With every new season, we can be thankful for the reminders of hope. Here I share a few intentions to set your hearts and minds upon, 15 ways to keep your children engaged in story time, and a few of our favorite Read Alouds for Spring.
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While having Homeschooled at least one child each year for 9 years (going on 10 this fall), I have also put two children in public school for several years. Each had pros and cons as with all things. All of that to say, it is a journey and I believe your personal mental and physical health, your children’s needs, and your families priorities all play a part in making the decision that’s right for you.
The same is true in choosing curriculum.
Here I give you a brief snapshot by grade level of what our curriculum choices are this year. Use them as a jumping off point for your kids and don’t forget to stay true to who you are!
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At a time when our calendar is clear, our pantry is stocked (for now) and our fears heightened, how we posture our hearts will determine what we model for those around us. How we posture our hearts will reveal who or what we are trusting in to get us through. For me, I am intentionally pursuing the discipline of remaining in a posture of prayer, and invite you to join me.
Here are a few resources that I am using to deepen my prayer life and thought I’d share.
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Whether you ever thought you would be reading a post about schooling from home or not is irrelevant.
Here are a few things I want to encourage you to consider as you look to the immediate future. This is written for both parents who are not planning to Homeschool full-time and those who are committed to an alternative way of learning. Please know each of these guiding principles are essential for any parent schooling from home, even if you find yourself in the toddler years!
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If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a million times. The key to homeschooling littles well is to “KEEP IT SIMPLE”. Why is that so hard? I think one reason is because we never know if what we are doing is enough. I am guilty of trying everything under the sun.
Here I share one of my favorite activities to do at home with toddlers and Pre-K aged children. It’s a great starting point for anyone wanting to be more intentional at home with their little ones.
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We can choose to live intentionally in all areas of our lives and think of new ways to make learning fun. As February moves along, adults are not the only ones that have a difficult time navigating our way through winter with joy.
Here I share one of the things we could not live without and it may be something fun to add into your daily routine with kids.
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Last week we considered together how to stay hungry for that which truly fulfills. The fact remains, however, that we can be completely full and yet our souls can be empty. So, how do we continue growing in seasons of plenty?
How does the good news of what Jesus accomplished not lose its significance in the moments of ease?
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As parents, we want vacations to matter. How do we balance our desire for rest with with our desire for memorable experiences? Those two goals may seem to be at odds with each other, so we are tempted to zone out as a parent and allow our children to zone out on their devices in order to create that peace.
May I encourage you to be intentional even in your rest?
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While not true for everyone, many of us live with enough resources to meet our own daily needs while satisfying our own bellies and pursuing our own daily pleasures.
This question haunted me one day: Could it be that one of the main reasons we don’t hunger after something greater is because we are so easily stuffed full with lesser things? Here I discuss what it would look like to say no to something in order to say yes to the One who truly satisfies.
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This Wednesday is known as Ash Wednesday in many Christian denominations, kicking off 40 days of somber reflection and heart preparation for Easter. This is a practice I did not grow up with, but have grown to deeply appreciate. Before we celebrate the risen Christ at Easter, we take this time to pause and remember what he came to save us from.
Maybe, for some, all of this is new and you aren’t sure what to make of it. Start here.
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We can choose to live intentionally in all areas of our lives and think of new ways to make learning fun. As February moves along, adults are not the only ones that have a difficult time navigating our way through winter with joy. Here I share one of the things we could not live without and it may be something fun to add into your daily routine with kids.
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When we are faced with unanswered questions, there is something in us that drives our desire to keep searching. We want answers or at least signs that whatever we are doing is working. We want to see fruit.
In an effort to find some relief for my daughter’s migraines, we began to consider the food we were eating. You don’t need me to be one more person to tell you that what we eat matters, but what is more often forgotten is the importance of the soil. It is the soil in which the food grows that determines the quality of nutrients you receive.
Is there fruit in your life that you desire? There are ways to actively cultivate healthier soil, so that our heart posture remains teachable, humble, and fertile for growth.
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This one truth informs the way I view both celebration and grief, success and failure, acts of love and acts of hatred. The tension that hangs in between each one of those delicate emotions is real and tangible. Even still, what anchors each one of us at our core will determine the way we each respond when they come.
And we know they will come.
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This week marks the birthday of someone I’ve loved for what feels like my whole life and lost to cancer over a year ago. On the days that are trying, discouraging and difficult, I see her picture on my desk, and it is a visible and tangible reminder that it is a gift to be able to work hard. It is a privilege to sweat.
For those who are not able to move freely or for those who are no longer with us, let’s consider the sweat, the perseverance and the work worth it. Count it all a privilege.
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Is your to-do list long, intention high, and calendar full?
I am finding myself in a season where my margin for time is opening up little by little and I want to steward it well. Many days I get lost doing something that brings no value whatsoever to my life. We need a good mindless distraction from time to time, but now that my goal list is growing, I need to be increasingly intentional about the margin time of my days. It is the “crack time”, so I’ve heard it called with a chuckle.
We can use the crack time to fill back up so that we can continue to pour out, but we must find it. Look for it. Seek it out.
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“All things on earth need to be renewed. No created thing continues by itself…” - Charles Spurgeon
I am writing goals, setting plans and am filled with the excitement of a new year, but I am also reminded that what I need even more is ‘reNEWal’. Renewing my mind by focusing on the things of God, not man. Renewing my body with things that fuel it well to run the race. Renewing my soul by asking myself often, how can I wait well?
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Turning 41 and entering a new decade has me thinking through the process of aging more than ever before. I am pretty sure I’m not alone , even if you find yourself in a different decade. As we begin a new year with new perspective, new rhythms and new goals, it is critically important to anchor our hearts in truth and remind ourselves about lasting renewal so that we can continue on this journey together.
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I just returned from an incredibly dreamy, indulgent ten-day trip around France with my husband to celebrate 40 years of life and 15 years together, and then I came home. So, now what?
Have you ever explored the unceasing pleasures that can be found in someone who transcends the fleeting pleasures of earth? As beautiful and lovely and amazing as the things we experience here and now, there is someone infinitely more beautiful and lovely that never ceases.
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A new school year has just arrived and you know what that means: it is GOAL setting time! Let’s play Mad Libs. You can use these VERBS as a jumping off point and fill in your own blanks! I would love to hear what you come up with!
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Each year after we say goodbye to the most life-giving two weeks of our year in Colorado, I ask myself the same question on our drive back to Texas: How can I add more of our rhythms at the cabin into our life rhythms at home?
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