Small habits yield big change! As someone who is not a naturally tidy person, I (Shanda) share five small tips I have learned to help  keep a tidy home. As a busy mom to 4 kiddos, I know how valuable  time is! So I'm sharing the things I do in my own home that help me create a haven for my family. We are not minimalists, nor do we expect our home to be pristine, but these simple habits have helped lay the foundation for a tidy home.

Affiliate Links:
How to Manage Your Home without Losing Your Mind 

Let's connect!
Website: This Devoted Life
Instagram: Devoted Motherhood
Email: [email protected]

We received great feedback from our last episode on family finances! You can find that episode HERE. One of our listeners asked, "Can James share some ways to supplement our family finances apart from our day jobs?" So in this episode we attempt to answer that question with practical examples.

James also recently read a book called Die with Zero. This book really challenged him to think and re-evaluate some financial goals. We discuss the book and how it has impacted our lives so far.

Quotes:
“The business of life is acquiring memories.” - Die With Zero

Verses:
James 4:14 - "yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes."

Affiliate Links:
Die With Zero Book
Eathley Wellness - Use code: DEVOTEDMAMA10 at checkout

Let's connect!
Website: This Devoted Life
Instagram: Devoted Motherhood
Email: [email protected]

Often finances can be a taboo topic within Christian circles, but the Bible is clear that we are to be wise stewards of everything we have been given. Today, we are discussing the topic of stewardship and sharing practical ways to improve your finances and how to communicate within a marriage about the topic of money.

Verses:
1 Timothy 6:10a - "For the love of money is the root of all evil"
1 Timothy 6:6 - "But godliness with contentment is great gain."
Mark 10:8 - "and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh."
Ephesians 5:16 - "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."
Matthew 25:23 - " His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ "

Links:
Keep a Quiet Heart
Wealth Can't Wait
The Money Guys
Dave Ramsey

Let's connect!
Website: This Devoted Life
Instagram: Devoted Motherhood
Email: [email protected]

Podcasts are a great way to continue learning and growing, so this week we are sharing a few things we have learned from podcasts we have listened to recently.

• Joe Rogan and Gary Brecka share some information about the MTHFR gene mutation and how folic acid plays a roll.
• James also shares some biblical insight he gained while listening to a hunting podcast this past week. It's not what you might expect!

Verses:
Ephesians 4:29 - "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."

1 Thessalonians 5:8 - "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

James 3:17 - "For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice."

Links:
Joe Rogan/ Gary Brecka Podcast

Let's connect!
Website: This Devoted Life
Instagram: Devoted Motherhood
Email: [email protected]

After a lengthy social media break, WE ARE BACK and with renewed vision and purpose!

Shanda took an almost 2 month social media break, so today we are breaking down the lessons she learned while taking a break. By the end of the episode, we hope you are encouraged to take an introspective look at your social media consumption and decide, "Should I take a social media break?"

In the last third of this episode, we discuss the book "12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You" and dive briefly into the 12 areas your mind is being trained by your phone. We believe technology is a gift, but as with anything, we need to vigilant in how we use the gifts we have been given. Hopefully this is an eye-opening episode for you!

Links:
12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You

Let's connect!
Website: This Devoted Life
Instagram: Devoted Motherhood
Email: [email protected]

We are continuing our conversation from last week and will be answering more of your questions regarding homeschooling in this episode. Whether you are currently homeschooling and want a peek into how others are homeschooling or you are curious about homeschooling or considering it for your family, this episode is for you!

To listen to the first Homeschool Q&A Episode: CLICK HERE

Questions we answer in this episode:
How to carve out time for household chores while homeschooling?
At what age would you start tracing and learning to write letters?
What curriculum do you use?
Do you finish all your curriculum every year?
Balance between having school time and having free-play when the outside is calling?
How to stay on track and keep records of work and progress?
If not following a curriculum, should I follow state standards?
How do you teach a second language?
Where do you find your curriculums?
Did you ever fear your kids only being as smart as you are?
Subjects for kindergarten? Science and Social Studies?

Curriculum Links:
The Good and the Beautiful
A Gentle Feast
Sabbath Mood
F.O.R.M. Health and Wellness (Use code DEVOTED for 15% off)
Talkbox.Mom (Use code DEVOTED20 for $20 off your first Talkbox and Book Bundle)

Miscellaneous Links:
Trello
Forcing Preschoolers To Write Too Young Is Pointless
Talkbox.Mom YouTube Review
HSLDA

Let's connect!
Website: This Devoted Life
Instagram: Devoted Motherhood
Email: [email protected]

A few weeks back, we asked YOU what you wanted to know about homeschooling, so today (and next week's episode), we are going to be answering those questions!

