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Training Week 1

On By Bethany DattoloIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

This week was my first week of training for the half marathon and I finished a little late! I told myself at the beginning of this that I wasn’t going to let weather become a factor in my training. I want to run in inclement weather, figuring it’ll only make me stronger for the race. But my “long run” this week came on Friday, when we had wind speeds up to 45 mph. I laid in bed listening to trees, wires, and our fence sway and bang in the wind and I thought, “No way. I may as well run in place! I probably won’t move at all if I go out there!” So instead of finishing on Friday, I took my final run of the week on Sunday morning. I don’t plan to train on Sundays in general, but it was nice that there were hardly any vehicles on the road.

Week one was a challenge. The temps were below freezing most of the mornings, making it hard to breathe well. I’m also training with a weighted vest, which I’ve never done before. I have 11 lbs of vest on while I run and that has added an additional breathing challenge. Why the weighted vest? My hope is to improve my strength, bone density, core, and give myself an improved race time by running the actual race without it. My pace is much slower than I’m used to with the vest and probably also due to the cold. It’s hard to be efficient when your body is fighting the elements. I keep my spirits high by reminding myself that the worse I start out, the more improvement I should see over the next nine weeks. (Right?!)

This week I have 30 minute progression run, a 20 minute recovery run (the last of the 20 minute runs for the rest of the training), and two 45 minute runs: an interval and an endurance run. Last week my goal was to just get through the cold and finish the runs. This week I would like to see small improvements in my time and endurance. And if not that, then my hope is to at least feel better/more efficient on my runs.

I have one more week of my strength training program, which is hypertrophy focused. Meaning, the goal is to lift as heavy as you can for a short amount of time to BUILD muscle, rather than maintain it the way condition training does. I’ll be glad to have it finished so I can focus more on my runs, rather than try to balance the two. I’m also revisiting the push up challenge that I completed in January: doing a push up for every date of the month. But of course this month–it’s with the vest! 🙂 If anything, I’ll at least have some killer triceps at the end of this–summer is coming! 😉 On to week two!

Here are some quick pics from last week. My weighted vest, the spring bingo card that’s FREE in my shop (in case you missed it, you can download it here), the kids “mining for chocolate chips” as we listen to The Endless Steppe on audio, Noah making potato pancakes to go along with his presentation on Poland, and Eli’s karate team warming up at their tournament on Saturday! Eli came away with second place in kata and fourth place in weapons. He did great!

24 Screen-Free Spring Activities for Kids

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Spring Into Action: 24 Screen-Free Ideas for a Fun and Refreshing Season

Spring is the perfect time to shake off the winter blues, breathe in the fresh air, and get outside. As much as we love our screens, it’s nice to take a break every now and then and embrace the simple joys of the season. If you’re looking for some creative, screen-free activities to enjoy with your kids this spring, why not try something a little different? To make it even more exciting, I’ve created a Spring Bingo Card packed with 24 fun, nature-filled activities to help you unplug and make the most of the season.

It may not feel like it right now where I live (today we had chilling 45mph winds and freezing temps) but spring IS around the corner so get ready now! Before we know it, the mild weather will be here and our kids will be clamoring to get outdoors. See how many of the squares you can check off! Can you get BINGO, 5-in-a-row? Or go try to cross off every square! The choice is yours.

Here’s your ultimate screen-free spring bingo card, with 24 fresh ideas that will leave you feeling refreshed and reconnected with nature:

DOWNLOAD NOW

Goals on Goals on Goals

On By Bethany DattoloIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

“I think you might actually be crazy” said my husband to me in a text recently after I told him all the things I aspire to do right now. The thing is, I’m great at setting goals but horrible at focusing on just one or two at a time. Prioritizing is not my strong suit. And luckily I’ve had a great cheerleader for a husband in my corner–supporting me through the year I started my own catering business, the year I blogged all our meals while we also renovated two newly purchased apartments, my various furniture refinishing projects (including the one I currently have in our garage waiting for warmer weather for me to get my hands on it), my attempt at starting an online homeschool curriculum business (still ongoing, but developing slowly), and getting food safe certified to sell sourdough from home–and this is all on top of the “new” ideas for our home, gardens, homeschool, and other hobbies I want to pursue. (I keep staring down my piano, vowing that one day I WILL get back to it!) Clearly my problem isn’t for lack of things I want to try. My problem is an inability to focus on just one or two things at a time! I’m working on it. And I know I’m not alone in this. I always wanted to have a “thing”; a “niche.” But I never have because I want to try it all! And you can’t master any one thing if you’re always trying to pursue multiple goals at once. I’m learning to accept this, but at no small price. Along with accepting that I will probably never be utterly AMAZING at any one thing and enjoying a life pursuing multiple goals at once, sometimes I feel I am losing my sanity. Hence my hubby’s “I think you might actually be crazy” comment.

