Rest in the Homeschool Trench

Do you ever feel alone in your homeschool days? Do you feel like no one understands? I certainly have! In fact, there was one season when my children were young that I thought even Jesus couldn't understand what it's like to be a homeschool mom. TODAY'S ONE STEP: Read, meditate, pray through Psalm 23. Do you really believe Jesus is your Shepherd? Do you receive all that He offers you? Do you live your homeschool days with an awareness of His presence? ----------- Scripture in today's episode: Hebrews 4:15-16, Jesus understands our weakness Matthew 9:36, Jesus saw the crowd like sheep without a shepherd John 10:11, Jesus is the Good Shepherd Psalm 23 Isaiah 40:11, Jesus has a special place in His heart for moms ---------- Looking for more homeschool encouragement? Find my BOOK on Amazon: The Restful Homeschool Resolution: 21 Days to Transform Your Homeschool Follow me on INSTAGRAM: Aimee Smith - Rest in the Trench.

Have you ever read the Odyssey? It's the ancient story of Odysseus tring to return home after the Trojan War. In this epic poem, Homer shares numerous adventures that Odysseus encounters along the way, many of which reflect our own stories if we slow down long enough to notice. Today, I want to share with you some thoughts I've been contemplating recently about one moment in Homer's Odyssey. TODAY'S ONE STEP: Do you need to tell your story and allow yourself to be seen and heard? Or does someone else need you to see them, to hear them, and to invite them to share their story? ----------- Scripture in today's episode: Genesis 16, specifically verses 11 and 13 Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8 "God is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Genesis 1:27, We are created "in the image of God." ---------- Looking for more homeschool encouragement? Find my BOOK on Amazon: The Restful Homeschool Resolution: 21 Days to Transform Your Homeschool Follow me on INSTAGRAM: Aimee Smith - Rest in the Trench.

SURVEY - What would you like to hear on the podcast this year? I would love to hear from you! Thank you for taking a few minutes to complete this quick survey. ---------- I've been thinking recently about the reality of our homeschool days and the frustrations we often face. We feel frustrated when the day doesn't go like we want, but we face an even deeper frustration when we (the moms!) don't act and speak like we want. How can we get to a place where our homeschool days are fruitful and productive? Let's look at how staying attached to Jesus as the True Vine can be reality in our daily lives. QUESTIONS to consider: 1. Jesus, am I bearing fruit? 2. Jesus, am I abiding in You? 3. Jesus, am I obeying You? 4. Jesus, am I abiding in Your love? TODAY'S ONE STEP: Choose your one step: 1. Search John 15:1-11. Can you find the verses that inspired these questions? 2. Ask yourself these questions and choose one to focus on today as you choose to abide in Jesus. ----------- Scripture in today's episode: John 15:1-11 ---------- Looking for more homeschool encouragement? Find my BOOK on Amazon: The Restful Homeschool Resolution: 21 Days to Transform Your Homeschool Follow me on INSTAGRAM: Aimee Smith - Rest in the Trench.

SURVEY - What would you like to hear on the podcast this year? I would love to hear from you! Thank you for taking a few minutes to complete this quick survey. ---------- Welcome back, homeschool mommas! Once upon a time, the day after Labor Day was the first day of school. Not anymore. If you're like me, you have already been in school for weeks. Perhaps you're already weary and wondering how you will make it through the year. Even this early in the year, we know that we are not enough for our homeschools. We need help from someone greater than ourselves. We need Jesus. "From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I." - Psalm 61:2 (NASB) We need a Rock: a Rock of STABILITY, a Rock of REFUGE, a Rock of PERSPECTIVE. But what does this look like in the life of a homeschool mom? Before we get to that questions, I want to give you some updates. First, I'll share a personal update of our family life this summer, including several near-catastrophes during our trip to Yellowship. Then, I'll share an update on the podcast, including why I thought I might close it just a month ago. As we start Season 4 of the Rest in the Homeschool Trench podcast, I'm filled with more vision than ever. Let's start our homeschool year by crying out with King David, "Lead me to the Rock." 3:45 : Personal update - including a grizzly bear story 11:40 : Podcast update - and why the podcast is still here 17:20 : Lead me to the Rock - stability, refuge, and perspective TODAY'S ONE STEP: Which aspect of a Rock do you need in Jesus today? Take a moment to pray and ask God to lead you to the Rock. ----------- Scripture in today's episode: Psalm 61:2 Exodus 33:15 Isaiah 50:4 Matthew 7:24-25 II Samuel 22:2-3 ---------- Looking for more homeschool encouragement? Find my BOOK on Amazon: The Restful Homeschool Resolution: 21 Days to Transform Your Homeschool Follow me on INSTAGRAM: Aimee Smith - Rest in the Trench.

How will your family spend this summer? Maybe you're already on a break. Maybe you're pressing on a little bit longer. Maybe you school year-round. Today, I want to share a few ideas for a summer where you can truly rest, refresh, and replenish so you're ready for a strong start in fall.

At the end of April, homeschool life can be very busy. So I have a very simple reminder for us today.

