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Recap

Recap this month. Recap the last 6 months. How much time did you spend outside? Did you meet your goals? Did you make an effort to be outside more? How did your efforts affect your kids? Do you see a shift in yourself? Your children? Your family as a whole? Write about it without judgment.

“The women whom I love and admire for their strength and grace did not get that way because shit worked out. They got that way because shit went wrong, and they handled it. They handled it in a thousand different ways on a thousand different days, but they handled it. Those women are my superheroes.” – Elizabeth Gilbert

A Page from Our Kids

Take a page from your kids. Watch how they play and interact with nature. Watch how they let go or interact with nature and give their version a try.

“A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full or wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood. If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children, I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life, as an unfailing antidote against the boredom and disenchantment of later year…the alienation from the sources of our strength.” – Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder

Resilience

There is a notion that the most resilient adults were also resilient as kids; specifically, they were children who went outside in all types of weather. What do you think of this notion? Does it ring true to you? How resilient are you? How much did you go outside as a kid? Did you go out in all types of weather? How resilient are your kids? How much do they go outside? Are they okay with or afraid to go outside in all kinds of weather?

“Turns out, the most beautiful things in my life were never on my to-do list.” – Rachel Hollis

Virtual World

Doing an honest analysis of yourself, how much do you feel you live in a virtual world of devices? Are you able to look at and analyze the difference between your life online (social media, video games, tv shows, movies, etc.) and your life offline? How much time do you spend in each? Are you happy with the balance between the two? Can you see that nature does not exist in the virtual realm? Do you use nature in your offline life to balance out the lack of nature in your online life? Write about it.

“Man must live, not only exist; he must do, not merely be; he must grow, not just vegetate.” – Spencer W. Kimball (Miracle of Forgiveness)

Connection Over Convenience

We are constantly fed the lie that parenting is supposed to be convenient, that if we buy this baby product or do this thing our lives will be easier, better, and just convenient. I’ve asked many, many parents to name one thing that is “convenient” about parenting or motherhood. No one has ever given me an answer. That’s because there is nothing convenient about having children. It’s not supposed to be about convenience. Mothering is about connection. It’s a relationship, a journey with ups and downs…but it always comes back around to our connection with our child. Write down your thoughts on this. Have you aimed for convenience? Have you fallen for the illusion of convenience? (I know I have). What do you feel parents need to focus on instead of convenience? What real tools or ideas do you rely on as a parent in your relationship efforts? Does nature or being outside appear anywhere in those tools or ideas? If so, where? If not, do you think outside could have a place in those tools and ideas?

“Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play.” – Herodotus

Make a Commitment

Being outside is as essential to the human spirit as water and food are to the human body. Make a commitment to yourself, your children, and your family to make experiencing nature a priority. Write about it. What do you need to commit? What do your kids need to commit? How do you feel about this commitment? What do you need to make it sustainable?

“Freedom is not the absence of commitments, but the ability to choose – and commit myself to – what is best for me.” – Paulo Coelho

Make a List

Think about your family’s values. What are they? Make a list of them. Do any of the items include an appreciation of nature or being outside? Do any of them include valuing time to de-stress?

“When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier.” – Roy E. Disney

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Oh, don’t you worry…we’re having FUN over he Oh, don’t you worry…we’re having FUN over here! 😻 

Welcome, Charlie cat! 🥰

Mahalo, @shinewildfamilyfarm 😻 We’re in love!
✨ We had THE BEST day! ✨😻 @shinewildfamily ✨ We had THE BEST day! ✨😻

@shinewildfamilyfarm let us have a raggamuffin kitten playdate with her 3 available kittens. 😍 OMGoodness. This is how to choose a kitten! After hanging out with them for a few magical hours, we’ve decided to add the black kitty to our ohana. At the moment, his name is Charlie. 😍

I had a girl kitten named Charlie before I had babies. It feels full circle. I hope they stick with the name 🥰 My girl Charlie was hit by a car the week before my first baby was born and it’s always bummed me out that none of my kids got to know her. It would be nice to have a Charlie cat around once more 🥰

Thank you so much, Jess!!!!!! We’re so grateful!
We can see the grass again in North Idaho. We see We can see the grass again in North Idaho. We see a lot of snow and ice, too, but there is grass. ❄️🌾

Makes me think of last summer and hope for next summer. 🙂

I’m liking seasons. They feel very purposeful. Makes me sad when folks don’t see it and simply complain about the weather. But what good does that do? The sun will shine when it shines. The weather is what it is. And there’s beauty to be found in it—rain, snow, ice, sleet, mud—all of it. 💜

For me, today’s beauty is in the memory and in the hope. It’s also in the laughter of my children and their neighbor friends as they play. 🥰

I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that “we’re not here for the weather.” 😉 

Photo: @daniwalkerphoto_
Our hearts are forever full & forever broken. Our Our hearts are forever full & forever broken. Our beloved Grandma Huck went home to heaven this week. We’re in Ohio to celebrate her & lay her to rest. I’ll share more about this incredible woman at some point. For now, please pray for our family as we navigate the grief of losing her while rejoicing she is with Jesus.

Many of you knew her in some way…through stories I’ve shared over the years or from a trip to her house for food and cards. Her light shown bright and far. 

