I recently put together a beginner’s guide to homeschooling, and this is a follow up of sorts to that e-mail. If you have any questions, leave me a comment or email me at emilyaanderson@icloud.com

Here are some curriculum and other items that our family has found beneficial in our homeschool journey. This is definitely not an exhaustive list, but I tried to include the most commonly used ones for those in the early planning stages.

*Many of the links below are affiliate links. That means I will receive a small percentage of purchases made through them.*

Reading:

All About Reading: – My absolute favorite reading curriculum. I’m currently using this reading program for the 5th time. I first found it when I had.a reader struggling with vision issues, but it has worked just as well for all the other kids too. I don’ know a single person who has tried this curriculum and switched away from it.
It is an “open and go” curriculum, meaning low/no prep work for the teacher.

They also have added these ABC craft books, which were a big hit last year with my pre-K kiddo. Again, open and go – all the pieces needed for each craft are on the page, ready to be cut out and glued together.
ABC Letter Crafts (Uppercase)
ABC Letter Crafts (Lowercase)

AmblesideOnline:

Ambleside is a very literature-heavy, Charlotte Mason approach to homeschooling.

With Klein, I did a “year 0” Ambleside Online schedule. Ambleside is a very literature heavy, Charlotte Mason approach. They don’t officially have a year 0, but I found a schedule another mom had put together, and WE LOVED IT. Unfortunately I can’t find the actual schedule I used right now. 😫  It was basically just a list of read aloud books that cover a variety of subjects and topics, mostly classic children’s literature. I’ll be doing it again with the younger girls!

Math:

I use 2 companies for math. Whichever one I use depends on the kid, our workload in other subjects that year, and honestly my mood. However, I ALWAYS start with Abeka level 1 for math. The first several weeks are reviewing kindergarten level skills, so if I have a kid that needs more of that, we just slow down until they have it mastered. Most of mine have been just fine diving into level 1 math though at kindergarten age. We then just go at their pace. The one time I started with a different curriculum, I regretted it. 

The other company I love for math is Masterbooks. I have used their elementary Math for a Living Education, Principles of Mathematics, and Elementary Algebra programs.

Other stuff we have enjoyed:

Favorite art YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@artforkidshub

Easy Peasy All in One: https://allinonehomeschool.com/
This is a free, online curriculum. We have used it here and there over the years for different subjects or reviewing skills. 

BrainQuest: 
We have used the flash cards for the little ones. They all love them. I’ve also gotten the workbooks for preschool years and summer review.

Saxon Math Manipulatives Kit 
We have used this over and over for YEARS. I bought mine about 10 years ago, and it has been well worth the price.

Fraction Manipulatives: 

Artist Book Series

Ant Farm

Do a Dot Markers A Favorite around here. We have multiple sets.

Do a Dot Activity book

Signing Time: 
My kids have learned so much more than just sign language from their products. They also have a science program – Rachel & the Treeschoolers & have free activity guides that go with each episode.

Song School Latin

Free-art box: I got a medium-sized clear tote and put all kinds of art supplies in it – scissors, pipe cleaners, paper, stencils, stickers, a hole punch, scrapbook paper, popsicle sticks, googly eyes, etc. When we get it out, they can use as much or as little as they want, however they want. (I do require it to stay at the table. Lol)

At least three Sundays in a row now, someone has asked me how we get ready and to church on time each week. Each time I jokingly answered with, “We started last night!” but it’s also the truth! Now, let me preface this by saying perfection isn’t possible. Sometimes, yes, things go completely as planned. However, all the planning and prep in the world won’t eliminate every single toddler meltdown, spilled breakfast plate, or broken sandal. Or prevent the pig from getting into the laundry room and spilling the chicken feed and eating the dog food. (No, I didn’t make that scenario up.)

Stuff happens.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way…
There are a few things I’ve put into practice over the years to help us get out the door on time, and get our church day going smoother.

This article contains affiliate links.

1. Start the night before.
   Choosing and laying out clothes the night before makes a big difference in our mornings. Be sure socks, shoes, hair bows, and other details are not overlooked. I like to have the kids also gather their bibles and put them on a bookshelf in our living room. This step gives me the overnight hours to wash a load of clothes when one (or several) kids suddenly realize all their pants are still dirty, in a pile behind their bedroom door, instead of in their closet.
   
