They were so little. The youngest just a toddler. It was the last day of our homeschool co-op, and I promised the girls that if they were ready early enough, I would take them to the coffee shop beforehand for a special treat. They were so little. Yet they got neatly dressed in record time, the … Continue reading The Stranger in the Coffee Shop
The dryer buzzes loud in the morning silence with another load to be folded. There are piles of already-folded laundry on the living room floor next to bags that have yet to be unpacked from a weekend away. Our school day is starting soon and the girls should have been awake and ready long before … Continue reading You are not enough … and that’s okay.
Week three. I've already threatened to send the kids to school. More than once. September is a hard month. It's not just September. Homeschooling is a hard gig. It is by far the hardest thing I've ever done and will probably be the hardest thing I'll ever do. It's messy. Keeping up with the general tidying, … Continue reading Three Things to Remember When Homeschooling is Hard
The world is golden-washed in early evening sunlight. A gull wheels low, brown and speckled—a juvenile. We make our way down a paved path that winds its way through a profusion of flowers along the Lake Ontario shoreline. Five, huge turkey vultures swoop almost close enough to touch. We spot them later, feasting on fish … Continue reading Find Me Faithful
The mid-summer heat is almost unbearable, yet I hesitate to turn on the air conditioning. Fans hum in unison with cicada songs drifting through open windows. I've just come in from inspecting the gardens, which are in a sad state. Despite my best efforts, most of the vegetables have been dug up by a marauding … Continue reading Each Day Special: Finding the Sacred in the Common
Summer is here! (Well, in three days, if you want to be exact.) If you're like us, you're probably wondering what kinds of things you can do to keep the summer break fun without breaking the bank. I’ve compiled a list of 50 of our family’s very favourite tried, tested and true summer activities. … Continue reading The Ultimate Summer Bucket List: 50 Budget-Friendly Activities
The house is quiet but for the ticking of the simple, blue-rimmed clock on the wall. Blue because that's my favourite colour. I love everything about this place, from the beautiful wood bookshelf that once haphazardly adorned the front curb of a rundown shop in the roughest area of town—the shop owner assured us it … Continue reading Some thoughts on the day before my birthday…
At the very end of elementary school, I discovered I could run. It shocked everyone, myself most of all. You see, I was painfully awkward. I was always the last to be picked when we divided into teams in gym class. I liked playing sports about as much as I like eating fried liver. Which is … Continue reading The Day I Ran and What I Learned (The Secret to Winning at Motherhood and Life)
I can hardly believe it. We're finishing up our third year. Three years of this crazy experiment that was only supposed to last for one. Three years of doing the most amazing—the most challenging—thing I have ever done in my life. Three years of homeschooling. Officially, anyway. Some days crawl by. And yet the weeks … Continue reading Reflections on Three Years of Homeschooling and Togetherness
When we left, the morning quiet enfolded the city like a mantle despite the lateness of the hour. After stopping briefly to watch a ship make its way through Burlington Canal. we drove until we were out of the city, then through another, and then another. When we were finally free of the lingering smog, … Continue reading This Week in the Woods: Weekend Adventures in the Near North
The Grace-Filled Life 