Mandi Ehman's Blog, page 17
October 12, 2015
Chocolate-dipped pretzel rods, photo block ornaments + more {101 Days of Christmas}
Each week I’m sharing seven of my very favorite 101 Days of Christmas projects from the archives.
Soon I’m going to print out my Christmas planner and start making plans for the holidays. Although I don’t use every page in the planner, the gift ideas and gift list pages are a huge help to me as grandparents and aunts begin asking for ideas for gifts for the kids and as we begin preparing our budget and shopping for gifts for our close family.
I know October is early to be thinking about Christmas plans for many people, but I find that the extra planning now gives us space to sit back and enjoy the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas, when we make time for family traditions like our church’s live nativity, ringing the Salvation Army belly, making ornaments with friends and more!
{28} Chocolate-Dipped Pretzel Rods
These chocolate-dipped pretzel rods are easy to make but so very pretty when lined up on a plate or in a cookie tin or jar. Be sure to use good quality chocolate rather than almond bark, as the sweet and salty flavor combination makes these the perfect treat
{29} Cranberry-Pistachio Biscotti
Homemade biscotti has been one of our favorite discoveries of the Christmas series, and here’s another flavor combination that’s absolutely delicious. Plus, the dried cranberries and green pistachios make it extra festive!
{30} DIY Glittery Pinecones
Sometimes the simplest projects are the best, and these glittery pinecones are a fun and easy way to add some sparkle to your holiday decor.
{31} Austrian Kipferl
These cookies were some of my very favorites last year with their soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture and their subtle almond flavor.
{32}
Handmade painted glass ornaments are fun for children and adults!
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{33} Popcorn Garland
Popcorn garland is a classic activity from Christmases past, and my girls enjoyed the challenge of creating strands long enough to wrap around some of the trees in our yard.
{34}
These adorable “vintage” photo block ornaments are a wonderful keepsake for your own tree or as a gift. Just grab some scrapbook paper, a favorite photo or two, and a few other supplies, and you’ll be well on your way!
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Just 74 days until Christmas!
Related posts:
The best of 101 Days of Christmas: FREE 2015 Christmas planner + more
Handprint calendars, biscotti + more {101 Days of Christmas}
Chocolate-covered espresso beans, printable bows + more {101 Days of Christmas}
Hanging pinecones, French madeleines + more {101 Days of Christmas}
October 10, 2015
Weekend reading: October 10, 2015
From Instagram: My people.
Yesterday Sean had to delay an outdoor painting job because of the rain, so we all played hooky and headed to Blackwater Falls, one of our very favorite fall destinations! Unfortunately, we missed the peak foliage down at the falls (although we did drive through some spectacular areas!), but it was still a really fun trip, made even better by Jackson’s excitement for the whole thing—the waterfalls themselves, racing up and down the steps, finding sticks and climbing on rocks just like his big sisters—and the best pizza we’ve ever had at a tiny hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant in Davis, WV.
Although we don’t usually worry about making up homeschool days when we do something like that, I’m keenly aware that we’ll have a brand new baby within 2-3 weeks, so I’m reserving my homeschool-lite days for after Lucas arrives. That means today will be a regular work and school day for us even though it’s Saturday (which some of my kids are more agreeable about than others!).
What I’m reading: After You by JoJo Moyes and The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got that Way by Bill Bryson
What I’m thinking about:
{Follow my personal Facebook feed for the things I’m thinking about and talking about all week!}
It’s really about living intentionally
What Minimalism Looks Like For Our Family | Smallish
Tiny wins for a simpler life | The Art of Simple
The Appeal of Generosity | Becoming Minimalist
The truth about creativity
SUSDAT | Seth’s Blog
Debunking the Eureka Moment: Why Creativity Is a Process, Not an Event | James Clear
Pumpkin & apple treats for fall
Pumpkin Steamers | Favorite Family Recipes
Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Muffins | Food for My Family
Dutch Apple Pie | Andrea Dekker
Have a great weekend!
Related posts:
Weekend reading: October 25, 2014
Weekend reading: December 20, 2014
Weekend reading: May 30, 2015
Weekend reading: September 26, 2015
October 8, 2015
The 2016 printable calendars are finally here!
I meant to have these ready to go much sooner for you, but it’s just one of those things that kept getting pushed down my to-do list. As of today, though, the 2016 printable calendars have all been added to our free printables collection!
