We started school Monday. Because I attend a conference in September, I like to get a few extra days under our belt. I also love the added flexibility the head start gives us. The morning went great! I am talking homeschool hall of fame awesome. We have this down! Bring me your questions because I have it all together. Then …
Called? or Career?
I’m chuckling. Really. Right now I’m listening to a lecture from A History of Freedom from the Teaching Company. I’d been thinking about what to write about. Since I’ve turned in my last-for-now contracted book, I’m back to wondering what God has for me next. Writing? Is it a calling? Is it a career? Then the professor, Rufus Fears, starts …
Ready for School?
As a homeschool mom, I never truly stop educating my kids. In fact I told their art tutor last week that I tend to look for something to learn in everything. Poor kiddos! Even so, it just hit me! August 1st is almost upon us. Like soon. FIVE DAYS! Do you hear my panic? I’ve got my basic plan, but …
Who’s Your Family?
Family. We all have them. And they are all so different. I have been blessed with an amazing family. This is my dad with me and my siblings on his back…a long time ago LOL. My parents just left yesterday after coming out for almost a week to free me to work on edits for two August 1st deadlines. They …
Teaching Your Kids to Read
Does the thought of teaching your child to read seem daunting? It does to me, too, and I’ve got two kids who are fluent, voracious readers. But now that my toddler wants to read, I’m back to evaluating the best way to teach her. The book on the left is the tool I used with my first two. They knew …
The Moral Premise
Right now I’m reading a book called the Moral Premise. The author Stanley D. Williams will teach the Early Bird at ACFW in September, and like any good hyper student, I wanted to get a head start on preparing. The Moral Premise reveals the foundational concept at the heart of all storytelling and successful box office movies. In concrete terms …
Friday Recipes: Fruit Cobbler
As I’m typing this, I have a blueberry cobbler in the oven. Made with fresh blueberries that we picked this morning at a local blueberry farm. Can you say YUMMMMMY? The fresh fruit is one of my favorite parts of summertime. Better yet is when we get to go pick it ourselves. Maybe there’s an incredibly teensey weensey bit of …
Quirks: We All Need Them
We all have quirks. One of mine is that I love traditions. So every July 4th week, I know I’ll be dragging my kids to a blueberry farm at least once so we fill our fridge and hopefully our freezer with fresh blueberries. This year we went twice in three days — so far. But my breakfast of choice is …
It’s Almost Here: ACFW Conference
This week I’ve started one of my favorite times of the year, running first time orientation for the ACFW conference. A few years ago we realized that approximately a third of our attendees any given year were first timers. I’ll never forget my first time at conference in 2005. I went with a fellow writer from Indiana — a gal …
Review: False Witness by Randy Singer
I loved False Witness the first time it came out. So when I learned about the re-issue, I was curious to see if I’d notice any changes or if anything major would change. Instead, even though I’d read the book before, I found myself pulled into the plot as if I read it for the first time. Randy Singer is …