Through Clouded Glass

Praying For Rain, And Other Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 11:34:00 +0000

Currently I am…

Watching… my kids swing at the park. The weather has been unseasonably warm, and they convinced me we needed a park day. I would be enjoying the weather if it weren’t for the increased threat of wildfires. Everyone in my state is pretty anxious about the summer months because of a general lack of snow this winter. Usually I hate having a cooler, rainier spring, but I would gladly take one this year. (Also, as I sit finishing this post later at the library, I hear the librarian discussing her hope that it will be like that one year when it started out dry and then closer to summer it started raining every other day. So I’m not the only one worried about it.)

Drinking… a Tazo iced chai latte.

Reading… still, a year later, Anna Karenina. The thing is, I’m actually loving it, but it’s so long. I’ve realized I’m in a season with only snatches of reading time, and when I do read I often want something light and quick-paced. It might not be the time in my life for doorstops. I am enjoying two other fiction books. The first is called Hearts Overboard by Becky Dean, and it’s a YA about a teenage girl that is stuck in her routine and her arch nemesis and sort-of friend convinces her to try something new every day. It’s cute. The other book is Wander Lost by Laura Martin, and it’s about twin boys whose mother will not allow them to play board games - ever. Then suddenly she disappears, and I think we might be able to guess where she went. It’s intriguing so far!

Planning for… the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence! We will take the last month of the school year to do a crash course in early American history (for my little girls especially), and we will probably continue the patriotic education over the summer with books, music, movies, and some instruction in flag etiquette. I may put together a post with resources I plan on using soon, but I’d love recommendations if you are similarly planning much ado about America’s birthday!

Working on… several Substack articles. Despite my lack of posting lately, I am brimming with ideas. I decided for the next few weeks I am going to take a couple hours each afternoon to head to the library and just work until I get all my half-written posts finished. In the queue are:

How To Grocery Shop Once A Month
Should I Join A Homeschool Co-op?
Reading Goals For 2026 (is it too late in the year for this one?)
Books For Kids Who Love Horses
A Defense Of The Checklist

Wishing… people I love wouldn’t move away. I’m pretty good at long-distance friendships, but every friend that goes leaves a hole that no other friend is going to fill in exactly the same way. I’m thankful when my dear friends put the effort in to be good at long-distance friendship back.

Considering… digging the kids’ summer clothes out of storage, and if I do it will be the earliest I have ever switched the clothes. It has to be considered when the weather has been so warm! It’s forecasted to be 68 degrees tomorrow up in the mountains, and up to 91 degrees this weekend in town. Those kinds of temperatures are unheard of in March! The trees are even starting to bud and flower. I’m torn between wanting to lean into the sun while praying for precipitation. I read somewhere that early Christians would pray that God would not listen to the prayers of a traveler regarding the weather, because the local people know what is really needed. I think about that whenever I pray for rain.

Excited… that the end of the school year is in sight, distant though it sometimes feels! We are at the point in the homeschool year where I start considering powering through the last 20% of the book so we can drop a few subjects off our plates. We will see.

Enjoying… chocolate turtle cookies from King Soopers (or Kroger, if you are out east). If you see them, don’t think, just buy them.

Buying… new spring clothes. The trickiest season for dressing is spring, with its finicky weather and winter nipping at our heels with summer right around the corner. I was griping to my husband about my wardrobe - how everything felt wrong for the season and ill-fitting - and he told me to just take a set amount of money and go shopping! So I did, and it did indeed make me feel better about the weirdness of spring fashion. I got this dress, another dress, this jacket, that shirt, and this cardigan, and I don’t regret any of it.

Researching… reading lists for my kids. I have a range of book problems to solve - kids that read faster than I can screen books, picky readers, readers who need to stretch their skills slowly. I am drowning in book lists and reviews, and it’s a book lover’s dream, honestly! I have so much fun trying to find good books for all my kids’ reading wishes. I typically use Honey For A Child’s Heart, Honey For A Teen’s Heart, Living Heritage independent reading recommendations, Redeemed Reader lists, Reshelving Alexandria booklists, Read Aloud Revival booklists, and a smattering of bookish Instagram accounts for ideas.

Loving… a little quiet time for myself, but not too much. Right now our routine is for my husband to take the kids to Awana each week, and I take the evening to read the history text that I’m teaching for our co-op. It’s not a curriculum I picked, but I think it’s worked pretty well in a co-op setting. I love when the house is quiet, and I can put things back in order, then sit down with my dinner and this massive textbook to prepare for my class. I usually finish in about an hour, and then I read my own book or watch some silly show until everyone comes bursting back through the door. I enjoy the quiet, but nothing is right again until everyone is back home.

Old Homeschool Podcasts For New Homeschool Moms

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 11:35:00 +0000

On St. Patrick’s Day, the car was running as I sat and painted my nails a pink-red. I honked the horn once, and the last kid came running out the front door and hopped over a bag of books as the minivan door slid shut.

We took part of the morning off from homeschooling to do something that I used to do all the time when my kids were little - go to the library, grab a coffee, and stop at the park on the way home. I remember when these simple little outings were a lifeline in my day, when my kids needed so much help to get anything done, and before I really figured out what I was doing with homeschooling.

We didn’t go because I was at the end of my homeschool rope. Not at all. We went today because it was sunny, and my oldest is in high school, and I owed my kids a sugar-filled slush from Sonic as a reward for finishing their checklists last week. And also because sometimes I get the urge to recreate a good memory.

Even though those little days were so hard at the time, I find myself looking back at them with fondness and trying to relive them every now and then. I was barely scraping by, but it was precious, and magical, and I miss it.

On the way home, as my oldest worked on his algebra, and my kids worked on various subjects in the back seat, I played an old episode of a favorite podcast. That got my mind spinning on all the podcasts I had loved and that had helped me keep perspective back when I had five kids all under eight years old. So I thought I would share some old favorites here.

Sometimes I think the early days of podcasts are better than more recent episodes, as if all the best tips and advice were shared up front. It’s not that the recent episodes are no good, but the older episodes have a depth and level of effort that comes from the hosts being new at something. Older episodes are sometimes a bit better.

So if you take my recommendations here, I hope you’ll click that little “more episodes” button and scroll back to the beginning. Pick an episode and see what you think.

The Read Aloud Revival Podcast

The hopping, happy music at the beginning of this podcast conjures up all sorts of sunny afternoons driving down the winding road to our library. We used to all listen to this podcast together, and my kids were delighted by the clips at the end of every episode of kids sharing their favorite books. I got so many great book suggestions from the early episodes of this podcast, and it helped me understand the importance of reading aloud in developing vocabulary and language in kids.

Helpful episodes that I’ve listened to multiple times:

Your Morning Basket Podcast

If you’ve ever heard of a morning basket in the context of homeschooling, it probably originally started with this podcast, now re-named “Homeschool Better Together”. I first started implementing enrichment subjects because of this podcast. The idea of having a basket of resources that we could loop through made things like music appreciation and memory work so much less intimidating.

Episodes that stand out in my memory:

The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast

I started listening to this podcast after hearing Todd speak at a homeschool conference when my oldest was only in first grade. It became my go-to for when I felt overwhelmed or like I was doing homeschooling all wrong. Todd has a way of reminding you what really matters - academics are important, but so is having a good homeschool experience for myself and my kids. This podcast helps me keep things in perspective.

P.S. I just have to note here that Todd Wilson is also an excellent story-teller. Our family loves his Christmas story collection, and you might enjoy this free short story about a homeschooling mom!

Episodes that helped me keep things in perspective:

In writing this post I went back and listened to a few of these episodes, and my premise holds up - there are good things in the archives of your favorite homeschool podcast. I hope this post gives you something new to listen to, or reminds you of old favorites that you may need to hear again! And if you are new to homeschooling, check out all the episodes I linked above for some evergreen encouragement.

Fiction Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 12:29:00 +0000

I had a hard time getting into a groove with fiction this year - my fiction reading was mostly overshadowed by my unsuccessful attempt to finish Anna Karenina before January 1st. Anna Karenina is so good, it’s just so long. I occasionally found myself binge-reading a lighter fiction book on the side, and that’s how I read all of these. Cheers for good fiction to get a person out of a Tolstoy-induced reading slump!

Yes, the photo does not match the books actually mentioned in this post. I’m sorry.

The Vanishing At Castle Moreau by Jamie Jo Wright

This was my first book by this author, and wow! If you want a creepy mystery that will keep you on your toes, look no further. Cleo, mysteriously on the run at the beginning of the book, is hired by a millionaire to help his grandmother with her hoarding - in a castle, no less. However, creepy noises around the castle and sightings of a ghostly lady make this more than a decluttering project. What exactly is going on in the castle? The pacing of this book was just right, and everything comes out okay in the end. I recommend it.

Blue Shoes And Happiness & The Good Husband Of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith

These are the next two books in the No. Ladies’ Detective Agency series, which is an ongoing reading project for me. The events in these two specific books don’t matter too much - all the books in this series are similar to me in that the characters charmingly tackle not-too-serious mysteries, with all their foibles and quirks and bits of wisdom thrown in. These are my nighttime comfort reads, and I’m sure I’ll be reading more in 2026.

Ecochondriacs by Douglas Wilson

I got this Kindle book for free in November, and started reading it on a whim, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A climate scientists accidentally reads an email thread from her superiors which reveals man-made climate change as a massive scam. A hit is put on her once her bosses realize what happened, and she must go on the run with her Christian neighbor. Through the book she is forced to rethink everything she believes. Wilson’s voice in this novel is really unique among fiction books, as he writes as an omniscient narrator with a good dose of humor thrown in. He also writes Christian characters in a non-cheesy way, and I really appreciate that.

The Perfect Rom-Com by Melissa Ferguson

This book was a fluffy read for me at the tail-end of the year. Bryony has written a book that she hope will save the immigration center her Grandmother founded, but she can’t get a publisher to pick it up…until Jack, a literary agent, says he’ll take her book on if she will ghost-write for another one of his authors. Bryony finds herself writing best-selling books for this other author, while her book languishes. This was just a fun read, especially for anyone who is interested in the publishing industry. I think Ferguson included some of her own publishing experiences and insights in these pages. I will say that the book felt a little wordy or wandering in places, and I do wonder if the immigration aspect was prompted by recent political issues (if so - annoying). But overall it was cute.

That’s it for my 2025 books - I will be sharing a stats post soon, along with my reading hopes for 2026!

Historical Books I Read Last Year

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 12:26:00 +0000

Let me clarify that these are not all the history books I read in 2025, but these are the ones I read in the last quarter of the year. Keep an eye out for a reading analysis post soon to get the bigger picture of what I read, but for now, here are a few historical books I enjoyed!

Once again, disclaimer that the books in the photo do not match the books in this post! It would take me too long to request the books from the library and take the pictures again, so please just tolerate my mismatched photos.

Everest, Inc. by Will Cockrell

I have an ongoing interest in the topic of mountain climbing, even though I have never even climbed a 14-er myself. I especially am fascinated by the conditions when climbing Mount Everest - how the early mountain climbers accomplished that incredible challenge, and how the experience seems to have been cheapened or tainted in more recent years.

This book was an overview of the history of climbing Everest, but taken from a sympathetic perspective to those who still feel called by the mountain today. I thought the author struck a really nice balance in presenting the problems with the industry today, but also honoring the accomplishments of those who have climbed the mountain. I tend to lean toward the view that it seems like any Joe-schmo with enough money can climb the mountain these days and that cheapens the accomplishment, but this book challenged some of my biases (though it also confirmed others).

Christian History 101 by Sinclair Ferguson

When I ordered this book I expected to receive a massive tome - imagine my surprise when I realized it was just over a hundred pages! This is an excellent and accessible overview of church history through the centuries, and I really appreciated the length. This year was more difficult than I would have liked, and as a result I didn’t read as much history as I would have liked - it was nice to get some history reading in through this very approachable book.

Meet Martin Luther by Anthony Selvaggio

Our family celebrates Reformation Day, so October was a great month to pick up this little biography of Martin Luther. I’ve attempted a massive biography before and was never able to finish it in this busy season - this one was a perfect length. I was so glad I read it when we watched the Luther movie in October, because I understood all the events the movie alludes to! Highly recommend for a balanced overview of Luther’s life, including his strengths and weaknesses.

The Freedom Of The Christian by Martin Luther

I picked up this book in October as well, the first book I’ve read actually written by Martin Luther himself. The length of this book was perfect if you are intimidated, but it still packed a punch. It was interesting to read some of the thought processes that led to the Reformation from Luther himself, and I found various parts not just academically interesting but personally encouraging.

The Year 1000 by Robert Lacey

I finished this one up during the last week of the year after taking a long break in reading it. This book goes through the months of the year and tells how people living in medieval times would have been living through the different seasons. I found it very engaging and interesting. This was a recommendation for my son’s high school history curriculum next year, and while I mostly think it would be a great read, I would have him skip the “November” section, which had to do with the relationships between men and women. Other than that, I very much enjoyed it and would recommend it as an approachable book about the social history of the Middle Ages!

Next up: the fiction books I read to finish out the 2025 reading year!

Books About Fashion, And Philosophies

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 12:24:00 +0000

You may notice that the books in these photos are not actually the books I’m sharing in this post. A few weeks ago I took photos of the books I still needed to write about, but I ended up combining them into different posts than the photos. If I wait until I can regather all the books from the library and re-take the photos, these posts will never get published, so please just view the books in the photos as previews for what is to come, and not necessarily for the particular post!

At the start of 2025, I created some reading goals and categories. I am going to revisit that post soon, but one category I did not include was reading about fashion and clothing. Maybe I thought it felt too frivolous for Substack at the time, but one of my unspoken goals was to read books to help me rethink how I shop for and wear my clothes. I’m sharing two of those books in this post.

One category I did not include, and indeed would probably never include, in my reading goals is to read books about philosophy. It’s just not my jam. But that’s what I accidentally did end up reading a couple times this year. So there are two books that dip into philosophy below as well.

How To Dress Your Best by Ellie Jean Royden

This book was great for helping me to analyze my personal style from a different angle. Royden has created her own systems for developing personal style, the most original of which is her “style roots” system. I really resonated with this method of thinking about style, and it has helped me understand the common themes I am drawn to in my clothes.

I also really appreciated her way of explaining “dressing for your body type”. She has broken down body lines by width, length, and curviness, and her advice has given me a new understanding of why I like certain silhouettes on myself and dislike others. Her approach is very body-positive in that she doesn’t want you to think of one body type as superior of another (this is disconnected from weight). Overall, I found it very helpful.

Note: There is one sort-of nude picture in the middle of the book - all critical areas are covered, but I was careful when reading that page around my kids.

Overdressed by Elizabeth Cline

I listened to this book over the summer, and what stands out to me as I reflect on it now is the historical information about how fabrics were produced in the past vs. now. The author explores how clothing has become more and more disposable. She focuses on the impact to the environment and the conditions for factory workers in developing countries. A great book to make you think about the clothes you buy.

Shop Class As Soul Craft by Matthew Crawford

This is one of those books that is impossible to absorb upon the first reading - I feel like I need to read it again even to explain it well. This is a philosophy of work, particularly the trades and the value of working with your hands in some way. My takeaways from this book are that the trades have been branded as being for the people that are not “smart enough” for college, but in reality require a ton of intelligence, creative-thinking, and problem-solving skills - and are often more intellectually satisfying than many of the desk jobs that require a college degree.

One of the chapters stands out in my memory because it made me think about how as everything has become more computerized, we have lost a tangible, physical connection to our belongings. People no longer understand how to fix basic machinery, as they once did, and indeed it is sometimes impossible for an average person to fix their own appliances because we have computerized too many things. It has made the world more disposable in our minds.

Those two things are just a sampling, there was so much in this book. I need my own copy the next time I read it so I can annotate and highlight to my heart’s content.

The Kingdom Of Cain: Finding God In The Literature Of Darkness by Andrew Klavan

I was interested in reading this book because I have picked up some of Klavan’s fiction books and enjoyed them, and I’ve also put down some of his fiction books because of overly graphic content. In this book, he talks about being a writer of crime stories and his philosophy behind doing that as someone who considers himself a Christian (as an aside, I can never figure out whether he is Catholic or not). I was expecting a little more literary analysis in this book - instead it’s a lot more about analyzing movies inspired by real-life murders, and the trail of evil philosophies behind them. He discusses several real life murders as a jumping off point for some of his philosophical and moral points, weaving his own conversion story into the book.

While there was a lot I agreed with, there were many points that I disagreed with. He at times veers toward a touch of sacrilege, and he comes off somewhat cavalier toward certain serious sins (getting involved with dark subjects to research books, for example). There were also theological points he made that I don’t think are biblical. This review would get far too convoluted if I tried to address every point that I took issue with. I’ll just give one example – Klavan suggests that death did not come into the world as a result of sin. He speculates that perhaps Adam and Eve would have died anyway, but that may be death wouldn’t have been such a terrible thing if not for their knowledge of good and evil that came as a result of the Fall. This is not in line with what Scripture teaches. Of course Klavan takes one of the very verses I would cite and abandons the plain meaning of the text, interpreting it in a way as to support his own thinking on the subject. I generally urge caution with Christian writers who treat Scripture that way.

