ByMystie
I suppose a reflection post on 2020 ought to begin with all the cliches about strangenesss, unexpectedness, and unpredictability discovered in odd times. I’ll assume you know all that already and are, like myself, tired of such comments – though it’s hard to say anything else at times. It is all just so odd and…
ByMystie
One of our goals as homeschool parents is not only to teach our kids to read, but also help them love to read. Some are on board with this goal and therefore conclude we shouldn’t make our kids read, because that will kill the joy. They tend to suggest fun and easy books because how…
ByMystie
Most of us began our lives as wives and mothers not only without any training or instruction in running a home, but also without any real examples in our own history and life to follow. We so desperately want to do a good job, and we jump in with both feet and suddenly find we’re…
ByMystie
A new year is like a promise of a fresh start, a new beginning, a turning of the page that might mean the turning of a new leaf. What can we do to start the new year well? I am always trying to turn over new leaves. Too many times I’ve tried turning them overnight,…
ByMystie
It’s one thing to start the school year strong, but quite another to keep at it after the weeks start blurring together. Motivation to homeschool ebbs away, and we can’t wait for some natural, overwhelming incoming tide to return. Instead of being tossed about on the waves of our emotions and hormones (which turn into…
ByMystie
If anybody needs to get things done, it’s mothers managing a home. Mothers are the shapers of home atmosphere and home culture; keeping the mundane details under control allows us to direct our attention toward what matters. Our minds are so full of all the details of many lives interconnected that we often grind to a halt,…
ByMystie
You won’t remember – don’t try. When does the brilliant idea strike? When do you remember you’re desperately low on milk? It’s rarely when you’re actually sitting down, pen in hand, to make a relevant list. But if you don’t write it down right away, it’s gone. Hence, the need for ubiquitous capture. Ubiquitous capture…
ByMystie
All my procrastination this year has been rewarded except in one instance: school planning. Turns out that still had to happen because our school year was not affected by COVID-19. We’re just continuing to do our thing. As usual our school year began the first Monday after the 4th of July. This year I will…
ByMystie
Is social media actually social? We think of social media as a connector, but is it delivering on that promise? Or is it simply redefining what we mean when we say and think social and connection? When we pause to think and examine the realities rather than simply go along with the flow and keep…
ByMystie
When I was a young wife and mother, I read all the organization books, the productivity books, the godly family living books. I learned a lot, and a lot of it was good. But it took me about 10 years of trying to put it into practice that I finally realized I was never going…