family time

  • Bridal Shower Books

    I remember being a young, naive bride to be working the cash register at a local store. A newlywed customer rented a few videos and spilled the wisdom of six months of marriage. “It’s hard work” I remember rolling my eyes and uttering back in my wisecracking fashion, “If it is real love it shouldn’t be.” The wife huffed, returned my eye rolling, and left the counter shaking her head. Oh, the ignorance of inexperience and the wisdom of hindsight. Less than a few weeks into my own marriage and I was on my knees begging God and anyone who would listen for help. These are the books that guided…

  • Grow with Your Girl (part2)

    Dolls and Lovies may still grace her bedroom floor in minesweeper quantities. But your little girl is beginning to curve in conspicuous places and all of a sudden she wants more involvement in grown-up things. Don’t fight the process. Join in!   Learn how to grow with your girl Dream Together Not quite ready for boys, yet, my girl likes to dream of what she’ll do for the kingdom of Heaven.  It’s one of my favorite things about her.  She’s always dreaming up new ways to make a positive impact on the world for Christ.  She enjoys and delights in these dreams. I continually encourage her to dream up bigger and…

  • Girltime Reads: For tween/teens

    My girl and I come from a different breed of lady. Although we do enjoy the occasional princess storyline… we gravitate toward hearty, harassed, heroines and stories whose happy endings often reflect future hope, not only a comfy future. Here are a few of our favorites. Buy one and enjoy it with your girl. Grow beside her in a book-venture. (this post does contain affiliate links.) For the wild woman: The Girl from Montana A lonely girl rides from Montana to the east with only her horse and the Lord as her companions. Will she give into the easy path or stay steadfast in her journey home? My girl and…

  • Grow w/ your Girl Booklist

    Although separated into different stages and posts, these 22 books are current favorites between this girl, her mom, and her daughter. They provoke conversation and camaraderie. As we meet new literary friends and enemies we have more to talk about and more to contemplate. Subscribe and visit the freebie library to gain access to the Grow with Your Girl Booklist. I hope you like it! Sarah Purchase the Grow with Your Girl printable Ebook, featuring 10 project ideas, prayer focuses, and scriptures to help you grow with your girl.

  • Mom and Me reads: For Littles

    When they’re snuggled in your lap it’s hard to imagine them off saving the world and having their own adventures. Prepare your girl’s heart with a few courage inducing books. My girl and I loved these: Heidi I think the book Heidi gets a bad rap. People see images of Shirley Temple or other actresses who’ve portrayed the compassionate mountain girl and think they know the whole scoop. You don’t! Heidi is brimming with teachable moments, easily absorbed through the story alone. Death, greed, hope, friendship, tough love, stubbornness, selflessness, illness, and even learning struggles pour from the pages in an easy fashion. Not too preachy but filled with Gospel…

  • Grow with Your Girl (part1)

    Dolls and Lovies may still grace her bedroom floor in minesweeper quantities. But your little girl is beginning to curve in conspicuous places and all of a sudden she wants more involvement in grown-up things. Don’t fight the process but join in.  Grow alongside your girl. Craft together My girl loves messy, sparkly crafts.  She loves scraps and glue and scissors.  Though at times she wants to accomplish her project unaided, often she wants to try her hand at more complicated and mature crafts. Sprout and I worked together and learned how to make candles. Armed with a 40% off coupon we charged into Hobby Lobby and chose a soy…

  • Spring Break & Cabin Fever

    It’s April. The cold is slowly leaving the world. The sun is shining. The days are longer… especially the school days. Yikes! Like a run on sentence, they just keep going and going with no end in sight and no obvious destination or point. How do you combat 4th quarter blues in your homeschool? Here’s my 3 tips for combating homeschool battle fatigue: Change Locales Get out of your house! Really! Right now! Grab an extra canvas bag you picked up at a homeschool convention, stuff your most needed supplies inside, and get away. School on a blanket at the park. Read and talk on your backyard trampoline. Do equations…

  • Easter Books to Recenter Your Family

    Easter: It’s not just bunnies and chocolate, noodle salad, and colored eggs. It’s betrayal and denial. Blood and spit. Desperation and Hope. Easter is death overcome by Life. In my house, we love to celebrate the fun and family the holiday offers. But most importantly we take purposful pause to redirect and remember what Easter is all about… True Love… Rescue… Jesus. Here are a few books we love to read together around Easter time. We know you and your children will enjoy them, as well. For the Littles: We love JellyTelly and What’s in the Bible with Buck Denver. This little book sums up Easter in their charming puppety…

  • Together Time Video and Bookmark

    Still worried about Together Time? Take it easy Mama. The only way you can mess it up is by taking it too seriously! Take a breath. The one thing that makes homeschooling HOME schooling is… you! So, be you. Invite your children to join you on the journey. Here’s a bookmark freebie to encourage you along the way. And here’s a rambling video of me, being me, discussing Together Time. Together Time On! Catch you next time. 🙂

  • Checklist for Together Time

    Also Known as Morning Basket Time: Together Time is the creamy center of our homeschooling day. It’s the time we learn together, discuss together, and delight together. If no other formal instruction happens, for the day, together time keeps us on track and focused as a family. So, how do we run our Together Time? We keep it simple with the following few steps. 1- Start with the Spirit Bible and/or Devotions come first. They don’t have to include a craft or an object lesson. God’s word is truly all you need. The ultimate open and go curriculum. We’re working through the 90 days through the New Testament Challenge at…