Finding Splendor in the Ordinary
Each year, this delightful chapter book finds its way to our March Feast Table in honor of good St. Joseph. This narrative makes a great read aloud and illuminates a remarkable saint! One of the beautiful titles we give Our Blessed Lady is “Gate of Heaven.” So naturally the “Keeper of the Gate” is her faithful protector, St. Joseph. Originally… Read More
I’ve been working through so many fantastic home projects the last few months. Organizing spaces. Tidying and sorting and putting things in places. It’s been good in so many ways, but mostly because it helps me sift out the useful and beautiful from the superfluous. I find renewed peace and beauty in these “sifted spaces” and naturally there is the… Read More
Here we go – rolling right out of holiday time and into what is, for most homeschoolers, the month of uncertainty, hesitation, self-questioning (in which we are tempted to define our homeschooling efforts thus far as a failure). That means…it’s almost February. There is just something about this time of year! With half a school year behind us we examine and… Read More
Hello friends! I hope y’all had a fruitful Advent and are enjoying the Christmas season! Our Christmas was wonderful – full of family and celebrating the Divine Infant’s Nativity, and this Christmas was our last Christmas with our oldest daughter at home! She gets married this May – we’re just a few months away and it’s a flurry of planning activity here!… Read More
The 2016 Preparing Heart and Home Booklet is AVAILABLE for you to download and print! Just click the image above to download – or click here. Wondering what this FREE Advent booklet contains… The rich liturgical history of the season of Advent. A week by week planner which contains a daily listing of the liturgical feasts and customs appropriate to that day. Each… Read More
With the upcoming canonization of Blessed Mother Teresa on September 4, 2016, I wanted to share a bit about how this Saint has provided influence in my own life. This article was originally published in 2009 in mater et magistra magazine. It is republished here with slight editing to update. The vocation of home education is beautiful, but like all… Read More
I am going to make an attempt here. To be pithy. Succinct. Abbreviated. One picture. One idea. LOL! I’m not sure I’m capable of limiting my vocabulary in this way. >>>Just.Not.Sure.I.Can.Limit<<< But, I’m seriously going to try. I finished my Year 3 and Year 6 booklists, term plans, and weekly plans! Happy dance!!! After getting all of the paper… Read More
What’s happening behind the blog? I’m deep into planning here – books, papers, laptop, printer, pens – how about you? How is your planning coming? We found a bumble bee. Perished. On the driveway near the crepe myrtle. We love bumble bees. And so… Bumbletree at Apple Tree Lane Erin Condren Life Planner in action – read more here – coupon… Read More
Happy Summertide everyone! It’s been a full few weeks for me and thus…a lot quieter in my digital spaces. This morning, I thought I’d take a minute to pop in and visit for a few minutes and share a glimpse of my days lately! You can catch up with me over at iheartplanners.com today – Walk Your Plans from Paper to… Read More
Edited to add a link to the most up-to-date review of the 2017-2018 Life Planners launching May 4, 2017 – check out my latest review with photos here! I’m really excited to share with you this {extremely photo-heavy} review of the 2017 Erin Condren Life Planners…and I even added a video at the bottom, too! If you’re reading this because… Read More
It’s conference time – and I’m getting excited about speaking! I’d love to see you in June if you’re in Kansas City, and in July if you’re in Grand Rapids for the Grace Gathering conference! This year I’m giving the following talks: Rebuilding Culture by Doing the Next Thing (KC) (GR) The Morning Basket: Ageless & Inspiring (KC) (GR) Planning: For the Home… Read More
Our parish was blessed to host a Celebration of Life baby shower for six moms who were expecting a new little one, or who just had a baby. These baby showers are a delight to attend and support because being a mom these days is hard work. And not popular. And what about being a Catholic mom that is open to… Read More
I was so excited when I was invited to be a guest blogger on Erin Condren’s blog! Pop on over to check it out! And, you might be interested in knowing about the huge sale going on over there right now – Teacher Planners, acrylic clipboards, trays and boxes! Those floral acrylic tray inserts are gorgeous!! And the new Life… Read More
This post is a continuation of my planning series follow-ups – these questions come directly from you! They’re the planning questions you asked after Mystie, Dawn and I shared in our planning chats. By the way, you can still click over and view the planning chats if you haven’t seen them yet! They were so much fun and we shared our different styles… Read More
Last week, I posted a snapshot of my clipboards on my instagram account. Just a crazy, simple shot to encourage you to make your walls work for you by hanging a few clipboards around! And I was amazed at your responses and interest! You LOVE those crazy clipboards and you asked me to share more about them – so…here you go!… Read More
I’ve been freshening up around here – we’re on the last term of the year. You know that feeling you get as you prep the last term of the year, right? That I-can-see-the-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel feeling? Yep, that one! Each term I sit down with my master notebook open and spend some time making notes to myself on each child – a child’s challenges,… Read More
If you’ve been a long time reader here, you may remember this post from six years ago – Boy Meets Machine. My then-10-year-old was enamored with a course I built around a fantastic book, The Way Things Work by David Macauley. The book naturally connected itself with some interesting hands-on Physics based explorations and some other fun reading that animated… Read More
Let’s start tackling some of those planning questions you asked after Mystie, Dawn and I shared in our planning chats. By the way, you can still click over and view the planning chats if you haven’t seen them yet! They were so much fun and we shared our different styles and strategies with you! The full index of planning follow-up… Read More
When Lis wrote and asked if I’d support her new effort to share and connect Catholic blogs at Catholic Mommy Blogs, I said, “Absolutely!” She interviewed me this week and we talked planning, and organizing, and faith and homeschooling! Click on over and read it here! Be sure to follow Catholic Mommy Blogs and check them out on facebook! Lis… Read More
The early years! It’s a time of sweetness and exploration…and also a time of interrupting and willfulness! LOL! You know what I’m talking about don’t you? I’m always on the lookout for a new Montessori resource for my littles. I like setting out small activities for toddlers and preschoolers – it’s good for them and often, it allows me a few… Read More
Edited: This post was edited February 16, 2018 to reflect current links and dates for Lent 2018. Another Lent begins! Ash Wednesday marks the start of 40 days of Lent as we work toward spiritual growth and encourage that growth in our children. It is described in different ways – a holy quarantine, a long retreat, an “acceptable time” of holy joy,… Read More
How is your Morning Basket going? A friend asked me: “How can I plan a Morning Basket? I’m not sure what to include – my kids are young and I’m overwhelmed looking around at all the plans and ideas.” Let’s see if I can offer a few ideas for Morning Basket that might simplify the process if you’re trying to… Read More
I don’t know about you, but this time of year, it’s hard to get enthusiastic about nature study. And lately, I’m losing my own momentum in that area. So, when I started planning our Term 2 Morning Basket, I wanted to brainstorm a simple way to recharge wonder in this area! It had to be simple – I don’t have room… Read More
I just wanted to give you an official invitation to check out my new site! Just click on over if you’re reading via email or reader and let me know what you think! {The site isn’t perfect in terms of design, but it’s definitely good enough to give me a running start!} I was starting to outgrow my space {and capabilities}… Read More
