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Like any area of life, homeschooling can quickly become a complicated monster. You can sometimes find yourself battling through the darkness in search of homeschool sanity.

We’ve been in the homeschool mentality for almost 10-years. When our oldest child was two-years-old the Lord did a whammy on my heart and introduced me to the world of home education. Boy, was I thankful, I’d get to stay home with my children everyday and learn and grow with them. I knew that I was made to homeschool our children.
That sounds poetic, and truly-many days are an overflow of blessing, but honestly there are seasons in which we all need a reminder to homeschool with joy and purpose. None of us want to be the un-showered mom who is still reheating her one morning cup of coffee in the microwave at 2 o’clock in the afternoon.
Sometimes, I’m that mom.
Here are 6 Ways to Keep Homeschool Sanity for those less-than-perfect ruts.

1. Take it day-by-day: You can only live this one day well. If the spelling book is screaming at you-reminding you that you’re 2-months behind-remember who is boss! You’re are in charge, not the curriculum. If pressure mounts about tomorrow and what you still have yet to do, refine your focus onto today. I’ve had to remind myself on more than one occasion to live in the moment —that’s the best place to dwell.
2. Homeschool year-round: After a few seasons of trying to maintain a traditional schedule, we finally moved to a year round routine. This has allowed us greater flexibility, and has additionally strengthened our homeschooling experience. By homeschooling year-round we’re able to keep our life and school intertwined without too much of the hard-line differences between “school” and “life.” And if those complications arise, see number 3.
3. Take a mental health day: Does today feel crazy? Did the laundry goblin ransack your laundry room and spill his carnage out into the hall? Taking a mental health day for the benefit of your family is prescribed! Develop your children’s life skills in the morning by having them roll socks; then expand their cultural horizons in the afternoon with a bowl of ice-cream and a family movie marathon. You have permission to put your feet up, too!
4. Don’t compare: This is a trap. Susie will always start her 5-year-old in Latin first, and most likely her son will have all of his school work independently completed by 9 a.m. I’m not Susie, and my kids were made for me to parent. The End. And this non-comparison business goes for comparing children in other modes of education as well. Your home is just that, home. Like it, learn in it, live it!
5. Do something different: If I need a change of flow for myself, and a field trip is not in sight, I may load the kids in the van at 8 a.m. for an impromptu morning romp at the playground. I also like to invite a few other homeschool families over for a massive fellowship day—it’s okay to change things up a bit. We have these fellowship days at least twice a month, they're vital to our homeschool health!
6. Remember what is really important: It’s easy to find ourselves caught up in the academic success that homeschool affords. We must remember to keep our eternal focus. I listed in the Reasons Why We Homeschool that raising our children in a Christ following, family centered, atmosphere was our purpose; to bring these young souls up in His ways. Jesus is what is really important. The salvation and training up of our children in the way they should go. All the homeschool benefits are just the cherry on top.
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Jamerrill Stewart is the wife to one and mother of five. You can find her most days authoring Holy Spirit-led Homeschooling where her family is living the life of faith. Also, join her Christian Homeschooling Community on Facebook.

(Our family in 1997)
There are days when I struggle to be the 60-year-old mother of three active and involved young adults, aged 19, 19, and 21, but as my husband and I look back over what the Lord has done, we marvel at God's grace and mercy! We can't imagine life without these young people!

There is great joy in what the Lord has done for us... for you see, we were married for almost 19 years before we had the blessing of a child! The reason? We had not obeyed God's commands, and we suffered consequences that would reach over many years. In some ways, those consequences still continue today, though forgiven.

I will tell you the sad story.

The early 50s, when we grew up, saw increasing prosperity. After the terrors and hardships of WWII, families in the U.S. were focused on getting that new dishwasher, television, and maybe, even two cars. Women were leaving home for the job market in record numbers to have the extras.

(My family)
Then in the 60s and 70s, rebellion and 'free love' on college campuses exploded onto the scene. Most parents were totally unprepared to deal with it all, and thus, by default, didn't. Busy with earning a living, many parents were out of touch with the social pressures their young people faced, the anti-God stance in schools, and the growing fractures between generations.

(We are in the couple in the middle; not too serious about life)
My husband and I both had parents who loved us, but their generation generally did not find it easy (or were unaware of the need) to discuss deeper issues with their young people.

While on campus, we 'married' ourselves (without family or friends) in a chapel before 'God' on the I.U. Bloomington campus, and I lived in the frat house from Thursday to Sunday night. Life was all partying or studying. This was not at all abnormal during those years ('69-73) in the middle of the sexual revolution, the Vietnam War, Woodstock, and and the devaluation of life with the Roe V. Wade decision (1973).

Immediately out of nursing school, my boyfriend (now my husband of 38 years) and I lived together as did many, but certainly not all, of our classmates. We finally did get properly married, much to my mother's relief. We were 21 and 22.

Upon graduation as an RN, I worked in open-heart surgery at a large metropolitan hospital. Occasionally, when there was a need for extra personnel in the abortion area of that hospital, I would be called on to assist as were other surgical nurses. Even after being raised in a private Christian school environment (and calling myself a Christian), I was unable to apply the things I studied in my catechism class to real life decisions. I was for all practical purposes "dead in my trespasses and sins."

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—" ~Eph. 2: 1
I am ashamed to say that we had an abortion several years into our marriage. We had bought into the worldly view of living for ourselves, careers, money, and things.

Two decisions forever changed the direction of my life~ 1.) breaking God's protective commands regarding the sacredness of marriage (having sex before marriage) and 2.) disregarding the sanctity of life (participating in and having an abortion). I didn't know it would affect my health, my fertility in years to come, or undermine our own self-respect or our respect for each other.

Nevertheless, God faithfully lead us to a solid Bible-believing church, and I finally accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior at 29. By this time, I was really suffering emotionally. The pain got my attention. You can't tell me that abortion doesn't mess you up! I had already had several miscarriages and knew there were other things wrong.

The worst were flashbacks to assisting in a surgical abortion one day at the hospital where I found a perfect, tiny hand less than the size of a dime stuck to the side of my gloved hand. It is terrible to remember it. I ran out of the OR and refused to go back. It has taken years for those scars to heal. I learned the value of human life in a split second. It wasn't tissue to me anymore; it was a baby!

Now slowly my perspective changed. My whole being desired to be a mother, to bring forth new life within our marriage and before God. And we could not! Years went by with several more miscarriages. We did two home-studies in order to adopt, one Korean, and one local, but the Lord chose to close the doors. These are stories in themselves... Many, many people at our church and other friends were praying for us.

After 8 years of pursuing medical help to conceive (Clomid and surgeries for endometriosis), and then 4 years off, I got a call from a surgeon I worked with who told me about a new procedure called GIFT (gamete intra-fallopian transfer). I was working nights, 7 days a week, to afford the earlier procedures since insurance wouldn't pay for infertility treatment. I felt the clock ticking the years off my life...

After much prayer and many tears, we decided to go ahead. The first GIFT produced 2 tiny heart beats seen on ultrasound at 4+ weeks. One was in the (wrong) fallopian tube... the damaged tube! We had a tubal pregnancy which is dangerous, but both babies failed to grow. It was so discouraging: over $11,000 and nothing to show for it, but stress and grief and high levels of drugs (Metrodin, Lupron, and Pergonal).

I was determined to continue since there was a 36% chance in those days of delivering a live baby. We were told there was no other way.

(I clung to the verses of Isaiah 54: 11-15, especially verse 13)
The second attempt went perfectly in every way. Twins! We were SO excited! My middle quickly got big, but in the fourth month I realized I was not growing in measurement. I was getting smaller!

(Two babies)
A hastily arranged ultrasound revealed that one of the little lives I carried had died several weeks before. We saw a separate sac with little bones, and were told our second baby might miscarry, too. We were crushed, and I was in anguish. I was guilty of all those earlier years, and just knew I was being punished.

I almost forgot about the life within me as I focused on the loss. "Why God?" Satan almost destroyed my joy, except that Jesus is greater! "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5: 8)

Later, even though our other baby would be fine, I felt such frustration because if we didn't want an only child, we would have to go through another of these uniquely stressful procedures with all the costs, shots, and stress leading up to it. Then once the procedure is over, there is the waiting for that determining ultrasound to give you the news, good or bad!

Having a baby can easily become an idol! I had to get over it so I could focus on having a joyful heart for my husband and new son. It was the will of a loving, sovereign God, and His comforting presence was very real.
"... give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." ~1 Thessalonians 5: 18

Finally, the day arrived, and the Lord in His mercy gave us a beautiful, healthy son. My aching arms were filled, and we dedicated him to the King of Kings for His glory!

I can't describe the joy and wonder of it all. We had been married 19 plus years!!

My doctor said I was 'jump-started' with all the hormones, so we did a third GIFT to give our new son a little brother or sister. We were blessed with adorable, healthy twins exactly two years later. We praise God for His abundant grace and mercy!

Now I value life!

It has been a long road to forgiving myself for assisting in and having an abortion, but I found the Lord has welcoming arms to forgive us when we come to Him in repentance. We are sinners, but by His grace, we have hope... and now can see His guiding hand in it all. Thank You, Lord, for birthing in us new life, spiritually and physically!
"... I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live." ~Deuteronomy 30: 19

The takeaway: We have been able to share with our children (appropriately, through time) the curses we had brought upon ourselves. That has protected them, to a large degree, from repeating the same mistakes which we made. It is a blessing to tell them of the mighty things that the LORD has done for us while we were yet in unbelief and of the restoring power found only in trusting Christ Jesus. Today we enjoy a rich relationship with each of our children by the grace of Almighty God. I share this with you to encourage and strengthen YOU that no matter where you find yourself, our gracious God is always at work. Never give up hope, dear one.
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For 38 years now, I have been first a wife, but also a teacher of our children in the home. Now a new season is here, and with the blessing of my husband, I write DeepRootsAtHome as an encouragement to myself and others. (Titus 2: 3-5) What I share will be varied and practical…focused on being a good steward at home, of our time, and our relationships…but I also love to do things that bring beauty and order to our hectic lives and reflect God’s creativity. Oh, may we learn how important our jobs are as we become older women of God to speak into the younger woman! The habits of the home in one generation become the morals of society in the next. As William Ross Wallace said: “The hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world.” 10 May, 1996 Washington Times.

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Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling, The Modest Mom, Raising Arrows, The Better Mom, A Mama's Story, Time-Warp Wife, Deep Roots At Home, Raising Homemakers, Women Living Well, A Wise Woman,

Things were so much simpler back in the days when everything was hard. You poured your sweat into the soil and fought for a crop that would see your family through until the next harvest. There was no struggle for excessive cash flow as needs were basic and lacked extravagance. The Industrial Age had not yet left its indelible mark and the frenzy of electronics hadn't swept in complicating everything with it's simplification.

