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My New Book: Dear Struggling Homeschool Mom, I See You!
My new book is coming out Dec. 22!!!
I’ve been working on this book for 3 years!
I started writing it for my friend who was struggling with figuring out how to make homeschool enjoyable and how to make it fit her family. I had mentored her for a few years. She had read my previous books. Her husband read them with her!
She discovered that she needed to renew her mind and develop a homeschool mindset instead of thinking like public schools had trained her to think.
After she had found her footing, I decided to write a book based on the things that I helped her with.
So this book is full of practical advice about many of the issues that homeschoolers face in life.
Here are some things that readers have said about the book:
I homeschooled six children for 25 years and have been speaking to homeschoolers on my podcast and in person for over a decade. I have read piles of books on homeschooling and have interviewed dozens of homeschool leaders. So I wasn’t prepared for my reaction to this little book by Penney Douglas: I cried. Even as a retired homeschool mother, I felt encouraged and uplifted. This short book will make you feel as though you are sitting with a wise, compassionate mentor. You will treasure Penney’s sweet words and practical advice as you continue in the blessed calling of homeschool motherhood.
Melanie Wilson, Ph.D.
HomeschoolSanity.com
“Dear Struggling Homeschool Mom, I See You” is like a warm hug wrapped in practical wisdom.
As a homeschool mom, I’ve read many books, but this one is refreshingly real—straight to the point, filled with godly encouragement, and deeply practical for everyday life. Penney Douglas not only equips us with strategies for teaching and home management but also speaks to the heart, reminding us to nourish our marriages and lead our children toward Christ.
What I loved most is how this short guide gently lifts the heavy burden of fear and worry that so many new homeschool parents carry. With grace and honesty, it replaces unrealistic expectations with hope, joy, and simple, actionable steps. It’s a book to keep close by—and perfect for gifting homeschool moms who need to know they are seen, loved, and not alone.
Ana Willis
Blogger, Speaker, Podcaster, and Founder of
They Call Me Blessed, The Homeschool Sisterhood, and Hebrew for Homeschoolers. Co-host of the Charlotte Mason Online Conference and For Such a Time as This Online Summit
Dear Struggling Homeschool Mom, I See You is a breath of fresh air for every weary mama who wonders if she’s enough. Penney Douglas reminds us that we can’t, and shouldn’t, do it all. She gives us permission to rest, to let go of perfection, and to focus on what truly matters.
I especially appreciated the practical checklists throughout the book. They aren’t overwhelming, but instead give simple, actionable steps that help bring peace back into the homeschool day.
Most of all, I was struck by her honesty about prayer. When she shared that the real problem in her home was prayerlessness, I felt that conviction in my own heart. What a powerful reminder to return to the Source of strength.
This is a book that will both comfort and challenge you. It’s like a gentle friend reminding you to breathe, to take it one day at a time, and to remember that God delights in you right where you are.
—Dachelle McVey, Homeschool Mom & Founder of Literary Adventures for Kids
The book will be available on Amazon on Dec. 22. Make sure you get a copy for the homeschool mom in your life. Or the future homeschool moms! It makes a great Christmas gift!
When Your Kids Go Astray
When your kids go astray no matter how hard you pray
“It’s even harder when your kids are older.” I heard this over and over again as I was wrangling my 4, then 5, then 6 kids who were 10 years old and younger into some semblance of order. I refused to believe that. Nothing could be harder than this!
But I was wrong. The little ones took a lot of energy and patience, for sure. But these older kids… Well, they seem to take full advantage of their free will when they reach the legal age, and some start even sooner.
We teach them the ways of God, we pray for them and with them, we do our best to lead them to Jesus. And how do they thank us? They go out and try everything you told them to avoid. Why do they do that?
I know that some kids make it through without being tempted by the things of the world. I certainly did. But that didn’t mean I didn’t have lots of issues inside. I had lots of jealousy, pride, and arrogance that I hid in my heart.
But the ones who go out and do things that cause shame and sadness in our mama hearts, why do they do that?
I think that some of it is just their own personality, or decisions that they make in their hearts. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink, and you can lead your kids to truth, but you can’t make them think!
But I also believe there’s a bigger problem here. I believe that the enemy is trying to steal our seed. The Lord gives us godly seed to keep His story being told. But they are being led astray and taken captive by the enemy of our souls.
He brings the wrong people their way. He plants thoughts in their minds. He twists their thinking so that they misconstrue things that people say and events that happen. He takes advantage of their immaturity and naivete.
When this first started happening to my kids after they got jobs, I was distraught. I wondered what I did wrong, what I could have done differently. I was very hurt and confused by the way they were acting. I felt guilty for what they were doing. It felt like it was my fault for not teaching them better. I thought I must not have explained things to them, things that they needed to know.
