10.29.2026

An Open Letter on AI, Homeschooling, and a Vision Coming to Life

Hi friends,

Today I want to share something that has been on my mind and heart lately. I've had several conversations about AI-assisted educational resources, particularly the criticism surrounding them, and I thought the blog would be the perfect place to share a few thoughts of my own.

so here is my perspective on creativity, ai, and homeschooling...

I want to start off by saying that I'm not looking for you to agree or disagree with me. This is more of a heart posture post for myself because, if I'm being transparent, I've wrestled with how people might perceive me for using AI. And with so much noise surrounding the topic, I thought it was worth sharing why I've chosen to use it and the heart behind that decision.

firstly,

I love books. I love art. I love supporting artists, authors, and small businesses. My home is filled with books and artwork from people whose creativity I genuinely admire. I have spent hundreds of dollars supporting homeschooling shops and purchasing things from others. I think it's important to support small creators and their work. I try to shop small every chance I get.

however,

I also love creating things. I always have, and if you've followed me for a while, you know I create all the things, all the time. I am a creator. This blog, my Instagram accounts, my home, my art... I love making things with my own hands and curating spaces that have purpose and feel warm and inviting.

when it comes to homeschool...

I've spent countless dollars purchasing homeschooling resources, only to find myself trying to make them fit what I envisioned for our homeschool. And honestly, sometimes I end up spending even more money piecing together different materials because nothing quite does what I need (or want) it to do.

I've seen so many people share silly prompts they've asked AI to complete, and a thought came to mind: why not use it to help me create the things I want and need for my homeschool?

the vision and the use of ai to attain it...

Creating resources for my homeschool turned into a passion project born out of my love for homeschooling, history, research, and beautiful educational materials.

I wanted to create world history units that encompass Scripture, pretty infographics, and a plethora of worksheets that would work for multiple grades. Essentially, the vision was to create world history units that could be taught in a family setting, with children of all ages gathered around the table, and resources that we could return to later to adjust or deepen our studies.

truth is...

I spend countless hours developing, researching, reviewing, revising, and putting together resources that I want to use with my own children. I go through multiple audits of the work, check historical details, revise illustrations, and scrap things that don't fit or aren't accurate. Sometimes that means reworking an entire page because something just isn't right. And sometimes it means starting over completely or dropping it altogether. LOL.

Currently, it is not feasible for me to hire an artist for the illustrations on this project. I am a stay-at-home mother who homeschools her three children, and commissioning illustrations for every unit simply isn't financially realistic for my family right now.

While I love to draw and doodle in my spare time, I know that I don't have the time to create all the images myself while tending to a home and homeschooling children of different ages. I'm creating a Look book that's around 100 pages long for each unit, and using AI has been a game changer in helping me bring the resources I envision to life. I still spend time refining the illustrations, requesting revisions, correcting details, and making sure they fit the educational purpose of each resource. From deciding what belongs in each unit to how the information is presented, there are countless little decisions involved in bringing everything together.

And you know what? I've genuinely enjoyed creating these resources. Even with all the revisions, corrections, and occasional frustrations, there's something so satisfying about watching an idea slowly come together -- especially knowing that it's something I'll use with my own children.

So yes, AI-assisted tools are part of my creative process, and I'm not going to hide that. I'll always disclose their use in my product descriptions because I believe people should know what they're purchasing. I'm proud of the work I've put into these resources, and I want to be transparent about how they're made.

something to consider...

I made these resources for myself first, and then thought, hey, maybe I should open up a little shop because someone else might find them useful, too.

I'm not creating resources simply to sell them. I'm creating them because I want to use them in my homeschool. That is the essence of this project and the heart behind it.

For now, my plan is simply to make them available through my little shop and share them in the blog posts that accompany each unit. They'll probably make an occasional appearance in my photos and videos, too, because they're part of our homeschooling life.

I'm not looking to turn this into some wildly popular homeschooling business. I just love creating things, and if another family finds them useful, that's wonderful. I'm happy to share.

in short,

I've seen plenty of criticism surrounding AI-generated content, and I understand that some of it is warranted. Not everything created with AI is thoughtful, accurate, or well-made. But I also think it's important to recognize that not everyone uses these tools in the same way. There can still be a tremendous amount of time, effort, and care behind AI-assisted work, and I know firsthand just how much goes into creating the resources I've made for my family.

I understand that not everyone feels comfortable with AI, and I respect their right to choose resources that align with their values. There are worthwhile conversations to be had about how these technologies are developed and used. But I don't believe using modern creative tools automatically makes someone's time, judgment, or finished work less valuable.

