This week I’m writing + filming about a hallmark This week I’m writing + filming about a hallmark of the Charlotte Mason method: narration. Have you ever heard of it? What would you like to know? 

I’m focusing heavily on how we use narration in our homeschool, but if you have specific questions about it, I would love for you to 1. Take the poll in my stories, and 2. Ask any questions you may have about narration in the comments so that I can answer them in my video! ❤️
Happy Mother’s Day! I especially want to encoura Happy Mother’s Day! I especially want to encourage those who are intentionally making a better life for their children than what they may have experienced as kids. It is not easy to change the cycle, but it’s well worth the effort. 

In the words of Louisa May Alcott, “A woman's happiest kingdom is home, her highest honor is the art of ruling it not as a queen, but a wise wife and mother."
📚 We are moving right along with term three of 📚 We are moving right along with term three of our school year. Slow but steady, we will finish up mid June and I’ll begin prepping for next school year in July and August! 📚

Here’s some of my random old and new tips + what I’ve been doing to help keep organized with the CMEC. 

01. Keep a regular day for nature outings or field trips. We have two days a week where I intentionally plan a hike or museum visit, etc. One is usually at the middle of the week and the other is at the end. It offers great variety to our weeks.

02. Notebook! I have had the girls consistently notebook this year, and it’s been such a delight to go back and see my form 1b student’s progress! I have a video coming out about how we notebook and why you should try it very soon! 

03. To stay on track with our morning timetable I’ve been writing the time we end each lesson in my logbook. It’s really changed how productive I am in making sure we get everything on our timetable done for the day. (I have a video on my logbook if you’re interested in learning more about that!)

04. And 05. Popsicle sticks! Friends, if you’re already a CMEC family, use these to help you choose which activities you review! I have on these for old singing games, French songs, folk dances or Swedish drill routines. I’ll share more on what I have on ours, specifically, but it’s fun because the girls and I get to be surprised rather than me choosing what we review!

06. Art instruction. Originally I had us doing three art lessons per week in the afternoon, but it didn’t allow for enough free choice, so we’ve reduced it down to one formal lesson a week for six weeks, then we change the method. So right now we are in week two of our chalkdrawing lessons. After six weeks we will switch to brush drawing instruction for the remainder of the term! As Charlotte Mason recommends, we draw from memory, model, and from imagination. 🌞

I hope this was helpful to you! So many of you guys are using @the.cmec next year! I am SO excited to see all of you at the online form meetings this coming year! 👏🏻 #thecmec #thecmecform1 #charlottemason
Do you keep your spices in a cabinet, on a shelf o Do you keep your spices in a cabinet, on a shelf or in a drawer? This drawer is right next to my stove and it’s my favorite way to store my spices! I reuse these little jars and fill them every couple of weeks with my bulk @azurestandard spices. 🧂
Are you planting a garden this year? What are you Are you planting a garden this year? What are you growing? Containers and raised beds? Or in ground? What do you plan to grow? Veggies? Flowers? We are doing a little bit of everything. 😍

It’s my third year growing food. (And ironically, our third house 😅) We just got our @greenstalkgarden planter, several @smartpots, and six raised beds that are ready to be filled next weekend. Really looking forward to this gardening season! 🥕🥬🥦🌽🌶🫑🫐🍓🥔
“Let then once get in touch with nature and a ha “Let then once get in touch with nature and a habit is formed which will be a source of delight through life.” -Charlotte Mason 

My kiddo had a birthday this past weekend. We do one main gift and a couple of small gifts; typically they’re  things they can use outdoors. Bikes have been a popular birthday item around here! My eldest wanted an apple tree last year. ☺️ But this year we got N a mud kitchen! Some friends of ours had one they built, and it inspired us. My kiddos have been playing on the forest floor in the mud for years now, but it’s exciting for them to have a little space in our garden for mud play. 🌳 What are some fun outdoorsy gifts you’ve purchased for your kids?
📚 When should I teach my child to read? How sho 📚 When should I teach my child to read? How should I teach my child to read? What does Charlotte Mason say about reading lessons? How did she teach children how to read? What curriculum do you use to teach your child how to read? 📚
These are all questions I answered in my blog post and video, “teaching reading the Charlotte Mason way” 📚 you can also swipe over to see some of my favorite CM quotes on teaching reading! 📚

