We homeschool our boys. Last year, my oldest son took a once-a-week art class. That was the extent of our formal, every week classes. This year, he’s taking three classes. The same once-a-week art class, a nature class, and an all-day enrichment class that covers a variety of topics (robotics being the most exciting part for him).
Being away on three different days will be a new experience for all of us. … Continue reading
No matter our circumstances, we can still choose how we respond. And today, I choose to be happy.
“The place to be happy is here. The time to be happy is now.” –Robert G. Ingersoll
My 4-year-old has recently become very interested in necklaces. He’s always had a bit of interest in my necklaces, but it never really stuck. Then his big brother bought him a cat necklace at the Artisan Fair where his big brother had a booth (see HERE), which immediately turned my 4-year-old into an every day necklace wearer.
Following the introduction of the cat necklace, we took a family trip to Michigan, where – in addition to lots of family gathering and fun – we cleared out my [deceased] mother-in-law’s (see HERE) belongings in order to donate them to a local women’s shelter.… Continue reading
After they find out that we homeschool, people often ask me how I know my kids are learning. After all, while kids in schools (and even some homeschoolers) take tests, I don’t test my children. And the answer is, in a myriad of ways.
Sometimes I know they’re learning because they demonstrate a skill. For example, my 8-year-old can add, subtract, multiply, divide, and work basic fractions. … Continue reading
Last year, my elder son made a family friend a series of four bead ornaments depicting the life-cycle of a caterpillar (an egg, a caterpillar, a chrysalis, and a butterfly). She loved them, and suggested that he start a business selling them. My then 7-year-old leaped on this idea and began to make ornaments to sell.
The problem arose when we couldn’t find a venue through which he could sell them. … Continue reading
Are you looking for ways to eliminate more plastics from your life? Here’s a simple way to stop using plastic wrap as well as most plastic bags. It’s an organic cotton food wrap.
You can use it to top a glass bowl. Goodbye, plastic wrap. You can also use it to wrap fruits and vegetables, cheese, a sandwich, or whatever else you desire. … Continue reading
Our days are what we make of them. Let’s make them good.
“This is the best day the world has ever seen. Tomorrow will be better.” — R.A. Campbell… Continue reading
In case you’re looking for a last-minute, healthy, patriotic dessert idea, it’s hard to go wrong with an edible fresh fruit flag. It’s essentially a disassembled fruit salad. It tastes delicious, looks great, and is very easy to make.
We began the tradition of making an Edible Fresh Fruit Flag as part of our July 4th celebration two years ago. … Continue reading
I love to play games. Board games. Card games. Strategy games. Word games. Puzzle-solving games. Any of them. And my boys seem to have inherited that same love.
Over the years my 8-year-old has been a fan of a huge number of games, each for their own period of time. My 4-year-old is just beginning to enjoy game playing with games that aren’t cooperative, meaning everyone works together (Cauldron Quest and Wildcraft are two cooperative games that we enjoy; I’ll review them another time.).… Continue reading
May we approach all we do with intention. Then, everything we do will reflect the love in our hearts.
“If you clean the floor with love, you have given the world an invisible painting.” – Osho