Everyday Homeschooler

12/05/2024

Ever so thankful to be Mama to this crew 💕

26/04/2024

On our way to NYC I felt like a “real” homeschooler (even though I’ve been at it for over a decade). We packed pb&j sandwiches in a cooler, drove our oversized van, and stopped along the way for an educational sites/field trips. (If only I had been wearing my jean skirt!)

In all seriousness, the Flight 93 National Memorial in PA took my breath away. The outdoor exhibits were haunting and beautiful. The indoor museum walk through the events of 9/11 and really help you connect with the passengers on that flight.

We only stayed an hour, but easily could have made an afternoon of it. It was an emotional stop for sure, but one I’m so glad we took.

24/04/2024

All dressed up and ready for a dear friend’s wedding! (This was the main event and real reason for our NYC trip!)

I’m so thankful that our friends insisted our entire family attend the wedding! Dressing all the kids in formal wear and walking them through this day long event was A LOT of work, but oh so worth it!

It’s often tempting to leave the kids at home or on the sidelines, rather than keeping them beside us during certain activities (a decision I often wrestle with as a mom to many, let alone as a special needs mama).

But if we had left the kids at home, we would have missed out on oh so many questions and conversations about marriage/weddings/relationships. They wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be brave enough to try dozens of amazing Indian dishes at the reception. I wouldn’t have been able to witness my teens make effortless smalltalk with adults they had just met (a skill I didn’t know they had!) or watch my littles completely let loose on the dance floor. If we had left them at home, we would have missed out on so many memories made and joint experiences together.

So take your kids along whenever there’s opportunity - it may not be easy, but it will be worth it. I have found that it always ends up blessing me, blessing them, and even others we encounter along the way!

23/04/2024

If you had 6 hours to spend in NYC with 5 kiddos in tow, what would you do?

I lost a lot of sleep trying to figure this out… but in the end Justin and I just decided to wing it, and drove the mega van into the city.

Parking a large vehicle downtown is nearly impossible, so we settled on just driving through Manhattan and Brooklyn, pointing to the sites out the van windows:
-Hudson River
-George Washington Bridge
-Statue of Liberty
-One World Trade Center
-Battery Tunnel (I nearly had a panic attack driving through it)
-Brooklyn Bridge
-Empire State Building
-the New York Times building
-Ghostbuster House (yes, we turned on our flashers and let Noah jump out of the van for a quick photo!)
-gosh the sites are endless…

Amazingly, we finally scored a parking spot between Central Park and the Natural History Museum. (This was definitely the highlight of our day). The kids loved exploring the park and eating hot dogs from a Nathan’s cart. Ezra especially loved the dinosaurs on display in the entry of the museum (sadly we didn’t have time to do the entire museum).

Not going to lie, everything in NYC is expensive and driving through the city was very stressful (but Justin was a rock star and caught onto it - by the end he was driving like a seasoned taxi driver honking his horn and all!).

Food was probably my favorite part - bagels, hot dogs, and diners galore!

Our day in the Big Apple was quite the experience - and I would honestly do it again!

22/04/2024

New York City! What an experience and amazing whirlwind of a trip! (More photos coming soon…)

03/04/2024

Preschool through High School - a twelve year age gap between my oldest and youngest.

Watching their relationships grow and change, the way they love and care for one another (and yes often tease and annoy each another) - my Mama heart is full.

(Can’t stop looking at these brother/sister photos I snagged on Easter.)

02/04/2024

Such a lovely Easter Sunday, celebrating our Risen Savior!

15/03/2024

Rainy day reading and “cubby” building

28/02/2024

It’s our birthday! I’m ever so thankful for my little birthday buddy!

Being your Mama these past 6 years has been such a blessing! You have shown me so much of what the unconditional love of Jesus really looks like and his willingness to meet us right where we are.

Happy Birthday my sweet boy!

📷 credits: Leah Rolston

01/01/2024

Happy New Year! Excited for 2024!

14/11/2023

Loving these play-school days!

03/11/2023

We’re off to see the wizard! Trick or Treat was magical this year.

We combined the books/both movies: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Oz Great and Powerful.

Justin - Tin-man
Sarah - Scarecrow
Noah - Oz
Leah - Glinda
Mariah - Dorothy
Ezra - Lion
Ava - Wicked Witch of the West

25/10/2023

This week’s video features our current favorite AUTISM PRODUCTS and RESOURCES https://youtu.be/Wk5PRti7Yjc

08/10/2023

Missing our sweet Gloria Rose today.

Each of our kids have a special hymn. Usually it’s one I sang often during my pregnancy. If “our song” comes on or is sang in church, they always look at me with a big smile and I give them a quick wink - it’s a sweet bond we share.

Gloria my girl, I cannot wait to sing this with you in heaven as we worship our Savior together!

