I want the share inspiration and encouragement that is helping me.
Here’s a talk from Nancy Campbell at Above Rubies, that explains the hormone Oxytocin, the “peace hormone” and how to tap into its power to reduce stress and anxiety, and give you a feeling of peace!
Click here for a post on “Tips for Reducing Stress, Media, and Clutter”!
Try one of my Art & Logic Therapy journals to help calm your mind:
This content originated from David Morris over on X
Parenting is hard. Parents have to choose their battles. Here are 8 fights worth picking with your kids:
Make your kids read. Because reading is tied to everything from cognitive development to the ability to focus.
The Outside Fight:
Make your kids go outside. The natural world teaches us things. Plus, outside there’s sunshine, fresh air, and exercise waiting for them. Most importantly, nature is full of things in short supply in our world: Discovery, wonder, peace, joy.
The Work Fight:
Make your kids work. I’m saddened by how many parents don’t require their kids to lift a finger at home. There are priceless life principles you can only learn with a mop in your hand. Let sweat be their teacher.
The Meal Fight:
Make your kids eat as a family. Our lives are a blur of incessant activity. Meals together are a physical pause to recover a truth so easily sacrificed at the altar of busyness. Nothing’s more important than family.
The Boredom Fight:
Make your kids live with boredom. Don’t show a DVD on each car ride. Kids need unscheduled time. And, odd as it sounds, boredom is a skill. It’s hard as a parent to deal with the assault of boredom complaints. But if you give in and fill up their time with external stimuli, you’ll raise an activity addict. Make them learn how to be.
The “Me First” Fight:
Make your kids go last. Not every time for everything. But enough to remember that the world doesn’t revolve around them. Take the smallest piece. Give up the remote. Do someone else’s chores. Get their least favorite choice. They won’t like it, but they need it.
The Awkward Conversation Fight:
Make your kids have uncomfortable conversations with you. Sex, dating, body image, values…Your kids will roll their eyes and resist. You will stumble and stutter. They need and want your perspective, lessons learned, and wisdom.
The Limitation Fight:
Learning to live within limits is a valuable life skill. In fact, many adult problems arise from an inability to accept them. Screen time limits, dietary limits, activity limits, and schedule limits are all good.
As a parent, you have to pick your battles. They’re not easy, but they’re worth the fight.
Click here for the full discussion.
A Summer with Sarah is a series of journal entries from the summer Sarah turned 18.
Reflections in Virginia Beach
It’s Tuesday, June 14th, 1994. We arrived in Virginia Beach earlier today and are staying in a motel apartment just half a block from the beach. It’s pretty nice.
Mom and Dad just got back from shopping at the commissary. I can hear the others in the living room and kitchen. They’re all excited because they saw on C-SPAN that the Senate is in session. We visited that room yesterday when we went to Washington, D.C. We even took some pictures while we were there.
My favorite part of the trip was the art museum. I love Mary Cassatt’s paintings and Gainsborough’s. I could imagine them, hundreds of years ago, stepping back to critique their finished work, having no idea that in 1994, a young lady named Sarah Janisse would also be stepping back to admire their wonderful masterpiece.
At the Museum of National History, I found myself dreaming of watching the First Ladies and their dresses dancing with the President at the Inaugural Ball 200 years ago.
Something really pierced my heart as I walked past the Vietnam War Memorial, with its wall engraved with the names of thousands of men who died. My dad said his name could have very well been on that wall too. It was the first time he saw it, and he was really touched. He looked like he might cry.
A Conversation on the Subway
On the subway back to the parking lot, I sat beside a lady named Joyce. She was a small Black woman in her early 30s—very sweet—and we talked. She had lived in Washington, D.C. her whole life. She asked where I was from and where I was going, so I told her.
She asked me about college, and I told her I planned to go to art school and Bible college. She asked a few more questions, and I was able to share a little about how I’m a Christian and how believing in the Bible is so important in life. I didn’t say much, but I pray the Lord will use my witness to inspire her to read the Bible and come to know Jesus.
A Prayer for Provision and Blessing
I hope and pray that this will be a very successful art show. Lord, bring people to buy more paintings. Please provide for our needs. But I don’t ever have to ask—you always provide, so I’ll just thank you instead.
Father, I thank you now for abundantly meeting all of our needs. You are so faithful. Thank you that I can trust in you to give me all that I need. Thank you for caring. I will lack nothing.
A Prayer for Josh and His Family
I’m going to call Josh sometime and give him the number here. Lord, work it out and make a perfect time for me to call him. Pour your blessings on him and his family. Give them joy. Show his dad where to go on vacation—you know just what would be best—so let your will be done.
