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 18, 2012

Outfit Post: Primal

Wearing:
Top: H&M
Pants: Michael Kors via Nordstrom Rack (similar)
Scarf: Express (way more discounted this season…)
Bag: Coach ‘Willis’
Shoes: Macy’s
Thread Bracelet: Madewell
Tortoise Watch: Target (similar)
Pearls bracelet: H&M
Pavé link bracelet: J.Crew
Sunglasses: House of Harlow 1960 ‘Chelsea’

This one is going to be short and sweet- I felt pretty primal in my army green pants, leopard scarf, and tortoise watch. This mix is definitely simple but I still feel it characterizes my style. Perfect for a weekend! Stay tuned- my next post is part #2 of the Alicia Klein Giveaway series! Thanks for reading. xo.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: army green, black nails, Express, fall fashion, house of harlow chelsea 1960 sunglasses, j.crew pave link bracelet, legacy coach willis, leopard scarf, michael kors pants, Outfit of the day, tortoise watch

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Comments

  1. Emily Ah Tye says

    October 18, 2012 at 5:12 am

    Love the olive pants and scarf! So cute!

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

    Reply
  2. Count To Four says

    October 18, 2012 at 5:22 am

    love your look! especially all the accessories!

    http://www.counttofour.com

    Reply
  3. Every Day Rachel says

    October 18, 2012 at 5:43 am

    Very cool look!

    http://everydayrachel21.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  4. Lisa says

    October 18, 2012 at 5:51 am

    Adore the outfit! would love for you to guest post on my blog!

    xoxox http://www.showeredwithdesign.blogspot.com

    Reply
  5. Natali says

    October 18, 2012 at 6:38 am

    Fantastic pants and bag!

    http://lartoffashion.blogspot.com

    Reply
  6. Petra says

    October 18, 2012 at 6:55 am

    Love this style. Your armcandys are really pretty and love the colors of
    The outfit.
    xo, Petra

    If you have a second please take a look on my new outfit post. I would
    Love to hear what you think. Thanks http://www.sweetsoflife86.blogspot.com

    Reply
  7. Nerdy Asian says

    October 18, 2012 at 7:01 am

    I like your bag! and your accessories look great with the outfit! 😀

    Reply
  8. Daniela Macsim says

    October 18, 2012 at 7:52 am

    I have similar pants from Zara!

    Reply
  9. Marie-Eve says

    October 18, 2012 at 9:54 am

    I adore the whole look !
    My Blog – A Pretty Nest

    Reply
  10. A J says

    October 18, 2012 at 11:30 am

    I like this simple look! That scarf is so versatile, and your accessories are great.

    -AJ
    FitTravelerAJ.blogspot.com

    Reply
  11. MONICA says

    October 18, 2012 at 11:43 am

    I just love how an animal print accessory can spice up any outfit. I have a similar leopard scarf on today. It added a pop to my work outfit. You look great, btw!

    XO Monica
    monismix.blogspot.com

    Reply
  12. Amberly D'Anna says

    October 18, 2012 at 12:28 pm

    Love the Coach bag! Simple and classic.

    Amberly
    http://www.asliceofglam.com

    Reply
  13. Citrus - Refreshing Fashion says

    October 18, 2012 at 12:36 pm

    love this! that coach bag is stunning!

    Meghan
    citrusrefreshingfashion.blogspot.com

    Reply
  14. C says

    October 18, 2012 at 1:40 pm

    Really like it, esp shoes and bag!

    letyourselfbeinspiredby.blogspot.it

    Reply
  15. Cathy says

    October 18, 2012 at 1:45 pm

    Love this fall look! You accessorized it beautifully!

    http://cstyledesign.blogspot.com

    Reply
  16. Meagan Rigney says

    October 18, 2012 at 2:00 pm

    I love the pants and scarf, I have been looking everywhere for the perfect ones and you have nailed it:) You look great and very chic!

    Reply
  17. Jenny Budka says

    October 18, 2012 at 2:05 pm

    Simple is beautiful here! You can mix these pieces so many other ways! I especially love your bag and sunglasses 🙂

    xo Jenny
    [archi]dress

    Reply
  18. Sarah says

    October 18, 2012 at 2:51 pm

    Love this fall look, especially the scarf. Trying to get into scarves myself…but always have a hard time pairing them. Must get animal print scarf…heck ya!