Click the links below to download or print each printable:
2016 full-page calendar
2016 one-page calendar
2016 half-sheet calendar
2015-2016 full-page academic calendar
2015-2016 one-page academic calendar
2015-2016 half-sheet academic calendar
P.S. Don’t forget to grab your 2015 planners for Thanksgiving and Christmas as well.
Enjoy!
Related posts:
We’re giving away a printable pack every day this month! {Pin It to Win It}
Reminder: Daylight Savings Ends on Sunday + Other Seasonal Reminders
Why this year’s Ultimate Homemaking Bundle is the best yet! {And how you can win a Kindle Fire HDX!}
It’s all sacred…even scrubbing the toilet
October 7, 2015
Are you attending this year’s online Mom Conference?
Are you going to The Mom Conference?
The Mom Conference is next week, from Tuesday, October 13 through Thursday, October 15, and it’s 100% FREE to attend online!
Amy McCready is one of my favorite parenting “experts” with her no-nonsense style and über-practical advice, and she’s just one of 20 amazing authors/speakers who will be participating.
No mom is perfect, but the beauty of the internet is we can all learn from each other! The Mom Summit will inspire and encourage moms around the world with new ideas to simplify life and leave more time for the joys of motherhood. {And I don’t know about you, but I could certainly use more of that!}
During this 100% FREE online summit you’ll be inspired to…
Help your children to embrace healthy foods while teaching them to cook
Get your kids to listen without yelling, nagging, or reminding (this will change your life)
Get in shape and eat the right foods to feel and look better (you’ll learn you can actually eat more than you’re eating right now and lose fat and inches!)
Simple ways to teach your children—babies through teens—the values and character traits that will help them be successful and happy
Organize any space and keep it that way (what?!)
Get in shape and come away with an even better body than you had before babies
Actually accomplish the things you need to accomplish while prioritizing motherhood
Understand what’s going on in your child’s brain (it’s amazing how much better we can parent when we understand what’s going on in those little heads!)
Find more joy in motherhood
Get these awesome freebies when you register:
Clutter Busting Kit
Simple Tips for Teaching Values Video
75 Easy, Healthy Snacks eBook
{I am an affiliate of The Mom Summit, but I’ll be watching and learning along with you!}
Related posts:
The power of a hug
On toddlers and the terrific twos
We’re planning an 11-month RV trip…for real! #EhmanAdventure2018
Breaking the silence for pregnancy & infant loss awareness month
October 5, 2015
Hanging pinecones, French madeleines + more {101 Days of Christmas}
Each week I’m sharing seven of my very favorite 101 Days of Christmas projects from the archives.
When I think back to my childhood Christmases, I can picture unpacking Christmas ornaments by the warm glow of the Christmas lights and the taste of certain treats that we made every year. All of my Christmases blend together until I’m really not sure what exactly happened when, but those are the best kinds of memories, aren’t they? The ones born out of love and tradition and simplicity rather than stress and hurry.
My hope for my own kids is that they’ll remember Christmas as a magical time for our family each year even if they don’t remember specific events. And maybe in the process they’ll forget the years when things were more stressful and not quite as picture-perfect and hold on to the overall feeling of all of them bundled together!
{21} Hanging Pinecones
My mom made these hanging pinecones for her front door several years ago, and they remain one of my all-time favorite projects…and proof that sometimes simple really is best!
{22} Printable Cone Angels
My girls ended up making dozens of these cone angels last year to decorate our home. They’re simple and easy to make, and you could even add various embellishments (glitter, sequins and pompoms!) to dress them up more.
Click here for the printable and instructions.
{23} Paula Deen’s Caramel Corn
This is one of those recipes that I’m hesitant to share with you because you might hate me for it later. This caramel corn is so good, so plan on making it and getting rid of it as quickly as possible if you don’t want to end up eating it all yourself!
{24} French Madeleines
Madeleines—or French tea cakes—are intimidating to make, but they’re well worth the effort and the special pan because they’re a delicious and light treat for your cookie tins or Christmas brunch.
{25} Fingerprint Heart Canvas
I almost wish we’d made one of these canvases for our own home instead of giving them all away as gifts because they’re such a sweet gift. And what kid doesn’t love a chance to play in some paint?
{26}
These ornaments are a classic and one we make every few years (I think it’s about time to do it again!). With a delicious and cozy cinnamon scent and simple cookie cutter shapes, these are great for adding to your own tree or giving as gifts.
