, “Who made you?” I wasn’t fully expecting an answer. I was simply going to answer it for her—as we have done during our school time during the day.

“God made me!” she said with absolute delight.

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Collecting Nature and Encountering Our Creator (GIANT FREEBIE)

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Collecting Nature and Encountering Our Creator (GIANT FREEBIE)

My Instagram feed is filled with gorgeous nature tables, muddy rainboots, and wild and free children. This speaks to my heart in an unimaginable way. While I may often get too busy to truly spend the hours out of doors that I would like... and sometimes the complaints about the heat just wear me down (we live near Satan's armpit), I know deep in my soul that being surrounded and immersed in God's creation is as close as we can get to touching him on this earth. 

When I first began reading Charlotte Mason's own personal work (and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT, start here), I was slightly put off. I almost felt as if she worshipped nature. But I knew I had to be missing something important, so I pressed further in. Through prayer, I realized that Charlotte was passionate about nature because she was passionate about the Creator of nature. She knew that being immersed in Creation was a sneak peak into eternity and into the heart of our Father in Heaven. Our task as mothers is to simply help our children become thoroughly acquainted with Creation, capable of truly SEEING it with clear observation.

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