A few years ago while writing a poetry lesson for my language communication classes, I came across a quote by Charlotte Mason that said, “Poetry takes first rank as a means of intellectual culture.” Intellectual culture? Hmmm. I’d never heard that term. I was intrigued and began researching what exactly it meant. I found scores Read More
We were created for language. It’s the primary way through which we know God. Through His word He speaks to our hearts and minds. Through His word He artfully communicates in a way that connects us to Him. God is the Master of the Art of Language. And we’re changed because of it. From the Read More
We’ve learned from the last two blogs that copywork is worth its weight in gold. Yet, there’s even more value to be mined from copywork lessons. You can use copywork to teach spelling! Charlotte Mason tells us that we need to help our children develop the habit of seeing words. And you know how it goes—habits, habits, habits. Read More
Everyone understands the value of copywork for neat handwriting, but did you know copywork benefits the child’s language learning and creates foundational habits? Copywork works—on so many levels! Charlotte Mason was a huge advocate for copywork and developed a specific methodology that benefitted her students greatly. Let me share with you some of her ideas Read More
Let’s talk about how to teach copywork so that your children will actually develop the skill of natural, fluid writing. All of my children left home with the skill of writing. One was naturally drawn toward language and writing while the others gravitated to math and science—not surprising as they grew up watching their mom Read More
It wasn’t long into our homeschool experience that I encountered what seemed like an immovable boulder blocking our way forward. Garnering my abundance of first year homeschool energy and excitement, we found a way around it. And just as we began skipping along our merry way, another boulder came tumbling toward us. And then another. Read More
I’m filled with awe and wonder when I consider that my children were chosen by God before the foundation of the world. That each was distinctly fashioned with specific gifts, talents, abilities, interests, passions, dislikes, and preferences. Each was created for a particular purpose—a purpose God ordained in advance that they should pursue. For we Read More
As a veteran homeschooler and creator of products that empower moms to educate with excellence, it is my heart’s cry to encourage, build up, and say to every homeschooler I encounter with those weary and worried-filled eyes, “You can do this!” You can do this well. You can educate your children better than the reigning Read More
I’ve heard many commentaries on love and what Jesus meant when He told us to love one another. Years ago, I wholeheartedly agreed with the idea that love is a decision, not a feeling. The concept that love is expressed more out of choice than emotional sentiment made sense to me. I went along with Read More
There’s a quote that says, “If Satan can’t tempt us with destruction, he’ll tempt us with distraction.” How true for the homeschool mom! Our enemy tempts us to veer off God’s perfect path by distracting us with a plethora of “good” things: things that seem beneficial, things that seem profitable, things that even seem necessary. Things Read More
Of all the things we desire to accomplish in our homeschool day, devotions with our children should uncompromisingly be done first. Why? Because nurturing our children’s heart and character is paramount for success in all areas of their life—whether sports, academics, leadership, or daily choices. I’ve said this for years, and it still rings true: Read More
There’s confusion among homeschoolers about when to teach science. Some Charlotte Mason educators avoid teaching science in the early elementary years. Often, they consider nature study enough. Perhaps part of it is they are uninterested in science—the outcome of their own education. After all, the way science is presented in the school system renders it Read More
Homeschooling children with ADHD is a popular topic and is something I’ve spoken about recently. I’ve been making homeschool related TikToks every week and had a huge response to my TikTok about how to ensure your ADHD children thrive in your homeschool. I also did a podcast on this topic for The Charlotte Mason Show. Read More
In order to live a productive and unfettered life in this world, our children must have a strong sense of self confidence. They must know they can do all the great things God has called them to do—and do them well. Here’s an uncomfortable truth: Children live up to what we believe about them and measure Read More
Training your child’s character can be likened to tending a garden. Nurturing to life the good character qualities you want to see grow and blossom. It’s about watching over what’s sprouting up and carefully cultivating that which will one day bear fruit. It requires tilling the soil and weeding out anything that is not fructiferous Read More
After reading the past posts, you now know everything you need to know to help your homeschooled child find the college of his dreams. Whew! It’s been quite a journey, but you’ve been faithful and you’re almost there. Now it’s time to let them go. Sending a child off to college can seem like a Read More
I often speak and write about nurturing our children’s gifts, talents, and passions—about encouraging their success. Homeschooling offers the unique opportunity to tailor our children’s education to their own personal bents. We don’t have to follow the standard scope and sequence designed for a typical student. The cookie-cutter mentality is often why students leave high Read More
At times we fall into what I call the perfection trap, demanding more from our children than they are capable of giving. Our reactions to their misbehavior can be harsh, lacking in the mercy God has for us. When we constantly communicate frustration with our children’s imperfections, we fail to portray Christ to them. If Read More