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{27} Mix-and-Match Basic Truffles Recipe
Rather than searching for individual truffle recipes, start with this basic recipe and customize it to your heart’s desire!
Click here for the recipe and flavor ideas.
Enjoy!
Related posts:
The best of 101 Days of Christmas: FREE 2015 Christmas planner + more
Handprint calendars, biscotti + more {101 Days of Christmas}
Chocolate-covered espresso beans, printable bows + more {101 Days of Christmas}
Crocheted snowflakes {101 Days of Christmas}
October 3, 2015
Weekend reading: October 3, 2015
From Instagram: And again I say…I love this age SO MUCH!
We spent the latter half of this week obsessively checking weather forecasts after a Wednesday forecast calling for 5-8″ of rain in our area! Thankfully, that number dropped steadily as the hours and days ticked by, and I think when all is said and done, we’ll be somewhere between 2-4″ of new rain on top of the rain we’d already received earlier in the week. We drove past quite a few fallen branches and trees yesterday, so I’m not entirely sure what to expect when we venture out again tomorrow for church, but we’re all thankful that Hurricane Joaquin’s track is no longer poised over our area.
This weekend we’re celebrating our third fall baby as our oldest daughter turns 11 (how did that happen?!), and hoping to sneak in some time to celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary as well. And on Monday the kids and I will be heading to Maryland to bake and deliver cookies to the Gaithersburg Police Department as part of the Cookies for a Cop campaign. I’m miserably pregnant at this point (a privilege I don’t take lightly…but I am growing increasingly whiny anyway), and it will be good to take my mind off myself and do something for someone else!
What I’m reading: The Memory Painter: A Novel by Gwendolyn Womack (currently on sale for $1.99!), ADHD Without Drugs by Sanford Newmark, MD, Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler’s Guide to Unshakeable Peace by Sarah Mackenzie
What I’m thinking about:
{Follow my personal Facebook feed for the things I’m thinking about and talking about all week!}
On just being you
On vulnerability, perfection, and helping the person behind you | The Frugal Girl
The Storm Before the Calm is a Good Place to Start | Momastery
This Ain’t a Science, So Quit Making Rules | Grace Table
When motherhood is HARD
On how my children can suck the life right out of me…if I let them | Steady Mom
When nothing is working in your homeschool | Simple Homeschool
How My Obsession with Clean Kitchen Closure Was Ruining My Evenings | Lisa-Jo Baker
Because we could use some happy
TODAY Anchors Inhale Sulfur Hexafluoride | Today Show (this makes me laugh every time!)
Dad surprises stepdad at daughter’s wedding | Today Show
Prison vs. Harvard in an Unlikely Debate | The Wall Street Journal
Have a great weekend!
P.S. Let’s make sure the world is talking about this Chris, not the one who cowardly shot and killed so many people on Thursday.
Related posts:
Weekend reading: November 22, 2014
Weekend reading: April 25, 2015
Weekend reading: May 23, 2015
Weekend reading: July 11, 2015
October 2, 2015
Breaking the silence for pregnancy & infant loss awareness month
These days, it seems like October is everything awareness month, and I think that’s more obvious on a social media site like Facebook, where everyone is sharing their favorite causes—whether it’s breast cancer, spina bifida, down syndrome or another equally worthy topic.
In addition to those above, it’s also the National Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month. This month was set aside in 1988 by President Reagan to remember parents who have lost babies in pregnancy or as young infants. At that time, he made this statement:
“When a child loses his parent, they are called an orphan.
When a spouse loses her or his partner, they are called a widow or widower.
When parents lose their child, there isn’t a word to describe them.”
Although I’m not really a bandwagon jumper, as someone who has had four miscarriages and refuses to be silent about them, I am thankful that there is a month when women share their stories of pregnancy loss. Despite how very common miscarriages are, I didn’t know anything about them when I lost my first baby, and the most helpful thing anyone said to me was, “I’m sorry; this sucks. I’ve had a miscarriage too” because I no longer felt alone.
I started blogging about miscarriage in October of 2012, and I wanted to share those posts again as encouragement for anyone who feels alone or has no one to talk to about their feelings. These posts are from my perspective and experiences, but I hope they encourage us all to keep talking about it and sharing our stories:
Why we don’t talk about miscarriage {and why I AM}
If we’re really honest, sharing your pregnancy at all during the first trimester is a bit taboo itself (and it seems as if the number of people who wait to share their pregnancies has grown even in the past 12 years since my first pregnancy).
