Our Literate Life
Recent Family Read Alouds (Winter 2024, age 11 & 9)
What a disappointing list this is. We have gotten out of our routine of reading together, partly due to having a toddler who really dislikes my attention being on a book and not HER, and partly because the older boys…
Favorite Family Read Alouds of the Year
Surprisingly enough, I don’t set family read aloud goals. We just kind of read as much as we can, from a variety of genres. My main objective with family read alouds is to connect with my kids over stories and…
3 Tips for Returning to Homeschool after Break
Wrapping up a homeschool break can be tough, and for me it's especially tough after Christmas. Where I live, we are in for several months of dreary weather-- usually in the 40s and rainy. This week and next I'll be…
How We Celebrate New Year’s Eve {Bookish Traditions}
Also known as cozy, bookish, in-bed-by-10 ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve! The post-Christmas crash and anticipating the dreary wintry months hit me (and the kids) hard ever year. For New Year’s Eve we’ve created a hygge evening in which…
Recent Family Read Alouds {Fall 2023}
I find the fall to be the toughest time for family read alouds. It’s a busy season. The books we squeezed in were great, and I’m glad we managed to complete them! What we read: This post contains affiliate links.…
The Shepherd’s Meal My Kids Beg For
I can't quite remember when I came across the idea of a Shepherd's Meal or Shepherd's Feast. It's becoming more widely known thanks to dreamy instagram reels. I don't have a dreamy instagram reel, just a real life with 3…
Non-Brick Gifts for LEGO Fans
After many years of not jumping on the LEGO bandwagon, we are now fully immersed in the LEGO universe. I didn’t grow up building with LEGOs, so it’s a whole new world for me! As much as I love purchasing…
Recent Family Read Alouds {Summer 2023}
This summer we read some classics that I've been itching to read with my kids for years! I have one sensitive listener, and I'm glad we waited until he felt ready to tackle the more intense plots. If you too…
- Age 3-5, Age 5-8, Age 8-12, Age early elementary, Homeschool, Homeschool Curriculum, Our Literate Life
Gentle Phonics with Dash into Reading: Our Journey
This week I boxed up our Dash into Reading curriculum until my next child is ready. (She’s 18 months right now.) As my now-fluent reader blew through the final story, let’s just say I felt quite sentimental. It has been…
Family Read Alouds {Spring 2023, Age 8 & 10}
As our read alouds get longer, these lists get shorter! And although it's been increasingly challenging to find time to sit down and read together with my kids amongst busy schedules and a busy toddler, we have plodded along and…
- Age 5-8, Age 8-12, Age early elementary, Chapter Books, Family Read Alouds, Homeschool, Our Literate Life
Favorite Family Read Alouds of the School Year
As we wrap up 4th and 2nd grade, I am sharing our favorite read alouds of the school year: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn a small commission on eligible purchases. Chasing Vermeer by Blue…
A Simple Easter & Holy Week
I love giving gifts to my children as much as anyone. It’s one of my primary love languages. But as I sat contemplating our Easter plans and I found myself scrolling wishlists and looking at my Amazon shopping cart, I…
Family Read Alouds {Winter 2023, Age 8 & 10}
We’re in a season where family read aloud times feel hard-fought for; between a baby-turned-toddler and increased academic reading for older kids, the leisurely pleasure reading hours have grown shorter. Interestingly as well, the kids have taken to asking for…
Favorite Family Read Alouds {End of Year Wrap Up}
What a year! Amidst morning sickness and later adjusting to a new baby, we managed to read a nice stack of novels together. Truth be told, that was all I was able to muster a lot of days, and it…
Family Read Alouds {Fall 2022, 2nd & 4th grade}
There’s a distinctive middle ages theme to our book list this time around, with a sprinkling of Christmas stories, too. Novels provide such a rich way of delving farther into our history topics, so we enjoyed the books below to…