Time has moved along so quickly. My children are pretty much all grown and moving on with their lives. My youngest two (the twins) are seniors in high school this year, and after all the insanity of their youngest years, they are some of the calmest humans you’d ever meet now.

My oldest has a daughter (my first grandbaby), my second son’s wife is expecting their first baby (a boy), the others are just living their lives and moving along in adulthood. It’s been an interesting season of growth and change and sometimes stillness.

As we started to wrap up the final years for the twins’ education, I decided it was time for me to pursue my next “career” and I’m now a birth doula and childbirth educator, along with my usual role as a mentor/support for young moms. It’s a beautiful era of supporting women nationwide in such a critical time of their lives.

My heart will always be for mamas: supporting and encouraging them any way I can. My kids and their families will always be the center of my world and building relationship with their partners in life and their children is such a joy and honor.

I may return here from time to time to share thoughts and happenings. I may do it rarely, I may do it often… we’ll see.

This is the book that I have recently been suggesting for any parents who are either considering homeschooling or who are feeling like they need encouragement for their homeschool.

Even if you’re a long-time homeschooler, sometimes we really just need something to remind us of why we do this, or how we could improve our homeschool, or just need encouragement for the upcoming year!

I know that many families are yet again considering homeschool for the first time in their homes due to continued mask mandates, or maybe you were a first time homeschooler last year and you were surprised by just how much your children got out of it.

As an “accidental” homeschooler myself, one of my biggest challenges was giving myself permission to let go of traditional classroom look-alike homeschooling and truly embrace the freedoms and beauty that is true homeschooling. My children were drowning under the weight of workbooks and textbooks and learning challenges and the only true path for success was through letting them explore other options.

Can I encourage you today that if you need a little insight into how to give yourself permission to let go and just live your best life as a homeschool family that this is a book you’ll definitely want to get your hands on soon! Take what you need from it, not every single thing will apply, but I love that there’s something for everyone in this book.

Plus, this book is simply gorgeous! With full color photos that by themselves are totally inspiring!

One more thought: I have mentioned Wild + Free in the past (in a Nature Journaling post) because of their fantastic Nature Journaling course, so it’s absolutely worthwhile, whether you homeschool or not, to check out what they offer on their website Wild + Free !

If you’re interested in buying the book, you can find it on Amazon (the link below is my affiliate link).

Purchase The Call of the Wild + Free by Ainsley Arment

Most people who are interested in nature journaling, know about it because they lean toward using a Charlotte Mason educational style. That said, it’s absolutely an amazing option to incorporate into your family whether you homeschool or not.

There are quite a few people on websites and social media that can show the difference in even just a few days of consistency. And that right there is really the key, be consistent. If you want to succeed and help your children learn and grow from this experience, consistency is key. Of course, it helps to make it an adventure and keep things simple and fun along the way.

First Steps

I often risk becoming a little redundant by saying it’s all about taking baby steps. Don’t jump right in with a million supplies and no introduction and expect things to be simple. Few people can pull that off, especially with children. Some of how you approach nature adventures will depend upon the ages of your children.

If they’re very small, you’ll want to really focus on nature itself. Pointing out details and colors and textures are perfect for the smallest of humans. Early elementary would continue much the same, just with a few artistic additions.

It’s worth mentioning here, that a large part of the process would also involve collecting nature to bring home and study. This will, obviously, depend entirely on your comfort level and space. So, my biggest suggestions here are: lay out the ground rules before leaving, maybe there’s one particular type of item you offer as the theme of the day (feathers, rocks, etc) – create an area in your home that is specifically for nature collections (many families use display boxes).

Resources

Since I am, by no means, an expert on any of this – I want to send you off to a few options that have inspired me greatly along the way. Please know that I am in no way affiliated with any of these, they’re just for your information.