Is it not the cry of our hearts to pass on the love we have for God to our children—to live out our faith in a way that models it for them? When I’m walking closely with the Lord, I’m full of joy and excitement. Spending time with Him makes me more aware of His Read More
As homeschool moms, believing God’s Word for our children is paramount. Being our children’s primary educator can fill us with fear and trepidation. The enormity of this responsibility overwhelms even the most faithful homeschool mom. Yet we need not fear, for God’s Word promises great and wonderful things for our children. The question we must Read More
Fulfilling the call to homeschool requires rest for the journey. It demands more than we are capable of producing in our own strength. We must depend on God for stamina and one another for motivation to keep travailing this path. It’s so important that we surround ourselves with encouragement. Do you receive encouragement on a Read More
Have you, like me, wondered if the decisions you are making are God’s perfect will? Do you fear perhaps that you are stepping out and going your own path, walking outside of His will? If so, let me encourage you: God’s will is not nearly as complicated as we imagine. We tend to get caught Read More
“Please pray for me.” How many times have you heard that phrase? How many times have you agreed that you would? How often do you actually stop what you are doing and cry out to God on behalf of those who ask? When you do, how certain are you that you are engaging in effective prayer? Read More
For me, one of the hardest things about being a believer is being discouraged in my walk with God because of my imperfections. I want so much to be pure, holy, and Christlike. Yet I fail in so many little ways to measure up to His standard of perfection. Then I get in His word Read More
A new chapter in my homeschooling journey began a few years back. This is a stage you also will encounter in time. I’ll call it the season of the college road trip. The funny thing is, I thought I had this all figured out when my daughter was younger, just entering high school. I had Read More
When God calls us to something as immense and life transforming as homeschooling, we can be sure there will be many obstacles in our path. Whether it’s opposition from the non-homeschooling community, learning challenges with our children, character issues that surface, or the many fears, anxieties, and insecurities we find within ourselves, we can be Read More
One of the most valuable benefits of writing down my prayers as I pray them is slowing down to listen to God. It takes me much longer to write down my prayers than it does for me to think them. I can think, “Lord, I’ve really been selfish this week with my time” in 3 Read More
How often have you found yourself sitting down to have a quiet moment of prayer and before a few minutes are up, your mind is totally focused on a completely different topic? This wandering mind syndrome overtakes us all at times and is the most common obstacle to a powerful prayer life. It has the potential Read More
“I am the vine; you are the branches. he who abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 It was one of those rare days when I actually had some alone time to sit down and work on the chemistry and physics Read More
If we will impart vision to our children for their future, they will be inspired to pursue excellence, do the hard things that are required, and restrain themselves from that which slows their progress. Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint. Proverbs 29:18 It requires a great deal of restraint to persevere and Read More
It was a very special day for my eight year old. She had competed in the AAU Georgia State Gymnastics Championship. She came away winning First Place State Champion on beam, Second Place State Champion on floor, and Third Place State Champion in All Around. It was precious. But as we moved through that last Read More
I began my homeschooling journey with a deep conviction that this was God’s call on our family. Cultivating a love for God above everything else was a part of that call, and my passion to keep “first things first” was strong. Many of you felt that same calling. You knew God had great plans for your Read More
God does nothing but by prayer, and everything with it. – John Wesley Whenever I have fallen out of regularly praying and then return—either with a friend or personally in my quiet time with my prayer journal in hand—I’m always astonished to see that the answers come so quickly. It’s as if I so easily Read More
Did you know that homeschooled students perform better in college than their institutionally schooled counterparts? One reason is homeschooled students are used to being autonomous and independent in their learning; they are self educators. Our job as homeschool moms is to give our children progressively more autonomy and help them foster independence as they age. Read More
The post below was written during the time when I was entering the homestretch of homeschooling my oldest. These heart reflections and questions were born out of the startling realization I had only four more years with my daughter in the home. Lately, the thought of having only four more years of homeschooling my oldest Read More
I recently ran into a sweet, godly homeschooling mother. She hesitantly shared with me that she may not be homeschooling her oldest through high school; instead she was considering private school. I could tell she was nervous to tell me, but I reassured her I didn’t judge her decision; after all, if God guides you Read More
I want to touch on praise and worship because I used to struggle so much with this and feel there may be some of you that struggle with it as well. Connecting with God in worship is a vital part of drawing close to God. Worshipping and praising God is not just a blessing for Read More