But more specifically, birth control was not yet in vogue.
Responsible planning now means you snatch up a great house in an area where the resale values are good. It means you systematically pay off the two SUVs that transport you and your spouse to white collar jobs. And you postpone "starting a family" until you're completely settled, financially stable and feel ready to cash in the carefree life for kids.
Now don't mistake me... I'm all for being responsible. I've worked hard for 14 years to instill core values into my children that will give them a foundation for wise decision-making. But I'd have to say I'm a proponent for responsible preparation rather than planning. While that may seem very much like splitting hairs, there is a huge difference. Especially when it comes to fertility.
Married at 20, I gave birth to my first child just a week before my 21st birthday. While most eventually celebrated the pregnancy with us, that quick conception was our introduction into the world of naysayers. We almost instantly learned it wasn't "wise" to just let things happen. A little slow in catching on, we were prepared the next time! Soon after our son was born we responsibly got some tiny little pills that, if taken correctly, would prevent a repeat of our first senseless mistake.

Our first three boys when they were 7, 6 and 4 Those little pills were a big fail and within 5 months I was expecting. This time there were two sacs, though one stopped developing fairly early and few people knew. It little mattered that we had heeded all that advice and done our part to resist growing our family... the news of even one was not generally well received. Not willing to be played the fool a third time, we re-strategized and settled on the depo-provera shot as our weapon of choice. Certain we were now bullet-proof, we settled comfortably into life with our sweet little boys. For about a year, that is, until a missed cycle and an overpriced plastic stick confirmed we had again put far too much faith in our plan!
The voices of protest were silent that time, as the pregnancy ended in miscarriage before we'd been brave enough to announce our news. I was beginning to have serious doubts about the wisdom behind our planning. Our best efforts weren't keeping me from getting pregnant, and worse, we'd now lost two babies. I had a sneaking suspicion that chemical prevention methods had a hand in those misfortunes. So we turned to non-chemical options with similar results... and our family grew by three in the following 4 years.

Sweet Hannah, child #4, at age 3! Our fifth child was also from what began as a twin pregnancy. Feeling mildly panicked because I'd now conceived multiples twice, my then-husband scheduled an appointment for a vasectomy. The surgery took place just 6 weeks before our daughter was born and I honestly hadn't protested. I was exhausted, not only from five successive pregnancies and seemingly perpetual nursing, but from the rash of unkind remarks and jokes at our expense.
Would it surprise you at all to learn that even post-vas I conceived? It certainly shocked us, though all three times ended in loss! Some people require only a gentle nudge to catch on, while others need to be body-slammed. Apparently we were numbered among the latter! I'm happy to say that at some point I did finally realize God wasn't terribly in love with all my planning. And that I am totally in love with every single one of my children! Even the ones I didn't think I wanted! He was teaching me to simply open my heart to His plan and embrace the beautiful little people He'd loaned me. And that simple exercise has been a wonderful preparation in accepting His will in every other area of my life!
{In a difficult turn of events, my first marriage ended. I remarried and promptly conceived twin boys, who turned one in June. The voices of my past still make me tremble, so if I bravely whisper an announcement one of these days, just know it has been a life-long battle to surrender control of my plan to His will!}
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Kasey is the cherished wife of Robbie and the mother to seven children: Micah, Nikolas, Alexander, Hannah, Abigail, Levi, and Quinn. The grace of God carries her from one chapter of life to the next, and His faithfulness through homeschooling, motherhood, and homemaking, is often the subject of her writing at Walking Redeemed.

Dear Brad,
I can hardly believe it has been five years since you slipped a ring on my finger and I slipped one on yours.

Five years since we promised to love and cherish each other as husband and wife until death separates us.

Five years since I was sure I had just lived the best day of my life.

But five years later, I know it was just the beginning of a love story that only gets better with time.

We added the roles of "father and mother" to "husband and wife" eleven months after saying "I do." You said you were nervous about holding a baby since you had little to no experience with newborns. But as soon as Charity Sofia entered the world at home in our bedroom, you embraced her like it was the most natural thing in the world. You were born to be a Dad.

19 months later, God gave us Judah Paul. I'm so glad you have a son. There's just something about watching you with our boy that takes my breath away. He is your shadow, your copy-cat, your biggest fan. The way he claps his chubby hands together and jumps up and down, races to find his shoes, and grins from ear to ear when I say, "We're going to see Daddy at work!" tells me you're his hero. I hope he grows up to be just like you and treats his future bride just like you treat me.

One year later, our third child was born to Heaven at 11 weeks gestation, shortly after we had excitedly announced to everyone that we were expecting again. By God's grace, we made it through that physically and emotionally painful week in the hospital. You knew Jesus could comfort me in a way that you couldn't so we cried over His Word together when I didn't have the courage to read it myself. I can't wait until we can see our Baby together for the first time when the Lord calls us to trade this life for the next.

Half a year later, we found ourselves expecting again but our joy quickly turned to sadness when we rushed to the hospital, convinced I was miscarrying again at 9 weeks. "I see a heart-beat!" Those words of life and hope would be repeated to us dozens of times by an ultrasound technician throughout the rocky pregnancy that included 20 weeks of bed-rest and moving in with your parents. At 34 weeks, I went into labor and our dear Anna Grace was born healthy and strong at 5 pounds, 2 ounces! We had been the objects of God's undeserved mercy and grace and were absolutely overwhelmed with joy by our precious miracle.

Our lives are busy and our days are full, but somehow you always manage to make me feel like the center of your world. Every day, in a thousand ways, you tell me how much you love me and though I often take it for granted, I couldn't imagine life without your sweet gestures and affection:

... "I love you," whispered in my ear each morning before you head to work,

... washing dishes in the evening together and putting off getting our dishwasher fixed because we enjoy the bonding time too much,

... curling up to you after the kids are in bed and hearing your deep voice read out loud to me,

... watching the kids shriek with delight when you run around the house with them on your shoulders,

... kisses planted on my cheek in the kitchen when you set your lunch box on the counter,

... witnessing the births of our children, and rejoicing over the blessings that God has entrusted into our care,

... driving into town when I'm pregnant to pick up a specific flavor of pizza from a specific franchise because it's the only thing I crave even though it's full of gluten and you won't be able to eat a slice yourself,

... coming home with my favorite coffee when you've "just gone to get gas,"

... forgetting and forgiving all the times I'm grumpy, whiny, and discontent,

... giving 110% at work all day and coming home to lovingly greet your wife and patiently listen to three excited children who have a hundred and one things they want to tell you as soon as you step inside the door,

... even though I find mowing the lawn therapeutic, you always beat me to it because you're a true gentleman. Same goes for shoveling the driveway, taking out the garbage, and emptying the compost,

... praying with and for me, leading family worship, long talks involving our deep, mutual interests: homeschooling, politics, entrepreneurship, and economics,

... you excel where I shy away, especially in positions that require leadership and efficiency,

... how you always call and ask, "Can I bring supper home?" exactly when I'm feeling overwhelmed and way behind on everything,

... how you send me an email every day from work asking how my day's going and and never forgetting to end it with: "Love you!"

... how you pat your stomach after dinner and say, "Honey, that was a meal fit for a king," even if it was one of my experiments gone wrong,

... I love how I fit perfectly inside your embrace when you wrap your arms around me and say, "Let's just hug for a few minutes," while I'm cooking dinner...

... the interest you take in this little blogging hobby of mine and how you happily take the time to edit my posts and compile my eBooks even though you could be doing so many other things,

... the way you put your family first, the way you mean what you say and say what you mean, the way you have never once raised your voice at me in anger, the way you make us feel safe, secure, cherished, and treasured.

How does that saying go?

You're the peanut to my butter, water to my ocean, glaze on my doughnut, spring in my step, twinkle in my eye, blue in my sky, cherry to my sundae, flip to my flop, milk to my cookie, sweet in my dreams, beat of my heart, cheese to my macaroni, best to my friend, love of my life.

Sweetheart, if the Lord tarries, I hope to spend dozens and dozens and dozens of half-decades with you. Each day, I'm more in love with you than the last and these past five years have been the best ones of my life. I would say "I do" all over again in a heartbeat.

5 years ago, I had no idea marriage could be this glorious... I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us for the rest of together.

I love you.

Your wifey,

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Linking to: Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Raising Arrows, Time Warp Wife, A Wise Woman.,Walking Redeemed, The Better Mom, The Modest Mom, A Mama's Story, We ARE That Family, Raising Mighty Arrows, Hearts For Home, Frugal Homeschool Family, Moms The Word, Hip Homeschool Moms, Trivium Tuesdays

Homeschooling

• 4 Essential Subjects to Teach Your Child
• 4 Tips To Successful Homeschooling
• 5 Things To Expect If You Homeschool
• 6 Ways To Keep Homeschool Sanity
• 75 Book Recommendations for the Christian Family
• Age Appropriate Chores For Toddlers
• Child Trophies
• Dear Friend Who Doesn't Homeschool
• Embracing The Homeschool Advantage
• Girls Shouldn't Be Highly Educated...
• Helpful Hints For Teaching Multiple Grade Levels
• Homeschooling Day By Day
• Idols of a Homeschool Mother's Heart
• If You Asked Me Why We Want To Homeschool...
• Naive, Sheltered Homeschoolers
• Organic Education
• Our Homeschooling Curriculum for 2013-2014 (Pre-K)
• Teaching Children To Memorize Scripture Part 1
• Teaching Children To Memorize Scripture Part 2
• Teaching Reading And Writing In Minutes Per Day
• The ABC's For Godly Girls - Bible Curriculum Review
• The Danger Of Junior Kindergarten
• The REAL Reason We Homeschool
• What To Get A Homeschooler For Christmas
• When You Feel Like You're Way Behind On Everything
• Who's Responsible For Your Child's Education?
• Why I'm Not Cut Out To Be A Homeschool Mom
• Why Your Curriculum Choice Might Not Matter As Much As You Think It Does
• Yes, You Can Teach Your Child To Read!
• You Can't Cover All the Bases

• 75 Book Recommendations for the Christian Family
• Helpmeet Or Mother - Is There An Order Of Importance?
• When You Feel Like You're Way Behind on Everything

• 15 Good Things I Don't Do
• 15 Reasons Why We Love Having Kids
• 3 Reasons Why It's Important For Children To Clean Up After Themselves
• 75 Book Recommendations for the Christian Family
• Age Appropriate Chores For Toddlers
• A Good Morning Starts The Night Before
• A Mother's Rights
• Accidentally Pregnant
• Anna's Birth Story
• Are You Getting Paid What You're Worth?
• Battling The Selfish Mom In Me
• Children: Blessing or Burden?
• Don't You Know What Causes That?
• Fostering Femininity In A Feminist World
• Gentleness
• Girls Shouldn't Be Highly Educated...
• God Will Make A Way
• Grace for Today
• Helping Our Children Choose Good Friends
• Helpmeet or Mother - Is There An Order Of Importance?
• How The Lord Hurt My Pride
• How To Be A Perfectly Miserable Mother
• If I Do Everything Right...
• Is Motherhood Getting In The Way Of Evangelism?
• It Took A Vasectomy
• Keeping A Growing Home | A Management Series for Moms
• Know Your Role!
• My Daily Schedule
• Natural Family Planning
• Now I Value Life
• Put Down The Phone And Be A Mom
• Serving Our Families - A Waste Of Intelligence?
• The Cost of Being A Stay-At-Home Mom
• Time-Saving Home Management Tips
• Triplets!
• Trying To Prevent Babies Or Trying To Conceive?
• "When Do I Take A Shower?" {And Other Questions I Never Thought I'd Be Asking Myself)
• When Mama is Forced To Work Outside The Home
• When Motherhood Feels Too Hard
• When Things Don't Do My Way
• You've Had How Many Cesareans?!

