There's something about fall that has always filled me with a beautiful sadness. I used to think it was merely because summer was closing and a bleak winter awaited, but as I've gotten older, I've begun to see it differently. 
 
Fall is beautiful because the world we know catches fire with brilliant colors, orchestrated as only a Master Artist could. No two trees dressed the same, the ground sprinkled with the soft crunch of fall.
 
But the beauty slowly fades to the cold grey hues of November, the soft sunlight sets too soon with little chance to enjoy it. 
 
But as are the seasons in nature so are the seasons of life. Humanity blooms, changes, and softly fades like the leaves of the trees. We need seasons of rest to produce great harvest. The womb always lays barren before birth. 

Rest has never been my companion. It always sits too close to it's cousin, idleness. I simply have too many passions, projects, and goals to rest. But I've cone to realize that I won't be able to accomplish any without ensuring my own rest. I've been spread about, much too thin, and end up doing a thousand things but none of them well. 
 
I love to write, but having to constantly write for clients and as a contractual obligation has diluted my content and pulled me away from larger projects that need more of my attention. 
Having my vision stretched across multiple fields has diluted my ability to zero in and focus on where I want to grow to, so, I hope you'll walk with me into fall, friends. Some changes will be coming to this site- and the two others I run will be taken down. I'm not certain how fall will look around here, but I can promise that more magazine articles are slated to run in 2020, life updates will make there way to the blog, Instagram will continue as normal- and there might just be some new sewing projects appearing up here as I change my pace. 

​You know what's funny? 
 
People. 
All of us. 
 
We look at situations and we start trying to solve problems and make assumptions about why something happened and what God's plan is. 
 
Case and point: Job and his three friends. 
 
Job's life crumbles and his friends have all of the answers but limited perspective.
 
Then, there are Lazarus's friends. Jesus shows up "late" and weeps at the death of Lazarus. And his friends watch from the side and grumble, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?" John 11:37.
 
Observations without faith are rarely helpful. In fact, they're carnal and enforce our fear, doubt, and personal weakness. 
 
But, they don't impact God- just our ability to see His full nature. While everyone mourned the death of Lazarus, even Jesus, God's plan was unshaken. 
 
Then, the bizarre happens. Jesus wants to open up the tomb. Martha reminds Jesus that it will smell, and that will likely horrify all of the funeral guests...
 
But Jesus responds, "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?" Jhn 11:40.
 
"Did I not tell you..." I can think of a long line of lists in my own life, those promises of God that seem so unreachable that you forget to believe. 
 
The good news is, God is outside of our limited perspective of time. He holds the beginning and the end in his hands. When he gives you a promise, it's coming from someone who's seen the end and knows your victory.
 
Roll back the stone from the tomb of your dreams and let the light of the Son shine on it today! Take a deep breath and believe!
 
 

Easy Grammar Systems were created by Dr. Wanda Phillips after she realized that many students had significant gaps in their knowledge of grammar. Upon further investigation, Dr. Phillips realized that many of these gaps could be blamed on concept isolation, meaning a concept was taught once and never discussed again causing students to easily forget what they had learned. I feel like my own grammar education was exactly as Dr. Phillips described. It wasn’t until I reached college that I was forced to grasp more grammatical concepts, or my grade would pay the price. I wanted to lay a better grammatical foundation for my kids, so we were excited to check out Easy Grammar:  Grade 1 and start learning!
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Though my son is technically in 2nd grade, we worked through Easy Grammar:  Grade 1 book because I really wasn't sure how much grammar was learned in the previous year. We had spent much of our schooling time on phonics with our English program and I felt like the grammar foundation hadn't been properly established. For this review, we received a copy of the Easy Grammar:  Grade 1 Teachers Edition, which included daily teaching tips as well as the worksheet pages for students to fill out towards the back of the book.

Easy Grammar: Grade 1 does an incredible job at laying a solid grammatical foundation. Concepts are introduced in their most basic form, expanded on and applied on an ongoing basis. 1st grade started with capitalizing the correct letters. First, students capitalize the first letter of a sentence, a few days later the capitalize names, and then proper nouns as their learning develops and expands. My son would occasionally ask if we'd already done this lesson, and I’d explain that we were practicing and expanding learning which is so foundational in elementary education.

