Tap. Tap. Tap. Is this thing on? {Catching up on Life since 2021}

Hello? Hello? Testing...1-2-3. Ahem. Hello. My name is Lisa and it's been awhile. Three years to be more exact. And what a three years it's been! When I posted last, we were still in the throws of the national Covid crisis which caused all sorts of crazy.

But here we are now in 2024. I'd like to say that time has been good to my family...but that would be a lie. We've had some dumpster fires since I last posted in 2021. So I just thought I'd take a time to resurrect my blog with a *brief* life update on what's happened here on the farm in the last three years. 

Absolute Zero: Making Math Mastery Fun! {Product Review}

We are a game family. We have game night every single week, and we use games in our homeschool (hello Gameschooling!). The one subject area in which I would like to have more games is math. I do not feel there are enough fun math games out there, especially for older children and adults. Because of this, I was thrilled to have the chance to review the card game Absolute Zero by Games by Absolute Zero. This game is a simple card game but

Boosting Vocabulary with Marie's Words

"It's so nice to hear the Queen's English in our small town. I can tell you read a lot and are not schooled in our system." 

This was the comment that my eye doctor shared at our last appointment as we were leaving. I really appreciated this assessment and encouragement about my boys. One of the things that I place as very high in our education is language and vocabulary. We live in a small rural town in Kentucky where the "hillbilly" is strong in action, accent, and words. Growing up outside of this area, everyone always acknowledged "you aren't from 'round here, are ya..." Speaking clearly, fluently, and using a variety of vocabulary is rare in our area. This is why we encourage reading books beyond reading level, read aloud regularly, and incorporate new vocabulary into our weekly studies. It can be hard to find an easy vocabulary curriculum, but I've found a routine using the vocabulary set Marie's Words to expand our word knowledge.

It is commonly recognized that the way you speak, especially the words used can really set someone apart. Think about all the stereotypes you know for a hillbilly and how they are portrayed language-wise.