When Klavan shares about his journey from being an atheist to coming to faith in God, that is where his writing really shines. Some passages were really beautiful. So whether I agreed or disagreed with various parts, this book was at times inspiring and gave me plenty to think about.

Content Notes: Several murders are described in all their depravity, though Klavan tries to be delicate in explaining certain details.

Every Believer Confident by Mark Farnham

This book is a “philosophy” of evangelism in a way, but at the core it is a very practical book about how to engage unbelievers in spiritual conversations. Notice I didn’t say “how to present the gospel” - the author does cover that, but he doesn’t believe in beating people over the head with the gospel whether they like it or not. Farnham promotes having real conversations with people about what they believe, in order to fully understand them, and then includes how to naturally move the conversation toward the truth of the gospel. I love his emphasis on gentleness and also on clarity. He explains how to be clear about the gospel and warns against phrases or techniques that will leave the listener feeling ambushed, or leaving the truth of Scripture muddied. I learned alot from this book that I hope to be brave enough to put what I learned into practice. I will be having all my kids read this at some point in high school. I highly recommend it as a bridge between learning about apologetics and actually practicing it!

I have two more book posts to share in the queue, so stay tuned!

The Best Of 2025

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 12:47:00 +0000

In the old days of blogging, this sort of year-end summary was ubiquitous, and I think we need to bring it back. It’s a great way to share highlights and ideas! My old blog buddy, Michelle, borrowed this format recently, and I am borrowing it from her.

(Photos courtesy of our New Year’s Day winter hike.)

BEST ADVENTURE:

Our travel this year was almost entirely to see friends, and I can’t choose between those trips, so I’m going to say my favorite was our camping trip to Wyoming. We saw 4th of July fireworks in Cody (which were very good for such a small town); visited Yellowstone National Park; walked through geyser pathways with a death-grip on our clumsy kids’ hands; shook our heads at tourists we saw chasing down bears and buffaloes for a picture; almost entirely skipped the Grand Tetons because the traffic was absolutely nuts; had an electrical glitch in our van in Jackson, and held our breaths for the entire ten-hour drive home, but we made it.

BEST MILESTONE:

I have five kids with all their own milestones, but this year we officially have a high schooler. I am a mom to a high schooler. He could technically start driving within about a year on a learner’s permit. It is hard to wrap my mind around it.

BEST FAITH GROWER:

As I’ve mentioned vaguely many times, the beginning of this year was taken up with a health scare. I would like to say I reacted in a perfect, faith-filled way, but I didn’t. I mostly dealt to the anxiety by zoning out with meaningless podcasts or videos, and completely failed in my Bible reading plan. I didn’t pray nearly enough. I couldn’t see my own mismanagement of the situation until I started reflecting on the year over the last month or so, and realized this whole thing was one big spiritual attack, and it was working! The Lord really opened my eyes to the fact that I had been letting go of the most important things, and that was hurting me more than the health issue and anxiety. It has been really humbling, and has reminded me how gracious God is to give me eyes to see anew how much I need Him.

FAVORITE BLOG POSTS WRITTEN:

These were my best posts, in my opinion:

BEST TREND YOU TRIED:

I actually have been trying hard to disconnect my style from trends this year. One thing that is trendy right now, but that I am trying to make more of a normal thing for myself, is to thrift for more of my clothes instead of buying new. I am looking for clothes that are harmonious with my own style (not driven by trends), and that are made with more high-quality fibers, because I would like my clothes to feel less disposable. I have found a “good” thrift store, and I always find something there!

One “trendy” thing that I have been purchasing new is western-style boots - and I have given myself a looser hand with this trend precisely because it is NOT a trend to me! I live in a western state, one of the defining words of my style is “mountain-ish”, and cowboy boots are never out of style here.

BEST BEAUTY PURCHASES:

A couple years ago I actually put myself on a makeup buying ban, because I had a stockpile from various sales already. I finally broke the ban this year and bought a few new non-essential makeup items. These are the ones that have been the best:

This blush has the perfect amount of pigment and looks really natural! Just blend it properly. It’s also a great price!

I rediscovered how a good highlighter can give such a refreshed look. I like these Grinch-themed highlighters - there is a subtle pink one, and a goldfish-white one.

My old standby foundation, and I am on my last tube, so I will be buying more soon. It’s the most precise match I have found for my very-pale skin, and I like the “illumination” variety best.

I am picky about face sunscreens, because if I pick the wrong one I will get acne. This sunscreen is a great base for makeup and not oily!

BEST HABIT YOU CREATED:

This year I started making sourdough bread, which is somewhat of a habit - I can’t let the starter languish too long. A habit I have struggled with and re-established, and which I highly recommend to homeschool/stay-at-home moms, is waking up well before your kids for a cup of coffee and Bible.

BEST NEW RECIPE:

This Christmas I combined this sourdough cookie recipe with this frosting recipe, and added some lemon flavoring to both, and it got great feedback from kids and adults alike! And for the sake of not losing recipes…every year I make thisjalapeño bacon cheeseball for Christmas (my family would stage a mutiny is I didn’t), and this marshmallow frosting-filling recipe is the most perfect one for any variety of sandwich cookies.

BEST LIFE HACK:

I can lay no claim to this hack, as I was actually the beneficiary of it, and it’s not technically a “hack” since it doesn’t make life nicer for yourself but for someone else. But here it is: I think we have lost the art of hostess gifts, and we should make an attempt to bring them back.

I invited a friend’s boys over to our house this fall for an afternoon, and she actually sent them with sunflowers. Just for a little playdate, that I suggested! Then I hosted a last-minute cookies and cocoa event for our co-op because we couldn’t have the party at the church where we usually meet - and this same friend brought me a jar of homemade raspberry jam! In our casual mountain community I’ve never encountered someone who brings hostess gifts, and never thought to bring one myself. While I would never expect a gift as a hostess, it was such a lovely surprise. It made me want to make it a habit to bless others the same way when they host.

BEST NEW TRADITION:

It’s hard to say whether something is a tradition until you’ve done it a few years, and then it isn’t “new” anymore - but I think I can say with confidence that a new tradition this year is having all the kids stay up until midnight on New Year’s Eve. This is the first year all my kids made it to midnight without falling asleep!

BEST LITTLE LUXURY YOU’VE ENJOYED:

I have been enjoying wearing earrings every day, and the more sparkly the better. I always have worn earrings, but over the last couple years I have added more sparkly earrings to my collection. They instantly make any outfit just a little fancier, and I feel more put together with a little sparkle.

BEST BOOKS:

My top five books would be:

-My Dear Hemlock by Tilly Delahay

-The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

-Everest, Inc. by Will Cockrell

-Every Believer Confident by Mark Farnham

-The Road To Roswell by Connie Willis

I have three book review posts to share in the next couple weeks to finish off all my 2025 books, so watch for those!

BEST MOVIES:

I didn’t see many new movies, but remembered again how much we like these.

Eagle Eye (Re-watched with the kids.)
Jurassic Park (The kids were introduced this year.)
Single On The 25th (A well-done Hallmark movie).
Carry-on (A Netflix thriller that was pretty good).
Oklahoma (Introduced to the kids, and now we all have “Poor Judd Is Dead” stuck in our heads.)

BEST TV SHOWS:

All Creatures Great And Small (Watching with the kids and enjoying it.)
Downtown Abbey (A re-watch).
Shark Tank (Another one of our family shows.)
Outlast (A survival competition show that alternated between fascinating and infuriating us.)
Deal Or No Deal Island (A spin on the old game show. We watched with the kids, and all enjoyed it together.)

BEST ALBUM OR SONG:

Farther Along by Josh Garrels was the top song for me this year, because I found the mood and message comforting after a tough year and sad events this fall.

Here are my top five:

BEST DAY OUT:

My husband booked tickets for my girls and me to see the Nutcracker performed by a big city ballet. I have seen amateur productions before, but seeing a professional performance was a whole other experience! It was worth the ticket prices. I also got into a whole conversation with an older lady while waiting in line, and she told us all about how she has been taking her daughters to the Nutcracker since they were babies. It was neat to be surrounded by so many people who loved the Nutcracker and have made it a tradition, and it was a perfect festive outing for the girls. (My sons got to do a boys camping trip with my husband in the summer, so I didn’t feel bad leaving them out on this one.)

BEST FAMILY MEMORY:

We had alot of good family memories this year. I was going to say the hike we took on New Year’s Day, but then realized that would be a 2026 memory, so instead I’ll say the hikes we took this fall. All hikes are highlights for me for similar reasons. It feels so good to get outside and enjoy the beautiful colors and scenery. I felt driven to get out into nature more than in years past, and there is something healing about the brisk air and sunshine on our faces. We listen to modern hymns and favorite songs on the drive, we find some really pretty hidden glades and meadows together, and we top it off with candy or hot chocolate. The best memories are sometimes the simplest ones.

What were your “bests” of 2025?

Leaving The Tree Up

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 19:02:00 +0000

This week my little family is still firmly ensconced in what I like to call “the Christmas bubble”.

Every year on Christmas Eve, I intentionally disconnect myself from the world. The rest of the year I consider it my civic duty to stay somewhat informed of the news, but not the week between Christmas and New Year’s. The rest of the year I fight the never-ending battle with dust and dirty laundry, but not this week. The rest of the year the to-do list hang’s over my head, but during this one week I shove it aside and do only things I really want to do. It’s the Christmas bubble, and I have a day or two left until it naturally pops.

So as you can imagine, I have never been one to rush into taking the Christmas tree down. The tree has always stayed up until at least January 1st in our house. I like to ring in the New Year snuggled on the couch with some sparkling cider and the tree winking in the background.

Over the last couple years I feel even less of a pressure to make a plan for packing away Christmas. I know many people keep their tree until Epiphany, when the wise men are traditionally said to have visited Baby Jesus. In my western state, there is a “tradition” of leaving up the lights until after the big stock show, in order to warmly welcome out-of-state visitors.

I could use either of those excuses, but the real reason I am find myself delaying the inevitable is more simple. The wind whistles outside, and the dark is still coming early, and why wouldn’t I want to keep the sparkle for a little while longer? Sunlight improves your mood, but I believe the same could probably be said of twinkle lights.

Eventually the tree will start to feel like a chore hanging over my head, but for now I’m pushing it out of my Christmas bubble and sitting next to the tree while I type. I don’t regret it.

Other things I don’t regret from the year:

Spending our vacation budget visiting friends.
Staying home more than usual.
Sending out birthday cards every month.
Thrifting more, buying new less.
Being more picky about when to click my shutter button, and less picky when looking at the back of the camera.
Occasionally visiting another church to get a fresh perspective.
Committing time to our home church.
Thinking and strategizing to be more faithful in prayer, which must be the first step to improvement, even if the execution still left much to be desired.
Eating too many Christmas cookies.

Things I do regret:

Letting an emotional rough patch derail me from my Bible-reading plan.
Not reading the quality books I had planned on.
Forgetting to cover my porch furniture for the winter.
Not being as consistent as I wish in reading to my kids individually.
Watching too many dumb videos and not enough audiobooks and sermons.
Letters not written.
Listening to Taylor Swift’s new album out of curiosity (I like it and hate it).
Getting myself too wound up over things.
Eating too many Christmas cookies.

I’ve always been a person of two minds when it comes to resolutions - I don’t like making them because I know that I won’t complete most of them. But every time January peeks around the corner, I feel the need to envision what I hope for the New Year anyway. This last year I made more solid resolutions, and as they say, “God laughed”. Our 2025 looked nothing like I hoped it would when we lit those sparklers at 12:01AM. I am closing this year wishing I had handled all the unexpected things a little better, been a little more faithful, a little more gentle and kind.

As I look ahead to 2026, my mind goes back to a recent, much-needed sermon. The text was Ephesians 5:13-17, used as the basis for planning for the New Year:

But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, ¹⁴for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
¹⁵Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,¹⁶making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.¹⁷Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

That’s my hope for the New Year - to look more carefully in how I walk, particularly in the areas of eternal importance, which may also mean letting go of some of the things that are not important. To make the best use of the time, as some translations say, “redeeming the time” - and so to hopefully waste less of it. To not be foolish, to pray and seek the Holy Spirit to empower me to put away foolish things. To understand what the will of the Lord is by reading it in His revealed word - the Bible - and in understanding His will, to do it.

Happy New Year to you, friends! And my prayer for you is the same as my prayer for myself - may you each awake anew to the light of Christ shining on you.

Posts coming up in January:

Book Catchup posts (I’m still so behind in sharing reviews!)
How To Do Once-A-Month Grocery Shopping
Why Lighting Matters
Reading Goals For The New Year

(Note: I’d welcome any questions, or insights on what posts you want to read first!)

A Simple Homeschool Plan For Advent

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 13:04:00 +0000

Every December I find myself wanting to set aside a weekend for in-depth Advent and Christmas school planning. Unfortunately, since it is December, I almost never have a weekend for such pursuits.

It occurred to me that alot of other homeschool moms might be in a similar place. You want to have a beautiful plan for a meaningful Advent, or Christmas School, but you have very little time to put one together. Maybe you end up purchasing a pre-made plan, only to realize it will take time (and more money) to gather all the required books and craft supplies.

I am going to share what we fall back on for homeschooling during the Christmas season. This non-plan requires no purchases (except the ones you want to buy), no required resources, and it’s open-and-go in the sense that you can do it mostly on the fly if necessary.

This is my very simple plan for adding some Christmas flair to those homeschool days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We keep up with some of our regular subjects, but the “Christmas school” activities are a priority.

Step One: Pick a book of the Bible to read through.

Since Advent is about waiting for the coming of Jesus, and the whole Bible is His word, literally any book will do! But we want to make sure we are not neglecting spending time with Jesus by reading scripture together. Some great choices would be:

Any of the Gospels - Start at Jesus’s birth and end with His resurrection!
Psalms - Especially 100-150, which are songs of praise.
Genesis - The number of times Genesis points ahead to Jesus is astounding!
Revelation - Not for the faint of heart, but points to what we believers are waiting for now - Jesus’s return.

Step Two: Choose some Christmas carols to sing (and learn).

There are so many places you can print music for some of the good old Christmas hymns. I appreciate this free hymnal, which has a good selection. I printed up seven copies the “Incarnation” section of the hymnal, and that’s what we use for singing, but you can also just look up the lyrics for songs you want to sing as you go through the month. Sing one well-known carol each day, and choose one that’s new to you to learn each year. We have found some new favorites this way!

Songs In Our Bundle Of Papers:

Joy To The World
Hark The Herald Angels Sing
Angels We Have Heard On High
Silent Night
Away In A Manger
O Little Town Of Bethlehem
We Three Kings
Once In Royal David’s City
The First Noel
In The Bleak Midwinter
O Come All Ye Faithful
See Amid The Winter Snow
God Rest You Merry Gentlemen
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
Good Christian Men, Rejoice (highly underrated)
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
Gentle Mary Laid Her Child

Step Three: Gather Christmas books.

This is my favorite part…if you are a homeschool mom, I know you probably have some Christmas books already in your house. Round them all up into one big stack, and grab a couple to read each day! If you really don’t have that many Christmas books to choose from, hop on your libraries website and place a few holds. Read them as they come in. I have a list of our family’s favorite Christmas books here, but the best ones are the books your library actually has, so work with what you have. If all else fails, try searching for a few titles on Youtube - there are many videos of popular picture books being read aloud.

Step Four: Make a list of Christmas crafts and goodies.

Think of goodies you were planning to make anyway, or crafts you remember from your childhood. Think of items you already have around your house you could use for crafts - construction paper for chains, oranges you could slice and dry, extra yarn you could knit into garland, flour you could make into Christmas playdough… be creative, but don’t overthink it! It doesn’t have to be complicated to be a wonderful memory. The humble paper chain is greatly underrated.

Some Christmas Craft Ideas:

paper chains
aper snowflakes
dried orange ornaments
cranberry and popcorn garland
pinecone bird feeders
yarn bird ornaments
any Christmas art tutorial on Youtube (just do a search)
handmade gift tags
Christmas playdough

Our Favorite Christmas Goodies To Make Together:

Sugar cookies
Ginger cookies
Chocolate covered pretzels
Salted caramel cookie sandwiches (using this filling recipe)
Christmas fudge
Wassail

Step Five: Make a list of activities you want to do.

You do not have to do all the activities that are listed in a perfect Advent guide - in fact, I think you shouldn’t try! Choose some things that are fun and meaningful (or even just practical) to you and your own kids, and put them on the calendar. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Christmas Activity Ideas:

Make a day of taking the kids shopping for each other’s presents
Bake, of course (see Step Four)
Write Christmas cards (recruit everyone to help - why not?)
Listen to music from the Nutcracker (or watch the ballet on Youtube)
Listen to Handel’s Messiah
Watch an old Christmas musical
Play a game together (we like this game for a Christmas theme)
Do a Christmas scavenger hunt at the mall (search for ideas, or get these handy cards)
Read A Christmas Carol together and then watch the movie
Assign secret pals, like a secret Santa only you do nice things for each other
Plan a poetry teatime with Christmas poems, tea, and cinnamon toast (or another easy snack)

Those five steps are really all you need to do “Christmas School”! I know because this is how we have made December homeschooling special for the last five years or so.