I think that taboo has grown because it’s all a little bit embarrassing: What is wrong with me that my body can’t carry a baby the way it’s supposed to? How will people deal with my grief if I lose this baby when to them the baby is nothing more than a “potential human”? (Even Sean, who very much believes life begins at conception, has trouble attaching to our babies before they really begin to kick and roll and show their personalities.)
And because, let’s face it, a miscarriage is a lot like a period, except your heart and your tiny baby are bleeding out as well.
On pregnancy and miscarriage, grief and joy
Honestly, with four miscarriages, I’ve experienced pretty much every emotion under the sun:
With my first pregnancy, I was the first of our friends to get pregnant, and I was shocked when I miscarried. But I also understood the phrase “the peace that surpasses understanding” for the first time as I walked that road.
My third pregnancy was labeled an “inevitable miscarriage” because my cervix was open for two weeks, but I just knew in my heart that I was not miscarrying that time, and today that baby is our beautiful 6-year-old daughter.
My fourth pregnancy also ended in miscarriage, and the thing I remember most is the exact moment I realized I was miscarrying—shocked that it was happening again.
On pregnancy after miscarriage, hope in spite of fear
After I miscarried in October, I found myself locked in a tug-of-war with myself: We have four beautiful daughters. Our youngest is (finally!) out of diapers and sleeping through the night. Life is good. Do we really want to try for another baby?
But each month I would feel that familiar longing, and try we would. And each month I would feel a little heartbroken over the negative test that followed.
It got a little harder to see other people’s pregnancy and birth announcements (as much as I didn’t want it too!), and even though four months isn’t long at all in the grand scheme of things, it was long for us, and it was nervewracking.
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If you’re grieving the loss of a baby, please know that there’s no right or wrong way to grieve or remember that baby. And know that you’re not alone.
Related posts:
Why we don’t talk about miscarriage {and why I AM}
Question of the Day: What’s your best morning sickness remedy?
Two kids is easy…and two kids is hard!
We’re planning an 11-month RV trip…for real! #EhmanAdventure2018
CommentsThank you for sharing these. We lost our son unexpectedly this ... by Lisa
September 30, 2015
Homeschool language arts options {and what we’re doing…for now}
Language arts is one of my very favorite subjects, both as a student myself and as a homeschooler. For that reason, I’ve spent a lot of time considering different curriculum and “perfecting” our approach. (And by perfecting, I mean what we’re doing is working so far for our two oldest…who knows what will happen as the rest of our kids hit middle elementary and beyond!)
First, a little bit about how I learned language arts (which for this post includes reading, spelling, literature, grammar and writing). I attended a Montessori school for 13 years (from 2.5 years old until 8th grade), and I can still vividly remember learning the parts of speech and their symbols—a big red circle over verbs, a big black equalateral triangle over nouns, etc. I can also see the wooden pieces we used for diagramming sentences, although I never really learned to diagram on paper. I learned to read phonetically, but I don’t remember much emphasis on spelling, literature or even writing in school.
In high school and college, I loved writing research papers (but have never really called myself a writer or done it for “fun”), and I’ve always had a pretty good grasp of grammar, even when I didn’t know all of the rules.
NOTE: Understanding proper grammar and choosing to overuse parentheses, ellipses and exclamation points on your blog and social media posts are two very different things—ha!
When our oldest daughter was a baby, I began working as a general and financial transcriptionist, and I started to learn more about the actual rules of grammar as I worked to properly punctuate the spoken words I was transcribing. I gained a better understanding of the actual rules for semicolons and commas, and—funny enough—I actually fell more in love with the grammar part of the English language.
Which brings me to homeschooling: my goal has always been to give my kids the tools they need to communicate effectively and intelligently through the written word without making the lessons themselves so dry and boring that they simply hated it. There are still plenty of times that my kids groan over language arts assignments, but for the most part the older ones have become enthusiastic readers and writers, which is my ultimate goal.
Based on all of the curriculum we’ve tried and reviewed over the years, my gut feeling is that there are a lot of really, really good options out there, with no one best option other than the one that is best for your family. In a world with unlimited time, I’d probably do them all just because they each bring different strengths to the table. But in the actual world, here are the ones we’ve tried and where we’ve ended up:
Sonlight
Although our sources have expanded over the years, I can’t write a post about language arts—and literature especially—without mentioning Sonlight. While the curriculum as a whole does not work for our family, I am so very thankful for their book lists, and I’d say that a majority of our books have come from these lists until just recently, when I started choosing more based on personal recommendations and our girls’ interests.