Some of that may be true. But I kept praying about it and asking the Lord what I should do. One day when I was crying out to Him about it, He gently reassured me that I had dedicated them to Him as children. And I taught them the ways of the Lord. I led each one of them to accept Jesus. I loved them, took care of them, and helped them the best that I could. And I set up barriers to keep them from sinful ways. It wasn’t my fault that some of them were choosing to run roughshod over those barriers into all kinds of trouble.
I felt better after that. A big part of the burden was lifted off of me. I had some friends who were having similar struggles with their grown kids. I tried to encourage them with what the Lord told me.
This era is a very difficult time to raise godly children. So much sin is right out in the open. It’s easily accessible on the internet, on TV, on magazine covers, on the radio, and almost everywhere you go in public. The standards of society have declined so much that almost anything goes. The morals of the younger generation are almost non-existent.
But I still have hope for our children. I have hope for those who have been raised up in godly homes. I believe the verses in the Bible that say, “If you train up a child in the way he should go, when he is old, he will not depart from it,” and “Our children are taught of the Lord and great is the peace of our children.” My husband and I declare these verses over our children every night. And we also declare that they will fulfill their prophetic destinies.
We are seeing changes in some of them since we started doing this. One son has returned to the Lord and is preparing for the ministry now. One daughter has acknowledged that she can’t live life without the Lord.
I know that the things they went through will only add to their testimony and help them relate to others so they can minister more effectively. And I believe that those who have been forgiven much love much.
I also believe that all things work together for our good.
So I’m excited to see what the future holds for them, even though some of them are still wandering. I also have some prophetic words to hold onto that were spoken over them in the past. This gives me so much hope.
I trust God to take care of them and to lead them back to Himself. I am anxiously awaiting that day!
In the meantime I’ll just keep loving them and speaking life over them. I’ll do my best and let God take care of the rest.
Book Review: An Ambassador’s Ploy by Thirzah
An Ambassador’s Ploy by Thirzah
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I was excited to read this third book in the series because I truly loved the first two. I really enjoy Thirzah’s writing style. She keeps the action going, but also gives her characters time to think and let us in on how they’re feeling. There were some things that were so funny I laughed out loud and others that were so subtle they could have been easily missed. I like humor, so that made it even more enjoyable for me. I think Amelia might be a bit like Thirzah herself. I could easily imagine her doing some of these things given the opportunity. So Amelia feels authentic, like a real person with real feelings. I was afraid that the ending was not going to be what I wanted because of the events that kept going from bad to worse, but it all turned out good in the end. A very satisfying read, I finished it in 2 days, because I had a hard time putting it down.
Thirzah is a homeschool graduate and a successful writer!
Back to the Garden
Originally written in 2016 – Updated in 2025
I planted a garden today.
I helped Garrett plant his garden a couple of weeks ago.
Garden is the theme of the hour.
God is telling us to go back to the garden.
As I said before, so many things can be compared to a garden that I became overwhelmed with the enormity of the task of writing about a garden. I felt that the Lord was leading me to write about a garden, but I didn’t know which aspect of a garden He wanted me to address.
I think I have gotten some clarity on that now.
God delights in gardens and views each of his children as a garden.
My heart of hearts is a garden. It is God’s garden.
I meet Him there sometimes when I worship wholeheartedly.
When I enter into His presence.
Do you know what I mean when I say that I feel God’s presence when I worship?
Have you experienced a peace that passes understanding, a love that encompasses everyone around you and all that you know, as you focus on the Lord and His majesty, as you picture Him seated on the throne and the angels bowing before Him in worship and feel His holiness and power emanating from the throne?
There is a song by Misty Edwards that beautifully describes the secret garden inside of each of us where God will meet with us alone, if we will meet Him there. This takes some time, effort and Holy Spirit-inspired and empowered prayer to really enter into. If you are not aware that it’s even a possibility, you may never attempt to meet with the Lord in the secret garden of your heart.
Here is that song with some pictures of gardens to help inspire your imagination of what a garden inside of your heart might look like.
Adam and Eve walked and talked with God in the coolness of the day in the Garden of Eden.
They lost access to the garden when they sinned. Hence, all of mankind lost access to it. But after Jesus died and carried our sins away, He gave us access to the Father again. We can have relationship and fellowship with God, His Father – our Father – because the veil that separated us from Him is no longer there. The veil was ripped from top to bottom when Jesus was crucified.
Now we can walk with God in the cool of the day again.
We can meet with Him in the garden by worshiping Him and praying. We stay there until we sense His presence. We listen for His voice. We get revelation from Him. Then we carry that revelation with us as we go into our daily activities.
But we never really have to leave His presence. He lives inside of us, so we take His presence with us wherever we go.
We must do our part. If you have the baptism of the Holy Spirit, you must really exercise your spiritual gifts that come with that and pray in your prayer language. Often. Every day. Not just every once in a while.
In this way, we can war from the garden, from the inside out.
And we can take the land or territory that God has told us to as we spent that time with Him in the garden of our heart of hearts.
