I can't believe I just wrote that it's August!  What a strange time we have been living in the past few months.  I don't know about you, but I'm trying to keep home as normal as possible right now, despite nothing in life feeling normal.  
Have you already started your homeschool year yet?  We started early because we have a baby boy due any day now and I knew I would need some time off once he finally comes.  We also released The Grind last week - this was so exciting to finally get into your hands.  If you haven't had a chance to download and read through The Grind yet I'd highly encourage you to do so.  The link to download is at the bottom of this post.  
There are a few fun things from The Grind that I thought I would share for this first week of August on here as well.  The first are some fun and silly holidays in the month of August.  I am a big fan of celebrating (I talk about this in The Grind) and we love every excuse to celebrate.  Here are a few reasons you might want to consider celebrating this month too!  

Another thing I write about in The Grind is planning out your meals for the month.  I use this more as a guide than a stick to it plan, but it sure does help to have an idea of what I can make for the month. This schedule is also a great way to make sure I'm not cooking the same 4 meals each week and I add some fun variety to our plan.  I also use the above holiday list to plan a few meals too!  (Like August 19th we will be having a baked potato bar for dinner - cause why not?!?) 

Finally, if you haven't started your homeschool year yet I gave you a ton of information on getting your homeschool year started and some good journal prompts to help you think through what you still need to plan out to be prepared for the start of your homeschool journey.  

Hope these fun resources get you excited for the month of August!  Check out these resources and so many more in The Grind.  Happy August Everyone!

Click Here to Download The Grind

Just wanted to make downloading a bit simpler for everyone.  Here is a zip file of The Grind!  Enjoy and feel free to share with others who are homeschooling too!

 Hi Everyone 
We are so excited to give you The Grind today!  We pray this will be such a help to your homeschool year.  We will be releasing one journal each quarter of this homeschool year to help keep you on track and not just surviving but thriving in this year!  Can't wait to have you all read through it!!  

As is always our case The Grind is FREE for you.  Our heart for Raising Arrows is ministry first, we have no desire to make any money from what we do which is why we post everything for FREE and you will see no affiliate links on our page.  Please share The Grind with your homeschool friends who would also be blessed by this and print it as many times as you need!

In His Joyful Service 
Ben and Jenny 
The Grind Click on the chapters below to download each file
Chapter 1
​Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
​Chapter 5
​Chapter 6
​Chapter 7
​Chapter 7 A
​Chapter 7 B
​Chapter 7 C
​Chapter 7 D
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
​Chapter 10
​Chapter 10 A
​Chapter 10 B
​Chapter 11
Chapter 11 A
​Chapter 12

To my dear homeschool mothers,
I wanted to take a moment of your time today and make sure you know what an honor it is to stand shoulder to shoulder with you, my sisters in Christ.  While the world tells us our children are an inconvenience -  YOU brought your children home to spend every waking moment together.  While the world tells us our children cost too much - YOU choose to not be a two income family and instead sacrifice money for a priceless commodity - time with your family.  While the world tells us our children should all learn at the same pace, in the same age group, and in the same way - YOU have chosen to honor the uniquenesses of each of your children allowing them to climb the ladder of learning in their time and in their own way no matter how fast or slow that is.  While the world tells us that being "just" a stay at home homeschool mom isn't enough - YOU have decided that it is far more than enough.  

Because being "just" a stay at home, homeschooling mom is a ministry, a calling, a moment by moment chance to disciple our children, a sacrifice, a joy, an exhaustion, a challenge, uplifting, out of the box, and if done right - the hardest job you will ever do. As a stay at home mom keeping up on the cleaning, laundry, cooking, and various other household chores we have homemaking done right is a huge job.  We've decided to add a few more plates to balance and spin by embracing the role of homeschool mom.  We are with our children 24/7 and we see the worst in them at times.  We hit our knees often asking for wisdom on how to shape, mold and build these disciples for Christ.  Add to this the weight of our children's education and future and it's easy to see why we can feel overwhelmed and weak most any hour of the day!

Friends, I just want to remind you that the Lord sees you and the sacred work you are doing in your home.  Though most of what you do tends to feels invisible, His eye is on YOU - little sparrow, and He is watching with joy your faithfulness to this calling of Homeschool Mom.  This work, this sacred work is the most important work you will ever do.  You are Raising Arrows who will shoot into world changers for the Lord someday.  This is our job, our calling - this is homeschool mothering and today on mother's day I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for making your family the best priority you could ever spend your time on.  What a gift you are giving your children allowing them to be homeschooled by you.  I'm honored and so blessed to know you, call you friends, and get to walk side by side in this journey of homeschooling together.  I virtually raise my reheated in the microwave 3 times cup of lukewarm coffee to you today and say thank you for all you do in serving the kingdom of God and your family.   