I have so much appreciation for artists, authors, and traditional curriculum publishers, and using AI doesn't change that. I'm simply a homeschooling mom who loves learning, loves creating, and decided to share some of what she's made.

So, I'll still be over here homeschooling my boys, collecting books, appreciating beautiful art, and probably researching another ancient civilization and creating resources to go along with it.

until next time,

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10.12.2026

Intro to Our World History Unit(s)

Hi friends!

It's been awhile since I've talked about our homeschooling plans. This year, I decided to tackle world history with the boys. History has always been one of my favorite subjects and I feel teaching children at home gives us the opportunity to dive in, learn together and connect it to our faith and everyday lives. I haven't found a history curriculum for elementary students that I love, so it's given me the jolt to curate one that fits our families needs.

So, without further ado, I'd like to present this year's history curriculum:

I thought I'd share how we're going to approach and curate each unit before jumping in. Thats what this post is all about. My goal is to make each unit into a separate blog post where I share the resources we use as well as give you guys a look into how our studies went.

here's the plan + structure going forward

each unit should take about 2 to 4 weeks depending on how fast you'd like to go. It can take more time, there is no quota we are trying to meet. In our home, we tend to do history lessons about 2 to 3 times a week -- sometimes more, sometimes less. it really depends on the season, the week ahead and how dense the material is. sometimes day three and four take several days, and that's okay. the important thing is that this schedule can be altered at any time.

if the boys get fascinated by something, we can stay there. If something isn't particularly interesting, we can move along. The five-day rhythm is really just a framework for how I like to approach each unit, not a checklist we have to complete. The goal is to learn, explore, ask questions and enjoy the process -- not rush through history just to say we finished it.

books + videos

we are using The Kingfisher Illustrated History of the World and The Kingfisher Atlas of World History as our main history books. I am using the timelines in both of these books to guide us on our journey through the world's history. I start the entire unit with opening up these books, looking at the maps, reading the bits of information they have, and then building on that.

we've also subscribed to the EPIC! platform and I try to find books that we can all read together that correlate to the lesson / unit in addition to the books we have in our home library and public library. the more books we can dabble in, the better!

I also look for educational YouTube videos to show the boys. I love presenting tangible, auditory and visual forms of the lesson. I find that they boys retain information better this way.

*please note: The Kingfisher Illustrated History of the World is a thrifted find. if you find it in the wild, I highly recommend it for any home library. it's filled with wonderful maps, timelines and pictures.

the articles

this year, we are using Kid Discoveries online platform as the base of our unit. Each unit, I curate a selection of articles and videos from the platform that the boys must read independently. The children like to use the "read aloud" feature and read along with narrator. This is the perfect time to have them put on headphones and read independently.

There is also an optional quiz you can assign the child if you'd like. After the boys read an article (or two) for the day, we often discuss what they learned. This is the perfect opportunity to practice reading comprehension.

the history notebook

I purchased @theschoolnest's history notebook via Amazon and are using this a way for the boys to collect + record the information they learn. I curate coloring worksheets, small timelines, and other informational worksheets for the boys to cut and glue into the notebooks along with the notes they take. you will find some of these at the end of the lesson under the free resources section.

the music we heard

one thing I love to do is play music during our notebooking sessions and as we enjoy the meal at the end of the lesson. It's a perfect way to truly immerse yourself in the time period. In each blog post, I will link videos and playlists we used.

the projects

for the interactive element of our history studies, I want the boys to complete a few hands-on projects for each unit. Whether it's recreating an artifact from the time period, researching a topic that sparks their curiosity, or building something inspired by the ancient world, these projects will give them an opportunity to explore history beyond the pages of a book.

My hope is that by using their hands, asking questions, and following their interests, they'll develop a deeper connection to the people, places, and cultures we're studying.

the meal

I like to close out the lesson by making a special meal from that time period. We break bread together and talk about what we've learned. It's the perfect way to close out the lesson and gives us the opportunity to share what we found most interesting, connect it to the bible, and look forward to the next lesson.

I will also have a plate template (found in the freebies section of the blog post). The boys will have an opportunity to draw / label the food that they ate and we will glue it in their history notebook. Pictures of the actual meal will be on the blog post as well -- and a recipe will be included for anyone who wants to try and make it.

annnnnnnd that's a wrap!

so, that's the plan in a nutshell. What do y'all think?!

