Arrows & Applesauce

The summer sale ends TODAY!!🚨

Grab 20% off any purchase with code SUMMER before midnight tonight! You can comment SAVE for a direct shopping link with the code already added at checkout or head to my bio👍🏻

Don’t forget to tap that little airplane to share the savings with friends💕

Happy homeschooling!!🫶🏻

Hello September!!

This month’s verse is James 1:5‬ ‭”If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

Books + plants + God’s wisdom = 🙌🏻😍📚🪴🙌🏻

What’s your favorite Apple Snacks page this month!? If you don’t know what Apple Snacks are, you can comment SEPTEMBER and I’ll send you a link🫶🏻

P.S. I totally forgot to take a picture of the verse tracing pages this month🤦🏼‍♀️ I promise they’re in included😂💕

Better late than never!😂 We’re about two weeks in to our new homeschool year and I’m finally sharing the resources we’re using for our core individual subjects (spoiler, there have already been changes😜).

If you missed my post on our group subject resources it’s just a few posts back.👍🏻

Comment CORE to read the blog post then head back here to tell me what you think! Have you used any of the same resources!?📚🏡❤️

Morning basket + group subjects!📚❤️👏🏻

This blog post gets longer every year!😂 The usual disclaimer applies. This is what works for US! I’m simply sharing resources I’m excited about and I hope it’s encouraging and inspiring as you start your school year!

Also keep in mind it took us years to work up to this much time spent reading each morning. Years! Do not start where we are. If morning basket is new to you or your kiddos are younger, start small. Ten or fifteen minutes reading out loud while they play (they won’t be quiet at first. Manage your expectations) is all it takes until you form the habit. Then you can work your way up.

Comment GROUP to read about the resources we’re using this year. I also have several morning time highlights from over the years.

I hope you love it as much as we do!!

Yesterday was our first day of homeschool for 2024-2025🥹😍🥳

Our first year with a fifth, third, and second grader (on paper anyway😉)

Our first full school year in our new home🏡❤️

And our first year using these cute little flags to commemorate our firsts!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Our flags are available in first and last day for:
❤️Traditional grades: preschool-12th + homeschool
🧡Classical Conversations: Cycle 1-4, Foundations, Essentials, + Challenge
💚 Charlotte Mason Forms: Form 1-6

So no matter how you track the passage of time and the growing of young minds, I’ve got you covered 😉 Just comment FLAG for yours!

P.S. Blog posts with all of our school year plans coming soon!!

Hello August!!🌵☀️😍

Isaiah 40:3-4 ““A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.”
‭‭
It’s a desert out there, moms. Let’s show our children what living water can do.🙌🏻

What’s your favorite way to incorporate scripture into lessons?

Comment BOOK REPORT for a closer look!📚💕

I’m working on planning our upcoming school year and filling in with some new things we’d like to try! Squeaks did assigned reading for the first time last year and we got loads of practice with narration and journaling as she read. This year I’d like to give her a way to condense her thoughts and really focus in on the information she gathered.

Enter book reports!

You can read how we plan to use these pages in my newest blog post👍🏻 The set includes:

❤️Fiction, non-fiction, and biography report pages
🧡“Types of Books” vocabulary page
💛“Parts of a Book” vocabulary page
💚Design your own book cover activity
💙List of 40 creative writing prompts (I made these a freebie for newsletter friends🫶🏻)

I think these will be a great addition to Squeaks language arts this year! I look forward to seeing how you enjoy them too!💕

P.S. The free writing prompts are included in the link I’ll send you when you comment BOOK REPORT🫶🏻

It only took me a year and a half!😂 Comment FREE for your copy!🫶🏻

I posted this prayer, mostly for myself, back in February of last year. I still get comments and requests for it to be made into a printable. So here it is! And it’s F R E E!!

Newsletter friends can head to the freebie section of my shop and download this set anytime. If you’re not a newsletter member, I’d love for you to join! With the volatility of social media these days, it’s a great way to stay in touch. Plus, you’ll get sale and blog updates, as well as access to LOADS of freebies (like this lovely prayer set!).

Where are you gonna hang your prayer!?

EIGHT. TEEN. YEARS!🙌🏻❤️

I thank God multiple times a day that I get to be married to my very best friend. I call him The Man because he is. He’s my absolute favorite person and I couldn’t imagine life without him. Here’s to 18 years of marriage (24 years together!) and many more to come!