Explode the Code
I’ve tried several different methods for teaching my girls to read, but at the end of the day, the Explode the Code series of workbooks is the one I fall back on! For us, it just works—my girls enjoy these workbooks and can work on them fairly independently once they learn to blend sounds, and they walk through various phonics rules very systematically.
We typically add the early BOB Books readers (I’m not really a fan of the more advanced sets) and a few Sonlight readers as well.
Peace Hill Press
I absolutely adore the First Language Lessons series from Peace Hill Press. It’s a really sweet, simple program that I think lays the foundation for all of the language arts subtopics.
We work through the first two books in this series in conjunction with our CC memory work, but we take our time and don’t go much further since I know the rest will be covered in Essentials. I appreciate that this program includes not just definitions of various parts of speech but practice using them properly, memorization of poems, and some light dictation, copywork and retelling of stories. It’s also very manageable and takes just a few minutes each day.
We’ve also tried the Writing with Ease program, but we found it to be a bit redundant and overwhelming when my girls were little. Instead, we’ve waited until 3rd grade to start formal writing assignments with all of them, easing into it with our Story of the World summaries in 3rd grade and then jumping into Essentials with both feet in 4th grade.
Classical Conversations (memory work, Essentials, IEW)
Our family first joined Classical Conversations five years ago, as much for the community as the curriculum. At the Foundations level, language arts is limited to the memorization of English grammar rules and patterns, and while I consider that a valuable exercise, it’s never been enough for us, so we’ve always layered additional resources on top.
However, the Essentials program is really a standalone program. (In fact, while I’ve included Spelling Plus separately below, these spelling words are actually included in the Essentials program) I really, really love everything about this curriculum, and I’m enjoying my second year as an Essentials tutor and seeing how my oldest’s skills have progressed this year compared to her first time through.
Spelling Plus
Like writing, we’ve always taken a better-late-than-early approach to spelling, and that means that last year my 3rd and 4th graders started using Spelling Plus. I’ve plugged all the lists into Spelling City, and each week they work through one list, doing exercises and games to help them learn the words. Our girls—so far—seem to be fairly natural spellers, so that is enough for them to progress fairly quickly through it, and I haven’t looked into any additional spelling programs
(As a side note, we’re not currently doing any grammar editing work, but I think when our oldest finishes her Spelling Plus lists, we’ll look into the Editor in Chief program from The Critical Thinking Co. as well as the Fix It! Grammar books from IEW to decide how we want to proceed with editing practice.)
Logic of English
If we were not doing the Classical Conversations Essentials program, the Logic of English Essentials program would be my top choice. This program and the philosophy and research behind it are fantastic. Working through these lessons helped our oldest daughter overcome some struggles she was having as a reader by very systematically breaking down each of the phonograms in the English language with its rules and exceptions, and I would pull it out again for a struggling reader.
That said, a lot of it overlaps heavily with the CC Essentials program (especially the grammar), and while I do love language arts, I also want to avoid extra busy work in order to give my girls lots of time to play and explore on their own, so it’s not something we’ve continued with. But I am still a very enthusiastic fan of this program, and I recommend it often because it’s just so very well done.
We’ve also tried the Logic of English Foundations program, which I loved as a parent but was not a good fit for our youngest daughter. I’m tempted to try again now that she’s matured some, but it’s more expensive than Explode the Code (which is now working for her), so I’m not sure it’s worth the switch!
Brave Writer
We have not yet used any Brave Writer programs, but I absolutely love Julie’s approach to language arts and homeschooling in general, and I think all of her classes sound fabulous, so I just couldn’t leave this one off the list.
I’m drooling over these classes for my oldest daughter especially, and while Writing a Greek Myth would have been my top choice if it weren’t sold out (she’s on her second read-through of the Percy Jackson series in the last month), I love the idea of the online book club and having her join in for the discussion of Wonder in November:
Fan Fiction
Writing a Greek Myth
The Arrow Book Club
Center for Lit
Similarly, I’ve been drooling over the Center for Lit’s Elementary Literature program, which includes Socratic discussions around monthly book selections. Unfortunately, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that the price of both of this one and the Brave Writer classes is one of my hangups. It’s not that I don’t think they’re worth the price, but rather that I need to prioritize where our homeschool budget is going and—so far—they haven’t been moved to the top.