2. Make breakfast easy.
   Prepping for Sunday breakfast will look different for every home and budget. In one season, we stopped at McDonald’s every Sunday morning for sausage and biscuits. (I’m honestly glad that’s over. Pretty sure my kids are too.) These days, I plan ahead and buy frozen ones. Things I take into consideration when making our breakfast plan include budget, time, and probably the most important one to me – mess potential. Cereal? Nope. Too much spilled milk. Donuts shop burritos? Too expensive. Muffins – way too much time required, and I have to make a million of them to feed my crew a single morning. A box of frozen biscuit sandwiches from Sam’s? Yes please!
   
3. Pack the diaper bag.
   When I had multiple little ones in separate nurseries/Sunday school classes, this became even more important. In some seasons I’ve had a designated Sunday diaper bag that was labeled with their name. I kept the Sunday bag packed with an extra set of dress clothes. For a few years now, I’ve used my favorite Itzy Ritzy bag all week, but taking a few minutes to make sure it’s packed with all we need the night before saves one more step in the morning.
   
4. Set an alarm. A realistic one. Do the backwards math.
   Yes, it’s terrible setting an alarm for Sundays. Yes, it is necessary. I am blessed with a husband who is a naturally early riser. He will make sure I’m up and out of bed every Sunday. However, his idea of the time needed and my idea of the time needed are not the same.
   
5. Set a reasonable bed time.
   For the kids AND adults.
   Again, this one isn’t fun, but it makes a difference in how the morning goes.
   
   These things make a big difference in how and when we get out the door on Sunday mornings. Do I sit and sip coffee, stress free, while everyone gets ready? Ha! Definitely not. These steps and preparations do make less work and stress for me in the hours before we walk out the door though.
   

It’s been a long time since I’ve shared much about our family’s journey in the linework world. It’s just our normal, and I’ve become pretty accustomed to the constant changes that it brings. I forget that there are so many other young couples and families starting out in the business every day. With the recent devestation along the gulf coast from Hurricane Ida, the linewife groups online have been flooded with newbies. For many of them, this is their first experience with a major storm. If this is you, I’ve got some tips to help pass the time, worry a little less, and know what to expect.

The plan will change. Then change again. Over and over. (Insert “PIVOT” joke here.)My rule of thumb: “Believe where he’s going when he’s checked into a hotel room. Believe he’s coming home when he walks in the back door.” Even the hotel part is debatable, as sometimes they overbook or mix things up. Also, after most storms, the first few days are spent sitting and waiting. It takes time for the damages to be assessed, jobs organized, and assignments given.

He will be uncomfortable. It sucks. It’s part of the job/situation though. They know that going into it. It’s temporary. There will be long hours. There will be less than desirable food, maybe even no food outside of what they brought with them for a while. Sometimes they have regular hotel rooms. Sometimes they have rooms with no AC. Sometimes they are in “man camps” or even sleeping in their trucks. It doesn’t always mean they work for a terrible company or someone wasn’t doing their job. These towns have been ravaged by a natural disaster. Many local residents have been displaced, and now there are thousands more people pouring into the area to try to restore things as quickly as possible. That creates a logistical nightmare. The powerline companies and utilities are doing their best to find the resources to care for their workers.

Be very cautious about what you post on social media. This is a big one. Customers are watching. Companies are watching. Like it or not, as his spouse, girlfriend, etc. you also represent their company.

Protect your mental health. If you can’t laugh at the ridiculousness, do NOT read the comments on social media. If it’s going to make you angry or anxious, don’t even look.

You probably will not hear from him very much. Phone service may be down or congested. They will also be working extra long hours. Communicate that you would like a “good morning” and an “I’m going to bed,” text if possible, so that you don’t worry. Outside of that, just try to be patient. Another options is to utilize apps for location sharing to ease the worries on both sides.

Find something to do. Seriously. Buy a new book. Start a new Netflix show. Learn a new hobby. Paint your bathroom. Find. Something. To. Do. It will not be good for you or him for you to be sitting around bored and anxious.

Be supportive. Now is not the time to pick fights or get your feelings hurt over silly stuff. Do not be a drama mama.

