Category Archives: homeschooling

Aug 8 2023

Book 26 of 50 – The Second Mrs. Astor

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One book leads to another. As I read Angela Gheorghiu’s autobiography, she mentioned the most famous cake in the world: the Sacher torte from Vienna. This lead me to discover a whole series of books about rich desserts and wealthy people. Talk about a unit study. That is how I discovered a historical novel titled The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abe.

The Second Mrs. Astor

I read it from READS, Tennessee’s electronic library

Have you ever wondered who the richest man on the Titanic was and if he made it out alive? The answer is John Jacob Astor IV (net worth $2.6 billion in today’s money) and no, he did not. He put his wife on Lifeboat #4. Continue reading »

Aug 5 2023

I Have Made Butter

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In a previous post, I shared how our son has started a whole food revolution while I was also finding myself pushed in the same direction by a podcast. It just seems like the winds of change are blowing toward more healthy choices in the kitchen.

Heavy cream, 365 brand

I used heavy cream, 365 brand, to make butter

So… in this context… our son has decided he wants homemade butter. Last Thanksgiving, we went on a field trip to Sam Houston Schoolhouse. They made butter in mason jars over there. He loved the taste of it. Now that he is interested in whole foods, he wanted me to research how to make butter faster. Continue reading »

Aug 4 2023

Whole Food Revolution

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This post will start a new series, in which I hope to detail many of the changes we are making to our cooking and eating philosophy. Yes, a health reform is underway at my house!

Einkorn Banana Bread

I made einkorn banana bread – with einkorn flour from Whole Foods

Our son, in his awakening to all things leading to self-improvement, has stumbled upon the concept of “whole foods.” Not the store, but the concept of unprocessed, as close to nature as possible, whole foods. Continue reading »

Jul 25 2023

Book 21 of 50 – Learn Chess

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Learn Chess by John Nunn gave me great insight into the game of chess. Written for absolute beginners, the book provides the rules and all the strategies needed to become proficient in chess and go to the next level.

Learn Chess by John Nunn

This book will take you from absolute beginner to worthy opponent

I thought I knew how to play chess and taught my children the way the pieces moved when they were very little. My father had taught me how to play when I was a child. We even had a book about it (Primii Pasi in Sah by Elisabeta Polihroniade). I never finished that book as a child though. Continue reading »

Jul 24 2023

Book 20 of 50 – Lettres de Mon Moulin

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Lettres de Mon Moulin by Alphonse Daudet (Letters from My Windmill) is a book I had bought for myself a long time ago, when I was a dreamy high school senior in Romania, hoping to become a French and English student at the University of Bucharest. We are talking 1992, folks.

My copy of Lettres de mon moulin

It sat in my parents’ home for decades until 2016 when I brought it to my home in the States. What a journey! Continue reading »

Jul 19 2023

How to Pack a Lunch

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Homeschool mamas do not pack lunches, right? We are at home with our children and teach them in the morning while our instant pot or slow cooker prepares lunch for us, right? Or we cook with our children, thus checking two boxes: home ec and lunch prep, right? Wrong.

Bread Box

Our new bread box

These days, homeschool moms find themselves on the road with their children. A lot. Co-op, music lessons, orchestra, errands… All of a sudden, you have to pack a lunch because you do not want to have another fast food meal. Ever. You are done with that folly. Continue reading »

Jul 3 2023

Electronic Fast, One Year Later

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Exactly one year ago, I turned off all the screens in the home for three weeks. Dr. Victoria Dunckley wrote “Reset Your Child’s Brain” for parents whose children exhibit symptoms of Electronic Screen Syndrome (ESS).

These symptoms range from ADHD, ADD, OCD, to emotional meltdowns, to anxiety and depression, to sleep disruptions, to hating math (after loving it in younger elementary age) etc. The book details exactly what to do for the three weeks of the fast and the preceding week, when you prepare for it. It also informs you what to expect week by week.

Teen cubing on the floor

Our son cubing while waiting for orchestra practice

My son did not like it one bit, but it changed his life. Ten days into it, he started cleaning his room (which the book predicted). By the end of the fast, he had learned how to solve Rubik’s cube in less than a minute. One month later, he asked our pastor for Bible studies so that he may prepare for baptism. Continue reading »

Jun 26 2023

Summer Jobs

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Whenever possible, teenagers older than 14 should get a summer job. Homeschoolers are no exception. Unless your child is taking a full load of classes through the summer, a job is the perfect learning opportunity.

So many skills develop as teenagers interact with the real world and make money. It also helps with keeping a routine going through the summer weeks. It is much easier to say, “Let’s wake up at 7am so that we can have breakfast at 7:30am and then leave by 8:00am so we can get to work by 8:30am,” than to say, “Let’s wake up at 7am even though we do not have anything in particular planned.” Continue reading »

Jun 14 2023

My Favorite Week of the Year

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Of all the activities my children undertake, orchestra camp is my favorite. Every summer, we make the trek to Knoxville Monday-Friday so they can play in their respective orchestras and have fun while accelerating their growth.

Wacky Tacky Day

Our daughter dressed for success on Wacky, Tacky Day and she won!

Yes, it gets tiring for all of us, but it remains my favorite week of the year. On Monday, everybody gets together and starts playing their new pieces. On Tuesday, it is pajama or crazy sock day. Fun! Continue reading »