Homeschooling 
Homeschooling twin kindergarteners. Pray for me, will you? ;) Our twins have been a pure delight, but I'm not going to lie...I'm a bit nervous to be adding two more to the homeschool mix. While we homeschooled them some this past year doing pre-schoolish types of activities (Write Through the Bible: Junior and Saxon Kindergarten Math), it was a pretty minimal commitment. This year will certainly stretch our family. Our boys are ready and excited to learn this year! They want to read. They've spent time flipping through their math and reading books and keep asking if it's time to get started. To which I respond, ...Read More
50 Free (or Cheap) Adventures Kids Can Have This Summer (+ a free summer adventure journal)
It was necessary for our family to come up with a list of free or cheap adventures kids can have this summer. Summers can be exciting for kids, but for some parents (ahem), summers present a challenge. How do we keep our kids from getting bored and vegging out in front of a screen all day long? One way our family has overcome this problem is by teaching our kids to live intentionally—teaching our kids to find the adventures in daily living. Summer Adventure Journal: Better yet, as our kids have new experiences, have them create a Summer Adventure Journal. This will be a place where they can write ...Read More
Stop the Homeschool Chaos: Practical Strategies for Independent Learning
If you have more than one child, you probably have come to the realization that sitting next to your child and directing their learning every single step of the way is not feasible (who has that many hours in the day?). Not only is it not feasible, you wouldn't want to do it even if you could. It is not an exaggeration to say the #1 goal of homeschooling is fostering independent learners. Of course, in one sense, there are much higher goals in education: godliness, intelligence, character, creativity, wisdom, etc. Indeed, these are goals of life—and since education is a lifelong process, they are big goals of education ...Read More
Foods Easy Hot Chicken Salad (low-carb)
Even if you, like me, are not a chicken-lover, you'll enjoy this easy hot chicken salad. It also happens to be low-carb too! Every other month, we get a meat delivery from a local farmer who raises grass-fed and pastured animals. Unpacking those boxes and discovering what yummy meats will be filling my freezer each month is so much fun. Every month 6 whole chickens are contained in my boxes. I have quite a time with chicken. You see, I don't love chicken (at least not the way I do beef and pork). My family would be happy if I just roasted the chicken...but I would just sit there and pick at it. I have to do ...Read More
Essential Oil Newbies: Guide to Using Carrier Oils
Let's talk about what you need to know for using carrier oils. One of my first big hurdles with essential oils was getting over the hump of learning how they worked. At first, it all just seemed a bit like hocus pocus to me. But once I understood the science and started to experience essential oils for myself, everything started to click. Everything started to click except for the fact that with essential oils (like many things in life), there is a bit of a learning curve. And then there are all the new words to learn. Hot oils? Neat? Carrier oils? What do they all mean??? Today, I'd like to demystify using ...Read More
Don’t Forget Jesus on Your Vacation! 7 Strategies for Christian Parents
Ah, the lazy days of summer are almost upon us. For many families, summer means relaxed schedules, more family time enjoying the great outdoors, and week-long vacations at the beach or other exciting places. Unfortunately, the break from our normal routines can also make it tempting to take a vacation from our faith, which helps explain seasonal trends like drastically reduced church attendance during the summer months. As a Christian parent, you probably long to establish a foundation for your child's lifelong faith in God. And a critical component of that faith is the development of a constant and conscious ...Read More
Honey-Sweetened, Grain-Free Strawberry Shortcake
This honey-sweetened, grain-free strawberry shortcake is a healthy twist on a classic treat everyone is sure to enjoy! Looking for gluten-free recipes and resources? This Everything Gluten Free page is a library of everything gluten free we’ve worked on. All the summer treats. As much as I love spring, when it rolls around my taste buds automatically skip ahead to all the fruits that summer brings. Peaches, watermelon, strawberries... Living down in the south, strawberries are fairly cheap in the summer months, and I like to take full advantage of that. Popsicles, donuts, fruit snacks, and granola are a few of ...Read More
Think Before You Ink: Health Implications of Tattoos
I was 17 and half-way through my freshman year of college. A group of my girlfriends came giggling into my dorm room. "Come with us to get tattoos together. It will be fun," they insisted. "A way to remember our first year of college." Ever the pragmatist, I declined, opting to stay behind and study for an upcoming exam. I'm a nerd, I know. There were a few things at play in my quick-but-decisive answer... I had the foresight to realize that my tastes were ever-changing. I didn't want a permanent mark on my body—picked out in a moment of my youth—only to realize I hated it 5 or 10 years later. I was ...Read More
