Welcome
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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  • ““A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men.” ~ Roald Dahl 🌿 Sunday’s spent with friends are the best kind of days. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend! 💕 #bunchoballoons @bunchoballoons
  • I am now well over halfway through my third pregnancy. I’ve always had easy, healthy, low maintenance pregnancies. But just like with my last pregnancy, anxiety creeps in and comes and goes in waves. ————————————— I had what would be considered a traumatic birth with my first child. The physical healing afterward took months, followed by PPD. I remember the first time I mentioned to someone I thought I had PPD. They responded “oh you’re just young and need some time to get the hang of parenting.” I knew it was more than that but I never mentioned it again. I felt ashamed for feeling the way I did, for being unable to connect with my son, for not being “motherly” enough, for being lost and in pain when other women had suffered far worse than me. I kept silent and pretended. ———————————— But silence doesn’t ease trauma. When the fog lifted about year after my first birth, I began to see more clearly. I was able to begin to process what I had been through, but I shouldn’t have lost a year to it. And I should not have spent months of my second pregnancy experiencing severe anxiety and panic attacks. ———————————— I told my doctor recently about the anxiety I’ve been having since finding out I was pregnant. She just listened then acknowledged that I had been experiencing Postpartum PTSD (I didn’t even know that was a thing) from childbirth eight years ago. I could have burst into tears right there in her office. I was so thankful to her in that moment, though she was simply doing her job she listened without judgement, and is now more than willing to do what she can to help ease my anxiety. Her compassion and understanding lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. ———————————— I decided to share this today because so often we only share the best. The happy pregnancy pictures, the beautiful newborn photo shoots, and magical quotes about the beauty of motherhood. Motherhood IS wonderful but it’s not perfect. And maybe, just maybe, there is one or more of you who needed to read this today. Let this be your reminder that you are not alone, you are not a bad mother and there is absolutely no shame in reaching out for help. ❤️
  • “Enchanted education and living are all about small surprises of happy—scattered, littered, peppered throughout garden-variety days.” -Julie Bogart, The Brave Learner 🌿
  • Hi friends! 😀 It’s rare I share a photo of myself on here, mostly because I’m always the one behind the camera. I love seeing all your faces on here and learning more about you so I thought I’d do a little introduction too. I started Chasing Jupiter to share my story of raising and homeschooling two very differently-wired boys. I love talking about what I’m learning through it all, where I’m finding inspiration, and hopefully encouraging you along the way. —————————— A few little things about me, I’m a second generation homeschooler who had always planned on homeschooling my own children when the time came. As you can see I have two young boys and a little baby girl due in September. Slow mornings with coffee and my husband talking about life, future, kids, and homeschooling while we watch the kids play outside is one of my favourite things. It just never gets old. I’d rather buy books than clothes or makeup or really anything else. We read... a lot. We take sun-days instead of snow-days. School books go away and we go exploring. My absolute favourite thing about homeschooling is the freedom. Something I definitely am not willing to trade or give up anytime in the near future. 😉 —————————— As I said in the beginning, I love getting to know all of you better too! If you’re up for a little challenge, share something about yourself, something you’re passionate about, or a little about your homeschool in the comments below! ⬇️ Consider sharing a photo of yourself and a little introduction on your own page too! If you do, tag me in the comments so I can stop by! I love “meeting” the parents behind the page. 💕
  • “Rest begins with acceptance. Or, perhaps more accurately, with surrender. There will always be more you can do. You will never complete your tasks entirely, because just on the horizon is tomorrow, and tomorrow the to-do list starts anew. It is so exhausting—sometimes even demoralizing—to realize that our work in raising up and teaching our children is never really done. But we must remember that we were never intended to finish it.” -Sarah Mackenzie 🌿
  • “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. 💛

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