Welp, I have a two-year-old again! Thank goodness I don’t have to potty train this one 😆 . Thanks so much for being here with me, friends! Your likes, comments, and words of encouragement mean so much to me.
Today’s post is a fun look back and an exciting look forward! At the end of today’s post, I’ll share with you a little bit about what we’ve got planned on the blog for year THREE. But first thing’s first: I’ve tallied the likes and put together a list of the top ten follower-favorite posts from our second year together!
In tallying this year’s likes, I found out some REALLY FUN THINGS about the followers on this blog (you!):
1.) You just LOVE making time for hands-on, skill-building activities with your kiddos. I think that is so incredibly cool.
2.) You are dedicated to providing for your child a well-rounded, holistic education . . . even in the summer months! Bravo, mamas and papas.
3.) You guys gave yourselves away (just like last year) as the chocoholics that you are! I’m so glad I’m not alone. (If you are a new blogger and want to know how to get a lot of hits fast, post something —anything— with the word CHOCOLATE in the title. You’re welcome.)
This blog began two years ago, March 25th, 2020. It began with just 13 followers and as of today (two years and 205 posts later) we have just welcomed our 245th follower!
Humble, beautiful beginnings. I just love it.
Thank you all for following, liking, and commenting! An extra, extra special thanks to those of you who took the time to write me personal texts and emails of encouragement. Your kindness is inspiring!
Could I ask a little favor of you lovely friends? If you enjoy this blog and consider it to be a positive part of your life, please spread the word! Share your favorite posts on Facebook, Pinterest, or share in an email with friends and family! It would mean the world to me to share my love for Holistic Homeschooling with more and more families around the world each year! 💗
May our lovely little community continue to thrive and grow!
Your Top Ten Favorite Posts from Our 2nd Year Together:
*these results are according to likes only
#10: 📚 21 Ways to Help Your Child Fall in Love with Reading this Summer! ❤️
Whether your child likes, loves, lives with, or loathes reading, this list of tips and tricks is for all us parents who desire to help our child’s love for books flourish and grow! Perhaps your child hasn’t fallen in love with reading yet. Or perhaps your child has recently fallen out of love with reading. Or perhaps your child simply prefers other things over reading and does not voluntarily read, or ask to be read to as often as you would like.
Whatever your child’s relationship with books, I hope that this list of ideas will help guide you in your quest to gift your child with a deep, life-long love for the written word!
#9: Our 🍳6 WEEK SUMMER SKILL SCHOOL🧵 ~little hands at work~
Come along with us this summer on a truly extraordinary journey! We’re taking six weeks to spend some quality time teaching our kids practical-life skills, building independence, inspiring self-confidence, and instilling a deep respect for good, old-fashioned work. Best of all, we’re doing all of the prep and planning for you! Simply tune in each week for everything you need to tackle the six skill-sets listed below one at a time with your kids! It will only require perhaps an hour or so per day (or a few hours once a week) but I assure you it’s effect will be for a lifetime! I know, because my mom Skill-Schooled me!
#8: New 🐾PUP, new 🏠PAD, and learning to ❄️SNOWPLOW!
It all started back in November with an out-of-the-blue call from our realtor. We’ve been renting our entire marriage of twelve years and finally closed on our dream property nearly a year ago.
All through those years of undergrad, post-grad, and residency, my hubby and I had a dream that kept us moving forward: to raise our kids on an old-fashioned family farm where they could learn to work hard, run far, and breathe deep.
After purchasing our wild and free “prairie property” last spring, we began fielding quotes and counting coins, longing for the day when we could finally break ground on our long-awaited homestead. To say we encountered a number of setbacks since the spring, however, would be putting a Disney World level spin on things.
#7: 💥 ~SCIENCE CAMP AT HOME~ 🦎 Plunge into Sensory-Rich Discovery!
If a child ever says that “science is boring”, it only means one thing: we’re doing it all wrong. Studies in science shouldn’t be presented as flat, from a textbook, one-dimensional, randomly introduced lessons. Rather, they should be full-color, full of life, delight-directed, in our face, sensory-rich celebrations of God’s glorious creation! In short, science shouldn’t be learned; it should be discovered.
Science comes alive in the summer. From bugs, to beachcombing, to watching the garden grow, summer is the perfect springboard for exploring the scientific wonders of creation with our children! And with our seven simple steps outlined in this post, Science Camp at Home will be a breeze as well as a blast!
#6: 📚 Our Ultimate Summer Read-Aloud Challenge! 🦉
We’re taking “Summer Reading” not only to a whole new level but bringing it into a whole new light as well. Traditional summer reading programs are basically about logging minutes and hours. You know . . . quantity. Our “Ultimate Summer Read-Aloud Challenge” on the other hand is all about quality. Quality books. Quality time. Quality discussion. Also, it’s about LOVE. Love for what we’re reading, love for who we’re sharing it with, and love for new ideas and concepts revealed along the way.