I'm really excited to get started with this and see how it all actually plays out. We'll go down a few rabbit holes, spend way too long on something the boys become obsessed with and honestly, that's what homeschooling is all about and is one of my favorite parts!

Like I mentioned before, I'll be sharing each unit on the blog along with snippets of their notebooks, how each unit went and all the little extras (+ some freebies along the way).

alright friends, we're off to explore the world, one civilization at a time. See you at our first stop -- Mesopotamia!

*a little note about supporting my work:

I've had a few people ask how they can support the time and effort that goes into creating and sharing these resources. I love being able to offer ideas, inspiration, and helpful resources here on the blog for free.

Creating, curating, and writing these resources takes quite a bit of time, so if you’d like to support my work, you can always “buy me a coffee” through my tip jar. It is never expected, but it is genuinely appreciated and helps me continue creating and sharing these resources with you.

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10.04.2026

Long Time No See

hello again dear reader!

it's been a long time, friend. a lot has happened since I shared that we've bought a home. I wish I could divulge in all of it, but I am just so tired. One thing I know is that through it all, I have missed this space, writing and hitting publish -- this corner of the internet has always been a cozy space that I have enjoyed so much.

truth is, I've contemplated coming back to the blogging world so many times, but this space felt dead. I feel terrible even typing that because I truly love writing. It's always been my thing, but then I added unneeded pressure. I was burnt out when I was trying to crank out two blog posts a week. I felt like I needed more content and more traffic, but it sucked the joy right out of the process, so I took a break...

and it lasted two whole years -- yikes.

like most of my social media, I have stopped looking at the views, likes, and traffic. the algorithm is ever-changing and moving the goal posts, so I am now posting whatever, and whenever I want -- which has led me here, doing what I've always loved.

to celebrate my return, I've curated a little look book (... like the good old days) of the boy's room. It's a little inspo mood board type of post and if you've been here awhile, you know these are my absolute favorite. I'll share links to the things I can as some of these elements are thrifted.

items shown -- click for link, when applicable.

Maileg Rat (retired)

Notebook Magnetic White Board

Green Dinosaur

Wooden Sailor + Captian (thrifted)

Traffic Light

Yoto Player

Ship in Bottle (thrifted)

Yellow Backpack

Classic Letter Blocks

Olli Ella Mushroom Basket with Colored Pencils (retired)

Maileg Panda

Blue Whale

Lighthouse (thrifted)

Red Mushroom Lamp

Lion Solider Figurine

Olli Ella Circus Tent Basket (retired)

Hanging Basket

School Bus

Drewart Castle (thrifted)

Space Shuttle Poster

Sequoia National Park Poster

Cursive Chalkboard Print

*inserting a small disclaimer here -- some links are affiliate!

and there you have it, the decor in the boy's bedroom. I love it so much and hope you do too.

before I end this post, I want to say something...

I am so happy to be back. I want this space to be a place to make things, share things, document little bits of our life and just... have fun with it. No big content plan, no trying to make every post fit somewhere. Just me, doing my thing. That's what it started out as and that's what it will continue to be. I hope you stick around because I've truly missed this. Until next time, xoxo,

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7.23.2024

We bought a House!

"the american way" by roger wilkerson

hello hello!

thing’s have been wild around here and I’ve been a little MIA on most socials because exciting things have been happening for us — we’ve bought a house! We’re first time home owners and the entire process has been tedious and exhausting. It’s finally over, so I’d thought I’d do a blog post to talk about the journey and then take a few weeks off from posting because I need to settle in, move all my things and take a vacation.

The house we just purchased wasn’t the first house we put an offer on. We ended up seeing over 50 homes and putting offers on three, so it’s been a whirlwind.

THE JOURNEY

House #1

It was my dream house — with the exception of being on the smaller side. It was a white house, black shutters and half an acre. The backyard was stunning, the perfect place to host events with two majestic trees, a play structure for the boys, a barn (that I was already imagining renovating in to a homeschool space), and plenty of room for chickens to run around. It had a spacious fenced front yard, and I was in love with the property just from looking at the Zillow pictures. The only kicker was that it was only 2,000 sq ft and we were looking for a home slightly larger.

We went to an open house and then called our agent the next day to see it one more time before we put an offer. We were the first offer and the sellers said they wanted to counter offer…. Then, they went silent. When we reached out again, the seller’s agent said that the sellers have “three threatening” offers and that they wanted to see if someone would go closer to their asking price.

We upped our offer and said that it was our final offer. Sellers responded back the following day saying it’s still not enough. So, with heartbreak we started looking again, keeping an eye on the property, hoping that in a months time, they’d drop the price and we’d swoop in again.

