Happy Anniversary!
Well, it's finally come.
To read my very first post ever, just have a blast scrolling through every single post until you get there, or dig all through the archives..... Just kidding. You can check it out here if you are really interested. It's pretty clear in the beginning that I wasn't sure where I was going with this blog, nor did I know then that I was going to even open it up to let others know about it and read it.
I am so glad I did, because I have enjoyed making a small hobby out of writing here, and meeting so many wonderful bloggers/mamas. What an encouragement it has been! It is also so wonderful to have a place to record what's going on when I begin to get overwhelmed, or think that we have accomplished almost NOTHING - it helps to see it all in front of me.
I thought I would take a look back on my top five, most visited posts from this past year. So, counting down, here they are:
This unit study was *sooooo* much fun with my children - we all loved it! Although I am taking a slightly different approach this year, I hope to do some fun exploring into different themes throughout the rest of this school year, and possibly in to the summer!
I'll be honest here - I have found that any time Deb from Living Montessori Now features one of my posts, my audience temporarily (and sometimes permanently) grows!
I have had so much fun creating trays for Buddy Boy. I am not sure how long we will do specific 'tot school trays' but I sure am enjoying it!
This was another one that took me by surprise, but I am glad so many enjoyed seeing our school room. By the way, I am fixing to have to do another one of these, because things are changing all the time!
#1 - My Experience At A Montessori School - The Primary Classroom
(photo credit - montessori south riding)
(photo credit - montessori south riding)
This first post in a small series completely blew all others out of the water, and surprised me immensely!
It is interesting to look back and see what interested people the most, and what drew the least attention. I want to say a big THANK YOU to all the faithful readers who have followed me at all throughout this year. I do not write as a business - I don't have affiliate links to offer, nor do I make any money at it. I am not the fastest, most frequent social media blogger. Confession: I don't even have programs (or experience) in making printables, and there are some amazing, wonderful ones out there! I would love to, and maybe one day will, but for now - I have very little to offer.
However, I started this blog in hopes that I could:
#1 - Bring glory to God, who has always supplied EVERY need we have, and taken many different avenues to do so, especially in our homeschool.
#2 - Be an encouragement to someone, and help them find resources that are needed, and not give up! I will admit - there have been times when I have felt very overwhelmed and told myself it would be so much easier to just give up, order a boxed curriculum, and head down that path again. I wouldn't spend hours trying to learn something new, hours trying to create my own materials (because sometimes the expense is so much more than I could possibly imagine being able to fit in!), and have to completely re-train my mind in some ways.
If I did that, though - I wouldn't see the smiles when Little Mama actually does something in Math she enjoys, and see the stress lift when she starts to understand and knows it's not as hard as she originally thought. I wouldn't have seen how quickly Hoss picks up on multiplication, when using the homemade bead bars we have to do it, and how much he loves it! I wouldn't have seen the joy that cards and counters, or sound baskets, brought to Miss Priss and Bug. And we would never have started any kind of tot school with Buddy Boy, for that was something I learned about when I found Montessori as well. God sent me what I needed, when I needed it, and through the past 1 1/2 years, I can definitely say the results are worth the work!
Thank you all for sharing in my first year of blogging, walking this journey with me, and I look forward to the fun that this next year will bring!
~Amy@No Greater Honors~
Oh congratulations! One year blogging is quite an accomplishment! (I know from past experience blogging...
ReplyDeleteI, for one, am so appreciative that people like you are willing to share your experiences and ups and downs. It makes me feel way more confident to know that there are others out there who are doing what we are doing...with more than two children to boot. (I am in awe of how many levels you manage!)
And your South Riding school pics are are from pretty near by us!
:) I am glad to know where they are from - I perused google (once again, my friend!). I was thinking the same about you, honestly - I am glad to know I am not the only one that is trying to find the right mix of Montessori for my home! Managing levels seem to be a day-to-day experience for us! :) It was because of others sharing what they do and what's going on their school, and God paving the way for me to be able to find what was going to work in our home, that I started in the first place! I have been doubly blessed by finding new friends in the process!
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