I also shared what I do with my 3-year-old (which is very minimal) if you have younger children. You can view the post at the link in my profile! Are you up children school-aged? What do you use to teach reading?
I needed to accomplish a lot today. There was more I needed to accomplish a lot today. There was more unpacking and organizing to be done, pictures to be framed, meal planning to do, laundry that needed folding, bike rides to be had, meals to be prepared, sourdough to be prepped and lesson planning + pre-reading to do. Oh and dishes. So many dishes. 😅

I do essentially all of the inside housework aside from taking out the trash + recycle, but for a season my husband helped out while N was small by doing dinner dishes and sometimes even preparing dinner so I could nurse her after we ate. But as of late, I’m trying something new where I don’t ask my husband to clean up after dinner and instead I do it myself. I don’t mind it, and since my girls are old enough to get their own pj’s on now, I’ve been doing dinner clean-up (as well as lunch and breakfast clean-up and prep!) before I head upstairs to tuck them in, read them a story and sit with them while they fall asleep. Call me old fashioned, but I’m happy to do it, and I delight in my husband being able to enjoy some time with the girls after dinner instead of clean up a mess after a long day of working.

I’m not really sure where I’m going with this post - I’ve felt pulled in so many directions today and it’s something I feel often, (and I’m sure so many of you can relate) but after five months without a home to care for and nurture I simply can’t feel frustrated or annoyed at my list of 10,000 things I need to do. Instead I pray my way through each task. I sip tea in between. I light a candle and wear my great-grandmother’s apron as I work. I read notes like the one my six-year-old left for me this morning and I weep tears of gratitude and joy. Happy Sunday, my friends. ❤️ 
.
(swipe to read her note 🥰 + a transcription in the comments!)
Remember that word we heard so often when we were Remember that word we heard so often when we were parenting infants? Attachment.  What comes to mind? Breastfeeding on demand. Co-sleeping. Babywearing. All of those things that come pretty natural to us when taking care of a baby. But did you know that attachment doesn’t just end when your child gets bigger? Attachment is actually necessary THROUGH adolescence. 😳

Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers by Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Maté is a brilliant book that stopped me in my tracks. The book addresses the severe lack of attachment to parents that is incidentally replaced by an attachment to peers. I wrote all about it on my blog, but if you swipe over you can see a few passages that I underlined, highlighted, and wrote down in my notebook. 

Peer culture is more prevalent than ever. Not only because our society now prefers it that way, but because of social media’s ability to unite our youth in an unprecedented way. What we need is a shift in how we pass down culture to our kids from a horizontal attachment (peer to peer) back to a vertical attachment (family to child). I’ve often felt this long before I read this book, but we prioritize our Children’s friendships and relationships with others before we prioritize their relationships with us. We don’t value the family unit the way we used to decades ago, and it’s to the detriment of our children. 

I will gift this book to every new parent I meet from now on because of the wisdom the authors share. I wish all parents would read it so we could be on the same page as a society and those of us who choose to hold on to our kids wouldn’t be going against the grain. So this is my plea to you. If anything I’ve said piqued your interest, or struck a chord, please read Hold On To Your Kids! ✨

(For those of you who have read it! Share your thoughts with us! Help me convince everyone to read it! 👏🏻)
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Uncategorized • October 23, 2012

Outfit Post: Channeling Minnie

Wearing:
denim from Nordstrom (last seen here)
top from H&M (last seen here)
Me Too flats
vintage station coach
Target tortoise watch
J.Crew pavé link bracelet
bangle from T+J designs
bow from etsy’s pink and blue shop

You know- This outfit is from a while ago, and I’ve yet to share it! Also, I’m not sure what my feet are doing in the last picture, but I liked the angle and the interesting face I’m making, so I went ahead and included it. Sometimes a blogger’s pictures aren’t always going to look like she did a full-on fashion photo shoot every day…and that’s okay. I’m cool with awkward, unnatural poses, because that’s how life is sometimes, awkward, unnatural and stressful. Speaking of… it’s been an interesting weekend. I did a lot of fun things and felt an equal amount of stress for particularly no reason other than anticipating the week ahead of me. Nonetheless, I’m ending my weekend by posting this minnie-mouse inspired outfit (this was completely accidental, I swear) The pants are actually burnt orange, not read, and I really love them. They’re super comfortable and I’m starting to get brave and pair them with more than just black or neutral colors. Thanks for reading loves.
p.s. sorry about the AK giveaway- trying to work out some logistic details… hopefully will be able to post it this week!

