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  • Special Needs

    Speech and Language Cards and Tips

    Lately I’ve gotten a lot of comments and questions about Lily’s speech and communication, and what we have done over the years to help her. While she isn’t keeping up with her typical peers in speech and language, we have seen great progress lately. I think it’s a combination of everything we’ve done over the years, beginning from when she was just an infant. I believe it’s all connected, and you can’t necessarily talk about speech without talking about diet and supplements or the gross motor piece, like crawling and running. However, to go into absolutely everything would make this post way too long. I’ll try to share in more…

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    Fall Nature Related Bible Verses

    Autumn Nature Study Bible Memory Verses

    September 30, 2019
    Gluten Free Instant Pot Pasta E Fagioli Soup

    Gluten Free Instant Pot Pasta E Fagioli Soup

    September 2, 2019
  • Allergy Friendly,  Recipes

    Quick Weekday Lunch for Kids – Salmon Salad

    Some days I just don’t feel motivated to make lunch. While I might be able to skip lunch, that’s not the case for my kids. On these days I usually open my fridge and stare into it for several minutes while completely drawing a blank on what to feed my kids. Pre-GAPS it was pretty easy. I could take out some allergy-friendly chicken nuggets or fish sticks, bake them in the oven, stick them on a plate with some ketchup and something easy on the side. Pre-food intolerance days it was even easier! But there’s no sense dwelling on that. Instead, let’s get back to reality. GAPS. Lunch. Hungry kids.…

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    February 3, 2023
    Gluten & Dairy Free Pumpkin Cupcakes Recipe

    Gluten and Dairy Free Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

    September 5, 2019
  • Allergy Friendly,  Recipes,  Soups & Stews

    Cauliflower Leek Soup

    For some reason I was thinking about potato leek soup recently. My husband, son, and I could eat potato leek soup, but potatoes are too high-starch for our girls on the GAPS diet.  So, I started looking for a recipe to recreate it without the potatoes. Crazy, I know! After tweaking a few that I found, I came up with the recipe below. I thought about being clever and calling it Fauxtato Leek Soup, but decided I’d just go with the obvious and call it what it is. And what it is, is pretty yummy, if I do say so myself, and I don’t even miss the potatoes! This recipe…

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    August 10, 2017
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  • Special Needs

    Lily’s Therapy Program and a Checklist

    The majority of Lily’s therapy is an at-home Neurodevelopmental (ND) program through ICAN. Other programs are NACD and IAHP. Some suggested reading to learn more are How to Teach Your Baby To Read, Fit Baby, Smart Baby, or any of the Doman books. We chose ICAN because there was a therapist who travels to our area. I also appreciate that it’s a Christian organization. A couple times a year we meet with our therapist so that she can evaluate Lily’s progress and modify our program. Throughout the months between evaluations we are in communication via email or telephone, where we discuss progress and any changes that might need to be…

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    July 22, 2015
  • Homemade Coconut Milk Yogurt | HomeInTheShire.com
    Allergy Friendly,  Recipes

    Homemade Coconut Milk Yogurt!

    I am excited to share this recipe. After doing a lot of reading on GAPS and SCD groups, I ordered this yogurt maker. I also ordered two glass jar inserts. The yogurt maker comes with an insert, but it’s plastic and I don’t like the lid. I started with one glass jar, but ordered a second so that I can start a batch while the other is still in the refrigerator. I’ve also been making dairy yogurt for myself, which is also really good. My hope is that one day I’ll be able to make 24 hour dairy yogurt for the girls to enjoy. In the meantime, I’m excited to…

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  • GAPS Taco Tuesday | HomeInTheShire.com
    Allergy Friendly,  Recipes

    Taco Tuesday – GAPS Style

    Taco Tuesday has always been a regular part of our weekly meal plan. (Seems a little funny to share our Tuesday dinner on a “What they Eat Wednesday” post! lol) Obviously, the girls can’t have tortillas or taco shells, but the beauty of tacos for dinner is that you can make the components and everyone can customize their meal according to taste or dietary restrictions. I also love this meal because it’s quick and easy to put together. I cook the ground beef in advance in my slow cooker, and then package it up for my freezer. When I have a recipe that calls for browning ground beef, that step…

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  • Homemade Coconut Milk | HomeInTheShire.com
    Allergy Friendly,  Recipes

    Homemade Coconut Milk – Healthier and More Cost Effective!

