Visual Latin: Makes Latin Easy!

The thought of teaching Latin made me want to hide under a table. I did not think there would be any way for me to teach Latin. I never took Latin in school. I have no experience in this subject and quite frankly it is an intimidating subject if you are unfamiliar. Knowing that I decided to homeschool to provide a better education I knew I would have to find away to teach my children Latin. Latin will help build a strong foundation for English. A person who knows Latin will have a firmer grasp on vocabulary and spelling. I … Continue reading

Have Fun this Summer

I never put together a summer bucket list.  I saw blogs filled with printables and ideas for a bucket list and just pushed the idea aside.  I quietly envied those with the freedom for a bucket list but figured I would never have the time.  It was summer and that meant it was my time to get some projects completed and work on building up my graphic design business again.  My business partner and I have a list a mile long of how we will run our business and what services we would offer.  Most of June has consisted of … Continue reading

The Great Changing Debate

I will be the first to admit that my child has relieved herself in some very unconventional places. Many of these incidents took place prior to her procuring a paralyzing fear of automatic-flushing toilets. In fact, much earlier.  As in diaper early. While I am quite thankful for the convenience afforded by disposable diapers, changing a soiled Pamper in public is not always easy. Accidents happen, emergencies need to be dealt with.  As a parent, you likely know this very well and take measures to cope accordingly. Unfortunately, you can’t always predict when uncomfortable situations may occur. Just ask the … Continue reading

A Child’s Self Esteem and the Frugal Life

My daughter came home the other day from a doll playdate. The girls all brought their 18-inch dolls, you know the American Girl Doll kind. My daughter does have a real American Girl Doll, given to her on her birthday after more than four years on her wish list and some creative saving. She is fond of that doll, and has never once complained about the fact that it is her only one (it is not unusual for her peers to have three or four of these dolls as well as all of the accessories). She did complain though that … Continue reading

Mistake #1 Parents Make With Teenagers: Expecting the Worst

I am like any other parent…clearly imperfect.  I have made a lot of mistakes and am pretty sure there is more to come.  But I am also a mom who believes in learning from those mistakes, which is what brings me to this five part series on mistakes we parents make with teenagers. The first one we are going to look at is the mistake of expecting the worst out of your teen.  Sometimes this starts long before they’ve even reached this stage, so it might help parents whose children aren’t quite there yet. When my children were in elementary … Continue reading

Baby Social Skills

One difficult stage in any baby’s life is the stage when they are more and more mobile, and still do not have the ability to communicate clearly. That is what we are currently facing with my 14 month old. He wants to be right in on the action with pretty much everything. He wants to be at our level while we are cooking so he can see what is going on. He wants to join in the fun with his siblings in their game of the moment. He wants to be able to communicate his feelings, but he just can’t. … Continue reading

Navigating Alone Time

How well do you do on your own without your spouse?  I certainly don’t need Jonathan to look after me, and I could support myself without him, but that’s not what I’m talking about.  What I mean is: if there are times that your spouse is away from home from an extended period of time, how do you feel about it? I’ve never liked living alone.  If I wasn’t married, I would prefer having a roommate to living by myself.  I spent the summer before I got married living on my own, and it was unpleasant.  So when Jon goes … Continue reading

Don’t Forget to Take Care of Yourself

As a mother it is natural to put our children’s needs above our own. While there is nothing wrong with this, it is important to remember to take care of your needs as well. Your kids need a healthy mommy to take care of them, which means like it or not, you can’t push your needs aside anymore. You have to take care of yourself, so you are still around to take care of them in the future. As a woman yearly exams are crucial. It doesn’t matter how old you are, how healthy you think you may be, there’s … Continue reading

Golden Globes: Did Jodie Foster Come Out?

Last night’s Golden Globes was a great night of pretty dresses, good jokes, lots of drinks, and a few odd moments.  I have to lump Jodie Foster’s speech under the odd category. The actress (who I think is absolutely incredible at her craft) received the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award.  She walked on stage looking stunning – the blue dress was beautiful and matched her eye color perfectly.  She looked gorgeous and young, but reminded the crowd she was 50. The speech itself was rather scattered to me.  She seemed to ramble about her age … Continue reading

Making New Year’s Resolutions

Yes, I am thinking about making a New Year’s Resolution.  I know, many people say when you do this, you are only setting yourself up for failure.  But sometimes, you just need something to get you kicked off in the right direction. This year, as with all years in the past, I am resolving to lose weight.  Oh, I know I can do it – I lost 30 pounds three years ago.  And then gained it all back within the stressful last two years of returning to the workforce, moving, and changing jobs twice. But this year, I need to … Continue reading