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School Is Where the Home Is: 180 Devotions for Homeschool Parents

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School Is Where the Home Is by Anita Mellott is a devotional book for homeschool parents filled with 180 short nuggets of inspiration, encouragement, and practical helps.

180 Devotions for Homeschool Parents {School Is Where the Home Is}

Each daily devotion is titled, categorized, backed by scripture, and includes engaging, real-life stories to encourage, inspire, challenge, and help you as a homeschool parent. Plus each devotion concludes with a thought-provoking question for you to consider in your homeschool journey!

180 Devotions for Homeschool Parents {School Is Where the Home Is}

The daily devotions are divided into 8 categories:

A Faith of Their Own: Encourages parents to guide their children into intimacy with God, to help them develop a personal walk with Jesus.

And a Child Will Lead Them: One of the amazing benefits of homeschooling is seeing life through the eyes of our children and learning from them.

Gifts We Give Our Children: Encourages parents to focus on the intangible gifts that we can give our children, and to be intentional about discipling children and nurturing their hearts.

Homeschool Basics: Practical help and encouragement for each homeschooling day: communicating in school, planning, organizing, making decisions about curriculum, dealing with challenges – mental blocks, frustration, and perfectionism, and encouraging our children’s potential.

Homeschool Foundations: Highlights the biblical fundamentals of what homeschooling is all about and why we homeschool.

Homeschool and Family: Handling the impact of homeschooling on every aspect of family life, like time, relationships, and marriage, with encouragement and practical tips to keep a balance.

Homeschool and You: The impact of homeschooling on the primary educator: setting boundaries, pride, the importance of community, lightening up, tough love, dealing with disapproval, and comparisons, and encouragement of the primary educator, mainly the mother, to take care of herself.

Spiritual Vitamins: Spiritual refreshment for parents.

{quoted from School is Where Home is, p. x}

 

My Thoughts:

As a mom, particularly a homeschool mom, I feel like I am continually in need of encouragement. While I love being inspired by other moms who face the same joys and challenges of homeschooling, I also appreciate being challenged to grow and change those things in my life that need to be adjusted so that I can become a better mom! Other times I just need some practical tips to help me through all of my responsibilities as a homeschooling mom! I was thrilled when I discovered that I could find all of this and more in this daily devotional book!

Since receiving School Is Where the Home Is I have thoroughly enjoyed reading through it. The short, easy to read passages make it simple for me to fit the daily devotions into my busy homeschool day! In fact, throughout the day, I often find little pockets of time where I am able to squeeze in multiple daily devotions in one day ~ Yes, they are THAT short and easy to read! But, don’t get me wrong, they definitely pack a punch! I am regularly amazed at how these short, little passages can have such an impact on me!

I love how author Anita Mellot is able to take stories from her own life as a homeschooling parent and draw out nuggets of truth that inspire, encourage, challenge, and transform!

Many times I walk away feeling encouraged and inspired to press on! While other times I feel the sting of being challenged in particular areas of my life that needs to be changed! And still, other times, it is as if the light bulb has been turned on as I discover a new way to make our homeschool day run more smoothly!

 

About the Author:

While I am loving the devotions, I can’t continue without telling you more about the amazing lady behind this little jewel, Anita Mellot! Below is a quote from Anita’s About page:

“Life’s ups and downs have included job loss, the death of loved ones an ocean away, chronic illness, and infertility. Despite a recent diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis, a degenerative auto-immune disorder, I believe and have experienced that “though weeping may last for the night, joy comes in the morning.” So I continue to write and speak of hope in spite of life’s challenges.”

Being a mom is not easy! Homeschooling is not easy!

I cannot begin to imagine being a mom, much less a homeschooling mom, living in chronic pain with a degenerative auto-immune disorder. Yes, in spite of walking the path that was not her choice, Anita’s hope and desire to encourage others in the midst of her own pain and suffering is simply remarkable! I am utterly in awe of her strength, courage, determination, and hope! You can read more about Anita’s story over on Classic Housewife!

 

Support a Fellow Homeschool Mom:

Please help me support Anita by visiting all of my friend’s reviews and giveaways below!  We know you will be blessed by this sweet book and you will bless Anita by helping us share her book with others! 

School Is Where Home Is: 180 Devotions for Homeschool ParentsSept 17:  Jennifer: Jennifer A Janes
Sept 17:  Jenn: Mama Jenn (That’s me! You can enter my giveaway below!)
Sept 18:  Lisa: Chaos Appreciation
Sept 18:  Meg: Homeschoolin Mama
Sept 19:  Laurie: Our Abundant Blessings
Sept 19:  Amber: Classic Housewife 
Sept 20:  Kris: Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers
Sept 20:  Susan – Momma Hopper 

iHomeschool Network is proud to support Anita, her fabulous book, and these book reviews. As an expression of that support, iHN will be paying to ship the winners’ books to them.