Do your homeschool days end up being a constant tug-of-war to get your child to complete assignments? It's a common issue for homeschool families. Let's think about some ways to release the tension and approach lessons without so much struggle.

I don't usually like to say that you should do something. But today is my second recent episode that starts with "why you should do" something. It's not that you should do this particular thing, but I want to share an idea of something that I've been doing in my life that's brought a lot of rest to my life. So today, let's talk about why you should watch some birds.

If you're homeschooling with chronic illness, you probably have a long list of things you just can't do the way you want to, and you probably struggle with the effects your illness has on your family. Let's look at some practical strategies for homeschooling with chronic illness.

Gardening advice is not what you want from me; but today I want to suggest you should plant some daffodil bulbs. Why do you need some daffodils? It is not just about gardening. It's a reminder for your heart. 

If you're homeschooling with chronic illness, you're probably struggling with a wide variety of issues. They tend to swirl in your mind. It's hard to discern what to do when you can't even figure out what is going on. So let's start unswirling those struggles so you can think of your next practical step to take.

What do you do first in the morning? How do you prepare yourself for the day? There are many things we put on ever day, mostly on the outside. Let's think about some things we need to out on inside ourselves as we begin each homeschool day.

If you don't like the reality of how you speak and act during your homeschool days, it might be wise to ask yourself if you have any underlying doubts about your faith. Today, I'm sharing parts of my story, of my doubts, and how I came to this place of complete confidence.

Do you know that you know that you know? Is God really real? Is the Bible really true? Is your salvation a true reality? If you're not completely confident, fully assured, of your relationship with Jesus, you might not like the reality of how you act and speak with your family on a daily basis.

On your average homeschool day, would you say your homeschool is united in love? It's easy to focus on changing outer behavior, but it's really a matter of our hearts. Let's look at two ways we can practically pursue a more loving homeschool.

One of the hardest parts of being a mom is letting go of our children. It's one thing to trust God with our own lives. It's another layer of faith to trust Him with our children. Let's talk about letting go and trusting that God's got them.

A few weeks ago, I unintentionally made a misleading promise in Episode 57 (Redefining Homeschool Success). So today, I want to go back and clarify a few ideas. 

Are you feeling the dreariness of January? This might be a season of cold, dark, dreary days, but spring is coming! Every day right now, I'm looking for the first glimpse of yellow from the daffodils in my front yard. They're our yearly reminder that God is always ready to do something new in our homeschools. PS - If you felt unsettled by last week's episode about redefining success in our homeschools, please listen to the first minute of this episode. 

What are you aiming for in your homeschool? Is there ever a nagging voice in the back of your head telling you you're failing? Maybe it's time to redefine what homeschool success really is.

Are you one of the many moms homeschooling with chronic illness? If so, you might wonder if you can still successfully homeschool. Maybe you even wonder if you should give up homeschooling so your children can have something better. I've been there. So today, I want to share with you part of my story of homeschooling with chronic illness.

Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night with thoughts, worries, and concerns swirling in your mind and weighing heavy on your heart? That happened to me last night as it has many times before, so I ran to two scripture verses that are my lifelines. These two verses keep me centered when I'm tempted to worry and drown in swirling thoughts.

I really hope you don't need today's episode. But I know many of us have a common struggle. If you don't need this episode, you probably have a friend that does. We all know homeschooling is hard. But homeschooling with depression? Is it even possible when you're barely able to function?

Hey homeschool mommas, how are you doing here in mid October? It's a beautiful fall day here in Alabama, but I've been talking with a number of moms recently who aren't enjoying the season. They say they're just too busy, but I hear something deeper. Let's take a few minutes today to slow down, ask ourselves some honest questions, and consider how we're really doing.

Have you noticed that some months of homeschooling are harder for you than others? January and February are known for being the months many homeschool moms want to quit. But I've noticed October often feels just as hard. If you've been feeling a bit down or stressed lately, this episode is for you. 

Do you dream of having a restful homeschool? That dream can become a reality, but it's going to take some time to get there. Often, we start trying to create a restful homeschool by adding certain activities. They're not the starting point, but today I want to share ten restful activities to help cultivate a restful homeschool.

Cultivating a restful homeschool looks different throughout the seasons of homeschool life. Are you feeling frustrated that your strategies from your early years aren't helping any more? Are you overwhelmed with teen drama? Are you wanting to really enjoy your homeschool days with your middle and high schoolers? Let's consider a few ways to cultivate a restful homeschool during the teen years.

There's no simple formula for cultivating a restful homeschool. There are many factors to evaluate and approaches to consider. One factor that affects how to approach homeschooling is your current season of life. Rest looks different in different seasons. If you have young children, a restful homeschool might seem impossible. Today, let's look at a few ways you can lay a foundation for a restful homeschool in the early years.

How's everything going in your homeschool today? Are you having a restful day? When you think about cultivating a result homeschool, there are many factors to evaluate and many approaches to consider. Sometimes though, you need a quick idea to implement. That's what I want to share today: 3 ideas you can try right now to cultivate a restful homeschool today.

