• podcasts worth your time part 2
    gift and learning

    Podcasts Worth Your Time: Part 2

    I’ve decided to start an infrequent series titled “Podcasts Worth Your Time.” It’s been exactly a year since I wrote the first blog post in this “new” series. Maybe this will be an annual thing. Instead of focusing on podcasts in general, I want to focus on the specific episodes that I can’t get out of my head. I listen to at least one podcast a day, sometimes more depending on what I’ve got going on. The episodes I’m sharing with you are the episodes that have been living rent-free in my noggin taking up all my ruminating space. These are the episodes that I discuss in excruciating detail with…

  • 10 podcasts worth your time
    learning

    10 Podcasts Worth Your Time

    I don’t watch much tv anymore. I can’t tell you the last movie I watched. However, I do listen to podcasts. Podcasts keep me company on walks or while I’m doing DIY projects. These are not the totality of the podcasts I listen to, but these are 10 podcasts worth your time as deemed by me, the captain of this blog. P.S. These podcasts are not listed in any particular order. I don’t want to play favorites! No Stupid Questions No Stupid Questions with Angela Duckworth and Stephen Dubner is a thoughtful, funny, research-based take on questions we all have. Some episodes I’ve listened to recently tackle these questions: Does…

  • middle school lockers
    gift and learning

    5 Ways to Help Transition Kids to a New School

    Need ideas on how to help transition kids to a new school? You’ve come to the right place. The start of a new school year is always full of promise. There’s always a chance that we’ll never be late for school. That no lunches will be forgotten. That no parent will lose their ever loving mind no one will get frustrated during homework time because that’s not how we did math. That all permission slips and forms will be turned in on time. That a pandemic won’t disrupt the school year over and over again. See? So. much. promise. I give us a week before one of those balls gets dropped. *sigh*…

  • best sound in the world family laughing in orchard
    gift and learning

    What is the Best Sound in the World?

    What is the best sound in the world to you? I have been thinking about this question lately. I’m curious to know what you think is the best sound in the world. If you had to pick only one sound, what would it be? Is it the sound of the waves crashing against the shore? Is it the sound of a cat purring? Is it the sound of your baby’s first cry after being brought into this world? Is it the sound of “I love you” coming from your partner’s lips? Is it the sound of rain coming down on your roof? Is it the sound of your name being called as you walk across the stage to…

  • sunset over rock wall halcyon
    Family

    Halcyon

    Halcyon, when used as an adjective, denotes a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful. Isn’t that lovely? The word is pronounced hal-sē-en (hal-see-en). I ran across the word halcyon in two different books last week and did not know what the word meant when used as an adjective. When it is used as a noun it refers to a bird. One of the books was a children’s book, so that prompted me to pause and question the depth of my vocabulary. How many words DO I use in a day? Also, this is the second time I’ve read this particular children’s book out loud to…

  • Animals,  education,  Family

    Does Owning an Ant Farm Make Me a Farmer?

    This is a legitimate question. Does owning an ant farm make me a farmer? Or just crazy because I have live ants in my house? Ants that I PAID MONEY to bring into my home and that I’m feeding and watering. You’re right. I drew the same conclusion. It definitely makes me a farmer. Glad we cleared that up. We recently took the kids to a place in New Jersey called Insectropolis. It is a self-described bugseum, which is a pretty great name. It was also a pretty great place to spend a couple of hours. We saw thousands of bugs and even touched a few live ones including a…