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thewhisperingglen

Today I have a very special experience to share wi

Today I have a very special experience to share with you! If, like me, you have children who LOVE checking the mailbox everyday and get unnaturally excited about deliveries arriving… you’re going to want to listen up! We currently subscribe to a weekly news magazine for kids, but in the past we had a historical document replica subscription, monthly snack boxes from around the globe, and most recently we tried out a history magazine for kids.

What I have to share with you today is incredibly unique and exquisite! My friends over at Thistles & Biscuits (@thistlesandbiscuits) have been working tirelessly to create a subscription service that takes its subscribers outside even if they can’t always GET outside. This sister venture is called The Field Journals, a monthly nature-filled subscription that seeks to draw families into the great, big world, and helps to nurture our love for nature and wonder over our Creator’s magnificent creation!

Each month you will receive a hand-painted letter and field journal entry from your new friend and fellow nature-lover, Rowan. (Ok, Rowan isn’t really a real person because Tim & Betsy are the amazing humans and artists behind this, but let’s just go with it.) Your monthly delivery of The Field Journals will also include a page on the ecosystem AND human connections of the topic that particular month (in this specific case, the great and mighty Sequoia!), an art study as a nature journal entry prompt, as well as beautifully designed stickers you can use in your nature journals or wherever you feel like it!

Each month you will receive all of this in a beautiful sage green envelope, which will be the prized jewel of mail collection day for your children! You have several subscription options including: monthly, six-months, annual, or digital. Oh, and there is a 10% coupon code (“launch”) that runs through 4/30. I am not an affiliate, I just LOVE everything this power couple puts out and The Field Journals (@thefieldjournals) is no exception! You can check out more details at https://thefieldjournals.com.

Are you as psyched about this as I am??

Some days are really hard. The kids are extra cra

Some days are really hard.

The kids are extra crazy.
My hormones are taking me on a ride (and not a fun one).
The plans I made 6 months ago for imaginary children are not going the way I’d like with my REAL children.
I don’t feel like meal planning.
I don’t want to clean the house or make my bed (I’m just going to get back in it).
If I have to pick up one more thing I might just lose it.

The effort it takes to manage the household, the kids, their education, my “self care”, my marriage, my relationship with friends and family, and most importantly my relationship with my heavenly Father feels at times more than I can possibly handle. Then add wildly fluctuating hormones to the mix as a woman in her 40s, and some weeks I just want to throw in the towel… or the whole linen closet! It’s just too much!

Why bother? Why put in this much effort when I don’t feel appreciated the way I think I should? It’s not worth it. No one cares, I tell myself.

This is not the truth though and I refuse to listen to those lies.

The truth is that whether or not I get a gold star at the end of the day, or a hug and kiss from one of my wild, precious children, or told that I’m the “best mommy/wife/sister/daughter/friend in the whole wide world”... I choose to be dutiful and the Lord sees that even if no one else does. I put one foot in front of the other because there is purpose, beauty, truth, and goodness in living a dutiful life in the seemingly mundane.

Contentment in my circumstances, whether I like them or not, has always been a challenge for me. However, one way that I can choose fulfillment in these hard days is by just being attentive to the tasks set before me. However menial they may seem. Oh, and doing them with as good an attitude as I can muster.

Some days will still be really hard.

I’ll just try to do my little part.

⭐️Book Review⭐️ The Story of Martin Luther

⭐️Book Review⭐️
The Story of Martin Luther: The Monk Who Changed the World

To be completely honest, I did not know a TON about Martin Luther before reading this book geared towards 8-13 year olds. I’ve heard decent snippets throughout my life as a Christian, but I’d never taken the time to learn even more about the reformation and the impact that Martin Luther had on the Christian church. I mean I knew… but not enough.

This chapter book, which does include illustrations and study questions in the back, was very informative and engaging. I read it in almost one sitting actually!

For our communal learning this year, I wanted to make church history more of a priority. I’ve shared a couple resources we are already using for that, but this book (and hopefully more like it) will also be assigned free reading for my older three as well.

▶️ As a special note, I did appreciate the direct mention of the faults in Martin Luther’s teachings at times (see third picture) and I think the author did a great job of talking about this specific issue.

This chapter book is part of the Lives of Faith & Grace series of books written for middle-grade readers and published by Crossway. These books include timelines, maps, bonus sidebars, and options for further reading among the other inclusions I’ve already mentioned. There are four books currently in the series, and I really hope that Crossway will be publishing more!

Disclosure: I received this quality book from Crossway (@crosswaybooks) in exchange for an honest review, which I was happy to provide!

