• Books and Reading - Homeschooling - Uncategorized

    America 250: Reading Across the 50 States Booklist

    January 15, 2026 - By 

    In celebration of America250, my friend, fellow book lover, and homeschooling mom, Summer Smith, recently created a book list of American literature to read in 2026. She was on The New Mason Jar podcast today to talk about this list, and as I listened, I was inspired to create my own book list specifically for children’s and YA books from each of the 50 states. Summer’s list was very broad with many adult titles, and I wanted to narrow my focus to books appropriate for my own kids (ages 10 and 15.) It was harder than I expected! Some states…

  • Books and Reading - Homeschooling

    Our Morning Time Plans for 2025-26 Term 1

    August 13, 2025 - By 

    This year we started school the first full week of August, so we are now in week 2! I thought this week I would share what we are doing for Morning Time together in this season of our homeschool. During most of the school year, my son will be at a full day enrichment program every Tuesday, so we will only have 4 mornings together at home. Thus, I made sure to plan a four day schedule, and that is what I will be sharing today. Our routine consists of 4 basic areas, as follows: Prayer and Bible Reading This…

  • Books and Reading - Homeschooling - Uncategorized

    Our AmblesideOnline Year 9 Plans

    August 2, 2025 - By 

    Well, somehow the past week got away from me before I had a chance to make a blog post. Life this summer has been busier than I ever could have imagined, and now it is almost over! (And, spoiler alert, things are only going to get crazier from here on out!) Next week we will start a new school year, so lots of new adventures are about to begin. I thought I would sit down here at the outset of the year and share a little about what we are planning for my son’s Year 9 academics. So let’s dive…

  • Books and Reading - Homeschooling - Uncategorized

    Reading Report Vol. 28: Junior Review Edition

    June 11, 2025 - By 

    This month’s Reading Report is going to be a little bit different! Summer is a great time for reading, but it is also a lot more spontaneous and lacking in routine for our family. (Traveling to visit family, camping, rearranging furniture, and sorting books are just a few of the things we been doing!) This means my reading life is honestly all over the place right now. So instead of the typical what I’ve been reading sort of post this month, I thought I would do something new. I recently signed up to be a reviewer for NetGalley, and the…

  • Books and Reading - Homeschooling - Uncategorized

    AmblesideOnline Year 8 in Review, Part 2

    June 3, 2025 - By 

    Welcome back for Part 2 in my review of our experience with AmblesideOnline’s Year 8 curriculum. I have been out of town for the last several days and don’t have a lot of time to write this week, so let’s just jump right back in where we left off last week! NOTE: The book titles mentioned in this post are part of the AmblesideOnline curriculum, which is under copyright of AmblesideOnline.org. The information in this post is intended for educational purposes only. Be aware that AO’s curriculum and resources are revised from time to time. Please be sure to check…