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I'm Sara, the voice behind Chasing Jupiter, wife to my best friend, and homeschool mom to our two young boys.
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  • “Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to continually be part of unanimity.” -Christopher Morley 🌿 What have you read or done lately that challenged you? 📚
  • “The world is rated R, and no one is checking IDs. Do not try to make it G by imagining the shadows away. Do not try to hide your children from the world forever, but do not try to pretend there is no danger. Train them. Give them sharp eyes and bellies full of laughter. Make them dangerous. Make them yeast, and when they’ve grown, they will pollute the shadows.” -N.D. Wilson 🌿 • • Anxiety can make even the most normal of events look and feel like danger. Unfamiliar sounds, sights, and smells become overwhelming until the body says it’s time to run or fight or freeze. It’s unpredictable. • • Childhood anxiety is more than being scared of the dark. It is more than being shy. It is more than a simple childhood fear. It is just more. So much more. • • Sometimes I wonder if I caused his anxiety. We do that as parents, don’t we? The guilt is real. None of us ever want to see our kids struggle and when we can’t fix it we blame ourselves. • • Over the years, I’ve learned I cannot keep my son from feeling anxiety. It’s part of him. He sees the world a little differently than I do. He experiences everyday life in a way I don’t always understand, and he notices the details I miss. He remembers things I’ve forgotten, and thinks of ideas, questions, and concerns so much bigger than his eight year old self. Anxiety is one of the symptoms of his differently-wired brain. And you know what, I wouldn’t trade it for anything because it’s part of who he is. • • So to the moms who are feeling a little behind, left-out, or burnt out as the school year comes to a close, and maybe like me, your heart hurts just a little as you opt out of another end of year activity due to your child’s anxiety, there will come days that your child surpasses all expectations. Their bravery will shine through, all their hard work (and yours) will pay off. Some days will feel like there is one step forward, and two steps back, but you’ll get there. And it is worth it. Those are the days the struggle becomes a victory. And celebrating those victories with your child is priceless. The world won’t know how far he’s come but that’s okay, because you’ll know and you’ll be there to cheer him on. 💙
  • “...I’m not trying to con kids into optimism or false confidence. I really believe this stuff. My view of violence and victory in children’s stories hinges entirely on my faith. Samson lost his eyes and died … but he has new eyes in the resurrection. Israel was enslaved in Egypt, but God sent a wizard far more powerful than Gandalf to save His people. Christ took the world’s darkness on his shoulders and died in agony. But then … Easter. In the end, good wins. Always.” N.D. Wilson 🌿 • • • How do you celebrate Easter in your home? 🌷
  • Ever since becoming a parent I’ve always described it as “unexpected”. Because for me that’s what it’s always been. No parenting book could have prepared me for what was in store for our family. This is another one of those “wonderfully unexpected” moments and we can’t keep the news to ourselves anymore. Baby No.3 due in October. 💛
  • “We can best help children learn, not by deciding what we think they should learn and thinking of ingenious ways to teach it to them, but by making the world, as far as we can, accessible to them, paying serious attention to what they do, answering their questions—if they have any— and helping them explore the things they are most interested in.” -John Holt 🌿
  • I have to admit, there are days when that yellow bus drives by our house early in the morning, I think, “wouldn’t that be easier... even better?” The thought is short lived but honestly there are days when the weight of homeschooling can be overwhelming. • • • As I plan my budget for next year and make lists of what worked and what didn’t over the last few months feelings of doubt crept in. Am I really the best teacher for these differently-wired, outside-the-box, thinking kiddos? What are they missing out on with our eclectic approach to homeschooling? • • • And then the boys spent a morning with their dad. Taking apart an old Xbox to fix it up and learn how everything works and runs inside the console. One on one learning with someone they love most, at a time when most kids would just be getting ready to eat lunch at their desks. You won’t find this in the traditional classroom. It’s the ordinary moments like this that make homeschooling the best choice for our family. • • • What is something ordinary (or extraordinary) in your days recently that reminded you why you chose this life for your family? ❤️
  • “May you grow up to be righteous, may you grow up to be true. May you always know the truth and see the lights surrounding you. May you always be courageous, stand upright and be strong. May you stay forever young.” -Bob Dylan 🌿 • • • Birthdays are a common place. Everybody has one. They roll by year after year. We celebrate our loved ones birthdays from their very beginning. • • • But a child’s birthday, well those in my opinion, are the really special ones. Simply because childhood is short. The days of a bright eyed child jumping out of bed and waking the house up bright and early proclaiming his birthday, his new year, are limited. • • • Today, we’re celebrating my newly turned eight-year-old son. The boy who turned me into a mother and forced me into the realization that parenthood is unequivocally, and absolutely, unexpected. • • • As I watch my son excitedly open his presents of lego and books, I know that time is the greatest gift. And birthdays are a reminder to me just how blessed I truly am to be his mom. 💙
  • “I just want to be five!” My youngest son said, or rather groaned when I was putting him to bed for the night. I lied down next to him and asked, why do you want to be five? Turns out he just wanted a later bedtime, knowing his older brother was still up playing in his room. • • • I made a deal with him that he could stay up late with us one night this week. That brought a smile to his face. So he said goodnight and quietly reminded me that he wanted a superhero party for his 5th birthday... which is well over three months away. What a kid. • • • Though the story is simply born of innocence, we never really stop rushing to the next big thing as we grow up. We rush to finish school, to graduate, to go to university, start a career, get married, have kids... even once we have kids the waiting never really stops. We wait for the next milestone, crawling, walking, potty training, independence... • • • Rushing and waiting for what comes next is easy. It’s almost like we’re wired for it. It’s contentment that takes work, it takes time, experience, and practice. • • • I heard a quote once that stated “My goal isn’t to raise happy kids.” It really made me stop and think, and I realized they were right. Our level of happiness is often a result of circumstance, but contentment, comes from within no matter what circumstance we find ourselves in. • • • How do we pass this on to our children? How do we teach our children to be present in each stage, to find joy, and to be content wherever they are. It’s something we’ve been working in our home this year, but I would love to hear from you. How do you exemplify contentment for your children day to day? 🌿
  • “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.” -Henry David Thoreau 🌿

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