Rural Simplicity

You would be frowned on if you stated that you don't go to the library, you may even get a lecture if you say right out that you don't like going to the library. Going to the library is a saintly thing. It's good for the community. Right? I'm not sure why we think so matter-a-factly about the library, but if the library isn't working for you, then it's not working for you and no one is going to be able to force you into liking it. But I do have to say that in a society of technology it might be worth your time to look over some new ways of using your library. Because while, going to the library may not be your cup of tea, reading good books should be on everyone's to-do list. A Blank Page Can Be Scary.  Just like a blank page that has endless possibilities before becoming a school paper, a library full of books when you have no direct path laid out for you can be incredibly overwhelming. Children in the Library Taking kids to the library to aimles...

I'm a huge podcast junky. When I find a podcast I love I start with episode #1 and work through it's entirety. I listen in the car, while washing dishes, hoeing the garden, or doing a puzzle. There are so many opportunities to multitask appropriately. Here is a list of my favorite home education podcasts. #1 Read-Aloud Revival I name this site often, because it is a wonderful place full of commraderie, good books, laughter, and things you won't find anywhere else. The podcast is amazing and I've listened to every single episode (over 100) and a few of them I've listened to more than once. Sarah Mackenzie is a bubbly and delightful person and her website and premium membership site are worth every bit of time you spend there. What is it about?  Sarah Mackenzie is a homeschool mom to six and a lover of books. This podcast gives amazing book recommendations for all ages and often has interviews with living authors. You get to see inside the writing process...

The older one gets, the more experiences they have had, and the more things they own. And when it comes time to get that special someone a gift we often come up short of something meaningful or useful. Our parents tend to hit this stage once the last of the children are out of the house and they are ready to downsize - not acquire more. So here is a list of items that might help you think of the perfect gift. ( but did you know that some people who say they don't want anything for Christmas really mean it? just make sure they really do before you skip on their holiday treat this year!)  1) Family photo - parents are always low on recent family photos. (Especially of the grandkids!) 2) Gift cards to their favorite restaurant or coffee shop 3) Freezer meals 4) Favorite candy or snack 5) Craft/ornament from the grandkids 6) Things that run out - stamps, notecards and envelopes, tea, coffee, perfume, etc... 7) Lessons, you can give them lessons or vice versa ...

I was born and raised in the Kansas City area. I've learned through the years just how much awesome stuff there is here. I am also quickly finding how many things I haven't gotten to and making a list of places to hit before we move at the end of the summer. Most of the places I've listed below I have been to and highly recommend. There are a few that family members said needed to be added because they are great places. Those are the places that are now on my bucket list. For those of you who live in the area, have visited or used to live here, please add some of your favorite places in the comments, because I know I haven't even begun to include everything. For all of you who don't live in the Kansas City Area...how about taking your summer vacation here?! Restaurants: 1. Succotash     Located at 2601 Homes St. Kansas City, MO 64108, this breakfast and lunch place has been visted by Food Network's Guy Fieri. I've personally devoured a delicious pl...

I have a unique job, that allows me to take my daughter to work with me everyday. It is a huge blessing and I couldn't ask for anything better. But of course it comes with its challenges also. How do I keep her occupied while I'm working? She is not required to be overly quiet and she has plenty of room to run around. (at least for an 18months old she does.) Here are some things we use regularly at the office: 1) Stickers!  Any sort of pad or piece of paper, coloring book and sometimes (unfortunately) the floor works for stickers. Right now I have to help her get most of the stickers off of the page, but it does keep her occupied for a good long time. 2) Pre-K Activity Books.  I went to the $1 store and picked up some of these books. They have books for shapes, colors, numbers, etc... Some of the pages are too hard so she just colors on them, and all of them need adult supervision. We do a page or two a day together - we color and circle things a lot - and when the boo...

Today is the Fall Equinox! Happy Fall Everyone! In honor of this beautiful season I put together a list of unique fall activities for the family. I've also linked all of my ideas to a Pinterest board which you can access here ! There are loads of recipes and how to's for crafts. I've also pinned more than I wrote about here so check it out! 1) Make a Fall Bucket list!  Give one to each member of the family and see who can fill it out first. (hopefully most of them you will get to do together!) 2) Have a Carnival! Put on a family or neighborhood carnival. Enjoy silly games and win lots of candy (or whatever you choose) 3) Have a Pumpkin Carving Contest!  Competition is always fun. Choose a judge, find an awesome template, and carve away! 4) Race Through a Corn Maze! Create teams and see who can finish first! 5) Thanksgiving Walk/Run!  Everyone needs a good reason to eat more at Thanksgiving right? Why not have a family walkathon before dinner! Maybe have a gr...

Do you know what is common in most homes across America? What a common theme among women (especially Mothers) is? Do you know what that one looming dark corner is that gets everybody down? A cluttered, disorganized, messy home. The lack of ability to complete projects. A sense of never accomplishing anything.    If you want to be highly encouraged by other mom's and find a community of hard working moms check out powerofmoms.com . You will find a wealth of knowledge about many things on motherhood and life.  I say all of this because you will find these steps over at Power of Moms as well. Here are the  four steps to help you take the next step to dissolving your clutter and completing that project. 1) Pinpoint those Projects Do you remember that post about my  "Everything Book" ? You can check it out again if you need to, but in summary, I use a notebook to write down all of my lists. I am a list maker on steroids, but would usually ...

