The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, November 2012

Getting to sit down and leisurely read something that interest me is most times non existent in my house. My days are full of four boys who always need their Mommy, a home that requires keeping up and a wonderful husband who needs a pat on the back and a kiss on the lips every now and then.

Recently I was given the opportunity to read The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. I was very much looking forward to reading material I knew my family could benefit from. Major Mommy score!! This magazine seems to be, in my opinion, directed towards families who not only homeschool, but are also looking for ways to improve their unique lifestyles, different creative ideas to educate in their home and who would like to be encouraged by others who live the homeschooling lifestyle. I read the free digital copy, which you can see here or there is also a free app at www.TOSApps.com.   

When I first glanced at the cover of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, November Issue I immediately saw words that I was able to relate to at this season in my life. The three main phrases that grabbed me first were grateful or griping, ways to simplify your life and having a chore list ... all of these words jumped at me and I knew I would get to these articles first.

The first article that intrigued me was titled 'Gifts of Gratitude'. My oldest is six and it seems as though we have begun the phase of nothing being good enough. Kollin is often asking for more and doesn't seem to be content with what already consumes our playroom, game closet or his dresser drawers. Of course, we still get the occasional non-reminded "thank you", but it doesn't seem to be often enough. It was great to read that my home is not the only one that suffers from this complaining bug, but even more refreshing were the creative ideas given to do with your kids in order to show gratefulness. The Thankful Tree was my favorite, I would love to keep this in our dining room and add leaves containing what our hearts are thankful for year round.

Simplify. What a refreshing word. I breathe easier when I say it. This was the next article I wanted to jump at. Unfortunately, I felt misled after getting into the article. The article was in fact about a woman who wrote a book that included 365 ways to simplify one's life. After seeing the cover, I was looking forward to tips that would help simplify my life right away; steps and ideas I could possibly accomplish relatively fast. Although I still learned about a great author and blogger, I left the article feeling a bit disappointed.

With four children in our home, obtaining a chore list is a must! To this day, I have not been able to keep it all done around our home. My life is consumed with little people all around me: I teach, referee, nurse boo-boos, clean up approximately 168 times a day, cook for them and many other things I just can't think of right now. Needless to say, sometimes my oldest can't find clean underwear and my husband will smell something funky from the sink. I loved the template being on the first page of the article. I was excited to see how simple the list was, yet amazed at thinking of all the things actually being accomplished daily, weekly and monthly. I loved, loved, loved having the link to the template in order to tweak the list to my own specifications. Having it at my fingertips, ready to go was wonderful!! Can you tell I am grateful for this article? Monday is in just a couple of days and this list will be hanging in my kitchen ready to be checked off ...

Although I enjoyed much of the issue, I gave my opinion on what mattered to me most. As mentioned before, this magazine seems to be geared towards families that want to improve their unique lifestyles, find different ideas to educate and to also be encouraged by others who lead this challenging yet gratifying way of life. Other topics and articles that were included but not limited to this particular issue were music, poetry, ways to organize your home before the holidays, avoiding self pity and a special feature on the Amish lifestyle. Seems to me there is something for everyone in this magazine. There were articles for younger Moms and older Moms, Moms who live a busy lifestyle and Moms who have a more simple way of life, Moms with toddlers and Moms with teenagers. Like I said before, something for everyone. 

Linked to the Schoolhouse Review Crew.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this product through the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.