Sharing more about P’s homeschool curriculum and how we structure our days. For more about why we decided to homeschool, check out this post.

Hi friends! How are you? I hope that you’re having a wonderful morning. I have a couple of client calls today, homeschool fun, and we’re going to take an afternoon hike. What are you up to?

For today’s post, I wanted to chat more about how we structure our days now that we’re in week 3 of homeschooling. It’s worth mentioning here that every day is different and these are just boxes we check each day. The beauty of homeschool is that it’s flexible. It takes far less time than traditional school, and you have the freedom to pause, change things, or move things around, depending on what’s going on.

It’s also worth mentioning here that I’m NOT an expert and have minimal experience in this area. I’m the newb of the newbies and am seriously figuring this out as we go. I’m so so thankful that there are homeschool experts out there and friends who have offered with help and advice; I’ll take all the tips I can get!

I’m also SO thankful to Brittany from A Healthy Slice of Life who jumped in, hopped on the phone with me when I sent her a super long voice message, talked me off the ledge, and helped me figure out a gameplan. Check out her blog for homeschool info, recipes, travel, and lifestyle – she is amazing.

Even though I’m still figuring this out, I wanted to share this post for my friends out there who are considering homeschool, but are super intimidated, just as I was. I thought I’d have to be a *teacher* to be good at this. You don’t need to have a teaching background. You just need to find the right curriculum fit (and know you can change at any time), have a little patience and flexibility, and continue to show love and patience to your kiddo. <3

Our homeschool curriculum and how we structure our days

For the most part, here’s how the day goes:

We wake up and take Liv to school. We come home, P has breakfast, I give her a little bit of chill time where she can play with toys, puzzles, build things, etc. (this is where I’ll catch up on a few emails or put out work fires) and we start *school* at 9. I sit at the table with her and eat my breakfast as we work together.

Almost all of the curriculum we’re using is plug and play, which means you open the book, read the lesson, answer the questions, and move on. (Almost everything below was recommended by Brittany)

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Sharing my wellness must-haves for travel! 

Hi friends! Happy Monday! I hope that you had a great weekend and that my friends who were celebrating Easter enjoyed a beautiful holiday. We had brunch here at the house, went to see King of Kings with friends, and had dinner to celebrate Trevor’s bday with the fam. It was perfect.

Our Spring Forward challenge starts TODAY so if you’re looking for a lil wellness reset, sign up here.

For today’s post, I wanted to talk a bit about travel wellness must-haves. Some people pack super light and I’m like, “How can I cushion my mini Somavedic so it doesn’t break?”

Maybe one day I’ll be a carry-on only girl, but for now, I just have too many things I like to have with me. I tried to focus on solely the essentials for this post and included all of the wellness goodies I bring when I travel. Affiliate links are included below because many of these are products I’ve used and loved for many years. Thank you so much for supporting the blog by shopping through my links!

If you have any faves to add to the list, please leave them in the comments below!

Travel Wellness Must-haves

Compression socks

These are such a gamechanger for long flights and drives. I can’t live without them because they really help with circulation and reducing swelling. I’ll also get up and walk at least every couple of hours unless I’m sleeping. I’ll wear a jumpsuit or comfy pants when I travel (no leggings) so no one can tell I’m in full grandma compression mode. These are the best. 

Rest Eye masks

These are one of my can’t-live-without eye care products, but they are amazing for overall eye wellness, especially if you deal with dry eyes on flights. I use one every single morning. They help to open the oil glands and increase the oil production in your eyes, which lubricates them, and it’s super relaxing. Try them here. 

Hand sanitizer

While I don’t think that we should abuse hand sanitizer, I think it’s important to have on hand when you have kids and they’re touching everything, and for traveling. There aren’t always convenient spots available to wash hands, and this is my Read more

Hi friends! Happy Friday! What’s going on this weekend? We’re meeting up with friends at Mt. Lemmon, P has a basketball game, and Sunday, we’re celebrating Easter and my brother Trevor’s 30th bday with the fam. The Pilot has been traveling a ton, so we’re looking forward to having him home for *most* of the weekend.

Our Spring Forward challenge starts on MONDAY. If you’re looking for a little wellness reset, this is the perfect opportunity. Sign up here – it’s totally free and everything is delivered to your inbox.

It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party! This is where I share some of my favorite finds from the week and around the web. I always love to hear about your faves, too, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below.

4.18 Friday Faves

Fashion + beauty + random:

Wrapped up a second week of homeschooling. Did the usual subjects and for P’s science project, she worked on an egg drop.