You will notice that not all of these ideas are very school-ish or perfectly coordinated, but that’s not the point of adding Christmas activities to your homeschool day. The point is to slow down, enjoy each other’s company, make memories together, and make the excitement and wonder of Jesus birthday tangible for your kids…yes, through cookies, and playdough, and Christmas lights, and as much beauty as you can cram into the season. Point them to the reason we do all these joyful activities: because of joy for the gift of Christ Himself.

I love this quote:

“At Bethlehem, God’s Word became flesh and dwelt among us, the Consolation of Israel was born of a woman-and that moment was so staggering that even the stars had to come down and see it. And then, every year, we celebrate that moment. We take one of the most difficult theological truths— the Incarnation—and attempt to show that truth through our celebrations. The men can talk about the Incarnation, church fathers can write important treatises about it, pastors can preach about it, theologians can parse and define it ... but we women are the ones who make it taste like something. We make it smell good: How crazy is that? ‘And for my next trick, I will take Athanasius’ De Incarnatione and I will say it with cookies and wrapping paper and cinnamon and marshmallows and colored lights and tablecloths and shopping trips and frantically-last-minute-late-night-Amazon-orders and ham—and I will do it in such a way that my four-year-old will really GET it, and it will send roots deep down into his soul where it will anchor his loves and his loyalties and shape his allegiances well into his nineties.’”
-Rebekah Merle, ‘Eve In Exile’

This is what we are doing amidst all the flurry of Christmas preparations and activities. Creating the wonder of Christmas in little hearts doesn’t have to be complicated, but I hope you’ll remember that all these little special touches do matter. They make the birth of Jesus and the Gospel that much more impactful, special, and tangible to our children and families as we celebrate God’s greatest gift to mankind - our Savior.

As Charles Spurgeon says in another favorite quote:

“Feast, Christian, feast! You have a right to feast. Go to the house of feasting tomorrow! Celebrate your Savior’s birth. Do not be ashamed to be glad - you have a right to be happy.”

Let’s make this Christmas season as joy-packed as possible, even on homeschool days. Not aesthetically perfect, or impeccably organized, or flawlessly executed - just hectic, happy, warm, sparkling, messy, calm, cozy, exciting…and joyful most of all.

Light Books With Deep Themes

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 22:59:00 +0000

I realized the other day that it’s been months since I did a reading update. Since I have fifteen books I haven’t shared, my goal is to write reviews for four books a week until Christmas. If you are building a reading list for 2026, here is your chance to get some ideas!

I’m titling this one “Light Books With Deeper Themes” because if you read the first three, which are all light in tone, you will find themes of loneliness, friendship, anxiety, and hope.

The last one is not a light book, but each of these book posts will have a wrench thrown in. Just go with it.

Valencia and Valentine by Suzy Krause

I read a different book of Krause a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. This book has been waiting in my Kindle for quite a while now.

In Valencia and Valentine, we are introduced to two characters. One is a young woman, Valencia, who works in a call center, is very socially awkward, and is afraid of everything - basically a young woman who is afraid to live. The other is an old woman, Mrs. Valentine, who lives alone, but loves being around people and finds excuses to talk to others and ways to fill her days with small, meaningful things - an old woman who has learned how to live well.

I thought I knew where this story was going, but about a quarter of the way through I realized I had no idea. As we get further looks at Valencia’s existence we realize how dark and empty it truly is, and for most of the book she stays right there in that darkness. We also start to realize that all is not quite well with Mrs. Valentine.

Just as I started to feel rather uneasy about what was actually going to happen to these two characters, I glimpsed the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. The ending was completely unexpected, slightly tragic, but also happy and sweet. I don’t want to spoil it, so that’s all I’ll say. If you pick this one up, be prepared for the unexpected.

Content Notes: Some discussion of mental health disorders, some disturbing dreams/hallucinations.

Bottom Line: Sweet and sad and a little weird. Pick it up if you don’t mind a little tragedy with your uplifting fiction.

The Happy Life Of Isadora Bentley by Courtney Walsh

I read a Christmas book I did not enjoy by Walsh last year, but I decided to give her another chance and I’m so glad I did. Isadora Bentley reads an article she considers to be ridiculously with 31 ways to be happy. She decides to turn the article into a science experiment in order to debunk the article. Along the way she ends up finding new friends, connecting with a certain professor, and learning how to enjoy life. I thought this was a sweet, uplifting read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Content Notes: One of the things she tries is yoga, and as someone who has convictions against yoga I wasn’t a fan of that. No other notes that I can recall,

Bottom Line: Pick it up if you are in the need of something quirky and light.

The English Masterpiece by Katherine Reay

In the 1970s, Lily helps her boss, Diana, plan a new Picasso exhibit at an art museum, but she ruins the opening event by impulsively declaring one of the Picassos a fake. She is immediately put on leave, and is devastated. Not only has she potentially lost her dream job, but her family will suffer from the lost income. She has to find a way to find out what is really going on with that painting, and hopefully save her job and her boss’s reputation, and stay out of jail. But is everything as it seems with her boss? Where did that painting actually come from?

As someone who doesn’t know much about the art world, and also doesn’t like modern art at all, I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. Reay did a great job explaining the basics of how museums acquire paintings, and there were interesting explanations about what makes art special as well. The underlying themes of this book are more about friendship, sisterhood, and the value of meaningful relationships. I also really enjoyed the 1970s setting, which I thought was painted well.

Content Notes: Vague references to sexual relationships, but I would consider this a clean book.

Bottom Line: Pick this one up if you like mysteries, museums, and are a tiny bit interested in art.

Midnight In Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham

I mentioned in the spring how I had become interested in the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl, and this book is a very thorough history of it.

Higginbotham tells the story of what caused the disaster, the initial reaction to it, the efforts to contain the reactor, the effects on the surrounding countryside, and the devastating effects on the men who were sent to work in the danger zone. He also tells how it was finally contained, and some of the research that has been done in the Chernobyl area since the disaster. Despite writing about such a devastating event, I thought the author offered a balanced view of nuclear energy, including the concerns and the benefits.

I learned so much from this book - including that the scientists were initially worried that the reactor, if not contained, would burn down through the earth, perhaps never stopping until it reached the core. Can you imagine? I listened to this book on audio, which I think was the right way for me to read it, because it let me get the information I was interested in without getting too bogged down in the names and details.

Content Notes: Some cursing in various quotes, people die from cancer and related illnesses because of the radiation.

Bottom Line: If you don’t know much about Chernobyl, this is the book to learn about it.

These are books I finished in the early fall, but as I revisit them in writing this review post, I am remembering how much I enjoyed them all. The first three each struck a nice balance between being meaningful and easily readable. And the last one was just fascinating without having to try.

Have you read anything similar this year, with a light tone but deeper underlying themes?

Fall Behind, Christmas Ahead

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 03:58:00 +0000

The living room is sparkling with Christmas lights and candles, we have polished off the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers, and the temperature outside has plummeted. African peanut stew (this recipe) is on our menu tonight, but I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the season that has just passed before jumping fully into Christmas.

What We Did This Fall

Our fall weekdays were unusually busy, and our weekends were unusually quiet. We started fall fresh off a trip to Idaho. Our church friends recently moved there, and we went to visit them. I’ve never driven that far north before and was so fascinated by how different the forests were from home. The tree were taller, the needles were different, and even though it was quite dry the air felt more humid. We stayed on a lake, and my children learned how to kayak, and it was a wonderful way to end the summer

.On the way home from Idaho we made a detour to Glacier National Park. My husband has wanted to go there for years, but it was always too far out of the way, so this was our chance! It was a really interesting park to visit - very forested, very mountainous. If you are approaching from the west, you will drive through Kalispell, and Flathead Lake is absolutely huge and breathtaking in itself. Entering the park itself doesn’t feel very impressive at first, but you should definitely try to get a time slot for Going-To-The-Sun road, because it is absolutely worth the drive. The road winds through all these sharp mountains, up a mountain pass with gorgeous views, and beside two beautiful lakes. You can access some pretty cool hiking trails along the road too - we only had time for one, but it was to a waterfall.

Once we arrived home I was immediately thrown back into our homeschool co-op, and I am teaching the middle and high school history for the first time this year. We are learning ancient history, and I think it’s going pretty well. As I type this I am pushing down some anxiety in the back of my mind about the fact that I need to create the fall exam before the kids have to take it on Friday, but it will get done.'

My middle daughter turned ten this fall, and we always throw a friend birthday party for the kids when they turn ten. I chose the easy option and made it a harvest theme, which my daughter was perfectly happy with. We have cupcakes with leaf toppers, leaf scratch art, and beaded corn crafts from Hobby Lobby. I served chili, pickle chips, and pumpkin dip with apples, and we had a campfire with s’mores even though it was sprinkling rain.

We did take some time to go to our local corn maze this fall after skipping it last year, and it was worth the ridiculously high admission. We all came away with pumpkins from the patch, sore feet from walking all through the maze, and the contented type of tired from a fun day together. It was especially delightful for me to see how seriously my older kids took the maze this year.

October was a flurry of chopping wood for the winter and hunting seasons. My husband got a deer and my son got his first elk. Our freezer is pretty full and I am grateful.

We offered to host Thanksgiving for my husband’s parents this year. It was only my second time making a turkey, and my first time making the entire meal myself. I found the trickiest part was getting and keeping everything hot at the same time - the sweet potatoes could have used a little microwaving, but overall it was a success.

Here I am going to explain how I brined the turkey, because I forgot how I did it last time and I want to remember for next time. After defrosting the turkey, remove the neck and innards. Soak it in a solution of water and salt - about half a cup of salt to a gallon of water. Throw some thyme, rosemary, lemon, and cranberries in the brine too (I’m not sure the cranberries did much, but they made it look pretty). Let it soak overnight, up to 24 hours. Remove the turkey from the brine, rub the skin with butter, put a sliced apple and half an onion inside it. Fill the bottom of the turkey bag with carrots, celery, and onion to act as a rack, then put the turkey in. Seal the bag according to the package directions, cook for four hours at 350 degrees, and presto! Flavorful, not-dry turkey.

As we gathered around the table, the Christmas lights already twinkling in the background because we set up our tree the weekend before Thanksgiving, my middle son cheerfully suggested we should all say something we were thankful for. None of us could cover every gift we have received of course. My son chimed in with “I’m thankful for everything!” and that is the closest anyone could come to expressing everything that needs to be said, even if it might feel a little bit like cheating. Everything we have is a gift from God, and we are thankful.

Fall 2025 Favorites:

Beverage: Coffee, just plain coffee,

Meal: Chicken noodle soup, with Grandma noodles of course.

Show: All Creature Great And Small with the kids.

Movie: You’ve Got Mail, we watch it almost every fall and I love it every time.

Activity: Fall hikes in our mountains, and we took several this year.

Book I Read: The Vanishing At Castle Moreau by Jamie Jo Wright - delightfully creepy, but it all turned out alright.

Read-aloud: Anne Of The Island by L. M. Montgomery. We always start a new Anne book in the fall. I’m not sure if we’ll continue into the next books after Anne is all grown up, but we might. I find several of the situations in which Anne finds herself in this current volume are instructive for the teenage years.

Looking Forward To In December:

Family Gatherings: Particularly a “trail of lights” we do with my family every year, and seeing my grandmother in a couple weeks.

Christmas Crafts: I purchased clay snowmen to make, cups to paint, and ornament supplies.

Singing Hymns: I’ve been attempting to learn an old, but new-to-us, hymn with the kids each year. A couple years ago we did “Good Christian Men, Rejoice”, which I think every family should learn because it’s a very enthusiastic song for the younger crowd. Last year we learned “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence”, which is more somber, but the lyrics really convey the gravity of what Jesus did in becoming a baby. This year we will learn “Gently Mary Laid Her Child”.

Christmas School: We will lighten up on some of our subjects and fill in the gaps with some more festive activities, or put a Christmas spin on some things. I’m still in the planning stages. This Christmas booklist will be used heavily with my little girls.

Sunday School Christmas Party: We still attend a good ol’ fashioned Sunday School, and we will be caroling at our Christmas party this year. I have very fond memories of caroling as a child. If you have never caroled, I hope you get the opportunity someday. The way the door slowly cracks open, and a look of suspicion turns to happy surprise (and sometimes even tears) is something to behold. I hope that some of those memories of giving unexpected joy to a stranger will be formed for my kids this year.

What was your favorite part of fall, and what are you looking forward to in December?

How To Save Money On Grocery Shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 12:52:00 +0000

Our family has never paid more than $200 per person per month for groceries, and we are often well under that amount. Whenever I mention that to people, I get questions about how we manage to spend so little on groceries each month. In this post I am going to give you all my tips and tricks for saving money on groceries. If you aren’t doing any of these currently and start applying them all, I feel pretty confident in saying you will save money!

However, I am very aware that each family is going to have their own unique dietary circumstances. Regional grocery prices vary, and that also plays a role. Each family also has family advantages and preferences that are going to play into the grocery budget.

For example, our family has a deep trunk-style freezer and an ancient extra fridge in the garage that allow us to buy in bulk, and you might not have that (though I feel strongly that deep freezers are a good investment). Our family has five kids but only one of them is a teenager so far. We might tick up our grocery budget as more of our kids reach the bottomless-pit stage. Our family also buys very little red meat because we hunt for our meat, and that’s cheaper. If I had to buy red meat, I’d tick up our total grocery budget by another $100 a month or so.

Still, I do very much believe that if you apply these strategies faithfully, you will save a noticeable amount of money, regardless of what other restrictions you might be working with.

Let’s Make An Agreement…

Before we start, I just want us to all understand that saving money on groceries is all about choices and trade-offs.

There are some challenges we all face in grocery shopping that are outside our control, but there is a lot that we can control. As you read, you will be evaluating your own values and deciding where you are willing to spend extra money and where you want to try to save. If you decide to spend where I would save, it’s not that one of us is right and one is wrong. These are just the choices we are making for ourselves and our families, and it’s okay if they are different.

For example, our family chooses to not buy organic. If it’s important to you to buy everything organic, you are going to spend more money than me. That’s just the way it is. Each of us are making choices about how we choose to spend our money, and neither one is inherently better than the other. If we are both comfortable with the trade-offs we are making, we can just set the moralizing aside and focus on the money-saving strategies! This is a no-judgement zone from me, and I would like it to remain a no-judgement zone in the comments as well. Agreed?

Ways To Save Money On Groceries

I’m going to cover basic strategies in this section - some of them so basic the average reader may roll their eyes, but I want to cover everything. Some of these points will be expanded into additional articles, but alot of them you could apply right away. Find a couple that you aren’t already doing and try to implement them, remembering that it takes a while to build or change a habit.

1. Buy Generic Brands

It is truly amazing the price difference between brand-name and generic brands, and this is across the board. I’ve compiled the price of basic old-fashioned oats for you as an example:

Quaker Old-Fashioned Oats, 18 oz. - $3.69 at King Soopers

Kroger Old-Fashioned Oats, 18 oz. - $2.79 at King Soopers

That’s almost a dollar you could save on just one item at King Soopers by buying generic, and that’s not even taking into account current coupons which could reduce the generic brand cost further. If you can save an average of a dollar per item buy buying generic, that could add up to a significant amount of savings.

And I’ll tell you a little secret - the generic brand is almost always the exact same thing as brand name. Sometimes the generic brands are even packaged in the same factories as brand-name items!

There are occasional items where you may find that the brand name is cheaper, and if so, go for it.

There may be items where the generic and brand name products are noticeably different, and you may sometimes prefer the brand name product over the generic version. I would encourage you to see if you can change your tastes to accept the generic version. Give the generic a few months and see if you still care about the difference. If you really decide that the brand name is worth the extra cost to you for certain items, go with peace and buy that brand name. At least you have weighed the options and are making conscious decision instead of letting brand names be the default.

How I Do It: I almost never buy the brand name version of anything, unless there is no generic version, or unless I notice the brand name is on sale and happens to be cheaper. My Exceptions: Oreos, Malt-O-Meal Mini Spooners (semi-generic), and laundry detergent.

2. Shop At Cheaper Grocery Stores

Not all grocery stores are created equal, and if you want to save money on groceries, you need to put aside your prejudices and choose your grocery store based on average prices.

Sometimes the price at a less expensive grocery store may be better than even a sale price elsewhere. Let’s look at our oatmeal example from the last section, shall we? Here I’ll compare generic prices at three different stores:

Walmart Old-Fashioned Oats, 18 oz. - $2.66

King Soopers Old-Fashioned Oats, 18 oz. - $2.79

Target Old-Fashioned Oats, 18 oz. - $2.89

Safeway Old-Fashioned Oats, 18 oz. - $3.49

You’ll notice that Walmart is at least 13 cents cheaper than the next option, a whole 83 cents cheaper than if you bought the same item at Safeway!

You may think these differences are petty, but I assure you, across the fifty different items you might buy in one grocery trip, a few cents here and there does add up to a decent amount of savings. Let’s compare eggs, for another example:

King Soopers Eggs - $2.79/dozen

Walmart Eggs - $1.97/dozen

Now, depending on where you live, you may hav more limited grocery store options, but I would encourage you to expand your travel for groceries if it would make a difference. You don’t have to shop at the grocery store closest to you. You can combine trips to make driving for groceries more economical.