And maybe I am. Because in the midst of trying to maintain a sourdough business, create more online content for my shop, eat enough protein, get enough sleep, and spend enough quality time with my kids, I have decided to try one more thing for the first time: run a half marathon. It’s something I’ve wanted to try for a long time but never thought I would give it a go. Although I participated in track & field in high school, I’ve never really been athletic. Competition of any sort, especially sports, gives me anxiety. I’m not naturally good at physical activities and I’m not fast, but running is something I generally enjoy. Why did I never think I would actually sign up for a race like this? 1) I’ve been in the early stages of motherhood for what has felt like ages. For about 10 years, I was either pregnant or nursing and I certainly wasn’t going to put more demand on my body during that phase. 2) Even a few years post-partum with my last, my body just didn’t respond well to long runs. And I certainly didn’t want to have to take a bathroom break in the middle of an actual race! 3) A few years ago, I had a pretty bad ankle injury that I never really addressed. To this day I still don’t know if it was a really bad sprain or if I actually fractured a bone. I never got it checked out. All I know is my right leg was black and blue from my toes to halfway up my calf and even a couple years later, I couldn’t run more than 4 miles without intense pain in that ankle. 4) I didn’t want to put my family through the boredom of being at a race with me, even though I would want them there at the finish line. I worry that they’ll be annoyed waiting for me, especially if the weather isn’t great. So for a long time, it just didn’t seem like it was worth worrying about all those things to pursue a silly race. But still, the idea kept nagging at me…

So after weeks of hubby having to listen to me outward process all the reasons I wanted to run the race and all the reasons I felt like I shouldn’t, I finally signed up. And true to his supportive nature, he had patiently listened every time I brought up a new factor in my decision-making and then said, “I think if you want to do this, that’s reason enough and you should just do it. And the kids and I will be there. Just send me the link to the race info and I’ll make sure we’re all set. We won’t be bored. We want to support you.” I think I’ll keep him.

I said I’m trying to get better at prioritizing my goals, right? So this is actually helpful! For the next few months, I will set only 2-3 personal goals for the month and training for this half marathon will be at the top. There’s a deadline. It will help me focus. The other things I want to pursue can wait. I really think this “dialing it in” will be good for my mental health. I’m also going to drastically minimize my time spent on social media. Instagram has been a major detriment to my goal prioritizing because as soon as I see what someone else is doing, that’s when I think I should be doing something similar and that what I’m currently working on isn’t good enough. I can’t afford to keep looking in the lanes beside me in these upcoming weeks so I will soon say “goodbye” to the ‘gram for the time being. I will be documenting my training progress and other updates here, though!

I have 10 weeks of training and week one starts Monday. Ironically, it’ll be the coldest morning of the week, with temps in the single digits. I am not looking forward to the first few weeks of training in such cold weather. But I did buy some new running shoes that are fit for uneven and icy terrain. My plan is to train with my weighted vest and run the race without it. My goal is to finish the 13.1 miles in under 2 hours. For some, that probably seems easily doable. For me (who’s not fast, remember), I’m not so sure. I hope you’ll check back here in the weeks to come to see how things are going!

My new kicks! Excited (kind of?) to see how they do on the icy morning runs!

Eric Carle Author Study is HERE!

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One of the reasons I began Raising Little Seekers was so I could put the units I created as a public school teacher (and then used in my homeschool) together in a “pretty package” and offer them to the general public. I’ll admit, this process hasn’t been easy. I am a novice graphic designer at best (and an utter failure/copycat at worst). Though my ideas are genuine and well thought out, I generally just throw them together in my planner and go from there when executing them. It’s the presentation for public consumption that has had me struggling–that, and finding the time to do it! All that to say that this journey has already taken longer than I hoped when I started out. The first unit I released was the Fruit of the Spirit family devotional. You can read more about that here. Then came my composer study on Pyotr Tchaikovsky, which is a 6-week close look at the composer, his ballets, and his country of origin. I didn’t necessarily promote that unit very well (again, something I struggle with) but my kids and I had a really good time listening to his music and studying his ballets when we went through it ourselves! But this next unit is very dear to me as it is one of the first units I ever actually wrote when I was a public school teacher. During my final year of teaching, I was (wrecklessly) moved from the fourth grade to the first grade–in the middle of the school year. It had been decided that the first grade needed more help and that I was the teacher for the job. It was a frightening experience but I stepped up to the challenge. And then I proceeded to make my own curriculum and write several author studies along the way. The first of which was an author study on beloved author and artist, Eric Carle. I have since taken the lessons from this unit and put them together in a comprehensive way and aligned it to today’s kindergarten standards.