Unfortunately, the property got an offer and sold, leaving my husband and I with regrets.

House #2

After the loss of the “dream” house, we went back to looking. I found a cute home on zillow with .8 of an acre and showed it to my husband. It was a tinier home at only 1500 sq ft, but the backyard was so enticing — it had a play structure and a fire pit, lots of rose bushes and huge tree in the middle providing ample shade from the hot Idaho sun. I was excited to see it until I opted to look at google earth and browse around the street view option.

I noticed that it was a corner lot off of a busy street, strike one. It had a pole right in front of the house, bordering the driveway, strike two. There was a telephone pole on the right side of the property, with the supporting cables anchored in the front lawn, strike three.

I told my husband I no longer wanted to see it and voiced my concerns, but he insisted that he wanted to see it. So, we took a visit with our agent and my husband fell hard for the backyard. He kept saying it was the yard of his dreams and that we could in time, extend the home / remodel it.

I wasn’t convinced. I walked around the house, and it felt small — too small for our family of five and the possibility of having guests over felt impossible, strike four. I hated the telephone poles even more when I saw them in person, but what was the kicker was this home had a septic tank, strike five. I really wasn’t a fan of the property, but my husband was all in and declared we were going to make an offer because he couldn’t pass up such a nice yard.

The seller’s agent called us that day saying that we were the first offer, but someone came in and offered them asking price. They then proceeded to tell us that the seller wants to make a choice that evening, so if we wanted to up the offer, now was the time.

So, my husband, not wanting to lose his dream backyard, offered more Our agent called us saying our offer was accepted and I wanted to cry.. let’s just say they wouldn’t have been happy tears. LOL

Since our offer had been accepted, I started to try and talk myself up to start feeling content about our new home. The house was built in 1970 with nothing updated, so I started to focus on how I’d make it a home and started selling some of our things on marketplace because I knew that fitting all our stuff into this home wasn’t going to happen. I started looking at triple bunk beds for the boys and ways to utilize space.

Until an 80 page inspection report hit our inbox — my heart sank with each page. I started to feel sick. We had sent the report to my father, who lives in Portland, and he got in his car to come see the house before we sign off on the report. Within 6 hours, he was here and becoming the voice of reason.

Everything I had brought up, my dad echoed and emphasized that extending and remodeling a home in this bad of condition would be a money drain and it would never be profitable for us if we ever wanted to move. He talked the size of the home already being tight and if we had more kids, it would be hard to sell because it’s a corner lot, and about all the possible surprises we might find as a remodel progresses and woke my husband up. We retracted that evening at 10 pm and I was so relieved. The seller’s agent said fine and asked if they could see the inspection report as a courtesy. We said yes, because we were happy to be out of what would have been a horrible situation.

But it wasn’t over, the seller’s agent called the next day said that we had missed the mark for backing out, and that they wanted to keep the escrow money because the other interested party had already bought a house. Even though we had backed out 12 hours within receiving the report, but there had been a mix up with the company and they had initially sent the report to a wrong email.

We insisted that it wasn’t our fault, but to retract our resignation and proceed with the septic tank inspection that needed to be done because that was the next step and it was one that the seller had initially agreed to pay for. Our plan was to object to the size and age of the tank and back out again. But the seller’s agent came back with the seller’s signature on our initial back out request.

THANK GOD that this whole ordeal was over. It was so stressful and I am so glad that we opted out. Also, major shout out to my father, who came across state lines, the day of, to talk us out of what would have been the worst investment of our lives.

House #3

after that whole ordeal, we started looking again and saw over 20 houses. Everything was either in terrible shape, old or had a sliver of a backyard. We started to lose hope and started talking about renewing our rental lease for another year and decided to visit open houses instead of dragging our agent everywhere.

I found a home that was having an open house. It had a smaller backyard than what we would have liked, but the appealing factor the home was larger than our rental, with enough space for our growing family's needs. It had some lovely updates, and although the backyard was smaller than we'd hoped, we could finally picture ourselves making it home.

On the same day, we saw another house, smaller than this one, with several upgrades needed, but with a larger yard. We were impressed with it, until we learned there was a city easement on the property that would fill in case of too much rain. They had just lowered the price of this home by $50k. Our agent said they probably wouldn’t want to drop the price any more since that was already a huge cut.