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: bows and top knots, burnt orange and navy, colored denim, fall fashion, j.crew pave link bracelet, Me Too flats, Outfit of the day, peplum, tortoise watch, tplusj designs, vintage coach purse

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Comments

  1. Alissa says

    October 23, 2012 at 12:30 am

    I think that you look super adorable and not awkward at all!

    Reply
  2. Lauren says

    October 23, 2012 at 12:34 am

    i love that peplum with the red jeans – the whole look really works!

    -Lauren
    http://ourprettypieces.blogspot.com

    Reply
  3. Nancy says

    October 23, 2012 at 12:48 am

    You look so sweet. I love the polka dots and the bows! =)
    xo,
    nancy

    http://adoretoadorn.blogspot.com

    Reply
  4. Kristine Rutledge says

    October 23, 2012 at 12:52 am

    Lovely outfit! I love the pola dot peplum top 🙂

    -Kristine

    http://www.pugglewearsprada.blogspot.com

    Reply
  5. Kim (A Very Sweet Blog) says

    October 23, 2012 at 12:58 am

    well it's a really cute look! i love the polka dots and peplum top. it looks great with your jeans.
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

    Reply
  6. Kara says

    October 23, 2012 at 1:44 am

    This. Is. So. Cute. I seriously saw those exact flats recently at Last Chance and was DYING to buy them but I couldn't find the other shoe!!!! It was maddening! Oh well, I'll live vicariously through you 🙂

    Reply
  7. dani says

    October 23, 2012 at 1:47 am

    Outfit Post: Channeling Adorable!

    Reply
  8. Carlee, Almost Endearing says

    October 23, 2012 at 1:51 am

    I am loving this outfit! It reminds my of July 4th, the colors of course! And how I wish it was warm and sunny again!
    Carlee
    Almost Endearing

    Reply
  9. Kayla Peveler says

    October 23, 2012 at 2:00 am

    Colored jeans are my FAV! I love the minni mouse inspiration 😉 even if it WAS accidental. Such a cute blog, miss.

    Reply
  10. ClassyPam says

    October 23, 2012 at 2:26 am

    Very cute; I love everything about this look!

    Smile On:)…Classy Pam

    http://classypam.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  11. Nickie says

    October 23, 2012 at 2:44 am

    So cute!! I have a pair of red pants too, but wasn't sure how to style them, so thanks for the idea!
    Thank you for your comment on my blog and the follow!means a lot to me 🙂 I love your blog too, following!

    -Nickie
    http://nickiesworldofstyle.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  12. Faith says

    October 23, 2012 at 2:48 am

    Love!!

    Reply
  13. Sheila says

    October 23, 2012 at 2:56 am

    Cute outfit!! Love the polka dots! 🙂

    xo – Sheila
    http://www.sheislovelyblog.com

    Reply
  14. Lisa says

    October 23, 2012 at 3:18 am

    Adore the outfit! So cute! What a great way to put American colors together for an everyday look without making it look like the 4th of July! Love it!

    http://www.showeredwithdesign.blogspot.com

    Reply
  15. the creation of beauty is art. says

    October 23, 2012 at 3:22 am

    How cute is this outfit?! I love this look, especially the adorable hair bow!
    the-creationofbeauty.blogspot.com

    Reply
  16. eelsay says

    October 23, 2012 at 3:29 am

    OMG this is too cute! I actually am going to a work party and don't wanna dress up but don't wanna be a party pooper so this is a great idea! thanks!

    xo,

    eelsay

    http://www.theluxuryrehab.com

    Reply
  17. Preslava Tsacheva says

    October 23, 2012 at 3:31 am

    awww you are super cute with this bow on your head 🙂 I like your top too 🙂

    http://gamesoffashion.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  18. Maria Camila says

    October 23, 2012 at 3:32 am

    A very CUTE "Minnie", lol I love the last picture!

    XO, Adropofbliss.blogspot.com

    Reply
  19. Metajojuana Nyt says

    October 23, 2012 at 3:38 am

    You look soo cute! I love your J Crew bracelet!