How I Do It: I live in a rural community, and technically my closest grocery store is Safeway. But I don’t shop there. I pick up groceries another 25 minutes down the road at Walmart whenever I happen to be headed to town anyway. I buy almost everything at Walmart and Sam’s Club, which I find to be the cheapest grocery stores within an hour of me. There is a King Soopers and Dollar General a little closer if I need to make a quick stop for 1 ingredient, but I would never do a full shopping trip at those stores.

As an aside, I’ve had many people comment to me how they can’t stand the environment of Walmart. They want a nicergrocery shopping experience. If that’s your choice, that’s fine; remember, everything here is about trade-offs. If you want to pay more for a better experience, that’s your choice, just be aware there are cheaper options out there.

3. Cost Per Ounce Matters

Remember, saving money on groceries often comes down to cents, which adds up to dollars. The reason we buy generic is because of the savings of cents per ounce. But we can also save per ounce by buying in bulk.

Let’s compare oatmeal again (we will use King Soopers to make the point here):

Kroger Old-Fashioned Oats, 18 oz - $2.79 (15 cents/oz.)

Kroger Old-Fashioned Oats, 42 oz. - $4.49 (11 cents/oz.)

Quaker’s Old-Fashioned Oats, 160 oz. - $7.98 (5 cents/oz.)

As you can see, it is much less expensive to buy even the name-brand oats if I buy it in bulk! But even if I don’t buy in bulk, I save almost a third of the cost if I buy the larger size at King Soopers.

If it’s an item that you know you eat alot of, or if it’s a shelf-stable item, see how many cents per ounce you can save by buying a larger size. Think in percentages instead of cents if it helps you quantify the savings. If I buy oatmeal at Sam’s, I am getting 66% off the regular, non-bulk price at King Soopers. If you do this for multiple items, it actually adds up to alot of savings by the end of the month!

How I Do It: Unless I am a couple days until pay day and trying to keep the actual dollar amount low, I always check the price-per-ounce and buy according to that. I may spend more for one grocery trip, but I will save in the long term.

That leads me to my next point…

4. Buy In Bulk (When It Makes Sense)

I just showed you how much you can save by buying in bulk with oatmeal. Let’s try comparing a few more items.

505 Green Chili - $3.92 each (at Walmart)

505 Green Chili - $3.33 each (3-pack at Sam’s)

Peanut Butter - 12.1 cents/oz. (at Walmart)

Peanut Butter - 10 cents/oz. (at Sam’s)

Frozen Chicken Breasts - $2.98/lb. (at Walmart)

Frozen Chick Breasts - $2.70/lb. (at Sam’s)

Hummus - 27.2 cents/oz. (at Walmart)

Hummus - 14 cents/oz. (at Sam’s)

Some of these differences might not seem like much, only a few dollars here and there. But remember, if we do this for as many items as we reasonably can, the savings do add up at the end of the month.

Now, there are occasions when buying in bulk may not be less expensive, so back to our earlier point, always check price per ounce!

Some other times it may not make sense to buy in bulk are when you know you will only use a small amount of an ingredient, when you are buying things that will go bad quickly, when you are working with limited fridge space, or when there is a very negligible difference in the bulk price (less than a cent per ounce).

How I Do It: I check to see if there is a bulk option whenever it makes sense, and it’s almost always at least a little cheaper - and sometimes, as in the case of the oatmeal, it’s a significant percentage off. I pay for the Sam’s Club premium membership, which gives you cash back for every purchase you make, which you can then apply toward paying the membership fees whenever they come due - so I only end up paying $40-60 dollars each year ($5 or less per month). The savings from buying in bulk do outweigh that small fee in the end.

5. Think In Terms Of Price Per Meal

When you are planning out meals, I recommend thinking of how much a particular meal is going to cost per person.

For instance, I can feed everyone in my family spaghetti and meatballs for about a dollar per person. That’s a great, cheap meal, and we eat it a few times per month! On the other hand, I’ve calculated all the ingredients for something like lasagna, and it comes out to about $4.20 per person, four times as much. If we ate meals at that price every time I cooked dinner, we’d be spending much more on groceries each month. I save those more expensive meals for special days, or limit them to once a week.

Another thing you can do is think of ingredient substitutes or similar meals you could do for less. For example, spaghetti pie is a meal that tastes very similar to lasagna, and it uses similar ingredients - but because it uses cheaper meat and less cheese, it only costs about $1.70 per person.

How I Do It: I aim for the majority of our dinners to fall between $1-2 per person. Lunches and breakfasts typically cost less than that because of buying in bulk.

6. Try To Limit Pre-Made Items

In general, it’s going to be cheaper to purchase ingredients and make your own items than to buy pre-made foods. This is especially true for pre-made/frozen meals and baked goods.

For example, I can make a loaf of sourdough bread for literally a few dimes worth of flour and salt (as opposed to buying a loaf for $3-5)! I could make up to two dozen cookies for around $3 worth of ingredients. Even the one frozen meal I do buy often - frozen pizza - I probably could make for less from scratch than if I bought it pre-made.

I’m not saying there is no place for pre-made meals, because there definitely is. It would take alot of time to make pizza from scratch, and we usually eat pizza as a last-minute decision when we have a movie night, so I’m willing to pay for convenience sometimes. But if I paid for convenience all the time, that could really add up. We try to make things ourselves as much as possible. It usually tastes better than store-bought, and it saves money.

How I Do It: I stock my pantry with ingredients, instead of fully made items.

7. Shop Online And Do Grocery Pickup

We truly live in an interesting time, and one of the perks of living in 2025 is that we have the option to have someone else do the shopping legwork for us. I can’t tell you how much time this saves!

The money-saving ramifications might not be immediately obvious, but it does end up saving money in multiple ways as well. Here are the benefits:

-I can schedule pickups around times I am already going to be near the grocery store, which saves me gas money.

-I can check my pantry to see what I already have before checking out online - so if I already have it, I don’t accidentally re-buy it.

-I can check multiple grocery stores for each item to make sure I’m getting the best price - for instance, I was about to check out with my 5 dozen eggs at Sam’s, but I checked Walmart and saw they have 5 dozen eggs for a dollar less. That’s a dollar saved!

-I have time to sit and consider my grocery total before checking out, and I can contemplate what items I could eliminate or swap out to stay within my budget.

The only drawback in shopping this way is that it provides less opportunity to model smart shopping habits for my kids, which is something they would get more if I took them with me to the store. I am thinking of remedying this by picking one kid per month to sit next to me at the computer and walk through my process.

How I Do It: I mostly shop at Walmart and Sam’s. At the beginning of each month I take my time crafting a grocery order and schedule it for pickup when I will already be going to town. Walmart has free grocery pickups after a certain dollar limit, and Sam’s has free pickups if you have the premium membership (which is more cost-effective because of the money-back deal I mentioned above).

8. Shop Only Once Per Month

This is a strategy I use that I know saves me a decent amount of money each month.

The reasons why may not apply to everyone, but what I find is that whenever I make a trip to the grocery store (or place a grocery order), I always end up spending more than I originally intended. I might be hungry when I’m ordering and add a few more treats than I planned. Maybe I’ll think of a certain (more expensive) shampoo I wanted to try, and I end up adding it. I might think of something that’s running low; maybe I could wait to buy it until next month, but because I’m shopping and thinking about it right now, I go ahead and buy it.

These incidental or impulse purchases can really run my total up, and once I’ve thought of buying something it can sometimes be hard to talk myself out of buying it. And this happens every time I go to the grocery store. By limiting my trips to the grocery store each month, I limit my opportunities for impulse purchases, and thus save money.

How I Do It: I always get questions about this when I mention it, so I will be devoting a whole other post to it soon. Put your questions in the comments and I will make sure to cover them when I write that article.

Most of the previous tips are things to think about before shopping…here are a couple to think about once you have the food home.

9. Reduce Waste And Eat Leftovers

You can plan to make a little extra dinner in order to have leftovers for lunch the next day, and that is going to be less expensive than making a whole other meal for lunch. Keep an eye on the food you already have in your fridge and make it a goal to not throw anything out. If you make a double meal, you can get two dinners out of it - and once again, for some meals that’s more cost effective than buying and making a smaller amount.

For instance, with my recipe and how much my family typically eats, making enough chili for two full meals (instead of one and half) is a difference of one more extra-large can of chili beans - which is only about $2.98 at Walmart. So we can get an extra meal for less than a dollar more per person, just by planning to make extra.

How I Do It: I plan to eat leftovers either for dinner or lunch within one week; after that it might not be safe anymore. For some dinners I make extra and count on having meals of leftovers, so some meal ingredient costs will count for two meals for the whole family, further reducing the price. The less you waste, the more money you can save.

10. Be Frugal With The Snacks

Snacks between meals can add up to quite alot of extra costs, so I recommend being very aware of what kind of snacks you are buying and how expensive they are. If you find your family snacks multiple times throughout the day, you can also work on changing your snacking habits, and that will save money.

Think about the kinds of snacks you are buying, and whether you could get more bang for your buck by buying items a different way. We don’t eat alot of chips (because they are expensive!), but when I do buy chips, I buy a box of individually-packaged chips from Sam’s club. This might seem contrary to some other things I’ve said, but here is why it works: not only am I getting a better price in bulk (56.9 cents/oz. for a bag at Walmart, as opposed to 41.3 cents/oz. at Sam’s), but having pre-portioned bags will stretch the chips further and prevent excess snacking, which will ultimately save money.

How I Do It: I think hard about how many snacks I can get out of each snack-food purchase, and how much I’m paying per snack. I have to with five kids! I don’t encourage alot of snacking in between meals, and I don’t snack a ton myself. My kids might have one snack mid-morning and one mid-afternoon, and I buy things that are cost-effective for us. Snacks that I have found to be a good value are mini carrots with hummus, pretzels, animal crackers, veggie straws, trail mix, and cheese sticks. I buy all of those in bulk. When we want something sweet, I also make our own treats (brownies, apple pies, cookies, fudge) instead of buying pre-made treats, which is much more cost-effective.

As I was preparing to write this post, I asked my husband if he would let me take over his fraction of the grocery budget for an experiment. He likes particular, high-protein food items, and he was doing his own shopping so he could pick out the exact items he wanted. He is a pretty smart shopper, but he doesn’t go to the extra label-scrutinizing lengths that I do.

He humored me though and gave me his usual shopping list. This month I bought all of the things on his list, using the strategies that I shared in this post, and hauled all the items home. He looked at the two boxes of food and said it was probably more than he would eat in one month - and I had bought it all for half the cost that he usually spends! So I know these strategies do work - it takes a little extra effort and brain power, but for our family it’s worth it.

I know this is alot of information. Some of you already do some of these things. Pick one or two that you aren’t doing and see if you can implement them!

If you have not been shopping this way at all, trying to apply all this at once might be overwhelming. Look through my points and choose just one or two things to practice this next month. Once those couple things become a habit, you can add a couple more in.

Another post will be coming soon with tips on how to shop once a month.

If you have any specific questions, put them in the comments.

If you have any additional money-saving tips to share, I would love to hear those as well!

What Curriculum? Our 2025 Choices

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 11:22:00 +0000

I had a request last week for an article sharing the homeschool curriculum that we are using this year.

Somewhere along the way, I stopped sharing our curriculum online. When my kids were younger I loved reading about all kinds of curricula, and subsequently sharing my own choices. It was exciting to see what was out there and get ideas!

However, as the years went on, a couple things happened. First, I settled into the day-to-day of homeschooling, and there wasn’t as much to be said about curriculum from year to year. But also, I started to realize how subjective choosing curriculum really is. Just because this curriculum works for my child, doesn’t mean a different one won’t serve your child just as well. Just because I happen to align with one curriculum, doesn’t mean it’s going to be one that anyone I know likes.

I’m not even always sure I love all my own curriculum choices absolutely. There actually is no perfect curriculum out there. I’ve been around the block enough times now to know that a different curriculum does not solve every problem, and almost any decent curriculum will do the trick if it’s diligently applied.

Even though I have mostly figured out what works for us, many people are still in the getting-ideas-and-reading-reviews stage, and so this post is for them.

Just a reminder, I have five kids, spanning from 2nd grade to a freshman in high school. We are eclectic homeschoolers in our family, meaning we make use of varied curricula and resources for different subjects. I’m drawn to classical and Charlotte Mason influences, and I am familiar with both educational philosophies without being a purist of either. We don’t read Plutarch and don’t intend to, and we like a workbook now and then.

Math

What We Use Right Now: Rightstart, Apologia, Denison

All of my kids have been taught their initial math concepts with the Rightstart Math curriculum. I like Rightstart because of the emphasis on mental math, understanding why certain math tricks and formulas work, and the abundant exposure to geometry from early ages. The way Rightstart teaches math has always matched up really well with how I think about math myself, so it’s been a good fit for the elementary years.

However, late elementary is always a period of trial with this particular curriculum - some of my kids have continued on and are doing well with it, and with other kids it became really apparent that we needed to try something else. Rightstart only goes through 8th grade, so I have always known we also needed to find something else for high school. This year half my kids are continuing on with Rightstart, and the other half are trying something else.

Apologia’s Exploring Creation With Mathematics is new to us this year and its lessons are much shorter than Rightstart. But it has been covering all the grade-appropriate basics and has been a good transition to becoming more proficient at procedural math.

Denison is our choice for Algebra this year, and it has been a dream so far. While the upper levels of Rightstart had been taking up to 2 hours per lesson (perhaps they were meant to be split into two sessions), Denison has hit the sweet spot of a reasonable amount of time and the right amount of challenge. This curriculum is written specifically for homeschoolers - my husband and I sat down to research different Algebra curricula, and as soon as we watched the sample lesson and saw how well the instructor understood homeschooling, we were sold.

History & Geography

What We Use Right Now: Living Heritage, Biblioplan, Story Of The World

Last year I made the switch to a more “true” Charlotte Mason curriculum, called Living Heritage, and it has overall been a really enriching choice for our family. Living Heritage is a guide more than a curriculum - all the chapter books and other resources must be purchased separately (similar to Ambleside Online). It follows a four year history cycle, and tailors all the resources around the history “streams”.

We mostly use Living Heritage for the history, literature, and art and music book choices, with an occasional science read thrown in. We don’t follow their recommendations for math or science, and we are about half-in with grammar. I retain the right to nix any book that I just don’t find worthwhile for whatever reason. However, even using the guide only partially, it has been worth the money to me. We have read so many wonderful books together, and my kids’ “independent history reads” from the booklist are one of their favorite parts of the day. It has really brought different historical periods to life, especially ones that would otherwise feel a little dry.

We are also part of a somewhat classical co-op, and for that we are going through Biblioplan for middle and high school, and Story Of The World for younger students. Though I didn’t choose the curriculum, I am actually teaching Biblioplan for middle and high school at our co-op, and I’m still becoming familiar with it.

I will say this for it - Biblioplan is very thorough. If you try to poke around on the website you will see how overwhelming it can feel. We are still getting our feet under us, but I think it’s actually nice for my kids to have a history “spine” textbook, and then to have the Living Heritage choices at home to add the color. It ends up being alot of history work each week, especially for high school, but we are making it work.

I feel ambivalent about Story Of The World - my younger kids enjoy it at co-op, but all we do at home is read the chapter to keep up with it.

Science

What We Are Using Now: Berean Builders, Apologia, a little bit of Living Heritage

We have used Apologia Young Explorers series for my elementary kids since the beginning, and they quite enjoy it. My 2nd, 4th, and 6th grader are doing Land Animals Of The Sixth Day (1st edition) with co-op right now, and because that is the science we would have chosen with or without co-op, it’s been working out really well.

My 7th grader is using an older version of Exploring Creation With Earth Science from Apologia. This is a textbook written by Jay Wile, and I much prefer his middle and high school science texts to the more recent editions from Apologia. I could go into more detail in the comments if anyone wants more information.

Because I don’t like the current Apologia editions as well, I’m okay with my 7th grader doing an older textbook for middle school. I already had the curriculum, and even though scientific understanding is always changing, middle-school level earth science is unlikely to have changed too terribly much in only 20 years since the text was first published.

My high schooler is doing Berean Builders, Discovering Design With Biology, at home. Berean Builders is a newer curriculum company from Jay Wile, the same author of the older Apologia texts that I like so much. One of the things I love about Wile’s approach to teaching science is how he guides the students in keeping a scientific notebook in which to record experiments according the scientific process. You don’t buy a separate “student journal” that hand-holds your kids through recording observations, or worse, just gives them busywork. Instead kids learn how to keep a notebook like a real scientist would. I was once a homeschool student learning from one of Wile’s courses, and that skill of writing up experiments served me particularly well when I got to college.

My kids are also reading an occasional science living book to go along with their studies. For instance, my high schooler is reading All Creatures Great And Small to go along with biology.

Language Arts

What We Are Using Now: Living Heritage, Fireworks Press, Spelling Power, Generations, All About Reading, IEW, copywork, and a bunch of other random books

We now come to the behemoth category of homeschool curricula, “language arts” - which is somehow supposed to cover phonics, handwriting, reading comprehension, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, and maybe even literature too. Is it any wonder I have such a long, hodgepodge resource list?

My 2nd and 4th grader are making their way through All About Reading, which is the best phonics-based reading curriculum on the market, in my opinion. Well worth the slightly high price tag, especially if you have multiple budding readers who will use it. My 2nd grader also has the English 2 workbook from Generations, which has been nice for extra handwriting, spelling, and light grammar. Both my little girls are also doing their respective books in Handwriting Without Tears.

