Starting a blog involves many important decisions before you ever type a single word. Each of those decisions require a certain degree of contentment as you’ll being living with them as you launch and brand your new blog. You have to choose a domain name, determine how your new blog will be hosted on the…
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Choosing the Best Blogging Platform
Are you ready to start your own blog? Maybe you’ve already made that decision and you’re on to the next step. Now your trying to figure out how to make this blog thing go live! You’ve come to the right place. This post is part two in a four-part series on how to start a…
Developing Gratitude in Your Child — Start One Simple Habit Tonight!
My six-year-old may be the perfect child…If only he ate something besides yogurt and graham crackers—I truly think he may be perfect (not that I’m biased or anything). The sweet baby has been JOY since the day he was born. His name, Asher, means Happy, Fortunate, and Blessed–and suits him completely. He was our SURPRISE…
How to Start a Blog Today – The Ultimate Guide
Follow along on a five-part series of posts on how to start a blog. The first post in the series focuses on 3 simple steps to get your blog off the ground – choosing your web hosting service, determining your domain name, and setting up a SSL certificate. Start a Blog | Post Series How…
Free Handwriting Worksheets for Kids!
Get Your Free Handwriting Worksheets! Now, I’m not the biggest fan of handwriting worksheets –but sometimes you just can’t avoid them! (Because—kids gotta learn to write!) And interestingly, my son actually takes great joy in doing independent work and views handwriting worksheets as fun–so go figure! I’ve created an entire workbook to practice letter writing,…
Homeschooling High School —Finding the Courage
Though I’ve homeschooled for 14 years—I’ve never homeschooled through high school. My oldest two children were adamant about going to the public high school…That is another story for another day, and whether or not it was really the best decision is debatable some days! I always intended to homeschool through high school and was truly…
Free Christmas Copywork Printable–A Heart for Christmas
The Christmas excitement is tangible at our house…and a little bit distracting! It’s hard to stick to traditional lessons, and I know many homeschool families take a lengthy break this time of year. We will be schooling through mid-December—but I like to add in special activities that incorporate the wonder and beauty of Christmas. Homeschooling…
Teaching Phonics–Choosing a Curriculum
I bought my first phonics curriculum 20+ years ago–I think it was actually one of my very first homeschool purchases! I firmly believe that reading and math are the most foundational academic subjects for young students (Pre-K through 3rd graders). So I knew it was important to choose an excellent beginning phonics curriculum! And there…
How to Plan a Disney Vacation
We love Disney World! I think families are either in one of two camps—the Disney LOVERS or the Not-So-Much. We are wholeheartedly part of the first camp! And I say this as someone who does not love crowds—I’m actually a crowd avoider. I don’t do local festivals and carnivals because I cannot even handle that…
Best Way to Teach Reading–My Top 5 Strategies
I’m about 20 years removed from those first major homeschooling fears…(I forget how much they once consumed me!) Will everyone think we’re weird? Will my kids be “socialized”? Is this a viable, sound educational option for our family? Am I about to ruin my kids? Am I crazy? So after jumping through those first…
Saxon Math and Teaching Textbooks – A Comparison
So let’s talk math today…A real juicy homeschool mom topic! Wink.Wink. (Yes—this is who we’ve become—math curriculum is like the minivan of homeschooling). But this post is a confessional of sorts…My journey from Saxon to Teaching Textbooks for High School Math. Saxon Loyalist First off—let me start by saying that I have used Saxon Math…
Ultimate Guide to Preschool Toys and Gifts
I’ve been told we have a lot of toys… But, you have to remember—I have 6 kids! So yes, I do have a lot of toys. And some of them are pure junk and destined for the trash can. However, most are part of a collection, slowly acquired over 20+ years—toys that have been…
A Momo Twins Pregnancy: Part 2 — It Gets Real
Finding out you’re having twins is a huge shock… We don’t have twins in either of our families. My grandmother gave birth to 10 kids—zero twins. Here’s a picture of my sweet, giant family–not a single set of twins: I always wanted twins…I would hold onto a glimmer of hope at each of my initial…
The Best 8th Grade Curriculum — For Me!
The elusive best curriculum…we’re always on the hunt for it. But much like other homeschool myths—the perfect curriculum doesn’t exist. We have to find the best for our families—and my best might look really different than the best for the family down the street or the one on Instagram. It probably even looks different than…
Homeschooling Your Middle School Child
Round Three! I am in the thick of homeschooling middle school…Specifically, this will be my third go at homeschooling eighth grade—it is actually one of my favorite years. Thirteen and fourteen-year-olds are independent learners, capable writers, and problem solvers—translation: mama’s life is easier! Middle school course work (don’t miss my 8th grade curriculum post) is…
