Family Life | Heart of the Matter

Communicating with Tweens and Teens Through a Shared Journal

When our children go through adolescence, they seem to change dramatically. Even very close parent-child relationships are tested during the tween and teen years as children push their boundaries and grapple with conflicting...

Clearing Space

My daughter and her Daddy are out learning about magnets or some such thing, so I’m taking advantage of the quiet moment by going on a cleaning binge. Everywhere except my daughter’s room. I’m having a hard time there. You...

What Really IS The Heart of the Matter?

When Amy Stults first started Heart of the Matter, I was immediately drawn to her new endeavor because of its name: Heart of the Matter! Why? Well, I have spent the last 19 years of my life home educating my 4 boys. When first...

Every Stage Is My Favorite

I snuggled with my five-year-old son today while leading him through another reading lesson. Snuggling is the only way to keep his little body still while he does the hard work of decoding. But it also gives me a chance to enjoy...

Family Favorites: An Annotated Booklist

We all know the benefits of reading out loud to our children… increased attention spans; increased listening skills, vocabulary, and memory; positive associations with books; exposure to new concepts and ideas; and greater...

I Don’t Have Time to Homeschool

It’s February and spring is fast approaching. We have chicks in the incubator and plans for more. Ducklings and goslings are on the way. My seed starting shelf is set up and ready for my first planting as we wait for the...

Dealing with Chronic Illnesses, Part 4

Taking Care of the Kids Let’s face it: a household need a certain number of things done daily in order to run smoothly (or at least stumble along). And moms with chronic illnesses don’t always have the energy to do them....

TV, Hoarders and Teaching Our Kids

My daughter watched the TV show about hoarders with studied focus. She stared frozen as the show shared the lives of people who collect things to such an extent that they can no longer move through their homes. Stacks of...

Planner Perfect: A Fresh Idea on Organizing Your Life

Congratulations to Courtney, Ariana, Pamela Jorrick, Hillary M, and Bethany LeBedz!! *Please note: We hosted a Planner Perfect giveaway a couple of weeks ago but the comments on the post were lost. If you entered that...

Creating Boundaries at the Homeschool Table

Like many, we homeschool at the dining table. Every day I’m amazed at the speed with which it is covered—books, papers, folders, colored pencils, and sometimes a bowl or a cup is squeezed in there, too. Worse, I’ve seen a...