My 4th grader is going through Royal Fireworks Press’s Grammar Town with my 6th and 7th grader. It is a discussion-based approach to teaching grammar and sentence analysis. This is our first year trying this, so the jury is still out on how we feel about it - in previous years we have used Rod & Staff grammar, and that has given us a good foundation from which to try something different.

All my younger kids do weekly spelling tests using Spelling Power, and I am reminded that sometimes the most boring resource is the one that gets the job done. There are no fancy pages or cards or tiles to keep track of here - just literally a book filled with lists of words. It is the only spelling curriculum that has made a lick of difference.

My kids are reading various literature books at their individual levels from the Living Heritage curriculum lists. My youngest two narrate their books orally, and my oldest three write narrations on the books they read - one each day for my high schooler, 2 or 3 per week for my 6th and 7th grader.

We are also going through IEW’s theme-based writing books with co-op, so my big kids are writing a short paper (1-3 paragraphs) for that each week.

Bible

What We Are Using Now: Answers Bible Curriculum, the Tune My Heart catechism, devotional and theological books, and the actual Bible

We have hopped around to different Bible curricula over the years. We really like Answer Bible Curriculum, and it’s something that can be done with the whole family. We have unfortunately used it a little sporadically because we are typically using alot of other resources at the same time. But every time we pick it up the lessons are so rich.

My kids are reading various devotional and theological books as part of the Living Heritage curriculum, and I have been so pleased with the choices so far. We have covered alot of really deep theological topics that I’m not sure how we would have discussed otherwise. We also work on a catechism question (I’m partial to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, but we are trying the Tune My Heart catechism this year) and we read through the Apostle’s and Nicene creeds during our morning time, all of which are full of biblical truth.

However, my best recommendation for studying the Bible in homeschooling is to just pick up the Bible and read it together. You actually don’t need anything fancy to study the Bible with your kids. Just read it, and discuss it, and pray over it together. You will be surprised how enriching that is. This is my favorite discussion guide if you need a little guidance.

Extras

What We Are Using Now: Living Heritage recommendations, Art classes

By extras, I mean things like art, music, Shakespeare, and poetry. There are so many good books and resources for doing picture study and composer study. There are tons of online art tutorials, and books filled with collections of poetry for kids. For Shakespeare we just listen to the play with a copy of the text on the table and a highlighter in hand.

This year we are using alot of guidance from the Living Heritage resource recommendations for these areas of study, and my kids also take an excellent art class at co-op. In the past we have made good use of the Simply Charlotte Mason website, the library, and Youtube. Here are a few favorite resources:

How To Teach Your Children Shakespeare

Simply Charlotte Mason Picture Study

Simply Charlotte Mason Composer Study

Simply Charlotte Mason Poetry

Ark Angel Shakespeare Productions

Humility and Doxology Poetry Lists

Homeschool Compass Poetry Lists

Drawing Textbook

Watercolor Tutorials

As you can see, it’s never a simple answer when someone asks me what curriculum we use! I almost envy those people who can simply reply “Abeka” or something. However, piecing our curriculum together over the years has been a joy to me, and has allowed me to customize our curriculum - not only for my particular kids, but also according to our own family values and educational priorities.

That’s the wonderful thing about homeschooling isn’t it?

I’m happy to answer any questions about why I do or don’t like a curriculum, or give more thorough reviews of individual curricula in the comments!

The Kind That Prays

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 12:10:00 +0000

My friend sat across from me in the coffee shop, drinking something hot from a big glass mug. I took a nibble from my pumpkin bread and choked back a few tears as I prepared to confess something.

It had been a very rough start to the year, and I knew I was in desperate need of prayers for strength. I was discouraged, at a loss for how to help in a difficult situation. I knew I need the Lord’s wisdom and prayer support through this hard time. Aside from my family, I had a handful of friends who I absolutely knew would remember me in their prayers if I asked them.

As I sat across from one such friend, I voiced the thing that had been burdening me ever since this hard season started. I had a feeling about the sort of people I could count on to pray for me, and in contrast, the people that didn’t give me the same confidence. That’s when an uncomfortable thought occurred to me.

Was I the kind of person that my own friends could count on to pray for them?

I had to admit to myself that I probably was not that kind of person for those dear to me. I was often sympathetic in the moment, might shoot up a quick prayer, but then would forget.

The healthy kind of shame came over me. I don’t want to be that way anymore. I want to be the kind that can be counted on to pray and not forget.

Thus began my 2025 mission of figuring out a prayer routine and system that will help me become a true praying woman. Not just praying in the moment, but someone who will hold my loved ones up in prayer over and over again, until their needs are answered one way or another. Someone who will “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17).

I’ve been slowly working through books on prayer, and writing myself reminders to pray in my phone. I been writing out prayer requests, and trying to become fluent at praying Scripture, and falling in and out of the habit of morning prayer too many times. Striving to figure this whole thing out, alternating between success and failure.

I think learning to become a woman of prayer is probably always like that, trying, and failing, and trying again. But hopefully becoming more and more faithful along the way.

In light of my ongoing desire to become better at prayer, I wanted to share one of the prayer resources I’ve picked up recently. I am excited about trying it as another way to guide and reinforce a habit of prayer in my life.

The Pour Out Your Heart Prayer Journal is a book I’ve been eyeing for almost a year now, and when my copy arrived in the mail it was so pretty that I just stared at it for a couple months, not wanting to mess up the beautiful cloth cover and pristine pages. But then I realized that was silly. This journal was meant to be used, to be messed up, to get fingerprint smudges on the pages and coffee drips on the cover over many years of use. So I finally jumped into it.

Most prayer journals that I have explored in the past have pages with room to write praises, thanksgiving, confession, and requests. This journal does as well, but the way it is organized is more conducive to years of use, and being able to easily find previous prayer requests.

The first section is devoted to spending time pondering the gospel - with pages to write out verses and any other quotes while remembering all the Lord has done for us in prayer.

The next section is similar, with pages to remember God’s promises in Scripture. The encouragement is to focus on the character and promises of God before presenting our requests to Him. As someone who tends to rush through prayer too often, I appreciate the built-in reminders and guidance for slowing down and pondering while praying Scripture.

Then we come to what you would typically expect in a prayer journal, pages for recording prayers for specific things. There are pages for praying for unbelievers, for the Church, and for Christ’s Kingdom to advance through missionaries and ministries. Next there are pages for praying for specific loved ones, and finally, pages for praying for yourself.

The final section is for recording God’s provision in answer to prayers. This section is meant to be used as you recognize God’s answers to prayer, or at the New Year as you look back and reflect on how God has worked throughout the year.

The back of the book holds a few pages with encouragement for prayer, and lists of possible verses to use in your prayers for each section. There are also some beautiful prayers included from saints from the past.

I love that the layout of this book is built specifically around remembering what God has done. Answered prayers cannot get lost in this journal because of how it is laid out. The pages for individuals are meant to be used with sticky notes so that as needs change, you can just swap out the notes. It’s a really smart system when you take a little time to understand it.

(Notice the water stain on the front of my journal. I’m learning to be okay with letting it get beat up!)

I have been laying aside time to pray each morning using this journal, and while I am still not as faithful to daily prayer as I aim to be, having all my prayer requests in one place, along with guidance for pondering and praise, is so helpful. I like having a place to write ongoing prayer requests and a system for keeping the same book for a long period of time. I look forward to using this journal for many years to come.

If you have a prayer journal, or some other system for keeping track of prayer requests and answered prayers, I would love to hear about it! Please share in the comments - I’d love encouragement and ideas, or to commiserate if developing a consistent prayer life is something with which you have struggled as I have!

Note: I received this journal for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Summer Books {Vol. 3}

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 11:46:00 +0000

In my extra week of summer, I took some time to finish up books that I have been working on for months. I am one of those people who has 10+ books going at any one time, but every now and then it gets tiresome and I put some concerted effort into reducing my “currently reading” stack.

In addition to the satisfaction of turning the last page, a few of these books were perfect for late summer, because they got me in the mood for the change of the seasons!

Men and Women In The Church by Kevin Deyoung

I read this book because it is on my son’s reading list for the school year, and I wanted to make sure I liked the approach before handing it to him. My conclusion: I think it will be a great one for helping him understand the biblical roles of men and women in a church environment.

Deyoung comes from a complementarian perspective and writes a compelling defense for this biblical position while remaining very readable for the average Christian. His respect for women and their important roles in church also shines through in a refreshing and compassionate way, but he holds fast on the parameters for men and women laid out in Scripture.

When I’m thinking about this book for my son, there is one section on the purposes and differences in men’s and women’s bodies that might be slightly graphic, so I put a sticky note on it to discuss when he reaches that section. Otherwise, I am very glad he will be reading this book. It handles these sticky topics with conviction and grace.

Content Notes: One section discussing sexual differences between men and women.

Bottom Line: Great summary of the biblical role of men and women, and uplifting to both.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

A friend recommended this book to me since she knows I read and appreciated Dracula a few years back. She said it had a very similar vibe to the classic, touching on vampire legends without all the modern indulgence of darkness. I decided to give it a try.

In this book, the main character finds a mysterious book in her father’s library with a print of a dragon holding a banner with “Dracula” written on it. She is curious and asks her father about it. He takes her on travels throughout Europe and starts telling her the story of when he first found that book, and everything that happened after.

Much of the book is epistolary, or written as a story being told in bits, with excerpts from historical documents being thrown in too. The effect of this is that the reader feels they themselves are a bit of a historian, putting the pieces together along with the characters as they research the historical basis for the Dracula legends…and as they start to wonder if there might be truth to them.

The way the book is written is masterful, and I found myself amazed at the amount of research the author must have put into actual historical events and places in order to write this! The travel writing and descriptions of various countries are particularly vivid and made me feel as if I had visited these places myself. I will include a couple things in my content notes below, but this book was so atmospheric and written so beautifully, I couldn’t help but enjoy it.

Content Notes: The characters sometimes mention the occult (in a non-sympathetic way), because Dracula is involved with it as the villain. Some gruesome descriptions of the violence that the historical Dracula committed. Some characters get a little “frisky” (not described).

Bottom Line: If you liked Dracula, this book is in that same vein. Mysterious, doesn’t wallow in the dark, good triumphs over evil.

Two Old Women by Velma Wallis

This is a retelling of an old native Alaskan legend. Two old women are left by their struggling tribe to die in the Arctic Circle. The tribe regrets leaving them, but the women are old and complaining, and they have become a burden for the tribe to support. The women are terrified and heartbroken about being left, but they eventually pick themselves up and figure out how to survive on their own, despite their frailty.

Though it’s a horrible thing that this was ever done to the elderly, I really enjoyed this story of older women learning that they can still be strong and useful if they stop viewing themselves as helpless. They learn to take action instead of complaining, and eventually the tribe comes to respect and honor them. They never leave their elderly to die again.

This was a short, quick read, and I loved it. I’d recommend it.

Content Notes: Some vague mentions of “becoming a woman”, moral implications of leaving the elderly to die.

Bottom Line: An uplifting story, written like a fleshed-out legend, atmospheric.

Portugese Irregular Verbs by Alexander McCall Smith

Since I love another of Smith’s series, the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, I thought I would give this series a try. In this book, Dr. von Igelfeld, a philologist who wrote a book called Portuguese Irregular Verbs, travels around with his colleagues and encounters various silly adventures.

This series is written in a similar way as the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency in that smaller storylines, which mostly wrap up in a single chapter, are woven together into a larger story. Each incident is used to paint the characters. I can’t quite decide what I think of Dr. von Igelfeld - he’s a little whiny, a little full of himself, but somehow in a lovable way. I found I was rooting for him in spite of myself.

I don’t know if I’ll pick up the next book or not, but comparing the two series from Smith, it was a different flavor of the same cuisine. I will probably give this series a chance, but No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency is always going to be my favorite.

Content Note: One of the stories in this book involves a “guru” giving von Igelfeld a “prophecy”.

Bottom Line: Humorous book. Not sure about the characters, but I think if I pick up the next book I’m primed to grow to like them.

I read Men And Women In The Church in preparation for the homeschool year, The Historian gave mysterious autumn vibes, Two Old Women spanned several seasons with a special mention of fall colors, and Portuguese Irregular Verbs felt back-to-schoolish. So by the time I closed all these books, I was pretty much ready for pumpkin spice candles.

Do you have any books that are a good transition from summer to fall?

Summer Books {Vol. 2}

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 17:31:00 +0000

Today

I am continuing to share some of the books I read over the summer - the following books helped me get out of my reading slump!

The Love Haters by Katherine Center

A friend got me hooked on Katherine Center a couple years ago. Every book I’ve read from her is like an early 2000s rom-com movie in book form! This one is about a documentary filmmaker, who must produce a promo for the National Coast Guard. The only problem is that she can’t swim, and can’t stand to see herself in a bathing suit…but somehow still ends up thrown together with a handsome coast guard rescue swimmer.

A large theme of this book was about body positivity and learning to appreciate your body - which was a bit heavy-handed, but didn’t keep me from enjoying the story. I also liked how all the characters had a nice ending in this book - Katherine Center always gives her books a happy ending, but even the unlikable characters end up with something good in this one.

Occasionally Center’s books can have a bit of content that I don’t appreciate, but this book had less of a need for content notes than some of her others (see below). Overall, this was probably one of my favorites from her!

Content Notes: Some cursing (including a few uses of the f-word), we find out two side characters slept together, mentions of characters living together in the past, etc.

Bottom Line: Pick it up if you enjoy old-school rom-coms.

In The Company Of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith

This is book six in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, which is basically my before-bed, comfort-read series. In this one, Mma Makutsi starts taking dancing lessons and meets an awkward man to whom she feels obligated to be kind - but she ends up being surprised by him in the end. One of the apprentice mechanics quits the shop, and Mma Ramotswe’s former husband shows up threatening to cause trouble for her.

Smith does a wonderful job of weaving all these story elements together throughout the book. What I like most about these books is that most of the problems are serious but not life-ruining, and the characters admire and respect each other as they figure out solutions. There is a fondness among all of the characters that is just comforting to read. This book was more of what I enjoy about this series. Highly recommend for a night-time read.

Content Notes: Infidelity of some of the villains/side characters.

Bottom Line: If you need a calm-down book before going to sleep, this series might be it.

Wear It Well: Reclaim Your Closet and Rediscover the Joy of Getting Dressed by Allison Bornstein

At the beginning of the year I shared some of the reading challenges in which I’m participating, and I decided to shift one of my 5x5 categories to include books about clothes and style. I’ve been wanting to make better use of the clothes I have and learn to appreciate my closet instead of adding new things constantly, and Wear It Well has been a great inspiration book for that.

This book opens with encouragement for cleaning out your closet, and then learning to edit your closet according to three words that you must choose to describe your style. Bornstein also gives us her nine closet staples, but the way she gives recommendations leaves so much room for you to interpret those pieces in a way that fits with your own style.

I really love the idea of trying to sum up one’s style in three words, and using those words to help you narrow the choices when cleaning out your closet or shopping for new clothes. It’s something I’ve been keeping in mind as the stores roll out their fall offerings, appreciating a garment while being able to say “it’s not for me”.

Bornstein gets a little “woo woo” in certain parts of the book - for example, near the end she recommends setting up a style “altar”, which is just bizarre and New Age-y. No, thank you. However, aside from religious/philosophical differences, I found this book really helpful and encouraging for defining my own style and figuring out ways to use all my clothes in a way that is unique to me. I’d recommend it, just keep in mind you might need to gloss over a couple weird elements.

Content Notes: Weird religious elements here and there (see above).

Bottom Line: If you enjoy fashion and are trying to hone your style, this would be a good place to start.

Summer Books {Vol. 1}

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 11:26:00 +0000

This summer has been odd when it comes to reading. I haven’t read nearly as much as I usually do, and the books in this post might be partially why. My summer reading rhythm was thrown off by two books with endings that left me severely annoyed and maybe I just lost my confidence in what to pick next.

I’m just now getting back on track, so come back next week for better recommendations. Read on if you want to see which books irritated me so much.

Old-Fashioned On Purpose by Jill Winger

I picked this book up on a whim, and ended up finishing it on audio. It’s written by a homesteading blogger, and I enjoyed reading how she runs her farm, home life, and businesses with an old-fashioned perspective (or at least as old-fashioned as you can be when your business is largely online). I especially enjoyed her thoughts on cooking and developing in-person community, and I gained an excellent recipe for homemade all-purpose cleaner! If you would like inspiration or direction on developing old-fashioned skills, this is the book to read.

Content Notes: Nothing significant.

Bottom Line: Interesting read if you are into modern homesteading and old-timey things.

Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

Okay, this is going to be a longer one, because I have to explain why I didn’t like this book. I have been enjoying some of Connie Willis’s books in the past year, and thought I would try this time travel series. In this book, set sometime in the future, historians don’t just study historical texts - they travel back in time and observe history first hand (intriguing, right?). Many dangerous centuries have been closed to time travel, but the 1300’s just opened, and Kivrin, a young historian, travels back to 1320…except something goes wrong. Meanwhile her friends back at home are dealing with an epidemic and other catastrophes that are preventing them from getting Kivrin back from the Middle Ages.

