Higher Ideals

We took the encouragement to get a popsicle mold, and the kids have a new favorite way to beat the heat. Our homemade yogurt, some fruit, and a little honey – so simple and so delicious. 😋

“The best safeguard against bad literature is a full experience of good.” – C. S. Lewis, An Experiment in Criticism

You might be the older sibling of a homeschool family if... you regularly go on family hikes that end in rucking a toddler. 💪🏼

My job with my toddlers and preschooler isn't to entertain them or occupy their time – it's to protect their time, giving them space to entertain themselves, allowing them to flourish and learn about themselves and their world in the process.

I have a daughter who wants to do more baking, so she decided to bake my father a from-scratch apple pie for his birthday. The recipe she followed called for shortening. We replaced it with bacon grease. In response to her concerns that it might affect the flavor, I argued that bacon only ever makes things better. For those curious, I can confirm that apple pie is not an exception to this rule. 🤌🏻

Perspective is everything. We have a neighbor out of town, so we are going over there to help take care of some chores. I was initially frustrated when I realized James had the gate key with him and I would need to hop the fence. As I was grabbing a couple of step ladders, one of my kids asked what I was doing. I explained I was making a stile and would be crossing over the fence like a Jane Austen character. Suddenly several kids wanted to join me on this romantic adventure.

🤍 Simple pleasures 🤍

"In reclaiming childhood, we are reclaiming motherhood as well—trusting our instincts and doing what's best for our children, rather than what society says is normal or expected." – Ainsley Arment, The Call of the Wild + Free

One of the nice things about hiking with little boys is how safe it is. Inevitably within minutes of a hike, my son finds an acceptable stick and he is armed for personal protection. 😂

Nature is waiting. Heed the call.

I'm genuinely not sure who was more excited, me or the kids, when we found out that at the Ingalls homestead in South Dakota (of Little House fame), you can rent a covered wagon to camp in.

"You never know what will happen next, nor where you'll be tomorrow, when you are traveling in a covered wagon." – Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the Prairie

It seems that hobbits and pioneers had a similar idea. I'd love to see the reaction of someone who actually lived in a dugout to a cozy hobbit hole.

The view from our tent gave me serious Shire vibes. It made me want to go on an adventure.

When you wake up in a tent to discover between you and the bathrooms is a large male bison...

To share my excitement with the kids, Teddy worked his way into our homeschool, as well as bedtime picture books. If you are interested in some of our favorite Teddy Roosevelt resources, below are books we’ve enjoyed: Picture books: 📚 Teedie: the Story of Young Teddy Roosevelt by Don Brown 📚 To Dare Mighty Things: The Life of Theodore Roosevelt by Doreen Rappaport Kids chapter biography: 📚 The Story of Theodore Roosevelt by Winthrop Neilson > part of the Signature Books biography series published in the 1950s, which I always check for at used bookstores Adult books: 📚 Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough > about his early years 📚 The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard > about his exploration of an Amazon River tributary later in life

I believe fostering my own passion for learning is setting an example for my children. I need to model lifelong learning if I want to raise lifelong learners. Earlier this year I read several books about Teddy Roosevelt. I find him fascinating and admirable, so much so that he added a few stops to our latest family vacation.

Teddy Roosevelt described the Dakota Badlands as looking the way Edgar Allen Poe wrote. I see what he meant, forbidding and yet beautiful.

Hot-off-the-grill meat, cold-out-of-the-freezer popsicles, and bags of fireworks purchased from a roadside stand, all enjoyed in the country with cousins galore. Our evening celebration got moved inside by a storm, but as some of us sat in the garage looking out at the winking fireflies against flashing lightning, we agreed nature gave a pretty good show of her own.