It turns out that kids get older. In fact, they get so much older so fast that my oldest is about to enter high school. There’s something about high school that’s a little intimidating. As both a homeschooling parent and a mom I feel the hot breath of separation breathing down my neck. “She’ll be…
Life and Family
Favorite Resources To Make High School History Fun and Effective
I love history, and I think it’s terribly important. “The only thing new in the world is the history you don’t know,” as Truman said. I incorporate as much history as I can into my 1st grade son’s curriculum, although at his age the “3R” basics and physical play take priority. History is more formalized for…
Major Site Upgrade and Some New Website Features You Should Know About
Why hello beautiful people. This is Erica’s website speaking. Can you tell I’ve….had a little work done? So the past three weeks or so here at the NWEdible headquarters has been website migration fun. When I say fun I mean fun like sticking your face inside a preheated waffle iron is fun. Actually it wasn’t…
8 Things I Do Before Every Meditation Session
I’ve been meditating regularly now for about six weeks. That means I’m an expert, and I’m here to tell you exactly how to change everything that’s wrong in your life with meditation. Just kidding, I still have no idea what I’m doing. As with many things in life, if you have no idea what you’re…
What Warts Taught Me About Meditation
A couple months ago my son sprouted a wart on the ball of his left foot. I’m going somewhere with this, I promise. At first the wart was so small, we opted to just keep an eye on it. But later it started to spread into a chrysanthemum of tiny baby warts blooming up from…
2018 Word List Brainstorming Session
So, 2017 was kinda a weird year, huh? I realized just at the end of December that I’ve been carrying some anger in me. Like, unexpected, wow I-really-didn’t-know-I-was-that-on-edge anger. Some of you made 2017 the year of embracing your anger. Without judgement, as soon as I could name this feeling of being vaguely on edge…
If You Could Outsource It All, Would You?
I’m reading this quick little book on geopolitics and trends in political economy called “The Retreat of Western Liberalism.” Highly recommended, if you’re into that kind of thing and want a clearer view of how a world that seems a little topsy-turvy right now got that way. There’s a discussion in the book about job and income growth…
Patreon Exclusive Content For October: Full Archive
An archive of all NWEdible exclusive Patreon content for the month of August, 2017. This should make it easier for Patrons to search for the information they want to rewatch or access later.
First Grade Homeschooling: Curriculum and Schedule for 2017/18
Well it’s Year Two of this homeschooling thing and I’m simultaneously more relaxed about the process, and more aware of how critical it is to use our time well. Homeschooling is extremely time efficient, particularly in the younger grades, but man, three months can slip by with very little forward progress if you aren’t careful….
Math Practice Grid Paper for Carrying, Borrowing and Regrouping – Free Homeschool Download
I whipped up this worksheet to help Oliver with his multi-digit addition and subtraction problems. Every number has a tidy spot to live in, and shaded squares designate where carried or borrowed numbers live.
After The Flip
We all saw the balloon about eight leaps out, squishing along through the haze. It was drifting towards us, undulating slowly down from the roof of the four-story across the border street.
“Slickball!” We could outrun the balloon – they were slow – but not the splatter when it blew above us.
We slammed into the pile of border rubble, too hasty in our clambering. Up and over the urbanite walls, feet slamming down, away from the Slickball, towards the watchcave, always on the lookout for that telltale sheen where previous balloons had blown. One slip, one misplaced hand and we’d lose another fighter. Once you touched the Slick, there wasn’t much the healers could do.
Productive People With Young Children: A Message From Your Future
All parents know there’s this ideal where you slow down, radiate constant availability, and move at the pace of a young child following a snail through the garden. And then there’s reality. All the love in the world, but also: your To Do list, nagging in the back of your mind; this feeling that you are being squeezed all the time, from all directions, and no matter how hard you work, or how organized you are, you can’t quite get out of the vice; a sense that those adorable, busy, tiny hands are thwarting your simple need for some adult accomplishment; the unbidden resentment when the 45 minutes you counted on to just get this one thing done evaporates as your kid unexpectedly vomits warm, semi-digested California roll down your back (true story).