Wonder-Filled Days – When I think of Nature Journaling, this is the first resource that comes to mind. A gentle breath of fresh air, they offer an amazing monthly subscription: A Month in Nature Calendar & Nature Study. The full subscription offers not only the beautiful monthly nature calendar, but also includes activities, book ideas, art, poetry, journal pages and more. The site itself has so much to offer, so be sure to check out the main site as well.

*I would stop right there since they offer enough for anyone, but since I do understand that everyone is different, I figured I would mention a few more options.

Ambleside Online – The essential must-have for all things Charlotte Mason and gentle learning would be found here, they do have an entire page on Nature Journaling including links to free resources. The beauty of everything to do with AO is that it is all absolutely free.

Lily & Thistle – For a great explanation of beginning nature journaling, this is one of the great places to start. She also offers a Watercolor Academy and Nature’s Art Club.

John Muir Laws – This is another educational website that also offers great information for the beginner as well as lessons, tutorials, supplies and more. There’s even a Teacher Resources page.

Wild + Free – Beautiful nature journaling course.

There’s obviously so much more out there, maybe even far better resources than the ones I know about – please feel free to share in the comments or contact me! My hope is that you don’t get too caught up in the mire of must-have’s, or the potential bigness of it all. Instead, I hope that you simply find the joy and beauty in the possibility of it – that you see the simplicity in beginning.

And with that, I want to wish all of you happy nature adventuring!

We have this crazy thing going on, where suddenly we went from a nation that primarily public schools… to “homeschooling”. It’s such a strange idea. We’ve been homeschooling for years, so I think the first thing that needs to be mentioned here is this: This is not what homeschooling looks like. Not really.

This is “isolation schooling” and it’s very different. It’s also emergency/crisis schooling, meaning there no preparation at all for what’s happening around the US and the world.

I have a lot of homeschooling posts in drafts as I begin to try to develop the “current” posts as I continue to re-upload old posts. That said, I felt that it would make sense to talk a bit about the realities most families are facing.

While it is important to understand that this is not what typical real homeschooling looks like, it is also a way to peek into the possibilities that are available, especially if homeschooling is something you’ve considered.

You see, so much of our ability to homeschool is in attitude. It’s not because I’m more prepared or more qualified or more patient (haha) or … well, “more” anything. It’s simply because it’s what was needed for our family. It’s knowing and accepting that this is where we are and what we need to do. Suddenly the rest of the nation finds themselves in exactly this position. And every single day, many of us have to remember that we can do this because it’s the necessary thing to do.

I’m what could be termed an “accidental” homeschooler. There are plenty of stories out there about homeschool moms who planned to homeschool from day 1, who talk about the beauty of watching each new phase in their child’s development educationally. That was not me, and sometimes it’s easy to feel less than because of that.

Here’s a secret though: The “why” is not important my friends. The “how” is.

Frankly it does not matter why you homeschool or when you began homeschooling. What does matter is that you figure out the how of homeschooling to make it work for your family. And despite what some of the most well-intentioned people out there are saying, there is absolutely no one-size-fits-all way of homeschooling that will be the answer to your everything.

Today I’m not here to offer tips and explanations on all things homeschool, I simply want to encourage you that when you find things challenging or overwhelming, you’re not alone. That transitioning to homeschool is not normally abrupt or done without the ability to plan and learn in advance. To let you know that what works and what doesn’t in a typical homeschool situation varies greatly from home to home. To say that this is not school and it’s ok to feel frustrated.

I’ll end with this. Some of the most painfully frustrating and trying situations in my life have been ones that my kids look back on with great memories. This shocked me the first few times I heard it. But it’s worth it to take a moment and pull our heads out from underneath the blanket we have currently chosen as our latest hiding spot and realize that the lens we see life through is VASTLY different than the way our kids perceive the same exact scenario.

I hope you can be encouraged in that. That you can see outside the moment to the bigger picture and just embrace the moment even though it’s sometimes so hard. That you will forgive yourself if you feel like you’re failing and just let it all go and move forward.

