My kids have been expected to do a fair amount of chores and household responsibilities on a daily basis since they were around 7-9 years old. I used to spend a lot of time and energy trying to keep my kids on-task and stop them from playing when they were supposed to be working. Mostly, this looked like me nagging and getting annoyed: "Kids, focus!" ... "What are you supposed to be doing?" ... "Stop playing and get your stuff done!" Does this sound familiar to you? Or am I t

Like many others, both of my kids started whining when they were toddlers. It always bothered me when they whined. I tried the usual "ask nicely" response, but over time they still reverted to whining when they were upset or frustrated. I was so ready to be done with whining. When my kids were 4 and 7 years old, I read Nicholeen Peck's book, A House United: Changing Children's Hearts and Behaviors by Teaching Self-Government. This excellent book inspired me to change our ho

Beginning when my kids were around 4 and 7 years old, I implemented techniques from the book A House United: Changing Children's Hearts and Behaviors by Teaching Self-Government, by Nicholeen Peck. These techniques made a profound difference in our household. With the skills and understanding I gained from this book, there was an obvious positive shift in our family dynamics and the contentedness of our day-to-day lives. Begin With the End In-Mind When I first started readin

Here's inspiration for a classics-focused class for high school homeschoolers. Over the last year and a half, I've worked out the kinks and built a successful classics-focused program for local teens called Liberty Scholars. My goal with this program is to help kids be prepared for adulthood, civic duty, and leadership, with a solid foundation in US constitutional principles and classics. Overall, this is what the program looks like: Reading two classic books per month (gene

If you're considering camping with your kids, here's some encouragement to make it happen! I've been camping with my kids 1-2x yearly for the last 9 years, and it has become a cherished tradition for us all. Top 5 Reasons to Camp with Kids Bonding: Spending dedicated time together leads closer relationships, teamwork, and trust-building. Adventure: Camping brings you up close to nature, unpredictable weather, camp fires, "roughing it," and more. Disconnect and Reconnect: We

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

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

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

Math picture books were an important aspect of our homeschool math studies throughout elementary and middle homeschool. Picture books are an engaging, unpressured way to share the joy of math with my children. I never wanted these books to feel like "assignments," so I purposely did NOT emphasize that these were math books. Instead, we just read and enjoyed the books together. Top 25 Math Picture Books Math Biographies Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci by Joseph D'Agnese Py

Although my husband and I made an informed decision not to vaccinate our own children, I believe the decision of whether or not to vaccinate is a fundamental right of parenthood. For parents who choose to vaccinate, or for people who are compelled to vaccinate by law, below is information about how homeopathy can be used to treat vaccine reactions. Vaccine Reactions are Real The unfortunate truth is that vaccine reactions really do occur. Sometimes the negative effects are

Sneezing, itchy eyes, runny nose... Got allergies? Homeopathy can help!

" Measles Outbreak! " It's all over the news again here in New Mexico, but is there really cause for concern? Here is info about: illness severity, nutritional support, safety and risks of MMR vaccines, and homeopathics that have been found to be effective at treating the illness. DISCLAIMER: This information is not to be construed as medical advice and is intended for educational use only. Measles Symptoms According to Physicians for Informed Consent , *Measles symptoms in

Parents, are you struggling with screen time issues with your kids? We were, too, but here's what worked for us! Harms From Too Much Screen Time Overuse of screens and screen addiction are harming kids. Too much screen time has been linked to: Behavior problems, delayed developmental milestones, and worse vocabulary skills in preschool children Lower reading and math scores in elementary kids Obesity and depression in children and young people Anxiety, behavior issues, depre

This time of year, many are tiring of school and homeschool. Throw away the worksheets and busywork; instead embrace Life Schooling and have fun learning together! Here are 40 ideas for exploration alongside your kids. Read-aloud in the morning and at bedtime (here are 10 Tips for Read Aloud Success ) Go for a daily walk or scooter rides (sunshine = Vitamin D for boosting the immune system) Play board games and card games for the fun of it (and let the math happen naturally

If I could have have just one homeopathic remedy on-hand for acute emotional stresses, it would be Ignatia amara . From grief to homesickness to disappointment, this remedy is indispensable for many of life's emotional stresses. Like all homeopathic remedies, Ignatia works by stimulating the body to fix whatever is wrong, be that on the emotional, mental, or physical level. Rather than suppressing symptoms like conventional medicines do, homeopathic remedies actually work w

We're in the midst of cold and flu season, so I wanted to share the protocol that has been quite effective at helping with respiratory illnesses in my family. Of course, we also use homeopathic remedies for treating colds , flus , and COVID-19 . However, I have found that when we use the following supplement trio, with many illnesses the symptoms never become strong enough to need much in the way of homeopathic support. Supplement Trio At the first sign of illness, we take

Storebought lip balms and lotions are generally filled with unhealthy ingredients that can be absorbed through our skin. Organic lotions are pricey and may still not have the best ingredients. For the last 10+ years, my family has been using homemade hard lotion and lip balm. This recipe for homemade hard lotion and lip balm is made from coconut oil, shea butter, and beeswax. Hard lotion is a great all-over body moisturizer, and it is also wonderful to use on any very dry