Cabin Fever and Marathons

slow days
  Just before sitting down to write this I was busy hanging ornaments on our Christmas tree. Some are there only for beauty, but most hold a surprising amount of memory. I have a few from my own childhood (that survived the Great Fall of 2012) including a wooden soldier from when I was four
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Making Changes That Count

set goals
  To many, the new year is symbolic of a fresh start. It is the birth of new hope and a discarding of past disappointments. I find myself reflecting on the past year in the weeks leading up to Christmas in order to take an inventory of the goals I made for myself, for the
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3 Keys To Motivating Teens

motivate your teen
  Are you struggling with how to motivate your teen? Are you tempted to send him off to school to get some discipline? That might not work, either. Maybe he sleeps half the day or falls asleep in the middle of your co-op class. Maybe he doesn’t seem to put much effort into his science
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Trusting God’s Plans for My Children

God-given talent
  This is my daughter’s third year studying classical ballet, and she loves it. After her first year, her teacher decided to keep her in level one. I agreed that if she hadn’t mastered the basics, it made sense for her to remain there until she was ready to move on. After all, as a
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Hey Mama Monday: If Your To-Do List Is Overflowing, It Doesn’t Mean You’re Failing.

Hey Mama
  Hey Mama, Was your week perfect? Did you fail at all? Even once? Were there any meltdowns (from you and/or the kids)? How about grief or pain… any of that? Some of the kids run away or starve? Did the house burn down? Another week in the life of a Mama. A family who
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Combining Science and Life Lessons

life lessons
  As a homeschool mom I try my best to make sure my kids are learning every day. Some days the learning is less focused on Math and Language and more focused on life lessons. In my opinion, these lessons are just as important – maybe more important – than the three R’s. Josiah recently
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Re-Inventing Family Night

family night
  When our first two sons were seven and two, friends of ours declined a movie invitation saying they had a commitment with their kids that night. We were intrigued and asked what they were up to. They shared that Friday nights were family night and that they simply played games and invented stuff together.
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How to Avoid Distractions During Prayer Time

distractions during prayer
  As a middle-aged homeschool mom, I can tell you some things are now easier for me. My routine is automatic and the house is in pretty good order after years of decluttering. My children are older and almost independent with their schoolwork and chores. Yet, my latest struggle is finding ways to develop a
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