✨NEW on the blog!!

My previous Year End Curriculum Reviews have been helpful as I plan the upcoming year and I know many of you appreciate the feedback too. I know this is coming a bit late this year, but hopefully you still find it helpful.

I’ll repeat my same disclaimer as usual though. What works or doesn’t work for our family may not have the same results for yours, so please don’t let these reviews overwhelm you!

This year didn’t quite turn out as planned, but it was still a great school year. I’d love to know if you used any of the same resources as we did and how you liked them! Comment REVIEW to read my post, then head back here with your thoughts.🫶🏻

🇺🇸🥳Happy Independence Day!!!

Are you studying our great country this coming school year!? I have a few activities that might help!

My Summer Sale is going strong- code SUMMER for 20% off! And as a 4th of July treat you can stack code FREEDOM for an additional 10% off any on my US map activities and my Preamble activity set!

Have a fantastic 4th, my friends!!❤️🤍💙

Hello July!!🇺🇸❤️🤍💙

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” - Ronald Reagan

📸 Don’t forget to print your July Apple Snacks! What are your plans for 4th of July!?

How!? I say, HOW!!?🤯😍🥳

I’m so proud of the hard work they put in this year! They’re the literal best, and I’d say that even if I weren’t their mother.😏😍🥹

A review of all the curriculum we used this year will be up on the blog as soon as I can get to it. Have you finished your school year yet?

G I V E A W A Y!!🌈🥳

I mentioned in stories yesterday that my prices haven’t changed in seven years. I want homeschooling to be as affordable as possible for as many people as possible!! So even though the cost of my business has increased my prices remain the same as long as I can help it.

Even so, I know that purchasing homeschool materials even at $3- $5 (the price of most of my activities) is still expensive for some. Every penny counts these days! So I’d like to give away some shop credit!

Here’s how this’ll work-
❤️ Tell me how long you’ve been homeschooling
🧡 Tag a friend who could use $50 in homeschool activities from Arrows & Applesauce
💛 Share the first slide of this post
💚 I’ll pick someone and give them AND their tagged friend of choice $50 to my shop!

Sound good!?

This is in no way associated with Meta, it’s open worldwide, and runs until June 26th. Spread the joy!!

It’s the time of year when the “Where did I start?” and “What do I need?” messages start rolling in.

Here it is! The basics. What, if anything, would you add? If you’re a new homeschooler, feel free to ask any questions in the comments. I’m sure there are some seasoned homeschoolers in this wonderful community who would be happy to answer. And of course I’ll answer any I can as well.☺️🏡❤️

A few FAQS about my newest collection!🌈🥰

I’m so happy you guys love these as much as I do! And I can’t say thank you enough for your support, shares, and purchases. It means the world to my family and me!

A few questions have popped up multiple times so I figured I’d answer those in feed for future reference.

❤️ The shirts are Bella Canvas. Unisex sizing (I wear a medium) and available from XS-5X.

🧡The solid colors are 100% cotton and the heather colors are a cotton and polyester blend.

💛The mug is 15oz., ceramic, and dishwasher safe.

💚 I’m absolutely still going to continue making educational activities. Merch will not take over my shop😂 But these are also not just a limited release. They’re all here to stay☺️

Let me know if you have any other questions! And don’t forget to tag me when you get your goodies in the mail!!☺️

🔬NEW!! Scientific Method Activity Set!👏🏻👏🏻

A few months back Squeaks got really into the “Zoey and Sassafras” book series. It follows a young girl named Zoey and her cat, Sassafras, as they use the scientific method to help magical creatures with various problems.

Each story emphasizes the steps of the scientific method—asking questions, forming hypotheses, conducting experiments, and drawing conclusions—making science fun! Squeaks was immediately hooked, and before I knew it I had bags of bread around my house being “tested to see which environment grew the most mold”. I was equal parts grossed out and impressed. Suffice it to say, Squeak’s love of experiments has only grown and I’m leaning into it.

Enter my new Scientific Method Activity Set! This will be put to good use in our home and I bet you’ll love it too. The set includes:
❤️Scientific Method mini poster
🧡coloring page
💛Matching/order activity
💚Study guide explanation for each step
💙Fun worksheet for recording your next science mystery adventure!