How about you? Which language arts curricula do you love? What’s on your wishlist for the future?
Related posts:
Scaling back our 2014-2015 curriculum {again}
Remember, Classical Conversations is just ONE option
Why homeschooling is not a year-by-year decision for our family
Favorite fantasy books handwriting sheets for older elementary students
September 28, 2015
Chocolate-covered espresso beans, printable bows + more {101 Days of Christmas}
It’s been cooler this past week, which makes me even more excited for Christmas (I don’t think I could live in the southern hemisphere—or even in the south—where Christmas happens during warm weather months!), and my family is already counting down the weeks until we can put the tree up!
Whether you’ve already got the holiday spirit like us or you’re ignoring Christmas for as long as possible, here are this week’s best Christmas posts from the archives:
{14} Chocolate-Covered Espresso Beans
Chocolate-covered espresso beans are appropriate all year long, and these are so fun to make. You could make a batch this week and share them with your coworkers, children’s teachers or neighbors and be everybody’s favorite!
{15} Printable Gift Bows
These printable bows are elegant and simple to make, but they’d be a great project to start now so you can be cutting and folding while you watch TV or wait in the carpool line.
Click here to download this printable.
{16} Homemade Dog Biscuits
Don’t forget your furry friends this Christmas! This homemade dog biscuit is easy to make and looks so cute when cut with a dog-themed cookie cutter and tied with a bow.
{17} Gluten-Free Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Having to eliminate certain foods at Christmas is no fun, but this great gluten-free pecan shortbread recipe that Amy shared a couple years ago is a great way to make sure you’re not missing out on all of the treats. Make these for your own family or surprise someone who is gluten-free with an extra-thoughtful gift!
{18} Cranberry-Orange Quick Bread in a Jar
Gifts in a jar are a fun way to share holiday treats without worrying about them going bad before you can gift them or they can be eaten. Shaina’s cranberry-orange quick bread combines some of my favorite holiday flavors in one cute little package!
Click here to learn how to make them yourself.
{19}
Watching crystal’s grow is a fun experience any time, and this project is a great way to combine that fun with a lasting ornament for your tree. Make these as keepsakes for your own family or to share with other people.
!
{20} Spicy Candied Walnuts
And finally, these spicy candied walnuts were one of our very first 101 Days of Christmas projects, and they make a delicious holiday treat!
When do you start thinking about Christmas?
Related posts:
The best of 101 Days of Christmas: FREE 2015 Christmas planner + more
Handprint calendars, biscotti + more {101 Days of Christmas}
Madeleines {101 Days of Christmas}
Printable candy bar wrappers {101 Days of Christmas}
September 26, 2015
Weekend reading: September 26, 2015
How about a little throwback to when Sean and I were dating?! Such babies at 17 and 18 years old!
Y’all, we are preparing for our newest little guy to be here in just 4-6 weeks, and I bounce between feeling like that’s still forever and feeling like it’s coming way too fast! The other day I laid down on the couch, flat out exhausted from a busy day, and I just wished that if I was going to be exhausted anyway, I could do it with a tiny baby curled on my chest.
I am almost done with my “nesting” list, which included cleaning out pretty much every room, cabinet and storage box in the entire house, and I’ve been checking things like vision insurance for our family and updated life insurance off my to-do list as well. Now that the Healthy Living Bundle is over, my work hours are back to “normal” (whatever that means!), and my reading has picked up as well. And we’re all loving this gorgeous fall weather!
What I’m reading: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel and ADHD Without Drugs by Sanford Newmark, MD
What I’m thinking about:
{Follow my personal Facebook feed for the things I’m thinking about and talking about all week!}
Thriving rather than surviving
The five areas where I can’t afford to be low-maintenance. | Modern Mrs. Darcy
Moving from Survival Mode to a Minimalistic Schedule | Smallish
Who’s Taking Care of You? | The Bright Light Forever Feeling
On strengthening relationships
64 Positive Things to Say to Kids | Creative with Kids
The Best Way to Compliment Little Girls | Washington Post
The Secret Enemy in Your Marriage | Relevant Magazine
Have a great weekend!
Related posts:
Weekend reading: October 18, 2014
Weekend reading: October 25, 2014
Weekend reading: December 20, 2014
Weekend reading: August 22, 2015
