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    Our Relationship with Screens

    When I was little, I watched a lot of TV. I mean, a lot of TV. When I was in 5th and 6th grade, I distinctly remember having a TV in my room, and I remember turning it on right when I got home from school (hello, Gem!) and watching it through the night (Silver Spoons, anyone?). When I was in 7th grade, I recall taking a survey at school that asked us how much TV we watched. I remember thinking: “Ha! I watch a lot of TV and still get good grades! I’m the opposite of what this survey expects.” Even now, my family has a TV in every

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    Montessori Moments



    These “Montessori Moments” posts are meant to highlight some of the ways we implement the Montessori method in our home. Many of the activities that are featured–cooking, cleaning together, going out into nature, etc.–overlap with other parenting philosophies or might seem like things that parents just do with their children intuitively. I’ve still chosen to highlight them here because they are integral to the Montessori approach to parenting and education and fit within a comprehensive continuum of activities that support children as they undergo the important work of forming themselves. For more information about incorporating Montessori into the home, I recommend How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori WayRead More

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    Finished: Front Yard!

    I don’t tend to write about a lot of “afters” in my life; I’m much more motivated to use this blog as a planning space. But I figured I should share our finished front yard!

    We asked three different landscapers to come up with designs and estimates. We mainly got recommendations from neighbors whose yards we like. The first landscaper charged us to create the design; the second and third did not. The estimates varied widely, and we ended up liking a design in the lower-middle range of the three estimates.

    Matt and I wanted a low-maintenance, drought-resistant front yard. I also wanted space to garden. I love, love, love … Read More