I had every intention of posting last week, but instead, I found myself in a familiar and unpleasant newborn-season experience — one I’ve encountered several times before and would be perfectly happy never to repeat again. If you’ve ever breastfed a baby, you probably know exactly which dreaded infection I’m talking about.

Thankfully, antibiotics worked quickly, and I’m feeling much better now.

But motherhood is full of bittersweet moments like that. Even in the middle of the fever, chills, and exhaustion, I kept reminding myself how much I still had to be grateful for— a healthy baby girl, beautiful spring weather, a husband working from home to support our family, and the glimmer of the school year coming to an end.

1. In Our Homeschool — Finishing Strong (by Finishing Early)

It’s that time of year when both kids and moms start to feel the weight of wrapping up the school year. Lessons take longer, attention spans grow shorter, and everyone is anxious to close the books and head outside.

That’s part of the reason we begin our school year gently in July, work hard from September through May, and aim to wrap things up by Mother’s Day — which honestly feels like a pretty wonderful gift to me.

Last year, I wrote this post about how to finish a homeschool year well. My original plan was to continue for a few more weeks before beginning our summer break, but my husband reminded me that sometimes the healthiest thing we can do is slow down and say “no” even to good things.

This newborn season has brought more interruptions, more pauses to feed or hold the baby, and more moments where my attention is pulled in several directions at once.

So we wrapped up our schoolwork, placed sticky notes where we left off, and stepped into summer mode with a huge sigh of relief!

Honestly, it feels like the right decision with no regrets.

2. Mini Entrepreneurs

This week, one of the homeschool co-ops my kids and I are part of hosted its annual spring Market Day, and I’m still amazed by how creative all the kids were.

Each child created something to make and sell.

My kids made homemade popsicles, notebooks, squishy fidget balls, and bookmarks. Other children sold flower bouquets, baked cookies, painted nails, made hair clips, and so many other creative ideas.

Giving kids opportunities to create and run little businesses helps them take ownership and responsibility for something that feels entirely their own.

All week long, my kids were blending popsicle ingredients, hot-gluing notebooks, and coloring bookmark designs. Even though our schoolwork had already wrapped up, they spent hours each day working on their projects — not because they had to, but because they genuinely wanted to.

That’s what I love so much about project-based learning. It taps into motivation in such a different way. I’m already brainstorming ideas for next year!

3. My Weekly Rhythm — A Free Template

I mentioned my weekly rhythm template in a previous Notes from Home post and received so many messages asking if I could share it — so here it is!

It’s become one of my favorite ways to organize my week— meals, goals, to-do lists, homeschool plans, and even thoughts I want to hold onto during motherhood.

I function so much better when everything is written down in one place instead of swirling around in my head.

If you’d like to try it yourself, you can download it here, make a copy, and edit the sections however you’d like to fit your own weekly rhythm. It’s incredibly simple, but it makes a big difference in how my weeks feel.

4. Getting Real with Decluttering

In my last Notes from Home post, I mentioned that my husband and I had started a major decluttering project.

We both feel noticeably calmer when our home feels orderly instead of chaotic — and for us, that chaos usually shows up in the form of clutter and too much stuff (especially from our not-so-tidy kids!).

So we’ve been slowly working through one area at a time. So far we’ve tackled the outdoor space, a bedroom, the bathroom, the linen closet, and parts of the attic filled with old clothes, toys, and holiday decorations.

We don’t live in a large home, and with seven people under one roof, there really isn’t room for much beyond what we truly need.

We’ve had to become fairly ruthless about what we keep, because decluttering never really works unless you’re willing to let things go.

One night while feeding the baby, I came across a video tour of a family who converted a backyard shed into a home. It was beautiful, thoughtful, and surprisingly inspiring. Watching people use small spaces intentionally always leaves me rethinking what we truly need.

5. One Thought to Keep

Lately I’ve been realizing how often peace comes not from adding more, but from releasing something.

Finishing school earlier than planned. Letting go of clutter. Saying no to extra commitments. Slowing down enough to enjoy the season we’re actually in.

Sometimes the best thing we can do is simply make room for what matters most.

As always, thank you so much for being here and following along! I’m so grateful for so many of you who have sent messages, left thoughtful comments, and connected personally about motherhood and life.

Stay tuned for another Notes From Home post next week!

With love from my home to yours,

-Mollie

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy:

• How Do I finish Our Homeschool Year Well?

• Minimalist Lessons My Kids Teach Me Everyday

• Savoring Summer: Our Daily Rhythm with Structure + Adventure

• The Art of Taking Successful Adventurous Day Trips with Kids

After easing back into some of our usual, feel-good routines last week, I felt a sense of settling in—but in a way that reminded me to take this season slowly.

Throughout the week, I kept coming back to a quiet theme– an invitation to embrace an unhurried pace of life. In my interactions with my children, the items on my to-do list, and even what I say “yes” to outside the home, it all seemed to point in the same direction—toward living more slowly, more deliberately, and with greater purpose.

1. In Our Homeschool- Working Through Novels

One of the simplest changes we’ve made lately has also been one of our favorites.

I’ve never quite found a language arts curriculum that fully captured what I wanted—it always felt like something was missing. What I really wanted was for my kids to experience good books.

So in this slower season of pregnancy and now with a newborn, we started something new in our mornings. We choose a great book together—sometimes a classic, other times a Newbery winner, and take turns reading aloud as we snuggle together on the couch.

As we read, I highlight vocabulary words, we pause to talk through deeper questions, and the kids work on both fluency and a short written response in their journals.

It’s simple, but it’s become the part of our school day we all look forward to most.

And maybe more importantly, it’s helping them develop a taste for what good literature actually is—something deeper than the quick, graphic novels that they’re naturally drawn to.

Slowing down enough to sit with a book together has been worth it.

2. An Intentional Moment- Date Dinners at Home

In this season of life, getting out for regular date nights isn’t always realistic, so we’ve started doing something that has worked surprisingly well—weekly date dinners at home.

Gleaning this tradition from reading M is for Mama, on Thursday nights, we keep things simple and predictable. We start about an hour before the kids’ usual bedtime, make them a fun, kid-friendly dinner, and let them have some movie time downstairs while we sit down together upstairs.

Lately, it’s been meals like carne asada with homemade tortillas or steak with sweet potatoes and a Caesar salad. Nothing elaborate—just uninterrupted conversation (a rare commodity the other days of the week!).

We usually come with a few topics we want to talk about, and it’s become a meaningful way to invest in our marriage without needing to leave the house or spend a lot on a nice restaurant.

It’s a small rhythm, but one that reminds me that the best type of connection is one that’s meaningfully thought about– and sometimes that means putting it on the calendar before life absorbs all the margin or energy.

3. Rhythms at Home- Deep Dive Decluttering

Lately, I’ve felt the pull to declutter more deeply.

With a family of seven in a smaller home, it doesn’t take much for things to start feeling full. Instead of trying to tackle everything at once, I’ve been taking a slower, more manageable approach.

I start with the easy wins, like the bathroom, linen closet, the car, our junk drawer. They’re smaller spaces that can be completed in 30 minutes or less, which is essential in this busy season of life.

These shorter decluttering sessions build momentum and make the bigger areas of the home feel less overwhelming when I get to them.

Decluttering a whole home can feel like a lot, but when you start slowly and work in one space, piece by piece, that feels more sustainable than trying to do it all at once.

4. Something I’m Loving- Chocolate Granola

Something you can always find in our kitchen is homemade granola.

We already love Greek yogurt and granola, but over the past few months I’ve been experimenting with making different varieties. This version has quickly become a favorite—my husband likes to call it a “healthy version of Cocoa Pebbles”.

It’s simple, made with good, whole ingredients, and one of those small things that makes everyday routines feel just a little more enjoyable.

I’ll include the recipe below if you want to try it!

• 4 cups rolled oats

• 1 cup finely chopped nuts (I use pecans)

• 1/2 cup coconut flakes

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 cup chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine oats, nuts, coconut, salt, and cocoa powder. Mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the maple syrup, honey, oil, and vanilla— then add to dry ingredients. Stir until every oat is coated.

On a large rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spread granola in a single layer, pressing down with a spatula. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes. Then, stir granola and press down again. Bake for another 10 minutes. Finally, sprinkle chocolate chips all over the top of the granola and bake for 5 minutes to melt the chocolate.

After removing from the oven, use a spatula to spread the melted chocolate chips over the granola (this makes the best chocolatey clusters!).

5. One Thought to Keep

The other day at the library, I was reminded of something I haven’t been able to let go of.

The entrance was under construction, and everything had narrowed to a small walkway. My toddler was taking his time—wandering, pausing, moving at his own pace, while a few people waited behind us.

I gently urged him along, feeling that familiar pressure to hurry, and politely apologized to the woman behind us.

She smiled and said, “Oh, I’m not in a hurry. I’m never in a hurry anymore—but it took me a long time to get there.”

I was shocked to hear someone actually say that. And it’s stayed with me ever since.

Because if I’m honest, much of my life is lived in a quiet state of rushing, like moving kids along, getting everyone out the door on time, trying to fit everything into small pockets of the limited time I have.

But what would it look like to choose something different?

To not be in a hurry?

To slow down in my interactions with my children, in our school mornings, in the way I move through the day?

I don’t have a perfect answer yet—but it’s a question I’m carrying with me this week and pondering often.

As always, thank you so much for being here and following along! I’m so grateful for so many of you who have sent messages, left thoughtful comments, and connected personally about motherhood and life.

Stay tuned for another Notes From Home post next week!

With love from my home to yours,

-Mollie

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy:

• Three Simple Systems That Keep Our Kids Motivated Everyday

• How to Homeschool With a Baby or Toddler in Tow

• Two-Minute Tasks for Kids + Moms That Make Life Feel Easier

• Living Counter-Culturally in This Modern World

New seasons of the year tend to bring out a few clear emotions for me. As my husband and I were talking in the car recently (a place where we have some of our best conversations), I mentioned how the newly blossoming trees and vibrant green grass always feel rejuvenating—like a fresh start after a long, dreary winter.

In a similar way, this season of having a new baby and transitioning to a family of seven feels the same. We’re nearly two months into life with another baby, and as we begin to emerge from the tiresome (yet blissful) weariness that newborn life brings, we’re craving sustainable rhythms again—ones that ground us and shape who our kids are becoming.

This past week, we rolled out new chore charts, had more predictable school days, and returned to some of our regular pre-baby routines (like afternoon quiet time, the evening house reset, and meal planning now that our baby meals have ended). They’re not perfect—but they are steady, and that alone makes a difference.

1. New Chore Charts

If you’ve been following along for a while, you probably know that we are big believers in age-appropriate chores for our kids. It was time for a chore chart refresh (I do this several times a year), so last weekend we sat down to brainstorm.

Each of our kids received a new, laminated chore chart on Monday morning. There were squeals of delight (especially from the 3-year-old with his very first chart!) as new chores were handed out and each child’s strengths were highlighted.

-Our 10-year-old cleans up breakfast and dinner, mows the lawn, deep cleans the bathroom, feeds and changes her hamster’s bedding, folds laundry, and vacuums a few rooms.
-Our 8-year-old empties the dishwasher, vacuums and tidies the school room, cleans out the car, folds laundry, and freshens up the bathroom each morning.
-Our 6-year-old takes out the recycling, cleans the kitchen chairs, tidies up the bedroom, and makes his bed.
-And the 3-year-old makes his bed, gets himself dressed, and helps brush his teeth—simple things that are slowly building good habits.

We keep the laminated charts on the fridge where the kids check off each task with a whiteboard marker as they complete them each day. If you’d like my free customizable chore chart for your own home, see the link at the bottom of this post!

2. My Weekly Rhythm Chart

Something I’ve done for years is a Weekly Rhythm Chart for myself. I write it out each Sunday and work through it during the week. It keeps me accountable, motivated, and focused—especially in seasons where it’s easy to feel scattered.

The sections are…

• What Matters Most

• What Feels Hard

• What I’m Looking Forward To

• Goals for blogging, home, health, and homeschool

• Big Rocks (the most important tasks)

• Little Rocks (the smaller ones that still matter)

• Plans for Dinner

By writing these things out, I’m able to move through the week with more clarity and at a sustainable pace—which makes everything feel just a little less overwhelming.

I haven’t done one of these since before I was pregnant, so it feels especially good to return to something that has worked well for me in the past.

3. A Marriage Challenge

Another conversation my husband and I had in the car recently turned into a simple (but surprisingly helpful) way to “critique” each other. And yes—this only works if both people are in a place to receive it!

We each shared two things:

• Something to takeaway — what positive skill/trait of our spouse’s would we take to incorporate into our own life (I said my husband’s zest for life and his ability to have fun with our kids even when life feels demanding)

• Something to give — what skill/trait would we give to our spouse to make their life better (my husband said he would give me more resiliency to be less sensitive and offended when the kids are disrespectful)

Being intentional about investing in our marriage is something we both value deeply. When kids take up most of our time and energy, it’s easy for our relationship to quietly slip to the side.

Even small, honest conversations like this help bring it back to the center.

4. Something I’m Loving — Breakfast Smoothie & a Simple System

For the past few months, I’ve been making this peanut butter/banana/blueberry smoothie for my husband and I in the mornings. It’s not only delicious, but full of ingredients that actually keep us full all morning.

• 2 frozen bananas (sliced)

• 1 cup frozen blueberries

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt

• 2 cups milk

• Several tablespoons natural peanut butter

• 2 tablespoons ground flax seed

• 2 tablespoons hemp hearts

• 2 tablespoons chia seeds

• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

The real game-changer, though, has been the system.

Since gathering all 10 ingredients every morning isn’t exactly realistic or simple, I make smoothie bags once a month. I buy about 60 ripe bananas (yes, I get some odd looks at the grocery store!), have the kids slice them, and flash freeze them on cookie sheets. Then we bag up everything that can be frozen together.

In the morning, I just empty a bag into the blender and add the milk, yogurt, and peanut butter.

It saves so much time—and more importantly, it makes this a routine we can actually stick with.

5. One Thought to Keep

There’s something about rhythms at home…

They don’t need to be rigid to be steady.
They don’t need to be perfect to be meaningful.

But when they are simple and consistent, they become a quiet foundation—something everyone can return to, even when life feels full or slightly chaotic.

Right now, that’s what we’re building again.
Not perfection—just steadiness.

And that’s what matters most.

As always, thank you so much for being here and following along! I’m so grateful for so many of you who have sent messages, left thoughtful comments, and connected personally about motherhood and life.

Stay tuned for another Notes From Home post next week! I’ll be sharing our favorite chocolate granola recipe and another habit I started years ago to encourage creativity into a busy life with kids.