• 7 Ways for The Christian Family To Get Involved Politically
• 75 Book Recommendations for the Christian Family
• Before You Head To The Polls
• How America Can Win Her Freedom Back
• How Could Something So Awful Happen?
• For The Sake Of The Children... Or?
• Girls Shouldn't Be Highly Educated...
• Meek and Unapologetic?
• Pants or Skirts?
• Say It Like It Is
• Should Women Go Off To War?
• Why Would You Keep Having Children In Such A Scary World?

It's a well known fact that a child's ability to remember things is second to none. The capacity to soak up their influences is the motivating factor behind our government's resolve to get them into the classroom at an increasingly young age. Once they're out from underneath their parent's control, the state has a no-holds-barred approach to indoctrinating our children with immorality and socialistic propaganda. This explains why the 4-year-olds in our province are going to school and being taught to question their gender, and why books like Heather has Two Mommies is perfectly acceptable story-time material.

It wouldn't be so bad if it was truth and righteousness our government was so concerned about instilling into our children. But then, if it was really God's Word the government looked to as their moral compass, they probably wouldn't be so quick to snatch the future of the nation away from their parents as soon as possible. Proverbs 22:6 was written to Dads and Moms; it is our duty to train up our children in the way that they should go, not the state's.

This reason, coupled with the desire to see our children's salvation and a life-time of blessing from the Lord, ought to make Scripture memorization and biblical instruction fundamental to the everyday life of a Christian family (Psalm 119: 9-11; Deuteronomy 6: 6,7; 1 Peter 3:15). If our children learn to abide by God's principles and commandments concerning marriage, economics, and life in general, they will become the leaders in a society that is craving for morality, prosperity, and stability.

What we think are the basics of life (i.e. arriving to a job on time and sober) are becoming extinct in a culture that's lost its way. This give a distinct advantage to the child who has learned to abide by God's formula for a happy and peaceful life:

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates, day and night." Psalm 1:1,2"He who heeds the Word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he." Proverbs 16:20"... His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who has called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." 2 Peter 1: 3,4If we want to give our children a good life, we must give them God's Word. It is the key to salvation and the pattern for success. No amount of toys, allowance money, clothes, or candy can produce righteousness or an outstanding member of society. We cannot save our children; that is an act of God's grace alone. But we can hide God's Word in their hearts and take comfort in knowing that it will never return to Him void (Isaiah 55:11).

Answering "Why do you want to homeschool?" is difficult because it's a lifestyle not conducive to a one-sentence summary. We wanted a place to which we could direct inquisitive minds and remind ourselves of our vision when push comes to shove! Though we can't speak for everyone who homeschools, here's what we might say if you asked us why we want to.

"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." ~ Proverbs 29:18 1. We want to homeschool because the opportunities to disciple our children are great. Perhaps they are exceptionally misbehaved, but I find myself giving instruction and administering correction dozens, if not hundreds, of times every day. God has given this responsibility to parents (Proverbs 22:6; Proverbs 29:15; Colossians 3:21; Ephesians 6:4; Deuteronomy 6: 6-9; Proverbs 1: 8-9; Proverbs 19: 18), and we simply cannot be the ones training them up in the way that they should go if we are not with them.

We want to be able to stop in the middle of studying the human eyeball and praise the Lord for His glorious Creation; memorize Proverbs with our children and reference them when we struggle with cheerfulness, obedience, and diligence; sing Psalters at meal times; lay aside our bookwork to visit grandparents; converse with them about anything that's heavy on their hearts; and work to resolve issues as they arise instead of saving them for later.

2. We want to homeschool because we like being around our kids. Most days end by crawling into bed exhausted and emotionally spent, but I am also fulfilled and confident that there is nothing I'd rather be doing then interacting with my own children. On very bad days, it usually just takes a trip to the grocery store by myself to remind me that I really do enjoy the warmth of their giggles, incessant chatter, and questions about everything from how babies are made and what flies eat, to why I put bananas in our smoothie, and why we need four wheels on our van instead of three, more than the uncomfortable silence of being alone.

3. We want to homeschool because we want to integrate life with education. In the middle of the day, I want to teach math at the grocery store, figuring out the price per unit and assessing which brand is a better value; how to round numbers up and down to make easier calculations; how to estimate a bill's total and how to give correct change to the cashier; we want to take them to retirement homes so they can learn history from elderly men and women who are eager to tell someone their stories, and to the Creation Museum in the middle of the year with the whole family.

We want our son to have the time and freedom to cultivate an entrepreneurial spirit, if the Lord blesses him with one, and learn how to run a business; for our daughters, we envision them being able to efficiently and comfortably manage a home with joy. This comes with practice, and practice takes time. Time that we would be hard-pressed to find if they were away from home 8 hours a day.

4. We want them to learn about God's beautiful gift of sex from us and not the crude version from their peers; we want them to understand what the role husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, church members, and citizens of our country are by being part of a family that does things together rather than having a textbook tell them where their place is in society. We want them to know that family is the basic building block of society, not an artificial, individualistic, age-based structure.

5. We want to homeschool because we want our son to be able release his energy constructively. Most boys don't need the Ritalin they're prescribed; they just need alternatives to sitting quietly at a desk. If he is capable of reading better by hanging upside down from a tree branch, or memorizing spelling words while running laps, or getting excited about mathematical concepts by building a CNC router, then we want him to have at 'er.

6. We want to homeschool because there are hundreds of resources available that cater to the individual learning habits of our children. Each of our children are uniquely created by God; they have different strengths and weaknesses and are an eclectic mix of different learning styles. There is no one-size-fits-all curriculum that is equally advantageous and homeschooling allows us forgo "labeling" by using multiple methods simultaneously.

7. We want to homeschool because it's a proven method of education. Statistically speaking, homeschoolers fare well above average in every area of life from grades and social interaction to political involvement and preparedness for real life. Though numbers are not a deciding factor in our decision, we are encouraged to know that our children don't have to be jeopardized academically by staying home.

8. We want to homeschool so we can be good stewards of the resources God has given us. Because of where we live,the best Christian school in our area would involve over two hours of unproductive bus time everyday (public schools are not an option for us) and statistically speaking, homeschoolers spend an average of $500 per child each year compared to $9,963 per student by the government, yet their education is much more satisfactory in every measurable level.

9. We want to homeschool because we want our children to have the time to involve themselves in ministry. "We can't come/participate because Johnny has school tomorrow and Susie has homework," seems like a sorry reason to excuse ourselves from mowing an elderly couple's lawn, inviting neighbors for an evening tea, singing to someone in a nursing home, baby-sitting for a mother in an emergency, or praying with a young woman at a pregnancy crisis center who needs to know there's hope.

10. We want to homeschool because He who has called us is faithful. We can't even comprehend the grandeur of this task and we'd be lying if we said it never overwhelms us. But we have reason to step forward in faith because it is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed. His compassions fail not. They are new every morning and His faithfulness is great (Lamentations 3: 22,23). We couldn't survive a day of homeschooling in our own strength; we trust the Lord who called us to the momentous task of training up our children in the way that they should go (Proverbs 22:6) to provide us and our children everything we need for both life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).

Though there are 10,000 more reasons that make us passionate about our children's education and inspire us to keep writing and speaking about homeschooling, this is our own family's conviction, and not a method prescribed for everyone. The Lord convicts different people in different areas and no one but you is capable of answering "Why do you send your children to a Christian school, or public school, or homeschool?"

Do you have a vision for your children's education? How did you come to choose a particular method?

___________________________
Looking for more homeschool encouragement? Our brand new eBook, Homeschooling Day by Day is on sale this month for $2.00 (reg. $4.99)! It's 40 chapters of realism, practical advice, and plenty of grace from homeschooling Moms on every stage of the journey. You can read the Table of Contents here.

Homeschooling Day By Day: $4.99 $2.00 'til September 30! 40 Chapters (with Discussion Questions)
PDF Version:

KINDLE version:

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Linking to: Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Raising Arrows, Time Warp Wife, A Wise Woman.,Walking Redeemed, The Better Mom, The Modest Mom, A Mama's Story, We ARE That Family, Raising Mighty Arrows, Hearts For Home, Frugal Homeschool Family, Moms The Word, Hip Homeschool Moms, Trivium Tuesdays

Some of my fondest memories as a child were of summer vacations with our family. No matter how tight the budget (and with a large farming family, it was tight!), we always took a few days off from our regular routine in the middle of the year.

Sometimes we borrowed a trailer from friends and camped not a half-hour from home. Sometimes we tented in a provincial park. Four years in a row we cottaged at my Opa and Oma's resort up North.

We always come back refreshed and recharged after long nights of story-telling around the campfire, roasting marshmallows, early morning fishing off the dock, burying each other in the sand, and swimming across the lake. It bonded us closer together as a family and we excitedly looked forward to it every year.

Now that I'm married, we're carrying on the tradition with our own family and I have a whole new appreciation for the time and energy my Mom invested each year into our vacations! A summer holiday, especially with small children, requires a lot of work and preparation. There are plenty of ways however, to ensure that Mama enjoys some rest and relaxation too.

Here are 10 tips I learned from my Mom who's been camping with kids for 25 years!

1. Create a master checklist. Include everything from food to clothes and equipment. You may wish to incorporate multiple check boxes beside each item so you can reuse the list each year. Make mini check-lists for children who are old enough to read and be responsible for packing their own clothes.

