Have you ever bought anything on impulse thinking it would be the "be all end all" and would magically make your life infinitely easier or better or more beautiful? I'm totally asking...for a friend... You know, like those amazingly organic toasted coconut chips made with caramel sea salt...that would make you forget that it was a total health food? That is until you actually tasted it … [Read more...] about Homeschooling with Joy and Sometimes on Impulse
Encouragement
The Importance of Imaginative Play in Early Childhood
The warm sun is shining and the fireflies have emerged. It's summer and the smell of bbq's and lilies fill the air. My new flower bed is filled with poppies and a morning dove greets me with her mournful sound from a nearby tree. I love stepping outside with my morning coffee and enjoying the sights and sounds of summer. Our daily rhythm throughout most of the year is best described as controlled … [Read more...] about The Importance of Imaginative Play in Early Childhood
When You Can’t Do Everything: Overcoming Homeschool Burnout
This week I found myself sitting behind my closed bedroom door crying and gorging myself on giant handfuls of coffee nut M&M's. Feelings of frustration and overwhelming thoughts had finally gotten the best of me. The constant sibling bickering, sickness, rain and endless questions compounded by the extra weight of trying to do All. The. Things. and adulting had finally won out. Some homeschool … [Read more...] about When You Can’t Do Everything: Overcoming Homeschool Burnout
Growing in Our Everyday Moments of Homeschool
While on a family hike at our local nature preserve, I captured this image. The buds of a tree ready to burst forth with life and beauty. Looking at this photo I began thinking....this tree is already full of life and beauty. Those things do not start once the buds open but are there throughout the life of the tree. How different is this from ourselves and our homeschooling … [Read more...] about Growing in Our Everyday Moments of Homeschool
The Pressure to be Perfect
Parenting is hard.... there, I said it. Homeschooling is hard.... yes, I said that too. All of these are hard jobs folks. They are marathons not sprints. It takes years for you to see the outcomes of whatever it is you are doing right now in this moment. Years of tiny little moments adding up and filling this little person you are raising. No pressure. This post may contain affiliate … [Read more...] about The Pressure to be Perfect
Through the Lens of My Toddler
My toddler got a hold on my phone and managed to snap this photo of me. Here is Mom wearing no makeup. She's stressed from a play date gone horribly wrong. She has the beginnings of a headache. She has holes and spills on her shirt and pants. She has diaper cream in her hair. She loses her temper. She questions her abilities as a mother. She has doubts and fears. Yet through the … [Read more...] about Through the Lens of My Toddler