Making Writing Fun for Kids

Here’s a novel idea. Writing is about writing, not spelling. (I’ll admit, I blinked when I read that. I had my schoolmarm hat on.) If you read my blog, you know I homeschool. You’d also know my mantra: Learning needs to be fun whenever possible! Handwriting for the K-3rd graders isn’t exactly a love affair. [...]

How to Write Without an Office

Does the lack of privacy keep you from writing? In a recent web class I learned more about the unique way I learn, write and study. I had to laugh but I’m in a stage of life where my natural needs in the way of office space (private, quiet, creatively decorated) aren’t an option. With five [...]

Rejoicing in Hope Every Day

I looked up at our black walnut tree and cringed. This winter we’ve been denuding it of all its green “finger thick” limbs, donating pounds and pounds of them to a good cause—a friend’s alternative cancer therapies. Evidently one of the natural approaches she is trying involves drinking a tea made from young black walnut [...]

Indoor Winter Fun For Your Children

School’s out soon! What to do. Here are some hearthside activities to keep those bright little minds occupied on snow days and winter breaks. Your only dilemma will be…shall I log in some writing time, or join the kiddos for some fun? You decide. Sculpt the Afternoon Away Polymer clay is downright addictive. And it’s [...]

How Shift Work Hasn’t Wrecked My Marriage, Yet

We hope it’s true love forever, of course. But nothing can destroy a family schedule like shift work. My husband comes and goes at irregular hours. He misses family gatherings, major holidays, the weddings of loved ones. He shows up, derails “The Plan” (which is usually pretty mundane anyway) and claims time that, in the [...]

Homeschooling, Homesteading and Living to Write About It

Cold weather has arrived in the mid-west!  Usually this means fewer outside chores for yours truly, but this fall on our homestead, I still have pastured poultry field pens to move and a hundred chickens to feed. Then it’s time to tote wood from the shed up to the house for the day’s ration of [...]

Sacrificial Moments in a Homeshool Fishing Booth

Two of my homeschooling friends hosted a Fall Party this weekend. Perfect weather for it, too. We had outdoor games such as a “caramel apple walk”, treasure hunts, egg-and-spoon relays and a picnic-bonfire with a guitar-led sing-along time. At the outset, I found myself with another mom, slightly older than me and a complete stranger, [...]

The Sweet Rewards of Back to School!

This is my favorite time of year! The winds of fall bring fresh challenges, a renewal of perspectives and clean slates. Unexplored schoolbooks, sharpened pencils, excited children, motivated mama! I’ve found over the years, that *building up* the back-to-school plunge does wonders in terms of the ripple effect response in my kiddos. So every year [...]

How to Homeschool and Write

I’ve always marveled at writers who homeschooled and did both successfully, mainly because I struggled in to do both at the same time. In my quest to learn how to write and homeschool, I had the privilege to interview those who proved it could be done. With the start of the new homeschool year, I [...]

Scheduling Interruptions–Luncheon Style

Here in the mid-west, school resumes in mid-August. Only six weeks left of tree frog hunts, fishing expeditions, finding treasures in the veggie garden, lake parties, cook outs and late nights spent capturing fireflies. These long summer days will grow into shorter autumn ones, as we spend more time sharpening pencils, commuting to classes and [...]

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