Simply Living for Him

Living Simply I was always a simple girl at heart. I always looked at things differently as a girl...I wondered why people always seemed to be busy, but not enjoying life. I never wanted my life to be lost in the hustle and bustle. I looked at things in the perspective of, "What does this matter years from now..." As I grew older and had my own family, I knew I didn't want to be part of the rat race. I wanted a simple life focused on God and family. Yet, the world we live in is busy. It is complicated. And early in our marriage, we were headed toward the rat race. My husand worked late hours and never was home for dinner. With fcusing on the Lord, though we now enjoy three meals a day together. Join me as I talk about how we quit the rat race and why we live to keep up with God, and not the Joneses. And while I know that this life isn't for everyone, and some people enjoy the hustle and bustle, it is still important to remember who and what we are being busy for...

Don't just survive the day---don't just "hang in there." You can have JOY in your homeschool, regardless of the craziness that surrounds each day! Are you feeling like you can't go on just one more day? Everyone else looks like they are enjoying homeschool, and you are secretly loathing it? Join Karen as she discusses how to find joy, even in the midst of hard times. Get the JOY back in each day, knowing that you are fulfilling a calling and raising the next generation for Jesus! Whether you are going through major life troubles that are making it difficult to homeschool, or it is just the monotony of the days that are stealing your joy, all of us have had times where we just don't enjoy homeschooling. Be encouraged as Karen shares her own experiences of job losses, homeschooling a bunch of littles, and just not even wanting to get out of bed some days. Yet, because of God, she is now finding joy as she completes the task He has called her to fulfill! Karen will also discuss the necessity of forming real and authentic friendships to support each other and not pretend we all have it together. Let's get ready to discuss how we can PRAISE even when things are not perfect!

I am so thrilled to be able to introduce to you today, Mrs. Leslie Nunnery, founder of Teach Them Diligently. She and her husband, David began Teach Them Diligently back in 2011, and many have been blessed by their endeavors since. Today I wanted to share with you the heart behind Teach Them Diligently, so you can get to know more about who they are and the great work God is doing through them. You will be blessed to hear more about this FAMILY event! Teach Them Diligently is distinctive from many other homeschool conventions because the foundation will be discipleship, parenting, and missions. Academics and how-to workshops on homeschooling will be important, as will legal discussions regarding homeschooling. But, discipleship will be the foundation, and we believe that it is the foundation for what so many Christian parents do every day as they educate their children. Another distinction is that all profits from the Teach Them Diligently Convention will go directly into mission endeavors.

Are you struggling with how to have the "perfect" schedule in your homeschool? Are you struggling with keeping on track? Is your homeschool full of disorder or chaos, because there is no schedule? Have no fear. Listen in as Karen discusses how scheduling has changed in her homeschool and how God uses schedules for a purpose!

This episode is something that I am so thrilled to share with you. I know this will bless many out there in the homeschooling community. Join me as I talk with Marianne Sunderland from Homeschooling with Dyslexia as we talk about how to recognize learning differences early on, how to deal with them when homeschooling, and more. Marianne has a vast amount of experience as she has homeschooled seven of her eight children while dealing with dyslexia. She is an amazing mom, who is embracing their learning differences. She is a wealth of information on this topic, and what a blessing to chat with her.

This is the season where we are celebrating Jesus- and that should bring us such JOY. Yet the very things we are celebrating get lost in the worlds' message of busyness and materialism, and we find ourselves complaining, stressed, and overwhelmed. That is NOT what God wants us to feel at Christmas. We should be rejoicing all season long- our Savior is coming! The message of Christmas is by no means simple, it is extraordinary- that God came down as a baby, to live and ultimately die for our sins. Yet, we become so distracted by the busyness, materialism, and consumerism at this time that we lose focus. Let's simplify this season by focusing on having less "stuff," and doing more real things. Let's connect with others, connect with God...and ultimately share the greatest gift of all. Share Jesus.

Almost ten years ago, God called me to the journey of homeschooling, and I went kicking and screaming! I ran from God at first, but I knew deep down that God was calling me to this journey, so I answered the call. I never thought I would homeschool, nor did I feel equipped. With family opposition, my own pride and insecurities, the odds were stacked against me...but GOD prevailed! I sought out on this journey for "just one year." Now, I haven't looked back, and couldn't imagine doing anything else. Whether God is calling you to homeschool or something else, this podcast will encourage you to step out in faith, whether you are comfortable or not...becauseGod will equip you for whatever He calls you to. It will be life changing.

