Transitions rock the boat. One chapter finished, yet you find yourself in limbo, in unchartered territory for you. As a homeschool mom, you worked yourself right out of your job! Now what? Here are four options to consider while you transition after your homeschool career. Breathe. Take it one step and day at a time.…
More Than Grit, a middle-grade, historical novel by Gretchen Carlson, released today. I loved this debut novel and believe that not only will young people relate to it, but it will also be an excellent addition to any school reading curricula. Sissy, who lives in Kansas in 1939, wants to earn money, so she can…
A story of a beaver at large reminded me of the blessings I have living in a small town. In my community, each week, the police blotter announces pets causing problems, usually a dog at large or a cat at large. Sometimes owners get spoken with. At other times, the animal at large cannot be…
Have you ever considered a how wrought with emotions a convict’s release and transition from prison to civilian life is for the released as well as the family? Reacclimating takes courage and lots of grace. Before reading Broken Together by Brenda S. Anderson and Sarah S. Anderson, I never contemplated the difficulties they might face.…
Tinsel in a Twist by Laurie Germaine continues the story of Tinsel, the Christmas elf from Tinsel in a Tangle, a YA novel I raved about in February. Just in time for the holidays, the second novel arrives, just as endearing. Tinsel travels with Niklas and Santa and Mrs. Claus to Germany for Niklas’ initiation…
Every girl dreams of having a pony, right? Okay, so maybe not every girl, but I did, and I know my daughters did, although they never got one. They did take riding lessons though and got all the way to learning to jump before the pandemic shut everything down. When I was in elementary school,…
Father’s Day is Sunday—the day to celebrate our dads. Dads come in all sizes, shapes, temperaments and abilities. Dads are important. My dad taught through example. My dad grew up the second oldest of eight. His dad farmed. His grandad farmed. He farmed and still farms his 100-acre beef farm. He is dad to four…
Each summer, my parents packed my siblings and me up and sent us off to Grandma and Grandpa’s house in the cozy town of Wiota for a week. Most of my memories of our stays started on the Fourth of July. We’d claim our bedrooms and then settle in to watch the big parade behind…
During the end of my fifth-grade year or the beginning of my sixth-grade year—I don’t recollect the exact time, my class put together items to put in a time capsule to be dug up either in 2000 or 2020. (I think. It seemed far off then.) That’s a great many years ago—over 40, gulp. Time…
Because I value all the wisdom Heather Holleman packs into her books, I bought her latest release soon after it hit the market. She and her husband, Ashley, wrote Sent. It sat on my TBR pile for a bit, but then I heard the new song, “Send Me,” which I talked about last week. Sent…