Thank you for working everything out. I’m not quite sure how Josh’s parents expect me to act, but I want to please them as I please you. Work it out. Let it come naturally for me to be a blessing to them. Please, Jesus, don’t allow me to be a burden.
I want to be helpful, not in the way. I want them to be happy to have me with them. Let me be someone they enjoy, not just someone they tolerate. I love Josh, and it’s important that his family loves me.
Let them see that it’s your plan that Josh and I are together. Let them accept the fact joyfully and receive me as I am, in your time.
A Prayer for Josh’s Sisters Becky and E (E is his foster sister). The are both young teens.
Use me in the lives of Becky and E to draw them closer to you. Let me be an encouragement to them to follow you with all their hearts. These girls will be part of my life forever—let us love now.
I know that you love Becky and E so much, just as you love me. Use me to show them your love. Work in their hearts. Use me.
Bless Josh now with your peace.
Be glorified. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Click here for a free Mary Cassatt picture study for homeschoolers.
Today I took an hour
To rearrange my things
To think about my goals
And to reignite my dreams
I went from shelf to shelf
To gaze upon each book
As if to stop and ask myself
To take a deeper look
To think of who I want to be
The skills I hope to learn
To set imagination free
To love, to grow, to yearn.
I found my favorite basket
Full of other people’s things
I dumped it out, and asked it
To be the keeper of new dreams.
I start fresh from empty
And held it with one hand
Without hesitation we
Set off to make new plans.
I found my favorite books again
And promised to begin
To treat them as my dear friends,
And then I found some pens
I found my father’s Bible
Filled with his notes and lines
I’ll take his thoughts once more to heart
and try to make them mine.
I have a little journal for each and every child
I fill the pages with my prayers
Through times of tears and smiles
I have some colored pencils
Some photos and memories
I’ll add a story book of course
For my little girls to read.
My basket is almost ready
My heart and mind feel full
Now I just need a cup of tea
And a journal for my soul
Today I took an hour
To rearrange my things
I’m ready now to grow and learn
And to reignite my dreams.
~Sarah Janisse Brown
Read about Mom-School here.
Find Mom-School journals here.
I’ve written before about super-creators, but I think it’s important to remember just what a super-creator is, and how to nurture your super-creator child! Two of my kids are super-creators — they’re driven by a powerful internal vision of what they want to make and are laser-focused on bringing that vision to life! They often resist learning anything unless it directly serves their creative goals, and struggle with learning by lecture or lessons directed by another person.
A super-creator doesn’t just want to create — they almost need to create. Their journey is deeply personal and non-negotiable, with anything that interferes with their creative process which is seen as a roadblock or a threat. Some projects take hours, others years, but their focus remains unwavering! It’s this determination that I find so admirable! These children have a vivid mental picture of the end result and seem to work backward, figuring out the steps needed to make that vision real. Often, what they imagine is far beyond their current abilities, but they’re not deterred!
Super-creators are deeply absorbed in their work, and anything they perceive as unrelated to their goal can feel like a distraction. If parents or teachers try to divert their attention, they can become disengaged or resistant. However, when adults come alongside them, supporting the process without taking over, the results can be incredible!
Too often, our culture tries to mold super-creators into obedient, “well-behaved” students, thinking we’re teaching discipline. In doing so, we risk stifling their natural gifts. Super-creators are rare, and if you have one, you’ve been entrusted with something truly special — a rainbow unicorn!
Do you have a super-creator? What challenges have you faced? What wins have you celebrated? And how blessed you are to be raising such talented and driven children!
Written by Ella Bundy from podcast content
When it comes to parenting, you never quite know what challenges you’ll face. For me, one of the biggest surprises came in the form of dyslexia. My oldest daughter, Anna, is the first one that we discovered is dyslexic, and it’s really an amazing story!
My first son, Isaac, was a natural when it came to letters and reading. He was already reading by age five, so I figured I’d use the same approach with Anna. But Anna was different – a free spirit who could never sit still. At four, she showed zero interest in reading, so I decided to step back and let her explore her own interests, like drawing and nature.
By the time Anna turned six, I felt it was time to focus on helping her learn to read – but it quickly became apparent that something wasn’t clicking. Phonics made no sense to her. She would get upset, she would get angry, she would cry. She would get one word correct one day, and then, the next day, she’d forget it. We tried again when she was seven, even bringing in a teacher, but the struggle continued.