Alot of this plot revolves around The Black Death, and when people start dying of the plague, alot of existential questions are raised about the existence of God, suffering, etc. Kivrin doesn’t believe in God’s existence and thinks some blasphemous things about God, while some in the Middle Ages have their faith strengthened by her presence there.

As her friend (Mr. Dunworthy) is trying to get her back, he starts thinking in analogies of God sending Jesus, and the people on earth crucifying Him. In Dunworthy’s version of God, God watches helplessly and can’t do anything about it, and Jesus, who just wanted to help the people, dies for no reason. So Dunworthy reflects a “god” who is impotent, Kirvin reflects a “Jesus” who helps people by caring for them but can’t heal their suffering in any way, and the town priest who believes Kivrin is a saint that has come to ease their way to Heaven is misguided.

I was hoping for more clarification or depth in the ending, but Willis leaves these questions and distorted views of God unresolved by the end of the book. The meaning in the end seems to be since God doesn’t exist or can’t stop bad things from happening, all we can do is take care of each other in bad times.

There is one comment from a young boy in the story that attempts to give some meaning to all this tragedy. Kivrin is relating how the town priest believed she was a saint that God sent from Heaven to help them in the plague, and the boy comments that is what she did - because she was there, no one had to die alone or be left unburied. The comment feels like a bone thrown to readers of faith, but in the end the people are all still dead, aren’t they? And that seems to be the point of the book. This book was a tragedy with no real comfort or answers, and the blasphemy and distortions of God’s character made the message of this book neither good nor true. So this was not one I’d recommend.

Additional Content Notes: A character comes across a couple fornicating in the Middle Ages timeline, lots of death.

Bottom Line: Would not recommend, unless you don’t care about my problems outlined above and want an interesting way to be depressed.

Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks

Ah, another book I can’t recommend.

I decided to listen to this book after hearing a homeschool influencer speaking about it. The synopsis sounded intriguing, and she was saying that this book had a really realistic portrayal of marriage - particularly how two people can kind of drift apart, but also how that drift can be reversed. In her defense, she was only partway through the book when it was mentioned, and a lot of the problems I’m going to talk about happened in the last quarter of the book.

As the story opens, our main character has started to treat her unemployed husband in a patronizing way, sometimes embarrassed of him. They move to a modern, minimalist community deep in the Washington woods that relies heavily on modern technology. When a volcano erupts nearby, their technology-run community is cut off from the rest of the world, and the residents learn that Bigfoot may not actually be a myth.

I did indeed find the initial portrayal of the apathy that can develop in marriage pretty realistic. The wife clearly loved her husband but struggled with looking down on him. I was interested to see how their relationship dynamic might change as they started facing this crisis, and that’s what ultimately kept me reading.

Spoiler ahead.

There were hints of the wife seeing her husband in a new light as he takes initiative to help the other residents, but unfortunately it was never fully fleshed out. In the end (spoiler), the husband lays down his life to save his wife and another resident. The grief that such an event would bring was not explored very much, and she doesn’t ever consciously recognize that she lost a good man that was very worthy of all her respect. Instead, the wife pushes her grief aside and becomes a vicious killer who leaves the community, presumably to hunt down the remaining creatures who killed her husband. We are left with the implication that she has left some of her humanity and become her own kind of monster.

I found myself so disappointed, and very annoyed, with this ending. There could have been such a beautiful underlying message about marriage, and it would have made the book into something more than just a gratuitous Bigfoot horror story. Instead the marriage aspect of the story is lost completely and we’re left with a post-modern, evolutionary worldview dragging the ending down. I just can’t tell you how bummed I was. It could have been so good.

Additional Content Notes: Evolution assumed, homosexual couple, lots of cussing, VERY gruesome descriptions of deaths (in the last quarter of the book).

Bottom Line: Overall, would not recommend, unless you want to dwell on the brutality of nature and gruesome death.

I went back to my old standby genres after these books made me regret branching out, so I’ll share a few winners soon! Expect several book posts in the next couple weeks.

What is the best book you’ve read this summer?

Late Summer Around Here

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 12:08:00 +0000

My husband looked at me last week and told me he thought I should seriously consider taking another week of summer before starting our homeschool year. He said he’s never seen me this stressed out going into a school year, and he thought I should take just one more week to do nothing, except whatever would feel inspiring or restful.

Of course I had objections…but then we will have to go another week into May! What if we struggle to get into a homeschool routine before our fall trip to visit friends in a couple weeks? What if we get behind?!

But there was a part of me that knows he knows me best out of anyone. So if he sees that I am a little unhinged right now, he’s probably right. I’d be wise to take his advice.

Instead of breaking out the schedule and books this morning, I slept in, finished reading a book I’ve had in progress for a while, and sat down to write something. You can thank my husband for the existence of this post.

On The Page {Anything I’ve Read}

I’ve been struggling to finish several books this summer, so first on my relaxation to-do list this week is reading those! I just completed this book about personal style, this book on Chernobyl, and I have plans to wrap up this book in the next day or two. For blogs, I’m enjoying old-school posts, and also one with encouragement for homeschooling high school and one warning homeschoolers about vouchers - all linked below.

They Won’t Ban Homeschooling - They’ll Control It Instead

On The High School Years

A 2025 Pioneer Woman Writes In Her Diary About July

August’s Letters From The Hearth

I have also been working on having reading time with each of my kids individually, which is no small feat when there are five of them! The consistency is never as good as I want, but it’s a habit I will work on establishing. We’re reading The Hobbit, Little Women, The Swamp Robber, Winnie The Pooh, and The Complete Brambly Hedge.

In My Armchair {Projects I’m Working On}

So many of my personal projects have fallen by the wayside, as we have been running from one activity to another and somehow keeping the house decent and the kids fed in between. However, I did make these adorable beaded fish with my kids this month. They are double-sided, and so much more satisfying to hold than they look.

In The Kitchen {Things We’ve Made}

This has been the summer of me trying to keep my kitchen stocked with fresh fruit - some of which has gone bad because we tried to save it too long, but most of which has been gobbled up almost immediately.

I haven’t done a ton of baking, but my kids have. My daughter has started making chocolate chip cookies (hers are somehow better than mine, though we are using the same recipe). My son has perfected baked oatmeal, and has been preparing breakfast for his siblings every day this week. It’s such a blessing to eat something warm from the oven that I didn’t have to make myself!

I did, however, make pumpkin muffins with fresh-milled grains, and the bags are stored and waiting to be pulled out of the freezer on a busy morning. We also had a “shark week”, and shark cupcakes were in order.

On My Person {Things I’ve Worn}

My heart is starting to turn toward fall fashion, but it’s far too hot outside still. It’s good for me to look through my photos of outfits I enjoyed this summer, since I’ll probably be wearing them for a little while yet!

Despite the temperature, I can’t help eyeing my fall fashion inspiration board. I just finished reading Wear It Well, which talks about picking three words to describe and hone your style - I am analyzing the outfits I’ve pinned and mulling over what my three words should be.

In The Accounts {Money We’ve Saved}

After a July weekend trip, our car started having electrical problems. We took it to the dealership for diagnostic tests, thinking they would have more precise equipment to find the issue. A day later, they gave us a list of fixes that would cost more than we paid for the car! After a little bit of panic, we kept our heads, and took it back to our own mechanic. He replaced one wire, and we replaced the battery, and that seemed to fix the problem. So we “saved” several thousand dollars by not taking the dealership recommendations!

Other than that, I have been saving money by just…not buying things. Instead of doing fall clothes shopping, as I’m always tempted to do in the late summer, I pinned outfits I intend to recreate with my own clothes. I also took my girls window shopping so we could see what the styles are this year, but I didn’t buy anything and thought instead about how I could get the same vibe with clothes I already own.

Out My Window {Beauty I’ve Noticed}

Late summer is such a beautiful time in the mountains. I’m sitting on the porch typing this, and birds are singing all around and hummingbirds keep whizzing past my chair. The sun is shining on the grass, making it turn gold, and puffy clouds float past in a bright blue sky.

I’m especially noticing and appreciating how healthy and full our pine trees look. I’ve noticed alot of beetle kill popping up in surrounding neighborhoods, and I’m so anxious about the health of our trees. We will be keeping a close eye for signs of those nasty pine beetles, but right now our trees look glorious and I’m praying they stay that way.

Out And About {Places We Went}

Yellowstone - We did a camping trip near Yellowstone National Park over the 4th of July! It was a wonderful place to spend the 4th and make memories as a family. There is something special about waking up in a tent.

My grandparent’s cabin - We try to visit my grandparents each summer at their cabin, and it’s always so restful. We just play cards and enjoy their company.

Lots of swimming - The pools have finally closed, but we squeezed in so many swimming days this summer, I feel we really made the most of it!

State Fair - My boys qualified for the shooting competition at the State Fair, and my girls had projects that also qualified. We didn’t go to the actual fair, but we traveled for the competition.

On My Mind {Thoughts To Share}

I sat here for a few minutes trying to decide what to say here. This year has been a difficult one for us, in ways I don’t feel comfortable sharing, and has underscored for us how important the body of Christ is. Nothing we’ve been going through has been worthy of a meal train or more serious help, but we have found encouragement from other believers, in our extended family and our church family. The past few months have also affirmed to us how we ourselves are important in encouraging our local body of believers and building them up. This verse has been a theme this year:

“…that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Colossians 2:2-3

Paul is expressing his hope for the church at Laodicea, but these verses have become a refrain for our relationships, both within our house and in our local church family. We want to be “knit together in love” with one another, as our hearts are encouraged in pursuing the wisdom and knowledge of Christ, together. That should be the theme of our attitudes and words toward others - love and encouragement to pursue the knowledge of Christ. So I’ve been mulling over how to do that better in the midst of a stressful season.

In My Heart {Things I’m Treasuring}

-Laughter coming from the playhouse, where my little girls claim they are taking a nap.

-A Joe Diffy song (think old-school country) playing on our record player while my big kids work on crafts.

-The way my flowers perk up after a little watering.

-Thunder in the distance, the promise of rain.

-Lighting a cinnamon candle my husband bought for me on a whim.

-Warm laundry straight out of the dryer.

-Trees swaying in the wind.

-The feeling of turning the last page of a satisfying book.

-My oldest quietly settling next to me on a porch chair, cup of tea and Bible in hand.

Books For The Curious About Homeschooling

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 11:53:00 +0000

I have been deep in the homeschool world for the vast majority of my life, to the point where I sometimes forget how not-normal homeschooling must seem to the average mom. My mom started homeschooling me when I entered the 4th grade, and my own kids have only ever known being homeschooled. I’ve been going to homeschool conferences ever since my oldest was in kindergarten, and I’ve read more books about homeschooling than I can remember off the top of my head.

But sometimes I try to put myself in the shoes of someone who has just started to become curious about homeschooling. Maybe they have seen beautiful portrayals of a homeschool lifestyle on social media and they find it appealing. Maybe they’ve recently listened to a podcast or video with ideas that intrigued them. Maybe they know a homeschool family and would just like to understand them better.

If a friend told me they were curious about homeschooling, these are the books that I would pull off the shelves and hand to them.

For someone who just wants to know how it all works:

Answers For Homeschooling: Top 25 Questions Critics Ask by Israel Wayne

Whether you are mystified about the whole idea of homeschooling, or you want to be able to explain your interest in homeschooling to friends and family, this book will be a help to you. Wayne covers questions from critics and also addresses many practical homeschooling concerns.

For someone who wants to homeschool but is worried about socialization:

The Well-Adjusted Child by Rachel Gathercole

Gathercole addresses every concern about socialization you could think of in this book. She defines what good socialization is, then discusses issue such as family relationships, citizenship, peer-to-peer friendships, conversations between kids and adults, bullying, and being “cool”. If you need reassurance that your child won’t be missing out by being homeschooled, this is the book you should read.

If something doesn’t feel quite right about public education, but you can’t quite put your finger on it:

Weapons Of Mass Instruction by John Taylor Gatto

This book has been around for. along time, and though it’s not explicitly about homeschooling, it does paint a picture of what we could do differently (and hopefully better) than the current school system. Gatto was an award-winning public school teacher who quit teaching after thirty years and started speaking about the problems he saw with education in America. He weaves in information about the history of the public school system, and his insights are fascinating. Also see Dumbing Us Down by Gatto (shorter, also very good).

If you want to broaden your ideas about what education really is (hint: it’s not about reading textbooks and taking tests):

For The Children’s Sake: Foundations Of Education For Home And School by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay

This book was my first introduction to the idea of “living books”. As someone who has always loved to read, I was inspired to think of education in terms of connections and ideas, instead of merely remembering things until it is time to take a test. Macaulay gives an accessible introduction to the educational philosophy developed by Charlotte Mason, but whether you choose that style of homeschooling or not, there are so many sound principles in this book that are worth considering.

If you want to work on developing a truly Christian view of education:

Education: Does God Have An Opinion? by Israel Wayne

I always put a disclaimer when recommending this book to someone that the title sounds more provocative than the book actually is (at least in my opinion). Wayne gives a thorough argument for Christian education, and the chapters in the second half of the book address how to approach every educational area from a Christian worldview. These last chapters are where the book really shines! I’ve had certain children read the math chapter when they repeatedly asked “why do we have to learn math anyway” - and I can report that attitudes improved significantly.

If you want reassurance and help for a rigorous academic outcome from homeschooling:

The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Bauer

First I want to say, don’t pick this one up if you are overwhelmed or are already dealing with learning struggles. This book is not for everyone - I myself picked it up when my oldest was in kindergarten and was immediately discouraged because I couldn’t picture doing everything this book suggests. I tried it again closer to middle school, and have found it alot more helpful. However, if you are an academic person yourself, and you want a guide for providing rigorous academics for your kids, this book is it.

If you think you are ready, and you just need a push to dive in:

The Call Of The Wild And Free by Ainsley Arment

The author of this book is alot more “wild and free” than me, but even though our styles are different, I was pleasantly surprised when I picked up this book. The joy of a homeschool lifestyle bubbles off these pages, and I found myself remembering everything I love about homeschooling while reading. Arment paints a vivid picture of just how beautiful homeschooling can be, and I think it’s great for inspiring hesitant moms to jump in.

I hope if you are curious about homeschooling, you’ll find something to encourage you in this booklist - this doesn’t even scratch the surface of the amount of homeschool books out there, but it’s a good place to start!

Helping Homeschool Kids Become More Independent

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 11:23:00 +0000

Subtitle: How to do it, and why you may not want to

(The quintessential stack of homeschool read-alouds. These are about half of the books we went through this year.)

How can I help my kids learn to work more independently?

I’ve heard that question so many times, in conference talks, online forums, from friends, and from my own lips. Developing independent learners is something homeschool moms, especially moms of multiple kids, think about a lot.

I remember many days, collapsing into bed exhausted after being pulled in multiple directions all day, and wondering how long I could keep doing this. Helping my kids learn to work more independently became a crucial concern, like it would be the life or death of our homeschool. Now, as my oldest prepares to enter high school, I’ve seen him grow leaps and bounds in working independently, and I’ve learned a few things about helping kids be more independent. I’m sharing practical suggestions and a little straight talk.

1. Don’t push for independence too early.

When my kids were still in elementary school, in a desperate bid to find something my kids could start to do without me, I gave my older kids a workbook for language arts. When I had to be busy with another child, I would ask them to pull these workbooks out for some independent work.

At first the year seemed to go along swimmingly, but eventually I realized that while my kids were progressing to the next lesson each week, they still could not tell me the parts of speech. When we had a minor existential crisis over writing a poem, I realized that what I thought was independent work was really just busy work. In order for my kids to really learn what the workbooks were trying to teach them, I would need to sit down and go over everything with them step-by-step.

On top of that, I had wasted valuable learning time during that homeschool year when a little more effort from me up front would have set a stronger foundation. My kids were not ready to be independent, and that was normal, and I had to learn to accept it.

I think a mistake that we often make is pushing our kids to be independent in their school work too early. Some kids are naturally more independent and make homeschooling look so simple, but we need to be careful of even putting those kids into the “independent” category too quickly. Our kids may appear to be making progress, but if we never sit down and watch them do their work, we can’t really know if they are learning something, or if they are just pushing ahead in the book even when they don’t quite understand a concept. It’s our job as the homeschool mom to help them actually learn, not just get through a workbook. In the younger grades, kids need a strong foundation of understanding, through a lot of help from mom, so hopefully they can be solidly and truly independent in the older grades.

2. Start with checklists.

Once your child is at an age where they can reliably manage their own work - this usually comes in stages, so probably just one or two subjects at first - consider helping them stay on track with daily checklists.

Before I developed our checklist system, I’d often be working with one child, and another would interrupt to ask what they should do next. “I don’t know, go start on your next subject,” ended up being my vague default response - and my poor child, who still didn’t know what to do, would end up deeply invested in a lego game with a younger sibling instead of accomplishing anything.

