Foods 
With only four ingredients, and two of them optional, these Grain free Banana Coconut Cookies are about as easy as you can get. And being a busy mom, easy is usually a necessity. Actually, you'll have a hard time finding me in the kitchen doing something that isn't easy. Excluding keeping up with the dishes, that is. :( Looking for gluten-free recipes and resources? This Everything Gluten Free page is a library of everything gluten free we’ve worked on. It's not that I don't enjoy making fancy, gorgeous foods. I just don't have much extra time to make complicated snacks. And even though I strive to meal plan, ...Read More
Essential Oils Aren’t Dangerous (but stupidity is)
"Ahhh...it burns!" my husband cried. He writhed around in pain after applying the lavender oil. I wondered if he was just being melodramatic. (He's been known to do that.) I had just used this oil on my 3-year-old a few days ago without any problems. Surely, lavender, often considered a mild oil, wouldn't cause such irritation on a grown man. Would it? Sure enough, it did. His skin continued to burn for a couple of hours, despite flushing the area with cool water (for reference, we learned later that it's best to flush the area with a carrier oil instead of water. We didn't know that at the time though) . What ...Read More
Homeschooling 5 Reasons Homeschoolers Should Use Report Cards (plus a free printables)
I've gathered together five reasons homeschoolers should use report cards as well as some free printables for you to use. Some states require homeschoolers to submit reports for everything - curriculum, lesson plans, progress reports and even semester report cards - for every grade, not just high school. But what about those states who don't? Should we still record grades? I will admit, we have homeschooled in two states and neither of them required reports to be submitted. However, from the very beginning, our oldest has always wanted to know his grades. So I have graded papers. Every year. Most of ...Read More
Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting (grain-free & refined sugar-free)
Birthday parties for the little people can be challenging when you're grain-free and you're trying to limit your kids' refined sugar intake. They aren't quite so challenging, though, when you have a delicious cake any kid would love—like this grain-free banana cake with peanut butter frosting! Looking for more gluten-free recipes and resources? This Everything Gluten Free page is a library of everything gluten free we’ve worked on. I'm going to be honest here. My kids sometimes have refined sugar. They sometimes have french fries. They sometimes go to grandma's and get WAY too much refined sugar. It's life. We ...Read More
Get your Family Outside! 5 Health Benefits to Spending Time Outdoors
It's so important to get your family outside. There are many health benefits to spending time outdoors, including both mental and physical benefits. There have been periods of time in history that we as humans were terrified of breathing air and seeing the sun. Many people still feel that way today. What has been revealed is that being outdoors is actually very important, not only for your children but for you. It's been common knowledge that children in particular need to be outdoors for proper cognitive functioning. But did you know that the same results hold true for adults? It seems obvious that it would hold ...Read More
Lifting Your Mood: Can Essential Oils Help?
If you’ve ever struggled with feelings of sadness, you know that it can really affect your daily life. So many people deal with various types and degrees of feelings of sadness and look to more natural remedies to help. Many sources recommend trying essential oils. There are several oils that are suggested for generally lifting your mood or reducing irritability. Learn more about my favorite essential oils in this post. Does Aromatherapy Help with Feelings of Sadness? My knee-jerk reaction to these claims is that it’s a treatment that really cannot be tested and considered a reliable solution. But could there ...Read More
Write Through the Bible — For a Younger Crowd!
Several years ago I was planning my homeschool curriculum for the coming school year, and I realized there were a few subjects I didn't have covered. I was already overwhelmed, knowing when school started I'd be nursing twin infants and have a two-year old to look after. How could I add more to our plate? With every subject I added, that was more time spent on school. How Write Through the Bible was Born Handwriting. Dictation. Vocabulary. Bible Memorization. These were the subjects I needed to add to our homeschool day. As I pondered the subjects I felt my son needed, I knew there had to be a way to integrate ...Read More
Simplify Kindergarten: How to Start Strong Without Overwhelming Them
"I don't want to learn to read!" he cried and and broke down into a puddle of tears. It was then, I realized that I'd been pushing my second-born too hard. I wanted him to keep up with the pace of his older brother (mistake #1). At 5 years old, Cameron had just begun reading a little bit. He just wasn't interested. He didn't understand why he couldn't spend his time romping around with his 2-year-old brothers and spend his day playing. I made some big mistakes. I learned right then and there, that it was time to back off. 5 Steps to a Balanced Kindergarten Education We all want our kids to flourish ...Read More
