Refined Sugar Free Archives - Our Life in the Shire

Allergy Friendly, Bread & Muffins, Desserts, Freezer Cooking, Homeschool, Recipes

Gluten and Dairy Free Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I have always loved to bake. However, when we learned that our daughters needed to be strictly gluten and dairy free it was a challenging transition. These days it’s almost second nature to me, and it’s hard to remember how overwhelming it was at first. For our Poetry Teatime this week I made gluten and dairy free pumpkin cupcakes with faux cream cheese frosting. I know that not everyone is ready to embrace The Best Season of the Year (aka Fall), but I’ve been ready for weeks. At least I waited until September to break out the Autumn flavors, right?! I baked a test batch first and before adding icing I had everyone try one.…

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How do people who live in hot climates ever go outside?

It is way too hot to be outside in the afternoons this week. Even to play in water it’s a nope. I love the sunshine, but I’ll take sunshine with a side of temps in the 70’s please :D We’ve moved into the 100’s this week, and that is just not appropriate for this pacific northwest girl here. Give me all your survive the hot weather tips!

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#homeschoollife #homeschooldays #slowandsimpledays #hyggehomeschool #homeeducation #charlottemason #homeschoolfamily #welleducatedheart #morningbasket #poetryteatime #charlottemasoneducation #enchantededucation #homeschooling #homeschool #fromtheheart #charlottemasonhomeschool #bedeeplyrooted #charlottemasonliving #slowchildhood

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** 2024-2025 Curriculum Planning and Picks **

I’m really excited about our next homeschool year! This will be our third year with @the.cmec, and we’ll be following their recommendations almost exclusively.

My girls are both technically Form 2A Upper (6th grade) but as you probably know, my 12 year old has Down syndrome, so she’s on her own path. Part of a Charlotte Mason education means respecting the unique personhood of each child. In a lot of ways she is developmentally and academically much younger. In other areas she is ready for more. So, we’ll be doing a modified Form 1B for her. And my youngest will be doing Form 2A.

After I decided where I was placing each of my daughters, and what we’d be combining, I created a rough draft of a timetable. (Always the hardest part!) Then I created a spreadsheet overview for the year, with goals for each subject per term. Most of these goals are taken directly from the CMEC programs. (If anyone would like a blank template of the google sheet I created for our overview, let me know in the comments and/or DM me! I’m happy to share!)

Over the summer I’ll spend time pre-reading. I won’t pre-read everything in advance. I prioritize books my younger daughter will read independently, as well as anything that I know will require more advance preparation. I’ll also create basic forecasts for each week. That said, these will be very simple forecasts of what I THINK we’ll be able to accomplish each week. I will NOT create detailed lesson plans or rigid goals. I will use my logbook as we go along, to record what we accomplish, and plan week to week for what reading comes next.

I started my homeschool journey many years ago as a homeschooled student, and then later with my son. So this definitely isn’t my first rodeo, and yet there’s always more to learn. We have homeschooled the girls from the beginning, so we are going into their 7th year! Time flies!

In the upcoming weeks, I hope to share a more detailed breakdown of each subject. Let me know if you have any questionsl!

Michelle
@ourlifeintheshire

#livingeducation #charlottemasoneducation #cmhomeschool #cmecsummerprep #charlottemason #thecmec

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Real talk - my girls and I long for more community.

I struggle because I’m an introvert so I like the idea of more community, but it’s also draining. It’s also challenging for other reasons. Because my 12yo is developmentally years younger, it’s really, really hard to place her. Not to mention she needs a 1:1 at all times, for safety and just to help her to integrate and follow along. I am always happy (and probably best qualified) to be her helper, but that means I can’t participate in leading or assisting a co-op class. I hesitate to share our struggles here because I don’t want anyone to misunderstand my heart for my daughter. I would not change her (though I would perhaps make things a little easier for her if I could.) She is a joy to everyone she meets, and I truly consider our family blessed. That said, there are extra considerations and challenges that our family has to think about.

And to top it off, often, we just don’t fit in. For example, cell phones are not happening here. We’re also a conservative family living in a liberal area. We’ve tried a couple of traditional co-ops, met some lovely families, but none have been just the right fit. A big part of this is that I really try to guard our school mornings, and it’s hard to justify giving up half a day (realistically it’s a full day) for a morning co-op, particularly when it doesn’t take anything off my plate.

My ideal would be an afternoon TBG group to do things like Shakespeare, singing games, recitations, handicrafts, etc. But I’ve had no luck in finding one nearby. I’ve considered starting one, but I also don’t have any local Charlotte Mason friends. Sooooo, I feel a little stuck. I’ve been praying about it, and I’m wondering if I should think outside the box. If I can find like-minded families who perhaps aren’t CM homeschoolers, but would be interested in sharing some of these afternoon riches, maybe that would be an option?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Michelle

#charlottemasoneducation #cmhomeschool #livingeducation #charlottemason

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Robin on the fence. We love our backyard birds! They brighten up the gray days 💕

#americanrobin #canonr6

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Where are my fellow Monday fans? I love weekends, but there’s something about the clean slate of Monday! Just getting my weekly planning and prep done. Bullet journal, mother’s logbook (thank you @the.cmec), tea, good pens, a little ruler, and I’m good to go!

Have a great week!
Michelle
@ourlifeintheshire

#bujo #thecmec #charlottemasoneducation #cmhomeschool #livingeducation #charlottemason #journaling #bulletjourna

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For term 3, we are doing the Form 1 special study with @the.cmec. We’ve hatched butterflies multiple times, and probably will again this year. However, for a change, my girls really wanted to raise tadpoles!! I gave them the option of doing the Form 2+ special study or the Form 1 study because I just need to keep things simple for myself! They chose tadpoles 🐸

So, if we are studying tadpoles this term, why am I resharing a photo of a butterfly? Well, tadpoles just aren’t cute :D In fact, looking at the tank, they are kinda the opposite of cute! If you want to see our tadpoles though, let me know and I’ll share in stories.

Happy Saturday!
Michelle
@ourlifeintheshire

#butterflies🦋 #butterfly_macro #thecmec #charlottemasoneducation #cmhomeschool #cmecsummerprep #livingeducation #charlottemason

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Been awhile since I’ve shared a sale in my etsy shop. The sun is out and Spring is here, so everything in my shop is 25% off for a limited time, including the nature poetry printables! Grab yours for Spring and Summer poetry teatime! Or just to brighten up your home and school. No code needed, no limits. Enjoy!

Michelle
@ourlifeintheshire

Link to the nature poems here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/883268359/nature-poems-printable-set-wall-art

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Hey friends! Been a while. Just busy over here with homeschool and life. Photographing backyard birds and waiting for Spring. How’s the weather for you? I’m eagerly awaiting a little sunshine!

Michelle
@ourlifeintheshire

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#birdingphotography #backyardbirds #birdwatcher #birds #bird_lovers #birdphoto #bird_watchers_daily #birds_of_instagram #birdwatchers #birder #1000hoursoutside #birds_private #birds_adored #birdstagram #your_best_birds #bird_perfection #raw_birds #birdsofinstagram #canonr6 #bird_brilliance #birdphotography #birding #audubonsociety #planetbirds #darkeyedjunco #darkeyedjuncos #junco

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