As Anna approached eight and still couldn’t read, I started to worry. With five or six children at that point, my in-laws began suggesting that I might be too busy with the younger ones to teach her properly. It was heartbreaking when, at nine years old, Anna told me she didn’t care about learning to read because it was too hard for her to differentiate between letters. She declared she’d just be an artist and a mom instead.
I remember sitting there, stunned by her words. After a moment of reflection, I gently told her, “Anna, God wouldn’t have given us the Bible unless he was going to give us the ability to be able to read it.” It was then that I realized we needed a different approach. Anna was a real problem-solver, so I decided to try and outsmart her reluctance to read by creating something that turned reading into a problem-solving challenge.
Click here to find out what Sarah did next (and access some free resources)!
A unit study is a deep dive into a topic or interest. In the public school system, this might be a deep dive into a specific subject: math, English, history, science, etc. In the realm of Fun-Schooling, though, these unit studies can be far more specific to the interests of your child! They can be based on a favorite animal, a recently read book, a place your child wants to travel or even a historical event that intrigues them!
With Fun-Schooling, you’re also allowed to make unit studies more flexible, and can focus on more than one aspect at a time. For example, you can break one topic down into a study that can teach a little bit about each major subject. Say your topic is fossils. Here are some ways you could break this down:
Study Geology (and every OTHER required subject) with Minecraft! Here’s how!!!!
Rocks & Minerals: https://amzn.to/3zmRb8B
Homeschooling with Minecraft: https://amzn.to/3xYinu7
Seven Subject Science with Minecraft: https://amzn.to/4a7CxFY
Math for Minecrafters: https://amzn.to/3roCjUm
Rock Research Set: https://amzn.to/3kE4Nbv
A messy dining room, a dozen unfinished projects, soggy boots, muddy footprints, a broken telescope, a lost library book, a forgotten passion, a new hobby, and wonder in the eyes of a child.
This is the homeschool life.
Simple moments, like pebbles in quiet pond, the work you do today will ripple through generations.
Yes, what you do today will make a difference for years to come!
Homeschooling isn’t glamorous, and the day to day activities may seem a lot like pushing a rock up a mountain. But through it all I’ve seen how embracing the role of both mom and teacher has unseen power and influence that you wouldn’t believe though it’s right in front of you. And the work you do and example you set will influence your future generations.
Rewind–what’s your story? Who you are today has a lot to do with the path of past generations.
Here’s a glimpse into my story and the beautiful tapestry of learning, passion, and love that has woven itself through my family’s history.
My grandmother was a mother of four and a civil engineer—a woman ahead of her time. She somehow balanced her professional life with the demands of motherhood, and through her, I learned the value of determination and perseverance. She showed me how to think outside the box. When the world said, “You can’t do it all!” my grandma said, “Oh yes you can!” And when I’m facing a struggle I often hear her voice in my ear whispering, “Where there’s a will there’s a way!”
My mother, an artist, educational strategist, Bible scholar and homeschool mom, carried a quiet passion into our home. She made learning an adventure, and always helped us kids find the answers to even the most outlandish of questions. She had a way of filling our days with creativity and the belief that anything was possible, with Jesus. Her art wasn’t just on canvas—it was in the way she taught us to see beauty in the world, and faith in the One who is GOOD, WISE and ALL Powerful!
Because of her faith and example I will never forget that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!”
And now, as a homeschooling mom of my own children, I see how this legacy continues to unfold.
Homeschooling has given me the chance to watch my own children discover their unique passions and explore them in their own time.
Not just growing in skills and knowledge, but in faith and determination!
(Click here to continue reading)
Written by Heather Vaught
Eight-year-old Kassidy faced significant challenges with reading and learning in the public school environment. Thanks to Dyslexia Games, she’s at grade level and bursting with newfound confidence.
“She was eight years old when she came into our family,” says Jill Cain, adoptive mother of former foster child Kassidy. “It was a night and day difference between her and my biological children. She didn’t know letter sounds, but she could read some sight words, which didn’t make sense to me. There were other things too; it was like a jumbled puzzle that didn’t add up.”
Jill homeschools her biological children, but because Kassidy was a foster child at the time, she had to be in public school. The school provided her with a personal aide for an hour each day, but it didn’t help. Jill suspected dyslexia, but the school didn’t agree and passed Kassidy to the next grade, even though she couldn’t read.
The Emotional Toll
“When it came time for school or homework, she was completely shut down. She would cross her arms and not even try,” remembers Jill. “And when she did try, it was tears.”
Jill finally convinced the school to test Kassidy, and a dyslexia diagnosis was confirmed. She also convinced the school to hold her back the next school year to give her more time to learn and catch up with her peers. In the meantime, Jill researched dyslexia resources online.