With love from my home to yours,

-Mollie

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy:

• 10 Tiny Changes That Make Our Home Run More Smoothly

• Daily Chores for Kids: A Simple Habit That Transforms Our Home

• Daily Chores for Kids: An Age-Based Guide + Free Printable Chore Chart

• 10 Ways to Shape Capable Kids

There’s something grounding about an ordinary day and looking back at what was accomplished (or lack there of!) in this season of life. Right now, we’re in our last month of the homeschool year while learning how to do life with a newborn baby (our 5th).

Today, there’s no co-op. No field trips. No packed schedule—just a regular Thursday at home in April. These are the days that don’t look impressive on paper, but subtly shape our family life the most over the years.

We’re in a postpartum season with a newborn baby girl, so our rhythm is slower, less productive, and a little less predictable. But it’s real life— and this is what homeschooling looks like for us today.

5:30 a.m.
The baby wakes for a feeding. I sleepily head into her nursery, feed her in the dim light, and remind myself this is just a season and more sleep will come in a few months (hopefully). After a few wake-ups overnight, I decide it’s too early to start the day—and crawl back into bed while the rest of the house is quiet.

6:50 a.m.
My alarm goes off but I ignore it. My body needs the sleep more than it needs the ambition. Typically, I love waking early before the rest of the family for quiet time to pray, read my bible, have coffee, and enter into the day without distractions. But today, I’m moving slower and that’s okay.

7:30 a.m.
I finally get up when I hear little feet leaving the bedroom (they can’t rise before 7:30) so I know this is my cue to get up as well. I make my coffee, have a short prayer time, and begin the slow start to our day while my 8-year old unloads the dishwasher and begins his chores.

8:00 a.m.
The other 3 kids are still sleeping so I head to their room to drag their sleepy bodies out of bed. They start their morning chores, run their 3 laps around the house (a little routine I added especially for my energetic boys!), make their own breakfasts, and get ready for the day. It’s a later start than usual, but it fits this postpartum season.

8:30 a.m.
I wake the baby so we can get started with her day too. After a feeding, a quick bath, and getting her dressed, I make our usual peanut butter/banana/blueberry smoothies (I’ll share the recipe next week in my newsletter!) for my husband and I and head to the schoolroom to begin, while holding the baby in my arms.

9:00 a.m.
I begin school with the older kids (ages 8 and 10). My husband walks our three- and six-year-old to a nearby neighbor’s house (an older friend from our life group) for an hour of play, which is an incredible gift to give someone in a newborn season! I sit down with the big kids and we dive right in and make good use of this time, free from the usual distraction of little boys. We do math lessons, read together, spelling, and math flashcards (the essentials). I’m also holding the baby, who refuses to be put down today. One hand rocking, one hand pointing at math problems— a real balancing act and a tangible test of patience!

10:30 a.m.
The younger boys come home. We gather for our Bible lesson and snack time at the kitchen table— we read from the book of Luke about Zacchaeus and the kids reflect on what it means to “seek and save the lost”. We sing a hymn, write in our gratitude and prayer journal, then the baby starts fussing. So I retreat back to her nursery and feed her while the kids finish up their remaining schoolwork—independent reading, a final workbook page, whatever is left on their checklist (which we simplified in this slower newborn season).

11:00 a.m.
I get some one-on-one time to do school with my six-year-old (while trying to calm a fussy baby). We do a math lesson, read from his All About Reading phonics book, and race through math flashcards like it’s a fun game (anything made into a race or game is an instant motivation to get work done for this child). He’s done— and honestly, that’s enough for kindergarten.

12:00 p.m.
School wraps up for the big kids. I send them outside to jump on the trampoline while I reset the kitchen and school table a bit.

12:15 p.m.
We gather in the kitchen to chop and flash-freeze dozens of bananas for smoothies. Tomorrow, we’ll turn them into smoothie packs—one of those small systems that makes mornings smoother (which I’ll share in next week’s Notes From Home newsletter). By now, the baby is still needing to be held so I resort to wearing her in the KeaBabies wrap so I can finally have my hands free yet still provide her with sleep.

12:30 p.m.
Lunch is made entirely by my ten-year-old daughter. Today it’s mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, fruit, and veggies. Not the most healthy, but she planned it and made it start to finish—and that matters more as she’s slowly being shaped into a more capable adolescent. I have leftover chicken and veggie stew (provided by my friend who blessed us with a delicious meal earlier this week)— trying to eat soup while wearing a baby is another test of skill!

1:15 p.m.
We’re fed, cleaned up and it’s time to walk my eight-year-old to the local elementary school for his speech class. Baby in the wrap, kids on scooters. It’s a rare 90-degree April day, and I’m sweating, but grateful to be moving again at six weeks postpartum.

1:30 p.m.
We walk around town and wait while he’s in class. My body is moving slowly but it feels therapeutic with the sun on our faces and signs of spring all around.

2:15 p.m.
We’re back home. My daughter graciously helps me get the toddler down for a nap so I can sit and feed the baby again. Followed by the start of quiet time for the older kids— 30 minutes of independent reading in their own spaces, then quiet play or earned Nintendo Switch time.

2:30 p.m.
I attempt to sit and write this blog post while sipping a cold drink—but mostly end up pacing with the baby, who needs constant motion to settle. My plans can wait, I tell myself once again, this is the season I’m in— embrace it, don’t resent it.

3:00 p.m.
Still pacing. Still rocking and singing the same song in her ear. Still thinking. I sip an iced coffee and mentally draft blog ideas while trying to get the baby to sleep. I sneak in a few moments of writing but nothing substantial. The kids try to come out of their quiet time locations but are reminded of the rules and why we do afternoon quiet time (mostly because I need a little reprieve from the demands of tending their needs every other minute of the day!),

3:30 p.m.
Quiet time ends. The kids come out for snacks, do some cleaning up, and then head outside. Soon after, the sight of neighbor kids gather in the yard—a daily rhythm I’m incredibly thankful for. They find the sprinkler buried in our messy garage and set it up themselves. I’m finally able to sit while holding the baby and get this blog post drafted. Only a few more moments of quiet time until I need to wake the toddler from his nap.

4:00 p.m.
I get the toddler up from his nap and do a quick pass through the house to reset things just a bit. The rest of my writing will have to wait until another time, maybe tonight before heading to bed if all goes well with getting the baby situated.

5:00 p.m.
Another feeding for the baby and then we head out for baseball practice—all five kids with me tonight. My husband stays back to finish a work project, so it’s my turn to load everyone up and go. While I’m gone, I asked if he would reheat our dinner (again, another baby meal we were blessed with from a friend yesterday).

6:45 p.m.
We’re back home from baseball practice. Dinner is later than usual, but that’s the tradeoff when you add even one sport into the mix. We already find ourselves wondering what this will look like in a few years—whether we’ll want (or be able) to juggle multiple schedules given what we prioritize in life and family rhythms.

7:00 p.m.
We eat, then move right into evening routines since there’s not much time left to play or jump on the trampoline. Our daughter takes charge of the kitchen, which involves cleaning up dinner, washing dishes, and vacuuming the floor while the boys tackle the yard and playroom.

7:30 p.m.
PJs, potty, teeth— 3 words are all that’s needed for the kids to start the bedtime transition.

7:45 p.m.
My husband gathers the kids for an animated Bible story (this one was from Bible Brick Stories), tonight was on Jonah.

8:00 p.m.
It’s bedtime, but we have to stagger it since all 4 kids are in the same room. The two younger boys climb into bed and listen to Adventures in Odyssey. The older two kids head to their own spaces for Bible reading (currently they’re working on this Doodle Devotions for Kids) and quiet time before turning in about an hour later.

8:15 p.m.
After everyone is in their spaces, it’s just my husband, me, and the baby. We always try to guard this time together— to catch up from the day and connect. Tonight, he wears the baby in the carrier so I can rest my back and legs after a long day.

9:00 p.m.
One last feeding for the baby before I head to bed, knowing I’ll be up again in a few hours to start the cycle over again. But before turning out the light, I finish up this blog post now that the day is through. My legs and back are so tired from wearing, pacing, and rocking the baby all day long— but the aches remind me that this season is temporary, that one day she’ll no longer need me to hold her to be content. And when that day comes, I’ll likely miss the baby-wearing days.

That’s a fairly ordinary Thursday for us right now!

Looking back, I wasn’t particularly productive or efficient with my time today like I usually hope to be— but sometimes when life demands more of you (like waking at night with a baby or spending hours pacing the house to get her to sleep), you have to give yourself grace.

Right now, life is tiring, full, and the pace of life moves a little slower— but it’s rich in things that matter most. My children are well fed and healthy, they’re learning and growing in responsibility, and we all work together to quietly run the home.

This is the rhythm of our life right now. And for this season, it feels just right.

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Hi there! Welcome to This Evergreen Homeschool—a place where I write honestly about homeschooling, share reflections on motherhood, and offer practical ideas to make life at home feel more sustainable and joyful.

This week marks one full year of writing on here! Looking back, I’m reminded how life-giving the habit of writing can be. During my last pregnancy (our baby girl is now five weeks old), I had very little energy or motivation to write, be productive, or even solve the everyday challenges that come with life at home with four kids.

But now, I’m ready to begin again—and I have so many ideas to share!

This week, I’m starting something new…a shorter, newsletter-style post called Notes From Home. My hope is that this becomes a steady place to share pieces of our week, like things I’m thinking about, small shifts that are helping, tips for moms, little wins or struggles, and simple things we’re enjoying—without the weight of a longer, single-topic post.

Short and simple, but full of what matters most.

Thanks for being here!

Notes from Home — A Gentle Return

The past few weeks have felt like a welcome, gentle return to real life after having our fifth baby, Sage. Before she arrived, I planned to take two weeks off from homeschooling to adjust, recover, and ease into life at home with five kids.

As we step back into our rhythms, we’re moving more slowly while still keeping the basic structure of our days. Mornings start a little later, we linger longer over breakfast, school is focused on only the most important parts, and there’s more time to play and soak in all the newborn snuggles.

1. What’s Working

Homeschooling while having a baby or toddler in tow is one of the hardest parts—I’ve always said that. For the rest of our school year, we’re sticking to the core subjects and setting the rest aside (like typing which my kids despise).

That means math lessons and math facts, reading and spelling, and our daily Bible time together during our morning snack.

If all goes well, we’ll squeeze in a history lesson before afternoon quiet time.

We worked hard in the other subjects earlier this year, so lightening the load for this final month feels like a gift I can give myself.

2. A Small Shift

Having my kids make their own breakfast has been a great way to build capability and independence—usually cereal, oatmeal, or toast with fruit. But lately, I’ve realized they need something more filling to carry them through the morning without constant snack requests.

This week, I started making a simple, protein-packed breakfast instead.

I make one large cheesy omelet and divide it between the kids, add a slice of sourdough toast, half a banana, and a small sausage patty (honestly, the sausage is the motivation to eat everything else!).

From day one, it’s worked beautifully—and kept them full far longer than a bowl of Cheerios. Next week I’ll share our favorite smoothie recipe and how I freeze the ingredients in individual bags to make mornings even easier!

3. A Gift We Received

Our church Sunday school class provides meals for families after the birth of a baby—for six weeks!

We’re now in week five, and it has been one of the greatest blessings. Not having to meal plan, grocery shop, or prepare dinner has freed up time and energy I didn’t realize I would need so much.

If someone in your life has a new baby, this is one of the most meaningful ways to support them. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, even a simple breakfast casserole or a few lunch items can make a huge difference.

4. Conquering a Fear

One of my boys has a persistent fear of bees. It may sound silly, but the moment he sees one, he runs inside in tears. He’s missed out on playing outside with siblings and even family walks because of it.

He’s never been stung, and I’ve tried to gently explain that the risk is low. We’ve had many conversations, and while he’s made some progress, the fear still lingers. Ironically, one of his favorite foods is honey—he even asked for his own bottle for his birthday!

One thing I’ve learned since becoming a parent is to meet these moments with prayer rather than trying to solve it all myself. For him, I’m praying for a spirit of courage rather than fear. For resilience to face hard parts of life even as a little kid.

5. One Thought to Keep

A home doesn’t need to run at full speed to be thriving.

Right now, that looks like getting up when my kids wake (instead of my usual hour before them), starting school later, and making simpler meals.

This is a season with a newborn and four other young children, finishing out a homeschool year while keeping a home running. Comparing it to other seasons only leads to frustration and unmet goals.

So I’m trying to see it for what it is—a full, meaningful, and slower season. One day, our home will pick back up to all its normal rhythms and routines but until then I’m trying to live in the season I’m in.

And that’s enough for now.

If you enjoyed this post, check out some favorites from my archives…

• 10 Ways to Make Home Feel More Calm with Kids

• 9 Common Fears About Homeschooling (and why you don’t need to believe them)

• How Do I Finish Our Homeschool Year Well

• How to Homeschool with a Baby or Toddler in Tow

As my children get older, I’m reminded of their growing capabilities. Of course, there are many times they struggle when they don’t succeed or get what they want, but other times I see real strength. There’s perseverance when school feels hard, a growing awareness of someone else’s needs, and even moments of going above and beyond what was asked of them when it comes to helping out around the house.

The idea of raising capable children is one that I’ve thought about often over the past decade of motherhood, and it’s something my husband and I continue to prioritize as they approach adolescence. Capability doesn’t just happen—it needs to be taught, practiced, and stretched over time to produce good fruit. It’s formed in ordinary days, through small expectations and repeated opportunities to try again.

An Expectation of Doing Hard Things

When I think about families who raised children over half a century ago, a few images come to mind. Children were marked by a high level of independence and were given opportunities that built risk tolerance and maturity. It wasn’t uncommon in the 1950s to see kids handling tools, chopping wood, or caring for younger siblings.

Because of this kind of upbringing, many children became capable of doing hard things, learning from failure, and entering adulthood with skills that had been steadily developed over time. They weren’t shielded from responsibility—they were shaped by it.

Today, it seems that our focus as a society has shifted quite a bit when it comes to the capability of our youth. Many kids carry fewer responsibilities at home, are rewarded regardless of effort or outcome, and are often protected from things that feel difficult or uncomfortable.

I can’t help but wonder—is our current generation of children being prepared for a thriving adulthood, or simply one that is more comfortable, dependent, and easily discouraged when things don’t go as planned?

Our Vision for the Future

For us, raising our five children over the past ten years has led us to develop our own philosophy of parenthood—one that has shifted as we’ve learned from many mistakes but thankfully grown in from experience in success! It’s still evolving, but one thing has remained true— we want to raise capable, not lazy, kids.