Eventually I realized that we needed to break out of that habit, and one summer I created a document with a weekly checklist for each child, with all their subjects broken up into days. It looked something like this:

Monday:
-Math lesson -Grammar book -Copywork -Writing video (with sibling) -Read history
Tuesday:
-Math lesson -Grammar book -Copywork -Write outline for paper -Read science lesson
Wednesday:
-Math lesson -Latin -Copywork -Write first draft -Read history -Work on Awana book
Thursday:
-Math lesson -Latin -Copywork -Finish paper -Read science
Friday:
-Math lesson -Art lesson -Copywork -Type up paper -Science experiment with mom

That’s a very simplified example, but you get the idea. I have checkboxes next to each task, and once the checklist are finished, my kids know they are done for the day. I think it is motivating for them to see how much is left and to know they are making progress. It helps prevent wasted time since they always know what else they can work on by themselves (I will sometimes highlight their independent subjects a different color from the ones they need my help with). I even print these checklists for my little girls, but I am the one who manages the checklists for them, since they still need my help for nearly everything. The checklists keep me on track too.

3. Map out the year.

You can’t expect to just hand a child a homeschool curriculum and have them proceed without any help or direction from you.

A couple years ago, as my son entered middle school, I started having an “orientation day” with him toward the end of summer. We sit down with his school books and a calendar, and I show him how many lessons are in each book, how many days we have in the school year, and how many lessons he would have to finish each week to stay on track. I sometimes even write up syllabi and expectations for each homeschool subject - which is helpful, but you don’t necessarily need to go that far.

What I am trying to accomplish with our orientation days is teaching my child how to look ahead at the whole year, and provide checkmarks for them to be able to easily see that they are staying on track. It’s really teaching them how to plan by holding their hand through the process. Some kids may catch on quickly, and for most kids you’ll have to repeat this process every year until they can naturally take it on themselves. I think middle school is the best time to start this - remember, not expecting too much too early, but hopefully helping them learn more planning skills before they reach high school.

4. Remember that independence does not mean mom can be hands-off.

Another mistake I see in homeschool circles (and that I have made myself) is the tendency to become a little slack on checking up on your child once they have reached a certain level of independence. This is how you reach Christmas break and take a peek inside your child’s Latin workbook only to realize they are two months behind (ask me how I know).

Even if your child is on the correct lesson number, remember that it’s still your job as a homeschool mom to make sure the understanding of the subject is there. You should frequently ask your more independent child about what their science book is covering right now, take a peek into their workbooks often, make sure you are grading their papers and tests so you can help shore up any areas where they are struggling. Be ready to answer questions, edit their papers together so they can learn how to improve their writing, and expect to have to research the answers to confusing math questions.

If you find yourself never doing any of these things, I’d encourage you to check yourself. Are you too busy with your own projects or outside commitments to make sure your kids are progressing as they should? Are you spending too much time on your phone, and not enough time enriching your child’s homeschool experience by actually talking with them about what they’re learning?

The truth of the matter is, there really is no point when a homeschool mom can just lean back and rest on her laurels, until her kids are graduated - maybe not even then. Homeschool students are always going to need help, direction, tips, discussions, and check-ins with mom. These things aren’t a chore, but an opportunity to pour into and connect with our kids through their education. Don’t wish those tasks away - don’t push your kids too much to not need you. They do need you, you are their best and only teacher, and being there for them is the beautiful thing about homeschooling.

I’d love to hear any more tips or encouragement you have on this subject! Comment below.

Around Here {June 2025}

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 11:55:00 +0000

On The Page {Anything I’ve Read}

This particular morning, I spent a good amount of time reading blogs and Substacks, and I forgot how much I enjoy getting a peek into different people’s lives and thoughts. I have found so much encouragement and refreshment in small blogs that most people have never heard of. This reflection on a passage from The Great Divorce was especially lovely today.

I am plugging away at a sci-fi time travel book at the moment, and I won’t mention it yet because the jury is still out on whether I’m going to recommend it. Aside from that book, I find myself listening to books more than reading this week. On rotation are: Where The Water Goes (about water management in the western U.S., which sounds boring but isn’t), Midnight In Chernobyl (still working on this one), and Old-Fashioned On Purpose (which I just finished).

In My Armchair {Projects I’m Working On}

In the last month I have returned from a lovely trip visiting our friends in Kentucky, then spent two weeks being a little lazy and recovering, then I jumped right into attending our local homeschool conference and VBS at our church. So I haven’t had the space or energy to tackle any major new projects yet this summer…aside from looking at curriculum and trying to think through how I will teach the history class at our co-op this fall. Important things, but not particularly fun to share.

In The Kitchen {Things We’ve Made}

I’ve been experimenting with new recipes here and there, inspired by a high-protein cookbook I rented from Amazon. I made lemon shrimp and pesto noodles; a sweet potato, beef, and pepper braise; and a greek chicken quinoa bowl.

The last one was the biggest hit, and the first time I’ve attempted making quinoa anything. I don’t have a recipe - basically I cooked up the chicken and made the cream sauce using a spice mix from Walmart, cooked the quinoa, and threw it all into a bowl with greek olives, sun dried tomatoes, cucumbers, and feta cheese. It was delicious.

On My Person {Things I’ve Worn}

It has been a cooler start to the summer, so I haven’t fully embraced my summer wardrobe yet - I also have been not the best at taking outfit photos over the last month, so these few will have to do.

In The Accounts {Money We’ve Saved}

Alas, I have done a terrible job of saving money this month. June is always one of our worst months of the year for spending. We have multiple birthdays and events, and we spend more in gas than usual. But…

-I did a decent job of packing us lunches or scrounging for snacks instead of eating out.

-I received free food items through app promotions.

-I started using Upside again to get cash back on gas purchases, and I’m well on my way to earning enough for a museum membership.

-My eyesight has apparently devolved to the point that my contacts are now considered “medically necessary”, and hence are covered by insurance! So instead of paying $400 for a six-month supply, I now pay $15.

-I got a drawing book I have been eyeing for my birthday, so now I won’t be tempted to buy it myself.

Out My Window {Beauty I’ve Noticed}

Our lilac bush bloomed for the first time in several years, and it’s completely loaded with blossoms! Unfortunately, pine tree pollen season has also arrived in the mountains, and everything is coated with pollen now, giving the blossoms a greenish yellow hue. I am looking forward to a couple rainy days next week to hopefully clean off my beautiful lilacs. Do people cute lilac blossoms for vases, and if so, do they last indoors? I am contemplating researching this, because I would love to bring them inside.

The wildflowers are also in rare form this year.

Out And About {Places We Went}

Homeschool Conference - We attended our state homeschool conference, and I was not very excited about the speaker list this year. However, I sat down in my first workshop session, and the speaker was just chatting and giving little freebies before really getting into her talk, and one of the things she said spoke straight to me heart. It was exactly what I needed to hear, and I felt tears spring to my eyes. Several speakers after that providentially addressed things I had already been contemplating, and I was reminded that the Lord knows what I need better than I do. I was so thankful for all of these faithful homeschool speakers that most people have never heard of.

Vacation Bible School - This post is brought to you by my church’s VBS. Last year I volunteered, but it was exhausting right on the heels of attending a 3.5 day homeschool conference, and I was such a mess I implored my husband to forbid me from volunteering for VBS the next year. He kept his end of the bargain, so I find myself with a couple hours to myself every day this week, and I don’t feel sorry about it. Sometimes we homeschool moms are with our kids so often (and that’s on purpose), we forget it’s okay to sometimes intentionally not be with them, just for a little bit to refresh. It’s been helpful for me to have some alone time this week to reflect on the conference and my hopes for the coming year.

Swim Park - This activity is on the calendar. Don’t tell my kids, it’s a surprise.

On My Mind {Thoughts To Share}

About halfway through the year now, I can confidently say that the thing the Lord is prompting in me is becoming more faithful in prayer. I will write more about this soon, but prayer has been a struggle for me for years now, unless I am having some sort of crisis, and I know that this should not be the case. Last week, speaker after speaker spoke about the importance of prayer, and one of them said that as our kids’ parents, we should make sure no one is praying for our own kids more than we are. That’s saying something when you have faithful praying grandparents in the mix! But it was a good challenge for me to be more intentional in praying for my kids, and our homeschool, and my husband, and our church.

In My Heart {Things I’m Treasuring}

-Warm weather and sunshine

-The occasional rainy day to hold off wildfires

-A house I love, even when it needs cleaning

-Kids who would rather play outside or make things than stare at a screen

-Friends who care enough to check in or smuggle your birthday present into the homeschool conference

-a free drink for downloading the Dutch Bros app

-Happy music

-Hearing baby birds hatch from their eggs outside our bedroom window (it was at 4AM, which was not appreciated, but it was still sweet to hear the chirps).

What We Did Differently In Our Homeschool This Year

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 11:37:00 +0000

Our lilac bush, which has not bloomed in three years, came to life with flowers this year. As I was choosing a photo for this post, I remembered the too-many photos I took of the lovely blooms, and it struck me that our lilac bush feels like a fitting metaphor for our homeschool season. After two years of struggling through our homeschool days, somehow as we close out this year I find myself less burned out and more excited about homeschooling again.

Often when I write these “lessons learned” posts I’ll have some general principles and advice mixed in with my points, but I don’t have any this year. The changes we made were unrelated to any specific challenges we had, but ended up shifting our homeschool dynamic in unexpected ways.

Last year I ended the year struggling hard, and the fact that this year was better is probably a mix of the changes I made and also just entering a different season with my kids. I don’t think if you are struggling you should do the same things we did this year - but if you are struggling in your homeschool, make the changes YOU need to make to feel excited about homeschooling again. Don’t be afraid to try something new, because sometimes it ends up being just what you needed.

These are the two new things we did that breathed some life back into our days.

1. We started a new Charlotte Mason curriculum for history, geography, and literature.

We have been doing Masterbooks for history since the kids were small and to be clear, we have loved it! But after going through the same books several times now, I was ready to try something else. I heard about a reformed protestant Charlotte Mason curriculum that was in its beta year, called Living Heritage, and I was intrigued. I liked a lot of the books on the lists and the layout of the curriculum, and I decided we would give it a try.

I have been familiar with Charlotte Mason’s philosophy for years, and we have incorporated some of her principles (such as narration), but this was our first attempt at a full Charlotte Mason approach for certain subjects. We followed Living Heritage Cycle 4 for history, geography, art and music, and literature (with one or two science books as well).

Living Heritage ended up being a success for all my kids. I saw them grow leaps and bounds in their abilities to recall information from the readings, and in their writing endurance (for my older kids). We had zero complaints about any of the books (except my boys making fun of the opera stories we read), and my older kids asked to continue reading “real books” for history next year too.

Since we have never done another true Charlotte Mason curriculum, I can’t compare it to the big curricula, like Ambleside Online or others. It’s my understanding that there is some crossover in the booklists. What I appreciated the most about Living Heritage was the Bible, which is treated as a full and important subject. The books under “Bible” were so rich and theologically deep. I was especially nervous that the 8th grade Bible read would be too tough for my oldest, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much he understood and retained. It taught me that I shouldn’t underestimate my kids’ abilities to understand and enjoy even hard books.

This ended up being one of my favorite years of our homeschool, but not because it was easy. We combined Living Heritage with other curricula for science and math, as well as different “spine” books for our co-op classes. It was challenging to balance everything we were doing, but I think it stretched and grew my kids, and raised my own confidence in what we can accomplish if we manage our time well. We spent a lot of time on meaningful learning, and it wasn’t a burden to me or the kids because we really enjoyed so many of the books.

I did make adjustments as we went - I dropped one classic that was proving too much of a burden, and a couple books slipped off the list merely because of time. But when I look at the stacks of books we did read, I’m left with alot of satisfaction. We will adjust the curriculum to work with our high school plan for the fall (I still can’t believe my oldest is in high school), but it wasn’t even a question that we would be doing Living Heritage in some form again. You can check out Living Heritage here.

2. We rejoined a local co-op.

After taking a four-year break from any kind of co-op group, we re-joined a local co-op this past fall. We were part of this same group when my oldest was in 3rd and 4th grade, but at that season of life with young kids, I found it too challenging to attend a weekly co-op. I was floundering and recognized I need to spend some time developing my own homeschool discipline and direction before considering a co-op again. My goal was to wait until my youngest had learned to read - and after she finished her kindergarten year, we visited the co-op again.

The timing was right for us to give co-op a try for multiple reasons. My kids were more academically independent, we had good homeschool routines established, and my youngest was reading. Over the past several years we also had several of our core homeschool friends either move away or stop homeschooling all together, and we were in a place of needing a group we could connect with locally.

It’s been new for me to balance having a vision for our homeschool days at home and keeping up with our co-op work, but it helps alot that our co-op is mom-run and flexible. All the kids’ co-op leaders are also homeschool moms with their own things going on, and we recognize that mom makes the final call on what work needs to get done and when. My kids get the most out of it when we stay on schedule with co-op, but if we have a bad week or choose to drop an assignment in favor of something else, we have freedom to make adjustments.

Socially, it’s been a lovely thing for the kids, and I don’t take it for granted. They have made friends, they have just the right balance of structure and visiting time, and the kids in this particular co-op have seemed to mesh together very well. It was what we needed this past homeschool year to keep us encouraged.

Most homeschool moms would tell you that you often have to re-learn how to homeschool every year - there are always new challenges and adjustments that need to be made! This year we took a risk on changing our homeschooling style for over half our subjects with Living Heritage, and adding a big item to our weekly schedule with co-op, but both of those changes ended up paying off, by God’s grace. I’m thankful to end this homeschool year feeling satisfied instead of burned out.

How did your homeschool year go? Did you make any major changes, or was it a year of staying the course?

Early Summer Reads

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 14:55:00 +0000

Road trip reading time is my favorite - I finished five books in the last couple weeks of May because of a road trip we took to see our dear friends a few states over! I’m definitely in a thriller/suspense phase right now. Here are my opinions on my most recent reads.

Worst Case Scenario by T. J. Newman

In this book, a plane crashes into a nuclear power plant. The resulting damage threatens a nuclear disaster that would wipe out the United States, and it’s up to the everyday people of the town and workers at the plant to prevent that from happening. There was alot of heartbreak in this book, but I thought it was really beautifully done and life-affirming. It also lead to an interest in Chernobyl for me, so I’ve been reading more about that since finishing this book.

Content Notes: Lots of peril, disturbing descriptions of radiation poisoning, some bad language.

The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda

Avery is a year-round resident of Littleport, Maine, and Sadie is just a summer resident. But one summer Sadie strikes up a friendship with Avery and changes her life…until a few years later when she is found dead, and Avery is left wondering if there was more behind their apparently spontaneous friendship. Megan Miranda always paints such a vivid setting in her books, and the town itself almost becomes a character that affects what all the main characters do - this book was like that as well. If you like small-town suspense, this book was pretty intriguing.

Content Notes: Moderate bad language, two characters sleep together (not described).

Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins

I just read The Ballad Of Songbird And Snakes in order to get this book next. This follows Haymitch’s hunger games - how his family is ripped apart when he is chosen for the games, and the dire consequences he suffers for not playing by the rules. This one made me cry, but I loved how we got a peek into the “ever after” of all the characters from the other books in the last chapter.

Content Notes: Descriptions of violent deaths.

The Selected Poems Of Wendell Berry by Wendell Berry

After reading an article about where to start with reading Wendell Berry, I decided to try picking up a book of his poems. I have tried reading Jayber Crow before, but Berry’s writing style and way of viewing the world is so different from other books I’ve read, I’ve had a hard time getting into it. This poetry collection remedied that for me - I think I understand his philosophy and worldview better just after reading these poems. There were several poems in this collection that I saved to read again later. I will always have a harder time with poetry that doesn’t actually rhyme, but this book went a long way in helping me to see the appeal.

(No photo, I read this next one on Kindle.)

The Watcher Girl by Minka Kent

I needed a quick read for the last stretch of our recent road trip, and this book captured my attention pretty quickly. Grace discovers that her ex-boyfriend has a new family - but he has moved to Grace’s childhood home, married a women that looks alot like Grace, and his daughter is also named Grace. Something weird is going on, and Grace returns to her hometown to figure out what it is. I may have suspected a little bit of where this book was going, but the ending was surprising enough to be satisfying.

Content Notes: Moderate amount of bad language, two characters smoke marijuana.

I’ve got some great books going for my summer reading right now, so keep an eye out for another book roundup soon!

Books I Read Recently

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Tue, 13 May 2025 11:41:00 +0000

Remember when I said I was going to share books in smaller, more frequent posts this year? Well, 2025 has had different plans, so this is a round-up of everything I've read so far this year, in the order I read them (and I'm in the middle of about ten more books, so stay tuned).

A Woman Underground by Andrew Klavan

I've read the other books in this series, and the thing that makes me keep coming back is the main character, Cameron Winters, a college professor who used to be an assassin for a government agency, and is tortured by the things he has done and by his sad childhood - which he always ends up discussing with his therapist. In this one he must track down his childhood love, who has gone missing and whom he suspects may be in trouble.

Content Notes: Aside from bad language, the main beef I have with this series is that in a few of the books there is pretty graphic violence and brief, sometimes crude descriptions of "adult" situations (ahem). Not every book in the series includes these things, but some have been too explicit for me, and this book was one. Because this series toes that line, I don't necessarily want to recommend it. I only keep picking up the books because I'm invested in the overarching story now, and I skim those pages so I can find out what happens to the main character. I just want him to find happiness, darn it! If this book were a movie I would say it's probably closer to an R rating, and I'm not sure if I'll keep picking them up since the level of the content is iffy for me. I like my books to stay PG-13 or below. (Also, why aren't books rated like movies are? Who do we need to talk to to make this happen?)