We just got home from a weekend trip to West Virginia for a surprise 75th Birthday party! While planning for the trip we thought through a lot of options of whether to go or not, whether to drive or fly, etc... Because we all know that being stuck in a car with a grumpy baby is about the last thing anyone wants to do. With the help of my in-laws frequent flyer miles and the joy of having a child under two, we opted for flying. That decision brought on another set of options and planning. How do you keep a 17 month old happy on an airplane?  So I researched it, looked on blogs and pinterest for ideas and helpful hints... and here is what I found and what we tried. Super early morning flights are the best!! Late evening and night flights...bad idea! We left our house at 4:00am and landed at our destination at 9:40am. My daughter stayed awake the whole time and was very calm and happy the whole flight. Our return trip left at 5:40pm and didn't arrive home until 9:30pm. After a we...

It's not often that you find a movie that is decent enough for the family to watch that also has a good moral to it. It's not often that you find a movie that's about family and real life without it being skewed into a soap opera drama. I am not a fan of watching t.v. but I am a fan of watching wholesome movies as a family on occasion. But they are so hard to find. Below is a list of my favorite movies, but even these have elements of things I don't agree with. I will give you a quick synopsis on why I think it's good and what some of my dislikes about the movie are. Each family must come up with there own standard of movie watching; what is allowed and what is not. Never take someone's word on movies. Always, ALWAYS look it up first. Our family go to sight is IMDB.com   we reference the parent advisory content frequently because they give a detailed unbiased report of what you will see or hear. Cartoons: 1) Emperor's New Groove      There is nothing out...

Someone is always looking for some fun things to do over the summer. So I thought I'd add my twenty cents worth! There are lots of lists out there and each one is unique to it's owner. This is my rendition of a good evening with My Hubby. But this is an ideal list for me, I don't have everything I need to accomplish some of these.  Read through and then make a list of 20 things you would like to do. I would love to hear you ideas! 1) Weekend Camping Trip/ Living Room Campout 2) Drive-in Movie Theatre (yes, they still exist!) 3) Dinner out (pick a one of kind place, not a chain restaurant) 4) Picnic 5) Day at the Park/Beach/Lake 6) Game Night 7) Work Day (for yourself or someone else) 8) Singsperation 9) Read a Book Together (Novel, DIY, Devotional) 10) Porch and Ice Tea Talk 11) Frisbee Golf 12) Stove Popcorn and Home Movie Night 13) Putt Putt Golf 14) Run Out for an Ice-Cream Cone on a Hot Night! 15) Fire and Hot Cocoa Night - bonfire or fi...

Giving gifts isn't always the easiest thing to do, especially when we continuously add more and more holidays in which we give gifts.  This is my third Valentines day being married and the second annual Valentine's Basket gift giving from myself to my husband. I save the biggest nicest gifts for Christmas, then his birthday, and lastly Valentines Day (Anniversaries are usually split between us and sometimes are not all that expensive). Last year I e-mailed my husband a questionnaire form about a month before Valentines Day asking what was his favorite this and favorite that. Most people could probably figure it out by just paying attention, but I guess I've got my head in the clouds to much for that! It was a good thing I did though, because I didn't know most of his answers. Thankfully this year I've wised up (or just had longer to observe) and pulled together a package without a single hint. 2013 pkg: 1) 2-3 of his favorite candy bars 2) 6 cans of Verno...

I have come to realize that organization is a hot topic on the web these days. Although I think it probably always has been and always will be. We seem to all live approximately the same life style, at least enough so, that we all need organization tips. It might have something do with our children... Playing in the dirt Getting into their diapers Playing with the toys we just picked up! Step 1. Morning My bedroom is the back of the house, so that's where I start. After I've done the necessary morning jobs like nursing the baby and getting my husband out the door I start my routine morning clean up. It only takes about 5 minutes or less. I start in my room by making the bed and picking up the clothes, then I proceed through the house one room at a time moving toward the front of the house and ending in the kitchen to make breakfast. And of course I make breakfast before completely cleaning up the kitchen, although I do usually put the dishes away first so I w...

Bible journaling is a very profitable thing to do. It really keeps your mind engaged on what you are reading and gives you something to look back at and refreshes your memory on thoughts you had on the passage for that day. I have come up with a simple way to keep track of your Bible study each day. It can be short and simple or expanded into something long and tedious, depending on your time and desire for the Word. Here is the layout... Bible Verses 1:1 "write out the verse" * question about the passage? * question about the passage? * question about the passage? * question about the passage? * question about the passage? Flesh - Something the flesh thinks about the passage Spirit - a come back about what God says about the passage Flesh  - Something the flesh thinks about the passage Spirit -  a come back about what God says about the passage Flesh  - Something the flesh thinks about the passage Spirit -  a come back about what...

Diaries and journals are not just for little girls to lock up their thoughts in or high school girls with crushes; although I did both of those in my early years. I have successfully kept a journal for 4 years sharing my ups and downs, daily adventures, and my relationship with my boyfriend and fiancé. I call my journals The Growlery, taking the name from Charles Dickens' "Bleak House". One of the main characters of this story called his study The Growlery because that is where he would go to put his thoughts in order. I have The Growlery I and The Growlery II, both filled with very interesting facts that help me to remember, and discern how I have grown over the years. I just finished reading back through each journal, and realized how much I've missed writing in them. I have thought about picking it back up to keep memories fresh, especially because the baby will be here soon. My journal doesn't need to be a secret, more of a scrapbook without the pictures. ...