A couple of weeks ago we had a cold front blow through. We woke to temperatures in the 60s. I was thrilled! I knew our daytime highs would soon be back in the 90s, so I resisted the urge to don a sweater and sit beneath a blanket while consuming a warm pumpkin-flavored beverage. However, I did put my fall wreath on our front door! Last … [Read more...] about Favorite Fall Posts and an Update on Site Upgrades
14 Children’s Books About Gratitude
We are so grateful for our local library! We borrow dozens of books each week. Because we are approaching the Thanksgiving holiday, this week we picked up numerous books about gratitude. Gratitude can be a difficult concept for young kids to grasp. Books are a great way to introduce the concept because they explain it in a variety of … [Read more...] about 14 Children’s Books About Gratitude
Monster Protein Balls
My kids love sprinkles. I frequently include sprinkles in new foods I introduce to them because the colorful bits help them get excited about trying unfamiliar items. Thus, when I saw some fun monster sprinkles, I knew I wanted to prepare my kids a new food that utilized the sprinkles. One thing that came to mind, because … [Read more...] about Monster Protein Balls
September 2024 Dinner Menu
I’m happy that September is here and that we are leaving August behind! August is always rough around here because of the heat. However, this year it seemed worse than usual because our AC stopped working. We are currently renting, so we had to wait for our landlord to make arrangements to get it fixed. We spent several days (with daytime … [Read more...] about September 2024 Dinner Menu
Step Back and Look from Another Angle
We have a bottom-freezer fridge in our kitchen. At the top of the freezer there is a shallow drawer, and at the bottom is a large bin. The space between the two is minimal. Because the freezer was a bit full (or pretty disorganized so it seemed full), I managed to accidentally push an ice pack over the back edge of the bin, leaving it stuck at … [Read more...] about Step Back and Look from Another Angle
15 Fun and Memorable Back-to-School Traditions for Homeschoolers
My older kids sometimes lament that they are missing out on certain things because they’re homeschooled. For example, my middle child really wishes she could ride a school bus and my oldest child really wants a cute backpack in which to carry her books. Of course, due to their ages, they have a difficult time understanding that their peers … [Read more...] about 15 Fun and Memorable Back-to-School Traditions for Homeschoolers
August 2024 Dinner Menu
July was a relatively calm month for us. We were grateful for this! We finally wrapped up school, so my kids are excited to have a break. Given I need to begin preparing for next year, my break will be short-lived. Nevertheless, I am grateful that things will be moving at a slower pace for a few weeks. My parents are visiting this … [Read more...] about August 2024 Dinner Menu
Under Construction: Please Excuse the Mess
I’ve been writing posts here on Of The Hearth for over a decade. So much has changed during that time! This is true in my personal life, of course, but it is also true in terms of technology and current events. For this website to remain useful to you, I need to make some updates. I’ve been working on a few of these behind the scenes, … [Read more...] about Under Construction: Please Excuse the Mess