NCL Senior Recognition! They hosted a gorgeous garden party at Hacienda del Sol, and it was the perfect way to celebrate graduating seniors. Liv and I have really enjoyed our experience with NCL this year. It’s given us the opportunity to participate and volunteer in the community, while providing leadership opportunities for Liv, new cultural experiences, and the opportunity to make new friends.

This dress is from last summer but this year’s version is here:

Our roses have been blooming like crazy! They smell amaaaaaazing.

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Hello!! I hope you’re all having a great week! I thought I’d pop in and share some healthy summer party and grilling recipes if you’re planning any fun family nights or get-togethers.

I LOVE grilling season, it’s such an easy and healthy way to make dinner. The best part: very little cleanup. Something about veggies and meat on the grill lets us all know that summer is officially here. We have some fun get-togethers planned over the next couple of months, and I’ve started to brainstorm and remember my favorite summer grilling and party recipes.

Here’s a little list if you’re looking for inspiration, too!

Healthy Summer Party And Grilling Recipes

Party Grill Recipes For Summer

Appetizers

Goat Cheese Queso With Green Chile

This appetizer is melty, cheesy, and oh-so good. It’s perfect to snack on while waiting for the main meal, and, it has turkey bacon! Even though I grew up around Mexican food, the appetizers aren’t my strong suit. But I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to make and how much everyone loved it!

Eggplant Pizzas

Eggplants—I love eating them, I love incorporating them into dishes, but actually cooking them feels like a whole ordeal. What I forgot though (until making this recipe) is that eggplants really don’t need that much to taste good—these egg plant pizzas prove that! They’re also super nutritious which is always a plus.

Marinated Grilled Vegetables With Avocado Whipped Feta

Struggle with eating vegetables sometimes? We’ve all been there, I’m guilty myself! But all you truly need is a grill and good, flavorful marinade. I’ve had this appetizer for an actual dinner a time or too, but it’s lightweight enough to serve as a side or a pre-meal snack.

Chicken Manchegos and House Guacamole

Not only is this appetizer SUPER good, it’s even easier to make! It’s got the protein, the veggies, and the gooey manchego cheese. If you’re having people over for a night of grilling, set this out for them to try.

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sharing more about how long we intend to homeschool, and why the heck we’re doing it with just a little over a month left of the school year. 

Hi friends!

I hope that you’re having an amazing week and I’m so pumped that so many of you have signed up for our Spring Forward wellness challenge. Make sure to sign up here – it’s totally free and it’s going to be a ton of fun. If you’re looking for a blast of motivation as we head into spring, this is the perfect way to do it!

For today’s post, I wanted to share a little bit more about our homeschool journey and what’s going on. I’ve alluded to the fact that we’ve had a rough time the past few months and it’s been difficult to navigate how and what to share. I’ve always been open with you guys when it comes to my life, but the purpose of the blog has always been to share MY experience; not my children’s. It’s a tricky line to walk, especially when they’re a huge part of my life and I feel like so many of you are a part of our family. At the same, I never want them to feel like their privacy has been invaded by what I share here, so I’ve always tried to take a delicate approach to my content, especially as they’ve gotten older.

The nutshell version is this: we ended up transferring Liv to another private school in January. We were all struggling with the mind-boggling amount of homework, tests, and assignments. It was especially hard with her competition dance schedule. We switched studios and cut her hours in half, and she was still up until at least midnight every night (for the past 2+ years) trying to finish everything for school. I’m a huge believer in hard work and I think academic rigor has its place, but it was too much for everyone. So, she switched and has been thriving.

When she switched schools, it was the first time P hasn’t had her big sis at school, which was challenging for her. The Pilot also retired, which was a huge transition, and she started to have more frequent stomachaches. (Her stomach has bothered her on and off for years, which has always worried me since she had severe reflux as a baby and was on Prilosec and Zantac, which has been recalled for terrifying reasons.) She saw multiple doctors, had an ultrasound, her stomach was deemed “healthy,” and their only suggestion was to put her on a PPI again. She was also doing CBT weekly, and sometimes twice a week. Her stomach pain and anxiety got so bad that she missed many days of school, and we were here trying to keep up with the insane amount of homework, classwork, and tests.

The Pilot was home for retirement and was teaching her the content, making sure she completed the huge packets of classwork, and taking her to school for tests. He had go back to commercial airline training and I couldn’t fathom solo parenting, working, and trying to keep up with all of the school work she was missing, so I asked her to either choose to go back to school or we could pull her out, and she said, “Please homeschool me.”

I never intended to be a teacher, but I’ll do anything for our babies and if it’s what P needs right now, I’m going to do it.

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