    Reply
  19. SzafaSikory says

    October 18, 2012 at 2:52 pm

    Wow, the watch is from Target. When I saw it I thought it's MK.
    I'm going to Target today to look for it 🙂

    Reply
  20. Psycho Cat says

    October 18, 2012 at 3:07 pm

    Perfect pants and bag, love the colors 🙂

    Reply
  21. Annie L says

    October 18, 2012 at 3:34 pm

    Loving everything about this look, the pants, scarf, bracelets. Too cute.
    Love your blog, following!
    xo Annie
    newenglandromance.blogspot.com

    Reply
  22. Nancy says

    October 18, 2012 at 4:46 pm

    great casual look. Love the pants! And of course…that bag!
    xo,
    nancy

    http://adoretoadorn.blogspot.com

    Reply
  23. Megan Maddison says

    October 18, 2012 at 4:57 pm

    Definitely a primal look – animal prints are a big trend though so you are right on track!

    You look great 🙂

    Megan
    budgetasion101.blogspot.ca

    Reply
  24. Sheila says

    October 18, 2012 at 5:20 pm

    Great casual look!! I love your scarf and bracelets! And cute hair!!

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

    Reply
  25. The Girly Bird says

    October 18, 2012 at 5:50 pm

    love this classic look and I so want your bag!

    Reply
  26. Amy says

    October 18, 2012 at 5:58 pm

    Love this outfit! It's perfect!

    xo
    Amy
    itwasloveat.blogspot.com

    Reply
  27. Style Outlaw says

    October 18, 2012 at 6:09 pm

    Your out has two of my favorite things it's chic yet it's simple. I love your bag

    Reply
  28. prettyanddelectable says

    October 18, 2012 at 7:17 pm

    Lovely scarf, and that bag is so pretty and classic!

    Reply
  29. Katies Bliss says

    October 19, 2012 at 2:30 am

    Love your animal print scarf – scarves are one of my favorite accessories to wear during the fall 🙂

    katiesbliss.com

    Reply
  30. ACT says

    October 19, 2012 at 3:12 am

    Love this outfit! Great inspiration for our not yet fall weather!

    xo Ashley
    http://www.ashnfashn.com

    Reply
  31. TheUrbanUmbrella says

    October 19, 2012 at 3:18 am

    Love that scarf, totally gorgeous – great way to spice up a fall look! <3

    xoxo Bree
    The Urban Umbrella

    http://www.theurbanumbrella.com

    Reply
  32. ttailoff says

    October 19, 2012 at 3:21 pm

    love the clutch, perfect 🙂
    http://ttailoff.blogspot.de/

    Reply
  33. issa says

    October 19, 2012 at 3:30 pm

    great look!! adore your bag.

    issa
    wewearthings

    Reply
  34. Cambria says

    October 19, 2012 at 3:34 pm

    ADORE the leopard scarf…esp with those cute olive skinnies…it's got a great safari vibe.

    <3 Cambria
    jupefashion.blogspot.com

    Check out my GIVEAWAY!!!!!!

    Reply
  35. Rachel Lynne says

    October 19, 2012 at 4:00 pm

    So cute! I really love your pants and scarf and bag and nail color 🙂 Oh and your bracelets! pretty much perfect! 🙂 I would need to add a jacket for the weather up here though 🙂

    xoxo,
    Rachel

    Reply
  36. Julye says

    October 19, 2012 at 7:26 pm

    you look stunning !!!!

    Reply
  37. blue roses says

    October 19, 2012 at 8:04 pm

    i have that coach bag in black, and have been coveting the warm cognac color for ages!

    http://dallianceswithsuitsandskirts.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  38. LOLA FINN says

    October 20, 2012 at 5:52 pm

    Hello dear 🙂
    Wow, you have a really nice blog!! And I like your style 🙂
    Thank you so much for visiting me and your nice comment!!
    xoxo Lola

    Reply
  39. Elisabeth. says

    October 21, 2012 at 12:00 am

    Hi dear!!
    I really love your look and pics (:
    Great blog !!
    So I follow u right now (:

    xx from
    http://heelsandroses.blogspot.com.es/

    Reply
  40. Lindsey Louise Bales says

    October 22, 2012 at 3:49 am

    i love love love your purse here! cute style dear.

    lindsey louise

    hellomrrabbit.blogspot.com

    Reply
  41. Meg {henninglove} says

    October 22, 2012 at 3:51 am

    i love your outfit! i definitely can see myself wearing this outfit. i especially love the top and the crossbody bag

    Reply
  42. Kristine Rutledge says

    October 22, 2012 at 4:14 am

    I LOVE you blog, great outfits! I am now following you, please return the love 🙂

    -Kristine

    http://www.pugglewearsprada.blogspot.com

    Reply
  43. Larissa says

    October 22, 2012 at 5:39 am

    Thanks for your comment dear! And thanks for following! Your blog is lovely too! And of cause I will follow you back 🙂
    Have a good start in the week!

