In an essay for Collected Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom, Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop wrote that books should be like mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. Certain books should reflect the reader's life, others should give him a peek into someone else's life, and still, others should fully immerse a person in a brand new experience by allowing him to enter the story ..read more

This past year was marked by much increase, in both big and small ways. Some of the growth has left the scars of stretch marks on my life, but mostly, it has just widened my world in immeasurable ways. My oldest entered her junior year at a Christian university on the other side of the country and joined a church all on her own; my second-born went on a short-term mission trip to an orphanage in Belize, graduated high school, and left home to serve his country; my middle son started taking online dual-enrollment courses at a Christian University and got his driver's license; my fourth-born wo ..read more

Recently, I searched online for Ferrari-themed novelties for my middle son. I didn't expect to find many. Boy, was I unprepared for the number of ideas that began to pop up? Turns out, he's not the only one preoccupied with a certain Italian racing car company. I snagged a hat, a shirt, and a handful of stickers. Admittedly, I don't love Ferrari--a car is a car to me. Not better or worse than any other. But I love my son, and he loves Ferrari. So, I make it a point to invest in his passion in order to invest in him. Sometimes, I need a little help, though. I need to be pointed in a good direc ..read more

Homeschool moms are the unsung heroes of education. Unlike classroom teachers, we don't get a salary for our efforts. We get no holiday pay, sick days, or a fat 401K at the journey's end. But what we do get is each other. We're a tight-knit group--a sisterhood of moms who understand the many wins and losses of this unconventional schooling choice and have both the victory laps and the battle scars to prove it ..read more

My middle son is a reader, writer, and indoor enthusiast. He's our resident introvert who needs plenty of downtime in the day. But don’t let his quiet fool you. He often brings the jazz hands in big groups. He loves classic cars, classical music, and classic literature. If you ever need a fun fact about Formula 1 racing or the Roman Empire, he’s your guy. Serve him chili, chili mac, or chili dogs, and he’ll love you forever. These days, he’s never too far from a thought-provoking podcast or a bench press. Conscientious driver. Closet comedian. He may be the middle child, but he’s anything b ..read more

  My fourth born had an extraordinary 9th-grade year! In the past nine months, he was hand-picked by a baseball coach to pitch for the local high school baseball team, won the National Congregational Art Competition for our district, flew to Washington, D.C., to see his colored pencil sketch hanging in the US Capital, learned how to do 540 jump on the downhill ski slope, traveled with the whole family to Branson, MO for a memorable vacation, and went with some youth group pals to St. Louis to spread the love of Jesus to inner city youth and displaced/houseless adults. His 2023-2024 will b ..read more

As the last born of the family, my youngest has the advantage of a relaxed homeschool mom. I've experienced more than my share of both hits and misses with curriculum and realize that a great education doesn't require me to find the "perfect" curriculum, the "perfect" schedule, or the "perfect" plan. (Spoiler alert: in the realm of homeschooling, "perfect" only exists on Instagram ..read more

I'm down to the final three kids at home. It's my seventeenth year of homeschooling, and with two kids in high school and one in middle school, I feel nearly obsolete. They may all be fairly self-sufficient, but they still need me—just in less acute ways. And isn't that the goal? Homeschool mothers should always aim to work their way out of a job.  Here's a peek at how I'll still be involved in their day-to-day learning ..read more

Once upon a time, I piecemealed our science project supplies, gathering bits of this or scraps of that from around our home to create three-dimensional demonstrations of what would otherwise be two-dimensional concepts. My kids were little, the experiments I had planned were basic, and the lessons could be learned with simple household supplies. There was the time we put a stalk of celery into a glass of food coloring and water to show how plants transport water and nutrients, i.e., capillary action.  Then, there was the time we held a piece of tissue paper over a floor vent and watched ..read more

According to Forbes magazine, hiring a plumber to snake a clogged drain will cost you $125 to $360. If you've got a tougher clog, be ready to shell out as much as $800. A recent survey of 2,000 American car owners confirmed that only about 1/3 know how to change their vehicle's oil. One can only assume that the other 2/3 pay someone else to do it, which, according to Kelly Blue Book, runs them each anywhere from $35 to $125, depending upon the type of car they own and the type of oil it requires. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that when budgeting for a basic h ..read more