2. Designate a "Camping Spot." In the weeks before hand, designate a room (or part of a room) in the house as "The Camping Station." Anything on the checklist that can be put together ahead of time can collect in that spot. Mark it off as you go.

3. Pack efficiently. This is especially important if your space is very limited. Camping with 3 kids ages 3 and under this year meant we had to take along many bulky items like strollers, a playpen, bassinet, and lawn chairs. We still had room to spare in our van by using stackable totes and diaper boxes for dry food and clothes, and large garbage bags for things that could be "squished" into awkward spots like blankets and towels.

4. Prepare your meals in advance. If you're hard-core camping (no electricity) this probably won't work. We rented a cottage this year that included an oven and fridge. I froze our dinners ahead of time in disposable foil pans. This made for quick and easy serving and clean-up! The ABC's of Freezer Cooking is worth a read if you plan on doing this.

5. Use paper everything. You're not going to win an eco-friendly awards for doing this, but if you want a real holiday from doing dishes, bring along paper cups and plates, plastic cutlery, and a large garbage bag. I thoroughly enjoyed a week off of dishes this year (and the kids loved having us be able to spend that extra time with them).

6. Prepare for bad weather. Bring along warm sweaters in case of cold and rain. Read-alouds and board games are great for days you're forced to stay inside.

7. Stick to your routine as much as possible. Children thrive on routine! Try your best to schedule meals, nap-times, and bed-time as you usually would for a family of happy campers.

8. Insist on small children wearing life-jackets. You don't want your vacation ending in tragedy! If you're going to be next to water, insist on young children wearing flotation devices any time they're outdoors. Two minutes of being distracted with something else is all it takes for a child to drown.

9. Use the "Treasure Chest" to keep long drives fun. Fill a container with fun finds from the Dollar Store and allow children to pick something new out of the Treasure Chest to play with every hour on long drives. Lap-sized Magna Doodles, snacks, plastic animals, and dinky cars are great hits! Audio books like Adventures in Odyssey, Jonathan Park and Farmer Boy (our choice this year) are great ways to keep older children occupied (and to be honest, Mom and Dad too!).
10. Keep your expectations low. Be determined to make the best of each situation, that way you won't be disappointed when it rains all week, the mosquitoes are vicious, you get a flat tire, and the kids don't sleep well at night. If the point of your holiday is to enjoy bonding time as a family, embrace the opportunities to display a selfless love towards them!

Do you enjoy vacationing with your family? What are some tips you've found helpful in making your time together as restful and relaxing as possible?

In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Growing Home. I humbly thank you for your support. Linking to: Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Raising Arrows, Time Warp Wife, Far Above Rubies, A Wise Woman.

New here? A warm welcome to you! Allow me to introduce myself and give you a whirlwind tour of Growing Home!

My name is Jacinda Vandenberg. I'm a 20-something Canadian girl who's happily married to the love of my life, Brad. We homeschool our three children, Charity, Judah, and Anna, and are passionate about home-based, parent-led, biblical family discipleship, mentorship, economics, and entrepreneurial endeavors, of which we have many!

I'm a second-generation homeschooler, passionate homemaker, lover of medium roast coffee, whole food novice, and deeply thankful for God's grace, without which I am nothing.

Growing Home is where we share a holistic approach to gospel-centered family building with the desire to encourage and engage our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Here you'll find our thoughts on everything from family life, biblical womanhood, homeschooling, whole food cooking, and natural remedies to preserving the homemaking arts and casting a vision for future generations.

We believe in the sufficiency of Scripture, and understand that it's not our work or methodology that saves us, but the perfect redemption bought and paid for by Jesus on the Cross when he died and rose again to satisfy God's justice on our behalf. To that end, we desire to live holy, holistically, and wholeheartedly for the glory of God.

A few popular posts around here include:

• 5 Things To Expect If You Homeschool
• Child Trophies
• Girls Shouldn't Be Highly Educated... (is something I've never said)
• How A Single-Income Family Can Afford A Whole-Food Diet
• How To Be A Perfectly Miserable Mother
• I am a Feminist (not really)

In my spare time (cough), I enjoy creating homeschooling and homemaking resources and eBooks such as the 1777 New England Primer Cursive and Alphabet Printable Sets, Growing Your Blog While Managing Your Home, Homeschooling Day by Day (a collaborative effort of 11 homeschooling Moms), and The Pursuit of Motherhood (another joint project involving 17 moms), and providing them to my readers as cheaply as possible.

If you'd like to connect in other ways, you can find Growing Home on Facebook, Google +, Twitter, Pinterest, and subscribe via email to receive updates each time new content is published.

We welcome your comments and questions as well, and will do our best to respond to them as soon as we can.

Thanks for dropping by! Join us again soon?
*** If you have a homemaking related product you'd like to give away on Growing Home, please vising our Advertising Page for more information.

Harry S. Truman said,
"Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers. "In a world of Sheeple who are content follow where the culture leads, a good Christian book is our favorite gift to give. They're relatively inexpensive, easy to wrap or mail, can be read again and again, and best of all, a good book can make an eternal impact on someone's life.

Books are the perfect gifts, and if you're on our list this Season... well, you know what to expect! Here's a list of 100 titles we've loved and recommend:

Motherhood

1. Large Family Logistics by Kim Brenneman

2. Passionate Housewives Desperate for God by Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald

3. Raising Godly Tomatoes by L. Elizabeth Krueger

4. Parenting On God's Promises by Joel Beeke

5. Loving the Little Years by Rachel Jankovic

6. The Mother At Home by John S.C. Abbott

7. A Mother's Heart by Jean Flemming

8. Be Fruitful and Multiply by Nancy Campbell

9. A Full Quiver by Rick and Jan Hess

10. Fit To Burst by Rachel Jankovic

11. The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson

12. Proverbs for Parenting by Barbara Decker

13. Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney

14. Desperate by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson
Homemaking

1. Large Family Logistics by Kim Brenneman

2. The Hidden Heart of Homemaking by Edith Schaffer

3. The Christian Homemaker's Handbook by Pat Ennis

4. From Mother to Daughter by Vivienne Bolton

5. Homespun Gifts from the Heart by Karen Ehman

6. Homespun Memories from the Heart by Karen Ehman

7. Mrs. Dunwoodey's Excellent Instructions for Homekeeping by Miriam Lukken

8. Home Ec 101 by Heather Solos

9. How To Sew A Button by Erin Bried

10. Home Economics: Vintage Advice and Practical Science for the 21st Century by Jennifer Trontz
Education

1. Upgrade | 10 Secrets To The Best Education For Your Child by Kevin Swanson

2. Teaching the Trivium by Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn

3. When You Rise Up by R. C. Sproul Jr.

4. Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto

5. Weapons of Mass Instruction by John Taylor Gatto

6. Indoctrination by Colin Gunn

7. The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer

8. Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe by Todd Wilson

9. Educating The Whole-Hearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarkson

10. Hand That Rocks The Cradle: 400 Classics for Children by Nathaniel Bluedorn

Culture

1. The Second Mayflower by Kevin Swanson

2. Folks, This Ain't Normal by Joel Salatin

3. Apostate by Kevin Swanson

Finances/Economics

1. Biblical Economics by R. C. Sproul Jr.

2. Whatever Happened to Penny Candy by Richard Maybury

3. The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn

4. Calvin and Commerce by David Hall

Marriage/Family
1. When Sinners Say "I do" by Dave Harvey

2. What Did You Expect? by Paul David Tripp

3. The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace

4. Reforming Marriage by Douglas Wilson

5. Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham

6. Family Shepherds by Voddie Baucham

7. What He Must Be by Voddie Baucham

8. I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris

9. Of Knights and Fair Maidens by Jeff and Danielle Myers

Food / Health
1. Trim Healthy Mama by Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison

2. Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

3. Making Babies by Shoshanna Easling

Boys

1. Bringing Up Boys by Dr. James Dobson

2. Created to Work by Bob Schultz

3. Future Men by Douglas Wilson

4. Boyhood and Beyond by Bob Schultz

5. Plants Grown Up by Pam Forster

6. Practical Happiness by Bob Schultz

7. Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris
Single Daughters
1. So Much More by Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin

2. It's Not That Complicated by Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin

3. Joyfully At Home by Jasmine Baucham

4. Feminine By Design by Scott Brown

5. Beautiful Girlhood by Karen Andreola

6. Let Me Be A Woman by Elisabeth Elliott

Novels/Biographies

1. End Of The Spear by Steve Saint

2. Safely Home by Randy Alcorn

3. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

4. Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss

5. Lord Foulgrin's Letters by Randy Alcorn

6. Deadline by Randy Alcorn

7. Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan

Children (Read-A-Louds)

1. Wisdom and the Millers by Mildred Martin

2. Storytime with the Millers by Mildred Martin

3. Missionary Stories with the Millers by Mildred Martin

4. The Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder

5. The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit

6. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

7. The Christopher Churchmouse Treasury by Barbara Davoll

8. The Bronze Bow by Elisabeth George Speare

9. The Door In The Wall by Margaret De Angeli

10. The Tanglewood's Secret by Patricia St. John

11. Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John

12. Huguenot Garden by Douglas Jones

13. The Minstrel in The Tower by Gloria Skurzynski

14. The Hawk That Dare Not Hunt by Day by Scott O'Dell

15. Ink On His Fingers by Louise Vernon

16. The Answers Books for Kids by Ken Ham

17. The Way of the Master: Teaching Kids to Share Their Faith by Kirk Cameron
Christian Living/Spiritual Growth

1. The Bible

2. Calvin's Commentaries by John Calvin

3. The Christian's Reasonable Service by Wilhemus Brakel

4. Running Scared by Ed Welch

5. War of Words by Paul Tripp

6. Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges

7. Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper

8. Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

9. The Answers Book by Ken Ham

10. Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible by Matthew Henry

If you enjoyed this post, you may wish to follow Growing Home for updates via Google Friend Connect, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, or have them emailed directly to your inbox. This post contains affiliate links. Linking to: Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Raising Arrows, A Wise Woman.,Walking Redeemed,, The Modest Mom, A Mama's Story, We ARE That Family, Raising Mighty Arrows, Hearts For Home, Frugal Homeschool Family Time Warp Wife

Recently I was asked a question I had heard many times before: "How do you get everything done in a day when you have three small children and a blog? I only have one child and I can't even keep up!"

Truthfully, I don't get it all done in a day and I often feel way behind on everything. I can't remember when each room in our house was tidy at the same time or the last time I had all the laundry caught up.

That's why I want to do this reality series, because if keeping a home entails a perfectly tidy house, an organized linen closet, well-behaved, homeschooled children, and an empty laundry basket, I fear we're all doomed. It must be something more.

Yes, more!