Not just for our own benefit in the present to make life easier at home, but because we believe it will serve them well in the future. We want them to step into adulthood with confidence, resilience, and the ability to contribute meaningfully to the world around them.

How We’re Raising Capable Kids in Our Home

In this post, I’m sharing ten ideas we’ve implemented in our home to help shape our children into more capable, independent, and resilient kids. Not all of these ways have worked for each of our kids, but overall they’ve given us opportunities to see growth and perseverance.

1. Chores

We place a high value on chores in our home, starting as early as age three. These simple responsibilities give our kids a chance to contribute in a meaningful way and begin to see themselves as real helpers, not just people who live under the same roof. In a full home, where we spend many hours together, chores teach our kids the value of working together to keep things running smoothly so we can all enjoy our space more.

2. Caring for Siblings

With a ten-year age gap between our oldest and youngest, there are many natural opportunities for our older kids to step in and help younger ones. It’s one of the greatest gifts as a parent to see them caring for one another! Whether it’s grabbing a snack, helping with shoes, or assisting a sibling in getting buckled in the car, these moments shift their focus outward. They begin to see themselves as fully capable of caring for someone other than themselves and encourages a deep sibling bond.

3. Creating Opportunities for Independence

We’ve found that independence doesn’t happen unless it’s intentionally practiced. Small moments, like sending our daughter into the grocery store to buy one item, asking them to speak to an adult for help, or delivering something to a neighbor themselves, builds confidence in a big way. Instead of doing everything for them, we’re slowly handing them pieces of the world to navigate on their own.

4. Giving Simple Responsibilities Beyond Chores

In addition to daily chores, we try to give our kids opportunities to serve in slightly bigger ways. Tasks like making breakfast for the family or helping prepare part of a meal require multiple steps and a greater level of responsibility. These moments show them that they are capable of serving others in meaningful ways.

5. Letting Them Plan Something

Whether it’s organizing a small party, rearranging a bedroom, or helping to plan a family day trip, we give our kids chances to think through details and make bigger decisions. It invites them into the kind of thinking that adults do every day and allows them to take ownership of these ideas, which really encourages them.

6. Putting Them in Charge

There’s something powerful that happens when a child is trusted with leadership. It could be watching a sibling for a short time or leading a family devotion, and through this they tend to rise to the level of responsibility given to them. Being “in charge” helps them see that their voice and actions mean a lot to our family.

7. Encouraging Them to Do Hard Things

We try not to shield our kids from difficulty or let them give up when it gets hard, even if it would be easier in the moment! Doing hard things, whether learning a new skill, sticking with something frustrating, or trying again after failing, builds resilience over time. It teaches them that struggle isn’t something to avoid, but something to work through. Grit is built with a continuous “get up and try again” attitude while also layered with lots of gentle encouragement along the way.

8. Helping Them Discover What They Love

As our kids grow, we pay attention to what naturally draws their interest. When one of our children finds something they enjoy, like drawing for our oldest daughter or baseball for one of our boys, we try to make space for it in our schedule and encourage steady progress. Pursuing something they care about gives them a sense of ownership, discipline, and inner confidence that carries into other areas of life.

9. Give Them Something to Take Care of

When kids are responsible in caring for something other than themselves, it encourages skills such as organization, time management, and diligence to keep something alive and well. A small pet (like a hamster) or their own vegetable or wildflower garden in the backyard are simple ways we’ve done this with our kids. They get to see the direct results of caring for something, watching it grow, and problem solving when things don’t go smoothly.

10. Have Them Set Goals

Working continuously towards a goal they want to achieve (especially if they’ve set it themselves), shows them they can persevere even when something is difficult or tiresome to accomplish. This builds grit and stamina. As a homeschooling family, there are many opportunities for our kids to set learning and life goals. They’ve set reading goals and been rewarded when that’s complete, saved up their “Donghia Dollars” for special prizes, and also been mindful to save up earned chore money for our seasonal “Spending Days” (occurring on the first day of spring, summer, and fall). These small ways encourage them that steady progress and delayed gratification pay off.

One day, our children will enter the world as young adults without us as parents by their side to help them with. The small responsibilities, the perseverance through hard moments, the chances we gave them to be a leader and try again when a mistake is made…we pray those are the things they will carry with them most. And our hope is that they won’t just feel prepared, but confident in their ability to meet whatever life has in store for them. Because they are capable of great things!

As always, thank you so much for reading and following along! If you have ideas of how you’re raising capable and independent children, I’d love to hear! Idea sharing is one of the best resources in parenting!

Hello friends! It’s been a little bit since I’ve written on here but now that our baby girl has arrived at the beginning of March, I’m feeling much more creativity and a new sense of motivation to get back to regular daily writing time and weekly posts. During my pregnancy, I felt like nearly all of my energy was devoted to growing that baby and resting as much as possible— leaving little margin for other outlets such as blogging.

But like any new season, it ushers in changes and new routines. I’m looking forward to writing about some of my favorite topics— homeschooling, motherhood, habits and routines at home, and maybe even dipping back into my minimalist ways with sharing my favorite tips!

Today, I’m sharing a special 2-week Easter Guide that I created last year! My kids and I had so much fun reading about eggs, the Resurrection story, doing science experiments, lots of crafts and baking, singing hymns, memorizing scripture, and reading lots of great books.

If you’d like this guide for your own family, you can download it for free at the end of this post! Whether or not you homeschool your kids, this guide can easily be incorporated into learning and Bible time at home or done in the evenings or weekends before Easter.

A Peek Inside the Easter Guide…

This simple guide is a way to way to build excitement, anticipation, and remembrance at the Easter season with your preschool and elementary aged children. It consists of book lists, hymns, scripture memory, crafts, baking ideas, science experiments, and other resources that can be done for the two weeks leading up to Easter.

It’s broken up into 2 parts (Week 1: Eggs and Week 2: The Resurrection Story). Feel free to do every part of this guide or select just a few based on the time and ages of your children! We do our Easter School during our “Morning Basket” time every day, usually lasting up to an hour depending on the activities planned.

Within this guide, you’ll find the following...

• Easter hymns with printable lyric posters

• Scripture memory with a printable mini-poster and copy-work page

• A book-list for read-alouds

• A list of plans and activities for the 2 weeks of Easter School

• Resurrection Eggs instructions

  

  Grab the Guide Here!

  To download my Free Printable Celebrating Easter Guide, you can do that right here. Simply download the PDF below, print it out, and place it in a folder or binder for easy use each day.

  

  

  Celebrating Easter A Two Week Easter School Plan

  6.15MB ∙ PDF file

  Download

  Download

  I’d love to hear if you download and use the guide with your family and how it’s been meaningful during this special time of the year! Thanks so much for reading and Happy Easter!

  Thanks for reading This Evergreen Homeschool! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Eight years ago, nearly to the day, I made the decision to resign from my full-time elementary teaching job to stay home with my toddler and newborn baby. With only two young kids at the time, life already felt busy, full, and slightly chaotic most days as a new mother. The learning curve was steep, but I knew this journey would be worth it.

Fast forward to today, and our tiny home is richer and fuller than I ever could have anticipated back then. Unexpectedly homeschooling. Four—almost five—kids later. Choosing a lifestyle rooted in raising our children in ways that feel counter-cultural to today’s society.

Our home is filled with strong sibling bonds (most days!), a lot of meaningful time together (I homeschool the kids while my husband works from home), and a foundation of biblical truth that we try to weave naturally into everyday conversations.

But it’s also filled with bickering over whose turn it is, selfishness instead of selflessness, and the constant hum of needy voices vying for attention or for a parent to solve a dispute. Anyone else feel like they manage a part-time role as judge and jury at home?

Life at home can feel nothing short of chaotic some days. It’s a constant seesaw of emotions.

However, one thing I’ve learned over the years of motherhood is that I have a great ability to shape the tone of our home. As the gatekeeper, homeschooler, meal planner, and sole nurturer, much of the emotional stability rests in my hands—through intentional habits that give form to how our days unfold.

In today’s post, I want to share some of the ways we’ve found to make home feel more calm with kids—because it is possible, with effort, extra patience, and consistency. Not every day is peaceful, but with daily rhythms and intentional habits, our home atmosphere can shift from disarray to something steadier and more grounded.

And if you have your own ways of cultivating calm in your home, I’d truly love to hear them!

Ways to Make Home Feel More Calm with Kids

Wake up before the kids

This has always been my number one habit for creating a calmer home. Waking up at least an hour before the kids gives me space for prayer, quiet, and emotional preparation so I’m not starting the day already overwhelmed with the demands of little voices. It’s something I learned very early on in motherhood and allows me to feel far more grounded and equipped when they scamper out of their beds ready to take on the day.

Have a chore routine

We started assigning age-appropriate chores about seven years ago, and it’s been one of the best habits we’ve ever built. Chores give our kids a sense of purpose and ownership in our home while teaching them that family life is something we all contribute to. It also keeps the workload from landing on one person (me!) which helps a lot in the midst of having kids home all day long.

Keep a gratitude journal with the kids

This has become a favorite part of our morning Bible time together. All we need is a notebook, a pen, and one simple prompt: What or who are you grateful for today? Their answers range from silly and lighthearted to surprisingly deep, and it’s shaped how they notice goodness in their relationships and the world around them.

Keep breakfast and lunch prep simple

Too many food options add unnecessary chaos to an already busy homeschool day. My kids are responsible for making their own simple, healthy breakfasts (usually oatmeal or cereal), which cuts down on dishes and frees me up mentally in the morning. Lunch follows the same rhythm, with my oldest preparing something healthy, easy, and repeatable for everyone.

Sit and connect

Some of my favorite homeschool moments happen sitting snuggled on the couch with one child and one book between us (my daughter and I are currently reading Anne of Green Gables together and it’s one of the highlights of our school time). This individual time gives space for conversation and closeness that’s harder to find when siblings are competing for attention.

Have an afternoon quiet time

Quiet time has been a cornerstone of our afternoon for years. From about 2 to 4 p.m., everyone retreats to their own space to nap, read, create art, or play quietly. It’s the reset we all need (especially me!) and makes the rest of the day seem much more peaceful.

Have regular outside time

I’m no health expert, but I do know that daily fresh air changes everything! Time outside helps kids regulate their energy, supports physical health, and naturally calms overstimulated bodies and minds— especially of little boys who require an extra output of physical exertion! My kids begin our day with “3 laps around our yard”, have recess breaks throughout the morning, and then do the majority of their outside play as soon as afternoon quiet time is over until they’re called in for dinner.

Have family dinners

In a world where family dinners are increasingly rare, this is one rhythm we protect most nights of the week. We sit together, share “one good thing” from our day, and reconnect without distractions. This consistent habit grounds us as a family, even on days that feel more hard.

Light a candle at dinner

This simple habit might be my favorite of all. Lighting a candlestick or two signals that it’s time to slow down, linger, and be present with one another at the dinner table. Ordinary meals become elevated when candles are lit and the table becomes an invitation for conversation.

Have an end-of-day tidy-up

After dinner, while my oldest does the dishes, everyone else helps reset the house. Toys are put away, school messes are cleared, and surfaces are tidied so we can start the next morning fresh. Waking up to a calm space always feels like such a gift and a more simple way to ease into our morning time instead of dealing with yesterday’s messes.

Conclusion

Life at home with kids doesn’t need to live in a constant state of chaos, but can truly be enjoyable when there’s ways to manage behaviors, emotions, and rhythms throughout the day.

My hope is that someday my kids will look back on their childhood and remember our home being filled with simple, ordinary days filled with meaning instead of ones marked by stronger emotions and moments of disarray. Those days still have their occasions, but when I’m mindful to implement strategies that bring calm rather than chaos, home is a much more enjoyable place to be.

As always, thank you so much for being here and following along! I’m so grateful for each person who reads, comments, shares, and goes out of their way (virtually or in real life!) to share with me how something resonated with them.

For as many years as I can remember, January has been marked by a quiet sense of uneasiness and a noticeable lack of enjoyment. It’s the month that follows the happiest season of the year, and once the celebrations are over, we’re left with long, dark, cold days stretching out ahead of us.

Honestly, it’s a month I’d willingly remove from the calendar if I could—even though it happens to be my birthday month.

I consider myself a glass-half-full, optimistic, and generally even-keeled person, which is why the emotions I feel every January have always surprised me. These “winter blues,” as they’re often described, show up as a mild but persistent dip in mood and energy, largely driven by colder weather and fewer hours of sunlight. And as soon as the holiday season is over, I feel them kick in!

Now that a new year has begun and January is here, I’ve realized I’m faced with the same two choices every winter: I can give in to the mood and simply countdown the days until spring comes, or I can learn how to actually enjoy it—recognizing the unique beauty and delight winter offers, despite the freezing temperatures and darker days.

If you feel similarly this time of year, my hope is that these ideas offer some encouragement. Below are eight ways I’m choosing to lean into winter this year—not just to hold the winter blues at bay, but to truly embrace the season and make it an enjoyable part of our family life.

8 Ways to Enjoy Winter and Fight the Winter Blues

Get Outside Every Day

Research consistently shows that sunlight and fresh air play an important role in mental health, particularly during winter when both are harder to come by. For me, this looks like bundling up and heading outside for a walk each morning while my husband makes breakfast for everyone. I make sure the sunlight hits my face and I take a few deep breaths of cold, fresh air before the day begins.

I also intentionally schedule outdoor time for my kids every day, even when it feels inconvenient. I often remind myself of the Scandinavian saying that there’s no such thing as bad weather—only bad clothing. With warm layers and the right expectations, it not only gives us fresh air but keeps germs at bay too.

One little routine we’ve started this past month is “daily laps around the house”. Before we begin school, my kids have to complete 3 laps around our property. I don’t care if they run, jog, or leisurely meander their way through it, but this quick burst of fresh air and exercise fuels them for the morning of schoolwork ahead!

Host Regularly

I’ve found that staying socially connected during the colder months adds a surprising amount of joy and energy to the season. Each year, I look ahead at the weekends from January through March and intentionally plan opportunities to host friends, family, or neighbors. Even if it’s a simple dinner of soup and homemade bread, it gives us all something to look forward at the end of each week.

Plan Weekly At-Home Dates With My Husband

In December, my husband and I started a simple rhythm that’s made a big difference in our ability to connect and make time for each other. One evening each week, we make a nice dinner for just the two of us. We put the kids in their room about an hour earlier than usual—often with a movie—and then spend the evening together at home.

These quiet, kid-free hours give us space to reconnect, talk, and simply enjoy each other’s company. During winter, when evenings are long and energy can feel low, this weekly rhythm has been grounding and life-giving.