Once you’ve found that special place to “escape” for a half hour or more, it’s time to enter into God’s presence. Often, it’s difficult to move from the hustle and bustle of a day with kids to a peaceful heart that is still before God, yet connecting with God in prayer will take you there. Read More
How do we, as busy moms, connect with the Lord? How do we nurture our walk with God in the midst of such activity? For homeschool moms it can be a challenge, but connecting with God in a quiet place is the first step. When Jesus needed to connect with God, He escaped to a Read More
One day a friend called and urged me to go to a particular prayer meeting at another friend’s house. Normally, I’m up for prayer of any kind. Yet my time is so limited that I’ve become very dependent upon the Lord in every decision I make—even something as simple as whether or not to hop Read More
I just love prayer. I’m so thankful that God has ordained it as the means by which He moves. I wish everyone could experience answers—miraculous answers—to prayers like I do. I believe it’s God’s will that everyone does, for His word tells us prayer avails much! John Wesley once said, “God will do nothing, but Read More
There are times in our walk with God when we feel distant from Him, yet we aren’t sure how to get back to that place of intimacy we once knew so well. Our lives are so busy and our days are jam packed with things to do and places to go. Worries, concerns, and endless Read More
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Ephesians 4:1 Did you know you have a calling? Every believer has been given a calling. We are told in Ephesians 2:10 that we were “created for good works, which God prepared in advance for Read More
I was reading through a devotional today called Little Pillows. It’s a sweet, small book of devotions that are especially touching and deep, though written in somewhat antiquated language. The specific devotion I read was quite nurturing to my own soul. It talked of the fact that Jesus is the same. Have you ever considered Read More
For the homeschooling mom, there’s a gnawing temptation to feel overwhelmed. I’ve wanted to address this issue for some time because I know how it feels and experienced it quite a lot in my beginning days as a homeschooler. Thankfully, I discovered a way we as homeschool moms can protect ourselves from this emotion while Read More
Are you homeschooling from overflow or are you homeschooling on empty? Do you run out of steam halfway through the day or are you able to maintain joy and energy on the journey? God desires for us to minister to our family out of abundance, from the overflow of what He has poured into us. The Read More
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 1:20 When I first read the verse above I wondered to myself, “What does that mean? What did God promise?” I quickly relegated all of Read More
It’s so important that we surround our lives with encouragement. God’s Word tells us that we need encouragement daily. Are you getting that dose of encouragement? Are your friends encouraging toward you? Do you listen to encouraging messages on the radio or the computer? Do you read encouraging blogs? Are you being encouraged in your Read More
When a circumstance or situation comes your way that seems to deflate your joy, do what David did: Strengthen yourself in the Lord. How do you do this? Following David’s example, begin with praise. Praising God even (or especially) when you don’t feel like it is SO important. It’s a true sacrifice. A sacrifice Read More
As homeschool moms we long for our children to know the love of God. We pray for them and teach them about God’s love but are we portraying God accurately in the way we relate to them throughout the day? If you have never seen the video, The Father’s Love Letter, it is worth Read More
If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore. Psalm 132:12 The children of Israel didn’t keep the testimony—the witness—of all God had done for them for very long. And they found themselves in bondage. But here we read Read More
Over the years I’ve been asked how we approached teaching character in our home. I’d love to share how we went about it because it was one of my most favorite aspects of homeschooling. Without question, the most important thing we did was begin our mornings with devotional and Bible reading, discussions about what we Read More
Every family has traditions. Our birthday tradition is the one our children looked forward to every year, even as they got older. Let me begin by giving you the back story. When I was a young mom, my best friend, Heather, told me of a tradition her mom had established with her and her siblings. Read More
Did you know once you received Christ as your Savior and Lord you became a child of the King of all creation? It’s true! Think of what that means. You are now a princess. You are royalty! Now that we are royalty, we must have a total shift in how we think of ourselves. No Read More
Do you hold a dream in your heart? Is there something you have always wanted to do, but just haven’t found time to do it? Is there some special desire that keeps creeping into your thoughts, something you perhaps shelved years ago? If so, it’s time to resurrect your dream. I believe God has given Read More
I remember learning about all the names of God mentioned in Psalm 23. I was so touched by each one, but my favorite one to really ponder was Jehovah Rohi: The Lord is my Shepherd. What stood out to me then and does to this day is the word “my.” The Lord is my Shepherd. And yours. Read More
Who better to educate your children than the person who cares most about who they will be when they grow up? The one who is concerned not just with their academic achievement, but also their character? Who better to educate your children than the person who knows them fully, their every mood, every cue, every weakness, and Read More