Gloriously managing a home does not mean the laundry is always caught up, the towels are straight, and the kitchen counter is clear of clutter. It means rolling with the punches, giving yourself grace, determining to make the most of every opportunity to love and serve your family, and pleading God's promises, understanding that there is nothing more important as a wife and mother than your place in the home and the powerful influence you wield in your family.

Becoming an excellent homemaker is a growing process, not an overnight change. Life happens. When I've spent three nights in a row cleaning up after sick family members and cannot see beyond the mountain of laundry or dirty dishes in the sink, I must remember that God knew I would be facing this situation when He called me to be a Keeper of the Home and will see me through it if I choose to place it in His hands.

Our house was messier when we only had one child. I wondered how in the world I could handle more of them, homeschool, and keep our home running smoothly. God faithfully gives grace every day and always enough time for the necessary things to get accomplished. It's up to me how to learn to prioritize and manage it effectively.

Care for our children's souls must always trump cleaning floors and decorating drywall; our house will be rubble one day, but their hearts are eternal. Some days that means all we do is read books and take a walk to the park. Some days it can mean making three healthy meals plus extras for the freezer, accomplishing two days worth of school work, folding four baskets of wash, taking the kids to swimming lessons, and getting the bathroom deep cleaned.

The longer we're married and the more children we have, the more tools God gives to help me become better at this task. In this series, I hope to:

• share my favorite time-management tricks,
• share how I prioritize my list of things that "need" to get done
• homemaking stuff I don't do,
• recommend a list of invaluable resources,
• share my personal schedule,
• share real pictures of it all in action at our house.

Part 1: Keeping A Growing Home | A Management Series for Moms Part 2: Keeping A Growing Home | Know Your Role! Part 3: Keeping A Growing Home | Making Priorities & 15 Good Things I Don't Do Part 4: Keeping A Growing Home | Time-Saving Home Management Tips Part 5: Keeping A Growing Home | My Daily Schedule

If you enjoyed this post, you may wish to follow Growing Home for updates via Google Friend Connect, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, or have them emailed directly to your inbox.
Linking to: Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Raising Arrows, Time Warp Wife, A Wise Woman.,Walking Redeemed, The Better Mom, The Modest Mom, A Mama's Story, We ARE That Family, Raising Mighty Arrows, Hearts For Home, Frugal Homeschool Family, Moms The Word, Hip Homeschool Moms, Trivium Tuesdays, The Prairie Homestead

Recently, a sweet young mother emailed me for encouragement, as she and her husband are in the early stages of trusting God for the number of children in their family. This precious young mom has three little children, very close together, and is already receiving an abundance of negative feedback about her "large family." Unfortunately, most of the comments are from family and friends.

We live in an era when children are definitely thought of as a Burden, rather than a Blessing, and couples who dare to have more than two of these "hindrances" are considered to be ignorant, foolish, and totally out of touch with reality. Our society considers children to be inconvenient, a nuisance, unruly, expensive, dispensable, and a threat to an already over-populated world.

Frequently, even as Christians, we have the same view as the secular world around us. We no longer realize the value of a child. We've been indoctrinated into believing that the world is over-populated. In additon, our own experience seems to validate the fact that children aresometimes inconvenient, irritating, expensive, unruly and annoying!

However, the Bible teaches that children are a Blessing and a Reward! That means, it is our duty to adjust our thinking to align with what the Scripture says, not to reinterpret Scripture to match what the world says.
"Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward." Psalm 127:3.Why don't we view children as a Blessing?

The main problem is that we look at children from a temporal, earthly perspective. It is easy to see that children cost us money (sometimes lots of it!), get sick at the most inconvenient times, embarrass us in front of our friends, arrive in this world with their nights and days mixed up (and often revert to those primitive behaviors in their teen years!), and require years of education, training and sacrifice. So, how is that a blessing again? ;)

The key to understanding the blessing of children is to develop an eternal, spiritual perspective. God sees children as as blessing because they advance His kingdom. The Psalmist compares children to arrows in the hand of a warrior. Scripture teaches that we are in a spiritual battle, and our children are our weapons, who will one day wage war against the enemy and his strongholds.
"As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." Psalm 127:4-5A second reason that children are a blessing is that they force us to grow up and to develop character. It is a baby that causes a carefree girl to become a caring, nurturing woman and an irresponsible lad to be transformed into a dependable man. Not that this metamorphosis is automatic or guaranteed, but being entrusted with the care and destiny of a living soul is such a sobering responsibility that many have been transformed by it. Also, we are so prone to self-centeredness, and it is our children that cause us to get over ourselves and to learn the blessing of self-sacrifice. As one mother of a large family confided to me many years ago, "With the birth of each new baby, I die to myself a little bit more."

And of course, children are a blessing to us just because they bring us pleasure, joy, and even entertainment! We enjoy their cute antics and clever little sayings and take much pride in their accomplishments. We enjoy being with them and doing things to bless them. We even take pleasure in the special way they say, Mommy or Daddy! If we will look a little deeper, we will see that this pictures the relationship that our Heavenly Father desires to have with us. He enjoys spending time with us, in giving us good gifts (Matthew 7:11), and He loves to hear us cry out to Him, saying Abba Father!

Why don't we want more of them?

A wise man once said: "The Bible calls debt a curse and children a blessing; but in our culture, we apply for a curse and reject blessings. Something is wrong with this picture." When we begin to see children the way Jesus sees them, we will desire more of His blessings in the form of children. Matthew 18:5 says, "And whoever receives and accepts and welcomes one little child like this for My sake and in My Name receives and accepts and welcomes Me." (Amplified version). Not that it will always be easy, or joyful, or pain free. Sometimes there is sacrifice in obedience, and tears mingled with joy as we walk a path of faith.

Back to the young mother I was corresponding with. She was worried about family members that were already upset about the number of children they had and would not welcome the news of another pregnancy. I encouraged this young mother not to worry about pleasing her family, but to just worry about pleasing God.

With this advice, I was transported back about 21 years when we announced that we were expecting our third child. I remember my mother-in-law being so distraught over the news. She just couldn't believe that we were going to have three children! Remembering how horrified she was at the thought of three grandchildren, I dreaded telling her about number four, and five... and well, I guess she got used to the announcements by the time we got down to number ten!

But, this is what I really want to share in this post. Those same babies that my dear mother-in-law was so unhappy to learn I was expecting, were the very ones who drove her to the store, to the bank, to the pharmacy, to doctor appointments and hair appointments these last years. They also mowed her lawn, planted flowers, killed various pests for her (including setting mouse traps and catching and disposing of mice!), hung pictures for her, mopped her floors, helped her up when she fell... and even discovered her when she had breathed her last. And those babies that came on down the line, they were the ones who ministered cheer to her daily with their irresistibly cute antics, their childish stories, and their unconditional love. They may have seemed like a burden to her in the beginning, but they were a blessing to her in the end!

The world sees children as a burden.... God sees children as a blessing to help share the burdens of life!
______________________________________________________

Elizabeth is married to her wonderful husband Allan and a very busy mom of 10 children -- 6 sons and 4 daughters. She has been homeschooling since 1990 and am on the downward slide with just five children and twelve years to go! They are currently enjoying the delights of coastal living, while learning to deal with the challenges (sand gnats!). You can find her blogging at Yes, They're All Ours.

When a child is first born, he enters the world with an amazing curiosity, given to him by his Creator, that enables him to learn what he needs to learn. He is curious about everything, even before he is able to express it. From the instant he is born, his brain has already begun to process language, sights, sounds–the whole universe. He is heavily engaged in a living education.

He continues learning, driven by his insatiable curiosity, all through his toddler years. His parents, if they are involved much in his life, are his teachers. Educated or not, they talk to him, explain things to him, answer questions for him, take him places, expose him to different experiences–they teach him every minute of the day. His environment is his teacher. His experiences are his teachers. Everything around him is his teacher.
Then, about the age of 5, they tell him, “you’re going to go to school so you can learn”. The confusing message begins right there…this child has already learned more in his 5 years than he will learn for the rest of his life! He is removed from a living, breathing environment where he can touch, see, hear and taste everything at his own pace and interest, and is plopped down in a confining room with a bunch of other kids. They are definitely taught…taught to be quiet when they have questions, taught to stand in a straight line outside the bathroom (because that’s a very important life skill), taught to work faster or slow down, depending on what everyone else around him is doing, and the list goes on.
All the while, he is being conditioned to think that his teacher is the only one in his life who has anything intelligent to impart; that “school=learning”, and that learning starts at 8 and is over at 3. Education has taken on a different meaning.
Worse yet, as he gets older, it becomes fashionable to dislike school, therefore disliking learning. Not all kids adopt this loathing of learning, but it is typical.
Still worse, these older children, being forced to conform to the average curriculum, work at an average pace, and study the average subjects, are robbed of the ability to indulge their natural gifts, talents and bents. Many would-be, brilliant entrepreneurs are drugged and labeled.

“If the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, by the way, how can we presume that a child can learn anything in the public school system which is absolutely devoid of God?”
Some kids do thrive in a classroom setting, I’m not saying they don’t. But so many children have lost tremendous potential in their own areas of expertise because they were forced into a mold they didn’t fit. And while there are some very basic concepts that everyone should learn, those concepts are not learned the same way by everyone. Reading, math and communication–in my opinion the bedrock of a good education, will either be a delight to the student, or a misery, depending upon that student and the way the subjects are presented to him.
Inspire him to love to learn–that is the pivotal point of all his learning experiences to follow. How is a person educated? By following their God-given curiosity and love of discovering things. It’s when that natural love is squelched that we lose the real potential for education. Does it take a certified teacher to teach? Absolutely not. It takes nothing more than the ability to lead a child to answers…period.

• Can I take my child to the library? Can we read together? Then I can teach, and I can teach well.
• Can we discuss things?
• Can we find the answer to questions that come up?
• Can we visit other people with expertise in different areas of subject?
• Can we ask someone who knows what I don’t know?
• Can we take a trip?
• Can we go to a museum?
• Can we learn how to think about the experiences around us?
• Can we learn how to communicate well?
• Can we study God’s Word, which the beginning of all knowledge?