So let’s dive into the colorful world of Eric Carle! In this comprehensive kindergarten unit, you will find 14 unique lessons across the curriculum–meaning, they will hit on language arts, math, science, art, and more! You and your child will read over 15 of Eric Carle’s beloved children’s books. You will dive into time, calendar knowledge, number sense, plants, moon phases, colors, optical illusions, food, and conversations about friends and socialization. All while reading some truly remarkable picture books. What could be better to jump start your child’s education?! Or what could be better to add a little “umph” to the end-of-the-year slog we homeschooling mamas sometimes feel?! Because this unit is only 14 lessons long, you could easily take anywhere from 7-14 weeks to complete it. There is also an accompanying set of printing practice pages that is FREE with or without a purchase of the author study. So even if now is not the time for you to purchase another resource, you can absolutely get the Eric Carle themed printing pages for free from my shop.

Ultimately, I really hope you enjoy this Eric Carle author study. It is the first of (hopefully) many! And if you’re ever in Western MA, be sure to check out the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art!

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More Soup for You!

On By Bethany DattoloIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Who doesn’t love a good soup?! There are many things to dread about the colder weather, but one thing my family loves is that it’s “soup season!” Though just like anything, it can be easy to get into a soup rut. You have about four different soup recipes up your sleeve and by December, you’ve already made them all. Twice. So here I’ve put together a collection of my family’s favorite soups. And there are twelve of them! That means if you only made one per week, you have enough to get you through three months–the entire winter season! (Technically speaking. We all know in New England, winter is twice that long. So make them all twice and your favorites 3-4 times!) You’ll still have plenty of diversity to keep your taste buds tingling all winter long, no matter where you live.

Soup is such an easy and versatile dish to put together. You can truly customize it to suit your family’s tastes. For example, a lot of these recipes originally called for 1-2 onions in the soup but I’m not a huge onion person, so my version always cuts the onion portion in half. I like the flavor it brings so I never leave it out completely, I just downsize. You can put as much or as little onion or other vegetables in as you like! I’m also not a bean person. But if you like beans in your chili or minestrone, add them! My family can attest that if you follow these recipes exactly, the results will be delicious. But that doesn’t mean you have to stay tethered to them if you want to try it your way. Have fun with these and experiment! You have all winter!

A note about stock–I’ve included my recipe for homemade chicken stock at the end of this booklet. I really think it’s the best way to go when making your own soup. And it’s super easy. I roast whole chickens quite a bit–they are quite economical and not as hard to do as you think. I might roast a chicken for Sunday dinner, or just so I can shred the meat and save it for weeknight suppers. When I do this, I turn the bones and leftover meat into stock. It’s a great practice to get into if you haven’t already. I hope you love these recipes as much as we do!

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Free Reading Log Printable for Kids (100 Day Challenge)

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We all want our kids to be “good” readers, right? My guess is, whether or not you consider yourself to be an avid reader, you probably still want your children to be able to read well. So how do we make that happen? How do we turn our early or even struggling young readers into good, independent readers? 

There are countless reading programs out there that all claim they have better ways of teaching reading. And some of them probably work great! You teach phonics and decoding, and that’s a perfect way to get started teaching reading. But I have found that at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what program you use or how much it cost. What our children need in order to learn to read with fluency, is practice. Lots of practice! And practice itself will develop into good reading habits that will last a lifetime. 

The challenge with this is that it requires time from us to invest in practicing with our children. We need to sit with them and practice daily to reach this reading goal. This can be hard to do with so many other pressing things requiring our attention. And let’s be honest, younger students at these early reading levels aren’t exactly reading riveting, great books that pull us in. So while we don’t want to appear bored at our child’s reading (since that can have the opposite effect we’re looking for), finding the motivation to sit down with them everyday isn’t always easy. 

