Homeschooling is wonderful. Homeschooling is hard. Homeschooling is a great way to build relationships with your kids. Homeschooling is challenging because you spend so much time with your kids. I love homeschooling. I think I stink at homeschooling.

Have you ever thought any of these statements? You can’t see it, but my hand is raised. I have thought each and every one of these statements. Truth be told, I’ve probably thought them on the same day. I truly love homeschooling, but staying motivated can be hard.

This is one reason I love homeschool conventions. I appreciate the dedication of the speakers to equip and encourage homeschool parents, but attending a convention is not always convenient or even desired (introverted homeschooling mom here). This is where blogs and podcasts can help fill in the void.

Encouragement for the Homeschool Mom – Podcast Version

Podcasts aren’t the newest thing around, but they are fairly new to me. I’ve been wading into the world of podcasts since I discovered that I can actually listen to audiobooks and retain the information. These podcasts are all on my to listen list because I have seen them recommended over the last few months or I am familiar with the podcaster’s other work.

Please note, I use affiliate links in this post.

The Durenda Wilson Podcast – Durenda Wilson also has a book that is on my to read list called the Unhurried Homeschooler. With a daughter entering her junior year of high school, I really need to fight the hurried feeling that is creeping into my thinking.

The Homeschool Snapshots Podcast – Pam Barnhill is the woman behind this podcast. She also has the Your Morning Basket podcast that I discovered when I read her book Better Together earlier this year (highly recommend the book). The genius behind this podcast is how it shows that homeschooling is not a cookie cutter, it can be whatever you need it to be.

Raising Arrows – Home Management for the Homeschool Mom – I’ve followed Amy’s blog for years now and she has a heart for encouraging homeschool moms that shines.

At Home with Sally Clarkson – Chances are if you have been homeschooling for any length of time, you have heard of Sally Clarkson. She is a veteran homeschool mom who has dedicated herself to encouraging and equipping moms to embrace motherhood with intention.

Risen Motherhood – Emily Jensen and Laura Wifler are two podcasters I have never heard of, but the description of their podcast speaks to me. I found this podcast in a “related podcasts” rabbit trail in iTunes.

A weekly podcast for moms. A space to remember we are not alone in our experiences, be challenged to have joy among the chaos, remember grace covers guilt, and seek the truth of the gospel above all else. This is a podcast for the imperfect mother, still learning, still growing and still fully recognizing she doesn’t have it all together – but comes everyday, to the base of the cross, to seek the one who does.

Description of the Risen Motherhood podcast on iTune

The Homemaking Foundations Podcast – Jami Balmet is one of my favorite people to follow on Instagram. I love to catch her Stories. She talks a lot about reading and I find that to be motivating, her goal is bigger than my own lofty annual reading goal.

Don’t Mom Alone Podscast – Heather MacFadyen comes highly recommended in a few groups I’m in. I look forward to checking out her podcast. I love the community building mindset I see in her description and the episode titles.

The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast – I’m all for laughter and smiles. Todd Wilson is well-known and well-liked on the homeschool convention scene.

Mom to Mom Podcast – A relatively new podcast, but I love the titles I’ve seen so far. The podcast is produced by three moms – Kate Battistelli, September McCarthy, and Jamie Erickson.

Joyfully Homeschooling – Misty Bailey is the creator of this podcast. Her blog is Joy in the Journey and she is known for being honest and open. This is something I value highly in people. We are all struggling with something at some point in our homeschool journey, sharing it with others helps lessen the load and also encourages others who may be struggling with the same thing.

The Busy Mom – Heidi St. John encourages moms to focus on what matters and brings relevant information to help them deal with issues in our culture from a biblical standpoint. This podcast is more in the equipping category, but I hope it encourages you to be bold in your faith and firm in your resolution to give your children a foundation that won’t fail them.

Glorious in the Mundane Podcast – Hosted by Christy Nockels, she is currently doing a series called Come Magnify the Lord with Me. From my experience, the most soul refreshing comes from praise and worship. Knowing God and trusting His will for our lives brings peace. And what homeschool mom doesn’t find herself needing peace at some point? The first episode I plan to listen to is Season 3, Episode 58 – When Our Worries Turn to Worship.