Dread bedtime? Make it your time. Many linewives will tell you that as much as they love having their husband home at night, this is also a big perk to storm calls. Get the kids in bed, grab a snack and a book or tv show. Guess what – you don’t have to share and you get to pick the show!

Find community. This one is so important. It can be really exhausting answering the same questions over and over, trying to explain to others all the things you worry about or the problems you are facing while holding down the fort at home, knowing they don’t fully understand. Reach out to the wives of his co-workers if you can. Join a group on Facebook. Reach out to the other women that understand this crazy life. We are here for you. <3

That mom who does it all, on her own – she would rather not.

It wasn’t an intentional choice she made to be the mom juggling all the plates with no help. She just had no help, so she learned how to do it by herself. Her husband has always been her only teammate, and he has a full time job that’s more demanding than many understand. They’re a tiny tribe of 2, raising their kids without a “village.” It’s not a big deal anymore because it’s just life.

But sometimes it is.

Some of the moments she wishes for a “village”…

If a kid gets sick, they all cram into the tiny doctor’s office, or they all go to the store to get whatever is needed. She apologizes to her toddler, over and over, praying he doesn’t throw up before they can get out of the store, or in the car. Again.

When she’s sick, the only rest she gets is between 6 pm and 5:30 am when her husband is home. There’s still meals to be cooked and toddlers to supervise.

When well-meaning people go on and on about how important it is to have a “real date night” with a babysitter and fun outside the house. Actually, in those moments she’s just praying her eyeballs don’t roll back in her head like they so badly want to. She’s been happily married long enough to determine that’s a lie.

Maybe their extended family lives far away. Maybe they have no family. Maybe their family isn’t healthy to be around for one reason or another. Possibly their own parents walked out of their lives when they chose to have more than 3 children. (Sadly that happens more often than you might think.)

That mama with the well-stocked freezer didn’t learn to make freezer meals and batch cook because it seemed fun. It saved her sanity (and her physical health) when she had a toddler and a newborn, her husband was working 80 hours each week, and there was no one to bring them meals in those early days.

That mom with the pack of well behaved kids in the grocery store? They aren’t well-behaved because they’re perfect. She’s not “brave.” They have all been doing the weekly shopping with their mother since they were each 2 weeks old. She’s put a lot of time and effort into teaching and training each child how to behave and stay safe in that situation. She didn’t have another option. Now it’s just part of the routine.

That mama who refuses to volunteer in your daughter’s second grade classroom- maybe you will understand when she shows up to every field trip with a baby strapped to her back, pushing twin three year olds in a stroller. And maybe you won’t. That’s okay too. She isn’t looking for anyone’s approval. (If you would offer to sit with the older kids while she changed the baby’s diaper, she would be very grateful though.)

That mom that doesn’t join a small group at church probably isn’t super shy (or a snob). She doesn’t have someone to watch her kids for two hours on a Thursday night. Or a Monday night. Or any night.

All the moms out there doing all their mama stuff without help aren’t supermoms. Lots of days they’re just surviving moms. They still have piles of laundry to fold and floors that desperately need to be washed. They don’t have it all together. Sometimes they’re lonely moms. Really, they’re mostly just praying moms.

It’s not that they don’t need help. They have no help. There’s a difference. Some moms just don’t have a village. And instead of whining and having a pity party (because they’ve already tried that before), they pray, they get up, and they get stronger.

It’s just what we do.

Sometimes my husband tells people that I’m, “a little bit hippy.” It’s true. I have some “crunchy” ways. Growing up I don’t think I ever imagined I’d do some of the things I do now. I love trying and learning new things though! Sometimes the old way really is the best way. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I knew dandelions had long been used for medicinal purposes, but I’ve enjoyed learning more about the different uses of the plant. One of those uses is as a jelly. I love jelly. (Doesn’t everyone?) Everything I read said dandelion jelly had a similar taste and consistency to honey (which we use a LOT of), so I started researching recipes as soon as the first buds popped up in our yard this year. I wanted to try it last year, but I waited too late in the summer and wasn’t able to find enough flowers. That was disappointing, but I was determined to be better prepared this year. This year the kids and I finally got our chance, and we made our first batch of dandelion jelly! It was a fun experience, and was surprisingly easy. This is definitely a project we will repeat.

(This article contains affiliate links. Ordering through these links will not change your pricing, but I will receive a small percentage.)

