Homeschooling 
Independent learning is a quality we work hard to foster in our kids. Why? Well, there's a number of reasons. But for a mom of... ...a brand new high schooler, ...an inquisitive 5th grader, ..a baby who needs lots of mama's attention, ...and twins... two (count them, 2) little 7-year-olds who are still working on learning to read proficiently... ...fostering independent learning isn't just something nice: it's a must in our house! There's only so many things we mamas can do at one time. AmIright? But not only does raising independent learners help us as homeschool parents juggle all of the demands of homeschooling ...Read More
Foods Copycat Keto Chocolate Frosty
Creamy. Cold. Chocolatey. And delicious. My kids can eat chocolate frosty any day of the week any time of year—they love them spring, summer, fall, and winter. And what about me? Yeah, even me (who's not a chocolate lover) loves a chocolate Wendy's Frosty®! I should back up...my tastebuds love Chocolate Frosty, but the rest of my body goes a little haywire with all that sugar! What's in a Chocolate Frosty? You're probably over there saying, "Everything in moderation." Right? But if you just grab a small chocolate Frosty, it packs in a whopping 47 grams of sugar. Yikes! That's more carbs than I want in my diet in a ...Read More
47 Amazing Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes
When going to parties and other social events as a gluten-free family — everyone is always worried about the kids (and I appreciate that!). When there's cookies, and bars, and treats galore, that my kids just can't eat, they don't want them to feel out of place. I have quite a stash of gluten-free cookie recipes, so I never hesitate to offer to bring a big plate of gluten-free cookies! Not only do my kiddos love these gluten-free cookie recipes, the gluten-eaters enjoy them too. I've included 47 gluten-free cookie recipes for your baking enjoyment below. They're divided into the following categories so you can ...Read More
Navigating Homeschool Biology: Success is Easier Than You Think
One of the greatest misconceptions about homeschooling is: it's too difficult to give kids a quality education in the high school years. Whenever I hear that, without fail, parent's cite science and math as the two biggest problem areas. As soon as they hit high school Biology, parent's often throw their hands up in disgust. Some parents take the route of hastily enrolling their teen in school, because they just know they couldn't possibly do high school Biology justice at home. Other parents, determine to plod on. They grab a high school Biology textbook. Their teen, bored to tears, lumbers through the book. And mom ...Read More
Gluten Free Dining Guide: safe and yummy food when you’re out
Our family takes a fair number of road trips. But being a gluten-free family (some of us out of necessity), can make eating on the go a little bit trickier—especially when in unfamiliar territory. Sometimes I just wish I had a gluten free dining guide in my back pocket for every little town we went through! For more information on gluten free living check out our Everything Gluten Free resource page. 6 Tips for Gluten Free Dining Eating out can be a challenge when you are living a gluten-free lifestyle. But it's not impossible! While I can't give you a gluten free dining guide for every little town you drive ...Read More
The Homeschoolers Guide: Saving Money on Science Supplies
When my oldest son was 8, we invited some friends over to our home to dissect a fetal pig. While there were a few "gross!" comments, by and large, the kids were very attentive and interested. Since my background's in biology, I was able to point out all the various internal parts of the pig and what each part did. It was a very fun, interactive afternoon of learning. Sadly, a lot of homeschool parents don't see the value of this this kind of hands-on learning—or at least they don't think it's worth the cost of the supplies. But the value of tactile learning—also called kinesthetic learning—cannot be ...Read More
Gluten-Free for Beginners
Our oldest son used to be a gluten addict. One Christmas, the present he wanted under the tree more than anything was boxed macaroni & cheese. No joke. (And his grandpa actually wrapped some up for him.) But after a lot of research, when we finally decided to take the "gluten-free plunge" as a family, we made a lot of mistakes as beginners—gluten seems to "sneak in" to a lot of things. Store-bought chicken broth. Soy sauce. Salad dressings. And even the scrambled eggs at IHOP. For more gluten-free recipes, tips, and tricks, look no further than our Everything Gluten Free page! But we began to see health ...Read More
Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Scones (paleo & sugar-free option)
Nothing says "tea time" like a good scone—well, except for maybe tea. I typically enjoy scones, but finding a good gluten-free recipe that does justice to this traditional Scottish baked good is hard to come by. Bonus: this one has chocolate chips. For more information on gluten free living check out our Everything Gluten Free resource page. Funny thing about scones... First, no one really knows where we get the word "scone" from. Some think it's derived from a Dutch word schoonbroot which means "beautiful bread" or "fine bread," or maybe the Middle Low German word schö̂ne, meaning "fine flour bread." Or ...Read More