Books

Motherhood

• Large Family Logistics by Kim Brenneman
• Passionate Housewives Desperate for God by Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald
• Raising Godly Tomatoes by L. Elizabeth Krueger
• Parenting On God's Promises by Joel Beeke
• Loving the Little Years by Rachel Jankovic
• The Mother At Home by John S.C. Abbott
• A Mother's Heart by Jean Flemming
• Be Fruitful and Multiply by Nancy Campbell
• A Full Quiver by Rick and Jan Hess
• Fit To Burst by Rachel Jankovic
• The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson
• Proverbs for Parenting by Barbara Decker
• Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney
• Desperate by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson
• When Motherhood Feels Too Hard by Kelly Crawford

• Large Family Logistics by Kim Brenneman
• The Hidden Heart of Homemaking by Edith Schaffer
• The Christian Homemaker's Handbook by Pat Ennis
• From Mother to Daughter by Vivienne Bolton
• Homespun Gifts from the Heart by Karen Ehman
• Homespun Memories from the Heart by Karen Ehman
• Mrs. Dunwoodey's Excellent Instructions for Homekeeping by Miriam Lukken
• Home Ec 101 by Heather Solos
• How To Sew A Button by Erin Bried
• Home Economics: Vintage Advice and Practical Science for the 21st Century by Jennifer Trontz

• Upgrade | 10 Secrets To The Best Education For Your Child by Kevin Swanson
• Teaching the Trivium by Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn
• When You Rise Up by R. C. Sproul Jr.
• Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto
• Weapons of Mass Instruction by John Taylor Gatto
• Indoctrination by Colin Gunn
• The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer
• Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe by Todd Wilson
• Educating The Whole-Hearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarkson
• Hand That Rocks The Cradle: 400 Classics for Children by Nathaniel Bluedorn
• Chucking College by Melanie Ellison

• The Second Mayflower by Kevin Swanson
• Folks, This Ain't Normal by Joel Salatin
• Apostate by Kevin Swanson

• Biblical Economics by R. C. Sproul Jr.
• Whatever Happened to Penny Candy by Richard Maybury
• The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn
• Calvin and Commerce by David Hall

• When Sinners Say "I do" by Dave Harvey
• What Did You Expect? by Paul David Tripp
• The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace
• Reforming Marriage by Douglas Wilson
• Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham
• Family Shepherds by Voddie Baucham
• What He Must Be by Voddie Baucham
• I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris
• Of Knights and Fair Maidens by Jeff and Danielle Myers

• Trim Healthy Mama by Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison
• Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
• Making Babies by Shoshanna Easling

• Bringing Up Boys by Dr. James Dobson
• Created to Work by Bob Schultz
• Future Men by Douglas Wilson
• Boyhood and Beyond by Bob Schultz
• Plants Grown Up by Pam Forster
• Practical Happiness by Bob Schultz
• Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris

• So Much More by Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin
• It's Not That Complicated by Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin
• Joyfully At Home by Jasmine Baucham
• Feminine By Design by Scott Brown
• Beautiful Girlhood by Karen Andreola
• Let Me Be A Woman by Elisabeth Elliott

• End Of The Spear by Steve Saint
• Safely Home by Randy Alcorn
• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
• Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss
• Lord Foulgrin's Letters by Randy Alcorn
• Deadline by Randy Alcorn
• Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan

• Wisdom and the Millers by Mildred Martin
• Storytime with the Millers by Mildred Martin
• Missionary Stories with the Millers by Mildred Martin
• The Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• The Christopher Churchmouse Treasury by Barbara Davoll
• The Bronze Bow by Elisabeth George Speare
• The Door In The Wall by Margaret De Angeli
• The Tanglewood's Secret by Patricia St. John
• Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John
• Huguenot Garden by Douglas Jones
• The Minstrel in The Tower by Gloria Skurzynski
• The Hawk That Dare Not Hunt by Day by Scott O'Dell
• Ink On His Fingers by Louise Vernon
• The Answers Books for Kids by Ken Ham
• The Way of the Master: Teaching Kids to Share Their Faith by Kirk Cameron

• The Bible
• Calvin's Commentaries by John Calvin
• The Christian's Reasonable Service by Wilhemus Brakel
• Running Scared by Ed Welch
• War of Words by Paul Tripp
• Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges
• Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper
• Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
• The Answers Book by Ken Ham
• Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible by Matthew Henry

• Homeschooling Day By Day co-authored by yours truly
• The Pursuit of Motherhood co-authored by yours truly
• More Than Rules | Exploring the Heart of Beauty and Modesty by Bambi Moore (read my endorsement)
• Overwhelmed: Hope and Help for the Financially Weary by multiple authors (read my review)
• The Heart Of Simplicity by multiple authors (eBook)
• Trim Healthy Mama (Read my review)
• True Christian Motherhood by June Fuentes (eBook)
• When Motherhood Feels Too Hard by Kelly Crawford (Read my review)
• 31 Days To Clean | Having a Mary House the Martha Way by Sarah Mae

• Answers In Genesis
• Creation Ministries International
• JM Cremps | The Boys Adventure Store

• Deborah & Co. (Read my Maternity Skirt Review)
• Flirty Aprons
• Joyfully Sewn Designs (Read my review of our daughter's dress)
• New Creation Apparel
• Shabby Apple
• Very Jane

• Beeyoutiful (Their Miracle Salve is our favorite hand cream!)
• Bulk Herb Store
• Cowgirl Dirt (natural make-up)

You're a stay-at-home Mom.
You treasure the privilege of being able to raise your own children and manage your home, but sometimes you wonder if there's something you could do to contribute to the family income. Something that has the potential to earn a full-time wage without a huge start-up cost or sacrificing hours away from the first responsibilities God gave you.
You love to write and crave an outlet to express yourself while making a positive impact in someone else's life. You're passionate about a particular subject and desire to explore it deeper so you can minister to others, learn, and interact with a community of like-minded women.
If any of these sentiments resonate with you, you need to start a blog , and my brand new eBook, Growing Your Blog While Managing Your Home | The Ultimate Guide For Christian Mommy Bloggers will show you how to do just that.

Growing Your Blog While Managing Your Home The Ultimate Guide For Christian Mommy Bloggers by Jacinda Vandenberg
PDF version

KINDLE version

Since the first edition of this eBook in 2012, Growing Home has grown ten times in size and now generates a five figure income annually. I’ve encountered many new challenges and opportunities not included in the original version and decided it was time to re-write it all.
I started Growing Home with the purpose of encouraging Christian wives, mothers, and homemakers in their noble calling. More recently, homeschooling has been added to the queue since we officially started home educating our oldest child last year.
Writing has always been a favorite pastime of mine and I loved the idea of interacting with like-minded women all across the globe. I began as every blogger does: with one reader, one Facebook fan, one Pinterest follower who pinned my posts.
A few years later, with God’s extraordinary blessing in spite of myself and an exceptionally supportive, tight-knit blogging network, at the time of this writing, Growing Home is a community of 30,000 readers and is a significant contributor to our family income.

Growing Your Blog While Managing Your Home The Ultimate Guide For Christian Mommy Bloggers by Jacinda Vandenberg $7.99
PDF version

KINDLE version

I have nothing to boast about. I couldn’t have imagined it this way, not in my wildest dreams! This is solely the result of the Lord’s blessing on the tools He has given me. He’s responsible for it all and He gets the glory!
The goal of this eBook is to share with you the same principles and techniques that God has used to grow Growing Home, both as a ministry tool and a means of income for our family without taking me away from my first responsibilities as a wife and mother.
What Other People Are Saying: "Jacinda Vandenberg's book is fantastic. Everyone is going to want to read it, even if you already know how to blog and manage your home. Coming soon to a theater near you. Very soon, in fact. January 13th. Don't get popcorn grease on your Kindle." ~ Melinda Martin, Professional Blogger and Virtual Assistant. I hope you find in these pages:

• a vision for purposeful blogging,
• helpful tips to manage both your home and your online presence,
• valuable information that will help supplement your family's income.

Growing Your Blog While Managing Your Home The Ultimate Guide For Christian Mommy Bloggers by Jacinda Vandenberg $7.99 PDF version

KINDLE version

Table of Contents
Introduction Part 1 | Creating a Vision and Maintaining A Schedule
To Blog Or Not To Blog? That Is The Question
Setting Priorities
Time-Saving Home Management Tips
This Is My Schedule, And I’m Sticking To It
Efficiently Managing Your Time Online Part 2 | Content and Design Content Is King

• Originality
• Brevity
• Titles
• Engagement
• Readability
• Hyperlinks
• Photos
• Character
• Professionalism
• Inspiration
• Understanding

• Platform
• Simplicity
• Branding
• Color
• Fancy Fonts
• Whitespace
• Centered Gadgets
• Placement
• Comments
• Image Use
• Navigation
• Call to action
• Browsers
• Recommended Blog Designers

• How to Grow Your Blog
• Link Parties
• Commenting
• Following
• Guest Posting
• Facebook
• Pinterest
• Google+
• Twitter
• Email Subscriptions
• Community
• Giveaways
• Posting Frequency
• Advertising

• Make Money as a Seller
• Make Money as an Affiliate

• Deciding Your Options and Setting Your Rates
• Do’s
• Don’ts

• Dealing With The Nay-Sayers
• What To Do When Someone Steals Your Content
• Legal Stuff
• Affiliate Links
• Comment Policies
• Copyrights
• Disclosures
• Disclaimers
• Taxes

Growing Your Blog While Managing Your Home The Ultimate Guide For Christian Mommy Bloggers by Jacinda Vandenberg $7.99 PDF version

KINDLE version

Praise for Growing Your Blog While Managing Your Home:
"One of the most important things that caught my attention in this book is that, she admits, she doesn’t try to do it all. Oh, how I loved this! Finally someone who was real about what actually happens during their day." ~ Shari A. Miller"Growing Your Blog is a worthwhile read if you’ve ever felt like your blogging was taking over your life, whether you are seriously considering monetizing or not. There’ve been many times over the past few months that I’ve felt maybe I just need to quit…after reading this book, I know I just need a better plan. My priorities have been out of whack. I knew it, but I needed a “blueprint” for turning them around." ~ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds"Growing Your Blog While Managing Your Home offers a great vision of keeping your focus where it should be, without having letting go of your goal to grow your blog." ~ A Diligent Heart"If your dishes have been known to pile high while you aim to type one more blog post, then this ebook is for you... Priorities. Priorities. Priorities. Come on a journey as she shares her own story, schedules, and tips for Growing Your Blog While Managing Your Home. You will be encouraged and inspired by her beautiful simplicity." ~ The Homeschool Village"Growing Your Blog While Managing Your Home is going to be a resource I turn to time and again. I am thankful to not have to use Google to find answers to my blogging questions anymore!" ~ Thankful Homemaker"Jacinda’s book is a great introduction to the how-to’s of blogging for business. It’s refreshing to read a take that is from a decidedly Christian viewpoint. I found the details for advertising, ebooks, and affiliates especially helpful. She is very transparent and shares her own advertising and reviewing rates, which is also very helpful." ~ The Sunny Patch"{Jacinda}gives a ton of information of how to blog while balancing home life helping women to keep a wise balance and does it from a Christian perspective. This is hard to find and why I recommend it." ~ A Wise Woman Builds Her Home"What kind of blogger are you, or do you want to become? If you merely blog for the sake of keeping a family journal then this eBook probably won’t benefit you. But, if you want to step it up a notch then it’s definitely for you!" ~ Raising Mighty Arrows
***A special thank-you to my dear husband for proofreading the manuscript, Lindsey and Richele from Crisp Apple for their tremendous job on the design, and Melinda from Helply Helper VA Services for the many late nights and early mornings she spent editing and formatting my mess into something that looks professional!