We chose not to script these episodes because we want our answers to be like we are sitting down and chatting over a cup of coffee. We wanted to give honest feedback about homeschooling and what we truly think about it.

Here is what you can expect in this episode:
2:25 - Tips for Homeschooling While Also Caring for a Toddler/Infant?
10:10 - Curriculum for the "Why" Behind Letter Sounds and Rules?
14:04 - Any Tips for Homeschool Dads Who Are Leading the Homeschool?
20:36 - How to Change Mindset From Public Schooling to Homeschooling?
24:50 - Is There a Book to Learn About Different Styles of Homeschool and What is Best For Our Family?

Correction:
Charlotte Mason advocated for formal education to start at the age of 6. She had 20 principles she used to guide her schooling philosophy.

Links:
Episode on Postpartum Depression
The Good and the Beautiful
A Gentle Feast
What Kind of Homeschooler Am I? Test
Call of the Wild & Free
For the Children's Sake
Charlotte Mason Companion
Not mentioned but also a great book: Modern Miss Mason

Let's connect!
Website: This Devoted Life
Instagram: Devoted Motherhood
Email: [email protected]

There are no perfect educational systems, so in this episode we want to be transparent about some of the pros and cons we have experienced within our homeschooling journey. You might be surprised to learn that the cons are not as "negative" as you might imagine. Rather, they are opportunities for growth.

As always, we would love to hear from you! Be sure to send us any questions or feedback that you have.

Links:
Raising Brave Kids - Episode 6
100 Gentle Lessons in Sight and Sound
YouTube Homeschool Playlist

Quotes:
Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne - "Meaning hides in repetition: We do this every day or every week because it matters. We are connected by this thing we do together. We matter to one another. In the tapestry of childhood, what stands out is not the splashy, blow-out trip to Disneyland but the common threads that run throughout and repeat: the family dinners, nature walks, reading together at bedtime (with a hot water bottle at our feet on winter evenings), Saturday morning pancakes."

Let's connect!
Website: This Devoted Life
Instagram: Devoted Motherhood
Email: [email protected]

Did we always plan to homeschool? What did James think about homeschooling initially? What are some common myths surrounding homeschooling? How do I talk to my spouse about homeschooling if they are not on board with it yet?

These are just a few of the questions we are answering in today's podcast! Stay tuned... we are turning this into a series!

Let us know if you have any specific questions regarding homeschooling. We would love to answer them in an upcoming episode!

Here is what you can expect in this episode:
0:33 - Intro to Homeschooling Series
2:01 - Why We Homeschool
7:08 - Talking to a Spouse that is Not on Board with Homeschooling
15:30 - Is homeschooling the best way?
19:28 - What Happened When We Decided to Dual Enroll Our Son in Private School
23:00 - Apprehensions Debunked - Socialization
26:00 - Apprehensions Debunked - Limited Resources
30:45 - Apprehensions Debunked - Is Homeschooling As Good As Public Education?
32:50 - Apprehensions Debunked - Social Perception
38:30 - Hold Homeschooling Loosely
40:45 - What does James now think about homeschooling after 6+ years?

Links:
Why Colleges Like Homeschooling Students

References:
Deuteronomy 6:5-9 - "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. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

Let's connect!
Website: This Devoted Life
Instagram: Devoted Motherhood
Email: [email protected]

The title seems a bit disjointed, but we promise it makes sense and works together!

At a glance:
- Join us as we discuss hard moments in parenting and how we can keep a positive mindset by asking ourselves good questions.
- We also recently met Jocko Willink and discuss his ideas surrounding mental health.
-It's hard to believe we are over half-way through the year! So it's time to do a mid-year check-in on goals that we set 6 months ago.

Here is what you can expect in this episode:
1:25 - Making Church a Priority
3:20 - One of Shanda's "Worst" Parenting Moments
7:15 - When You Feel Like You Are Drowning
9:30 - Best Question to Ask Yourself When You Feel Like You Are Failing
14:35 - Second-Best Question to Ask
17:13 - Meeting Jocko and his ideas for supporting people we are struggling mentally
27:30 - How are you doing on your New Year's goals?
32:00 - NEW Cultivate Devotional

Links:
CULTIVATE: Biblical Lessons from the Garden
Jocko Podcast
The Way of the Warrior Kid Book

References:
Hebrews 10:25 - " Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."

Lamentations 3:22-23 - " It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."

Let's connect!
Website: This Devoted Life
Instagram: Devoted Motherhood
Email: [email protected]