So I’ve created a 100-day reading challenge with a reward system. Positive reinforcement is an excellent way to motivate yourself and your young reader! Each day that your child reads out loud to you, mark it down on the reading log. It doesn’t have to be long! Say, up to 10 minutes a day. After every 10 days, you reach the star on the chart and you get a reward. This is a great way to track your child’s reading progress. It has nothing to do with grade level, but is a fun way for young readers to keep track of their reading. When I use this reading log template with my children, we typically invest in 10 minutes of reading time each day, or one simple leveled reader. It’s a commitment, but it’s doable. Do this for 100 days, and you will certainly see an improvement in your child’s reading ability!

There are many different versions of reading log templates and book trackers out there. Some keep track of the page numbers read, others keep a record of the books you read. Your local library may even have its own weekly reading logs for older kids. This one is less specific and entirely customizable. For 100 days you invest in reading with your child. Let him or her read out loud to you for 10 minutes a day, or read one of their early readers, or one chapter from a book. And every 10 days, issue a reward. The reward is totally up to you and whatever suits your family! It could be that your child gets to skip a chore, or gets to stay up late one night, gets to pick the next movie for family movie night, or even chooses dinner one night that week. Or you can reward the both of you and go out on an ice cream date, or have a special time out just the two of you! It can be the same reward every 10 days, or you can change it up! 

This reading log is for your own personal use and is customizable for older or younger children. Use it to keep track of minutes, or keep track of the books you read, or the number of chapters you complete. It’s totally up to you and your individual student! The important thing is that you keep reading with your child. If you miss a day, no big deal, just pick up where you left off. But the improvement in your child’s reading skills WILL COME when you stick to this for the 100 days. There is no deadline, but maybe you make it a goal for yourself to complete it by the end of 2023 or another date that fits your family schedule. This is designed to be a useful tool to enhance the reading experience for your family, not a ball and chain that weighs you down for the entire year.  

You can involve other family members, as well. Your child doesn’t have to read to just you. They can read to a sibling or a grandparent, or an aunt or uncle!  The good news about this reading log is that it’s designed to be used to fit your family’s lifestyle and will hopefully instill a love of reading in your child. You can both bond over books over the course of the 100 days, and as you watch their literacy development soar, you will also be creating lasting memories between the two of you.

In my homeschooling family, I teach the phonics and decoding as a part of our reading curriculum. But I am convinced that the magic occurs when my husband spends each morning reading with the child who is learning and needs the practice at the given time. This regular routine of daily practice definitely helps take that child’s reading skills to the next level. Not only that, but it is a bonding time between father and child. I can think of few other parent/child experiences as significant as bonding over books and helping a child achieve something as monumental as progressing in reading. 

So if you’re looking to take your child’s reading skills to the next level, or just looking for an easy way to keep track of reading regularly with your children, I highly encourage you to download this free reading log to use in your homeschool. And if you don’t homeschool, it’s still an extremely useful tool in helping your child achieve his or her reading goals, and the perfect way to start instilling a lifelong love of reading in them! I can’t wait for you to see your child’s reading progress!

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12 Special Ways to Start a New Homeschool Year

On By Bethany DattoloIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Starting a new homeschool year can be daunting for both kids and moms! There is this tension between excitement for a new routine and the sadness that summer break is winding down. As homeschooling moms, many of us like to have a plan in place. We’ve spent countless summer hours combing over curriculum, getting input from fellow homeschoolers, picking out books, and planning potential field trips. And then comes the first day. We want everything to go smoothly or else… all seems lost. So how do you ensure a great start to the school year? While there is no guarantee, there are certainly some special things you can do to kick off a new year in memorable ways. The start of school doesn’t have to just be about new clothes or new school supplies. Those things are important and in a lot of ways, they define this time of year. But there are also so many unique, fun activities you can incorporate that you may not have thought about yet. Some of these may become new first day of school traditions for your family, or they may be things you try just this once. Please don’t let these ideas overwhelm you or add to your to do list. And no way could anyone be expected to do them all! My hope is that you pick one, maybe two ideas to help create a fun day for you and your kids as you start a new homeschooling year. 

The good news is that first day of school does not have to encompass the whole of what we want to accomplish for the year–not even close! If our goal in homeschooling is to deepen our relationships with our children and give them a rich, meaningful education that is full of love and adventure then let’s let our first day of school be just that–a family day full of adventure! This is what makes our ability to homeschool special. 

I like to start off with a special breakfast. In our house, this usually means I’m up early making doughnuts–but a trip to Dunkin Donuts or the local bakery is just as good! I also like to have a letter written to each child from me on their plate. This is my way of letting them know how special they are, how much I love them, and what I’m excited about for them in coming school year. And of course, we start our day in prayer for the new year. 

