Abeka Phonics K-2nd: What to Buy and What to Skip

We've officially got seven readers in our home. A quick mental calculation will tell you that this means all five of my children have now crossed the great divide between those who can't read and those who can. My youngest still needs my help with certain words, but as of this year, he possesses all the head-knowledge required to decode a word...any word.

In some ways, it feels like it took a lifetime for us to get here. But in other ways, it seems like it only took a blink. In reality, it took eleven years.

To break it down: I've spent the past eleven years teaching the letter names and sounds, the diagraphs, and the syllable rules. Long vowels and short ones. Blends and end rhymes. Regular sounds and special exceptions.

What We're Reading in October 2019

Ordained days.
God has promised them for us in Psalm 139:16.
I've born witness to the truth of this verse many times in my life. The ordination of the Lord seems to be most obvious in the big moments--when He holds us and keeps us so securely by His right hand, when we experience unbelievable miracles that can only be explained by faith. But then there are other times--smaller moments--when we notice how He, in His kindness to us, has orchestrated small bits of wonder for our pleasure. They almost feel like a wink from Him in our direction--a little knowing glance between the two of us.

Encouragement for the Early Years

Written by Talvi McCuskey.

I once heard a pretty famous speaker say that the Enemy wants to steal every season from us--to make us miserable in each stage of our life. She said that we either wish our children were young again or that they would grow up. We wish that we did not live in such a small house or that we did not have such a large house to keep clean.

When Your Homeschool Looks Nothing Like the One on Instagram

Written by Jessica.

In September, at the start of a new school year, everything feels optimistic and promising. The school supplies are still shiny and new. All the curricula that were carefully chosen still feel like good picks. The school area and the house are picked up and organized.

I’ve been homeschooling long enough now to know, however, that there are going to be bumps, distractions, failures, mishaps, mistakes, and tough days ahead. It won’t feel like September all year long! And it’s during these more turbulent times that homeschoolers can fall prey to comparison.

What We're Reading in September 2019

I've kicked off the school year by rallying several hundred moms to join me in the Storied Mom Reading Challenge. Are you one of them? If not, why not?

There's still plenty of time to grab a Reading Guide before the month's end. It's your chance to reclaim the education you never had and to make reading a priority in your life. It's an opportunity to put your money where your mouth is, so to speak, by showing your kids that developing a robust reading life isn't just important for kids. It's important for moms too!*