Recent Posts
Five Board Games We Play With Our 6-year-old to Learn Math
Who wants to do math worksheets? Not my 6-year-old. But hell happily play games for hours - so we do! Here are a few we've been playing lately.How is a book edited and produced? Here what's happening with my book on the slow road to publication.
Book Update #4: Chugging Through Copyediting
How is a book edited and produced? Here what's happening with my book on the slow road to publication.
Modern Quality: Where Do We Get Beautiful Things?
If you go to any major store, most of the stuff you can buy is cheaply made and ugly. Why? Quality and beauty make us happier and healthier. Where can we find them?
How We Managed Our First Honey Harvest
Our bees have been productive this summer, so we decided to harvest some honey! Here's what we've learned about the honey extraction process.
Self-Direction in Graduate Education and Improving the Academic System
Some parts of the academic system are based on conventional schooling practices, not on how people actually learn—when they're curious and motivated, when material is meaningful. How can we better support learners in grad school?
Why I'm Running For City Council
I’m running for Post Falls City Council because I want my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to grow up as part of a thriving, resilient, local community here in North Idaho.
Book Review: Changing Our Minds: How Children Can Take Control of Their Own Learning by Naomi Fisher
Different kids need different learning environments; they're interested in different topics; they thrive on different tasks. So why force them to learn the same things in the same ways at the same times in schools?
Why We Started Beekeeping—And How It's Going!
No secrets: We wanted the honey. Here's why we started with four hives, how we setup the bees, what happened when one hive swarmed, and other faced challenges so far.
Book Review: The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
Habits are the backbone of daily life. How do you form new habits and create better habits? In this book, Duhigg explains how habits work—for individuals, organizations, and societies.
How I Built A Career From Strengths and Interests—And How Your Kids Can, Too
What will your kids do when they grow up? Who will they be? And how can you help them? The key: People build lives and careers out of what they love, not what they hate.
How Do I Raise My Kids to Revere Life, Love What Is Good, and Reject the Bad?
I don't want to raise the next generation of materialist, short-term focused consumers. But how do I help my kids counter modern culture, resist temptations, and internalize the right ideas?
Reflections on Our Homeschool Year (2022-2023)
Cataloging learning in an always-learning household is a challenge! Here's what we've been up to this year—such as learning math from board games, joining a new co-op, and of course, plenty of time outside!
Book Update #3: Revisions Complete, Entering Production!
I'm inching my book from idea to final product! Here's what the review and revision process was like, and my next steps as the book moves into production.
How to Start a Reading Habit
What if you don't like reading? What if you don't have time to read? What if you want to read, but just can't make yourself do it? Here's how to make reading a hobby—it's simple, and you can start today.
Backyard Gardening, Year 5: Expanded Beds and New Seed Starting Setup
This year, I've more than doubled my garden space! I added new plant varieties—and now, we have bees! See how my 250+ bulbs did and learn how I'm keeping track of everything in the yard.
Book Review: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
This book is a fascinating examination of belonging, attachment to place, heritage, culture, connection to ancestors, and, our relationship with the world around us.
A DIY Future: How to Discover Options and Effect Change
How bad do things have to get before you try to change them? How do you figure out that change is even possible, and build up the inertia to act?
Book Review: Retrosuburbia: The Downshifters Guide to a Resilient Future by David Holmgren
Not everyone has 40 acres and a mule. This book explains how to be more sustainable, off-grid, and productive on a regular neighborhood lot!
Tutorial: How to Make an Easy Patchwork Peasant Skirt
Pick your favorite colorful scraps and start sewing—here's an easy, tiered skirt you can customize! Make it bright, or choose shades of one or two colors; change up the waistband; make it shorter or longer.
How Autonomy Will Help You Flourish
Most people don't have enough autonomy. They feel controlled, like they don't have much choice in how their life goes. Here's why that matters and how you can get more autonomy—and a better life.
Book Review: Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz
No one reads, but everyone skims. How do you write shorter and smarter to reach your audience? This book shares the secret.
How to Be More Creative
Being creative can give you an edge, help you solve problems, express yourselef, and accomplish more. Plus, it's fun. Here are three ways to be more creative, today.
One Year Later, Are Backyard Chickens Worth It?
We brought chicks home a year ago. Now, how do we like having hens? How many eggs do they produce? What do you do when they escape their run or get attacked by hawks? Are they more work than they're worth?
Schools Zap Kids' Motivation and Mental Health
Intrinsic motivation is the key to discipline, excellence, and happiness. But schools stamp out intrinsic motivation. Is it ever a good idea to send your kids to a conventional school?