Besides capitalizations, Easy Grammar: Grade 1 covers abbreviation, punctuation, apostrophe, colons for time, comma usage, hyphens for numbers, quotation marks, underlining, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, difficult words, double negatives, nouns, prepositions, and pronouns. Once a concept is introduced, it'll appear multiple times throughout the book to lead children towards mastery.
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My favorite part of using the Easy Grammar Systems was that it was quick and easy to implement into our homeschool schedule. We would start each school day with the day’s exercise and my son only spent about 5 minutes working on the page. After the first week, he had really grasped the program and knew exactly what to expect from each lesson and I’m confident that when this program is used consistently, it will yield tangible grammar improvements. I would highly recommend it to homeschooling families who are looking to get intentional about studying grammar, and traditionally schooled students who want to improve! After using this with my son, I was thinking I could really use a grammar review- and  was thrilled to see that the Easy Grammar Systems even offers an Easy Grammar Plus version for students through adults! 

Different members of the Homeschool Review Crew checked out different programs that are offered by Easy Grammar- so be sure to check out their reviews below! 

My grandfather was dropped off at a police on Christmas Eve of 1922 and never saw his mother again. The story has stuck with me for my entire life. As a kid, I couldn't imagine never seeing my mom again, and as a mom, I cannot imagine parting with my children. The extenuating circumstances must have been extreme, but they're remained a mystery nearly 100 years later. What we do know is that my great grandmother ended up at Central Islip State Hospital, and presumably died there, though no death certificate has been located. 

I've been trying to dig and uncover a bit more of the mystery- which sent me looking for her hospital records from Central Islip State Hospital. The hospital was originally opened in 1889 under the name New York City Farm for the Insane, and later became Pilgrim Psychiatric Center, which is still in operation today. 

​    Reading Eggs has become a staple program in the homes of many homeschoolers and traditionally schooled students alike. The online program offers an array of engaging lessons that feel like games- and even include access to an online library!  We started using it in 2017, and have continued to enjoy it as a supplement to our English and Math programs. Recently, Reading Eggs launched a line of workbooks which complements their online program so we were thrilled to check out 200 Essential Reading Skills for Second Grade!

     200 Essential Reading Skills for Second Grade is a 36 week program and each lesson is designed to take about 15 minutes. The lessons include an easy to follow format which targets comprehension, spelling, and grammar. Each lesson is one page long (which my son loved!), and every 9th week is a review week to reinforce the skills learned.

     The second grade program helps deepens children’s reading comprehension by helping them identify main ideas, make inferences, compare and contrast, visualize, make connections, predictions and study words. The grammar section focuses on parts of speech which are relevant to second grade like proper nouns, adjectives, action verbs, and tenses.  The spelling sections cover the diagraphs: ar, or, qu, oo,wh, ea, ee, ai, Suffixes: s, es, y, ey, ing, ed, er, est, ly, dge, ge, ful, less, ar, or, ment and ness. And prefixes: scr, spr, str, un, as well as exceptions, tricky words, homophones, and irregular past tense verbs. All this information is neatly presented to you in the year- long planner, which makes organizing a breeze.  

​     Teachers and students who are interested in the Reading Eggs Workbooks don’t need an online subscription and never need to touch a computer; the workbooks can stand alone. However, there are notations in the upper right hand corner which point to books from the Reading Eggs library if students are interested in reading the entire book which is used in the lesson.  Currently, Reading Eggs is offering a 4 week free trial to Crew Review Readers, which you can unlock here. 

     Though our family uses Reading Eggs fairly regularly, my son had not used Reading Eggspress, which is suitable for 2nd grade. He stopped online lessons after completing the first Reading Eggs program for ages 5-7. Because we hadn't unlocked Reading Eggspress, I was unsure of how the workbook could be used in conjuction with the online program without completing some 50 lessons to unlock grade 2 on our account. Turns out it is INCREDIBLY easy- all you have to do is edit the program level on your family dashboard and then you can match the workbook lessons to the online program! This is perfect for families who might want to limit screen time, but have the option of online learning for extra practice!