    Reply
  44. Melanee says

    October 22, 2012 at 6:20 am

    Great blog! you are so cute and I love your style.

    Thanks for the comment and follow. I'm following back =)

    Melanee
    xo
    melaneeshale.blogspot.com

    Reply
  45. Natasha says

    October 22, 2012 at 10:03 am

    I love this outfit, smart but laid back. The bag is my favourite piece!
    xo Natasha
    http://thenightiswild.blogspot.co.uk

    Reply
  46. Sonya Ann Kovaleswani says

    October 22, 2012 at 11:20 am

    you look so pretty!

    xoxo

    http://sony-ann.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  47. Hannah Louisa says

    October 22, 2012 at 11:58 am

    love your outfit hun!wish I could get away with something so summery in the uk!x

    Reply
  48. ♏αяᴄ נυηℊ ℃♄αηℯł℮тт℮ says

    October 22, 2012 at 12:21 pm

    Very pretty and classy, love the look 🙂
    I follow you now!
    Follow me back on facebook ,twitter,and GFC
    love you dear 🙂

    Marcchanelette.blogspot.com
    Marcchanel'ette

    Reply
  49. Vanessa Lucy says

    October 22, 2012 at 12:56 pm

    Great outfit, love all of your accessories especially the watch!:)

    Vanessa xxx
    http://Www.vanessalucy.blogspot.co.uk

    Reply
  50. Megan says

    October 22, 2012 at 1:31 pm

    You're mixing all of my favorite colors! Love your scarf and pants – you look adorable 🙂

    Reply
  51. Nerza says

    October 22, 2012 at 2:12 pm

    Lovely look. So chic and classy.
    I love reading your posts.
    I am following you now,
    I hope you can follow back.
    fashionerza.com

    Reply
  52. Joy Shana says

    October 22, 2012 at 2:54 pm

    Love you pants and bag
    http://shana-style.blogspot.com

    Reply
  53. Harley says

    October 22, 2012 at 4:15 pm

    i love the army green pants without the army print.

    Reply
  54. Ashley Aspinwall says

    October 22, 2012 at 4:30 pm

    love the army pants animal print combo!

    xo SideSmile,
    Ashley

    SideSmile Style

    Reply
  55. Perla Sanchez says

    October 22, 2012 at 4:36 pm

    Great outfit! I love everything, esp. the bag. Thanks for visiting my blog, I'm following you now 🙂

    http://perlaxmakeup.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  56. Marsa says

    October 22, 2012 at 4:42 pm

    thanks for the follow 🙂
    following you too <3
    cute pants btw!

    happyleeliving.blogspot.com

    Reply
  57. Sunny & Star says

    October 22, 2012 at 4:54 pm

    I love the outfit. The green pants and the scarf definitely give it a primal/safari vibe. I love dark green pants like those. Beautiful accessories as well.

    Jessica @ Sunny Days and Starry Nights

    Reply
  58. Kerri says

    October 22, 2012 at 8:11 pm

    Just found your blog through another blog, and I have to say! I'm smitten! Can't wait to look around more… I saw the J. Crew magazine in a photo a couple posts down and so that of course means that I'm immediately hooked 🙂 Have a wonderful day!
    Kerri
    http://www.buttercupsandbluescrubs.blogspot.com

    Reply
  59. WeJustFightTooMuch says

    October 22, 2012 at 10:46 pm

    wow very nice blog
    I follow you xx

    Reply
  60. Meike says

    November 5, 2012 at 12:33 pm

    Hi girl!
    Lovely outfit!
    Would were something like this myself..
    Followed back! Thanks, hope to see you again soon!

    alisvolatpropiisdairy.blogspot.com

    With love, M

    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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