A biblically based unit study by Gather Round Discover the mysterious world of the Ancient Civilizations. Beginning with the Mesopotamia Civilization and traveling through Sumer, China, Babylonia, Maya, the Indus Valley, the Greeks and finally ending with the rising of the Roman Empire your children will gain a love for history (So will you!). Gather Round Homeschool has created a beautiful, well written history that the entire family can enjoy together. Gather Round Homeschool Curriculum is a Unit Study approach with a Charlotte Mason "feel." Each unit includes all subjects, except for math ..read more

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Our words are very powerful. They can influence those around us. They can build up or tear down relationships. They can bring great joy or cause the deepest pain. Our words can arouse strong emotions. They can help, heal, harm, humiliate, or encourage. Our words can shatter dreams or inspire others to dream again. Words have magical powers. As a mom I have failed so many times...just by opening my mouth. It was not planned or intentional, but you know how ..read more

Written by my friend: Danielle Bane Howie and I recently celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. The road to this milestone has been long and incredibly hard. Has it been worth it? You bet it has. Marriage is not a breeze. In fact, the New York Times recently reported that there are fewer couples reaching their 25th anniversary than at any other time in history. Why? A commitment “til death do us part” is far easier said during a picturesque moment at the alter than carried out in the everyday struggles of life. After 25 years of marriage, I can say with certainty that my commitment to Howie ..read more

Valentine's Day is around the corner. The store shelves are already full of candy, cards and flowers for your sweetheart. But love is so much more than a box of chocolates, a candlelight dinner, or any gift that we give. Our families should celebrate our love for one another throughout the year. Before we begin our love celebration, let's see how the bible describes love: " Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in ev ..read more

Let the fun begin! With a simple, yet long, family text message the LOVE challenge began. I started our challenge by having each Tribe member take the love language test. It's simple! Go to https://www.5lovelanguages.com/ Then we had each member take the "5-Minute Personality Test." We used: https://personalityacademy.com/ With plenty of snacks to keep the Tribe happy, we gathered together for a Tribal meeting. First, we reviewed our personality tests...with lots of laughs. It was fun to learn more about one another...our strengths, our weaknesses, and our craziness. The test we took broke do ..read more

"Amish parenting isn't a method. It is a way of life." In our younger years, Walter and I worked with the Amish and Mennonite community. We look back with fond memories of our days working alongside them...learning so much about their way of life. I have treasured the lessons I learned while slicing up vegetables, the kindness that we received when my daughter was born and the sense of community that we felt. I often marveled at how well their little ones behaved, while I struggled as a new mom of many. Looking back now, I wish I had simply asked their secret. So when I received More Than Hap ..read more

Our review of Dinosaurs... by Gather Round Homeschool Gather Round is a new way of doing school. You simply gather your children around the table, open the teacher's guide and let the learning begin. Each student has their own notebook, at their level, with beautiful graphics throughout. This is a solid Christian all-inclusive unit study. All subject included, except math. I'll admit, I have never been interested in the topic of dinosaurs. But I knew my kids would love it! And believe it or not, I loved this unit! The dinosaur unit is so much more than learning about these large animals of th ..read more

Several years ago, while at our homeschool convention, I spotted Essentials in Writing. I actually sat down and took a sample class. After reviewing, and sampling several other writing curriculums, I purchased Essentials in Writing. For many years, with our high school students, I would either pay for a writing class in our area or pay for an online writing course. The problem we encountered was that the classroom writing courses were either too easy, too far away, or extremely difficult. We found the online writing classes worked better for our large family, but yet most did not have a lectu ..read more

The winter days are short, it's freezing outside, gray skies are looming above and the kids are cranky. As winter sets in, so does cabin fever. Cabin fever is that winter syndrome that makes you feel stir crazy as you suffer through feeling cooped up. Unsure of your diagnosis? Here are some of the symptoms of Cabin Fever: 1. Your rooms begin to feel smaller and smaller with each cold and dreary day until you are sure you are living in a Rubik's cube. 2. The sounds of the TV, radio, dishwasher, washing machine and the barking dogs begin to echo in your head like a loud bowling alley full of tee ..read more

Several years ago, while at our homeschool convention, I spotted Essentials in Writing. I actually sat down and took a sample class. After reviewing, and sampling several other writing curriculums, I purchased Essentials in Writing. For many years, with our high school students, I would either pay for a writing class in our area or pay for an online writing course. The problem we encountered was that the classroom writing courses were either too easy, too far away, or extremely difficult. We found the online writing classes worked better for our large family, but yet most did not have a lectu ..read more