The Heir And The Spare by Kate Stradling

No, this isn't about Prince Harry.

In this fantasy book, Iona is tormented by her evil older sister, Lisenn, who is in line for the Wessett throne. A delegation from nearby Cambria arrives to make a deal for Lisenn's hand in marriage - but Iona is surprised to see that their prince is one of the classmates who tormented her when she was sent away to school. The author explained the political tensions between the different countries in a a really interesting way in this book that didn't feel contrived at all. Those tensions are interwoven with Iona's personal feelings for the prince as they develop from contempt to romance. I really enjoyed it, and this book was also clean!

Content Notes: The only content note I have is {spoiler}, the sister and another important family member end up being quite evil, and there is some death in the end.

The Road To Roswell by Connie Willis

Francie is traveling to Roswell to talk her best friend out of marrying a UFO nut, when she ends up being kidnapped by an alien! What follows is a wacky road trip with a collection of characters picked up by the extraterrestrial, and it all wraps up in a very satisfying way. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire journey of this book - every character was so quirky and colorful, and the story was creative! This book reminded me of some of the stories my sister and I used to write with our high school friends, but in a grown-up, full-novel way. I loved it.

Content Notes: Some descriptions of skimpy shorts that Francie is forced to wear, mentions of some of the things that aliens do to people in stereotypical alien abduction stories, and some bad language, including Jesus's name in vain.

Crosstalk by Connie Willis

After really enjoying the above book by Willis, I picked up Crosstalk. This book is a mix between a rom-com and science fiction - Briddey and her fiancé are going to go through a revolutionary procedure that will allow them to sense each other's feelings but something goes wrong and instead Briddey discovers that a random co-worker can now read her thoughts! The rest of the book is about sorting out this mess. I thought this was a really creative plot, and the ending was very satisfying!

Content Notes: I'd rate this book PG-13 if it were a movie - bad language, and some sexual content (no scenes but talk about it).

Really Very Crunchy by Emily Morrow

I read this book purely to fulfill a prompt on the reading challenge I am working through this year, which was "a book about health or nutrition". I also follow Emily Morrow on Instagram, so this seemed like an easy introduction to a genre I rarely read. Morrow tells you how to start dipping your toes into being a "crunchy" mom, but with no judgement or guilt and many humorous stories. I wouldn't consider myself crunchy, because I refuse to let myself get stressed out by toxins or pesticides or whatever, but I end up doing alot of crunchy things on accident (homeschooling, canning, sourdough, gardening, trying to buy more clothing with natural fibers). This book gave gentle advice and interesting suggestions and was entertaining, so I give it 4.5 stars.

My Dear Hemlock by Tilly Delahay

This book is inspired by The Screwtape Letters, only in this fresh version, a demon learns how to tempt a female subject. Delahay has so many insights into the female mind, and I found myself convicted at so many points while reading this book - and also amused and encouraged as the woman grows old and ultimately overcomes. If you haven't read The Screwtape Letters, you won't know what to expect, but once you get your bearings this book is fantastic for any Christian reader. Highly recommend.

Fellowship With God by Martin Lloyd-Jones

This book was my devotional book this spring, and is based around sermons that Lloyd-Jones preached on 1 John 1. I picked it up because I was doing a study on 1 John at church, and this book provided some additional insight. Lloyd-Jones was a fantastic preacher in his time, and his sermons are so relevant today as well. These thin volumes are not a bad place to start with his writings.

Rembrandt Is In The Wind by Russ Ramsey

I do not know much about art, but I saw this book all over social media last year and I was intrigued. Each chapter talks about a different artist by exploring one of his most famous works, and woven throughout each introduction are deeper themes of faith. Not all these artists are necessarily believers, but Ramsey manages to turn your mind to things above through art appreciation. It was a beautiful book, and probably something I'll have my kids read in future years.

Content Notes: Some mentions of sexual failings of various artists.

A-typical Woman by Abigail Dodds

I won't go into a full review here since I posted my review a couple weeks ago, but this book was another lovely devotional read. One thing I didn't mention in my official review was how thoughtful the chapter on single women was, and it made me think about how so many single women have wonderful wisdom to share with everyone, married women included. I quite enjoyed it, and will probably re-read parts of this book in years to come.

The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes by Suzanne Collins

I wasn't a huge fan of The Hunger Games books when I first read them over 10 years ago, but for some reason I became invested in the books/movies again recently and picked up this back-story of President Snow.

I'm not going to lie, this one was dark. I noticed a lot of people online hate it or didn't even finish it. It's not a happy book, but I found it so well-written, and the plot was well-done. This book isn't meant to have a happy ending, but the way Snow's selfishness was woven throughout was masterful. You kept wishing he would recognize the error of his ways, while knowing he wouldn't. You were never rooting for him, which I think was why I didn't mind this book. I don't like when villain backstories attempt to gain sympathy for the villain, but this book didn't do that. We see Snow slide into being a villain through this book, and it all starts with an over-concern with what other people think, pride, and looking out for his own interests over everyone else, even the girl he fools himself into thinking he loves. For me, this book provides a vivid picture of the deceitfulness of sin. Not sunshine-y, but impactful in its own way.

Content Notes: Some pretty gruesome violence.

The Mother Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick

This book follows four 6th graders as their mothers force them to participate in a book club reading Little Women. I picked up this book to see if my 12 year old might like it, since the characters in the book are about the same age. I think there is too much drama surrounding boy characters for me to want to hand it to my daughter right now. That said, I quite enjoyed it, and it reminded me of what it's like to be a middle school girl - in good and bad ways. Middle school is the worst.

Content Notes: Nothing serious, but a large focus on boys, lots of drama, and one very tomboyish character with some feminist plot lines.

Vera Wong’s Guide To Snooping (On A Dead Man) by Jesse Sutanto

In this book Vera Wong returns as she stumbles upon another apparent suicide that she suspects is murder - and she eventually gets the truth with her relentless spirit, and lots of mouthwatering food. Vera Wong is a very colorful character, one you can't easily forget and can't help but enjoy.

Content Notes: Bad language, including the f-word, and the author is clearly a liberal socially. Not too in-your-face, just annoying mentions of different issues.

The Mysteries Of Life In Children’s Literature by Mitchell Kalpakgian

Andrew Pudewa recommends this on his reading list for educators, so I finally picked it up. Each chapter addresses a different theme that is explored in children's literature, with a heavy focus on fairytales. We learn how classic children's literature teaches about the mysteries of love, children, home, friendship, etc. This is a great introduction to some of the symbolism in certain stories that may otherwise seem too weird or go over one's head - but I could see as I read each chapter how children would still get the message, even though these "lessons" are never outright explained. And teaching through a story can be more effective than just making statements, can't it? Sometimes the writing got a little repetitive or felt like an academic essay, but the points were sound.

Beyond Mere Motherhood by Cindy Rollins

I try to read a homeschool book every year, and though I know Mere Motherhood is supposed to come first, I was glad I read this one. This book is like a conversation with an older homeschool mom about varying aspects of being a mother - being a thinking mother, a healthy mother, a reading mother, and many others. A lot of gentle encouragement in this book, and a lot of leads for other books I may want to read. I didn't agree with Rollins about everything, but the overall feeling I got from this book was of a kindly older woman, trying to share her experience even though she didn't do it all right. Very down-to-earth.

The Sin Of Empathy: Compassion And It’s Counterfeits by Joe Rigney

I listened to this book in one day while I cleaned my house and planted trees in my yard. Rigney talks about the sort of empathy that becomes dysfunctional, and how it can affect relationships and especially the environment in churches. I recognized so much of what he was talking about from my own experiences. I will probably listen to this book again, or read it more slowly, because there were so many good insights. I would say this book was more about diagnosing the problem than providing step-by-step solutions, but I thought his call in the last chapter to imitate Christ was impactful. As I said, I think I need to read it again to absorb it more fully.

Chernobyl's Wild Kingdom by Rebecca L. Johnson

I am reading another book related to nuclear disaster, so I decided on a whim to pick up this short book for kids - and oh my, I learned so much. This book gives a brief summary of nuclear power and the Chernobyl disaster, and then focuses on what has happened in the Exclusion Zone since then. The Exclusion Zone is an area that is restricted around Chernobyl because it still has high levels of radiation. Scientists expected that this zone would become a lifeless wasteland, but instead plants and animals have appeared to thrive there - like a radioactive nature preserve. The author talks about different theories about how the animals are being affected by the radiation, or why some of them appear not to be affected as much or at all. It was a short read, I read it in under an hour, but it was so fascinating! If you are interested at all in Chernobyl you should pick this one up.

That’s all for now!

Have you read any of these? What has been the most interesting thing you've learned through reading this year?

Morning Reading & Sourdough

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 13:33:00 +0000

I recently started baking sourdough - by recently, I mean this week. I’ve made other types of bread for years, but sourdough seemed more scary than other varieties of bread. A friend who is an avid sourdough baker gave me a bit of her starter, and it propelled me to figure out what to do with it.

One lovely thing about sourdough is that even while still in the (very long) rising (proofing?) phase, the entire house smells like baking bread. It adds a coziness to our home, and an anticipation of good things to come. The kids peek in the oven, they ask when it will be finished, and we all practice patience as we wait for each step of this long process to be completed.

This morning, I woke up early to pull lumps of dough out of the oven after they had been rising overnight. I folded them a few times, I floured a couple of towels, and I popped them back in the oven for a final proofing before baking. Then I sat down and finished reading (A)Typical Woman by Abigail Dodds.

I was first intrigued by the idea of sourdough after reading another book by Dodds, but (A)Typical Woman was not about sourdough or other domestic pursuits. Rather it is about what it means to be a Christian woman. This is an incredibly broad topic, but one that Dodds tackles with skill.

The first part of the book addresses what it means to be a Christian woman in Christ. First, we are women, made to be women on purpose. We cannot separate our identity as a Christian from our status as women. Dodds says:

“When we opt to see our womanhood as merely an aspect of ourselves, we make it small and inglorious, sometimes condemning it to a silly caricature. We actually degrade what God has made; we degrade ourselves.” pg. 37

God made us women for a purpose, and though we are called to the same things all Christians are called to - holiness, more Christ-likeness, etc. - we are called as women, and we have certain tasks and roles meant for us as women as well. Dodds challenges the assumptions that different means somehow inferior, and lifts our concept of what it means to be Christian women as something glorious, that God created intentionally and beautifully.

The second part of the book covers all the different things women do and experience, and how we are called to glorify Christ in those roles and circumstances. There are chapters on being single, being married, being a mother, being a working women (outside the home), being strong or weak, being dependent, being afflicted. Dodds offers rich and wise encouragement for all these circumstances, pointing us to Christ through every possibility.

“How do we become mature in Christ? Maturity is a path through suffering with Christ. As much as we wish to spare ourselves and our loved ones pain, dear sisters, we dare not rob them of God’s blessing, that is, the realization that He is the true light ‘when all other lights go out.’ God’s blessing is Himself.” pg. 128

Throughout the book she calls us to look to Christ, to depend on Him, to seek to be more like Him, to glorify Him through being faithful in all circumstances. There are challenges here for wrong thinking and calls away from sinful attitudes, but the overall trajectory of the book is to point us to Christ and call us to live out our calling as Christian women in fellowship with God and the people in our lives. This book is beautiful and uplifting, and I think any Christian woman who reads us will find her heart more fixed on her Savior - which makes it very worthwhile.

“May you, dear reader, find your deepest delight in being what He made you and being found in the One who saved you. There is more joy to unearth and more good to unleash and more comfort to take hold of in the Savior who dwells inside you than this finite, fallen world can contain.” pg. 147

As I set aside the book for now, and go to prepare my bread for the final baking, one of the many beautiful messages from (A)Typical Woman resonates in my heart - that everything can be done with gratitude as an offering to our Savior, and of all the gifts He has given me, the greatest is Christ himself.

Note: I received a copy of (a)Typical Women from the publisher for review. This is my honest opinion.

April Around Here

noreply@blogger.com (Callie) — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 11:27:00 +0000

On The Page {Anything I’ve Read}

{Bits of many books.} I’ve finished a decent number of books in the last month, and the end is in sight for several more…and none of them have been reviewed or shared yet! Despite my best intentions of sharing books more often in 2025, it just hasn’t worked out that way. Keep an eye out for a reading wrap-up coming soon, but I’ll briefly mention that My Dear Hemlock will be making this year’s favorites list.

In My Armchair {Projects I'm Working On}

{Writing more again.} More on this further down the page, but after months in survival mode, it is time to develop my writing habit again. I miss blogging, but I also have an urge to experiment with other types of writing. I have no solid projects to report, it’s just something I’m thinking about.

{Sorting through clothes.} We are fast approaching the time of year when I need to switch out the kids’ winter clothes, and it’s always a ridiculously large project. I have been putting off donating some of the kids’ cast-offs, so that will be happening in the next couple weeks.

{Pushing ahead in our math books.} Alot of my extra energy lately has been spent on pushing my kids to finish their math books early. Math has truly been the bane of my existence this spring, and I’m ready for us all to be done with it. We can hopefully use our extra homeschool time on art projects or something before summer break. Final math exams will hopefully happen this week!

In The Kitchen {Things We Made}

{Sourdough starter in my fridge.} Technically, I haven’t actually made any sourdough yet, but a friend from church gave me some of her starter, and it is waiting in my fridge until I do something with it this week. I’m not going to lie, I’m scared! But I’m also excited to see if sourdough is something I can add to my repertoire. I’m not expecting immediate success, because baking at high altitude creates a lot of variables.

On My Person {Things I've Worn}

{Spring-ish outfits.} Spring outfits are always a special challenge to me, since it could be 70 degrees and sunny one day, and six inches of snow the next. Here are some recent outfits.

In The Accounts Book {Money We Have Saved}

{Things I didn’t buy.} I don’t have anything amazing to report here this month, except perhaps a brief list of things I was tempted to buy but didn’t:

-Countless books I resisted (for school and otherwise).

-A swimsuit I added to my cart but never purchased.

-Multiple dresses and shirts I admired in the store without feeling an urge to even try them on.

-Jumpsuits and sweaters and pants I tried on, and then talked myself out of.

-Candles I smelled and then put back on the shelf.

I’d also like to give honorable mention to the self-restraint I showed when checking out Forever 21’s going-out-of-business sale - I bought things that my kids or I would actually use or wear, without going overboard just because an item was only going to ring up to $1.10.

Out My Window {Beauty I Noticed}

{Blooming trees and other signs of spring.} The flowers decorating the trees are really all I can think about this time of year…I find excuses to go to town so we can enjoy them. Up in higher elevations we don’t have flowers yet, but the grass has been poking through, the birds are loudly back, and we’ve spotted several robins pulling worms from our dusty ground. We actually need a few more snows or rainy days to avoid fire risk later, so I’m hoping to see some gloom in the forecast, but the sunshine has been truly glorious.

Out And About {Places We Went}

{Sheep Camp 2025}. The most exciting outing lately has been going to Sheep Camp at our friends’ ranch! I’m going to share more details and photos in a different post, so I’ll just include a couple here. The kids were each assigned a sheep to take care of during the two days we were there, and it was a lovely glimpse of what ranch life is really like. It was hard work, but satisfying for them, and full of more than a usual share of fun too!

{Homeschool Day At The Capitol.} I took a couple of my kids to a homeschool event at the state capitol. We had never been before, and it was pretty amazing to get to see the opening of a legislative session, explore our capitol building, and make our faces seen and voices heard to our representatives.

On My Mind {Thoughts I Want To Share}

{On taking a break from writing.} I feel the need to address the elephant in the room (at least it’s an elephant for me) - I have not been writing very much this year.

Our family has been going through alot that I am not comfortable sharing online, and while I know this season will pass, it has sucked all the creative inspiration out of me. I have found myself increasingly disconnecting from the online sphere and anchoring myself more to the real, physical world around me. Chores like vacuuming or folding laundry have a rhythmic comfort to them, batches of sugary cookies or warm loaves of bread help release the tension from my shoulders, sitting in the sunshine does wonders for my mood, and encouragement from friends or family members in a coffee shop or over the phone has been the refreshment I really needed.

So I’m not exactly apologizing for prioritizing those things over my blog, because time spent on the real world is never wasted. But I am sad to be so rusty in my writing habit, and I do miss some of my online connections - which actually are real too when there is a real person who cares to read on the other side. I can’t promise to have alot of high-quality writing at the moment, but I can say that I will get back to at least writing something regularly again, and that is, after all, half the battle.

In My Heart {Things I'm Treasuring}

{1} Snuggly dachshunds, forever puppies.

{2} The end of the homeschool year in sight.

{3} Finally having peace to make some summer plans.

{4} A trip on the horizon to visit dear friends.

{5} My mom, who took me out for coffee and a good talk when I was feeling overwhelmed.

{6} No real car troubles right now (we have been getting car troubles ever spring for several years now, so this feels like a reprieve).

{7} Woodpeckers - they sound like a jackhammer every morning, and they are causing damage to our house, but the fact that they are back is a signal of spring.

{8} Church friends to share encouragement - and gardening tips, and deals on produce, and sourdough starter.

{9} The right to homeschool, representatives who support us, and advocates who keep a watch over legislation.

{10} Resurrection hymns and songs on our speakers this week, as we look ahead to Sunday.