A Heart Filled Homeschool REALity Chat

“Homeschooling runs deep in my blood and hits my TOP 5 list of things I LOVE chatting about!”

— Becky

Start each day with Jesus!

I cannot stress enough the importance of spending time with Jesus before you start each and every homeschool day. I learned this the hard way. AND, because this is all about the REALity of homeschooling I want to get REAL with you – I stumbled A LOT along the way! I gave in to the extra 30 minutes of sleep, I gave in to the distractions a momma’s mind is filled with, and, well…you get my drift! I had my fair share of days where I didn’t surrender my day to Jesus, and those were the days that proved to be the toughest.

“Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by Your truth and teach me. All day long I put my hope in You.”

Psalms 25:4-5 (NLT)

Not only did I notice the difference when I didn’t start my day with Jesus, but I noticed a HUGE difference when I didn’t start our homeschool morning out with Jesus. Whenever I skipped the morning basket devo, boy was I regretting it come lunchtime! And, REALity…there were times it took me a HOT minute to realize what on earth was going on and what exactly I forgot to do that morning. But, as soon as I realized my mistake I promptly sat us all down and we dove into some much-needed-God-time!

It’s so important for us homeschool mommas to allow Jesus to pour into us, so we can pour into our kids! When we start our day out with Jesus we are opening our hearts up and inviting Him along for the journey. He’s then able to guide, direct, and share in all the moments that follow.

“Let me hear of Your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting You. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to You.”

Psalms 143:8 (NLT)

Homeschool mommas, I’m here to be your homeschool coach and remind you that . . .

Fill Your Heart!

I want these chats to be quick, because I know you’re in the thick of it and a “quick” moment is all you really have…if that! But before I say, “Good-bye, go rock your homeschool day!”, I wanted to leave you with some of my recommendations for devos that helped my family along our homeschool journey and, if you decide to give one a try, I pray it will be a treasured help for you and your family as well.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

Deuteronomy 6:5-7 (ESV)

It’s important to note, these devotionals did not take the place of the Bible in our home. Digging into the Bible and spending time in prayer is important and should be top priority. Opening up my Bible was the key to filling my heart for our homeschool days, and as my kids got older giving them time to read the Bible on their own was essential. For recommendations on a great study Bible check out My Favorite Study Bible post! The Life Application Study Bible did wonders for my devotion time, and they even have ones for kids as well as teens!

“Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to Your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor You. With all my heart I will praise You, O Lord my God. I will give glory to Your name forever.”

Psalms 86:11-12 (NLT)

Are you ready to find out some of the devos my family filled our homeschool journey with?!? I’m excited to share! The memories are flooding in! I could go on and on about each one I have listed below, but I already said I wanted these chats to be quick so I’ll leave you with the list . . . for now . . .

Becky’s Homeschool Devotional Picks –

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I’m huge on devotionals and loved finding new ones for my kids to start off fresh with each school year. When they were younger, Veggietales and Adventures in Odyssey filled our days. <<Oh, the memories – be still my heart!!>> There was just something special about reading a devotion based around familiar characters. Lots of fun conversations, songs, and impromptu skits pursued. It was a special way to fill my kids’ hearts and gave me so many precious moments I’ll cherish always.

“Satisfy us each morning with Your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.”

Psalms 90:14 (NLT)

As far as devotionals for us mommas, I’ve listed the ones that have stuck with me through the years. The ones that made me excited to open them up and fill my heart with. The ones I find recommending over and over again. You know . . .

THE ONES THAT MADE AN IMPACT FOR THE BETTER!

Homeschool “Morning Basket” Devos –

• Little Blessings Series, by: Crystal Bowman, Dandi Daley Mackall, Kathleen Bostrom, Elena Kucharik, Carol Smith (ages 2-5)
• God Loves Me Every Day, 365 Daily Devotions For Boys, by: Veggietales (ages 4-8)
• God Loves Me Every Day, 365 Daily Devotions For Girls, by: Veggietales (ages 4-8)
• Adventures in Odyssey Whit’s End Mealtime Devotions, by: Crystal Bowman (ages 4-9)
• Adventures in Odyssey 90 Devotions For Kids, by: AIO Team (ages 6-11)
• God Loves Me!, 365 Daily Devotions For Boys, by: Veggietales & Worthy Inspired (ages 8-10)
• God Loves Me!, 365 Daily Devotions For Girls, by: Veggietales & Worthy Inspired (ages 8-10)
• Adventures in Odyssey 90 Devotions For Kids In Matthew, by: AIO Team (ages 8-12)
• A Hobbit Devotional, by: Ed Strauss (teens)
• A Young Woman After God’s Own Heart, by: Elizabeth George (teens 13-18)
• A Young Man After God’s Own Heart, by: Jim George (teens 13-18)

Wanna check some of my devo recommendations out today?! Dig in!!! Type the name of the book in the Christianbook.com search bar below and have some fun exploring all the different options. As always, as you search, make sure to include God in the process. He’s there, waiting and willing, to guide your dig!

Search: Title Author/Artist ISBN CBD Stock # Keywords Publisher

“Now, go rock your homeschool day!”

— Becky