Are you looking for books to share with your 4-year-old? I began compiling this list of books when my children were 8, 5, and 2. We are a homeschooling family. I put a lot of emphasis on reading. In addition to more formal reading lessons, my oldest also must read 2.5 hours on her own […] More
As a mother of four, I love filling meals that are easy to make. Casseroles make perfect dinners that I can whip up quickly. Filled with savory beef seasoned with onion, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce and topped with crispy tater tots, this tater tot casserole is a new favorite in my house. Preparing the dish […] More
Homemade bread fresh out of the oven always smells and tastes delicious. During the holiday season, I always make a couple loaves of the brown bread that my family loves to have with Christmas dinner. I also make the recipe throughout the year whenever I want fresh bread. Ingredients 2 1/3 cups water 2 cups […] More
Whenever I come across a post about “words to avoid,” I audibly groan. Such posts are prescriptivist attempts to impose more arbitrary rules on language use. I recently saw a post in my Facebook feed about “words to avoid to sound smarter.” One suggestion was to avoid the word that. The post claimed that that […] More
Learn more about Structured Word Inquiry (SWI) by studying the spellings of some vocabulary words related to the Christmas holiday: Christmas, Yuletide, decoration, angel, mistletoe, ornament, poinsettia, fruitcake, eggnog, and gingerbread. Structured Word Inquiry English spelling is rule-based. There are no exceptions, just more rules to uncover. I have yet to find a word whose […] More
Baking cookies with my family during the holiday season is a tradition in my house. One of our favorite types of cookies is thumbprint cookies. This year I also made a variation on our classic thumbprint cookies: tangy lime cream cookies. The tangy lime filling pairs deliciously with the semi-sweet cookie. Ingredients Filling 2/3 cup […] More
I recently purchased my first cookie press because I love baking many different types of cookies for the holidays. I started with a classic spritz cookie and then began experimenting. I made a cinnamon spritz cookie, which my family raved about. Because my family also loves peanut butter blossoms, I decided to try a peanut […] More
Last week my new cookie press arrived, and I made my first batch of classic spritz cookies. I love the buttery flavor of the classic version but wanted to try some variations. Cinnamon is a flavor that I associate with the holiday season, so I removed the almond extract of the classic recipe and added […] More
Baking cookies is one of my favorite holiday activities. Although I love to make all types of cookies, one of my favorites to eat is butter cookies. I love the light buttery flavor. This year I bought myself a cookie press. My mom has one, but I had never used one before. I wanted to […] More
Learn more about Structured Word Inquiry (SWI) by studying the spellings of some vocabulary words related to the Thanksgiving holiday: Thanksgiving, gratitude, turkey, cranberry, Thursday, squash, cornucopia, delicious, acorn, and potato. Structured Word Inquiry English spelling is rule-based. There are no exceptions, just more rules to uncover. I have yet to find a word whose […] More
Learn more about Structured Word Inquiry (SWI) by studying the spellings of some vocabulary words related to the autumn season: autumn, September, October, November, scarecrow, equinox, harvest, chestnut, deciduous, and chilly. Structured Word Inquiry English spelling is rule-based. There are no exceptions, just more rules to uncover. I have yet to find a word whose […] More
Learn more about Structured Word Inquiry (SWI) by studying the spellings of some vocabulary words related to the Halloween holiday: Halloween, pumpkin, costume, zombie, cauldron, ghastly, enchant, skeleton, vampire, and candy. Structured Word Inquiry English spelling is rule-based. There are no exceptions, just more rules to uncover. I have yet to find a word whose […] More
Ingredients 1 buttercup squash 4 cups of chicken broth 2 cups of milk 1 packet of onion soup mix 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon of salt 1 teaspoon of black pepper Directions Preheat the oven to 350°. Cut the buttercup squash in half. Remove the seeds. Oil a baking sheet. Place the squash […] More
Apple crisp is one of my favorite apple recipes. I love the mix of sweet apples with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. With two apple trees in my yard, I have plenty of apples to make one of my favorite and super easy desserts. Ingredients 6 cups of chopped apples 1/4 cup plus 4 […] More
Prior to c.450, the peoples of Britannia (Britons) spoke Celtic languages. Between 388 and 400, Romans occupied Britannia (modern England and Wales). Celtic-speaking Scots and Picts lived north of the Romanized Britons. In c.450, Germanic tribes including the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes invaded Britannia. The language that developed was Old English. Just as there are […] More
