Homeschooling High School....I am so happy to be sharing an awesome post by Jen McDonald today. I've been meaning to put some words together to share a homeschool post for a while now, and when I came across this post I was like "She said it better than I could!" I wanted to highlight all over my computer screen. :) I think you'll enjoy this! Quick note -- Curriculum updates? Every year I do try to do a curriculum update for my family, (though I don't think I got to that last
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Cookie Dough Balls {inspired by Oh She Glows Everyday.}
I don't know about the rest of you, but in the heat of summer, cooking is just not high on my priority list. Who wants to think about a hot stove when you feel like you live in a hot stove? We've been eating a lot of quinoa salads, yummy burrito bowls, and anything that can go on the grill. Oh, and ice cream. Obviously. But kids still need snacks, right? So I've been trying out some new recipes for snacks that: A) kids like, and B) have some nutritional value. :) You might remember that I
Five Ways to Build Bridges When There is Distance in Your Marriage
Recently, my husband and I were running some errands in downtown Honolulu. It was just the two of us, and we were enjoying a little time away from our rowdy boys. But we were both distracted: Dave was getting many calls from the hospital, and thinking about the work waiting for him there…I was going over my mental to-do list, and calculating where and when I needed to pick up our boys.Suddenly, just as we neared a corner where we waited to cross the street, the scene brought me back in
The “Instagram Five”: Helping Teens Use Social Media with Integrity.
Our family has had more than our fair share of roundtables on the topic of social media. It's not an easy topic, and whether or not your family is on social media, we can all agree it's complicated. Social media is still so new, relatively speaking. We know a lot about it. But not everything. We especially do not know what the long-term implications of social media use are.We do know that the average teenager spends a LOT of their day on social media. This article from the Washington
A Conversation about Home.
My first morning back from my 5-week trip to California, I did an Instagram/Facebook post sharing the morning view from my living room in Hawaii...^^ deck reconstruction (still) in progress... ;)Along with the photo, I shared this caption:When we are on the mainland, the conversation never fails to come up: Should we consider moving? There are so many pro's to that idea: we'd be closer to family, lower cost of living, so many more opportunities for kids and school and travel
When Your Kid Argues about Everything {5 tips}
Hi Friends! I'm just barely back from nearly five weeks in California. It was such a fantastic trip, with some great surf, (Luke had some great heats, and took 2nd place in the National Air competition! :)) and a thousand more memories made. While I unpack suitcases and hug my boys a repeatedly (five weeks is way too long!) I wanted to share one more READER FAVORITE POST from my archives. This may be the post most discovered through google-searches, proving that I'm not the only mom with a
Fitness Hacks for Summer, Travel, and all of the Busy Days
Hey Friends! I'm touching bases from Southern California where I am over half way through my 5-week trip. It has continued to be a sweet mix of speaking events, surf contests, time with friends and some fun adventures that we don't get in Hawaii. Dave and Levi have joined Luke and I now, so it's even more fun.But we're definitely off schedule. We are staying up late, and having trouble waking up. We're eating out more than usual (I'm looking at you, In N Out Burger) and no doubt, certain
Birth Order: What Middle Children Need Most from Their Parents
I seem to have a pretty good sample for a study on birth order...Josiah, 15 (below, left), Jonah (on the right, below,) 13, and Luke (center, below) almost 11.Levi, who arrived six and half years later, throws me for a bit of a loop. I always say he must fall somewhere between a first born, and a baby. (And a Tasmanian devil, but that's another story.)But really, I have always been intrigued by the topic of birth order. Not only do I have a great sample to study in my home,