What can you expect as we begin the third year of the Rest in the Homeschool Trench podcast? Are you curious about what's going on in my personal life? Today, I have several sets of 3 - 3 things I'm thankful for, 3 ways I'm personally growing, 3 ways I'm cultivating rest, and 3 things coming soon on the podcast.

The Rest in the Homeschool Trench podcast is two years old! Thank you for joining me in this journey of cultivating a restful heart in the midst of busy homeschool days. Thank you for listening to the episodes, sending me messages of what you enjoyed, and sharing the podcast with your friends! Today, I want to share the top 5 episodes from the past 2 years, and I want to share a few things about the podcast that you don't know.

Do you need to take a break today? Maybe you would love a nap or vacation. Today we're looking at needing to pause to be renewed and able to continue. Let's look at 5 cues you need to take a break today, a moment to pause and seek Jesus so you can be renewed and return to your work of parenting and homeschooling.

What are your thoughts about the idea of rest? Maybe rest seems like an impossibility, too good to be true. Maybe rest seems like a lazy, easy way out for a homeschool mom. Do we really understand what true rest is? Let's look at 5 common misconceptions about rest.

You've been busy preparing for your new homeschool year. Hopefully, you're already convinced that the best way to prepare is by intentionally praying.  But what are you going to pray? Praying Scripture is always a good idea, so today we're looking at 10 verses you can pray for your homeschool year.

You;ve been diligent in preparing for your family's homeschool year by considering your activities, buying curriculum, and creating schedules. Hopefully, you have prepared yourself mentally just in case the plan doesn't work exactly as expected. But have you done the most important thing to prepare for your homeschool year? Let's find out.

As the beginning of the homeschool year draws near, you have probably been busy preparing. Are you mentally prepared that things might not go as expected? Are you emotionally prepared to continue even if homeschool life gets hard? Let's talk about 3 ways we as homeschool moms can prepare mentally and emotionally for the upcoming homeschool year.

It's almost time to start your homeschool year. Are you ready? Today, I have ten questions for you to consider as you finish your preparations and prepare to start back to school.

What do your homeschool mornings look like? Are they filled with joy and peace? If not, maybe it's time to focus on something different first thing in the morning. Let's look at one more joyful morning habit to help you build a joyful homeschool.

Have you ever wished someone would bring you dinner at the end of a hard day? Do you ever long for a note of thanks for the way you serve others in church or at co-op? As we continue our conversation about Joyful Morning Habits, let's look at one more simple step we can take each day to cultivate joy in our hearts and our homeschools.

Hey homeschool mommas! Welcome back the the Rest in the Trench podcast. It's been a little while. Where have I been? The short story: depression. I hit a rough season last fall and fizzled on creating new podcast episodes. Today, I want to share a little more of my story, a few steps I took to come out of that season, and a few anchors from Scripture that helped me through it.

What do you do first in the morning? As we're building joyful morning habits, what we focus on first matters. So today we're talking about focusing on magnifying Jesus first thing in the morning.

Welcome October! It's time for visiting the pumpkin patch, picking apples, crunching leaves, and many other fun, fall homeschool activities. But what do you do when mom just isn't enjoying it. This month, we're talking about some simple morning habits to help you cultivate joy in your heart and your homeschool.

Today holds an exciting episode here on the Rest in the Homeschool Trench podcast: our first guest conversation. I'm thrilled to introduce you to my mentor and friend, Kristy Trent. When I started homeschooling in 2009, Kristy introduced me to three words that can be a lifeline on our hard days of homeschooling. But they are also a filter for our decisions when we consider revising our homeschool plans.

After a few weeks of school, we start to notice some areas where our homeschool routine needs to change. How well is your routine serving your family this year? Today, we have 5 more questions to ask ourselves when revising our homeschool plans--this time, it's 5 questions about our routines.

One crucial part of your homeschool plan is your curriculum. But how do you know when it's time to change curriculum? Let's think about 5 questions to ask yourself if you're considering changing your homeschool curriculum.

We're a couple of weeks past Labor Day, and most of us are in the full swing of school. How's your homeschool plan working this year? Are you frustrated and thinking something needs to change? Today we're taking time to ask ourselves three important questions as we consider revising our homeschool plans.

How can boredom point to God's faithfulness? That's what we're talking about in today's episode about homeschool memories. 

How can our failures point to God's faithfulness? That's what we're talking about in today's episode about homeschool memories. 

Here we are in the long, lazy days of summer - catching lightning bugs, swimming, eating ice cream - which turns into sticky hands and all the messes of less structured summer days. What can these days show us about God's faithfulness?

How can the story of the Lion King help us see God's faithfulness in our homeschools? Today I'm sharing a favorite memory from my family's homeschool that can help us remember God's faithfulness with our kids sense of purpose.

What are your favorite homeschool memories? During the coming weeks of summer, I'm sharing some memories from my own homeschool with reminders of God's faithfulness all along the way.

Have you ever attended a homeschool conference? Do you plan to attend one soon? Today we're discussing 5 ways to prepare your heart before, during, and after the conference.