Ingredients

• 3 cups packed dandelion blossoms (We used fresh, but I’ve been told that if you don’t have enough, you can freeze them until you are able to pick more.)
• 4 cups water
• 1 1/2 – 2 boxes of powdered pectin (I used 1 1/2)
• 4 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice

Several recipes I found called for food coloring to give it a pretty yellow hue, but we try very hard to avoid artificial dyes, so I left that out of ours. The jelly didn’t end up green at all like some people said it would, but it isn’t a super bright yellow either.

It’s a pretty simple process, just a bit time consuming. When you take that first bite of a warm, homemade biscuit with your very own dandelion jelly spread on it, you’ll be glad you took the time to try this out.

When harvesting dandelions, be sure to pick from areas that aren’t treated with chemicals or near heavily traveled roadways. You don’t want all that yucky stuff in your food.

The How-To

1. Pull the yellow blossoms out of the green leaves that hold them together. I found the best way to do this was to use my thumb fingernail to split the leaves and rake the petals off. Be sure to remove as much of the green at the bottom of the petals as possible and pick out leaves that fall in. The green is bitter, not exactly what you’re going for when making jelly.
2. In a saucepan, boil 4 cups of water. Add half the blossom, and stir until it is boiling. Turn off the water, cover, and let steep for 20 minutes.
3. Use a mesh strainer to strain out the blossoms. Gently push on the petals to remove excess water.
4. Add the dandelion water back to your saucepan and bring to a boil again and then add the rest of the blossoms. Cover and steep again for about 15 minutes.
5. Again, strain out the dandelion blossoms, gently pushing on them to remove the extra water.
6. Measure out 3 cups of the steeping water. Add sugar, pectin and lemon juice. Bring this mixture to a boil, stirring it until the sugar dissolves.
7. Boil for 1 minute.
8. Skim off the foam.

Ta-da! You have dandelion jelly!

Then pour the mixture into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. You can then store in the fridge or process by the instructions of your canner manufacturer. I actually chose to freeze some of mine, and we will see how that turns out.

It’s no secret that we love books around here.

There’s at least one book on every flat surface in our house. However, after I’ve read the same books 4,700 times, I’m ready to add a new one into rotation, and some of my kids are too.

*The products mentioned in this post were provided free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.* Some links in this post are affiliate links. Ordering through them will not affect your pricing, but it will provide income for me.*

This month, Bookroo saved me there. New books – without having to search through the internet and 100 reviews or having to chase a toddler through the library while simultaneously scanning books to approve them for my 8 and 6 year olds and telling the 5 year old she cannot check out the Dora dvd AGAIN? Yes please!

Boxes of books showed up at my door, wrapped in pretty paper (Every book is gift wrapped. Yes, I’m serious. How sweet is that?), and ready to be enjoyed. The best part? They now offer subscribers three reading levels to pick from! Board books for our youngest book lovers, picture books for the whole family to enjoy, and now (in beta testing) junior boxes with chapter books for ages 7-10! The junior box seriously made my 8 year old’s day. He’s an avid reader and I struggle to keep up with him. Bless him, that sweet boy has been re-reading every chapter book in our house over and over for the last two months because I just was not up to a library trip with a toddler and a newborn. The junior boxes would also be great for family read aloud books. (Don’t be afraid to introduce chapter books to younger, non-reader kids!) That’s exciting to this homeschool mom.

It never gets old seeing him devour a new book. I was happy with the books selected for this box too. I’m a bit picky on the books I allow, and these both seem to be age- appropriate and well written, which seem to be a bit harder to find a lot of these days.

My girls were no less thrilled than their older brother about getting new books (and how sweet are they in those matching Christmas jammies?).

With a new baby in the house, there’s been plenty of time for snuggling on the couch to read stories the last several weeks, and the two included in this month’s Bookroo box were great additions to our collection of storybooks. With every box I’ve seen from Bookroo, I’ve been very impressed by the books selected. Each one has been fun to read (not dragging on forever, leaving me trying to skip pages lol) with great illustrations.

Last, but absolutely not least, is the board book box. I have a weakness for board books, and oh my, these are precious.

