
When the Middle Feels Like the End: A March Reflection for the Weary Homeschool Mom
The winter has worn long, the ink of new beginnings from January has smudged into something faded and tired, and spring-oh, spring-still feels like a rumor whispered by a world that hasnโt quite thawed yet.
You stand in the middle of the homeschool year, and somehow, it feels like its crumbling to the end.

2023 Word of the Year: map
I created a printable for you, one you can use to invite curiosity into a word of the year for yourself. When I start feeling a soul nudge to a specific word(s) for the next year, this printable is where I start. It starts like a match to a candle, a small flame to illuminate where God is leading me to confess, repent, deconstruction, reconstruct with His truth, grow, strengthen, prepare for next steps, further growth.

Favorite Geography curriculum: Beautiful Feet
I donโt post tons of curriculum reviews. I guess itโs primarily because there is already saturation online to choose from. Possibly itโs also because, like most long term homeschoolers, weโve found that ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ณ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐๐ปโ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐บ. Iโm not opposed to new curriculum; quite the opposite. The surge of new curriculum these past two years is much needed and overdue, a blessing indeed. If I share curriculum here, itโs something weโve used, often a minimum three times. Itโs been vetted, satisfies my multi-sensory standard. Itโs benefited our education journey, not merely just something to do. Itโs part of a CM feast, spread before us. Itโs taken us on living journeys.

When youโre at the bottom of your umphโฆ
I remember pouring over parenting magazines, books, and every pamphlet I could find-bedrest during pregnancy after years of infertility treatment offered lots of reading time. And while it seemed 40 weeks would never arrive and I faithfully memorized all the reading material, ๐ถ๐ ๐ต๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐โ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐.

book review: Charlotte Mason Summaries by Leslie Noelani Laurio
๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ป ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฑ๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐, ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ต ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ณ๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ด๐ค๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ข๐ถ๐ต๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฏ?
No time to completely read all the CM home education series before this next school year or need a refresher?
๐ฆ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ป ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฑ๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐, ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ต ๐ง๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ง๐บ ๐ข๐ต ๐ง๐ช๐ณ๐ด๐ต ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ช๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฏ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ถ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ข๐ต?
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐.

What is Motherculture?
(VIDEO) ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐ค๐ง๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ณ๐๐น ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ. For each of us, thatโs going to be as unique as we individually have been created. Itโs as specific for each of us, detailed down to the way each of us is wired, the way we move about in the places and spaces God has placed us. Itโs building a life so beautiful that we canโt imagine doing anything else.
It can beโฆ

Sometimes narration needs help
FREEBIE Narration card printable: When I first asked our oldest son to give a narration on our first ever homeschool read aloud, he just stared at me. He was/is a voracious reader. I thought maybe I just needed to explain what narration was and weโd assuredly be set.
Still, blank stare.
I gave my narration about the reading, assuming itโd inspire him to expand and elaborate on the reading.
Eyes wide open, โmom, it was good.โ
My newbie homeschooling mom fears welled up. I was convinced I was doing something wrong. And I was.

The gorge & the feast
When we first started homeschooling, I followed a โlistโ. I knew I wanted to do the absolute best job I could at this crazy homeschooling adventure and a list felt safe. While I personally had been an avid reader as a child, it was mainly an eclectic mix of what was required at school and whatever else I could get my hands on.

review: Charlotte Mason Summaries by Leslie Noelani Laurio
๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ป ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฑ๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐, ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ต ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ณ๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ด๐ค๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ข๐ถ๐ต๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฏ?
No time to completely read all the CM home education series before this next school year or need a refresher?
๐ฆ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ป ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฑ๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐, ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ต ๐ง๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ง๐บ ๐ข๐ต ๐ง๐ช๐ณ๐ด๐ต ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ช๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฏ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ถ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ข๐ต?
THIS BOOK MAY JUST BE WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR.


donโt quit
I spent the greater part of Good Friday compressing four years of education onto three printed pages. As I thumbed through the syllabi we used, I spotted a few classes thatโฆ

the growth of growing pains
When we started this crazy homeschool adventure in 2009, graduation wasnโt even on my radar. Here we are-him spreading wings, me grateful that I was able to share this part of his life journey with him.

Friday reflection
Much can be said about leaning in. The leaning in to see clearer-to see others clearer and to allow ourselves to humbly be seen clearer.