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16 Nov 2018

Tradition and Simplicity

by | posted in: homemaker | 4

There were five of us- three wide-eyed girls and two moms- sisters-in-law bound by heart – waiting with bated breath. We were crowded together in the kitchen while the men- my dad, uncle, and older cousin, caught up over apple cider, crackers, and cheese in the living room. My fully Italian Aunt, her shiny black curls pulled back neatly, her apron tied and smoothed primly, was about to unmold the layered Thanksgiving jello. I don’t remember the first year. No, … Read More

14 Nov 2018

Troubleshoot Your Goals: Motives and Habits

by | posted in: homemaker, productivity | 8

We’re coming up on December, and it will seem inevitable: We must examine how the year went, how we’ve done, how far we’ve come. Most of us will be disappointed. I know I will be. I will see my list of goals, of things I had wanted to do in 2019, and they will not all be crossed off. Some (like weight loss, cough) will have seen no progress. I did not make these goals and then forget them, hoping … Read More

9 Nov 2018

How to Plan with Vocation in Mind

by | posted in: homemaker | 0

You said yes and now you regret it. If only there were a way to be able to filter requests for your time so that you didn’t feel guilty for saying no or feel overwhelmed because you said yes. Instead, we often teeter-totter our approach. A bout of overcommitment leads us to cut way back – perhaps cutting too much, not investing our time and energy but rather hoarding it. We don’t want to be spread too thin, but we … Read More

2 Nov 2018

October in Books

by | posted in: journal | 3

October was a much better reading month. My deliberate efforts to cut my time wasters, to choose reading instead as a rest activity, and to include reading in the morning and evening are paying off. The pay off is not just that I finished twice the number of books, but also that my mind feels fed and full and I find it easier to have interesting conversation in various contexts rather than mere detail-swapping (which definitely has a place in … Read More

31 Oct 2018

5 Things I Learned in October

by | posted in: journal | 2

October was crazy. Crazy like I have 5 school-age kids including 2 teens kinda crazy. Crazy like overcommitted kinda crazy. But the overcommitted bit should die down just in time for the holidays-type of overcommitted, so I think it will all work out ok. Whew! I’d toyed around with the idea of doing a 6 week holiday-prep challenge or program, but realized I would be along for the ride, barely following my own usual 6 week “interval” skeleton this year. … Read More

26 Oct 2018

Hey, slob. You might be a perfectionist.

by | posted in: homemaker | 2

It’s paralyzing. Perfectionism. I used to think I was not a perfectionist, because nothing I did was perfect. I was a slob, so how could I be a perfectionist? Then one time I was visiting with my mom, who mentioned that my youngest sister was a perfectionist – like I was. I was bewildered by this casual accusation. Me? A perfectionist? Isn’t that reserved for people who can draw true circles and sew in straight lines and insist on doing … Read More

24 Oct 2018

Homeschooling High School: 3 Tips

by | posted in: homeschooler | 0

We’re going into our second year of high school at home with my oldest this year and next year my second-born will start. Honestly, I love this stage. When I am sitting on the couch listening to my 5-year-old sound out words, I remind myself: It’s ok. We have to do this now so that later we can talk about Beowulf and diagram sentences. But it is a whole new territory. It is as different from the elementary years as … Read More

19 Oct 2018

Start Monday Strong by Taking Sunday Off

by | posted in: homemaker | 1

Oh, Monday morning woe! Dishes piled in the sink, counters overloaded with random bits, laundry mounting high out of the hampers. Extra gunk on the floor, toys left out, books strewn everywhere. Everywhere I looked, I saw evidence that I was starting the week behind. Everywhere I looked, I saw that I did not spent the weekend as I ought. I clearly did something wrong. I used to think that I had to earn Sunday rest. After all, I couldn’t … Read More

17 Oct 2018

Classical Education’s Myth (Norms & Nobility Notes, ch. 2 II)

by | posted in: classical education | 0

Norms and Nobility is a classical education essential, but it’s also a difficult read. Take it in the bite-sized portions provided (the numbered sections), and think about it over the course of a year or two. Better yet, do so with me in this slow-drip series. Previous: Classical Education’s Map (chapter 2, section I) Next: Classical Education’s Master (chapter 2, section III) – planned for November 7 In this section, Hicks contrasts two uses of – and two feelings about … Read More

12 Oct 2018

Homeschool Advice: Don’t Expect What You Don’t Inspect

by | posted in: homeschooler | 3

Some education principles are broad and deep with numerous applications. Intelligent people write volumes on them and we, the average homeschool mom, read and reread, slowly coming to a better understanding. Other education principles are simple, straightforward, and common sense. Yet, that doesn’t seem to make them easier to apply. It just makes me stupid when I don’t. Today’s piece of homeschool advice is one such principle, told to me multiple times by multiple older moms and confirmed by my … Read More

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