Are you constantly feeling disorganized? Are you always looking for a new planner or system to help keep your home running more efficiently? Are you wanting that perfect looking home where everything matches and is Pinterest perfect? For years, I was always trying to control disorder in my home, by thinking I needed to have the next best method of organization...whether it was a new planner, homeschool curriculum, chore system, meal plan, or discipline method...I was always searching for the answer to disorder. And while those things are certainly good in and of themselves, when I looked deeper I realized they were not only making my life MORE complicated, I was also searching for order and peace in all the wrong places. So I stopped chasing the Instagram ideal home, and found my true satisfaction comes from the simple things. Join me for this discussion on going back to the basics. Let's not get distracted with how things look on the outside, but let's focus on the inside. This is by no means a condemnation of organization or certain methods...it is merely a look at how we may be more efficient if we keep it simple and our eyes on our true goals. :)

What is Real Homeschool? Podcast Episode #9 This book is not really about social media per se, but more about our hearts in a world that continues to push us to be more like it. Everywhere we turn, social media is screaming at us and showing us pictures of what we should be. Slowly, gradually, we start following the world and trying to bring God with us, rather than letting God lead us and then bringing the world with us! They are the desires that creep in and take my focus off of my true purpose in homeschooling. You know what I mean— when the focus becomes all about finding the best curriculum or filling up the schedule with the most extracurricular activities? Or how about decorating the perfect homeschool room? Or the hours spent online searching what others are doing, while neglecting your own time with the Lord? These are all things that have become an issue with me, and I am sure with others, especially as social media grows. I have often thought about those early homeschoolers who had no Internet or fancy curriculum but truly sought the Lord in their decision to homeschool. I admire them so much! They weren’t busy showing off their schoolrooms or their kids on Instagram; they were deep in the nitty-gritty of daily homeschool life when homeschooling wasn’t even mainstream. They weren’t spending hours on Pinterest, but probably hours in the Word. This book will challenge us to get back to the basics and fully rely on God. We need to stop living up to an Internet ideal and live only for God’s ideals. This book isn’t at all a book against social media (after all, I work in social media), but more about our hearts and what we do with social media. Pinterest and Instagram and all the other media out there are certainly not bad in and of themselves, but we do need to be aware of our hearts when using them. We must not let those things rule our standards. Only God should rule us. Will you join me as we get back to the basics? Will you join me as we endeavor to be real with each other because we need each other? Will you join me as we focus on what God wants for our homeschools and not what the world says is success? Will you join me as we pursue Real Homeschool? Not a picture-perfect homeschool, but a real homeschool –where the rubber meets the road and it sometimes gets messy –and we work together through those messes… And then it gets beautiful…oh, so beautiful…because God is right there with us. He is working through our families on this real homeschooling journey. God has called us to this beautiful journey…and the perfect picture is the one where He is leading every step, guiding us, and our eyes are fixed solely on Him.

I recently wrote about living a clutter-free life and that post really hit home with so many people. Tonight, I sat down to discuss this issue, and really get to the heart. For years now I have been simplifying and living a more clutter-free life, and last year it all really came to a head when we moved to a new home. We took only what was necessary, and I have found so much freedom in having less stuff. It was a fresh start. The irony of our society is that we have so much stuff, and continue to seek more, yet we are finding people more and more stressed, busy, and dissatisfied. Why is that? Our joy comes from so much more than stuff and externals do not define us. Jesus does. Even if you aren’t moving to a new home, you can still choose to start fresh and lessen the amount of clutter in your life. Face it, more stuff means more stuff to manage and it often brings more stress. Do you want more peace? More joy? Freedom to live life without being weighed down by stuff? Join me as we discuss finding freedom from clutter!

Help! I’m Not Equipped to Homeschool I’m not organized enough. I’m not smart enough. I’m not disciplined enough. We don’t have enough money. I’m a mess! Help! I’m Not Equipped to Homeschool! Feeling like you are being called to homeschool, but don’t feel equipped? Or are you in the midst of homeschooling and feel like you just can’t go on? Have no fear. If God has called you, He will equip you! Join me as we talk about all these things and how I have learned to overcome. You may not be equipped, but God supplies the equipment!

So you want to simplify your life, but don’t even know where to start? Usually, the hardest part is taking the first step. Have you read all about simplifying, reducing clutter, and purging the house—-and then you look around and are so overwhelmed, you throw in the towel before you start. Or do you get super motivated to start your plan and go full force, only to find in a few days you start to unravel it all? Simplifying is about so much more than clutter- it is a heart issue that starts inside and works its way out. Simplifying is such a buzz word these days, and for me it is about SO much more than just getting rid of “stuff.” It is about understating the heart behind why we have so much clutter, and why we think we need so much. It is about focusing on the fact that God is all we need, and nothing else can fill that void. Yet, as a society we have bought into the lie, that more stuff equals more happiness. And the more we toil and attain, the more unhappy we become. Our houses are full, and our hearts are empty. We also have more information than ever and are completely overwhelmed as to what to do with it all. So in order to even begin simplifying, we need to start by knowing our Creator, and our purpose- which is to know Him and make Him known. The closer we are to Him, the less we will desire to fill up on stuff. Join me as we talk about how to start simplifying this moment!