Once it’s time to start school, we generally don’t cover all subjects on that first day. I typically pick one or two we all enjoy and focus just on those. I know it’s tempting to get right into the new school schedule, but it’s also nice (and beneficial) to ease in and get a feel for how long things will take to get done. This is hard to do if we’re trying to cram everything in all at once. Don’t forget to leave margin in your schedule! This is a great mentality to maintain, not only for the first day of school, but for the whole year. This also leaves room to get those first day of school pictures, if you want!

To make that first day special, think location. Can any of the subjects you want to cover be done outside? Taking school work to a park or playground can be a really unique and fun way to start the year. If science is one of the subjects you want to start with, one of my favorite things to do is take a nature walk! If you’re a hiking family like us, or have older kids, hitting the trails or hiking a mountain is totally doable for that first day! Pack some art supplies or even a math worksheet to complete at the summit. Hiking outside is an excellent way to wake up the brain and how many kids get to say they did school at the top of a mountain?! So much fun.

Speaking of math… is it a dirty word in your household like it is for a few of my kids? Math is one of those non-negotiable subjects that everyone loves to hate. I know it seems senseless to not get it in on the first day of school, but you can still change it up a bit. Consider using that first day for review games rather than a full lesson. Or maybe you take it as a mental math day, (which could turn into a once-a-week routine)! There are so many fun things to do for math on that first day of homeschool. From games to experimenting with recipes as the math lesson, the possibilities for a fun start are endless. 

One thing I definitely have to get in on that first day of school is a read-aloud. Reading out loud is something I do with my children everyday during the school year and as often as I can in the summer. I get so excited over read-alouds and picking the new books I want us to experience together! While we do want that first day of school to feel special, it’s important to also incorporate some aspect of the routine you’re striving for in the coming year. For us, reading aloud is a big part of that routine. I would be remiss if we skipped it on the first day. It’s also an easy one to do outside, at a park, on a trail, or on a picnic blanket with the whole family. 

Whether you do one, two, or more subjects on the first day, I highly recommend ending by lunchtime. We typically do this all year (with a few exceptions), but I find it to be especially important on day one. It’s so nice to have that afternoon to debrief or adventure. So what about a special lunch? If you can’t get in that special breakfast (or maybe you do but what’s one more special meal?) you can totally make lunch a fun meal, too. Is there a certain lunch that is everyone’s favorite? Can you go out for lunch to celebrate the first day? Or if you have the capacity, can each child make his or her own lunch? This, too, can become a weekly tradition that can also help foster independence in the kitchen. 

Once school work is done for the day, consider taking an adventure in the afternoon. Go for a hike on a new-to-you trail, visit a park or botanical garden, or just go out for ice cream and talk about the day and your hopes for the new school year! This is a great way to include your kids in the “planning” of their education. Figure out what they are hoping to learn this year. (You may want to do this before the first day of school, but if you don’t get around to it, it’s totally fine to use that first day as a strategy session with your students.) 

You could also consider making the whole first day into a field trip. If you know you’re starting with a particular topic in science or history that lends itself well to museum or outdoor exploration, why not start there? Imagine surprising your kids with a field trip when they are expecting to wake up start school work. Priceless. 

Whatever form it takes for you, I encourage you to make the first day of a school a special treat for your kids. The most important thing is to remember the reason for choosing to homeschool, and don’t allow yourself to become a slave to your curriculum choices. 

While you want to have a plan in place and maybe you’re ironing it out the week before or the night before, try not to overplan. Let yourself (and your kids) ease into the school year. Don’t stress. Remember that you are the best person to raise, disciple, and teach your kids. And home is the best place for them to learn! You’ve got this.

Be sure to download these free printables with tips for the first day and reminders for the homeschooling mom and post them in your school planning area or on your vision board if you have one. They are great reminders not only for the first day of school, but for your school planning year round.

click to download printables

What’s in a Name?

On By Bethany DattoloIn Uncategorized2 Comments

I’ve come to realize that names, or titles, are extremely important to my children.

“Is it “Family Movie Night?” Because just watching a movie is different from “Family Movie Night.” If it’s “Family Movie Night” that means they can get their blankets and pillows and set up in the living room. And there should definitely be snacks. But if we’re just watching a movie, there are no expectations. So you know, important titles like that.

When I first introduced the idea that this year after breakfast Abby, Noah, and Daddy would be in charge of cleaning up the kitchen while I did “preschool” with Emmalyn and Eli, there was groaning. Mostly from the kids… 😉 But the next day, when asked if they *had* to clean the kitchen, I said, “Yes! You guys are the ‘Kitchen Crew!'” No joke, everything changed after that. They have not whined about cleaning the kitchen after breakfast ever since. They have a title. They are a team. With Daddy. Some mornings, he even announces, “Kitchen Crew, spring into action!” Now it is fun. Just. Like. That. One title became a game-changer.

