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Every day I look at my calendar and realize that it’s almost that time. Back to school. I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I’m ready for routine again and no more of this loosey goosey-ness that’s been going on in my house for the past two months. But on the other hand, I dread it. It means lots of planning and prep work for me. It also means this homeschooling mom is back to trying to manage homeschooling six children in addition to all my other duties!

I won’t lie. That’s a beast of a job. It gets frustrating and can seem daunting at best most days. It is hard to juggle all the priorities we moms are required to juggle. The daily tasks can seem beyond overwhelming! However, I know that it can be done, and with more joy than I’ve been finding in my homemaking or homeschooling.

If you are a homeschooling mom, you know what I’m talking about. Whether you are a veteran homeschooling mom, a newbie, or looking to be a homeschooling mom, I highly recommend these books on homeschooling!

If you’ve been hanging around here for very long at all, you know I’m all about family and encouragement. Both of these books focus on family and seek to encourage you!

Top 2 Picks for the Homeschooling Mom

The Homeschooling Housewife: juggling it all, one priority at a time by Amber Fox

Recently, I finished reading a book called The Homeschooling Housewife: juggling it all, one priority at a time by Amber Fox at All Natural Joy. In her book, Amber sets out to encourage moms who are just feeling stuck. She offers amazing ideas to help balance our priorities and gives real life illustrations of how it looks in her family. Her tone is very conversational, encouraging, and uplifting!

I want to say that even though this is a book geared towards homeschooling housewives, it could apply to any mom struggling to balance everything. Of course there may be things that won’t apply to a working mom, but all in all, I feel like many of her tips could benefit any one of us.

In her book, she offers tips on how to balance the following priorities:

• Putting God first
• Loving your husband
• Nurturing your precious kids
• Serving the body of Christ
• Passing on Godly character
• Enjoying your family
• Being the keeper of your home
• Cultivating meaningful friendships
• Finding time for fun
• Teaching your kids at home
• Managing your finances
• Realizing it is all about surrender

True, we may know that we need to balance these priorities, but sometimes knowing and putting into practice are two entirely different things. This book gave me practical advice to help balance my tasks as wife, mom, and teacher.

I love the quote Amber used by Jani Ortlund: “I believe that a godly home is a foretaste of heaven. Our homes, imperfect as they are, must be a haven from the chaos outside. They should be a reflection of our eternal home, where troubled souls find peace, weary hearts find rest, hungry bodies find refreshment, lonely pilgrims find communion and wounded spirits find compassion.”

That–right there–is exactly what I want my home to be!

Teaching from Rest: A Homeschoolers Guide to Unshakable Peace by Sarah Mackenzie

About six years ago, I found out I was very unexpectedly expecting twins. At that point, I had been homeschooling only a couple of years. To say I didn’t know what I was doing is the understatement of the year! At that time, I had a 4th grader, 2nd grader, preschooler, and a baby. Throw two more babies in the mix, and it was a recipe for disaster. I had no idea how on earth I could continue to teach my oldest kids.

However, a sweet friend took time to listen to my cries and encourage me. She also recommended this book to me: Teaching from Rest.

She shared how the book had helped her to see that she needed to be herself, to slow down, and to forget about what everyone else thought she should be doing. I ordered it that same day!

I’ve read Teaching from Rest multiple times, and I have it on my reading list again this summer.

So, what’s it about?

Not only does Sarah Mackenzie encourage you that you ARE made for this, she also reminds you that God’s got this! He led you to this, so He’s going to lead you through it! In the first two parts of the books, she takes time to encourage you and remind you.

In the second two parts of the book, Sarah takes time to talk about slowing down, simplifying the curriculum and the schedule when life demands that you “slow the heck down!” She also encourages us, as moms, to just breathe, to take care of ourselves and to stop trying to do it all and be everything.

For the last two years, we have used the idea of Sabbath schooling that Sarah discusses in the book. It has saved my sanity many times. When I was seriously running on empty, I would remind myself, Only one more week of school and then we get a week to regroup. In that week, we rest, regroup, and have fun. But I also have a chance to catch up, breathe, and plan for the next six weeks.

Can I tell you the thing that attracted me to Sarah’s book besides my sweet friend’s recommendation? She was just like me. She has six kids with a set of twins in the mix! I knew if anybody could identify with what I was feeling, it was her, so I read her blog, ordered her book, and pretended she was my BFF. (Okay, only kidding–sorta.)

Homeschooling mama, if you read no other book on homeschooling, read Teaching From Rest! I promise it will inspire you, make you feel normal, and encourage you that it will all be okay!

Check them out today!

If you are needing an extra heaping helping of encouragement as you face another homeschooling year, go ahead and check out these two amazing books! They will no doubt inspire you, while giving you practical advice and encouragement. Hopefully, they will challenge you to lay all the noise aside and focus on what really matters in your life and the lives of your children!