     Ultimately, we love the ease of the workbook. The lessons are simple and frustration-free. Concepts are introduced; different practice questions are presented and then elaborated upon to reinforce learning. I love that this is program has the optional online component for extra practice. I also really liked that I didn't need to purchase a "teachers manual," as all of the answers were neatly located in the back of the book!  I would highly recommend the Reading Eggs Workbooks to homeschooling families who are looking to simplify their English lessons with a proven and engaging program! 

​Memebers of the Review Crew checked out different levels of the Reading Eggs Workbooks, be sure to check out there thoughts on the program below!

We are embarking on our 3rd homeschool year. If I'm being honest with myself, the idea of starting this year has filled me with dread. When I think back to before my oldest officially started school, I would spend hours on Pinterest looking at teaching ideas and activities. When we started kindergarten, I was thrilled to watch him excel. Last year, we introduced a new baby and lots of new curricula and homeschooling changed from exciting to a burden.
 
I thought I'd send my older two to public school this year, put my smaller two in day care and get a "real job"- you know, one that actually pays you for what you do, but I had a last minute change of heart after my kids repeatedly asked to be homeschooled and Jesus promised He'd fill me with His supernatural grace.
 
99% of my homeschooling struggle has been from contradiction within myself. I want to be a flexible un-schooler who goes with the flow, but I need the structure of a curriculum. Once I get the curriculum, I go overboard and can't add in any of that flexi-unschooler that I envy. The result is a stressed mom who feels like she's not doing it "right."
 
The second contradiction I face comes from trying to juggle too many things at once. I feel the need to constantly do more- work from home, write books, go back to school, build my publishing business. I'm not content just wearing the title of "mom." Call it a response to societal pressure or financial pressure, but I want my kids to see me working hard and pushing towards my goals. I just have to find a way to walk it out without losing my peace and getting frustrated.
 
Much of my decision to continue on this journey of homeschooling stems from the idea of imprinting. Remember the movie "Fly Away Home"? I loved that when I was a kid! The little girl finds baby geese and they see her and think that she's their mother. Even though she's not, the girl eventually teaches the geese to fly. I feel firmly that for my children to fly successfully in the world, I want them to have a solid foundation that's not impacted by pressure of peers or the influence of a teacher which may or may not be great. 
 
When I was in second grade, I had my favorite teacher and my reading and spelling began to improve- it was one of my fondest grade school memories. But, that's not always the case and these years are too precious to leave up to the chance of having a teacher that you click with and meeting good friends. And, not a day goes by that I don't think of how our neighbors put their children on a bus and never saw them again. Too much chance.
 
We're jumping into our books and programs, and it has gone much more smoothly than I thought. But, I hope that this year my kids learn the importance of starting their day in worship, the joy of getting lost in a good story, the power of words and the Word who became flesh, lessons from the past and how it relates to His story, and the wonder of creation.
 
... if we cover that, then I guess we'll be doing alright.
 
How has your year started out? What motivates you to continue onward when you're exhausted? I'd love to hear about it in the comment section!

     STEM has become a huge catchphrase in the education and toy market during the last few years. Abounding resources have been created to help children grow in STEM fields, but just what does that mean and why is it so important to include products and curricula rich in STEM education in our homes?
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     STEM is an abbreviation for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.  Science is happening all around us at every moment, technology has become a binding thread in western society, engineering is the backbone of all the latest innovations, and mathematics is how we quantify and comprehend order in the world around us. With incredible steps in modern innovation occurring every day, STEM fields are booming with opportunities. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, college graduates who have a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field have a higher medium income than graduates of other degree programs.[1]

     Additionally, jobs in the STEM field are growing 5% faster than other fields and a whopping 2.4 million STEM jobs are projected to go unfulfilled because of a lack of qualified workers.[1] Home educating families have the unique ability to choose products which allow students to develop a deep understanding of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and equip learners to walk through the open the doors into lucrative, higher-paying career fields.

