Random Ramblings
Getting Your Kids to Read
A couple of months ago I wrote a post about the Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease. I hope you have had a chance to take a look at this excellent resource. Now that it’s August, I am looking at what we will use for school this year. I have consulted several other resources similar… »
What I’ve Been Reading
My husband and children often tease me about how many books I have out from the library (sometimes over 100!). They also find it strange that I am usually reading several books at the same time. But that doesn’t really seem all that odd to me. After all, when I was in college, taking several… »
You Can Do It!
Last week I had meetings all week. In Iowa, one of the assessment options for homeschoolers is to work with a supervising teacher. Since I was a licensed teacher in Ohio back in the 80′s I was able to obtain a substitute teacher’s license when we moved to Iowa. This allows me to act as… »
My Little Apron
I recently finished a fun project for my granddaughter. She turned three in May and, as has been my tradition-for three years anyway, I try to think of a gift I can make for her. So far I have made a rag doll and doll sized quilt and puppets. At Christmas last year I made… »
Make Summer Memories — for $20 or Less!
Well, summer is slipping away. If you are like me, you start the summer with the goal to have a great summer, full of activities that will leave your kids with lasting memories. But now, with the summer more than half over, you are still looking for the time and the money to create these… »
Save Money with Old-Fashioned Homemade Gifts
I am always on the lookout for frugal gift ideas. Even without the recent economic woes, we have needed to be careful in this area. It is easy to go way over your budget for gifts in a hurry! With my large family and fast-growing extended family, finding a way to give gifts to those… »
Do You Geek the Library?
From a homeschoolers perspective it goes without saying that the library is a vital part of daily life — at least at our house. I don’t know about you, but for our family the library is actually our main source of curriculum. I use the word “curriculum” loosely. It isn’t uncommon for me to have… »
Sometimes Life Gets Messy
Sometimes my life gets messy. I’m not talking about issues, emotional stress, challenging relationships. Not that kind of mess. I’m talking about the really physical mess that happens in households where kids are being trained. For years I have had trouble finding the line between training my children to be responsible and keeping my household… »
Ways to Avoid Summer Brain Drain
I know a lot of homeschoolers do some sort of formal schooling all year round. For a long time I started each year with the intention of continuing through the summer but as April rolled around and then we got into May, my resolve always crumbled — by then we all needed a break. The… »
A Boxful of Memories
I’ve spent the past several weeks sorting through boxes of keepsakes. I can’t believe some of the stuff I’ve kept over the years. When we moved three and a half years ago we made fewer and fewer decisions about what to pack as the days drew nearer to moving day. Finally, at the end we just… »
