You’ve probably heard people who regularly practice gratitude are happier. “Gratitude not only makes people feel good in the present, but it also increases the likelihood that people will function optimally and feel good in the future.” (Counting Blessings Versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and Subjective Well-Being in Daily Life). Feeling grateful isn’t […]
Category Archives: Family Rhythm
Back to School Activities
The first week of school was always one of my favorite weeks to teach. We created routines, talked about what we were going to learn, shared our interests, and got to know each other. It was important my students and I used our first days together to set the stage for what was to come. […]
Letting Go of Mom Guilt | There is No Perfect Summer
This post was originally published in 2019. Summertime seems to be when Mom Guilt* gets the loudest. At least, it does for me. When I was a teacher, I’d start daydreaming in February about what summer was going to look like. We’d go to the pool, take swimming lessons, play at the park, do […]
Celebrating the Winter Solstice
When my children were little, we celebrated Christmas much like my husband and I did when we were growing up. Presents, food, travel, and (limited) time together were the focus. While we definitely have some special memories, what I remember most about those early years is feeling overwhelmed. We didn’t have a lot of extra […]
Games My Homeschoolers Love | Encourage Play & Watch Kids Learn
How do we help kids learn, love to learn, build connections, work as a team, and practice critical thinking? Play! Play! Play! Play fosters a love of learning. (Do you know this already? Looking for games my homeschoolers love? Just keep scrolling!) Full disclosure, before I had kids, I wasn’t someone who played or enjoyed […]
How to Make Downtime a Priority
Research on naps, meditation, nature walks and the habits of exceptional artists and athletes reveals how mental breaks increase productivity, replenish attention, solidify memories and encourage creativity. Why Your Brain Needs More Downtime, Scientific American When I had my first child, I ignored the advice to rest when he napped or played quietly. I believed […]
Chores | Creating Community in Our Homes
An alarm on our Google dot rings; it is five o’clock, time to transition into the last part of the day. While the alarm can be a tad annoying, we need a gentle push in the evening. We are tired, and if we don’t intentionally choose how we spend our time, it’s easy to fall […]
Meal Planning Made Simple
Dear Reader, do you meal plan? I’ll be the first to admit that over the years I have tried all sorts of tips and tricks to make chores and the mundane easier. No matter how many different ways I’ve tried to embrace cleaning schedules, batch cooking, and coupon clipping, they don’t work for me. Meal […]
More than a Meal- the Sacredness of Dinnertime
In our home, grilled cheese and soup make a gray day brighter. Egg scrambles, chicken pot pie, pesto pasta, and Friday’s homemade pizza warm more than just our bones. My friends, the crockpot and cast-iron skillet, rarely rest, and I am always on the lookout for recipes with words like hearty, cheesy, and easy that […]
A Day in the Life of Interest-Led Learners
A day in the life of my interest-led learners is simply that- a glimpse at one day. We don’t follow a schedule, so no two days look alike. Does that mean we wake up and wing it, with no clue what we’ll do until we’re doing it? No, I’m way too OCD for that. Does […]
What Homeschooling Looks Like- An Eight Year Old’s Point of View
I’m Sophia. I’m eight. I’ve never been to school because it doesn’t sound fun. My brother is going to school this year and I like that. I didn’t think I would. It’s fun being the only one at home because I can learn whatever I want, and I got to take over his dog walking […]
Creating a Space to Learn and Play
No matter if it’s a classroom, a shelf in the living room, or a bin in the kitchen, creating a space to learn and play helps encourage both! When I originally wrote this post, it was bittersweet for me to write. We were about to move from our home of eleven years. This was the […]
Creating Connections with Our Children
At the top of our stairs, a little double-sided easel, half chalkboard, half whiteboard, is balanced on the banister. It appeared there a few days ago. On one side, my daughter’s eight-year-old handwriting scribed, Good Morning Mom. On the other side, she wrote, Good Morning Sophie. Next to the easel is a piece of chalk for me […]
Road Trips with Children- Making the Most of a Long Car Ride
The car’s packed; no one but the driver has leg room. Snacks, books, vacation essentials- check, check, check. The GPS shows twelve hours remaining. It will be more like fourteen. We pull out of the driveway, “Goodbye house,” a little voice says from the backseat. My mind races: chargers, Dramamine, boogie boards, goggles, glasses. […]
Plan a Vacation Everyone Will Love
Our family takes a vacation twice a year. Sometimes we visit family. Sometimes our vacation is a long weekend just a couple hours away. Camping, long road trips, overseas travel, I love our time together and a break from our routine. Travel is one of our family’s top priorities. I didn’t always love our […]