For Emmalyn, it’s the word “school.” Whatever activities I call “school”, she is eager to do. It helps her feel older, included, important. Puzzles. Blocks. Singing songs. I’m a big advocate for learning through play so, it is her school. 🙂

This is why I jumped at an idea I read in a book about a month ago. I was struggling to find a rhythm for our homeschool. Not only that, but I was struggling to get the kids excited about what we were learning. They bemoaned whenever I said the word “geography.” I get it. It’s a boring word. But it’s the very essence of what this year is about: exploring countries and cultures. The geography lessons are supposed to be the best part! I was already following a “block” schedule, meaning I wasn’t doing every subject everyday; instead, lumping science for the week into 1-2 days, geography into another, etc. Yet, I still wasn’t fitting everything in and housework wasn’t getting done at all. I felt like I was just spinning my wheels and worse, the year I was really looking forward to teaching wasn’t turning out to be much fun so far. It didn’t seem like I was really tapping into the freedom and beauty that a homeschooling lifestyle is supposed to afford.

In the book, The Call of the Wild and Free*, by Ainsley Arment, she mentions a schedule one of her friend’s follows that has a theme for everyday. In addition to math and language arts on Monday through Friday, her days look like this:

  • Sweet Sunday: worship, hospitality, family walk, board games
  • Magic Monday: art, music, poetry, baking, tea
  • Time-Travel Tuesday: history and geography
  • Work & Wonder Wednesday: household chores, letter writing, and time for wonder
  • Thunder Thursday: adventure, nature walk, nature collecting, audiobooks
  • Favorites Friday: library, nature journaling, science at Grandma’s house
  • Skillful Saturday: homesteading, prepare for Sunday

Sounds amazing, right?! And totally doable, when tailored to my schedule. You see, we already made it a point in our house to worship, practice hospitality, and have family game night on Sundays. By some coincidence, writing a letter is already built into our curriculum for every Wednesday this year. I had already resolved to go on a nature walk once a week, Fridays we have co-op and library (a big favorite among my kids), and Saturdays have long been the day we make it a point to prepare for Sunday. The rest I could easily make fall into place. We may not have a homestead, but we have skillful soccer on Saturdays! We don’t do science at Mimi’s house, but we have co-op and other favorites built into our Fridays. We are big lovers of audiobooks. And now I could fit in the beautiful things like art, music, poetry, or baking first thing in the week rather than put them off and then wonder if I’m ever going to get to the “fun” stuff that I long to do with my kids. “Geography” has been replaced with “Travel Tuesday” and I can’t begin to tell you how wonderfully freeing it has been to have household chores built into our school schedule! It’s a mid-week reset that is much needed.

Following this new “schedule” has been refreshing and fun for our homeschool. Each day is purposeful and special in its own way and I am constantly hearing how much the kids love “Work Wednesday”, “Magic Monday”, or any of the days, really. When you have little kids, life is constantly changing and once you find something that “works”, you usually have to change it shortly thereafter. The nice thing about having themed days like this is that the themes can probably stay the same, even if the specifics need to change. Either way, I’m really happy that we’re finding our rhythm… for this year, at least.

Here are some pics from a few of our “Work Wednesdays.” I love that I have built in time to teach my kids how to really clean something. I instruct them on how to organize their papers, their rooms, their toys. I demonstrate how to wield the vacuum and the toilet brush. We have a weekly checklist with rotating “add-ons” which are bigger chores that don’t necessarily need to be done every week such as cleaning the refrigerator. We blast whatever music we’re in the mood for and go to town…

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What I’ve been Reading and Listening to Lately: Recommendations for You!

On By Bethany DattoloIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Summer is about half over. HALF over. It’s not over yet! Target dollar section, I’m looking at you… (There’s a sad story there about a girl in search of swim goggles only to find school supplies. At the end of July. Sigh.)

