As homeschoolers, we don’t really go “back” to school—in fact, we never left—but we often end up getting caught up in the back-to-school excitement anyway. In recognition of this shared … Continue reading Back to School, Homeschool-Style
My children are running in the yard of a summer day, giggling and digging in the dirt and showing me the worms and bugs they’ve found. The wind shifts and … Continue reading Sweet Little Lies
Under the influence of The Secret Garden, I almost sent the kids outside in the rain today à la Dickon. But then I changed my mind and just made homemade play-dough … Continue reading A (Limited) Literary Rainy Day
It’s eight hours from our house to Niagara Falls. Because my kids are champion road-trippers, this wasn’t actually as hellish as many people might expect. We listened to several of … Continue reading Midwestern Meander 2012: New England to Niagara Falls
My son—who will turn three next month—loves playing with magnetic letters on the refrigerator. He lines them up and tells me what they spell. Like this one: He says it … Continue reading Spelling Lessons
Beowulf the Warrior retold by Ian Serraillier (Illustrated by Severin) My rating: 5 of 5 stars My daughter and I recently began volume 2 of Susan Wise Bauer’s The Story of the … Continue reading Book Review: Beowulf the Warrior retold by Ian Serrailier
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan My rating: 4 of 5 stars The Lightning Thief is kind of a cross between Harry Potter and American Gods. Greek gods haven’t gone … Continue reading Book Review: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Friday morning, we packed up, said goodbye to Grandpa, and drove northward again. I was inordinately thrilled when “America” came up on the iPod and Simon and Garfunkel sang, “counting … Continue reading MA to DC Road Trip 2012 Day 6: Home
When we first moved to Northern Virginia in 1990, we visited the National Zoo. I’d lived my young childhood in San Diego, and we were frequent visitors to the San … Continue reading MA to DC Road Trip 2012, Day 5: The National Zoo
On Wednesday, we visited a different kind of mall: The Mall. I’d promised the kids a reflecting pool, but it was torn up for renovations. They didn’t seem to mind. They … Continue reading MA to DC Road Trip 2012 Day 4: The Mall
On Tuesday, my dad offered to give us a tour of the Pentagon. They offer guided tours to the public, but since he works there, he could give us a … Continue reading MA to DC Road Trip 2012 Day 3: The Pentagon is BORING!
In Delaware, my children talked me into buying them candy and road maps at a gas station convenience store. I think they could sense that my resistance was weak after … Continue reading MA to DC Road Trip 2012, Day 2: Turtle Playground!
Imperfect Happiness 