Plan a Themed Party

So far, all of my kids have summer or fall birthdays, so winter can feel less exciting as far as celebrations go. However, having one larger, themed event to look forward to is one of my favorite ways to make winter feel less burdensome.

This year, we’re planning an Olympics-themed party in February! We’re inviting several families over, cooking an Italian-inspired meal as a tribute to the host country, setting up simple “minute-to-win-it” style games, and watching the opening ceremony together.

The anticipation is just as fun as the event itself! Planning something festive reminds me that winter doesn’t have to be monotonous—it can still feel celebratory and fun.

Do a Deep-Dive Declutter

A thoroughly decluttered home always refreshes me, and winter is an ideal time for this kind of reset. I aim for about 30 minutes a day, slowly working through closets, drawers, and overlooked spaces throughout the house.

Clearing physical clutter often brings me lots of mental clarity, making the home feel calmer and more functional during a season when we spend so much time inside. I usually start with the easiest spaces (like the bathroom, closets, and our vehicles) then build momentum from there.

Cook Nourishing Comfort Foods

Winter often brings lower energy, changing appetites, and the inevitable germs and sicknesses. This season, I’m focusing on cooking nourishing comfort foods—like sourdough bread, slow-simmered soup with bone broth, spiced granola, hearty roasts, and vitamin packed smoothies at breakfast to help support what our bodies need as well as make our home feel warm and cozy.

Anticipate Something Exciting

Anticipation for something exciting always carries me to great lengths, especially in winter! This might be a quick getaway to a warmer place, a special family outing, or a small tradition planned a few weeks ahead. Even knowing something enjoyable is coming can lift the heaviness of winter days.

We won’t be traveling much this year since our baby arrives in early March (and our last baby came a month early while we were on vacation!), but that doesn’t mean we can’t look forward to smaller moments—like our traditional cheese and chocolate fondue dinner on Valentine’s day, watching the Olympics in the evenings, going to the local Fire and Ice Festival, and taking a few day-trips to our favorite nearby cities.

Create a Winter Bucket List

This past year, my kids and I created both a summer and fall bucket list at the start of each season. We brainstormed lots of fun, free ideas of how we can bring more enjoyment into those months. It challenged us to be more intentional with our time and again, anticipate many seasonal activities that we hoped to accomplish.

This month, we’ll do the same thing, adding ideas like roasting marshmallows in the fireplace, going on snowy hikes, baking cinnamon swirl bread and handing it out to neighbors, making pinecone bird feeders, and starting the Harry Potter series as a read-aloud after dinner.

Embrace Winter

So whether or not the winter blues have gotten you down this year, I want to encourage you that winter is only one season of the year, but a season that can be used for growth. I recently heard on a podcast that as we sit and wait for winter to be over and for the signs of spring to emerge, we should take this time to let our roots grow deep– allowing ourselves to unwind and be refreshed, appreciate the stillness and less busyness that the post-holiday season brings, and give thanks for the goodness that is revealed in this season.

Winter doesn’t have to be a season we merely survive— after all, Finland followed closely by the other Nordic countries, consistently win the Happiness Award, even though they’re among the ones where winter last the longest. With a few intentional shifts, it can become a time of connection, rest, and quiet joy. You don’t need to adopt every idea on this list—often, choosing just one or two is enough to change the feel of the season.

Happy winter, everyone! As always, thank you so much for being here and following along! If you’ve found additional ways to enjoy the season, I’d love to hear them. Until next time, stay warm!

The month of December is filled with presents, treats, celebrations, and countless traditions, and I have to admit that many years I find myself caught up in the busyness of gift buying and event planning that I have to pause to remind myself of the true point of the season.

For the past 8 years since I’ve been a stay-at-home-mom, I’ve celebrated Advent with my kids, and it’s become one of our favorite parts of the year! We still use the same old antique window frame strung with 25 little baggies that rests atop our piano. For us, it’s a way to add excitement to the month of December as we lead up to the most important day of the year (think less consumerism, more meaningful activities that build our anticipation of the season). In this post, I’ll share what goes inside each of these 25 bags and how we incorporate Advent into our homeschool rhythm throughout December.

Advent comes from the Latin word that means “coming”. In the Christian church, this is a time of preparation and waiting for the birth of Jesus. There are many different ways to celebrate Advent, but one common way for children to recognize and celebrate this season is to do an Advent Calendar. Of course the Advent calendars can be as simple as children opening a piece of chocolate each day that leads up to the 25th, but the calendar that we do goes beyond that and incorporates Bible verses of the nativity story along with a special activity or experience each day.

Here’s what’s inside each of these bags…

• A bible verse card that’s simple and easy for young children to understand and learn. I found these on Pinterest and you can grab them here.

• A tiny book that goes over one part of the nativity story (ex. shepherds, Bethlehem, Magi). I can’t find the link to this specific one but there are lots of Advent Book Calendars available.

• A special activity, craft, or experience.

Each year looks different with what traditions and activities we include throughout the month, but as I mentioned in my last post, I’m keeping things more simple this December as we will soon be welcoming our 5th baby in a few months and my energy is beginning to dwindle!

Here’s what I’ve included in our Advent calendar bags this year…lots of old favorite crafts and baking, some free local attractions, and a few service activities— all ones that enhance our enjoyment and anticipation for Christmas Day and Christ’s birth without adding extra “stuff” or spending lots of money. Feel free to incorporate any of our ideas into your own version of an Advent Calendar!

• December 1- Make a countdown to Christmas chain to hang in our schoolroom. The kids have so much fun taking one loop off the chain each day as we get closer to Christmas Day.

• December 2- Begin our embroidery ornament projects. A few years ago, I taught my daughter how to do basic embroidery. She enjoyed it so much and turned them into beautiful ornaments to give as gifts! This is a great handicraft we’ll work on throughout December.

  

• December 3- Bake shortbread dipped candy-cane cookies. Each week, we’ll bake one favorite kind of cookie together. Baking is a test of patience with 4 kids but we still enjoy the process of measuring, sharing responsibilities, and giving cookies to neighbors and friends.

• December 4- Dry orange slices for ornaments and table decor. My kids make a lot of ornaments during our Christmas School curriculum and always enjoy giving them away as gifts. This year, we’ll dry orange slices, string them on twine, and make pretty ornaments or place setting decorations with fresh greens.

• December 5- Make gingerbread houses at our church.

• December 6- Go to the town tree lighting celebration.

• December 7- Celebrate the 2nd Sunday in Advent. We started doing this last year and enjoyed it so much. I keep things simple with our 4 colored candles and candle holders (one year I’ll make a creative wreath!). My husband and I lead our kids in these candle readings, then we sing a Christmas hymn together. While we read, the kids sip on hot cocoa and color the week’s candle on this coloring page.

• December 8- String popcorn and cranberries for the birds. We’re doing a bird unit in science this year and have loved watching the birds in our backyard, so this year I think my kids are all old enough to make garlands to hang outside.

• December 9- Make pinecone bird feeders. One of our favorite winter crafts to do during Advent is this one!

• December 10- Bake sugar cookie trees. The 2nd week of our Christmas School focuses on evergreen trees so this is always a fun and easy cookie for us to make and decorate together.

• December 11- Make paint chip tree cards. We started doing this years ago and still make them each year! All you need is a few paint chip samples from your paint or hardware store (cut into the shape of trees) and some paper.

  

• December 12- Christmas family movie night with hot cocoa and a cozy fire in the fireplace. Some of our favorite are The Grinch (newer animated version), The Muppet Christmas Carol, Home Alone, Elf, and The Polar Express.

• December 13- Family day trip to Philadelphia to see the Christmas sites! For years, we ventured to New York City in December but with me being nearly in my 3rd trimester of pregnancy (and having our last baby a month early!) we’re opting for a closer city. We’ll see the Electrical Spectacle Light Show in Franklin Square, stroll around Reading Terminal Market, see the tree at City Hall, visit Christmas Village in LOVE Park, and walk around to see the holiday decorations in Center City.

• December 14- Celebrate the 3rd Sunday in Advent.

• December 15- Bake and decorate cutout sugar cookies. This one gets really messy but it’s always a favorite!

  

December 16- Make accordion angel ornaments. These are surprisingly super simple but make the most beautiful ornaments! You can find the directions to how to make these (and lots of other cute ornaments) in this post.

• December 17- Take the kids to the store to choose a small gift for each other. They’ve been saving their dollars that they earn from our school motivation system so they always enjoy picking out a small gift for each other’s stockings.

• December 18- Visit a local Christmas Magic and Wonder Show with our homeschool co-op.

• December 19- Bake cookies with cousins. Each year, my sisters, my mom, and our kids get together in December to make a whole bunch of Christmas cookies. We each make 3-4 kinds of dough ahead of time and then share everything after they’re baked and decorated.

• December 20- Host a special family Christmas dinner. Last year, my kids chose one family to invite to our house for a special Christmas dinner. They planned the menu, helped to make the food, prepared a beautifully decorated table, and presented each person with one of their handmade ornaments. It was one of our favorite ways to bless another family with hospitality and a great meal.

• December 21- Celebrate the 4th Sunday in Advent.

• December 22- Donate food to the local food pantry.

• December 23- Deliver cookies, homemade ornaments, and cards to our neighbors.

• December 24- Celebrate with family and light candles at church

• December 25- Sing Happy Birthday to Jesus! We always have our favorite breakfast for Christmas morning— cinnamon rolls, ham and cheese quiche, bacon, fruit, and hot cocoa. I love taking time before all the other festivities happen to gather as a family and have a special Christmas breakfast and give thanks to the Lord.

  

Incorporating Advent into our Homeschool Routine

Since we already have a pretty full homeschool schedule the other months of the year, I like to lighten our load in December so we have time to do each day’s Advent activity and our Christmas School curriculum (this year we’re doing Christmas with Tales again but also love the Gentle + Classical Christmas too). Treehouse Schoolhouse and Read Aloud Revival also have amazing Christmas School studies too.

Most days in December, my elementary-aged kid’s school requirement is just one math and reading lesson…the rest gets put on hold until the new year. Then at mid-morning, we gather together to do Christmas School. This consists of Bible readings following the Jesus Storybook Bible Advent Reading Plan, verse and catechism memorization, our daily Advent activity from inside the bags, and going through the Christmas School curriculum (which usually consists of learning a character trait, reading lots of good Christmas books, and any crafts or activities that go with that week’s theme).

This rhythm invites us to slow down, savor the season, and anticipate the hope that comes on December 25th.

Making Advent Meaningful

Maybe you already celebrate Advent similarly to how we do it in our home with an Advent calendar or lighting candles each Sunday in December. Or maybe this post inspired you to add a few more ideas for your own family.

Whatever your Advent rhythm looks like, make sure to keep the thought behind it simple and meaningful— only take on activities and traditions that build anticipation and joy to the reason behind the season.

If you have your own special traditions in December that your family loves, I’d love to hear them! I always appreciate hearing stories and ideas from you all! As always, thank you so much for following along and being here. Please share this post with a friend who might also enjoy it!

Well hello friends! It’s been a few weeks since I’ve had the creative inspiration to sit down and write a full blog post. But before getting into it, I’m wondering— do you ever have one of those seasons where it seems that all prior creativity and vigor for life have seemingly vanished and the current version of you is left wondering, what happened?

If so, I’m right there with you! Ever since finding out about being pregnant with Baby #5 this summer, I’ve been in a lull with productivity and inspiration. I’ve allowed myself to take more naps, put off projects around the house, and give myself grace for not rising up to the standard that I once held for myself.

And I’m okay with that— because I’m living in the season that I’m in… not one from 6 months ago where I was posting on Substack several times a week, running many miles, and checking things off my to-do list left and right. But my current reality today. Growing a baby, homeschooling kids, and maintaining our home as best I can!

But as I emerge out of this slower stage and anticipate only a few more months of my final pregnancy, I’m reminded that seasons of life are like this. Here for a time, to serve a purpose.

So in today’s post, I’m sharing how I’ll live in this season (especially as everyone gears up for the busiest, most consumeristic time of year). Here’s 5 things I’m choosing to do this Christmas season, and 5 things I’m taking off my plate. Being mindful of what serves you (and depletes you) is a healthy way to focus on what matters most and adds more simplicity to your season.

5 Things I’m Doing This Holiday Season

1. Decorating my home early. For us, putting up the Christmas tree and decorating the rest of the house came on November 15th this year! I know, it’s weeks before Thanksgiving and a tad premature. Since childhood, I’ve found so much enjoyment in decorating for Christmas and sitting in stillness gazing at the lighted tree so I want to extend this time, not rush through it.

2. Doing “Christmas School” with my kids. Since beginning to homeschool, we’ve always taken a break from the “non core academics” in December and instead celebrated Advent by doing a Christmas study (I’ve done Christmas with Tales and a Gentle & Classical Christmas and love them both!). We read lots of great books, study verses and the Nativity story, make cards and ornaments to give away, bake cookies, and learn new handicraft skills. Even though it means deviating from our normal rhythm and more work for me, it’s always worth the extra effort.

3. Having a simplified Advent Calendar. About 8 years ago when my oldest was only 2, I decided to make our first Advent calendar. We still use the same one today, which consists of 25 little paper bags filled with tiny books of the Nativity story, a verse of the day, and a special activity. I’ve gone all out with our daily activities (usually a craft, service activity, or fun treat), but this year I’m keeping it much more simple. I’ll mix in some favorite activities from our Christmas School curriculum, plan ways to serve our community and neighbors, and add in some of our favorite family traditions (which I’ll share in a separate blog post soon!).

4. Celebrating the 4 Sundays in Advent. We began this tradition last year and it was a really meaningful way to celebrate the season. I use these candles and follow this free reading plan. Each Sunday evening in December, we gather around the table to light the candles, sing a Christmas hymn, and lead the kids in a discussion about that week’s theme (hope, love, joy, and peace). My kids loved this coloring page too.

5. Hosting a Friends Christmas Brunch. I’ve been leading a monthly ladies breakfast at a nearby coffee shop once a month but for December I decided to invite the group to my house for a Christmas potluck breakfast! As moms, it can be hard to find opportunities for community and connection so any chance I get to do these kid-free events is always worth it.

   

5 things I’m Not Doing This Holiday Season

1. Making a photo Christmas card. I love receiving and hanging family Christmas cards on our walls and many years I send our own out after having family pictures taken, but this year we’re not. Not only is it a large expense (with ordering cards plus paying for postage) but with our baby arriving in early March, I’m planning on taking newborn pictures of her to create a birth announcement card, so it didn’t seem necessary to make and send cards in December and then again in March.