A garden is a place where seeds grow. They grow into healthy plants if they are properly watered and weeded and have the right amount of sunlight.
A husband is a gardener and his wife is a garden. If he fails to take care of his garden, weeds of sarcasm, anger, bitterness, boredom, and resentment will start to grow. It is at that point that every man has one of three choices:
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The husband can choose to change gardens by way of leaving his spouse.
2. The husband can keep his garden, yet grow bitter about the weeds.
Colossians 3:19 says:
“Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.”
3. The husband can start doing what it takes to prevent the weeds from growing in his garden.
Eph. 5:28 “In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.”
Here are some thoughts about Gardens:
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The blessing goes out from the house. God visits you in your house and in your garden.
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Master the garden. Put a perimeter around your garden.
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Light in a dark place. Plants need light. Sometimes we have to move them into the light.
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Nothing is coming this year to take away from your prosperity or peace. Because God is coming to walk in your garden.
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Back to the Garden – man given dominion over the Earth in the Garden of Eden
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Jesus reacquired dominion in the Garden of Gethsemane – crucified and buried in a garden tomb
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Heaven on Earth is like a garden – oasis, fountains of water
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The sun never goes down when God is in your garden
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Our mind is a garden. Plant good seeds (thoughts) in your garden.
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Life started in a garden.
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A wife is a garden.
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Family is a garden.
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Our minds are a garden.
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God delights in gardens and views each of His children as a garden.
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I am God’s garden.
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God is coming to walk in His garden.
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Jesus regained dominion over the Earth in a garden.
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Jesus was crucified and placed in a tomb in a garden.
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He resurrected in a garden.
Marriage is a Garden
(This was written by my daughter.)
Gardens are meant to be tended every day. If you leave it for others or allow nature to take its course, when next you walk those familiar pathways, you will find that things are not as you remember them. Flowers that you once knew as well as your own children change and either wither or grow so that you no longer recognize them, becoming lost in a tangle of weeds and other plants.
In a world where the common belief seems to be that all things are relative and vows that were once taken with the utmost gravity, intended as a lifelong commitment, are now taken with only today in mind with no thought towards tomorrow, it is at this time that we should draw from the ancient wisdom of the garden. Experienced gardeners will tell you, “Miss one day of watering and you will spend the rest of the week making it up.” While this may only be true for more delicate flowers, the principle is one to bear in mind and attempt to apply to one’s everyday life. A relationship is many things, but one thing to which it is often related is a flowering plant. While not all flowers require the same amount of sunshine, water, or trimming, at some point, especially during the fragile beginning of their life, a plant must be carefully guarded and observed. While still a tender sprout, it is easy to see why one must be vigilant so that nothing treads upon it. But when the plant nears its maturity, one usually begins to lower their guard, believing that the flower has grown strong enough to be left on its own, unaided. Other hobbies begin to feel important again, tasks that were once at the back of our minds slide to the forefront, we allow ourselves to become busy. Our garden no longer takes precedence in our hearts and is left to fend for itself. Know that wherever there is life, there will be those who seek to either protect it, or prey upon it.
When a woman is joined to her husband, the two must take their relationship and replant it in a new flowerbed. This is the start of their garden. When a flower is uprooted and replanted in a new garden, it must be watched closely for any signs of trauma or discomfort as it struggles to adjust to its new surroundings. Patience and love are required during this crucial stage. One cannot allow themselves to be distracted by other things, for it is at this time that adjustments must be made to accommodate the fragile plant. If the soil is too dry, or the wind is too strong, or the soil does not offer the proper nutrition, one must be willing to make whatever sacrifices are needed to keep their flower healthy and growing. When a man and wife come together, they are both equally responsible for tending this garden and keeping the many trees and flowers therein healthy and strong. Over time, many lose the initial excitement of owning a garden and let their interests drift toward other things, forgetting the responsibility they accepted when they planted that first flower. If you return to a garden that is in ruins, sometimes the best thing to do is simply uproot the dead plants and replant new ones. Do not abandon your garden simply because it is no longer as beautiful as you remember it. Take care of it, nurse it back to health, even if only one flower of hope remains. You planted the garden together and it is your shared responsibility. No matter the trials or distractions that caused you to drift from it in the first place, when you return, do so with the intent to heal whatever has withered in your absence. You cannot expect fruit from a plant that has not been tended throughout its season.
I hope you’re taking care of the garden of your heart.
And remember to spend time with God in the garden of your heart.
Love,
Penney
"Oh that God would give every mother a vision of the glory and splendor of the work that is given to her when a babe is placed in her bosom to be nursed and trained! Could she have but one glimpse in to the future of that life as it reaches on into eternity; could she look into its soul to see its possibilities; could she be made to understand her own personal responsibility for the training of this child, for the development of its life, and for its destiny,--she would see that in all God's world there is no other work so noble and so worthy of her best powers, and she would commit to no other's hands the sacred and holy trust given to her." -JR Miller