How many times have you heard someone say, “Oh! You homeschool? Wow. I could never do that!” Their reasons range from, “I’m too impatient” to “I would ruin their education.” But the fact is, with homeschooling—as with all great accomplishments—there is a principle at work that gives parents the ability to homeschool their children for the long haul: Read More
God’s word tells us to encourage one another daily. I believe we are instructed to do this because every person really does need daily encouragement, especially homeschool moms. Receiving encouragement from others is essential if we, our family, and our homeschool are to thrive. As the days wear on, we need to hear: You can Read More
When I was a new mom, I often compared myself to other moms. Some were more playful and some more organized. Others kept a meticulous house and their children looked like they should be on the cover of Children’s Wear Daily. It was discouraging to be around a mom that had some unique gift in Read More
Do all things…without grumbling and complaining. This is something we’ve always focused a lot on in our home. And I’m not just talking about the children. Philippians 2:14-15 tells us, Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, Read More
Where to begin? There are so many reasons why you should homeschool, the first being the freedom it affords you children—freedom to pursue an individualized education and life path that enables them to be true to themself and mature into the person God created them to be. Freedom Let’s begin with academic freedom. Sadly, our nation Read More
What is your biggest area of concern today? What worries you? What is the thing that has the potential to make you feel doomed, in despair, overwhelmed, or full of sorrow? I want to remind you right now that if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ this area of suffering is the place Read More
Today our Bible study focused on Joshua. During the study I was compelled to consider, “What is my Jericho and who are the Canaanites I must overcome in order to win Jericho?” It was only seconds later that I knew in my heart my Jericho—my promised land—the journey I’m on and the place I hope Read More
Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established. Proverbs 16:3 I read this today and was deeply moved. It often seems the Christian walk is a battle waged in our thought life. At least mine is. Perhaps normal people don’t think as much or as tediously as I do. “Is my Read More
People kick around the word “worldview” a lot. I remember when I first began hearing about it. I wondered, “What does that mean?” After a bit, I could give you a definition based on context. Yet, I really couldn’t give you a strong meaning. Since then, the Lord has revealed a lot more about this Read More
I once went to a seminar on fear and learned some really amazing things about fear vs. faith. I’d like to share one thing I learned because I believe so many homeschool moms make choices out of fear. Here is what I learned: Fear is the opposite of faith, but it is actually similar to faith. Read More
Someone once said when you pray Scripture, it may sound like you praying to you, however, to the devil, it sounds like God. Because of this, praying God’s Word is powerful and even essential if we are to walk as victors through the spiritual battles of this life. For the Word of God is quick and Read More
Who hasn’t heard Jesus’ words in Mark 11:24? “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” We also know He tells us that with the faith of a mustard seed, we can move mountains and whatever we ask for in His name, Read More
In an earlier post I shared that I believe unforgiveness is one reason our prayers are hindered. Here, I want to share a second reason. Though the Lord promises that whatever we ask for in prayer will be given us, this doesn’t always fit our reality. Why is that? Well in addition to unforgiveness, I Read More
The third reason we may not see our prayers answered is probably the least popular, but might actually be the most common. I think the reason it has been given such a bad rap is because of the abuse and wrong doctrine that some have preached concerning this one requirement for answered prayer. Let Read More
Jesus says that whatever we ask for in prayer, we should have. Yet often that’s not our personal experience. We’ve discussed that sometimes prayers are not answered because we’ve not forgiven someone, or we harbor unconfessed sin, or even that we lack faith in a good God that would want to bless us with the Read More
The last reason we may not see answers to our prayers is the reason most people give for all unanswered prayer: what you are praying for is not God’s best for you. There was a time when I suffered horribly in my marriage. Some of it was due to my selfishness, and some due to Read More
The other day I was struggling with some negative emotions: fears and worries about this and that. I am of the strong belief that fear and worry are signs of a lack of faith. If I’m worried, I’m not trusting God’s promises; I’m not believing He’ll take care of me. Well I prayed and earnestly Read More
Free time is one of the greatest benefits of a homeschool education. It gives students space to think and create, to pursue and develop their passions fully and deeply. I’m so pleased with how much my daughter accomplished with her free time even during the middle school years. When she was thirteen, she taught herself Read More
Jesus tells us, “Love the Lord your God” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Two commands. Both are to love. Yet, love seems to be a naturally occurring virtue, a quality we don’t often focus on, especially in our family. We tell our husband and children every day that we love them. It’s not something Read More