    Love,Nyt
    from
    BIG hair LOUD mouth
    BIG hair LOUD mouth Bloglovin
    BIG hair LOUD mouth Facebook

    Reply
  20. Diana says

    October 23, 2012 at 3:43 am

    this is too cute — i love your mini hair bow!

    xo Diana

    Dressed Up Alligators

    Reply
  21. Cari says

    October 23, 2012 at 3:45 am

    Great outfit, love it.

    Xoxo
    Carina

    Reply
  22. ravenlocks says

    October 23, 2012 at 3:46 am

    This is such a cute look! I like your whole look…head to toe adorable 🙂

    And I totally get what you mean by awkward poses…LOL! I don't see anything awkward in your pictures, but there are plenty in mine. I just don't think it's a big deal when little mistakes happen. It looks outrageous when bloggers try to literally model in their pics. I think it looks too forced. It's better not to play pretend modeling. Besides, that's what makes blogging fun…it's real. 🙂

    xoxo Azu

    http://www.raven-locks.blogspot.com

    Reply
  23. Joy Shana says

    October 23, 2012 at 4:29 am

    Love your top,cute look
    http://shana-style.blogspot.com

    Reply
  24. Nikki says

    October 23, 2012 at 5:41 am

    You look so lovely, what a cute outfit-I love the top:) Xx

    Reply
  25. Larissa says

    October 23, 2012 at 5:47 am

    Cute! I love the red pants with the blue top! Very nice!

    Reply
  26. The Bookness says

    October 23, 2012 at 5:48 am

    Looking good. The whole outfit is put together in a very sweet and feminine way. =)

    Reply
  27. Nerdy Asian says

    October 23, 2012 at 5:54 am

    I love the peplum top! The colour matches well with the burnt orange pants!

    Reply
  28. prettyanddelectable says

    October 23, 2012 at 7:04 am

    Cute polka dot peplum top, and I love the bows on those shoes!

    Reply
  29. Vanessa Lucy says

    October 23, 2012 at 8:58 am

    Cute top and great styling 🙂
    Xxx
    Vanessa
    http://Www.vanessalucy.blogspot.co.uk

    Reply
  30. MayLoveFashion says

    October 23, 2012 at 10:10 am

    Nice outfit, love yuor pants!

    Reply
  31. audrinajulia says

    October 23, 2012 at 10:52 am

    Great combination of colors and the polka dots peplum is a darling. Your so cute too in this post.Have a great week ahead.:)

    <3,
    Angie
    audrinajulia.blogspot.com

    Reply
  32. Natalie Hodak says

    October 23, 2012 at 1:07 pm

    love the outfit! and from one queen of awkward blog poses to another, i think they make the pictures way more interesting!

    thesecondbestareveryexpensive.blogspot.com

    Reply
  33. Citrus - Refreshing Fashion says

    October 23, 2012 at 2:04 pm

    one of my fav looks of yours 🙂

    Meghan
    citrusrefreshingfashion.blogspot.com

    Reply
  34. Sarah says

    October 23, 2012 at 2:05 pm

    Love the top, totally cute, and the red pants…or burnt orange. Totally works in my book!

    Reply
  35. Tashia says

    October 23, 2012 at 2:25 pm

    I love this outfit. The color combination is perfect for fall:) I definitely see where you got Minnie Mouse from, but I wouldn't have thought that by looking at the outfit. Definitely not costumey.

    Reply
  36. Megan Maddison says

    October 23, 2012 at 4:19 pm

    Very cute outfit and perfect for Fall – I love the color of your pants 🙂

    Megan
    budgetfashion101.blogspot.ca

    Reply
  37. Emily Ah Tye says

    October 23, 2012 at 4:26 pm

    Love that peplum. so cute

    xo Emily
    http://www.bupster.blogspot.com

    Reply
  38. Paolo TheLookLover says

    October 23, 2012 at 4:45 pm

    Ciao 😉 Lovely look! I'm an italian fashion blogger, if you like my blog what about following each other? Kiss,Paolo

    Reply
  39. The Girly Bird says

    October 23, 2012 at 5:05 pm

    this is a wicked cute outfit. I need to expand my colored jeans collection and I think a red pair is just what the doctor ordered!

    Reply
  40. Meg {henninglove} says

    October 23, 2012 at 6:23 pm

    you are super cute!! i love those flats and the polka dotted top

    Reply
  41. Adrian says

    October 23, 2012 at 7:00 pm

    I love these two colors together! I need to get some colored denim! For sure!! I hope you can make it to the Swap this Sunday!