Those who are new to homeschooling and have been researching – reading articles, watching videos, joining Facebook groups – have likely stumbled upon the idea that a homeschool can and should be a peaceful environment. Maybe you’ve even gotten the impression that if your homeschool is not peaceful, you’re doing it wrong…. not exactly. The idea of the importance of a peaceful homeschool isn’t wrong per se, but isn’t always reality, and for most of us, we have had time to develop techniques that often work (though not always) for our home.

Kids fight, family members get sick, we all have off days. This is just life.

There are a few things to try that typically make a huge difference steering us onto the road to a much more peaceful environment in our homeschool.

1. Limited media/tech – tech detox. Admittedly, this is crazy difficult in today’s inundation of media and technology, especially when a lot of educational tools do use media. All of that is great, but the issue is, kids need a break. They need to learn to breathe and function without constant access to outside entertainment.

It is so very vital that children learn to use their minds and develop their own creativity, they cannot do this with a constant barrage of noise and visual stimulation. This can be tricky, I absolutely get it and it does require a lot of encouragement on mom’s part as well as a lot more everyday parental involvement for the first few weeks as they adjust.

This is not to say that they will never use media again, or that there cannot be (very) limited exposure during the detox (and I assure you, that is exactly what this is), only that they are taking a media break.

2. Attitude Check: Ok, I’m gonna be honest here, none of us are perfect at this one and sometimes I definitely do not want to do this…. but possibly the most important component in all of this is mom’s attitude. If I’m having a bad day, nothing goes well. If I have a short fuse, we don’t get far. There will be ample opportunities for losing our cool, but the important thing is to maintain a mental monologue reminding yourself of how essential your role as the mom in this situation is.

3. Sibling peace. We have had days of absolute war between brothers around here. It’s going to happen. If you live in some special bubble where your children get along perfectly, great for you! That is not my reality.

Reminding them frequently who the parents are, reminding them of how important character is within the family as well as without. Doing a sibling growth series. There are many options, some solutions can be humorous, some downright challenging.

The point is, once fighting begins it can change the atmosphere for the day. Figuring out how best to manage that for your particular family and children and all their dynamics is key here, understanding that the beauty of homeschooling is flexibility.

4. So I did just mention that flexibility is key. I think one of the best things to ponder when trying to build an atmosphere of peace in the home is Philippians 4:8. Reminding children of all ages of what they SHOULD be focusing on and that it is up to them to learn and grow in this area.

Super simple ways to turn things around…

1. Play worship music (or classical) in the background.

2. Switch gears. Have everyone move on to a new subject or project. Note: Physical exercise and brain breaks are almost always the best ways to clear out the crazy in our house.

3. Switch to individual learning or switch locations/schedule. We love doing subjects as a family, but there are times that they just all feed off each other’s issues and it’s time to split up. If that’s the case, remember flexibility. It’s not the end of the world if you need to end a subject a little early or have everyone work on a different project individually instead of as a group, or just switch up their schedule a bit.

4. Take a break and do a snack and read-aloud time. This can calm things like nothing else. Removing everything else, offering a little snack and a quiet, comfortable place for the kids to hang out while mom reads a book is a fabulous way to fix the overall mood of the house. Note: In a pinch, audiobooks can work – while I am a huge fan of them though, I have found that often they are not nearly as calming as when mom reads the book.

5. Go to the park or on a neighborhood nature walk. Still educational in it’s own way but fresh air and a fresh perspective along with extra space can totally be the answer to a dull day.

So, there it is. A few basic tips to help you change the atmosphere from chaos to calm(er).

Side Note: I realize that I am writing this in the middle of a massive multi-nation-wide quarantine, the likes of which none of us have ever seen, thought was even possible nor are we likely to see it again. There are many reasons right now for discontent within the home and limited ability to do many things. Frankly, almost all of these ideas still apply (except the go to the park one, but going outside your own house still works and if it’s raining, wear boots and a raincoat), in some ways these suggestions may be more necessary than ever as we all so desperately need the calm and peace in our own minds and hearts.

