Do you wonder what the future looks like for your homeschoolers? What will happen when they graduate from your homeschool? What will YOUR life look like as a “retired” homeschool parent? Will they be equipped for the “real world”? Will they get into college? When we abandoned the ideal of public school in 2008, some of those questions were on my mind. Now that we’ve completed our journey, I have the answers (and I wish I hadn’t worried so much about the questions back then!). This blog has been relatively quiet for the past year - oh, I’ve posted here and there, but it’s been hard to put into ..read more

I am a firm believer in children memorizing poetry. It is not only a gift of language and learning, but also of BEAUTY. And the best thing about memorizing poetry? It is one of the most simple things you can do with children! As a child, I memorized My Shadow by Robert Louis Stevenson. This simple poem has remained with me my entire life. Maybe you have a similar poem that stayed with you, too. Through my children’s homeschool years, I was sure to include poetry memorization in their education. The easiest time to practice anything we were memorizing was Morning Time. Perhaps the favorite poe ..read more

Most of the time my reading life varies with the wind; I will read whatever strikes my fancy at a given moment. I love recommendations from friends, picking up a new release from the library, or going into the bookstore and finding something on a whim. This December, however, I am going to be more intentional. I researched and sought out several different types of books to help fill my soul, help me escape, and learn a little bit, too. Last December, I shared five of my favorite holiday books, which are still my favorites today. This year’s holiday book post contains more variety and types of ..read more

The support is abundant for new homeschoolers, for homeschoolers in the trenches, and for those contemplating homeschooling. What method should you choose? What science curriculum is best for your middle schooler? Is there a chore chart that gets your children to clean the house magically? How do you handle the unmotivated high schooler? Can you even homeschool your child through high school? Will your kids be damaged for life if you homeschool them? (No) All of that used to matter to me - but I will be honest. It doesn’t matter to me now. Life is changing. I am getting ready to send my younge ..read more

Society tells us that peers are more important than family, and that it is “natural” for siblings to be at odds with each other. I disagree. I heard stories from people about the fighting that would occur and how it was so terrible but so inevitable. Really? Talk about low expectations right out of the gate. Who are the people that are tied to you by blood (or by adoption!) that will be with you through most of your life? Who are the people that have so many shared memories? They are your siblings. Siblings are a friend for life, a built-in playmate when you are young, and your confidant as yo ..read more

'The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home'. This beginning sentence of The Wind in the Willows brings back sweet memories from my childhood. As I read this book as an adult, my senses began to awaken! I could hear my mother’s voice reading to me. I could picture my bedroom with the matching curtains and and bed covering my mom had lovingly sewn for me. We would take turns reading aloud about the adventures of mole, rat, badger, and otter. I didn’t realize then what a gift she was giving me, and it gave me comfort to realize that as her legacy of read ..read more

I’m graduating a LEGO lover from our homeschool this year. And, when I say LEGO lover, I mean SERIOUS LEGO lover! We’ve been using LEGO Bricks in our homeschool for as long as I can remember. If we studied a particular topic, we probably incorporated those little blocks in some way, shape, or fashion. I learned to look at the world (and our homeschool) in a more creative way because of LEGO, and for that I am thankful. These days, my 18-year-old son works at the Atlanta Brick Co - one of the largest independent retailers of LEGO Bricks in the world! His love of LEGO has not only gotten him a w ..read more

I learned about the effectiveness of scripture cards from a dear friend - and a couple of sweet elementary-aged girls. My friend’s husband was in the end stages of cancer. The girls (my daughter being one of them) wanted to make this woman something that would encourage her. They came up with the idea of creating scripture cards. The girls lovingly made each one by hand, cut them apart, and put them into a Ziplock bag. It was such a sweet gift, and I remember my friend telling me that she could never get enough of them. Whenever her thoughts would stray into scary territory, she would pull out ..read more

This year is going to be one of change in our family. Our oldest graduates from college. The youngest graduates from our homeschool. My husband and I are entering a new phase of life. We will officially now be parents of young adults - we are coaching and mentoring them rather than actively tending to their basic needs. Of course, this causes us to reflect upon our son and daughter’s childhoods. They were HONEST childhoods, full of learning, exploration, joy, beauty, and so much goodness. The decision to homeschool them wasn’t one we thought we would ever make. Ultimately, however, that decisi ..read more

So many beautiful books - so little time! As the children have grown and aged out of homeschool my reading time has increased. I haven’t set specific reading goals, but I do have guiding principles for my reading life. If you are reading this you probably don’t have an issue with feeling guilty when you take time to read - but if you do, please know that reading enriches a homeschooling mother and sets a beautiful example for her children. A home with books and time set aside for reading is a gift you can give your children. With that being said, let’s dive into my 12 favorite books of 2022 ..read more