2. Filling our weekends too full. There are so many Christmas parties, activities, and events that I can cram into December, but this year I know it will be healthier for us all if we minimize commitments and leave room for margin. We’ll prioritize hosting friends over for dinner, going to our favorite church parties and services, and doing lots of Christmas movie nights on Friday nights— with hot cocoa and a crackling fire (any favorite movie suggestions are welcomed!).

3. Waiting to the last minute to buy gifts. One of the most stressful parts of the Christmas season is when I’ve waited until the last minute to buy someone a gift. I find myself scrambling to think of what they might like and usually end up buying something that they probably didn’t even need. This year, I want to be more intentional about gift buying so that by mid-December I have all gifts purchased (and made even wrapped!), leaving the last few weeks to spend enjoying the Advent season and true meaning of it instead of an obligation to spend money.

4. Paying for Christmas-themed attractions with the kids. There are so many free activities and events around each community that are still really fun and save a lot of money. Some of our favorites are the library’s train display, our town tree lighting ceremony, church programs and parties, community craft events, and caroling to the local nursing home. We spend enough money on gifts so looking for free activities saves so much money.

5. Buying matching pajamas for the kids. I really love seeing siblings in matching pajamas on Christmas morning, but to be honest half of my kids don’t even wear pj’s to bed, so it’s not worth the money if they’ll only end up wearing them for one morning! Not every fun tradition works for every family, so this is one I can take off my list and not feel bad about.

For my family, Christmas is our favorite time of the year. But my kids are like any others and can get wrapped up in presents and their wish-lists and can neglect to focus on the reason why we even celebrate the season— remembering our Savior’s birth. When I can prioritize my “yes’s” and “no’s” and go into the season with more clarity and simplicity, this allows the whole family to feel more grounded and less chaos with all the things we could be doing.

You might consider making your own list of “do’s and “don’t’s” before the holiday season begins to reorient your priorities and add more enjoyment to this time of year. If so, I’d love to hear them! As always, thanks so much for being here and following along!

Over the last few years since beginning this homeschool journey, I’ve talked with dozens of other parents who are intrigued by this lifestyle, yet certain fears prevent them from actually pursuing it.

I get it. I too was skeptical about homeschooling.

I still remember the day when a friend asked if I’d homeschool my young kids after resigning from my elementary teaching position, I confidently replied, “Definitely not, I’m pretty sure they’ll go to public school someday” (because that’s all I had known growing up as a child of a public school teacher and then one myself).

This lifestyle was foreign to me, I must admit, until I actually began considering it at the out of the blue request of my three-year-old daughter.

Now seven years later, we’re thriving in our homeschool journey and it’s one of the best decisions my husband and I have ever made. Not every day is easy or stress-free, but I feel confident that this life and education we’re giving our children is rich in many ways that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible if I listened to those fears that once held me back from considering this path.

In this post, I’ll share my thoughts and experiences with common fears that prevent many parents back from pursuing this lifestyle for their own family. It’s a big decision for sure, but one that we’ve personally found so much fulfillment in!

9 Common Fears

1. Schooling multiple kids at once seems hard. One of the most common questions I get asked is “How do you teach several kids at once?” It can feel daunting and nearly impossible to imagine teaching different ages and levels at the same time, but it’s more natural than it sounds!

My day doesn’t feel like I’m running 4 different classrooms because of the family rhythms we’ve learned— my older kids learn to work independently, younger ones listen in to shared readings, and we all do certain subjects together (like Bible, science, and history), and each child gets 1:1 time with me for the core subjects.

2. I won’t ever have free time with my kids home all day. Homeschooling doesn’t mean you never breathe, never have time to pursue creative interests, or need to teach and entertain your kids all day long. It just means your time looks different.

The structures we’ve created, like quiet reading time, independent work, co-op days, or a simple walk to the park after lunch, gives everyone space. The real key to success, as I’ve learned from years of tweaking, is that you get to decide when those breaks happen, not a school bell.

3. My kids won’t be socialized. Growing up, I had a misconception that if you were homeschooled, you obviously lacked social experiences that were necessary for child and adolescent development. Today, homeschoolers have more co-ops than ever before, church groups, sports, extracurricular classes and clubs, and neighborhood friends. Kids learn social skills by interacting with people of all ages, not just 25 kids born the same year. Socialization happens naturally when life includes community, you just have to be mindful to look for those opportunities for your family.

4. I’m not a trained teacher. You don’t have to be! Homeschooling is less about credentials and more about a commitment to your child’s education. You know your child best. I’ve used and looked through so many homeschool curriculums and resources and the majority of it reflects an “open and go” model that anyone can follow, regardless of a degree.

5. I won’t have time for hobbies or part-time work. It’s true that homeschooling takes more of your time, but it also provides flexibility to make your own schedule. I’ve found that schooling in the morning hours and shortly after lunchtime gives me the ability to write, work on personal projects, or just have my own quiet time for several hours in the afternoon.

I’ve even had seasons where I worked outside our home for multiple hours each week, where we did our school time in the afternoon on those days. I have many friends who homeschool while also working part-time inside or outside the home. It takes some flexibility and is easier in seasons where you don’t have a baby in tow, but absolutely doable.

6. My kids won’t experience the fun parts of school. Speaking from experience as an elementary teacher for many years prior to homeschooling— I honestly think my own homeschooled kids do more “fun things” than my public school students did! Spirit days at co-op, countless field trips, co-op class parties, family day tips and vacations throughout the school year, and holiday celebrations with friends. The “fun” of school isn’t only found in a school building, it’s creating your own joy-filled experiences and family traditions while learning together.

7. We can’t afford to homeschool. While in nearly all US states homeschooling isn’t free (unless you live in Alaska and get a yearly stipend per child!), it certainly doesn’t have to mean expensive curriculums or monthly memberships in order to be effective. You can build a rich education on a budget with a library card, free printables and curriculums, used books, and community programs. Most families discover they spend less than they expected once they settle into what really matters and find what works for them. Now that I’m beginning to teach my 4th child, I’ve found so many ways to save money and reuse what we already have instead of buying brand new each year.

8. My child is too strong-willed to listen to me as his teacher. As a mother of a strong-willed child, I get this fear. Some days are hard, but that’s true for every parent, homeschooled or not. However, homeschooling gives you the chance to build cooperation, obedience, and respect over time. Even though we’ve had some rough moments that resulted in taking breaks from lessons or doing an alternate activity, I’m thankful for the experiences I’ve had to walk with this child through his/her struggles. When teaching feels hard, you have the ability to tailor your days to your child’s temperament so that learning becomes a relationship, not a battle.

9. Homeschoolers are weird. I don’t know how far back this myth goes, but in the last few decades homeschooling has become incredibly diverse, accepted, and even admired by many. It’s not uncommon to find homeschool families in every neighborhood, faith, and lifestyle. Just because homeschooled children don’t grow up with the same school-building experiences, doesn’t mean that they’re different in a bad or odd sort of way.

My own kids are quite social, know how to do countless life skills around the house, have more traveling experience than many other kids their age, and have daily opportunities to live out our faith values throughout our whole day— and if that makes them “weird” according to the world’s standards, than I’m thankful for it!

I’m sure nearly every homeschooling parent starts with doubts. But the fears don’t mean you’re unqualified or that it’s an unwise decision, they mean you care deeply about getting it right. I’ve personally found that once I took the leap and embraced this lifestyle for my family, it was less about perfection and more about connection and growing together. Everyday I learn alongside my children, share in their joys, and grow in my ability to do hard things. Homeschooling isn’t about replicating public school at home, it’s about creating your own educational journey and focusing on what matters most.

If you have questions, fears, or other thoughts that are holding you back from homeschooling, I’d love to be in conversation with you. Homeschooling might not be the easiest option, but it’s the one that might bring the most connection and richness to your family. All you have to do is give it a try— maybe it’s not a forever kind of lifestyle and that’s okay too, but don’t let your fear of it prevent you from at least giving it a try if you’re curious.

Since becoming a wife, then a mother a few years later, I’ve felt as if caring for a home and raising little kids can be constant balancing of healthy habits and rhythms. I once heard that good routines are like an on-ramp to successful living. And with over a decade of experience trying to instill these routines into my own day, I’ve come to realize that life is truly more simple when rhythms are part of it.

I’ve discovered the magic of “game changing rhythms”, like our kids chore routine, afternoon quiet time, or weekly meal planning, but then there’s all the tiny ones that might not play as significant of a role in our day but still create meaningful direction and clarity when added up.

In this post, I’m sharing 10 tiny changes that make our home run more smoothly— because even the little pieces are absolutely worth sharing!

1. A Shoe Bin by the Front Door

Instead of everyone dropping shoes in a heap, we toss them straight into one big bin right inside the door. It instantly cuts down on clutter, keeps the entryway looking neat, and makes it easy for everyone to grab their shoes when we head out.

2. Bedtime Audiobooks

Our two youngest used to turn bedtime into a circus—climbing in bunkbeds, giggling, running around, changing pj’s several times…absolute fun but pure chaos! Now they get tucked in and listen to Adventures in Odyssey or another good audiobook for an hour (we used to borrow CD’s but now just use our bluetooth speaker and listen to each day’s episode online). It helps them wind down, stay in bed, and transition to sleep peacefully.

3. Saturday Morning Breakfast Club

I used to make hot breakfasts randomly, but it sometimes felt like one more task on busy homeschool mornings. Now we save special breakfasts for Saturdays. The kids look forward to it all week, and I’m freed up on weekdays for simpler, no-stress meals. Some Saturday favorites are sourdough French toast, ham and cheese quiche, breakfast potatoes, or sourdough chocolate chip pancakes.

4. No Screens on Weekdays

About a year ago, we stopped weekday TV time for the kids because the constant requests were exhausting, especially after giving them the allowed 45 minutes of watching a show. Now, we save screen time for a Friday or Saturday family movie (I’ll compile our list of family movies soon!). After a short adjustment period, the kids stopped asking. We gave up passively watching “junk shows” to having more creative afternoons of playing outside or going to the park.

5. The Magic Number Cleanup Game

When the house needs tidying, I give my kids a “magic number.” If I say 50, they each put away 50 things. It turns cleaning into a clear challenge and keeps them moving without complaints or confusion.

6. Kids Make Their Own Breakfasts

Our older three (10, 8, and 6) can handle simple breakfasts on the weekdays (like cereal, toast, fruit, or yogurt). They get food for themselves while I focus on other tasks or their younger sibling. Mornings run smoother, and they’re gaining independence and confidence in the kitchen.

7. Sibling Responsibility in Small Ways

We encourage our older kids to help with younger siblings in ways that feel natural and helpful—like my 10-year-old putting her toddler brother down for nap, brushing his teeth at bedtime, or making the kids’ lunches on school days. These opportunities have encouraged a strong sibling bond without forcing them to be unnecessarily in charge, and has made life with lots of kids much more manageable!

8. PJ’s, Potty, Teeth (our bedtime route)

At bedtime, we just say, “PJ’s, potty, teeth!” and everyone knows what to do. This simple cue keeps the transition focused and prevents the bedtime chaos that happens when kids lose track of the next step. Even our three-year-old knows the drill and can do some parts independently.

9. Set a Consistent School Start Time

With no outside schedule to dictate how we run our homeschool days, mornings have a tendency to get pushed later and later if we’re not careful to have a firm start time. Setting an 8:30am start keeps everyone moving along with chores and getting ready for the day and allows us to begin lessons before the morning gets away from us.

10. Kids Fold All the Laundry

Having kids fold and put away their own clothes has been a significant help. With four kids, the laundry never ends so sharing the work saves me hours and teaches great life skills. My two older kids have a weekly routine of folding all the towels and napkins, kids’ clothes, and clothes for my husband and myself.

While these tiny changes I listed may not be monumental or complete game changers, they really add up! Every time I notice something that isn’t working as well as it could, I ask myself what tweak needs to happen. Usually, it doesn’t make much effort to fix (like putting a pretty Ratan bin by the front door to keep our most-worn shoes in) but makes such a big difference in how our days run.

If life at home feels hectic, I’d encourage you to try one or two of these ideas—sometimes several tiny changes can make the most meaningful difference in how peaceful your home feels!

As always, thank you for being here and following along! With nearly 1,000 subscribers and thousands of monthly readers, I’m just so honored to take up a little space in your day! If anything I wrote in this post resonated with you, please let me know! Motherhood is so much more enjoyable with community and the support from others.

In my 10 years of being a mother, I’ve found a handful of “game changing systems” and “mom hacks” that I now use over and over again. Finding ways to motivate and encourage my children to do hard things is one of these. In today’s modern world, motivating kids can be viewed as bribing or even gifting something unnecessarily in order to get kids to do a task, but from my years as an elementary teacher and now homeschooling mama, I can see how motivation carries a big weight and is an important piece of the puzzle of learning.

Research shows that motivated kids perform better academically and also develop stronger problem-solving skills, persistence, and self-confidence. Studies on intrinsic motivation (doing something because it’s inherently enjoyable) show that when children are given autonomy and meaningful rewards, they demonstrate higher levels of creativity and long-term achievement.

In our family, we’ve seen how motivation goes a long way. My kids become inspired with a little boost— not as a bribe, but as encouragement that helps them rise to the challenge. We see motivation as empowerment, equipping our children to do a thorough job with their schoolwork, chores and other life skills. By putting systems in place, we make it clear that effort and attitude matter and that rewards for hard work are earned, not freely given. These lessons prepare them not just in childhood but for life ahead.

Our 3 Favorite Systems of Motivation

1. Motivating Through Chores

By age three, our kids begin age-appropriate chores. At this age, kids are eager to become helpful around the house so we’ve found that giving them jobs that align with their developmental abilities is a great way to teach them key life skills and independence. In the early years of giving our kids chores, it involves a lot of modeling and teaching how to do tasks thoroughly with gentle correction and guidance.

By age ten, our daughter can mow the lawn, clean the bathroom, manage dishes and dinner cleanup, and fold laundry. The key here has been motivating her with smaller tasks at a younger age where she felt encouraged with a sense of independence. Over the years, her motivation to take on bigger chores has grown significantly (and has been extremely helpful for us!).

To motivate our kids and make daily chores a realistic part of our days, each of our kids has their own chore chart that hangs on our fridge. Each day, they check off individual chores as they complete them. Then, when the week is over, they receive a small allowance for their work. Just like in the real world with a job, we have two rules about how they get paid— chores must be done thoroughly without complaining.

Our kids gain a sense of motivation each time they see their hard work rewarded and every few months ask if they can take on larger chores to earn more money!