There is still plenty of time to enjoy a good read or podcast on the lake, beach, or by the pool on a lazy day. I am finding so much encouragement and soul-feeding in my podcasts and books lately and I wanted to pass on the goodness, so here goes…

If you’re looking for one last book to read to complete your summer…

  1. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I read this one to the kids in the beginning of the summer (and we finished it on Audible when we were driving to and from VBS one week) and had my mom and sister-in-law read it, too, and we had “book club” while on vacation! It’s an easy read, which is great for summer and the theme of “coming alive” and being surrounded by beautiful things couldn’t be more perfect for the season.
  2. The Read Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie. I listened to this on Audible, also, and loved it! Not only does it have so many great ideas for how, when, and what to read aloud to your kids, it’s filled with helpful information about the importance and impact of reading for everyone. This is one I’ll be revisiting often.
  3. Sensible Shoes by Sharon Garlough Brown. This was recommended by a friend and I ended up having a small group book club with it. Very thought-provoking and spiritually stirring, you could honestly do a whole study group on the book and stretch it out over several weeks. You will find yourself closely identifying with one or more of the main characters and will undoubtedly do a lot of spiritual self-reflection.
  4. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall. A middle-grade novel series, I read the first one to the kids, and Abby and I are reading the rest on our own but at the same time. We’re having our own “book club” and our first meeting is this Saturday to talk about the second book! This is such a sweet series and super fun to read. Might be my favorite pick. Think “Little Women” but in modern times, with charm and humor.
  5. Currently, I am listening to A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L’Engle, but I haven’t finished it yet. It’s great to listen to on a long walk and full of poignant quotes like this one:

“We can surely no longer pretend that our children are growing up into a peaceful, secure, and civilized world. We’ve come to the point where it’s irresponsible to try to protect them from the irrational world they will have to live in when they grow up. The children themselves haven’t yet isolated themselves by selfishness and indifference; they do not fall easily into the error of despair; they are considerably braver than most grownups. Our responsibility to them is not to pretend that if we don’t look, evil will go away, but to give them weapons against it.” 
― Madeleine L’Engle, A Circle of Quiet

This made me think of homeschooling and the false judgment that we are attempting to shelter our children from the world. I do not wish to shelter them (fully) from the world as they grow, but I want to properly equip them to deal with it. And that is something I can do much better at home.

Looking for a good listen while you wash the dishes, go for a walk/run, or while on a road trip? Here are the podcasts I have stored up on my phone…

  1. Risen Motherhood*. This is my favorite podcast and my number one recommendation! I’ve been an R/M listener for over a year and I can’t get enough. They take a break in the summer so I used this as an opportunity to get caught up on episodes I hadn’t heard before. This is a podcast that is full of love, laughter, encouragement, and Gospel-truth for the weary mama! Topics range from sleep-deprivation and mom-bods to education choices, screen time, etc. I’m so in love.
  2. The Read-Aloud Revival. This is Sarah Mackenzie’s podcast and it is delightful. Author interviews, book recommendations, and tips and tricks for home education, though even if you don’t homeschool, you can benefit from this podcast!
  3. Wild + Free*. This podcast for homeschoolers refreshes my mama soul and reminds me of the importance of letting children be wild and free and unstructured at times. It reminds me that homeschooling is NOT about recreating public school at home but about creating relationship, love of learning, and family memories to last a lifetime.
  4. Heidi St. John. Heidi’s podcast is a Bible study, poignant political discussion, interesting interviews and Q&A all rolled into one. I don’t always agree with her politics 100%, but I love her Bible studies and she is grounded in Biblical truth which I appreciate.

*These podcasts (Risen Motherhood and Wild + Free) both have books coming out this fall! I have pre-ordered them on Amazon already! If you give them a listen and like what you hear, I encourage you to do the same… click on the links above. 🙂

This Summer Doesn’t Look Like It Was Supposed To

On By Bethany DattoloIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Miracle of all miracles, my husband just fit ALL of our vacation luggage into ONE vehicle!!! We thought it was going to have to be two and I prayed it wasn’t so. Not only am I thoroughly exhausted from all the packing and preparing and stressing over how much work the vacation itself will actually be, but the thought that I might not even be able to nod off on the ride up was almost more than I could bear… But now I can rejoice about that one thing! And that one thing matters as I am learning to appreciate all little things that can be considered a positive for my sanity.