     Adding STEM activities and curricula into home education is surprisingly simple and fun.  For the smallest learners, learning is spelled P-L-A-Y. Toys that promote “doing” rather than “watching” are key to developing motor dexterity, and sparking a curiosity which is the gateway to STEM learning. Building bricks, turning gears, stacking cups, and sloped car ramps all help build a sense of cause and effect in young children. Through play, they see that when they move one thing, another action occurs: Newton’s third law at its very basic.

     As children grow and are ready for more structured learning, finding the right type of curricula that compliments your child’s learning style can help them blossom in STEM fields. Back when I was homeschooled, I found math to be incredibly challenging because my curriculum consisted of reading a textbook about how to perform complex equations.  Flash forward to today’s market place and resources are hands-on, featuring multimedia instructions, and appeal to a multitude of different learning styles.

     Complex and in-demand skills like coding can be taught to children as young as seven, giving them incredibly valuable tools in their tool belts. Diodeck will send kits to your door and provide unlimited instruction online, making it a perfect fit for homeschooling families. Circuit and Coding Kits offer 12 complete projects. In the very first activity, children will learn how to build a basic circuit and gain an understanding of voltages, currents, and resistances. These concepts are personally above my paygrade and I would have no idea how to teach my kids about them. Thankfully, Diodeck can bring a whole new world of learning to your doorstep! For a limited time, readers can receive 15% off a Circuit and Coding Kits which normally retail for $40. That means students will be able to complete 12 projects for less than $3 a project! 
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​     Have you tried Diodeck? What are some of your favorite ways to incorporate STEM learning in your homeschool routine? Tell me about it in the comment section below!

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[1] National Center for Education Statistics, 2019. (https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=899)
​[2] Smithsonian Science Education Center, 2019. ( https://ssec.si.edu/stem-imperative)

​Hand soap is a wonderful, wonderful, thing. Really, where would we be without it?
 
Short answer: Dead
Long answer: well, let’s just be happy we have soap!
 
I’ve always loved shopping for soaps. I feel like a kid in a candy shop when I smell the different bottles and admire the beautiful packaging, but when I look at the ingredients, the joy quickly fades. And, if I find a bottle that wows me with the ingredients- the price tag doesn’t.
 
I decided hand soap really is a simple product with a straight forward purpose, and I could easily and cheaply make it myself with the help of a few household friends.

Now, we purposefully don't use antibacterial hand soap, but I wanted the soap to have some aggression against bacteria so I chose to use a blend of oils well known for their germ-killing power. We use Nature’s Shield, also known as Thieves oil from other companies. This blend has been used since the black plague to keep people healthy, so I figured it’s good enough for my bathroom. (If you have questions about the safety of the ingredients in Thieves for little ones, check out this great article here )

​If I'm feeling ambitious, I'll add some vitamin E or a teaspoon of fractionated coconut oil to the mixture to make the soap a bit more luxurious, but it’s not a necessity.
 
I find that foaming hand soap dispensers are the best with this mixture because the solution is watery. If you don’t have a foaming soap dispenser, you can use a regular one and just pump a few extra squirts on your hands and lather well! My husband thinks the soap smells like Christmas time, and I’m just glad we have something that’s cheap, easy, and healthier!
 
What’s your go-to for hand soap? Have you made your own before?

​Memes are fun, and I think we all can agree that they make social media bearable during election seasons. I've always wondered where the name "meme" came from though? 
So, I asked and google answered: The word “meme” is derived from the Greek word mimēma, meaning that which was imitated. 

Makes sense, right?

We're imitating silly movies with our own interpretations.
So, without further ado, let’s meme away with some homeschool humor for your midweek boost!

A special thanks to How Do I Homeschool, Intentional Homeschooling, and Homeschool in Memphis for sharing some great ones! 

What is your favorite  one? Did I miss any good ones? Leave them in the comments for next month!

...and keep smiling, mama!