... is something I've never said, nor believe, but often assumed about me because I advocate homemaking and the role of a stay-at-home mom.

I regularly receive emails and comments from people who are concerned I'm propagating the idea that girls need just enough schooling to get by as a wife and mother. Combine that false assumption with my real disappointment in secular colleges and the effect they have on women, and you'd think I was lobbying for discriminatory practices against my own kind.

I get letters everyday from earnest, sincere, highly-educated Moms that go like this:
"I feel so overwhelmed! Do you have any tips on how to stay on top of everything? My house always looks like a disaster and I just can't seem to figure out a schedule... ""What do you do when your husband wants to start a new business? I'm nervous about the idea and there's tension in our marriage. I know he's supposed to be the leader and I'm supposed to be submissive, how do you deal with this kind of situation?" "Do you have any healthy snack ideas for toddlers? I'm not really handy in the kitchen, but I know sugar isn't good for them so I'm wondering if you have any recommendations... "I'm always surprised to discover these questions typically come from college graduates; teachers, nurses, and others turned homemakers. They have exchanged their diploma for their MRS degree, believing (as I do) that the most important place for a mother is in the home. In the face of cultural opposition, they see the value of a homemaker and understand her importance in light of Scripture.

But they feel lost and overwhelmed. They anticipated this was a role they could just "slip into" when the time came, but now that it's here, they wonder why they invested all those years and all that money into a degree that feels useless.

Why did no one ever encourage them to study how to be a good wife and mother? Isn't it supposed to come naturally? If homemaking doesn't take much thought or foresight, then why this feeling of being caught off guard? How can the most difficult thing they've ever signed up for require no intentional study or preparation? Why don't they offer homemaking degrees? There's a lifetime of material to study here!

What does submission look like? If my husband does something I don't agree with, how do I make an appeal? What system should I use to stay on top of the laundry? How do I decide what's the best method of education for my child? My husband loves steak and potatoes, but I've never grilled before. How do I know when the meat is done?

Our culture tells our girls they need to pursue a degree so they can be independent, and be able to provide for themselves (neither of which are biblical concepts). "Not everyone gets married," they warn, "and not everyone is able to have children."

We encourage them to pour their energies into one career, instead of recommending they study them all. We prepare them for singleness instead of God's normative plan for women: to be wives (love their husbands), mothers (love their children), and homemakers (keepers at home... that the word of God be not blasphemed. Titus 2:3).

Then, they find themselves married. They want to be godly wives but after years and years of being trained to think as an independent rather than a co-dependent, they don't know how. They have children, but not a clue how to raise them. They have a home to manage, but are lost in the logistics of it all.

Homemaking quickly becomes burdensome and frustrating. This "mindless" occupation feminism tried to protect them from is more challenging than they thought. Contrary to popular ideology, it takes a great deal of intelligence and gumption to be a glorious homemaker (see video below for a 2.5-minute look into a stay-at-home Mom's typical day).

3 Queens from Matt Bieler on Vimeo.

How many unhappy marriages, broken homes, miserable, desperate wives, and rebellious children will it take before we admit that intentionally preparing our daughter to be keepers of the home is not just "a nice idea," but a necessary one? Harvey Bluedorn in Teaching the Trivium writes,
"We cannot prepare for all future possibilities. There is only so much time in the day. How is a young woman's best time spent? Should we spend much time preparing for the possibility that she will die in an automobile accident? Obviously not... The independent career woman should neither be the ideal or the norm. Emergencies may require that a woman take on tasks which should ordinarily be considered a man's calling, but a good education and training in all of the skills of a normal family will prepare a woman for almost any emergency. On the other hand, if we prepare our daughters to marry - to have a submissive spirit, to care for others, and rule their homes - then will we be surprised if they become loving wives and mothers with orderly and peaceful homes? Should our daughters never marry, what harm will come from having learned to have a submissive spirit, to care for others, and to rule their homes. Rather how much more good would come!" Chapter 15, pg. 438 (emphasis mine)Should a girl be highly educated?

Yes, yes, YES!

Let her study the culinary arts so she can grill a fine steak and bake a mean loaf of bread for her family.

Let her pursue reading, writing, and rhetoric so she can teach her children with confidence and excellence.

Let her learn all she can about medicine and herbs and vaccines so she can make informed decision regarding her family's healthcare.

Let her study child development and parenting techniques.

Let her explore birthing methods and midwifery so she can deliver her babies without fear.

Let her learn accounting so she can manage the books and balance the budget.

If she learns all these things well, she'll enter motherhood well prepared, and if she never marries, she'll have more than enough tools in her box to "make it on her own."

A godly keeper of the home is vital to a healthy family, which is the fundamental building block in every society. Without strong families, everything falls apart. If we truly want to start reforming our culture, we have to:

• Stop telling our girls that the purpose of their education is their future career
• Stop assuming they'll be the exception to God's normative call for women (Titus 2:3-5; Proverbs 31; Genesis 3:16 )
• Stop insisting that they should be able to provide for themselves (1 Peter 3:7; 1 Timothy 2:13; Ephesians 5:23; 1 Timothy 5:1-16)
• Stop encouraging them to further their studies in places that detract from the end goal
• Stop belittling girls who choose to further their education from home under the protection of their Dads
• Stop putting so much faith in degrees over real life skills and experience.
• Stop saying things like:

"It's nice that you want to be a Mom, but it's just not realistic. Nowadays you need a degree is you want to be able to provide for yourself (which is not necessarily true)."

"It's so cute she wants to be a Mom. That'll change soon enough when she realizes how much work it takes!"

Imagine if virtuous wives weren't so hard to find! Boys would have to be men, and our culture, by God's grace, would be transformed from a familial wasteland where feminism runs amok, to a landscape of beautiful marriages and healthy homes that picture the love between Christ and His Bride.

It's never too early to start preparing our daughters for the glorious future God has in store for them! Currently, we're using The ABC's of Godly Girls Bible Curriculum by Lindsey Stromberg, designed for girls aged 4-11. You can read my full review here.

If you enjoyed this post, you may wish to follow Growing Home for updates via Google Friend Connect, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, or have them emailed directly to your inbox. Linking to: Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Raising Arrows, A Wise Woman.,Walking Redeemed,, The Modest Mom, A Mama's Story, We ARE That Family, Raising Mighty Arrows, Hearts For Home, Frugal Homeschool Family Time Warp Wife

I debated whether or not to include my personal schedule as part of the Keeping A Growing Home Series because really, it probably won't work for anyone else; our circumstances aren't the same. However, several women who are contemplating homeschooling have written and asked to see how it can actually fit into their day in addition to managing the rest of their homemaking responsibilities. I have chosen to include it for the sole purpose of assuring those who sincerely wonder that it can be done.

Below is a summary of a very good day at our house. It often looks nothing like this. Kids get sick or wake up on the "wrong side of the bed" and need more training and correction on some days than others. Interruptions happen. Sometimes it's little stuff like a blender explosion that takes me 30 minutes to mop up. Sometimes it's a bigger deal like the 20 week bed-rest of my last pregnancy.
Schedules and routines are designed to serve you, not the other way around. Learn to be flexible and roll with the punches. It's good to have a vision (Proverbs 29:18) and be intentional about your day, but remember: "A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth His steps." Proverbs 16:9God often allows disruptions to teach us life lessons, bring blessings in disguise, remind us of our dependence on Him, and equip us with grace to overcome obstacles greater then our own strength could bear so that His name is ultimately glorified.
If supper doesn't get made, there's a pizzeria down the street; if school doesn't get done, there's always tomorrow; if the laundry doesn't get folded, we can live in wrinkly clothes for a week and no one will care; if I don't write a blog post, there are hundreds of thousands of other ones on the web for people to read.
If I develop a stinky attitude over a few interruptions and storm around miserably because I haven't gotten my way, the whole family suffers and I've just made keeping a growing home appear to be the worst trial a woman can endure.
This is not what I want for my daughters. It's not what I want for you.
So please don't take my schedule too seriously. :) My Daily Schedule 6:30-7:15: wake-up, personal devotions, get dressed, nurse Anna while checking emails. Flag any messages that need a reply.
7:15-7:30: write, schedule or publish blog posts, schedule Facebook and Twitter updates (I can pre-schedule updates on Facebook which are synced to my Twitter account)
7:30-8:15: wake kids up, change diapers, get dressed, have breakfast (smoothie).
8:15-8:40: Bible Time

• Bible Story
• Sing A Psalter
• Recite memory verse
• Pray

• Charity (4) works in her Rod & Staff textbooks at the kitchen table
• Judah (2) plays in the kitchen sink (I fill it up part way with water and give him a few toys) or colors a picture
• Anna (7 months) bounces in the exersaucer
• I start supper prep when Charity has independent work to do

• playtime
• I might throw a load of laundry in the washer and check my emails

• Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons with Charity on the couch
• Judah usually like to sit beside us and sound out the blends too
• Anna goes down for her morning nap

• Read from our weekly selection of books we borrowed from the library or do a craft that involves both kids

• kids play outside in the sandbox
• I throw laundry in the dryer, clean up kitchen, or start working on an odd project like switching out the winter/summer clothes or organizing the pantry

• Charity is allowed a few books in bed (if she's tired enough, she'll fall asleep)
• Judah and Anna nap

• write blog posts, answer emails, reply to advertising inquiries, working on reviews or eBooks, reply to comments, and interact with my Facebook community

Part 1: Keeping A Growing Home | A Management Series for Moms Part 2: Keeping A Growing Home | Know Your Role! Part 3: Keeping A Growing Home | Making Priorities & 15 Good Things I Don't Do Part 4: Keeping A Growing Home | Time-Saving Home Management Tips Part 5: Keeping A Growing Home | My Daily Schedule

If you enjoyed this post, you may wish to follow Growing Home for updates via Google Friend Connect, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, or have them emailed directly to your inbox. In the interest of full disclosure,some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive a small commission. I only recommend products I use personally. Thank you for your continued support!
Linking to: Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Raising Arrows, A Wise Woman.,Walking Redeemed, The Better Mom, The Modest Mom, A Mama's Story, We ARE That Family, Raising Mighty Arrows, Hearts For Home, Frugal Homeschool Family,

You're a stay-at-home Mom.

