Joyful, Healthy Living

My daughter Alina has now graduated from high school! She was homeschooled all the way through from K-12 and is now ready for the next phase of her education. What's Next? Alina's long-term goal is to become a fiction author, writing novels. Because she has been doing well in her dual credit classes at New Mexico State University (NMSU) for the last few semesters, Alina was offered a very nice scholarship for $$$ thousands per semester (on top of free tuition, which is alread

Here in the desert, the mosquitoes arrive with summer weather. I've always been one of those people who is highly attractive to mosquitoes, and I can be literally covered in mosquito bites in just a short time outside. I passed this trait on to my son Ian as well. 😝 Time for mosquito repellent, but I'm not willing to risk potential health problems by using conventional mosquito repellents. Did you know that DEET is banned in some European countries due to toxicity concern

Outdoor play and work are in full swing, and that often means sunburns! Here in the desert Southwest, we have an intense amount of sunshine. Long days spent gardening or playing in water can result in sunburns, especially when I forget the sunscreen. Homeopathy to the rescue! Here are the two most-often-indicated homeopathic remedies for sunburns. These remedies will take away the pain and prompt the body to heal the sunburned areas much more quickly than if left untreated.

Do you homeschool and/or supplement your child's education in the summer? Here are some ideas for fun learning explorations over the summer! Many families find that it works well to homeschool year-round. That has worked great for us, too (especially since implementing Leadership Education into our homeschool, such that my kids want to keep doing school all year). I generally like to make things more relaxed by shifting our homeschool focus in the summer months. This gives m

Family Favorite! I developed this recipe when my husband was temporarily back on the GAPS Diet back in 2018, but it has continued to be a family favorite since then even though no one is on such a strict diet now! The GAPS Diet protocol can be quite similar to Keto and Paleo Diets, depending on how it is implemented. The GAPS Diet is based around healthy fats (such as ghee, coconut oil, and tallow), meats, veggies, broth, fruits, and fermented foods; it allows no grains, pot

Taco meat is an easy-to-prepare and versatile dish. This recipe, spiced with garlic, oregano, and cumin, is a kid-friendly food that can be used in many ways: in taco shells, on top of baked potatoes, over hash browns, in soft tortillas, over pinto beans, or in a salad. Although this recipe is best with fresh onion and garlic, I've also included substitutions for a busy night when dinner needs to get on the table quickly. Ground Beef Taco Meat Serves 4-6 1 pound ground beef

Life gets busy sometimes! This recipe is perfect for a busy weeknight when dinner needs to get on the table quickly. Traditional beef fajita recipes are made with skirt steak or flank steak, which is marinated for hours to allow the meat to tenderize. That's all well and good, but on a busy night there's no time for such preparations. This recipe for 30-Minute Ground Beef Fajita Bowls starts with searing the onion and bell pepper to develop some of the characteristic charrin

Does your family like to eat salmon? In our household, my son and I both love.LOVE.LOVE salmon, but my husband and daughter are pretty lukewarm about it. I've had to get a bit creative to find a salmon recipe that everyone in my family will enjoy. This Teriyaki Salmon recipe is keeper, because even my husband and daughter look forward to it! This recipe starts with a simple 4-ingredient teriyaki marinade. The salmon is chopped into chunks, to allow more marinade to soak in

Here in southern New Mexico, we pass our last frost date near the beginning of May, so it is time to prepare and plant the summer garden. We've been gardening for over 16 years, and in that time we have learned many lessons on what makes gardening successful here. Every location has its own unique challenges, yet there are some basics that every garden needs, including good soil, the right amount of water, and plenty of sunshine. Here is a snapshot of the overall process we u

Homeschool Physics doesn't have to be intimidating or complicated. Here are resources for a high school Physics unit that is engaging and easy-to-do at home. This unit focuses on: Conceptual Physics video lectures + problems Engaging videos to illustrate physics concepts Simple hands-on physics experiments and demonstrations that can be done at home We use a 4-year science rotation in our homeschool, so we have completed two Physics units, first when my kids were 11yo and 14y