2. Motivating During School

At the start of this school year, my husband and I implemented a motivation system to our homeschool that I previously used for years as an elementary school teacher. It’s called “Donghia Dollars”. We wanted to create a more motivated atmosphere for learning as well as reinforce positive behavior.

The gist is simple— our school aged kids earn one “Donghia Dollar” for each part of our school day when the task is completed with a good effort and attitude. We break our school time into 15-30 minute chunks, so over the course of the day they each might earn 8-10 dollars…which adds up quickly!

Only having used this system for a month, I can already see some incredible successes— they’re ready to start our day on time, they work more diligently, and there’s less complaining. As motivating it is to receive dollar after dollar, they can also lose dollars for poor work or a bad attitude.

Dollars are then spent at the family store with “prizes” ranging in cost— smaller items like a pack of gum only cost our kids 30 Donghia Dollars whereas a date with a parent might be 200 Donghia Dollars. This system not only motivates our kids to strive for quality work in school, but it also teaches them to manage their money by saving for bigger items over a longer period of time.

3. Motivating a Love of Reading

Like our system of motivating our kids during school time, we created a similar one to encourage our kids to enjoy reading independently (which has been the biggest success in my daughter’s reading progress after being a reluctant reader for several years).

It’s called Book Club Bonanza (the title was decided on a whim but the pithy name of our club is a big hit with my kids!). At the start of the month, I give the kids a bookmark that has a reading challenge on it. This month, their goal is to read 30 hours independently. Each time they read for a 30-minute period, they color in a box on their bookmark. This allows them to pace themselves throughout the month and stay motivated as they see how many hours they have left.

At the end of the month if they’ve completed the challenge, they get the reward— a visit to the candy store, ice cream shop, out for breakfast, or another fun treat that seems like a big deal!

To add more motivation to this system, there’s extra rewards for going above and beyond. If they choose to read beyond their goal, they receive bonus “Donghia Dollars” for those hours read.

Independent reading is strongly linked to literacy success, and this book club system has boosted both enthusiasm and their reading skill and has greatly broadened their scope of great books.

Motivation is Key

Creating your own motivation systems doesn’t have to be elaborate or feel like you’re handing out prizes for every task or job completed (because I don’t believe that’s healthy or a positive way to train kids either). For us, it’s about clear expectations and challenging our kids to rise to a level that pushes and encourages them.

Chores teach them that they’re an important part of our family team. Our family dollar system makes school feel purposeful and keeps complaining to a minimum (most days!). And our Book Club Bonanza has turned reading into a process they own for themselves.

These systems aren’t perfect and we often have to tweak and adjust them as our kids grow, but they’ve made a huge difference in our home. There’s less complaining, more helpfulness and hard work, and a lot more pride in a job well done. Most of all, our kids are learning that persistence and a good attitude bring good things, which is a lesson we hope sticks long after childhood.

If you’re looking for a way to spark motivation in your homeschool (or just everyday family life), start small. Pick one area such as the ones I mentioned here— chores, schoolwork, or reading…and add a simple system and a meaningful reward. It’s amazing how a little structure and celebration can help kids push through the hard things and thrive.

I’d love to hear what’s working in your home— hit reply or leave a comment and tell me how you motivate your kids (or what’s been the hardest part of keeping them on track). And as always, thank you so much for being here and following along on my journey!

The oldest of my four kids just turned 10 this summer— leaving me feeling like we’ve officially crossed over into a brand new milestone and season unlike any other. I’ve now been a mother for 10 years and I’m parenting a child who, for once, is more independent in many ways than dependent. She claims, in a confident yet childlike kind of way, that she’s almost a teenager.

I’ve always disliked the commonly given piece of advice meant to make mothers realize just how fast time goes— the days are long but the years are short. I guess I never truly wanted to admit that these years might go by quickly, but relished in the fact that I’ll never take them for granted and cherish each one of them.

But now we’re here, only a few years away from age 13. And time certainly has flown by in many ways.

Milestones like this often urge me to stop and reflect. How do I want to spend the next three years of her adolescence until officially crossing into her teen years? What skills and lessons do I want her to know, learn, and be confident in?

In this post, I’ve created a list of 101 things I hope to teach my daughter before she turns 13. Currently, I also have three younger boys who I’ll also curate a similar list for when they reach this age, although the list may look slightly different due to the nature of wanting to instill additional skills that are more geared towards adolescent boys.

This list is filled with practical life skills, academic and intellectual skills, relational and community skills, moral and faith skills, personal growth and character skills, financial stewardship skills, and physical and outdoor skills— certainly not an exhaustive list but one that contains many of the key skills on my mind right now.

Some lessons on this list have already been mastered by my daughter (because she loves cooking and babies!), but others will have to be taught and practiced through modeling and training. Years from now, I’d love to look back on this season and see it as one of gentle and purposeful formation— shaping her into the confident, loving, well-rounded girl I know she has the capability of becoming. Here’s my list of 101 things I want her to be able to do confidently in the next three years…

Practical Life Skills

1. Bake bread or cookies from scratch

2. Do laundry (wash, dry, fold, put away)

3. Keep bedroom and personal space tidy

4. Know basic sewing skills (sew a button, fix a tear)

5. Do yard work well (mow the lawn, rake leaves, weed a garden bed)

6. Care for family pets responsibly

7. Safely use basic tools (hammer, screwdriver, measuring tape)

8. Wash dishes thoroughly by hand

9. Pack for a trip on their own

10. Ride a bike safely and confidently through town

11. Swim with basic proficiency

12. Use technology responsibly

13. Plan and cook a meal for the whole family from start to finish (on a regular basis)

14. Plant, water, and harvest something from the garden

Academic & Intellectual Skills

15. Read a wide variety of genres, fluently with comprehension and joy

16. Write a clear paragraph with a main idea and details

17. Summarize a book or passage in their own words

18. Use measurement tools accurately (ruler, scale, measuring cups)

19. Know basic geography (continents, US capitols, major countries, oceans)

20. Use a dictionary or online reference tool properly

21. Write a friendly letter, formal letter, and thank you notes

22. Give a short oral presentation with confidence

23. Ask good questions in discussion or reading

24. Take notes in their own words

25. Memorize key Bible passages and verses

26. Read a map and understand directions

27. Recognize logical fallacies and practice clear thinking

28. Develop curiosity by pursuing one independent research project

29. Practice mental math in everyday life situations (instead of relying on a calculator)

Relational & Community Skills

30. Greet people politely and make eye contact

31. Show hospitality to guests (offering food, drinks, kindness)

32. Include others who are left out

33. Work as part of a team (family, sports, co-op group)

34. Listen actively without interrupting

35. Speak respectfully to adults and peers

36. Apologize sincerely and ask forgiveness

37. Forgive others when wronged without holding a grudge

38. Care for younger siblings and children with patience

39. Show and recognize gratitude daily (to God and people)

40. Lead family devotions or prayer time

41. Volunteer in church or community projects

42. Remember birthdays and special days of others

43. Encourage siblings and friends when they’re discouraged

44. Know basic table manners at home and in public

45. Be comfortable talking with both children and adults

Moral & Faith Skills

46. Know and explain the Gospel in their own words

47. Recite the Lord’s Prayer and understand its meaning

48. Read the Bible regularly on their own

49. Pray for others by name

50. Recognize right from wrong using biblical principles

51. Practice honesty even when it’s hard

52. Confess mistakes without being prompted

53. Sing or play a variety of hymns and worship songs

54. Participate respectfully in church services

55. Recognize God’s creation and care for it

56. Encourage others with Scripture

57. Resist peer pressure with confidence in their faith

58. Know key Bible stories from Genesis to Revelation

Personal Growth & Character Skills

59. Show self-control when upset

60. Delay gratification (wait for rewards)

61. Finish what they start

62. Persevere through challenges without quitting quickly

63. Take responsibility for their own actions

64. Admit when they don’t know something and seek help

65. Recognize strengths and weaknesses with humility

66. Develop routines for schoolwork and chores

67. Keep track of their own belongings

68. Practice punctuality (being on time)

69. Care for their body (basic hygiene, rest, exercise)

70. Take feedback or correction without arguing

71. Express feelings in healthy ways

72. Resist comparing themselves to others

73. Value hard work and doing a job well

Financial Stewardship Skills

74. Understand the difference between needs and wants

75. Create a simple budget for allowance or gift money

76. Save at least part of any money they receive

77. Tithe or give regularly to church/charity

78. Compare prices before making a purchase

79. Understand the value of waiting for sales or deals

80. Avoid impulse spending by pausing before purchases

81. Learn how to open and use a savings account

82. Set long-term savings goals (for desired items)

83. Recognize the dangers of debt

84. Be generous with money toward siblings and friends

85. Work for money through small jobs or chores

86. Learn to care for and not lose physical money (cash, coins)

87. Understand that money is earned by providing value to others

88. Learn that stewardship means using money wisely for God’s glory

Physical & Outdoor Skills

89. Hike safely and respectfully on a trail

90. Pitch a tent or help set up camp

91. Start a campfire safely (with supervision)

92. Fish with basic gear

93. Use a pocketknife safely

94. Run a mile without stopping

95. Tie secure knots (shoelaces, basic camping knots)

96. Use a compass or GPS for directions

97. Carry a backpack comfortably for a day trip

98. Navigate sidewalks and roads safely as a pedestrian

99. Learn basic first aid (bandage a cut, ice a bruise)

100. Handle cold weather gear and dressing in layers

101. Enjoy being outdoors without screens or gadgets

Children grow up faster than we ever think they will so I don’t want to ever miss out on opportunities to shape, instill, and teach my kids what matters most at crucial point in their lives. My hope is that through the efforts I make as they reach adolescents and enter their teen years, these skills will shape much of who they become when they’re adults and start a family of their own.

As always, thank you so much for being here and following along! If this post resonated with you, please share any thoughts in the comments or a message, I’d love to hear!

When I stop and consider what motherhood has meant to me since entering this journey 10 years ago, it seems less about the big milestones and more about the little rhythms I’ve learned that have quietly shaped me. Rhythms that make me more patient, creative, present, and honestly more fun to be around.

I always knew I wanted to be a mother, but the journey has been far from what I expected— in many wonderful ways. Never did I think I’d have four (soon to be five, coming in March!) children that depend on me, night and day, as their daily example.

Their zest for life compels me to keep striving to improve— because I see how much richer life can be when lived well.

I’ve been reflecting on my own daily habits lately and pondering how I’m using my time before we transition again in a few months to the addition of one more final baby. So in this post, I wanted to share the 10 habits that have made (and continue to make) the biggest difference in my motherhood journey.

Maybe a few will spark an interest in your life? And if you have daily habits that have shaped you as a mother, I’d love to hear those as well!

10 Daily Habits That Have Made Me a Better Mother

1. Wake up at least an hour before my kids.
I’ve always been a morning person ever since childhood, so this one is not a painful habit for me like I know it might be for others (like my husband!). The house is so wonderfully quiet at this hour before anyone is awake, which invites me to take advantage of the stillness.

I prep my French press the night before, so all I have to do is grind and brew before sitting down to some prayer and Bible time before the day begins. By the time the kids’ feet hit the floor (after their light has turned green, of course), I’ve had a chance to prepare my mind for a new day.

2. Daily chores and chore charts for kids.
Teaching my kids that daily chores are a regular part of our routine is one of the biggest ways I thrive with many kids at home 24/7! It’s not about perfection—it’s about learning responsibility and life skills. Having their own chart keeps them on track and accountable— and saves me from having to pick up toys and clear dishes all day long.

3. A flexible but predictable rhythm.
Our homeschool days follow a structured but flexible routine, and even summers have their own rhythm—more relaxed, but still steady. My kids know what to expect, and I find the day goes smoother when there’s a backbone of structure.

4. Daily quiet time for everyone.
Nap for the toddler, independent reading for the older kids, and for me—a chance to write, read, or just rest. The hours of 2:00pm-4:00pm are a cherished time for me— they’ve become a simple, tried-and-true rhythm that’s been etched into the portion of our day and continues to bring that little bit of stillness we all need.

5. Do things I genuinely enjoy with my kids.
I finally gave myself permission not to force the stuff I dread to play with my kids (sorry, Barbies). Instead, I lean into what I do love—creek stomping, playground time, or baking together. They get a more joyful, genuine version of me and can save the super-hero make-believe play for their siblings!

6. Have a creative outlet for myself.
For years it’s been blogging, starting a lifestyle photography business, or trying new recipes. Having a little corner of life that’s just for making and experimenting reminds me that there can and should be creativity in life, not just necessity. Making sure to carve out time for these hobbies or pursuits has fueled me to try new things and resist complacency.

7. Practice gratitude, even with my kids.
Five years ago, I started writing a gratitude journal for myself, and now my kids and I have started one during our morning Bible time. And at dinner, we each name our “one good thing” about the day. These little habits shift the atmosphere and redirect our thoughts to our blessings rather than complaints.

8. Keep tech boundaries.
For me, this looks like stepping away from most social media (Substack is the exception!). For the kids, it means that passively watching tv shows aren’t a daily default anymore. Friday movie night has become special because it’s the one time we all watch something together.

9. Refresh our spaces each night.
It’s amazing how different a morning feels when I walk into a clear kitchen instead of a cluttered one. Before the kids run off and play outside after dinner, they each have their designated areas to tidy up. Everything makes its way back to its home, messes from the day are restored back to normal, and those two-minute tasks are tackled by my husband and myself.

10. Simplify small things with routines.
Meal planning is my sanity saver. I plan our meals over the weekend, order groceries to be delivered on Monday morning, and rotate simple go-to dinners that everyone eats. For the past two months, I’ve even planned a whole month out—it’s one less decision weighing on me every day.

Of course these daily habits don’t go as planned 100% of the time or even work great in every season of life, but right now I’m living in the season I’m in and striving to shape my habits around what matters most.

As always, thank you so much for reading and being here! I greatly appreciate connecting with so many of you through comments and messages and hearing what resonates with you. Feel free to share this post with someone else who may find it helpful!

It’s the start of another school year and as much as I’m a summer-loving kind of girl and like to linger on these beautiful days, there’s something about August that ushers in a fresh perspective and excitement as we dive into another year of homeschooling.

It’s my 6th year on this unexpected journey and each year just keeps getting better (maybe it’s me finally figuring this all out, but I think it’s also my kids and their ability to thrive on a reliable rhythm).

This year, I’m homeschooling my daughter (age 10) and two of my boys (ages 8 and 5), while my youngest son (age 3) runs wild through the house and keeps us all on our toes— which still remains my most challenging part of homeschooling.