    Reply
  42. TheUrbanUmbrella says

    October 23, 2012 at 8:05 pm

    LOVE those pants! very cute <3

    xoxo Bree
    The Urban Umbrella

    http://www.theurbanumbrella.com

    Reply
  43. ACT says

    October 24, 2012 at 1:30 am

    SUCH a cute outfit! Love the colors, the dots and the bow! 🙂

    xo Ashley
    http://www.ashnfashn.com

    Reply
  44. Grace says

    October 24, 2012 at 2:51 am

    Love the peplum polka dots!

    A Southern Drawl

    Reply
  45. goodbadandfab says

    October 24, 2012 at 5:59 am

    Amazing! Keep up the fabulous work!

    http://www.goodbadandfab.com
    the personal style and fashion musings of a LA fashion lawyer living life in the fab lane!

    Reply
  46. Sara says

    October 24, 2012 at 3:45 pm

    As always, love this outfit! I'll be the first to say that I'm obsessed with polka dots… and peplum. So naturally, I'm in LOVE when you combine the two!

    Reply
  47. Lydia says

    October 24, 2012 at 4:54 pm

    Cute top!

    http://eternal-simplicity.blogspot.com

    Reply
  48. A Closet of Chaos says

    October 24, 2012 at 7:41 pm

    You look gorgeous! Thank you for your lovely comment, love your blog and I am following too 🙂

    Love,
    A Closet of Chaos
    xo

    Reply
  49. navy and orange says

    October 24, 2012 at 11:01 pm

    super cute!

    xoxo navy & orange

    Reply
  50. Katies Bliss says

    October 25, 2012 at 1:32 am

    Love the peplum detail on your polka dot top 🙂

    katiesbliss.com

    Reply
  51. Count To Four says

    October 25, 2012 at 2:21 am

    this is such a adorable outfit! the cute polka dot peplum shirt, the bow in the hair! i love it!

    http://www.counttofour.com

    Reply
  52. Lucie Srbová says

    October 25, 2012 at 6:20 pm

    I love your polka top and pants! Following you on GFC! It will be great if you check my blog and maybe follow me back:)

    Kisses, Lucy!

    Reply
  53. Jordan Skiles says

    October 26, 2012 at 2:53 am

    Love this look.. especially the bows! 😉 I'm a new follower and am looking forward to seeing your future posts! xx

    opal-and-violet.blogspot.com

    Reply
  54. jamie says

    October 28, 2012 at 1:08 am

    i would love to follow each other, babe! already following =) you look super cute!

    x, james

    Reply
  55. VioletDaffodils says

    October 28, 2012 at 5:46 pm

    this outfit is so cute 😀 xx

    Reply
  56. BLF says

    October 30, 2012 at 3:01 am

    So cute!! Absolutely love it

    If you want we can follow each other 🙂
    xx
    http://bealovefashion.blogspot.ca/

    Reply
  57. Carolyn says

    October 31, 2012 at 6:33 am

    just adorable!

    Reply
  58. aleva says

    November 2, 2012 at 8:40 am

    You´re so beautiful! I love your dot-style =)

    Reply
  59. kakang kokong says

    January 29, 2014 at 7:46 am

    nice & cool… mobil sedan corolla

    Reply

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I'm Larissa. A mama to daughters and wife to my college sweetheart. I am passionate about sustainable fashion, whole foods recipes, and Charlotte Mason home education. I also love being outdoors with my family. You can usually find me sporting a wide-brimmed hat, with a baby on my back.

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This week I’m writing + filming about a hallmark This week I’m writing + filming about a hallmark of the Charlotte Mason method: narration. Have you ever heard of it? What would you like to know? 

I’m focusing heavily on how we use narration in our homeschool, but if you have specific questions about it, I would love for you to 1. Take the poll in my stories, and 2. Ask any questions you may have about narration in the comments so that I can answer them in my video! ❤️
Happy Mother’s Day! I especially want to encoura Happy Mother’s Day! I especially want to encourage those who are intentionally making a better life for their children than what they may have experienced as kids. It is not easy to change the cycle, but it’s well worth the effort. 

