Homeschooling is not a race ... You will not get behind, nor do you have to live with guilt that you feel the need to catch up.

Proverbs 16:3 'Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.' A great reminder when planning out the school year.

For those of you who think that I have my life altogether, I definitely do not. Every season brings new challenges. For example, since I had my fifth child, I am notoriously 5-10 minutes late everywhere no matter how hard I try to be on time. I would like to say that I am 'fashionably' late, but that isn't the truth either. Running in a mad dash in a parking lot (all holding hands of course) to make it somewhere 5 minutes late (instead of 6 minutes cause that makes a big difference) while one child is missing shoes and my hair is going in every direction. Yep, that is my family.

The Truth: Doing it all is a misconception the enemy wants mothers to believe. Learn how to fully embrace the beauty of each season of your life. It is a gift from God. God's Word: Colossians 3:23-24-'Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.' Take a deep breath busy mom. You are doing a great job!

How do I find joy in my homeschool journey? The answer is quite simple. I accept lots of God's grace. Grace to make mistakes. Grace to take a nap when I am exhausted. Grace to not feel guilty. Without His abundant provision of grace, I would be depleted, discouraged, and dissatisfied. Instead, I place all my trust in His direction and I embrace my calling as a homeschool mom. His grace has set me free from worry, fear, doubt, and guilt and I am overflowing with joy. Praise God!

Many people ask what they should do in their quiet time. Find a time early in your day when there are no distractions, which includes children, television, radio, or anything else that may take your focus off what you are doing. Pray for concerns on your heart and thank God for your blessings. Read God's Word and look for meaning in the scriptures and how to apply them to your life. You and your children will be blessed when you seek the Lord daily.

If I had to sum up homeschooling in one word, it would be freedom.

Life's most important lessons are not found in the lesson plans.

Teach the child, not just the curriculum.

I homeschool my children not to prepare them for tests but to prepare them for life.

Dear Homeschool Mom, You've got this! God called you to it, and He will see you through it. Inhale Grace. Exhale Doubt.

When I think of the word "organic," I think of natural, wholesome, and fundamental.That's exactly what I want my children's education to be like.

FUN + Learning = The Best Educational Experience

My Top Ten Reasons for Homeschooling: (10) Birthdays become school holidays. I love celebrations!(9) I always get to be the chaperone on field trips. Lucky me.(8) I can sleep in on rainy mornings. (Okay, I wrote that before my last two babies were born- no more sleeping in for Mom now.)(7) My pajamas are sometimes my work uniform until noon. Shhh!(6) The teacher-student ratio can’t be beat!(5) I can kiss the school principal in the faculty lounge. ♥(4) Integrating God in our school lessons is always encouraged.(3) I do not have to stay up late at night helping my children study for tests and complete homework assignments.(2) I have the opportunity to instill the love of learning.(1) I am the recipient of hugs and kisses all day long.

God has a plan for you (Jer. 29:11) and you will make it through this time of testing. Keep on believing and moving forward and you will see Him working out the details. God is never early or late but His timing is always perfect. You will see, I promise.

Homeschooling is not head-to-head, it's heart-to-heart.

I'm not saying homeschooling will be easy. I am saying it will be worth it.

Adding FUN to learning creates the best educational experience possible.

It isn't my teaching credentials that qualify me to teach my child. It is my God who qualifies me.

It's not my credentials that qualify me to teach my child. It's my God who made me qualified when I became a mom.

Homeschooling allows you the freedom to step off the highway of learning and take a more scenic route along a dirt road.

The primary focus of homeschooling should be on cultivating hearts for the Lord.

Organic education is natural, wholesome, and fundamental.

There is freedom in homeschooling.

The times I am most frustrated in homeschooling is when I become focused more on my plans than His plans. I must spend more time daily looking up for his divine direction than I do looking down at my lesson plans.

Goodbye worry, fear, doubt, and guilt. Hello grace.

Christ is the core of my child's curriculum.

Make Learning Magical

Proverbs 16:3 "Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and He will establish your plans."A great reminder when planning out the school year.

[Put] on your oxygen mask first. We cannot give our children something we don't have ourselves. I encourage you to make a commitment to having a quiet time with God every day. This may involve some sacrifices, such as waking up ten minutes earlier, turning off the morning news for a few minutes, or finding time alone, but I can promise that the results will be worth it.

I pray moms will use ... [my] book[s] as a reference to arm themselves with God's grace and His Word to break away from the enemy's bondage and begin to experience peace and freedom in their homeschool journeys right away.

How do I find joy in my homeschool journey?The answer is quite simple. I accept lots of God's grace. Grace to make mistakes. Grace to take a nap when I am exhausted. Grace to not feel guilty. Without His abundant provision of grace, I would be depleted, discouraged, and dissatisfied. Instead, I place all my trust in His direction and I embrace my calling as a homeschool mom. His grace has set me free from worry, fear, doubt, and guilt and I am overflowing with joy. Praise God!

The Truth: Doing it all is a misconception the enemy wants mothers to believe. Learn how to fully embrace the beauty of each season of your life. It is a gift from God. God’s Word: Colossians 3:23-24-'Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.' Take a deep breath busy mom. You are doing a great job!

Every mom is busy, whether you have one child or more than one. You just learn how to manage your time differently as your family grows.

For those of you who think that I have my life altogether, I definitely do not. Every season brings new challenges. For example, since I had my fifth child, I am notoriously 5-10 minutes late everywhere no matter how hard I try to be on time. I would like to say that I am "fashionably" late, but that isn't the truth either. Running in a mad dash in a parking lot (all holding hands of course) to make it somewhere 5 minutes late (instead of 6 minutes cause that makes a big difference) while one child is missing shoes and my hair is going in every direction. Yep, that is my family.

... parents naturally want their children to excel in every area of academics and extra-curricular activities, but the reality is- God made each child differently for His purpose. He never intended for our children to excel in everything.

Relax. Cultivate your children's capabilities. Maximize their strengths. Do not handicap their unique skills by spending too much time on making them average in everything. Help them create their own style, and appreciate your children for who God created them to be.

Homeschooling is not a race ... You will not get behind nor do you have to live with guilt that you feel the need to catch up.

curriculum companies provide more work than is needed. I never finished the complete curriculum when I taught in a classroom or at home. If your race is with your curriculum, learn to pick and choose what to use, and please do not attempt to cover it all or your race will be ongoing and you will be exhausted. Even races require pit stops to refuel.

... the enemy will do anything to rob my joy of homeschooling and parenting. He wanted me to live in bondage and feel guilty and like I was never doing enough to have me miss the real joy of just being home with my children.

I LOVE homeschooling and want others who have been led to do it to love it, too.

I want home educators to look beyond the lesson plans, curriculum, and grades to see the abundant blessings. My desire is for parents to enjoy the journey rather than focus on the destination.When you begin to embrace the journey- TRULY embrace the journey- the joy of homeschooling will be absolutely A.MA.ZING. You will begin to see the much larger picture and God's work in your homeschool day more than you ever have before.

[Home educator] take time during the holidays to catch your breath and enjoy homeschooling in a new, refreshing way (and to learn the value of bookmarks like I did.☺)

[Home educator] sometimes teaching and parenting is tough stuff. That is the reality of the calling. I hope ... [do] not quit or give up hope but keep moving forward on the path where God guides you.

God will help you do it if you trust and lean on Him for guidance and strength.

By fulfilling our divinely appointed jobs as parents, we can be God's tools that define and refine our children as they are sculpted into the individuals that He wants them to be.