Long ago, the homeschooling mother had time to read novels to her children. Dinner was unhurried and filled with laughter and rich conversation—often about the latest learning adventure. Playing games together in the evening, the family drew close to one another and the children knew peace and unity. In contrast, today’s busy homeschool mom rushes Read More
Sometimes we must stop what we’re doing and address issues that come up in our family. When we have everything all planned out for our day or week, these interruptions can seem overwhelmingly burdensome. Yet, we must see them as part of God’s plan for the path we walk. I once found the morning interrupted Read More
In Jesus’ day, people brought gifts to the priests as a way of showing God their gratitude and love. Today, our gift to God is our entire life. Romans 12:1 tells us to offer our bodies a living sacrifice to God. And Jesus has set before us the standard of love for others. Remember that Read More
He who dwells in the Shelter of the Most High, will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust…If you make the Most High your dwelling, even the LORD, who is my refuge—then no harm will befall Read More
Who are you? You are significant, united with Jesus and given a purpose in life. He tells us, I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5 You have been chosen and appointed Read More
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 Do you, like me, sometimes forget that this is what Christ offers? Have you forgotten that He longs to give you rest? He has the kind of rest that floods us with peace when we are weary. Read More
What if you were with your child all day long and he never even acknowledged your presence. He didn’t speak to you or even look at you, yet you still followed him everywhere—into every room, down to the mailbox, into the shower, outside to play. You were there all day long, right there beside him, Read More
And whenever you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: This is the way. Walk in it. Isaiah 30:21 Here we see a promise from God to His children. He will show us which way to go, what to do, and how to live each moment Read More
I’ve had the privilege of meeting so many new homeschoolers that have just begun their homeschool journey. Most of them find homeschooling a delight. As they spend each day with their children, they begin to glimpse into the windows of their little hearts and see things they didn’t know were there—good things and not so Read More
I want to share some of the things we did for geography in our homeschool. Our method was not only educational, it was easy, and it included incorporating inspiring living books into our geography studies. Each summer at the homeschool convention we scoped out the YWAM booth. We would purchase all the Heroes of the Read More
We should always be ready to share the good news of the gospel. Sounds easy, yet so many Christians aren’t sure how to bridge the topic with unbelievers. Let’s say you’ve started a conversation about spiritual matters…what now? Well, when I took Evangelism Explosion—a course that required going out in teams and witnessing to people Read More
Why do we hesitate, when speaking with unbelievers, to share the good news of what Christ has done for mankind? I believe it’s because we fear rejection. We fear what others will think of us. If asked, we would emphatically say we’re not afraid of people rejecting us if they learn we’re a Christian. Yet Read More
I’ve heard many, many commentaries on love and what Jesus meant when He told us to love one another. Years ago, I wholeheartedly agreed with the idea that love is a decision, not a feeling. The concept that love is expressed more out of choice than emotional sentiment made sense to me. I went along Read More
The one thing that separates our faith from the religions of the world is that we serve a God who is personal, a God who calls Himself our Friend and Counselor. We can hear God whispering, “This is the way, walk ye in it.” He says that by His peace He will lead us. We Read More
Oswald Chambers calls it self awareness. I think that’s an incredible way to describe it. In the past I’ve called it self focus. Self awareness is like self consciousness, but it goes beyond that. It’s simply being concerned on a certain level with ourselves: our plans, our needs, our desires, our sin, our looks, our Read More
“Why Christianity?” you ask. Before answering I’d like to ask you a question. If you were to die today (you never know if this is your last day on earth) and stand before God and He asked you, “Why should I let you into My heaven?” What would you say? What would be the reason He should let Read More
I have to admit, when I first began hearing about giving your children a Biblical Worldview, I really wasn’t sure what that meant. Of course, I could surmise what it meant. But when I gained an understanding of its accurate definition, I was moved deeply in my heart and wanted this for myself and my children. Read More
During the years I taught Bible study, I met many women who had never developed the habit of a daily quiet time. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to have a quiet time, it was that they simply didn’t know exactly how. They had tried to read their Bibles, but found it didn’t gel. They Read More
There is no doubt I have a long way to go to be the person and mom I want to be. Instead of walking about with my own agenda, easily tripped up when minor or major infractions occur, I want to smile at every mistake and lovingly proclaim, “It’s okay darling, I’ve made many mistakes, too.” Read More
Like many of you, I spent years in women’s Bible studies, growing in my knowledge and understanding of the Lord and His Word. I’m so thankful for that time of spiritual growth, and was loath to give it up for the homeschooling years. One day, during my quiet time, God impressed a profound truth upon Read More