Last month, I shared our 25-26 Elementary Curriculum Choices so today I’d like to share what we have in our Morning Basket— which mainly includes our Bible time and a few other family-style activities.

What is a Morning Basket?

Before diving into what we include in our Morning Basket, I wanted to share what this time is and how we integrate it into our daily rhythm.

A Morning Basket is simply just a “bin” or “basket” that’s filled with family-style readings or subjects done together. Some families may do Bible readings, read-alouds, poetry recitations, a Nature Study, art or composer studies, or anything else that you could do with the whole family gathered together.

For us, this time fits perfectly in the middle of our morning. From 8:30am-10:00am I do 1:1 Language Arts lessons with my three school-aged kids (our phonics, grammar, spelling, and writing lessons). Then at 10:00, we take a break and have our Morning Basket time. The kids clean up, grab a snack, and we all meet at the kitchen table. It’s the perfect mid-morning break between L.A. and Math lessons.

Morning Basket time usually takes about 30-40 minutes, depending on the season and what we’re including in it at that point.

The kids sit at the table, eat their snack, and participate in our time together. Afterwards, it’s on to 1:1 Math Lessons before lunchtime.

A Look Inside Our Morning Basket

The main focus of our Morning Basket has always been our Bible time. Coming from teaching elementary in the public school, I’m always so grateful to have this opportunity to integrate our Christian faith into my kid’s education at home.

Our bible time has always followed a simple rhythm that is able to be adapted and enjoyed by a wide age-range of kids like my own— singing a hymn, scripture or catechism memorization, reading from the Bible or another Bible study book, and our prayer and gratitude journal.

Here’s what we’re doing this year for Bible Time…

• Daily Hymn singing- I love teaching my kids old hymns that I grew up singing as a child. I print the lyrics on card stock (usually just the first verse) and keep a collection of a few dozen hymns on a ring. We sing a new one each day.

• The ABC’s of God & Me- My good friend from our co-op wrote this book so I was eager to go through it with my kids! It’s an alphabetical journey that studies the character of God and our identity as His child. I want my kids to know what truth is and what God declares in His word, so I’m excited to use these verses as a way to tie in scriptural truths that we can memorize and cling to. My older kids will use these weekly verses as their handwriting copy work each day to help solidify them into their minds while working on penmanship (cursive and print).

• The Treasure: Ancient Story Ever New of Jesus and His Church- This beautifully illustrated and book, written by Marty Machowski, is for anyone who also loves The Ology: Ancient Truths, Ever New (which we’ve read several times over the past few years!). This book weaves a Bible study of the books of Luke and Acts with a fictional story. I’m so excited to read this with my kids as we study these foundational books of the Bible.

• Prayer and Gratitude Journal- We began our first prayer and gratitude journal one year ago and it’s been one of the best rhythms we’ve added to our homeschool routine. Each morning, I ask the kids for one thing or person they’d like to pray for as well as one thing they’re grateful for. Sometimes their answers are sweet and innocent, other times it’s genuinely moving to see their empathy for others. All you need is a basic notebook. It’s a great way to look back on the Lord’s faithfulness over the year to see how He’s provided.

  

Other items in our Morning Basket…

In addition to our Bible time, I like to also include a read-aloud, our Science lesson (since I try to keep that appropriate for all my kids to do together), and any other “extras” that don’t fit into the rest of our school day.

• Read-Aloud- We always have some sort of classic read-aloud going on. Last year some of our favorites were The Secret Garden, Little House on the Prairie, and Stuart Little. We usually only get a few pages read at a time, but it’s way for me to keep reading classic titles to my kids to develop their love of good literature. Some titles on our list for this year are The Wind in the Willows, Pippi Longstocking, Anne of Green Gables, and The Railway Children.

• Science Lesson- As mentioned in my 25-26 Elementary Curriculum Choices post, my kids and I became very fascinated by feeding and watching the birds in our backyard this spring. To help us learn more about this topic, we’re doing a Bird Study for our science curriculum. We’ll incorporate crafts, outdoor nature walks, and additional read alouds into our study.

• Shakespeare introduction- I’m so fascinated by ’s use of Shakespeare with her elementary aged daughters! If you haven’t already heard them reciting a portion from MacBeth in this recent post I shared of hers, give it a listen! She provides a step-by-step approach to how she teaches her kids Shakespeare. I have the book, How To Teach Your Kids Shakespeare, on reserve from my library so I’m excited to dive into this area of literature with my kids!

  ---

Previous Favorites in our Morning Basket…

• Storybook Bibles

  • The Jesus Storybook Bible- This one is our favorite and has been read countless times since it’s appropriate for toddlers through elementary.

  • The Biggest Story Bible Storybook- Another favorite we’ve read through and loved.

• Little Pilgrim’s Progress- I’ve never actually read The Pilgrim’s Progress, Paul Bunyan’s allegory of the Christian life, but this children’s version is amazing! We read it last school year and I felt like every single chapter allowed me to go into a mini-sermon on the path of salvation. My kids loved it!

• The Ology: Ancient Truth’s Ever New- As mentioned above, this is one of our favorite theology books for kids. It’s so rich and deep but appropriate for preschool through elementary school.

• Our 24 Family Ways: A Family Devotional Guide- Sally and Clay Clarkson’s guide to teaching kids biblical principles is very thorough and engaging. I did this a few years ago so I’ll likely revisit it in the next year or two as my kids are older and more mature now.

• New City Catechisms- Last year, I led my kids through these catechisms. We used the app to play the songs and my kids had these little booklets to help them memorize the questions and answers.

  ---

  As always, thank you so much for reading and following along with our homeschool journey! If this post was helpful to you, I’d love to hear any thoughts you have through a message or comment below! Any favorite Morning Basket or Bible time choices for your family? I’d love to hear!

When I first began writing on Substack a few months ago, I quickly became intrigued by one writer’s articles and her ability to homeschool her two girls with such zest and excitement. Today, I’m honored to share a post from Dr. Claire Honeycutt, the writer behind ClairfiED. Previously a tenured professor of science for several decades, she now homeschools her children and incorporates critical thinking skills and exploration into each day. I’ve since gained an abundance of wisdom from her as she inspires me to challenge my own kids to deeper levels of learning!

I hope you appreciate her thoughtful approach to education. To hear more from Claire, consider subscribing to her popular Substack, ClarifiEd and veteran-mom inspired podcast, Tried and True Homeschooling.

And now, a guest post by my friend and fellow homeschooling mom— Dr. Claire Honeycutt. Enjoy!

High School is Too Late For Shakespeare- by Dr. Claire Honeycutt

There is an optimal time to introduce Shakespeare - and it’s not high school.

Ok I admit it. Growing up, I hated English class. I found it boring. I didn’t see the point. I dreaded the books I was forced to read – Faulkner was a particular foe.

This may surprise you because my own children (ages 8 and 11) have an ongoing love affair with books. My 11 year old reads 100s of books a year. And, they aren’t just reading any books. They’re reading classic books from timeless authors. We’ve read Hemmingway, Twain, Orwell, and Oscar Wilde (to name a few). They have a particular appetite for Shakespeare. Here’s a recording of them reciting Macbeth with a good friend.

I’ve obviously come around on the importance of these classic treasures, but in a world where college students can barely get through these books, how does one accomplish such a feat in Elementary school? Moreover, how do you make it enjoyable?

My kids don’t tolerate Shakespeare - they LOVE him.

Well, I didn’t do it by doing what everyone else was doing – perhaps that’s obvious. We did it by following the example set by our ancestors – an example backed up by modern science.

Most people think 6 is far too young for classics – the language too rich, the grammar too complex. But 150 years ago, these books were routinely read to Elementary kids. Despite being known for the “children’s stories” of Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, and The Prince and the Pauper, Twain never met a simple sentence.

These sentences don’t even have complex vocabulary - though most 21st century kids will struggle with terms like “thou” and “dost” - however, these sentences are complex grammatically and sound unusual to our ears.

But my children handle “thous” and “thees” along complex grammar effortlessly - in truth better than myself. Why?

Because elementary school isn’t too early to introduce complex narrative, it’s the PERFECT time!

Today, let’s explore the neurological underpinnings of how children learn language.

Not just how kids learn to talk, but how they learn that it’s “the big, bad wolf” not “the bad, big wolf” — did you know there are grammatical rules dictating which adjective comes first? Unless, you are an English major, you probably didn’t. That’s because you didn’t need to be taught it.

Today, we’ll talk about how children learn the complex nuances of grammatical relationships, but more importantly we’ll talk about how YOU can harness this knowledge to ensure your children can’t just read authors like Twain and Shakespeare – but write and speak like them too.

✨What is the Brain Doing During Language Learning?

Children’s linguistic (or language) development is on fire from the moment they are born – actually before they are born. Children fall in love with their mother’s voice first – preferring recordings of her over all others in utero. Two months before they are born, babies are enamored by spoken language – their preference for speech over music will last long into toddlerhood. If there are any expectant mothers out there, consider reading the rest of this article out loud to your baby – they will delight to hear you. Though they don’t yet know what you are saying, they are already in love with the way you say it.

At birth, babies not only prefer their mother’s voice but they also prefer their native language.

That’s worth saying again.

Babies AT BIRTH prefer their native language.

Children aren’t just listening to their mother’s voice, they are creating the foundation from which they will learn to communicate.

So, how do children learn their native language?

If you’ve ever listened to another language - in particular one dissimilar to your own - you’ll notice it’s hard to break down individual words. My husband’s native language Tamil has incredibly long words. It’s nearly impossible for me to figure out where one word stops and another begins. This is because English, my native language, doesn’t require this of my brain. But my husband was learning to do this even before he was born.

How do kids figure how what sounds are words?

One of the leading theories is statistical learning. Babies as young as 8 months are calculating which letter combinations occur most often together and which don’t. There is a reason why humans are so adept at seeing patterns everywhere - it’s essential for our capacity to learn to speak (among other things).

By 10-12 months, babies ignore sound combinations that do not occur in their native language and pay close attention to sound combinations unique to their native language. For example, Mandarin is a tonal language so children learn to tune into not just word sounds but the pitch at which they are delivered. This process is called perceptual narrowing. It is essential, but it comes at a cost.

Children will increasingly ignore sounds that are not common in their native language. Yet another reason to introduce your toddlers and infants to a 2nd languages early. This will keep their “ears” - ahem their brain - open and listening.

This will be important as they get older not just in terms of 2nd language but in complex versions of their own language - e.g. Mark Twain, Hemmingway, and Shakespeare.

If your children don’t routinely hear complex words and grammatical sentences, their brain will become less receptive to them. This isn’t to say that it’s completely closed, but rather …

It is FAR EASIER for your 7-9 year old to learn to understand complex literature than your 14-15 year old.

I know this seems counter-intuitive! But, it’s true. Believe me, it is WILD that my 8 year old will listen, understand, and ask complex questions about the books we are reading when sometimes I’m struggling to keep up myself!

It’s not just about reading to your kids…

✨Language is best learned in relationships.

Once children have a firm grasp on what is and is not a word, they can start the process of matching those words to objects and actions. At the height of their word learning, kids pick up 30 words a DAY - some they will learn after a single exposure.

But not all forms of communication are created equal for learning words.

Every culture has a form of “baby-talk” where caregivers use a higher-toned pitch to communicate with infants. Baby-talk draws infant’s attention often resulting in smile and eye contact. The MOST important thing for learning is attention. If you don’t have a child’s attention, you don’t have access to their brain. This is why Attention Deficit Disorders are such a big deal!

The most effective way to support a child’s language development is through direct communication. Talking. Listening. Narrating your day. Answering their questions. Singing songs. Sharing stories.

It’s why child development experts encourage new parents to narrate their day out loud to their babies. It’s also why younger siblings often pick up language more quickly—because the older kids talk to them constantly.

Children aren’t just learning vocabulary; They are learning expression, grammar, and cadence through interaction with real people.

But This Window Doesn’t Last Forever

Yes, we can learn language throughout our lives.

But the brain’s plasticity—the ease with which it picks up language—declines after elementary school. (Learn more in Today's Children are Caged Birds). Your 8-year-old has a better memory than you do (yes, really). Their brains are still hungry for vocabulary, syntax, and structure.

Thus, elementary school is the best time to introduce Shakespeare, Twain, and Hemingway. Their brains are primed for it.

Feed their brains rich, complex, beautiful language, and it will shape how they speak, think, and write for the rest of their lives.

✨You’ve seen the science—now let’s make it real.

Here’s how we do it in our home: what to say, what to read, and how to help your kids fall in love with complex literature—so they don’t just read like Twain and Shakespeare, they write and speak like them too.

This part’s just for my favorite people♥️

I want more for my kids

✨Actionable Tips to Build Advanced Language

Here’s how to take advantage of this incredible window of brain development:

• Talk to your children!! – narrate your day, describe what you’re doing, speak in full sentences. Baby-talk is fine if you are drawing their attention, but don’t hesitate to use rich language. Have RICH discussions with your children about the world → history, science, books, movies - anything and everything - just TALK.

• Read rich literature aloud – even to infants. I know a mom who read To Kill a Mockingbird to her 3-month-old. She was home alone & her baby loved hearing her voice. Turns out she was onto something special. Steal her idea and read to your children. Read classics like Beatrix Potter. As they get older, pick classics with complex language. Build them up of course - but don’t assume they don’t understand. You might be surprised!

• Read classic texts with unusual grammar and vocabulary – Memoria Press and Well-Trained Mind are my go-to book lists. WTM is behind a paywall but you can usually get the book at the library. Also, DM me if you want/need suggestions!

• Never talk down to them – The more you use your full range of vocabulary, the more information they have to grow their brain.

• Recite poetry or Shakespeare together – Little kids LOVE this! See my example of my kids recited Shakespeare above. Rhythm, rhyme, and memorization help lock in exquisite language.

  • If you want help introducing them to Shakespeare, you might like 8 year olds can learn Shakespeare

• Play audiobooks in the car – Your local library likely has an app where you can get classics for free. Libirvox also has classic audiobooks.

• Mimic great writing – imitation is how we learn. I have a whole post on how to do that with writing Let Your Kid Plagiarize.

• Make space for deep conversation – You can start with anything books, movies, plays, music, art, anything your kids are into. Conversation is curriculum → Peter and Von both talk in depth about how important conversations were to them as they homeschooled. Homeschool by Weaving Kids Into Real Workand Homeschooling in Africa’s Mission Fields

• Expose them to second languages early – it keeps their brains open to new structures. Von talked about how to do this with grace at the end of this episode Homeschooling in Africa’s Mission Fields

Too often, we assume the “greats” are too complex for young minds. But the science—and my own kids—say otherwise.