Making matters worse, Kassidy was bullied at school. “The experience in public school greatly affected her,” laments Jill. “Her self-confidence was so low and it affected our relationships. She was very isolated.”
Fighting for a Fair Chance
In Jill’s online research, she stumbled upon Dyslexia Games by Sarah Janisse Brown. It looked promising, but Jill wondered if it would help Kassidy learn. “I knew she was bright and capable as she excelled in so many other areas,” notes Jill. “But how do I even do this, if the public school can’t do it?”
She decided to shelve her doubts, but the next step was for Jill to get legal permission to homeschool Kassidy. “I went all the way to the top,” she says. It took time, but finally, they were granted permission, and their homeschooling journey began.
Jill initiated some “deschooling” time first to give Kassidy a chance to decompress and build confidence and security. Then, when she felt like Kassidy was ready, she started her on just one page a day in Dyslexia Games.
“It really drained her,” notes Jill. “It was completely exhausting to do one page. There were days she just wanted to bail, and I was unsure whether this was the right way to proceed because we didn’t see any progress.”
Breakthrough! Four Grade Levels in One Year
Persistence paid off. After about three weeks, Jill observed the first signs of improvement. When she pointed out something that needed correction, Kassidy figured it out herself. “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh! This is working!’” Jill exclaims.
That was just the encouragement they both needed to keep going. As they progressed through the program, Kassidy experienced several more breakthrough moments in letter recognition, reading skills, and math skills.
“She had about a six-month jump in math in six weeks, that I just can’t explain except for Dyslexia Games,” Jill adds.
Jill turned the reins over to Kassidy, who began doing several pages a day. By the end of Dyslexia Games, Series B, she was reading at a 4th-grade level, representing a jump of four grade levels in one year.
Kassidy’s confidence soared. “We’re a read-aloud family,” says Jill. “We go around the room and read aloud. Before, she would refuse. Now she will read an entire chapter!”
Click here to keep reading about Kassidy’s story, including some tips from Jill!
Written by Heather Vaught
When traditional schooling failed her son and the pandemic forced shutdowns, Clerissa Kritzinger turned to homeschooling, which ignited a love of learning in her family.
“I was at my wit’s end,” Clerissa Kritzinger recalls. “We had tried everything the traditional system offered, but nothing seemed to work. The tension in our relationship was palpable.”
Clerissa’s journey began with her oldest son’s struggles in school. Despite various therapies and medications for his ADHD diagnosis, his situation didn’t improve.
The Kritzingers moved Anthony to a tutoring center, hoping that a smaller environment with more one-on-one attention would make a difference. Then facing pandemic-related school closures, Clerissa found herself alone with her son’s reading difficulties.
A Turning Point: Discovering Dyslexia
Homeschooling was not common in South Africa, but with the pandemic, it became a widespread reality. Clerissa found herself with no other choice. She quickly discovered that teachers had been sugar-coating Anthony’s progress, and she was upset. She chose a different curriculum, hoping that would make a difference.
It wasn’t until her friend, Alene, suggested her son might be dyslexic that Clerissa found a new direction. After researching and finding Nessy, a free online dyslexia screening tool, she confirmed her son’s condition.
“It was a moment of relief and clarity,” she shares. “Finally understanding the cause of my son’s struggles opened up a world of possibilities.”
Alene also recommended Fun-Schooling journals and Dyslexia Games by Sarah Janisse Brown, author and founder of Thinking Tree Books.
Slow and Steady: The Impact of Dyslexia Games
“You’ve got to be kidding me. How is my kid going to learn to read by doing pictures?” says Clerissa of the moment she first looked through Dyslexia Games. “It did not make sense to me.”
Alene reminded her that her daughter began reading within three months of using Dyslexia Games. “Just trust the process,” she advised.
So Clerissa plowed ahead with assigning her son two pages a day. She was surprised to see him enjoying the games and asking for more pages. His concentration began to improve.
Then, a month and a half in, Anthony started to pick out random words during daily activities like grocery shopping or playing a game. At three months, Clerissa introduced a phonics program and he took off with it.
“It was like night and day,” Clerissa explains. “He’s never been depressed since we started homeschooling and using Dyslexia Games. The meltdowns that used to happen every single day at school just stopped. Now, his favorite place is the library.”
“The Dyslexia Games approach is so different from traditional methods,” Clerissa notes. “It’s like it speaks directly to the dyslexic brain, creating new neural pathways for learning to read.”
Click here to continue with Clerissa’s story.