Stuff We Like :: 8.28.15

As summer winds down, I’m finding myself walking the line between doing more research, getting organized, and making plans for the year, while also enjoying the last of what summer has to offer – movie nights, peaches, and hours-long board games with the family.

around the web

Homeschooling has changed a lot since we started 18 years ago. This article from Time does a great job of highlighting the modern homeschooling movement and how it has evolved over the years. (And I always like reading about homeschooling!)

I’ve been following Amanda Blake Soule’s wonderful blog, SouleMama, for over five years (her books are great too!). Reading her blog is like finding a little corner of peace and sunshine on the sometimes not-too-peaceful World Wide Web.

I love the whimsical artwork and gentle poetry of life-long learner and radical unschooler, Jacob Oh. And I think it’s awesome that he’s found a way to interact and share his work with fans, while supporting his passion.

at home/school/life

on the blog: I really like this Q&A post from Amy about creating volunteer opportunities for our kids. It got me thinking about ways I can give back to the community with my six year old, which has led us to start an ongoing service project to benefit our local Food Pantry.

on the blog: I just discovered Suzanne’s blog post, Organizing Your Reading Lists, from July. I don’t know how I missed it when it came out! But I’m glad I found it now. I’m excited to start a book journal for myself and for my 1st grader as well. 

in the kitchen

I made this peach cobbler for my son’s 18th birthday because it’s his favorite dessert, and we’re lucky that his birthday comes in August when our local peaches are still available at the market. As always, it came out lovely and delicious.

My very favorite thing to do with fresh peaches is make peach butter. This recipe comes pretty close to the one I came up with and only requires three ingredients: fresh peaches, sugar, and water. Though I also add a pinch of salt to it while cooking. Yum!

at home

We’ve watched a lot of movies together this summer, and we’re wrapping up our movie-fest by revisiting some of my childhood favorites with our six year old. The latest? Escape to Witch Mountain followed by The Love Bug. Thanks, Amazon Instant Video!

Our teen doesn’t watch a lot of movies with us, but he’s totally into board games. Our current favorite is Twilight Struggle, a two-person, cold war era game. It’s a little pricey on Amazon, but we found it at our local comics and gaming shop for about half the price. (Don’t be put off by the confusing instructions! Once you start playing, it all makes sense, and provides hours of historically dramatic fun.)

books

My youngest and I have really liked reading the Imaginary Veterinary series by Suzanne Selfors and Dan Santat together. So far we’ve finished the first four and will be started book 5 soon.

I can’t recommend Paradise in Plain Sight by Karen Maezen Miller enough. I have dog-eared almost the entire book with pages that I want to go back and read again and again. I also loved her other books, Momma Zen and Hand Wash Cold, but Paradise has really struck a nerve with me.

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