Happy Mother's Day my friends,
Love you all - Jenny

​Isaiah 44:10
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Raising Arrows has been busy preparing resources to help you as you plan your up and coming homeschool year.  There is a ton happening on the Raising Arrows Facebook Page, including give aways, discussions, and bonus videos.  To find the Planning the Homeschool Year Journal CLICK HERE

We hope these resources will be helpful to your upcoming homeschool year and take a bit of the stress and challenge of planning away.  Excited for this to be your best homeschool year yet!

Hi Everyone - here is our last video on homeschooling with littles.   This video is from Q & A questions people in Raising Arrows sent in.  

Here are the rest of the videos from our Homeschooling with Littles Series
Homeschooling with Littles - Our Hearts
Homeschooling with Littles - Consistency
Homeschooling with Littles - Anchors
Homeschooling with Littles - Routines
​Homeschooling with Littles - Be Prepared

​These video posts, many topic conversations, and some fun giveaways all happen on our Raising Arrows Facebook Group 

We have had a great week talking about homeschooling with littles.  Today we are talking about schedules or routines.  For some schedules work and for others routines work.  The important part is simply to do something that helps you simplify your day.  

By keeping either a schedule or a routine means you are more likely to get all your homeschooling and other to do's done in your day.  I'm a routine person, which simply means I do the same things in the same order every single day.  I don't have to think about it I just do the next thing.  I've found that having a routine helps my littles too.  They know when I'm doing the finance curriculum with my bigs that this is the last thing before we start making lunch.  My 3 year old has said several times "Oh yeah we are talking about money that means lunch is next"  This routine gives our littles some security in knowing what comes next and what is expected for the day.  

Watch today's video for more information on schedules and routines.  

Don't forget to check out the rest of the videos in our Homeschooling with Littles Series at the links below:
Homeschooling with Littles - Our Thoughts
Homeschooling with Littles - Anchors
Homeschooling with Littles - Consistency
​Homeschooling with Littles - Be Prepared 

Hi everyone we are back to talk about homeschooling with littles and being prepared for our day.  Nothing can set our day up for success or failure like walking into the day prepared!  Watch the video for some ideas on a few things I do to prepare for my homeschool days.  

If you missed any other videos in our series on Homeschooling with Littles the links are below so you can get caught up!  

Homeschooling with Littles Series: 
Homeschooling with Littles - Our Thoughts
​Homeschooling with Littles - Consistency 
​Homeschooling with Littles - Anchors

Hope you all are enjoying our theme week on Homeschooling with Littles.  Today we are discussing the importance fo using anchors in our day to get all the things done that must be done.  The idea is those staple things that happen every day like brushing your teeth, eating breakfast, lunch and dinner, babies taking naps, snack time, or even bath time you use to your benefit. 

Attach a task that must be done for homeschooling to these anchors.  A simple example of this would be at breakfast each morning I read a chapter of Psalms with my kids and we practice our memory verse.  They are all sitting at the table and its a super simple time to accomplish this task.  It also means during my day I don't have to try to fit this in somewhere else - Bible always happens during breakfast.  

Watch the video for more ideas on anchors and how best to use them with your littles.  

Don't forget to check out the 2 days videos too!
- Homeschooling with Littles : Our Heart
​- Homeschooling with Littles: Consistency

We are back for another day discussing Homeschooling our littles.  Today we are talking about consistency.  Consistency is KEY to a successful homeschool year.  When your littles know what to expect they will thrive.  All responsibility for being consistent is on us.  I know when I resolve to do school every day with my big kids my littles do so much better in the homeschool day

One thing I always recommend to help with consistency is NEVER scheduling doctors appointments, coffee dates, play dates, dentist, or any other type of appointment in the morning.  Keeping the mornings blocked off for school every day allows you to be free of distractions and able to focus on schooling in the morning.  You would be amazed how much of your homeschool day you can fit into the morning when it is left uninterrupted.

Another thing I always do is leave my phone in my bedroom in the morning so that there is no chance of text, phone call, or facebook distracting me from my valuable morning time.  

Waking up at the same time every morning also leads to a better consistent day.  If each day starts at different times this makes the schedule for the day tough to plan. Nap time at the same time each day is another great thing to get consistent on to keep the flow of the day going great.  

It takes time and many days of practice for our littles to really get into a rhythm with homeschooling and we aren't doing them any favors by not being consistent or skipping days of school.  Be consistent you will see the fruit of this work as time goes on, but it does take time.  Be patient and stick with it!!!

Here is yesterday's blog and video: Homeschooling our Littles - Our Hearts

I would love to hear your comments and thoughts on Homeschooling with Littles!