The transition of loss is complicated & all your prayers are appreciated. Mahalo nui loa 🌺

Photo from her 91st birthday, May 2022
Books are incredibly powerful. We know this and ye Books are incredibly powerful. We know this and yet as moms we don’t always make time to read. The world tells us that there is no time for anything, ever. And in the same breath often tells us what to do, what to read, how to think, how to mother…and a lot of that messaging leaves us feeling fearful, unworthy, and like we aren’t doing enough. 

What if there was a way to step off the hamster wheel of modern motherhood and find ourselves feeling more whole, more worthy, and like we’re getting it right? And what if the secret to that was found in reading more books? 

Today’s conversation with @jenniferpepito is so enlightening. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I am a changed person, a changed mother, and I believe a better mother because I read books. Namely the books of the authors I have interviewed here on the podcast, including Jennifer’s book Mothering by the Book: The Power of Reading Aloud to Overcome Fear and Recapture Joy. Jennifer is here to expand our book lists and shine a light on our motherhood journeys with deep, mature insights, ideas for battling comparison and other daily fears that arise in our mama hearts. 

Jennifer’s Bio: Jennifer Pepito is the author of Mothering by the Book and the founder of The Peaceful Press. Jennifer is on a mission to help moms overcome fear and love their life, and her homeschool curriculum empowers this through heroic stories, heartwarming poetry, and engaging life skills development. Her resources help create joyful memories among families, which leads to deeper connections and lasting relationships. Jennifer’s writing has been featured in several online and print journals, including Wild and Free, Commonplace Quarterly, and Home Educating Family. She’s a Wild and Free podcast host and has made guest appearances on popular podcasts such as 1000 Hours Outside, At Home with Sally, and Charlotte Mason Poetry. Jennifer lives in the mountains with her beloved family, where she enjoys reading aloud, working in her garden, and watching the sunset.

Tune in, be encouraged, give @jenniferpepito and @thepeacefulpress a follow + share your favorite takeaways from the episode! 💕😘
Mele Kalikimaka from our new Idahome! 🎄☃️😘

A cozy white Christmas in our new house with old traditions felt just right. Going to bed with happy hearts. 

Also…great job, mamas. 🥰 Another year in the books. Months of planning, weeks of pouring over the details, & countless hours of putting this day together…you nailed it. I’m sure of it. 😘 I don’t have to see what your Christmas day was like to know that YOU 👏🏼 ROCKED 👏🏼 IT. 👏🏼 Well done, mama!!! Thanks for all you do for your family 😘 You are seen and so, so appreciated 💕

Cool backdrops: @reallife_postfalls 
Photo cred: @angela.k.correa 😉

#melekalikimaka #firstchristmasinournewhome #idahochristmas #idahome #christmasinidaho #whitechristmas
I’m prepping all the doughs for Christmas week w I’m prepping all the doughs for Christmas week while the snow falls (& falls & falls…) outside. 🎄 

This morning we ate homemade sourdough bagels for breakfast…then ate them with soup for lunch (they really are that good!) 🤤

I love the anticipation during Christmas week. The purposeful preparation. The rush of extra tasks. They could be “added stress” if I put on those glasses, but why? We are blessed with one more magical Christmas with littles gathered around the tree, wide eyed and excited. I’m not gonna let any messages about gift giving, buying, traditions, or expectations cloud this special Christmas. 

It takes a lot of internal work on my part to drown out the constant messaging and doubt that creeps in. But if it does, there’s always a bright eyed child in front of me to snap me out of it. There’s always prayer to center me. And the beautiful mundane tasks that make up our everyday life.
In case you were wondering, they really do grow so In case you were wondering, they really do grow so so so so so so fast. 💕 

This was this past summer. We’re only a few months past when this photo was taken and he’s already one. 🤯 ONE! How? When? I was there the whole time! …but he grew anyway. He’s walking around and even dancing. Sigh. 

I know as moms we’re “supposed to” be glad they are growing strong. And I am. I totally am. I’m also sitting here shaking my head in disbelief that he is as big and strong as he is. Double sigh. 

Time flies. Time is a thief. I’ll say it again and again…hold them close. Love them. Grow with them. Because time really is all the cliches they say it is. #babiesdontkeep 

Photo: @daniwalkerphoto_
As homeschool parents we need to be aware of homes As homeschool parents we need to be aware of homeschool laws, policy suggestions, and voices that are speaking out against homeschooling. 

Here are some action steps on how to get started: 

1. Become more aware of homeschool laws: join HSLDA or at the very least use their free resources online. See if your state has homeschool organizations (i.e. Homeschool Idaho) that offers support and insight specific to you 

2. Learn about policy suggestions (at the state and national level): this starts with understanding current homeschool laws and policies. What are some local policies affecting you? Does your state have a “pay you to homeschool” program? (i.e. Tech Trep in Idaho) If so, what are their restrictions (i.e. you’ll get $1800 a year but you have to have your kid tested and use only approved by them secular curriculum) 🤔 

3. Become aware of who is speaking out about homeschool: the easy place to start is a quick online search for Elizabeth Bartholet from Harvard. 

Homeschool might feel like the free and easy choice (or not somedays), but a lot of us take that ease and freedom for granted. The cluster of the last two years has left a lot of folks calling hybrid and/or crisis schooling “homeschool” but neither truly is. This confusion has raised some red flags with “experts” who know nothing about what TRUE homeschooling looks like. And it has many of us who have been homeschooling for a long time a little on edge. But we’re not going to stay on edge. We’re going to be proactive in our fight to keep homeschool from becoming another failed gov’t program. Get started. Take action steps now to protect your homeschool freedoms.

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