You treasure the privilege of being able to raise your own children and manage your home, but sometimes you wonder if there's something you could do to contribute to the family income. Something that has the potential to earn a full-time wage without a huge start-up cost or sacrificing hours away from the first responsibilities God gave you.

You love to write and crave an outlet to express yourself while making a positive impact in someone else's life. You're passionate about a particular subject and desire to explore it deeper so you can minister to others, learn, and interact with a community of like-minded women.

If any of these sentiments resonate with you, you need to start a blog , and my brand new eBook, Growing Your Blog While Managing Your Home | The Ultimate Guide For Christian Mommy Bloggers will show you how to do just that.

Growing Your Blog While Managing Your Home The Ultimate Guide For Christian Mommy Bloggers by Jacinda Vandenberg
PDF version

KINDLE version

Since the first edition of this eBook in 2012, Growing Home has grown ten times in size and now generates a five figure income annually. I’ve encountered many new challenges and opportunities not included in the original version and decided it was time to re-write it all.

I started Growing Home with the purpose of encouraging Christian wives, mothers, and homemakers in their noble calling. More recently, homeschooling has been added to the queue since we officially started home educating our oldest child last year.

Writing has always been a favorite pastime of mine and I loved the idea of interacting with like-minded women all across the globe. I began as every blogger does: with one reader, one Facebook fan, one Pinterest follower who pinned my posts.

A few years later, with God’s extraordinary blessing in spite of myself and an exceptionally supportive, tight-knit blogging network, at the time of this writing, Growing Home is a community of 30,000 readers and is a significant contributor to our family income.

LAUNCH WEEK: $7.99 $3.99 ! Growing Your Blog While Managing Your Home The Ultimate Guide For Christian Mommy Bloggers by Jacinda Vandenberg
PDF version

KINDLE version

I have nothing to boast about. I couldn’t have imagined it this way, not in my wildest dreams! This is solely the result of the Lord’s blessing on the tools He has given me. He’s responsible for it all and He gets the glory!
The goal of this eBook is to share with you the same principles and techniques that God has used to grow Growing Home, both as a ministry tool and a means of income for our family without taking me away from my first responsibilities as a wife and mother.
What Other People Are Saying: "Jacinda Vandenberg's book is fantastic. Everyone is going to want to read it, even if you already know how to blog and manage your home. Coming soon to a theater near you. Very soon, in fact. January 13th. Don't get popcorn grease on your Kindle." ~ Melinda Martin, Professional Blogger and Virtual Assistant. I hope you find in these pages:

• a vision for purposeful blogging,
• helpful tips to manage both your home and your online presence,
• valuable information that will help supplement your family's income.

LAUNCH WEEK: $7.99 $3.99 ! Growing Your Blog While Managing Your Home The Ultimate Guide For Christian Mommy Bloggers by Jacinda Vandenberg
PDF version

KINDLE version

Table of Contents
Introduction Part 1 | Creating a Vision and Maintaining A Schedule
To Blog Or Not To Blog? That Is The Question
Setting Priorities
Time-Saving Home Management Tips
This Is My Schedule, And I’m Sticking To It
Efficiently Managing Your Time Online Part 2 | Content and Design Content Is King

• Originality
• Brevity
• Titles
• Engagement
• Readability
• Hyperlinks
• Photos
• Character
• Professionalism
• Inspiration
• Understanding

• Platform
• Simplicity
• Branding
• Color
• Fancy Fonts
• Whitespace
• Centered Gadgets
• Placement
• Comments
• Image Use
• Navigation
• Call to action
• Browsers
• Recommended Blog Designers

• How to Grow Your Blog
• Link Parties
• Commenting
• Following
• Guest Posting
• Facebook
• Pinterest
• Google+
• Twitter
• Email Subscriptions
• Community
• Giveaways
• Posting Frequency
• Advertising

• Make Money as a Seller
• Make Money as an Affiliate

• Deciding Your Options and Setting Your Rates
• Do’s
• Don’ts

• Dealing With The Nay-Sayers
• What To Do When Someone Steals Your Content
• Legal Stuff
• Affiliate Links
• Comment Policies
• Copyrights
• Disclosures
• Disclaimers
• Taxes

LAUNCH WEEK: $7.99 $3.99 ! Growing Your Blog While Managing Your Home The Ultimate Guide For Christian Mommy Bloggers by Jacinda Vandenberg
PDF version

KINDLE version

***A special thank-you to my dear husband for proofreading the manuscript, Lindsey and Richele from Crisp Apple for their tremendous job on the design, and Melinda from Helply Helper VA Services for the many late nights and early mornings she spent editing and formatting my mess into something that looks professional!

If you enjoyed this post, you may wish to follow Growing Home for updates via Google Friend Connect, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, or have them emailed directly to your inbox.

{... or their birthday, or anniversary, or just because you really love them... }

From a second-generation homeschooler who grew up reading several different homeschool magazines, there is only one I subscribe to; Home School Enrichment is hands down the best magazine for homeschoolers and my favorite piece of mail to receive.

I get giddy when I see it lying in the mailbox in all its packaged glory. Of course, the wrapper never stays on for more then 5 seconds, but you get my drift.

I suppose I like Home School Enrichment better than some of the other magazines in its genre because these editors have the vision!

Home School Enrichment is not just a curriculum catalog (although it contains plenty of textbook and method reviews).

Home School Enrichment is not just a collection of tutorials (although it often contains some fantastic projects and instructions on how to do them with your own children).

Home School Enrichment is the boost you need when you feel like giving up. It ignites the fire when it's almost out.

It gives confidence to new homeschoolers...

... and reminds seasoned ones why they do what they do.

Home School Enrichment keeps you informed about our brothers and sisters around the world,

provides you with practical help and real life application,

reminds us of our history lest we forget it, and the battles that were fought on our behalf.
Home School Enrichment is a Bible-based, Christian magazine I guarantee will uplift, encourage, inspire, and inform every family it reaches.

For $17.97 a year (that's 50% off!) , you can't afford not to get it. It's a gift the whole family (yours or your homeschooling friends) will benefit from.

Best of all, the quality of Home School Enrichment is so fantastic, they offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you don't like it for whatever reason, you get every penny back, no questions asked.

It's that good.

I am an affiliate for Home School Enrichment because it truly is my favorite magazine and I want to get it in the hands of everyone I meet!
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Linking to: Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Raising Arrows, A Wise Woman.,Walking Redeemed, The Better Mom, The Modest Mom, A Mama's Story, We ARE That Family, Raising Mighty Arrows, Hearts For Home, Frugal Homeschool Family Time Warp Wife

There have been days where our house looked like World War III. Days where fancy-footwork is required to dodge the kid paraphernalia strewn across the floor. Days when, after nearly spraining my ankle for the umpteenth time on dinky cars and mega blocks, I ask my 3-year-old to start picking up the mess. She looks at me and innocently asks, "What mess?" and I bury my head in my hands and weep.

How important is it to teach our children to clean up after themselves? I've often questioned whether cleanliness is a matter of character or part of our individual DNA, whether it should be enforced and to what extent.

See, we have both extremes within our family. Our daughter is naturally... "laid back," a nice way of saying she couldn't find the mess if a tornado tore through her room (which it does on occasion). Our son, although he's just 21-months-old, is a lover of order. He'll automatically line up his shoes in the closet when he comes in from outside; his sippy cup gets placed back on the counter when he's done taking a drink.

When it's time to clean up toys before bed, one inspects every toy as if seeing it for the first time before s-l-o-w-l-y placing it in the bin; the other hustles as if cleaning up were some sort of strong-man competition. One wouldn't give two hoots about leaving her undies sunny-side-up in the middle of the bedroom floor; the other makes a bee-line for the laundry hamper when he finds a dirty article of clothing. One is messy, the other is neat and I'm trying to find the balance.

One theory says cleanliness is next to godliness. The other says cleaning up toys while the children are growing is like shoveling snow while the snow is still snowing. One thing is for certain - the state of our home is never more important then the state of their souls and while a mess can remain unchanged for as long as you leave it there, our children are daily developing and strengthening habits that will effect them for the rest of their lives.

Besides the fact that keeping things in their proper places typically results in a calm, peaceful atmosphere with less stress, hurry, and bustle, tidiness is a trait I want to teach my children as part of an effort to care for their souls. Picking up after themselves is important for 3 reasons (at least):

1. It pleases the Lord. Creation testifies to the orderliness of God's character. Likewise, we also ought to delight in the practice of attending to our duties with watchfulness and care.

Additionally, it is pleasing to the Lord when we are faithful in the little things. Teaching our children to take charge over the ordinary duties of life is helping to lay the groundwork for greater responsibilities. Conscious attention and a cheerful attitude towards "trivial" tasks builds the character required to acceptably serve the Lord in whatever situation we find ourselves in.

2. It honors Mommy and Daddy. It's not a matter of "Because I said so"; it's a matter of, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." (Ephesians 6:1) I shouldn't need to present a logical case to my children on why they must clean up the toys when I ask them to. However important things like safety, making our home look suitable for company, and house rules may be, their responsiveness to my request reflects the attitude of their heart. An obedient heart and a willing spirit bring joy to Mommy and glory to God.

3. It prepares for future usefulness. Some women will accomplish twice as much as others in a lifetime simply because as a child, they learned the importance of keeping everything in its proper place. Their homes appear orderly and little effort is required to keep it that way.

Other women will find themselves despairing in the midst of confusion that reigns over their homes. Throughout life, they will feel hurried and rushed, rarely able to enjoy a moment's peace. It will seem like they are forever trying to put things away but nothing stays that way for long.

Many times I wonder "What's the point? They don't remember!" when I find clothes strewn across the floor, shoes forgotten to be lined up in the closet, books left lying everywhere around our living room except the bookshelf. But I've heard from older and much wiser mothers that consistency is key. Diligently working to teach them the habit of tidiness by many words of encouragement and my own example will prepare them for life of usefulness, purposefulness, and, in the case of the girls, an apt and capable housewife.

And so, I will continue to hand them a wet rag while I clean the floor even if they spread the dirt around more than they clean it up. I'll pass them a dust rag on housework day even if I need to go over the same spot when they're not looking. I'll let them return the toys to the bucket they turned over even if it's quicker when I do it myself. I'll let them help fold laundry even if the stack of washcloths in the linen closet looks precarious and uneven. I'll do it because I want to raise our children to live a life that's pleasing to the Lord, honoring to Mommy and Daddy, and prepared for future usefulness.

Linking to: Homestead Revival, Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, A Mama's Story, Time-Warp Wife, Far Above Rubies, Raising Arrows, The Modest Mom