I love seeing something simple done well. Years ago, my friend Caroline had inspired me to try biscornu, small, stuffed octagonal pincushions. I love seeing her products. When I saw these biscornu recently, they reminded me of her. The unfussy design is inspiring and allows the good work to shine. It makes me want to be on team “Nellie Needlers!”

Recently, my arhitecturally-focused child discovered these books by Lester Walker. Each step is outlined for how to design a house, including suggestions for using cardboard models. He now spends time each week building these models and considering how to create what he would like. I think that when families ask me how to homeschool, this is the kind of answer they are looking for. An overview of several methods, tips on what to focus on, and a plan for how to get it all done.

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After touring Woodlawn, “Despite her privileged status and her power over enslaved domestic workers, she perceived her life as challenging.” In my opinion, rather than meeting someone’s perception of their personal challenges with judgment, we need to respond with empathy. It makes sense that she thought her life was challenging. It was challenging! She had seven children die young. She had many financial challenges. She faced heartache and loss. Were there other people around her who also had challenging lives?

I love the title of this section of a breadmaking book, Flour Power: “Patience as an Ingredient” Certainly sourdough requires patience! I also found her honesty refreshing as she reflected on her breadmaking journey. “There is a real danger to tying your worth to how the bread comes out any given day and that it’s harsh to make fun of people who like sandwich bread. I learned that having extreme values can be lonely.

When I was in Junior High, my father helped write a Real Estate textbook. I was honored when he asked me if I would review the math problems and see if there were any errors. For me, it was the ultimate compliment: he thought I knew enough that I could be trusted to get the right solutions! Now, as a homeschooling parent, I pay special attention to textbooks. Many friends are surprised when I tell them I actually buy a standard textbook and use that to teach math.

What are the most hazardous attitudes in homeschooling? Perhaps we can better understand those after considering what the Federal Aviation Administration has identified as hazardous attitudes for pilots. They explain: 80% of all aviation accidents are related to human factors with the majority of accidents occur during landing and takeoff. The concept was introduced by the airline industry over 25 years ago to help decrease accidents caused by human factors….The results are clear: pilots who receive “[this]” training made 10-50% fewer judgment errors.

There are some tools that profess to be the ultimate tool–the thing that could do everything. While reading this library book about kettlebell workouts, I laughed at all that sandpaper could do to fix the handle. “Sandpaper is used for finishing touches to make the handles exactly as you like them to feel. If they are too rough, you can smooth them. If they are too smooth, you can rought them up a bit so you can find a better grip.

While hiking in New River Gorge this summer, we saw this sign at the abandoned mine site of Kaymoor. A reminder to be safe. I found myself wondering, “Why do we need a reminder? Are we forgetting safety?” According to the National Park Service , which maintains the Kaymoor site, The mine site of Kaymoor One was once one of the most successful and highest producing mines in New River Gorge.