I expected my little guy to love them, but his older sisters were just as excited about the books we received in the board books box. I had multiple requests to read Our Love Grows right away. We read it three times in a row. 🙂

If you want to make sure the kids you love have fun books under the tree (and in the mailbox each month!), there’s still time! Order by Monday, Dec 18 for delivery by Christmas!

Prices range from $15.99-$24.99 and plan options include monthly, 3, 6, and 12 month subscriptions. Junior boxes are available on a 2 month subscription plan.

Check out Bookroo.com for more information.

Need to end your week with a laugh? How about I tell you a story?

  

I woke up at 5:15ish. My hips were hurting sooo bad from sleeping in one position too long, I could barely walk. Apparently this happens when your pregnant belly prevents you from turning over while sleeping. Things people don’t tell you before kids… I made my way to the couch for a little rest, knowing a child or two would be up in 45 minutes. Or less.

A whirlwind of chores, kids, changing diapers, work emails, breakfast, and walking the dog began shortly.

At 11ish, I finally got in the shower. My eldest sweetheart got out a snack for himself and his siblings. I listened through the bathroom door as he prayed before they ate. Oh what a wonderful day it was turning out to be…A few minutes later the middle two sweethearts of mine decided to launch Cheez-its around the table and at their older brother.” Oh well. At least they all prayed together first.”

While I was getting dressed, I heard them all loudly wrestling, so I peeked out to make sure they were playing and not fighting. At the same time, my oldest ran to the door and OPENED IT (Yes, we’ve had talks on that.) for our mail lady to drop off a package. I’m praying she couldn’t see my pantsless lower half around the corner. 😳🙈

After my shower I began preparations to leave the house. I HAD to go to the dollar store. We were out of disposable diapers (that I needed for packing hospital bags for the kids for when baby brother arrives), laundry detergent, and down to my last few cloth diapers. Not a good combination.

Chaos ensued. I fought to get everyone dressed and fed another snack. No real lunch was eaten. By 2:00 we were finally presentable and ready to leave the house. I told the boys, “Do NOT go to the car yet.” They did it anyway. I went out after them to unlock it and put the baby in. I stepped back out on my ankle wrong. Little sister came out of the house behind me, one of her shoes fell off in the yard, and in all the distractions I shut the wooden door to the house without checking the deadbolt. It was locked. The boys never unlatch it correctly – the whole reason I tell them not to leave the house before me. 😳😣 It is very old and has no key.
“I’ll deal with that later…”
We went to the store. I had a list. I made the list in the store parking lot before we got out of the car, but nevertheless it was a list and had the necessary items on it. We got to the checkout, paid for our stuff, and the girl hit a wrong button which messed up my payment. She had to refund the whole thing and redo it all. At that point I’m laughing. Really, what else?

Went to sonic for a 3:00 “lunch”. 😂 Grilled cheese sandwiches were 50 cents, but of course no one other than the baby wanted one. “Hot dog, corn dog, and chicken it is then…”

I realized I forgot to buy diapers. Yay.

We went back home and broke into the house. Mind you, I had just consumed a lot of fluid, so I was doing the pregnant lady potty dance at this point. On my front porch. While attempting to unlock an old door that we rarely use. For a second, I actually wondered if the key I had even went to that particular door. It did. Thank goodness. Then I remembered our 90-100 lbs. puppy was in his crate. Right in front of that door. Thankfully his crate was also sitting on the door mat. Between moving it a bit and moving the small table next to the door, I was able to squeeze my extra large belly into the house and make a run for the bathroom, yelling instructions about opening the other door to the 6 year old on my way.

I unloaded everyone and everything from the car. Then I slammed the van door into my kneecap.

My concerned husband called to make sure we got back in the house. As I was talking to him, the littlest got upstairs, Sissy had a potty accident upstairs, and the dog was whining to go out. “Yes, we made it in. I’ve been a bit too busy to let you know.”

I took care of all that, loaded the kids back up and took the boys to choir practice. I came home for a bit and started a movie with my girls. Ahhhh relaxation. A whole 45 minutes of it. Then I loaded the girls back up to go get the boys, and my husband’s bucket truck pulled in the driveway just as I was buckling car seats. He went with us, and afterwards we picked up our extra van seat from storage, came home, unloaded, walked the dog, started to make snacks for the kids, and my husband’s phone rang. Back to work…

That, my friends, is The Story of Wednesday. I wish I could say it was a work of fiction.