Comment LINK and I’ll send you a blog post with tips and info on our favorite science books (check that second to last slide😉) and a link to my new activity set.

Be sure to tag a friend who might find this helpful! Are there any kids’ science accounts you love following? Tag them too!🥰🔬👏🏻👏🏻

Dibs!🌈😏🥰🙌🏻

📸 Have you printed your June Apple Snacks!?

The Man briefly suggested the other day that I share my Busy Binders since they’re such a fun way to keep kids learning over summer break. Obviously this sent me down a rabbit hole and I ended up redesigning every. Single. Busy Binder cover. ‘Cause that’s just how I roll.

So, yes, these binders are my FAVORITE way to beat the summer slide. They’re portable (great for travel), and full of simple hands-on learning fun. But also, look how cute the new covers are!!

If you’ve purchased a Busy Binder kit from my site you should have received an email with the updated file. There is also a general Busy Binder cover in my free Printable Library (for newsletter subscribers) if you’d like one that isn’t subject specific. And all my favorite tools to assemble these fun binders are in my Amazon shop👍🏻

Comment BINDER and I’ll send you links to all the info☀️🙌🏻🥰

Introducing the Fill Your Cup Bundle! Comment BUNDLE to learn more.☺️👏🏻👏🏻

If you’ve been around here a bit, you may know that I only recommend products or resources if I’m sure they will be of value to you. In fact, it’s been quite a while since I’ve recommended a bundle like the one I have for you today. I usually find these printable bundles overwhelming and I didn’t want to advertise something put together by someone I wasn’t fully confident in. 
 
This bundle though…😍

Not only do I genuinely LOVE the ladies who organized these resources, but I’m fully confident they have put their heart and soul into finding tools to help you be effective in your homeschool-mom role.

Do you feel like you need inspiration in your home and homeschool? The Fill Your Cup bundle includes resources that will help you, as the heartbeat of the home, refill, refresh, and get inspired again!

❤️Meal planners & recipes
🧡Video courses from homeschooling experts
💛Ebooks on a variety of homeschool-mom topics.
💚Devotions
💙Workout plans
💜Home organization tools & resources
❤️Lesson planning resources
🧡Planning unit studies course
💛Full-length digital magazines
💚Custom artwork
& much more!
 
As your friend, I want you to have them in your toolbox. These generous ladies have worked to discount over $650 in resources down to just $25 from May 28th - June 4th.

🌈Comment BUNDLE to get yours!
I hope this is an encouragement and blessing to you!

My last intro post is over three years old! I feel like I don’t even know that person.😂 Just kidding. She’s cool.😎😉 (You can see all past intro posts in my “About Me” highlight.) But this wonderful community has grown and so have I! For example-

❤️ I find way more joy in plants than I have at any other point in my life. I feel like only plant people understand this feeling, so hit me with a 🪴 if you feel the joy😂
🧡 Homeschooling doesn’t even feel like a choice anymore. It’s just life. I have no loyalties to any one philosophy of education, I stress way less about “keeping up” with anyone, and grade levels are yearly milestones for photography purposes.
💛 Reading out loud to my kids is the absolute best. I used to stumble over words and wonder if they were even listening. Now I would gladly read for hours on end and make every subject we study into a read-aloud.
💚Drawing and creating educational activities for you and your family brings me more satisfaction than it ever has. Every activity I create is prayed over and seeing you enjoy them is a constant blessing!
💙I still have not mastered the ability to read every book in my stack, exercise daily, cut out snacking, get enough sleep, manage my stress levels, or have perfect relationships with family and friends. But I have mastered the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe, so…winning!🥳
💜I hold no assumptions about being everyone’s cup of tea. As my mother recently said “if you’re on planet earth, you’re annoying someone” and I totally get that.😂 My personality may not vibe with yours, my love of color🌈❤️ may be garish to some, and you may not even like my activities (and then I might ask why you’re here😂). But I welcome you and will do my best to show you the love of Christ through this silly little app.