“Abide with me, fast falls the eventide
The darkness deepens Lord, with me abide
When other helpers fail and comforts flee
Help of the helpless, abide with me…
…Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies
Heaven's morning breaks and earth's vain shadows flee
In life, in death Lord, abide with me.”

29/09/2023

Back to school photos! 🍎✏️❤️ My first year homeschooling all five of them, preschool through high school.

Ava - preschool
Ezra - pre/k - kindergarten
Mariah - 4th
Leah - 9th
Noah - 10th

After a crazy August and an A-Mazing vacation, we officially started back to homeschool in mid-September (so thankful for the flexibility of year round schooling!)

25/09/2023

Teens and toddlers.

I told Justin recently how thankful I am to have a large age span in kiddos. Yes, it can be hard sometimes.

Caring for little ones is physically exhausting - they’re up at the crack of dawn and raring to go until they hit the pillow at night. And the teen years can be mentally exhausting - late night conversations, navigating difficult topics and emotions.

Teens + Toddlers = One Tired Mama

But there is also SO MUCH JOY! Especially watching them as they interact with one another. A tiny toddler hand reaching up to hold a big sibling’s in the parking lot, a teen sprawled out on the floor reading board books at bedtime, a little one glued to the window waiting for their big brother to come home from work… 😭

Watching their sibling relationships grow brings so much joy!

{Leah has been teaching Ezra how to play “peaches” on the piano… and it has been on repeat, all day, every day (reel of him playing coming soon).}

26/07/2022

Spend a summer morning with us AND check out Happy Cheetah!

In this week's summer vlog you'll get peak inside a DITL Homeschool Summer School. Swimming, reading, and keeping toddlers busy -our morning routine is full,...

05/07/2022

In this week’s summer vlog I work on clearing out old curriculum and also share a 2nd grade curriculum wrap up!

In this week's continued summer vlog I am finishing an end of homeschool year clean out! I'm cleaning out my homeschool curriculum cabinets, getting rid of ...

29/06/2022

Follow along as I talk through our 7-8th grade curriculum -What worked? What didn’t?

In this week's summer vlog I am tackling an end of homeschool year clean out! I'm cleaning out my homeschool curriculum cabinets, getting rid of the old, ma...

17/06/2022

2022-23 PRE-K Curriculum Choices are now up on the channel!

Today I'm sharing my Pre-K CURRICULUM CHOICES for the 2022-2023 Homeschool Year. My favorites for homeschooling preschool - activities, workbooks, and more....

25/05/2022

High School here we come! Finally read it to share my 9th GRADE CURRICULUM CHOICES for 2022-2023

Today I'm sharing our 9th GRADE CURRICULUM CHOICES for the 2022-2023 Homeschool Year! I cannot believe that we will be homeschooling High School next year! A...

28/04/2022

Because you requested it… This week’s video is an ANALYTICAL GRAMMAR REVIEW & FLIP THROUGH

Today I will share a full review and flip through of Analytical Grammar. I will talk about how we have used this homeschool curriculum for the past semester,...

08/04/2022

Finally setting up our Homeschool Coffee Bar 🎉☕️💕

It's finally time! Today we are setting up a COFFEE BAR in our homeschool room. This homeschool coffee station has been a long time coming, for a coffee love...

25/03/2022

Plan & Prep for a new Gather ‘Round Unit with me - INVENTIONS & IDEAS

Plan & Prep for a new unit in Gather ‘Round Homeschool with me! We are getting ready to begin Gather ‘Round’s INVENTIONS & IDEAS Unit. Follow along as I prin...

22/03/2022

"”Daddy goes out to work every day, but all Mommy does is play and rest."

Excuse me, what?!”

I sat at the table drizzling maple syrup on my pancakes (our Sunday morning tradition), when I overheard this from one child to another: "Daddy goes out to work every day, but all Mommy does is play and rest." Excuse...

09/03/2022

Just posted our 2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL! Full of Bloopers, Memories, & More 💗 Thank you so much to all of our subscribers!

WELCOME TO EVERYDAY HOMESCHOOLER's 2 Year Anniversary Special! 2 years, 110 videos, 5K+ subscribers and countless cups of coffee... Follow along as we celebr...

18/02/2022

The School Space Series continues…

This week we be tackling SMALL PROJECTS in the school room. Follow along as I continue setting up our homeschool room. I will hang curtains, replace hardware...

28/01/2022

When you’re a teenager & it’s fun to make mom SCREAM during a spelling lesson

20/01/2022

This week we’ll unpack and organize all of my kids’ picture books and chapter books (or at least the ones we keep in the basement 🤪📚)

This week we will tackle KIDS BOOKS! Follow along as I share how we organize kids books in our basement homeschool room. This is video 3 in our School Space ...