#5: 🪁The SOFT-SCHOOLED SUMMER🚲 seeing the forest for the trees!
Sometimes we just want the best of both worlds. Ok, a lot of the time. And our kids’ summers are often one of those want-our-popsicle-and-eat-it-too kind of scenarios. We want to give our kids those laid back, lazy, carefree, hot and hazy summers most of us look back on so fondly . . . but we don’t want our kids going off that crazy “summer slide” (and I don’t mean a slip n’ slide, people). I’m referring, of course, to that loathsome “summer learning loss” that for the majority of kids out there is nearly as certain this season as a sunburn. And it’s almost as painful, too!
Watching our kids lose academic ground that was gained so faithfully (perhaps even painstakingly) all year long . . . it’s like that moment when the tide rolls in and washes away an entire wall of our three-story, turreted sandcastle.
So, we want to keep our kids engaged and actively learning in their summer months. But . . . we also don’t want to be the dreaded “Summer Squelcher” ; you know, that parent who chases their kids around all summer long waving fact sheets and reading logs in their faces. Yeah, that’s not an inspiring image . I think what most of us want to emulate lies somewhere between drill sergeant and pushover. But what exactly does that look like? And how do we accomplish this?
#4: 🐿️Bringing Home the Magic of Summer Camp!🥾
Whether your kids will be attending a week of *real* Summer Camp this year or not, you can keep the life-changing magic going all summer long at home! From epic recreational experiences to vocational arts & crafts, to inspiring nature adventures, to heritage-rich traditions, Summer Camp has ~Holistic Homeschooling~ written all over it! I can’t think of another model that offers our children a wider variety of experiences, learning opportunities, and good old-fashioned fun! We have laid out a comprehensive guide to walk you through all things Summer Camp so you and your kids can lace up those boots and get on with adventuring!
#3: Erik’s Deli-Inspired 🌱Vegan Tomato Basil Bisque + Balsamic Veggie Sandwiches! (20-minute Plant-Based Dinner 😋)
I’ve been working on my tomato basil bisque and veggie sandwiches for months now. Like women have gotten pregnant and had their babies in the time I’ve been fiddling with this soup and sandwich combo.
Anyway, I’m thrilled to announce that this double bundle of vegan joy is finally ready to be presented to the world! And I can honestly say that I’m truly smitten with them! The tomato basil bisque is perfectly comforting and creamy, and the veggie sandwiches are actually full-flavor even without turkey or cheese! John Muir would be proud.
#2: 🔨CRAFTSMAN SKILL SCHOOL⚱️ getting real with metal, wood, + leather!
Put the glitter, pom-poms, Styrofoam, and macaroni away! We’re working with real, down to earth, quality materials (wood, leather, metal, clay) and bringing old-world craftsmanship back to little hands! If you and your kids don’t love crafting together (yet!), maybe it’s time to get real, raw, and maybe just a little bit callused. The smells alone will be worth it! But the self-confidence a child gains from “honing a craft” is entirely transformative; both for the child and the community in which she will grow up and one day offer her skills.
and . . .
#1: Earth Day ~VEGAN CHOCOLATE MOUSSE~ just 3 ingredients and mere minutes to make!
This chocolate mousse came to me half as inspiration and half as a happy accident. I was making my standby vegan whipped cream almost a year ago now when I thought to myself: “What in the world could be yummier than this coconut whipped cream? If it were CHOCOLATE whipped cream.” And so, right then and there I melted a bag of chocolate chips and folded it into the whipped cream. Holy coconuts. A year later plus a few tricks and shortcuts learned, this chocolate mousse recipe is hands down our family’s favorite dessert. Plus it’s guilt-free and so incredibly quick and easy to make that I indulge my little chocoholics as often as I please. I hope you ENJOY! And if you do, please leave me a little review!
So, what’s on the books for YEAR THREE?
Thanks for asking 😆 ! I am so excited for this next year on the blog together! There are so many things I want to explore further and share with you all!
- Firstly, in this year’s posts I plan to delve much deeper into the practices of Holistic Homeschooling, making them as simple and accessible as possible, without compromising on beauty or merit! Cause that would never do.
- Secondly, I want to do my part to pour into the self-care necessary for present and proactive parenting! Ours is not an easy or predictable path! Parenting and homeschooling are monumental undertakings, and I would be honored to walk this road with you, mamas and papas; sharing the successes with the struggles, the convictions with the confusion, the hopes with the fears.
- Thirdly, I have some BIG SURPRISES in the works for you all this year. I’ve been working tirelessly on a few different projects that I believe our community desperately needs right now. Please subscribe below and stay tuned for these upcoming announcements! You do not want to miss them!
THANK YOU!!!
for reading . . .
for following . . .
for liking and commenting . . .
for reaching out . . .
for sharing . . .
and most of all . . .
for being a present & proactive parent!
Cheers to our next year together!
Love, ~Our Holistic Homeschool~
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