Raising kids. Keeping House. Choosing joy, every day.
Reading is one of my favorite activities, and right now I am reading a book by an author that I never would have dreamed that I would be reading. Eleanor Roosevelt and I are on completely opposite sides of the political spectrum, yet I am …
One of the biggest things to keep in mind as you home school is that you are spending your time, hence your life. The time spent is not redeemable at the end of the day. You use it once. Learning can take place many ways. …
I am going to try to persuade you to do something radical. Are you ready? It’s called a Media Fast. And our family has benefitted greatly from it. Media Fast is simply shutting off all media for one week: tv, video games, music, and social …
Quick tutorial using only three colors: French Ultramarine, Light Red and Burnt Umber. Draw in light pencil on 140lb watercolor paper. Trace with a permanent marker- Sharpie or Prismacolor. I tend to use a Sepia Prismacolor instead of a black ink. Individual paint tubes (Windsor …
Because looking around without the lense of joy, this is what I see: Piles of shoes by the door. Dirt on the floor by shoes “not stomped” (by two boys who should know better.) Toys, left out, in cluttered heaps. Books in piles, in each …
If you are at all familiar with Charlotte Mason’s methods, you know that she encouraged teachers to expose their students to nature. And summertime is the perfect time to start nature study with your kids, because they have so much free time out doors. If …
Books become friends and many of the books on this list make me smile just typing their names down. We loved them and spent many days pouring over their pages and enjoying their illustrations. Many of you asked what we used in the early years …
I have had several women ask me recently what I used for curriculum when my kids were young. Instead of telling you how we played school for a few years, let me give you what we found to be our most valuable resources. I tend …
This weekend Rebekah finishes her home schooling career. She is an independent, inquisitive, smart and beautiful girl. We started this journey thinking “How can we possibly mess up K4?” Then, the next step was to instill a love of books and learning. Then, to give …
Because I have five children and home school them all, I have learned a little survival trick in life. This trick is called “zoning out.” Incase you are not a “zoner”, let me tell you how this works. My kids will be incessantly talking to …