Childhood is not a time for dumbed-down content. It’s the golden age for feeding the brain rich, challenging language that forms the foundation for powerful thinking, writing, and speaking.

Your child is ready - are you?

If you want to go deeper, RIGHT now, check out my You Can Teach Reading and You Can Teach Writing workshop posts. They have links to ALL my articles on expertly teaching reading and writing.

Know anyone that would like this article, consider sharing to help me help more families like yours.

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And just like that, it’s the beginning of August and we’re back to school once again! Ever since beginning our homeschool journey six years ago, I’ve loved the flexibility of our “lose start” to the school year. Always beginning by mid/late July, we gradually ease our way into our curriculum so that once September rolls around and all the neighbor kids are back in public school, we can jump back into a full routine without piling all the curriculum into our day at once.

For the first month back to school, we do Language Arts every day that we’re home and then gradually add in math. We don’t start writing, science, history, or our Morning Basket until September.

This will be my 6th year homeschooling and although it gets easier with time, I’ll be adding in my kindergartner, which makes having 1:1 time to teach three elementary aged children plus entertaining a toddler a full schedule to manage.

In this post, I’ll briefly lay out what my three school-aged children will be using for curriculum in their fourth, second, and kindergarten years. In my next post, I’ll share what we’ll include in our Morning Basket and Bible time. If you have questions about our curriculum choices feel free to leave a comment or send me a message!

Our kindergarten curriculum choices

Language Arts- Because we no longer use a curriculum that bundles all aspects of L.A. into one book like we used to, my kindergarten son will have different curriculums that cover phonics and fluency, spelling and handwriting, writing, and phonemic awareness.

• Phonics and Fluency- If you’ve read either of my How to Teach Your Child to Read posts, you might have seen that my absolute favorite curriculum to teach my children how to read is All About Reading. We’ll begin with Level 1 for kindergarten, which lays a great foundation for early phonics skills and fluency through the readers it comes with. (P.S. I found a way to save hundreds of dollars by saving the student workbook pages!)

• Spelling and Handwriting- It’s our first year using Spelling You See so we’ll begin with Level A. Similar to teaching phonics skills, it provides a great practice with the letter patterns and formation at this stage.

• Writing- Since my son is only a beginner at writing words, we’ll work through the Jot It Down program where the focus is on idea formation as the parent does most of the writing. He’ll have a lot of fun with many of these project-based prompts!

• Extra fluency/comprehension practice- I have my school-aged kids read for at least 60 minutes each day so my son will use many of the Easy Reader books from our collection or at the library (such as the I Can Read! or Step Into Reading books), BOB Books, You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You series.

• Phonemic Awareness- I bought these very affordable cards from A Teachable Teacher blog when my oldest child first began homeschooling and they’ve been extremely helpful in daily practice of phonemic awareness skills. I keep them on a binder ring in a handy spot to grab and spend a few minutes reviewing before doing the phonics lessons.

Math- I use Math With Confidence as an early start to number sense. He’ll do the kindergarten level as well as daily flash card practice.

Typing- Beginning in kindergarten, I like to expose my kids to typing practice. We’ve used Keyboarding Without Tears but this year we’ll try Typing Club as a daily practice.

History- We began using Beautiful Feet Books Early American History last year and really enjoyed it! It’s a K-3 curriculum so it’s appropriate for all three of my elementary aged kids. It takes about 2 years to complete so we’ll do the second half of it this year. I love how it incorporates great books as the base of learning, most of which we can find at our library.

Science- We got really into backyard birds this spring after putting up a couple of bird feeders right outside our kitchen window so we’ll be doing a Bird Study by The Good and the Beautiful this year! I love gearing our Science and History/Geography studies around topics my kids already have interest in, so learning about birds is something we’re all looking forward to.

Our second-grade curriculum choices

Language Arts

• Phonics and Fluency- My son will finish All About Reading Level 2 and begin Level 3 around Christmas. He’s a strong reader so we might move more quickly through these levels this year.

• Spelling- We’re trying something new for spelling this year so he’ll do Spelling You See Level C to boost his spelling skills.

• Grammar- My older kids weren’t as strong in grammar on the California Achievement Test they took at the end of the school year so we’ll do a daily practice of Language Fundamentals Grade 2 each day to reinforce these skills.

• Writing- I’m excited to begin WriteShop Jr. with both my second and fourth graders. Combining writing for a few of my kids and scaffolding according to their ability is always something I try to do when homeschooling several kids at once to save time.

• Extra Fluency/Comprehension Practice- Each month (in addition to our monthly reading challenge), my older kids will be assigned one chapter book to read and do a simple book report on. I love this book report idea from Little School of Smiths!

Math- We switched from The Good and the Beautiful to Beast Academy last school year and loved it! It’s an online math program that focuses on problem solving and critical thinking while boosting mental math skills. I’ve never seen a math program this rigorous, but engaging and fun. He’ll work through Level 2 and although it’s fairly independent, I sit between my kids as they complete their lessons at the same time (using the laptop and iPad) and assist as needed.

He’ll also do daily math fact practice too using flashcards and TGTB’s Musical Multiplication.

Typing- He’ll do one lesson of Typing Club as a daily practice.

History- We’ll continue with our Beautiful Feet Books Early American History curriculum, as mentioned above, doing lessons usually about three afternoons per week plus note booking.

Science- Each morning after our Morning Basket and Bible time, we do our Science lesson. As mentioned above, we’ll do our Bird Study for the first half of the year.

Our fourth-grade curriculum choices

Language Arts

• Phonics and Fluency- My daughter is halfway done with All About Reading Level 4. After she finishes, she’ll likely no longer need a phonics curriculum so we’ll transition to another type of L.A. program after that, which is tbd if anyone has good recommendations for older elementary kids!

• Spelling- We’re trying something new for spelling this year so she’ll do Spelling You See Level D to boost her spelling skills.

• Grammar- She’ll do a daily practice in Language Fundamentals Grade 4 each day to reinforce these skills that aren’t as strong.

• Writing- As mentioned with my second-grader’s curriculum, we’ll be doing WriteShop Jr. for our writing instruction this year. I love the idea of teaching different genres of writing while also working on editing and grammar skills.

• Extra Fluency/Comprehension Practice- Each month (in addition to our monthly reading challenge), my older kids will be assigned one chapter book to read and do a simple book report on. I love this book report idea from Little School of Smiths!

Math- My daughter will also keep using Beast Academy this school year. I love how switching to an online math curriculum allows me to sit between two of my kids to do math lessons at the same time and provide assistance as needed, as it’s fairly independent.

She’ll also do daily math fact practice too using flashcards and TGTB’s Musical Multiplication.

Typing- She’ll do one lesson of Typing Club as a daily practice.

History- We’ll continue with our Beautiful Feet Books Early American History curriculum, as mentioned above, doing lessons usually about three afternoons per week.

Science- Each morning after our Morning Basket and Bible time, we do our Science lesson. As mentioned above, we’ll do our Bird Study for the first half of the year.

Our Daily Homeschool Schedule

With all four kids at home and three of them doing formal lessons with me, we need to stay focused and into our daily rhythm so we’re on track. Here’s how we structure our days during the school year typically 4 days a week + 1 day at our co-op…

7:30 am- Wake-up, breakfast, chores for everyone

8:30 am- Begin schoolwork- we typically begin with L.A., I’ll work 1:1 with a child while the others do independent work (handwriting, grammar, typing) or silent reading

10:00 am- Morning Basket/Bible and snack time- we meet at the kitchen table for a snack break while we have our Bible time and go over other items from our Morning Basket (I’ll share more on what we’re doing for this later)

10:30 am- Science lesson together

11:00 am- Math (Beast Academy for my older 2, done mostly independently), while I work 1:1 with my kindergartner on his math lesson

11:45 am- The boys tidy up the school and play rooms while my daughter makes lunch for all the kids

12:00 pm- Lunch as a family, the kids like to watch the daily episode of World Watch News

12:30 pm- Playtime or outside time until our afternoon begins

1:30 pm- My toddler naps, we do our History lesson, then my three older kids have their afternoon quiet time

3:30 pm- Quiet time is over, kids have a snack and usually head outside to play with neighbors

If you have questions or other recommendations similar to what we’re using, I’d love to hear about them! Choosing homeschool curriculum is something I always enjoy researching and deciding over the summer, but it can be really overwhelming with all the options out there.

My basic rule of thumb is to try out a curriculum for about half a year and if it’s really not working, I have the freedom to switch it up and don’t have to feel locked into completing it. We’ve switched curriculums a lot and what worked for one child might not work for others, so there’s always room to pivot as needed.

As always, thank you so much for reading and following along with our homeschool journey! If this post was helpful to you, I’d love to hear any thoughts you have through a message or comment below!

I don’t know how many times this summer I told my husband something like, “Wow, this seems to be the new norm that families have shifted into”, yet feel the urge to push back against some of those messages instead of falling in step with them.

In 2020, like many families, our lives shifted drastically. I began homeschooling. My husband transitioned to working permanently from home (in a tiny corner of our bedroom where he still works today). What started as a response to disruption became an invitation— to slow down, reevaluate, and reshape our lives around what mattered most.

Many of the ways my family lives today would seem counter-cultural to most American families— we educate differently, have more kids than average, own a fraction of what might be considered standard, resist “most” opportunities to spend impulsively to satisfy a desire, and prioritize family dinners together as one of the anchors of our days.

We didn’t wake up one day and decide that we were going to live counter-culturally. But little by little, we found ourselves choosing a path that felt quieter, simpler, and more deeply aligned with our Christian faith.

Before reading further, please understand that this list absolutely isn’t prescriptive or the “right” way to live—it’s just one family’s story that I want to share. We’ve learned that pushing back against the pressure to keep up, spend more, and stay busy has opened the door to deeper relationships, purposeful parenting, and a life that just feels more balanced.

Below, I’m sharing some of the ways we’ve chosen to live differently—not because we think everyone should—but because they’ve brought more fulfillment to our home. If you’re feeling the weight of modern life too, maybe one or two of these ideas will spark something for your family as well. So take these ideas with a grain of salt or take a few for your own family! In many areas of life, we have the freedom to choose how and why we live, even if it means pushing back against the grain.

10 Ways Living Counter-Culturally Looks for our Family

1. We prioritize our marriage.
In a culture that often puts kids at the center, we’ve learned the value of keeping our marriage strong and the center of our family. It’s not always easy in the busy years of raising small kids, but making time to connect with each other is essential. Whether it’s lingering over lunch or sitting outside after we put the kids to bed to chat, this time makes a huge difference in our ability to stay connected and close to each other. A healthy marriage is one of the best gifts we can give our kids.

2. We give our kids chores.
Helping with dishes, folding laundry, making their own beds, picking up toys, making lunches, mowing the lawn—these aren’t punishments, they’re part of being a team and contributing to our family. We want our children to grow up with a sense of responsibility, not entitlement so giving them daily, age-appropriate chores from a young age teaches them many important life skills and lessons, and is truly very helpful for us too!

3. We teach our kids life skills ourselves.
When did paying for swim lessons for kids become the standard of what parents do each summer? I’m not bashing these types of lessons at all (we’ve done them a few years ago), but sometimes it’s worth thinking about whether or not outsourcing is necessary or if the skill can be taught by a parent— like in the good old days? Whether it’s learning to ride a bike, swim, or play catch, we take joy in teaching our kids ourselves, plus it saves a ton of money when you have a lot of kids!

4. We chose an alternative path for education.
Public school was always what we thought would be the best fit for our family, until we began homeschooling and realized all the benefits that came with that type of lifestyle. Homeschooling has allowed us to shape not just what our children learn, but how they learn and why. It also gives us the freedom to weave in our faith while also sparking curiosity and the values that matter most to our family.

Homeschooling isn’t the easiest route, but in my opinion as a former public school teacher and mom of four, it’s the most fulfilling. It may not always be right for every child, every season, or every family—but with intentional planning, preparation, and a focus on what matters most, it can be a lifestyle full of relational closeness, adventure, and academic success.

5. We try to create more than we consume.
Instead of immediately buying new things or seeking entertainment, we look for ways to use what we have, bake something from scratch, or make our own fun instead of spending money. Over the years, this mindset has taught both ourselves and our kids that the answer to life’s problems isn’t merely to buy something new. It feels so much more satisfying to make our own fun instead of unwrapping it from the Amazon truck.

6. We limit screen time—for all of us.
Years ago, our kids watched daily cartoons and we scrolled our phones far more than we’d like to admit. Now, we’ve set better boundaries. Our kids look forward to one family movie on the weekend, and in the meantime, they play, create, and get bored (which we’ve learned is actually good for them!). We’ve given up nearly all social media and don’t feel like we’re missing out but leaving time for more meaningful activities, like writing this blog!

7. We embrace slow living.
We try not to pack every day full, because we value margin. We’ve learned to say no to good things if it means preserving our family rhythm. We linger over dinner, protect quiet evenings many days of the week, and hold off on daily extracurriculars while our kids are young, knowing there will be time for those (in moderation) later in life.

8. We live below our means.
Tracking our spending in a spreadsheet and keeping a close eye on where our money goes is a daily habit for me. For several years (even with having 4 kids), we were a one-car family—not because it was easy or more convenient, but because it allowed us to save and stay flexible. Contentment and creativity go a long way when you’re not chasing a lifestyle you can’t afford!

9. We practice a weekly Sabbath.
Sunday is our reset. We go to church, spend time together, and enjoy a slower pace the rest of the day. Most Sunday evenings we gather with my family for dinner at my parent’s house. It’s not elaborate but a simple, consistent rhythm that keeps us rooted. And it reminds us that rest is a gift, not a luxury. Even if you’re not religious, taking a weekly Sabbath to slow down and give yourself a day of rest is so healthy.

10. We only keep what we truly need.
We’ve spent years decluttering our home, and the difference is lighter and noticeable! There’s fewer toys, simpler routines, more tidy spaces, and less overwhelm from “stuff” in general. Our general rule of thumb is to keep only what is useful or beautiful. This concepts works especially well when you’ve understood that managing clutter begins with what you buy and bring into your home first.

Final Thoughts

The ways we’ve chosen to live certainly don’t have to look the same for your own family, but it’s always worth evaluating why you’re doing the things you’re doing and making changes as necessary. Seasons of life may look differently, which is why being flexible and rooted in what matters most will sustain you and your family in these decisions. Living counter-culturally isn’t about following (or not following) a set of rules but carving out a life that most aligns with how you want to live.

As always, thank you so much for being here and following along with my journey! If any of these ideas resonated with you, I’d love to hear!