Forward and Back

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I’m pushing him in the swing. And with each push I say, “forward!” Then, quickly, as he comes back toward me I say, “back.” He’s learning, just like brother and sisters before him, how to pump his legs and swing on his own. Forward and back. Forward and back. Forward…and…back. And it comes to me [...]

I Honestly Don’t Know How You Do It

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Have you heard that statement? “I don’t know how you do it.” Or the question – “how do you teach so many different ages?” Well, we’ve covered that in many ways in this series. But, today’s topic is for you, the homeschool parent. It seems that statement or question always hits me on one of [...]

Good Friday Garden and Choosing a Tree

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Both my grandfathers planted their gardens on Good Friday. We’ve adopted this tradition as well. And while it’s a good practice to wait until Good Friday because all danger of frost has past, we’ve discovered another significance. We talk about Easter. We pour that fresh soil into a flower bed. And a little finger makes [...]

Fun for Easter Week

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A guilt-free, clean-slate stay-cation celebratory Easter week ahead! We’ll enjoy some Easter traditions and add in a few other activities from this list: All of our favorite Easter resources: resurrection rolls, box of repentances and more Make a cross with chalk pastels (this tutorial is for oil pastels but it also works wonderfully with chalk) [...]

The Passing of Two Pots

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This post, from December 2009 has new meaning. New meaning because yet another slow cooker has passed. It became a cracked pot. Slow cooked meals for two years in the fancy pot with the timer. This is a big deal because I depend on that slow cooker many times a week. Plus there’s the twice [...]

Same Life, New Story

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Life is God’s novel; let Him write it. ~ Isaac Singer Perhaps it’s time for a new story.

The Habit of Hymns

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I have an old hymnal – one passed down. I’m not sure how it came to be on my end table. But I’m sure glad it is there. I’ve always loved the old hymns. Heaven came down and glory filled my soul, When at the cross the Savior made me whole… Like many, I was [...]

How to Make Memories this Spring

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It seems to me that we are always talking about making memories with our children during the summer. Or over the Christmas holidays. But memory-making lasts year ’round. Spring can be the time to burst outside and enjoy. To build a new tradition. Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks [...]

10 Favorite Resources for Easter and Spring

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As the sun set, I told the children I was going to run out and get a picture of the iris to email to my grandmother. The bloom a result of a bulb transplanted from her yard. I asked them to pick out a book since it was close to bedtime. Notice how this single [...]

I Dare You Not To Laugh

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Sometimes I can get so caught up in the getting it done that I forget to laugh. The to-do list may be a mile long but we all need a chuckle. A real laugh. Take a fun break. Go swing. Let loose and play! Be silly on a Monday. Enjoy today. I dare you to [...]

Growing Gratitude

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“He calls me smart and big and tall!” ~ six-year-old “He builds me a train track.” ~ four-year-old A couple of weeks ago, when Doorposts shared Encouraging a Thankful Heart, we sat around the table at lunch time and listed what my husband does for our family. How he blesses us: Gets money for the [...]

Hands that show…

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Rest… Writing practice… Learning… Play… Helping hands… Caring… Gentleness… and generations of hands… Great-grandmother’s hands of love holding generations… What do your hands say? Counting the gifts of all we can do with our hands… hugs, pats artwork and pictures made by little hands at church handmade Valentines showing lots of love love notes written [...]