Parents I challenge you to find that peace. To let go of the media frenzy and to embrace calm (frankly, I need a media detox just as much as anyone else right now). I get that this is a challenging time and prone to uncertainty and fear, but none of the negativity surrounding all of this is going to be beneficial to ourselves, our home or our family in any way. I pray all of you stay healthy and calm through it all! God Bless!

So, this week’s tip is a simple encouragement.  Find what inspires you…both in scrapbooking and in life and focus on that this week when you are creating.

Here’s a pretty layout that I did of my niece sleeping while my sis was “wearing” her.

Kit: Hoot Do You Love? by 4 Shades of Blue!

The gorgeous digi-scrap pages that I have been designing for the last several months have all featured art by SAS Designs. If you truly are brand new to digital scrapbooking she even offers many great basics.  

Feel free to browse through my DigiScrap Gallery right here at A Frog In My Soup to see many of the kits I have worked with by SAS Designs… but Sarah releases new kits almost every week along with great extras and more.

Here’s a couple of very fun layouts I did recently using her kits…

Featuring SAS Designs’ Flowers In the Sunshine Kit

Featuring SAS Designs’ Yummy Berries Kit

In this case I featured my niece in both, but in just a bit I’ll be uploading a page using Flowers in the Sunshine with photos of my twins… just to show you the versatility of most of these kits!

They sing all the time and I am forever stopping to either listen or join in throughout the day. It’s the little things like this that are so fun!

Trying to enjoy all those moments can be difficult in the midst of housework, meals, deadlines and to-do lists but they are oh-so-important.  They are just as important for you as a mom as they are for the children.

Sure, you don’t get to pick when they decide to burst into song…and you typically don’t get to pick (though children are usually very open to suggestions) the song they sing.  But hearing those sweet little voices singing a song, made up or known it doesn’t matter can soften the heart and is just such a sweet thing in the midst of life’s chaos.

I hope you can enjoy those moments today!

I’m not saying that there’s a magical way to suddenly make our teenagers love photos and their scrapbook…I generally think that for many teens it’s simply a period of time where they can’t appreciate it as much as they will when they are older.  I guess I see my job right now as simply trying to quietly document these years.

Finding good kits to portray a teen in a complimentary and “hip” way can definitely be a challenge. So here’s a few tips when you are looking…

• Look for bright/dark colors that have depth and texture.
• Look for elements that are a little different…no more cutesy bows and buttons, they want metal brads, splatters, etc.
• Keep it simple: combine the papers and elements in a very simple way using a fun/funky font to complement and enhance the layout.
• Look for templates: there are a lot of great templates out there and this can be a great place to start for teen pages if you are stuck!

This week I created a page of my 14 year old using SAS Designs’ Bits In Between kit:

I have more fun ideas in my scrap gallery: here, here, here and here.

Great fonts to use in teen scrapbook pages:

I actually almost forgot to expand on one of the most important parts of a teen page…great fonts! Quick suggestions: it’s hard to go wrong with a simple typewriter font; anything that is a little grungy usually will work.  Fave sites to get fonts….

• www.1001FreeFonts.com
• www.DaFont.com

Because I’m going to list all the stores where you can purchase SAS Design’s below, I will simply give you the name of each kit and you can go from there.  Don’t forget to check out my Scrap Gallery (the pictures below will take you there if you click on them) where you can see all of my very favorite layouts!

Using the kit Tweet Times (and Layered Masks kit)…

Using her Argh kit (very very fun for boys)…

If you noticed that I went with a grungier look this time…you’d be right!  I was having a lot of fun with her masks! There are a couple very nice ones in the Argh kit and she has a very fun Layered Masks kit that will go with any scrapbook layout that you want to create a simple grungy look

Where to buy SAS Designs…

• Bits 2 Kits
• ACherryOnTop.com
• My Life & Scrap

Loads of fun things are coming up, including a very fun boy qp and girl qp freebie using the tweet times kit……stay tuned.