In the words of Louisa May Alcott, “A woman's happiest kingdom is home, her highest honor is the art of ruling it not as a queen, but a wise wife and mother."
📚 We are moving right along with term three of 📚 We are moving right along with term three of our school year. Slow but steady, we will finish up mid June and I’ll begin prepping for next school year in July and August! 📚

Here’s some of my random old and new tips + what I’ve been doing to help keep organized with the CMEC. 

01. Keep a regular day for nature outings or field trips. We have two days a week where I intentionally plan a hike or museum visit, etc. One is usually at the middle of the week and the other is at the end. It offers great variety to our weeks.

02. Notebook! I have had the girls consistently notebook this year, and it’s been such a delight to go back and see my form 1b student’s progress! I have a video coming out about how we notebook and why you should try it very soon! 

03. To stay on track with our morning timetable I’ve been writing the time we end each lesson in my logbook. It’s really changed how productive I am in making sure we get everything on our timetable done for the day. (I have a video on my logbook if you’re interested in learning more about that!)

04. And 05. Popsicle sticks! Friends, if you’re already a CMEC family, use these to help you choose which activities you review! I have on these for old singing games, French songs, folk dances or Swedish drill routines. I’ll share more on what I have on ours, specifically, but it’s fun because the girls and I get to be surprised rather than me choosing what we review!

06. Art instruction. Originally I had us doing three art lessons per week in the afternoon, but it didn’t allow for enough free choice, so we’ve reduced it down to one formal lesson a week for six weeks, then we change the method. So right now we are in week two of our chalkdrawing lessons. After six weeks we will switch to brush drawing instruction for the remainder of the term! As Charlotte Mason recommends, we draw from memory, model, and from imagination. 🌞

I hope this was helpful to you! So many of you guys are using @the.cmec next year! I am SO excited to see all of you at the online form meetings this coming year! 👏🏻 #thecmec #thecmecform1 #charlottemason
Do you keep your spices in a cabinet, on a shelf o Do you keep your spices in a cabinet, on a shelf or in a drawer? This drawer is right next to my stove and it’s my favorite way to store my spices! I reuse these little jars and fill them every couple of weeks with my bulk @azurestandard spices. 🧂
Are you planting a garden this year? What are you Are you planting a garden this year? What are you growing? Containers and raised beds? Or in ground? What do you plan to grow? Veggies? Flowers? We are doing a little bit of everything. 😍

It’s my third year growing food. (And ironically, our third house 😅) We just got our @greenstalkgarden planter, several @smartpots, and six raised beds that are ready to be filled next weekend. Really looking forward to this gardening season! 🥕🥬🥦🌽🌶🫑🫐🍓🥔
“Let then once get in touch with nature and a ha “Let then once get in touch with nature and a habit is formed which will be a source of delight through life.” -Charlotte Mason 

My kiddo had a birthday this past weekend. We do one main gift and a couple of small gifts; typically they’re  things they can use outdoors. Bikes have been a popular birthday item around here! My eldest wanted an apple tree last year. ☺️ But this year we got N a mud kitchen! Some friends of ours had one they built, and it inspired us. My kiddos have been playing on the forest floor in the mud for years now, but it’s exciting for them to have a little space in our garden for mud play. 🌳 What are some fun outdoorsy gifts you’ve purchased for your kids?
📚 When should I teach my child to read? How sho 📚 When should I teach my child to read? How should I teach my child to read? What does Charlotte Mason say about reading lessons? How did she teach children how to read? What curriculum do you use to teach your child how to read? 📚
These are all questions I answered in my blog post and video, “teaching reading the Charlotte Mason way” 📚 you can also swipe over to see some of my favorite CM quotes on teaching reading! 📚

I also shared what I do with my 3-year-old (which is very minimal) if you have younger children. You can view the post at the link in my profile! Are you up children school-aged? What do you use to teach reading?
I needed to accomplish a lot today. There was more I needed to accomplish a lot today. There was more unpacking and organizing to be done, pictures to be framed, meal planning to do, laundry that needed folding, bike rides to be had, meals to be prepared, sourdough to be prepped and lesson planning + pre-reading to do. Oh and dishes. So many dishes. 😅

I do essentially all of the inside housework aside from taking out the trash + recycle, but for a season my husband helped out while N was small by doing dinner dishes and sometimes even preparing dinner so I could nurse her after we ate. But as of late, I’m trying something new where I don’t ask my husband to clean up after dinner and instead I do it myself. I don’t mind it, and since my girls are old enough to get their own pj’s on now, I’ve been doing dinner clean-up (as well as lunch and breakfast clean-up and prep!) before I head upstairs to tuck them in, read them a story and sit with them while they fall asleep. Call me old fashioned, but I’m happy to do it, and I delight in my husband being able to enjoy some time with the girls after dinner instead of clean up a mess after a long day of working.

