Why is your blog is called, “Not Before 7”? The answer to this question was published on my original blog on August 11, 2007. I dug it out of the archives to publish here. At the time this post was written, my children were 4.5 years old, just about 3 years old, and 9 months…
Nothing could have prepared me for the day that my little elementary homeschool grew up. Looking back, it feels like it happened overnight, but that isn’t really true. Changes began when my oldest entered middle school and they continued throughout that first year. There was a whole new level of resistance to schoolwork, complaining and…
There are times when a homeschooling momma’s heart just needs a lift. A gentle whisper that things are going to be okay. Or a loud shout that YOU ARE DOING FINE. Sometimes we all need a little homeschool mom encouragement, including myself. We all want to hear… You are not alone, Momma. And you’ve got this!
Have you seen the Top 100 Billboard hits of 2016? I can. not. believe. that Bieber took the number one spot. Seriously? Take a moment to let that one sink in. And then get ready for more. Because the number two spot is also a song by Beiber. Oh yes. He nabbed the top TWO…
The year I declared that I was done with the crazy Christmas season is still etched in my mind. No longer did I want to wake up on December 26th and wonder where the month went. I wanted to savor time as a family instead of rushing around like a mad woman focused on decorating and…
It is evening during the season of Advent. Our family gathers in the family room and plugs in a small, lighted tree. Hot drinks and yummy snacks serve to make this purposeful Advent tradition even more special. Someone reads the designated scripture passage and we discuss its meaning. After a brief discussion, an ornament is…
I was 21 years old. Dinner with my family had just ended but everyone was still relaxing at the table. Slowly, my parents presented me with Ziplocloc bag full of Christmas ornaments. I examined the contents of the bag. It contained about 20-something ornaments. Not just any Christmas ornaments but my annual christmas ornaments. And my parents…