#kidsbookreview #kidswhoread #bookrecommendations #kidsbookrecommendations #faithbasedkidsbooks #kidsbooklists #crosswaybooks #christianfamily #kidsbookstagram #bookreview #christianheroesofthefaith #churchhistorybooks #churchhistory

Ok, which one(s) happened today for you? This is a

Ok, which one(s) happened today for you? This is a NO judgment zone. I’ll go first… I’m shocked that only one of my kids is still in pajamas.

#reallifehomeschool #realistichomeschooling #realhomeschool #homeschoolencouragement #homeschooling #homeschoolfamily #homeschoolmom

I’m sitting here drinking my second cup of [deca

I’m sitting here drinking my second cup of [decaf] coffee for the day and it’s 3pm as I write this. We wrapped up lessons about 30 minutes ago and I’ve since straightened our school area, started the dishwasher, and wiped down the kitchen counters. Oh, and started another load of laundry. 2:30 is somewhat early for us to be done.

For YEARS I idolized the idea of finishing up our “school day” before lunch or as close to after lunch as I could. I’ve told myself, “We have to be done before the building school kids are, or I’m not succeeding or taking full advantage of our homeschool-ness.”

I’d rush the kids to the table or the couch, cram in morning time (read: speed reading), move them on to the next task and the next with a sergeant yelling at me in my head that the clock is ticking!

This caused unneeded anxiety on my part and probably caused some for my kids too really. You know what we don’t have to do as homeschoolers? Rush out the door for a bus or a ride to school at 7am (or earlier). I don’t have to abide by anyone’s schedule but what I set up and sign up for.

We enjoy our slow mornings… so why needlessly make them crazy and hurried for the sake of being done by noon? And truth be told… I’ve got four kids, two of which are in grades 5 and 7… things just take longer now.

Some days we are closing the books at 4pm, just in time for me to squeeze in a walk or errand before starting dinner prep. I don’t love that, but this is just our life! At least they don’t have anything to do after that, right?

I’m choosing (and you should feel the freedom too):
✨ to start when we want to start our days
✨ letting my oldest (almost 13) sleep in if he needs it
✨ giving ample breaks to run around, be creative (read: be crazy), and pursue their own interests
✨ be prepared in other ways (meal planning, lesson planning, household task, etc.) on the weekends and margins to give us these unhurried days
✨ to not feel like we aren’t doing something right by stretching out our school days
✨ to embrace OUR family’s chosen rhythm!

❤️ Is this an area you struggle in? Have you felt guilty or like you’re doing this whole thing wrong because of your family’s routine? Let’s chat!

I am NOT an artist in the general sense. I see bea

I am NOT an artist in the general sense. I see beauty in most everything because of a grand designer and the skills and talents of His created beings. From the intricacies of a Robin’s nest (still can’t wrap my head around that) to the magnificent ceilings of cathedrals. It all points to THE greatest artist.

I love enjoying art and I want my kids to appreciate it too. I’d like to think that when we see art in the wild, my kids will want to engage with what they see because they recognize the skill, dedication, and overall effort it took to create it.

What we can get out of artist/picture study:

🖌️The story behind the specific pieces.
🎨The process of creating the pieces.
👨🏼‍🎨The story of the artist themselves.

These things draw us in (no pun intended). What do you see? What do you think this person is thinking? Why do you think the artist chose these colors? Does the painting make you feel any particular way? Do you really think that form was hidden inside that marble? Does this remind you of anything else?

I have loved using picture study aids this year. I typically do my own researching and curating, but this year I decided to check out @ahumbleplace picture study aids. (Not sponsored, affiliated, or influenced to post in any way…just a big fan!) They are so beautifully done and make our artist/picture study time so easy and fulfilling. I also got a set of prints to go with each artist’s study booklet. The quality is superb and I will be a longtime customer. There are definitely resources worth investing in, and this would be one of them!

🖼️ Do you implement picture study in your homeschool? How do you go about it?

#homeschoolpicturestudy #picturestudy #artiststudy #charlottemasoneducation #charlottemasoninspired #homeschoolresources #homeschoolcurriculum

I’m the budget maven in our home. Now, that’s

Don’t get me wrong, homeschooling is fun and bea

Don’t get me wrong, homeschooling is fun and beautiful… it’s also exhausting and messy. I’m here for all of it! 🤪

✨ Do any of these resonate with you? What are some homeschool realities in YOUR home?

#realistichomeschooling #realhomeschool #thisishomeschool #homeschoolmom #homeschoollife

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