After almost a year, I wasn’t sure I’d even remember how to log in to my website and draft a post. Turns out I managed and here I am, back again. The biggest change of 2021 for our family? Meet Fiadh (Fee-ah). She hurtled into the world on November 14th, and has been dazzling us all ever since. Every single family member is smitten. Lord willing, I’ll get on and share her birth story soon. Otherwise, we keep chugging along- church, homeschool, and more extracurricular activities as the kids get older, their worlds expand, and my world gets busier. How was your 2021? If I manage to make time f ..read more

We’ve officially hit that spot in the school year where the spring fever and longing for summer hits STRONG. Math feels tedious, the kids never want to see another workbook page again, and the sunshine’s siren call makes you want to jump the next plane to Jamaica (no children or schoolwork allowed). On one of those days that every child seems to be in a foul temper, explaining fractions to a confused child couldn’t be more wearisome, or the itch to slam the books and run away couldn’t be stronger… These are the things that help me take a deep breath and homeschool on. 1. Take a day off to get ..read more

Every year, during the hot and sticky, dog-days of summer, I pick up a homeschool book. Coming to the finish line of another year, and planning for the next one, I need encouragement to recapture the vision. There are affiliate links in this post. That means that if you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Thanks for your support. I need course correction for areas we struggle and lack in. I need wisdom for the particular challenges my students face. And I really need an older and wiser friend to come alongside me, speak a good word in seas ..read more

The key to a happy Christian life? Learning to embrace the exact moment Christ has you in, and obeying Him in it. These are ten rhythms we follow most days as a homeschooling family that provide structure and joy along the way. Last week I shared the ugly realization that hit me like a tons of bricks- I spent nearly every waking moment looking for a break from my kids. Turns out treating children that way (or even just thinking it) causes all kinds of disruption in your own relationship with God, your general attitude, and even your children’s behavior. And after repenting of this sinful attit ..read more

Last year I noticed a disturbing trend in my own heart. All day I was looking forward to the moments where I could be left in peace and have a little quiet time. Read: a break from my children. I woke up early, crossing my fingers and holding my breath that no one would follow me downstairs. As soon as everyone was up and running, I’d push them through chores and our morning basket time, longing for the moment when the little girls played quietly upstairs and the big kids sat engrossed in their school work (hopefully their attitudes would be good and they wouldn’t need SO much help!). Then rus ..read more

Inside: the secret to clean floors (even with a large family that makes lots of messes). Hint; it’s not as complicated as you may think. Whitney, six months pregnant with her fifth child, swings open her door to welcome us. I take it all in- her sparkling grin, carefully curated decor, and- are my eyes deceiving me?!- glossy wood floors with nary a crumb to be seen. Did I mention she’s pregnant? With her fifth child? She also homeschools. She doesn’t even have a Roomba. There are affiliate links in this post. That means that if you click and make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no ..read more

The house mirrors train wreckage, dinner boils over on the stove, a fussy toddler clings to your ankle, and the big kids quarrel for at least the 987th time this afternoon. Like any mother in this moment who wants to retain (regain?) sanity and control, you’re probably tempted to turn on the television. You envision the pay-off. QUIET, for perhaps the first time all day. A chance to peacefully finish making dinner and maybe to even sweep the cheerio crumbs under the dinner table before your husband walks in the door. Heck, you might even enjoy a cup of tea and swipe on some lipstick to celebra ..read more

Some months as a reader you hit a brick wall. None of the titles you are in grab you, normal life gets busy, your holds from the library just won’t come in…. And other months are SPECTACULAR. January was a SPECTACULAR reading month for me. For whatever reason, the stars magically aligned and I read a ton. The cherry on top, each book was excellent. There are affiliate links in this post. That means that if you click and make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Thank you for your support! One of the things that made it so easy to get a lot of extra reading in? I ..read more

Sunday morning dawns upon many a scrambling mother. The baby who sleeps perfectly fine has a horrible night, and so prying oneself from the bed proves especially challenging. Children must be fed, knotted hair brushed and braided, and the four year old has lost one shoe. The family darts their final victorious dash to the vehicle, only for mother to discover the baby’s blowout. In she goes, defeated and discouraged, to somehow miraculously find another church outfit for baby, and change the mess without ruining her outfit. Her postpartum body currently only squeezes into this one dress. Church ..read more

One strategy helps me to get and keep my house in relative order, more than anything else. Over a period of a few days, the house can be transformed from cluttered dystopia to *almost* Marie Kondo approved tidiness. Related: Spark Joy in the Kitchen with Marie Kondo’s #1 Tip As a busy homeschooling mom of 4, I *need* little wins. I need a solution for taming the paper piles (4 active artists in residence), getting books back on the shelves (6 bibliophiles), and reigning in the crackers crumbs and sticky candy wrappers (we also all love snacks), Bonus: this tidying super power is simple, easy a ..read more