Cultivating Grace – Infuse your homeschool with grace, grace for you and grace for your students. The episode titles of this podcast from Lara Molettiere are a lovely mix of encouragement and practical.

Legacy Homeschool Reflections Podcast – This is a brand new one to me. These titles resonate with me – His Grace is Sufficient, Trusting God Through Changing Seasons, When You Feel Like Quitting, and Cultivating a Grateful Heart. I look forward to hearing these!

The Homeschool Solutions Show with Pam Barnhill – Maybe you just need some practical help with something to keep you going. Check out the titles of this podcast and see if there is an episode for you. New shows post each Friday and cover a wide range of topics with a wide range of guests.

That is it for my list, but there are even more podcasts out there. Just doing a quick search for homeschool in my Podcasts app brought up a plethora of options beyond the list above. For sake of brevity, I chose to focus instead on those podcasts that had been recommended to me or I found in some other way over time.

Happy listening! Share your favorites in the comments, what podcasts must I check out?

With 5th, 4th, and 2nd graders, we are entering a new phase of our homeschool. I’ve mentioned before that we are pretty laid back for the early elementary years and around 4th grade, we start structuring things more. I will show you how that looks in our day-to-day homeschool life later, but today I want to share the heart of the matter with you.

Stick around and be encouraged…or learn how to pray for me. I’m good with either. 😉

Routine? No, Thank You!

This is the biggest change for us and the focus of this post. I am a rather random person. Delight directed learning appeals to me because I am a squirrel chaser. And I have been very resistant to adhering to any sort of schedule. I don’t like being told what to do, and routines are bossy.

Now, I love planning things. I have sat down and made schedule after schedule, list after list, and change after change. The problem I have is that I get so stinking B.O.R.E.D. after a few days or weeks and drop it.

After seeing my many charts, someone (actually more than one someone) referred to me as Type-A and I laughed.

At each one of them. I am nothing if not gracious.

I am a Type-A wannabe. I WANT to be organized. I WANT to be a go-getter. But the truth is, I am messy and rather relaxed when it comes to time frames. Yes, that can be a nice way of saying I am frequently late, but it applies to much more (not all negative, thankfully).

How’s that for transparency? You’re lining up to hear my tips for walking in the spiritual discipline of diligence now, aren’t you? 😛 <—That’s me blowing a raspberry.

No Routine Gets You No Where

Well, that header kind of gives away where I have ended up. After the Holy Spirit’s forehead smacks nudging, I finally realized I needed to change. It happened overnight…HA! I wish.

Truth is, I am still struggling with it.

I have moved from the “why am I not getting anywhere?” and “alright something’s gotta give” stages. I’ve passed the “I know what I need to do” mark. I am now camped out in the “I have tasted change, want more, but can’t quite grasp it” part of the process.

I know that the path I’ve walked for many years no longer works. What I still struggle with is the want to…the motivation. Breaking the habit of letting things wait until the last possible moment has been tough. I’ve tried on the mantra “why wait when you can do it now” and, frankly, it fits like a crew neck t-shirt. (Suffocating, in case you are wondering.)

However I now realize that it truly is easier to maintain something than to do a major clean up every so often. So…slowly…that crew neck t-shirt is loosening it’s grip.

Routines Aren’t All Bad

Wondering when I’m getting to the homeschooling part? Well, I never left it. While this effected my housekeeping most, there was overflow into our homeschooling. It’s unavoidable, whatever effects your home is going to effect your HOMEschool.

Please don’t get me wrong, I do not regret our homeschooling choices. We have truly enjoyed our time learning as we went. I’ve learned things that I never would have simply because one of my children was interested in it. It is just time for a change.

I will be talking more about our daily routine in a guest post coming up at Upside Down Homeschooling, but basically it comes down to my decision to embrace change.

This makes me laugh because my very first One Word WAAAAY back in 2010 was Change. I’m a quick study, huh? Seriously, I’m sitting here with my headphones on laughing at myself. My kids think I’m nuts.

