Ancient Path

Making Memories Instead of Chasing More "Be content with such things as ye have." Hebrews 13:5 You only get the privilege of 18 Summers to make sweet memories with your children before they begin cutting their own trail. Being intentional about how we spend our days, as we enjoy our 13th summer together, is really important to me this year. My homemaking career has spanned a lifetime. As the older children grew up, I started to understand the importance of making each day count with them, while they are in your care.  When I was a young mother, I would long for the days that I would be able to clean my home and it would actually stay that way. Not anymore, because I know that if there is nobody there to dirty the home, it means there is no one there to make sweet memories with. I am so thankful for dirty dishes and dirty laundry because it means the people I love were there to dirty them. ♥️ I coveted sweet memories with the children God entrusted to me much more ...

It was bittersweet closing my Etsy store this year, and since then I've been reflecting back on the beginning of our homeschooling journey. Reflecting not only our homeschool journey, but also the growth of my children, myself and our lives in general. As much as our lives ebb and flow, I can see the constant thread of my God. I see how He has always been there patiently watching over and leading. So faithful and as constant as the earth spins and the sun rises and sets on us each day.  James 1:17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. When we first began our homeschool journey I knew that we needed consistency in our daily activity to keep us on track with academics and train the children in forming good living habits. Now as we are about to enter our last year of Middle School, we know exactly what ...

2nd Grade Homeschool Math Homeschooling my twin boys has been such a honor. Writing the curriculum we use made homeschooling so special. It was a way for me to share my heart with them.  While I do have this curriculum available inside our Etsy store here:  Robin Hood Math I wore the curriculum as a gift to my children.  We started this course at the beginning of the year during the 2020 pandemic. Robinhood math has two parts. We completed Part 1 before winter break and finished the school year with part two.  Here is some of the work we did. The math curriculum was written with a running story of Robin Hood & his Merry Men and Women. Each learning concept accompanies a short chapter of the story.  Little John When Robin Hood meets Little John there isn't enough room on the bridge for the two men. After dueling, they both end up on the water. The boys helped the charters jump out of the water on stones ... counting by fives.  ...

It is important to give credit where credit is due. Ask any artist how offensive it is when someone else takes credit for their work. That's why teaching my children about who the author and creator of the universe is important to us.  "O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth ... When I consider thy heavens, the works of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained." Psalms 8:1 and 3 Home School Curriculum For this unit we are using The Good and the Beautiful curriculum. The best part about it .... we got ours F.R.E.E. for download. It isn't for free anymore, but the PDF is still super C.H.E.A.P ... which is the next best thing to free. Get it here:  Space Science ☆ The Good & the Beautiful is a Non-denominational Christian curriculum that we have come to love very much! • The book that we are reading alongside the unit is, "Space: God's Majestic Handiwork" by Susan Windsor  This book is pe...

"A thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest."  William Blake ~ Growing your own pumpkin patch is fun and exciting with delicious returns that provide a ton of activities for the children. Planting Pumpkins at Garden School: A Summer time activity When the days are long and hot midsummer, the last thing you may be thinking about is the cool days of fall, but that is precisely when thoughts of pumpkins should begin. For a pumpkin patch to be well established by the time Mr. Jack-O-Lantern comes on the scene, the seeds must go into the ground around the 4th of July. While everyone else was running around blowing up things, we were putting our seeds into the ground. We planted our pumpkins inside one of our raised beds about an inch sow depth.  My 2nd graders love helping in the garden. The pumpkins were a great crop for them to plant because the seeds are large enough for their little hands to control.  Garden School Fall Harvest Fast forward to fall ... I now fully under...

"This herb should be kept in every gentlewoman's house…it causeth the mind and heart to become merry and driveth away troublesome cares."   17th-century herbalist Culpeper ~ Our Lemon Balm Cone Flower Herbal Immunity Booster A good herbalist will find many uses for one plant. Not that I like to consider myself a herbalist .. I despise labels! At any rate, lemon balm and cone flower both have immunity boosting properties. I have had this immunity boosting medicine in the works for some time now. It is lemon balm and cone flower and child safe. I plan on starting the twins on this in the fall in preparation of the colder months.   Our Lemon Balm is homegrown on our homestead. These are two year plants. Lemon Balm is easy to grow and does well in most soil. Our Lemon Balm was one of the first herbs planted in our garden. Cone flower is still in the works here. The ones we used to make our immunity booster were sent to us from some dear fri...