Fun fact- I told The Man not to watch me try and get this picture of myself. He peeked though. I spotted him and laughed just as the picture was taken. It ended up being my favorite shot. He always brings out the best in me.❤️

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for being here! Say hi in the comments and tell me something fun about yourself!👋🏻

P.S. Like my shirt? Coming soon😉

“The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” May we be worthy of celebrating, humble in our mission fields, and examples of Christ to our children and families.❤️

A happy Mother’s Day to all the birth moms, adoptive moms, foster moms, moms at heart, bereaved moms, mother-in-laws, and moms who miss their own moms. You are loved!💐

20% off for Mother’s Day!!! Just use code MOM20 at checkout. Because everyone knows cute educational printables are better than flowers! 😉💐💕 It’s the perfect time to grab a fun hands-on activity to take you through the end of the school year and into summer ☀️👏🏻

Sometimes we find ourselves in a breakneck, fast and furious, overwhelming season of life and little nuggets of knowledge and wisdom become lifelines we can still hold onto as our world whizzes by.

So here are my current lifelines (they change with some regularity☺️) and I hope they can encourage you! I’ve noticed rest and patience are a theme even though I’m fighting it tooth and nail 😅🫠

Have any lifelines to share!? Comment below❤️

I’m trying real hard to remember pincher bugs are one of God’s “wonderful creatures”, but it’s hard when they keep eating our strawberry plants!😂😝 My kids sure love watching them though🤷🏼‍♀️☺️ so I suppose they have entertainment value.

Welcome May with some *cute* bugs in this month’s Apple Snacks pages!🐞🦋🪲 Which page is your favorite this month!? I love seeing you and your family enjoying these! Don’t stop tagging me!🥰

Give me a 😅 if it feels like you never stop moving!

Here’s a good ol’ fashioned pic drop of life lately. Our days are full and busy!

Learning here, learning there, learning everywhere! On tables, in the backyard, in an epic living room fort😍 And most of all in the garden! We’re ultra beginner level but it’s been super fun the figure things out together. Exhausting! But fun😂

Mix in horseback riding, loads of pretend play (did you catch the play money I added to the Free Printable Library?), helping dad and using power tools, and all the things….. yep, we never stop moving😅

With all this busyness I still have an overflow of ideas for growing this little business of mine so keep an eye out!

P.S. I welcome any and all gardening tips! Especially if you’re in zones 9+🥵☺️🌱

Hello April!🌷🌦️🪺

As we step into this month, let’s embrace the gentle reminder that ‘Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.’ These wise words from R.C. Sproul encourage us to ignite a passion for learning and faith in our homes. 🌱🔥

This April, let’s challenge ourselves to look beyond the textbooks and create learning experiences that spark curiosity, creativity, and a deeper understanding of our Creator’s world. Whether it’s a Bible lesson in the backyard or a history discussion under the spring sky, every moment is an opportunity to see God’s hand at work. 🌺📚

👉 Share your April homeschooling wins or plans with us! How are you lighting that fire of education and faith in your family? And don’t forget, Apple Snacks are portable and perfect for coloring in the sunshine!😉☀️

📸 April’s theme- “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?“ Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭26‬ ‭

I started this post frustrated and anxious. By the last slide I felt much better, because I know who’s really in charge and it’s not me.🥰

I hope this helps someone else dealing with some of these thoughts. Social media can be a gift of inspiration and community, but it can also be like drinking from a fire hose. So much information!! And all of it looks SO beautiful!

So here’s to focusing on the gifts we gain undeservedly from our Father, and less on the highlight reels of social media.

Thanks for the inspiration on this post .play

Swipe left and help me celebrate!!🥳

After 39 years I can say with confidence “time flies” isn’t just a cliché, it’s rock solid truth.🥴🫠😂

My best advice?

🩵Take loads of pictures. Like, max out that camera roll then buy a second phone, Michael-Scott-style.📸👍🏻

💚Do things that spread joy. Look outside yourself. Forget “do what makes you happy” and do something for someone else. It feels better than anything you could do for just yourself.

🧡Praise God every chance you get. Praise Him for a beautiful sunset, for a challenging opportunity, for a good parking spot. The more you praise our great God the smaller your problems will feel.

❤️Am I consistent about following my own advice!? Heck no! I’m only 39!😉 But I sure try!

Love you guys!

NEW! Habit tracker punch cards and editable Habit Chart!😍 Comment HABITS for the info👍🏻

We can feel February in our bones over here.🫠 Plus, The Man introduced the kids to classic video games. Mario and Zelda are adding an extra (albeit nostalgic) kink to our rhythm. Time to practice some good habits if you want to earn screen time, kids!😉🎮

This handy set includes a page of punch cards and an editable habit tracker chart. A motivational tool for any personality preference!