My husband drove back to look the first house we saw and decided to offer them full price and ask them to cover closing costs. The seller’s agent got back to us and they had accepted our offer. We got an inspection report that told us the house was in great condition with a few minor / cosmetic fixes and we were over joyed.

Now, we’re here and are home owners! It’s been a four month journey and I am so excited for the house hunt chapter to finally close. I can’t wait to share how I’m styling it via the blog, but I want to take the next few weeks to fully focus on moving and settling in. We’re also going to be visiting family next month, so it’s the perfect time to take a much needed break, and come back to getting the boys ready for the school year.

so, that’s a wrap for now — see you guys in September! xoxo.

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7.09.2024

Healthy Soda Face Off: OLIPOP vs. POPPI

"At The Soda Fountian" (1961)

hello friends!

We're undergoing a heat wave this week and there is nothing like a refreshing iced soda to put you out of your misery. I thought it would be fun to start a miniseries that faces off healthy sodas since they've become allll the rage! First on the chopping block, poppi and olipop!

OLIPOP

I went to target and purchased a can of every flavor they had on the shelf — vintage cola, strawberry vanilla, cream soda, cherry cola, classic root beer, ginger ale, and classic grape. I convinced five of my soda loving siblings to try them with me and we sat around my parents kitchen for a taste testing session. I am so sad to say, we did not find a single flavor that were worthy of a repurchase. I was super disappointed in every single flavor and so was everyone else. They had strange after tastes and none of the flavors tasted anything like what was stated on the can. It was a total bust.

RATING: 1/10

I will say that I am curious to what the peaches and cream and the banana cream flavors. they sound delicious, but I’m a little scared to try them. I will update this section once I do — and hopefully, they can help boost the rating… because these sodas are my least favorite brand of the three.

POPPI

I’ve tried all the poppi flavors except the wild berry, lemon lime and watermelon. I decided to not put my siblings on a taste testing session after the tragedy of the last one. So, back to target I went and purchased all the flavors I could find on the shelf that day and tasted them myself. I can that most of them are pretty good. Most of them taste like their respective titles which is a plus.

RATING: 8/10

The only flavor I am not a fan of is root beer because that classic root beer taste is hard to match.

THE WINNER

hands down, poppi is my favorite “healthy” soda brand. they actually taste good and don't have a strong after-taste, which is a big thing for me. So to celebrate their win, I thought I'd share some of my favorite flavors from poppi and what they remind me of.

Raspberry Rose

at the tip top of the flavor tier -- it's my all-time favorite flavor. it’s giving chic, classy and sassy vibes.

Orange Cream

coming in hot for a close #1 contender is orange cream. This one is their newest flavor, and it’s the perfect blend of cream and citrus. It’s super nostalgic and reminds me of those orange cream ice cream cups we used to get in elementary school!

Doc Pop

it’s supposed to be the Dr. Pepper Dupe, and it does a good job.

Strawberry Lemon

this tastes exactly like a freckled strawberry lemonade from Red Robin.

Places to Buy

you can find them at local grocery and whole food stores, but you can find them online on Amazon! I've also seen them at Costco.

and that's a wraaaaaaaaap!

have you tried any healthy sodas lately? are you a fan? I love that they don't have as much sugar as regular soda, but if I'm honest, I'm not sure how much I buy into their marketing. It's healthier than an ordinary soda -- sure, but if your gut health is in the dumps, I don't think the switch is going to help much. regardless, they're fun to try, so what sodas should we try and face off next? until next time, xoxo

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7.02.2024

Summer Themed Children's Books (+Fourth of July Books)

a church picnic by Arthur Sarnoff

hiya friends!

I hope you're having a great week. Today, I'm sharing a little round up of children books for the summer -- think beach, ocean animals and sun! I've also included a little round up of books about America and the fourth of July, since that's a big part of summer. These are all books that I'm pulling off the shelf these next few months, so let's get to it!

*but first, a little disclaimer, some links are affiliate!

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SLIDER

Welcome

LET'S CONNECT

10.29.2026

10.12.2026

books + videos

the articles

the history notebook

the music we heard

the projects

the meal

10.04.2026

Maileg Rat (retired)

Wooden Sailor + Captian (thrifted)

Ship in Bottle (thrifted)

Olli Ella Mushroom Basket with Colored Pencils (retired)

Lighthouse (thrifted)

Olli Ella Circus Tent Basket (retired)

Drewart Castle (thrifted)

7.23.2024

THE JOURNEY

House #1

House #2

House #3

7.09.2024

OLIPOP

POPPI

THE WINNER

Places to Buy

7.02.2024