Giveaway Info:

Would you like to win a copy of School Is Where Home Is? The first and mandatory entry is to simply leave a comment letting me know that you would like to win!

Optional (Additional) Entries: The following are additional ways that you can enter to win. However, you MUST complete the mandatory entry above. (Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry!)

  • Tell me which devotional category {listed above} you would be most interested in reading more about. Leave a comment naming the category. (max 1 entry)

  • Visit Anita’s blog and read an except from the book. (See the left side bar on her site.) Leave a comment letting me know that you read it. (max 1 entry)

  • Enter any of the other 7 giveaways (listed above) for School Is Where Home Is. Leave a comment for EACH giveaway that you enter telling me the name of the blog hosting the giveaway. (max 7 entries)

  • Follow Mama Jenn via Google+ AND/OR subscribe to Mama Jenn via RSS and/or via email and leave a comment letting me know that you do. Leave a comment for EACH follow or subscription. (max 3 entries)

  • Tweet about the giveaway and leave a comment letting me know you did. You can just copy, paste, and tweet the following:

@MamaJennBlogs is hosting an #iHn #giveaway for 180 Day #homeschool devo by #AnitaMellot Enter thru 9/21/12: http://bit.ly/NwC3wg #freeHS

The giveaway ends at midnight on Friday, September 21, 2012! One winner will be randomly selected and emailed. Winner will have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address. Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry and a way for me to contact you in case you win! Giveaway is open to US Residents ONLY. Must be age 18 or over. Comments (giveaway entries) ARE moderated and will appear after they have been approved. ONLY comments posted on the actual blog post count as entries!

This product was given to me free of charge. I do not have to return the product to the vendor. All opinions expressed in this post are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

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Reader Interactions

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Comments

  29. Tosha

    I would LOVE to win a copy of the devotional. And the first devo I would want to do is a Faith of Their Own…because to me that is what it is all about. Teaching them to develop their OWN relationship with God

    Reply

  41. BlessedCP

    Of course first and foremost I want my kids to follow after God’s own heart. I think this chapter could give some ideas on how to instill that into the family:
    Gifts We Give Our Children:
    Encourages parents to focus on the intangible gifts that we can give our
    children, and to be intentional about discipling children and nurturing
    their hearts.

    Reply

  42. BlessedCP

    I would LOVE to win this. I am in need of encouragement like you, but I am also the “encourager” at our homeschool group and would love to share some nuggets from this book. Thank you!

    Reply

  44. jenniehall

    i would LOVE to win this! i NEED this! i am so emotionally and spiritually drained right now. i need to get back on track and figure something out to make our school year go a little smoother. 🙁

    Reply

  46. Michele Mom of 9

    I would love to read this book. We’ve been homeschooling since 1998, and frankly, I’m ready to quit. The discouragement has me so bowed down that I don’t want to do it anymore. This year I have kids in 11th, 9th, 6th, and 3rd grades, with twin kindergartners that never do anything because Mommy has no time to work with them.

    Reply

  47. Anita Mellott

    Dear Homeschooling Moms, Reading your comments reinforced why I wrote the book–to encourage you as you walk the path God has called you to. It may not always be easy, but He is with us always and His grace is sufficient for each homeschool day.

    I’m trying to get back to posting regular homeschool encouragement on FB. I will be praying for you…He is faithful who has called us!

    Reply

  48. Kim S

    Mama Jenn, I’m the marketing director for Judson Press, Anita’s publisher, and just want to thank you for your wonderful post. I’ve quoted you (and offered a link) on our FB and Twitter pages. Anita is an amazing woman and she’s written a terrific devotional!

    Reply

  50. Anita Mellott

    Sweet Jenn: Thank you so much for reviewing my book and helping spread the word…I pray it will encourage many. Words seem inadequate to fully express my thanks. God bless you!

    Reply

  54. Kelly

    I read and enjoyed & was already challenged by the excerpt from the devotional on Anita’s site. The theme of trusting God with our homeschool is something I need to be reminded of again and again.

    Reply

  65. Christine Apolenis

    I am so interested in “Homeschool and Family” because right now, I don’t think I have a very good balance 🙂

    Reply

  67. Christine Apolenis

    I would love to win this for our family! I am in SUCH need of help, encouragement, and daily perseverance in this homeschool journey.

    Reply

  68. Robyn

    Homeschool and You would be the catagory that I would be most interested in. Taking care of myself seems to be last on my list… I need to do a little bit better!

    Reply

  86. Joan Concilio Otto

    I would definitely be very interested in the “And a Child Will Lead Them” category – that’s our biggest win so far in homeschooling, is seeing the things WE learn from our daughter’s interests!

    Reply

  88. hydrangeasandharmony

    All of the devotional categories look great but I’d be most interested in reading the Homeschool Foundations selections.

    Reply