“I had always felt life first as a story: and if there is a story there is a story-teller.” -G.K. Chesterton Yes, life is a story – it is a story God is telling for His own purposes and for His own glory. What does that mean for us? It means we are characters. Each…
I am in a local book club, studying Charlotte Mason’s 20 Principles using the study guide by Brandy Vencel. I’ve done this study in an online group before, but there’s something different and more personal in a local group that includes people who know your kids and family. Last month’s meeting was on Principle 1:…
Character is one of those words we toss around often. Too often, we do so without a clear understanding of what it is. We say we care about character, perhaps even homeschool for the purpose of shaping our children’s character, but what exactly does that mean and how exactly do we go about such a…
We’ve all felt it. We sip our coffee and stare down at our list. We just don’t wanna. Maybe we just can’t even. Or, perhaps with the coffee we think we can take on that list, but come 10am or noon or 2pm, all the motivation is gone – poof – seemingly for good. What…
If you’ve homeschooled for any length of time, you’ve probably encountered them: math fits. On good days, it looks like mad math doodles and rhyming complaints. On average days, it looks like snarky word-answers to word-problems and bitter mutterings about John or Sue finding out how much they spent for themselves instead of asking someone…
If there’s anyone who needs self-care, it’s stay at home moms, right? The other day as I stared into the empty bottom of my coffee mug, a movie quote jumped to mind: “I don’t want to see the bottom of this glass,” uttered desperately. It’s an early scene in Mask of Zorro, before the drunk…
For this is the will of God, your sanctification –1 Thessalonians 4:3 What do we do with tedious homeschool days? What do we do with turbulent homeschool days? What do we do with terrible homeschool days? They happen. Sometimes they outnumber the terrific homeschool days. Ok, often they do, really. So we’re troubled. But we…
When homeschool moms talk shop, there’s a topic that is not politic or polite to bring up. There’s a secret that some moms are afraid to bring up and others don’t yet know. We need to talk about it. We need to own it. When homeschool moms get together, they chat about curriculum, schedules, checklists,…
Have you ever started off your day by watching a movie, turning on the television, mindlessly clicking around Facebook, or skimming your online news feed? It happens. Does it affect your mood? We’re fooling ourselves if we say it doesn’t. I know I am tempted – and often give in to the temptation – of…
“Mommy! He hit me!” “But he was being annoying!” How easy is it to start barking out the orders: “You, don’t tattle.” “You, don’t lie.” “You, don’t hit.” “You, mind your own business.” …and then collapse in a heap on the floor, exhausted and ready to throw up hands in dismay. We can sense that…