This summer looks different than I expected it to look. But really, it looks strikingly familiar. This was supposed to be the first summer in seven summers (yes, SEVEN!) that I wasn’t pregnant or nursing. It is now the eighth summer in a row that my body is serving another human being. We weren’t supposed to have to pack baby items for vacation anymore. I wasn’t supposed to be lugging around an infant carrier. I was supposed to be wearing trendy tops and cute bathing suits instead of nursing camis and flowing shirts that attempt to hide my 2-month post-partum pudge. (Okay, so that one might not be totally dependent on a baby. I can admit that my body might not have been where I wanted it to be, baby or not, but it could have!) I was supposed to be relaxing and just enjoying my kids without timing feedings or trying to snag a nap whenever possible. I was supposed to be happy. Well, more happy. (Post-partum hormones can be a real kill-joy. It’s not something I’ve needed to manage with medication, but there’s absolutely no shame in that and it has been something my husband and I have considered.) Once I identified my emotions as more of an anxiety rather than depression and a desire to meet my own (unreasonable) expectations, they’ve been way easier to manage.*

We always planned to have four children, with the possibility of adoption down the road. And after having four unpleasant pregnancies, I was more than happy to announce to everyone that we were D-O-N-E. Done! “Fourth and final!” “Four, no more!” “If we do have any more children, they won’t be coming out of me, that’s for sure!”

You’ve heard the saying, “We plan, God laughs.” I always thought I was very aware that God’s plan for my life might not be my plan. I never planned to marry the “type” of man I married, but am everyday more grateful that I did! I never planned to live where I live or own a multi-family house. I never planned to homeschool. And when people ask me how long I plan to do it, I’m more than comfortable to answer, “However long God wants me to!” So why did I think my family plan was any different? Perhaps because we never struggled with infertility it never crossed my mind that God might have a different number of children in mind for us. I’m sure I would’ve been more aware of that if getting pregnant was difficult. I certainly didn’t think it would happen when it wasn’t “supposed to.”

But there it was, that “positive” pink stick. And one of the first things I thought was that my summer of 2019 was ruined. “My beach days are gone!” “Will I ever be able to leave the house with my kids again?!” And I grieved. It might seem crazy, insane, and unnatural to grieve something gained–we were gaining another child! Praise the Lord! But I had lost my plan. My grand plan. How I had looked forward to my first “free” summer. How I relished the idea that homeschooling would soon be just about my child students and not about coordinating nap schedules and interrupting toddlers. I couldn’t wait to have all my kids potty trained, to take all the cool field trips without babies in tow, and to lose the diaper bag (and replace it with an awesome purse). And though those things aren’t gone, they’re further away. And our idea of adoption some day was now in question. We used to use our van to give rides to people–I could bring a single mom and her son to church every Sunday and we did for a time. Now every. single. seat. is full.

“The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions to one’s ‘own’ or ‘real’ life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one’s real life–the life God is sending one day by day.” – C.S. Lewis

I happened upon this quote in a book, Teaching from Rest, after I discovered I was pregnant and it resonated with me. I don’t mean to say that my baby is an “unpleasant thing”, (seriously, I can’t imagine my life without Logan now–he is the sweetest thing!) but the news of my pregnancy and the loss of my own plans was unpleasant for me, to say the least. But this helped me realize that though I had my own plans, God clearly never intended me to be a mother of four (not counting a previous miscarriage). He was not surprised at all about my positive pregnancy test. His plans were not my plans. He sent us Logan. Little, wonderful, adorable Logan. Even up until the last week of my pregnancy I struggled with wondering if I’d even want to hold him. I had to sort through some tough emotions. And now, I don’t like putting him down. He’s a part of our family, where he belongs.

God is teaching me so much through becoming a family of seven. And that C.S. Lewis quote becomes especially applicable when one of my little cherubs (the fussy one-year-old who is struggling with the “loss” of some mommy-time and less sleep now that he’s in a big-boy bed, the strong-willed three-year-old who is ever trying my patience, the curious 6-year-old who has too many questions than I know how to answer, the helpful, responsible, yet comes-with-an-attitude-of-a-teenager almost 8-year-old, or the newborn: our newest and very sweet family member who truly needs Mommy 24/7) “interrupts” what I thought my day would look like. My days are not well-planned right now. We’re in, what I call, “survival mode” and I am just passing the time, or “running out the clock” in some ways until the end of the day. But this is where God meets me.

This summer does not look like I thought it would, but there have already been many moments to treasure. This summer looks drastically different from what I hoped it would, but it also looks the same as always. We went out to dinner at a casual-dining restaurant tonight, all seven of us, and it was a fun time, just like always. And we’re taking one vehicle on vacation this year, just like always.

Daddy always says Logan’s number one job is to snuggle Mommy. She needs it. And he does a fine job of it!
I mean… Don’t you just wanna squish him?!
I can’t even imagine our family without him!!!

Getting quality time with the other four… pictured here is mini-golf with the older two and playground time with the younger ones… is something I cherish!

*If you have struggled or are struggling with PPD, I have a great resource and counselor to recommend! Please reach out!