So be encouraged, homeschool mamas. God will bring the seeds He plants in your heart to fruition, no matter how slow of a learner you are. Just look at me. 😉

P.S. Head over to the Teach Them Diligently blog to see what changes others are making in their homeschool this year.

Encouragement for the Homeschool Family

Homeschooling is awesome. It is also one of the most challenging things I’ve ever taken on. And if I think about the scope of what we are trying to accomplish, I am on the verge of hyperventilating. It is a lot to take on.

My kids are pretty awesome, if I do say so myself; however they are far from perfect. Which is astounding when you consider how close I am…hahahaha, sorry couldn’t even keep a straight face for that one. There are no perfect people in our house. I struggle with my imperfections daily. My children seem to have inherited my procrastinating ways and an organizational style that relies heavily on piles of stuff. I can’t tell you how super this is.

We deal with this “stuff” (also known as: child training, parenting, and getting over oneself) on top of attempting to educate our children as the Lord leads. It can be a mess. Yet we are entering our sixth “official” year of homeschooling (if you start counting with Kindergarten).

How? That is the question that Teach Them Diligently posed to us bloggers. How do you stay encouraged while homeschooling?

Why, why, why, why, why?!

I have said it before. Knowing WHY we are homeschooling is sometimes the only thing that pulls me along. Sometimes kicking and screaming…I kid. Sort of. There is a saying that nothing worth having in life comes easy. I view homeschooling very much in this light.

Our purpose for homeschooling can be summed up like this: God gave us these precious blessings along with the responsibility to disciple them and prepare them for life. We see childhood as such a short window in which to build strong relationships with our children, train their character (and, frankly, our own), and teach them the way of the Lord. We must take advantage of every precious minute. Homeschooling gives us that opportunity. And that freedom.

Community: Get One!

You need community. You need other like-minded people to help support you. Online friends are awesome for this in that they seem to be there at the press of a button. As awesome as this is, it is not enough.

You need someone in your “real” life that is there for you. Personally, I think a supportive spouse is entirely necessary. You do not want strife in your marriage over homeschooling. Marriage and homeschooling are hard enough as it is on their own. Don’t pit the two of them against each other. It is not worth it.

Beyond your spouse, finding other homeschooling families to fellowship with provides you with that “I’m not alone!” encouragement when you have hard times AND makes the celebration times more fun! Just don’t compare your children to their’s. Seriously. Don’t do it.

Encouragement: Find It!

• Read books on homeschooling. A few suggestions (affiliate link alert): A Biblical Home Education by Ruth Beechick, The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling by Debra Bell, and When You Rise Up: A Covenantal Approach to Homeschooling by R. C. Sproul Jr.
• Attend conventions to hear speakers and find curriculum that works for your students. Find out if your state homeschooling association has a convention (Indiana does, by the way). Consider attending Teach Them Diligently, which has several marketplaces available still this summer and next year has three regional full conferences plus a National convention in Washington, D.C. Seriously excited about that one.
• Read magazines. There are homeschool magazines! A few I know of: Home Educating Family, Indiana Association of Home Educator’s The Informer, and Practical Homeschooling.
• Blogs, blogs, and more blogs. There are so many homeschool blogs out there. If you need support in a specific area, try using a Google Blog Search to find exactly what you need. If you find a blog you particularly love (you know, like this one…), subscribe to it via email.

No one is going to knock down your door to give you the encouragement you need. You will need to be intentional about finding it and keeping it.

Above All, Remember This

Seek the will of God in your homeschool. Read your Bible to see what God has to say to you. Pray, pray, pray. He will lead you to the encouragement you need, even if you don’t know what it is. He will also protect you from the headaches that arise from our wandering hearts. True story.

Now, head on over to the Teach Them Diligently blog to see what the other bloggers have to say about staying encouraged while homeschooling.

Homeschool Newsletter

Don’t forget to sign up for my Homeschool Newsletter launching in July! Encouragement, freebies, exclusives, deals…yep, I’ve got you covered.