I’m not really sure where I’m going with this post - I’ve felt pulled in so many directions today and it’s something I feel often, (and I’m sure so many of you can relate) but after five months without a home to care for and nurture I simply can’t feel frustrated or annoyed at my list of 10,000 things I need to do. Instead I pray my way through each task. I sip tea in between. I light a candle and wear my great-grandmother’s apron as I work. I read notes like the one my six-year-old left for me this morning and I weep tears of gratitude and joy. Happy Sunday, my friends. ❤️ 
.
(swipe to read her note 🥰 + a transcription in the comments!)
Remember that word we heard so often when we were Remember that word we heard so often when we were parenting infants? Attachment.  What comes to mind? Breastfeeding on demand. Co-sleeping. Babywearing. All of those things that come pretty natural to us when taking care of a baby. But did you know that attachment doesn’t just end when your child gets bigger? Attachment is actually necessary THROUGH adolescence. 😳

Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers by Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Maté is a brilliant book that stopped me in my tracks. The book addresses the severe lack of attachment to parents that is incidentally replaced by an attachment to peers. I wrote all about it on my blog, but if you swipe over you can see a few passages that I underlined, highlighted, and wrote down in my notebook. 

Peer culture is more prevalent than ever. Not only because our society now prefers it that way, but because of social media’s ability to unite our youth in an unprecedented way. What we need is a shift in how we pass down culture to our kids from a horizontal attachment (peer to peer) back to a vertical attachment (family to child). I’ve often felt this long before I read this book, but we prioritize our Children’s friendships and relationships with others before we prioritize their relationships with us. We don’t value the family unit the way we used to decades ago, and it’s to the detriment of our children. 

I will gift this book to every new parent I meet from now on because of the wisdom the authors share. I wish all parents would read it so we could be on the same page as a society and those of us who choose to hold on to our kids wouldn’t be going against the grain. So this is my plea to you. If anything I’ve said piqued your interest, or struck a chord, please read Hold On To Your Kids! ✨

(For those of you who have read it! Share your thoughts with us! Help me convince everyone to read it! 👏🏻)
I promised I would share how I teach foreign langu I promised I would share how I teach foreign language the Mason way✨

When my oldest (now 6) was younger we loved and used @theculturedkid but since beginning formal lessons we’ve switched to this wonderful book by @cherrydalepress. 

Mason recommends that students learn 5-6 new French words a day and that they use them frequently. She writes in Home Education, “…children should learn French orally, by listening to and repeating French words and phrases; that they should begin so early that the difference of the accent does not strike them, but they repeat the French word all the same as if it were English, and use it freely…” (p. 80) she then writes about how important it is to employ the use of French vocabulary words during time out-of-doors. My kids and I have taken this to heart, because it isn’t uncommon for us all to be walking along the hiking trail, singing our French folk songs together. It’s something I’ll remember that we do together for many years. 

The Cherrydale Press program allows the child to learn common phrases, orally, a bit at a time. Along the way, they learn common verbs and vocabulary. 

Each “series” lasts about 2 weeks.
So here is the process we go through in that time:

01. We practice and memorize the English phrases. 
Here’s an example: 
I take the book.
I open the book.
I close the book.
So we say the phrases as we ACT THEM OUT, which is crucial to this method of learning French and retaining it! It’s helped me tremendously as a non-native speaker.

02. We then learn the French verbs from those phrases in French: je prends, j’ouvre, and je ferme. We memorize how to say them and act them out!

03. We learn the whole thing in French as we act it out. 
Je prends le livre.
j’ouvre le livre.
je ferme le livre.

After my daughter can say/act them without error, on her own, we move on to the next series!

Thanks to The Living Page, I keep a French notebook where I record the phrases or words we learn! (That’s what I shared in my stories the other day!)

In addition to this program, we have two French folk songs, one French vocabulary song per term (we sing daily) and a story we listen to in French, thanks to @the.cmec and their support!

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