    We already know that homemade coconut milk is healthier than store-bought, and it seems to be much more cost effective too! To make coconut milk, you only need 2 ingredients: water and coconut butter. I have a new favorite creamed coconut, and the package is the perfect size for making a quart of milk. You could actually make more than 4 cups, but I like to make it fairly thick. As I’ve shared before, coconut milk is simple to make. This particular coconut butter makes it even easier! Instead of warming the jar and trying to scoop it out, you simply open the box, take out the inner pkg, drop…

    Read More

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    Gluten and Dairy Free S'mores Brownies

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  • Proverbs 16:24 | HomeInTheShire.com
    Faith

    Proverbs 16:24

    Took this sunflower photo today, and it made me think of this verse. Feel free to download or share. Enjoy!

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  • Green Fries | HomeInTheShire.com
    Allergy Friendly,  Recipes

    Green Fries – Quick and Easy GAPS Snack

    Before we started our toddlers on the GAPS diet, they looooooved french fries. Since potatoes are off-limits due to the high starch content, I’ve had to get creative. I personally think that just about any vegetable tastes better roasted, and green beans are no exception. One day I roasted some green beans for the girls and told them they were “green bean french fries”. You know, sometimes it’s all in how you sell it 😉 They gobbled them up, and now they often ask for “green fries”. They are so healthy and easy to make that I’m happy to give them as a snack anytime. Seems too simple to call…

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  • Faith

    Romans 15:13

    Just a quick post to share a photograph I took last summer on vacation. God’s creation is beautiful, isn’t it?! While looking through the photos on my computer, I felt like Romans 15:13 was a fitting verse. Enjoy!

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    Summer Nature Related Bible Verses

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Once again it was down to the wire with my weekly photo project! Originally I had something else in mind, but we had a dry day, so we took advantage and got out for a hike. I used a crystal chandelier ring for my (subtle) prop. I love seeing these blossoms every year!

12 | Props

We are a group of photographers supporting each other weekly on our P52.	Follow #TFF52Clicks2025 to see our year-long creative journey. 

#TFF52Clicks2025_week12
#TFF52Clicks2025_ourlifeintheshire
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We got out to a wildlife refuge that’s been on my list for a while. We started off on our hike, looking for wildlife and “creatures” as my daughter likes to say. We recently bought her a very inexpensive little camera and she loves to go around “photographing creatures”. No idea where she gets it from 😄 

I was feeling a little discouraged because we hadn’t seen much more than a few ducks and a hawk too far away to photograph. It was nice just spending time in nature, but I really wanted to come away with at least one bird photo! As we were huffing and puffing up a hill, we heard the beautiful sounds of a songbird. My husband said he thought he knew which tree it was in. And I was absolutely thrilled to see this Western Meadowlark, sitting pretty, singing a beautiful tune.

11 | Negative Space

We are a group of photographers supporting each other weekly on our P52. Follow #TFF52Clicks2025 to see our year-long creative journey.

#TFF52Clicks2025_week11 #TFF52Clicks2025_ourlifeintheshire #birdphotography #canonr6 #westernmeadowlark #meadowlark #songbird
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Finally! I’ve experienced this book on my own, but the last time I introduced it to my girls they weren’t quite ready for it. So, it’s been a real joy to have opened it up again for our bedtime read-aloud. They are enjoying it, and I am re-enjoying it :) This particular version is an unabridged hardcover with really lovely illustrations. I know there is some debate among those who love good books, so tell me... are you Team Illustrations or Team No Illustrations?
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Just trying to keep up with my photography project over here. Setting aside perfectionist tendencies and just going with this duck because it’s what I have. I feel like it doesn’t quite work with the squirrel. Ever have those “editing crises” where you just want to redo everything you’ve ever edited? Ha. That’s me right now. But, no time for that. So, I’ll just keep taking my camera out, and head into the next theme! 

10 | Movement

We are a group of photographers supporting each other weekly on our P52. Follow #TFF52Clicks2025 to see our year-long creative journey. 

#TFF52Clicks2025_week10
#TFF52Clicks2025_ourlifeintheshire
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Nicer weather means lots of hiking and nature walks 🌲 I know I’ve been quiet the past several months, but I’m still here and look forward to reconnecting :)

9 | Layering

We are a group of photographers supporting each other weekly on our P52. Follow #TFF52Clicks2025 to see our year-long creative journey. 

#TFF52Clicks2025_week9
#TFF52Clicks2025_ourlifeintheshire

#canonr6 #1000hoursoutside #livingeducation #naturestudy
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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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Swipe to see our favorite easy readers for kids!

I shared in my stories recently that my 12yo daughter (who has Down syndrome) loves to read, and these are some of her favorite books! She’s a good reader, and can read almost anything. Comprehension often doesn’t match her ability to read the words on the page, so easier readers are perfect. We do have “stretch” books, but when she’s reading for fun (which is often!) these are the books she reaches for time and again. You can see some of them are well-loved :) They are great for narration practice too. I love them because they are high quality, not twaddle, and actually enjoyable for me as well.

I’ve added a link to these books on my profile, and I’ll list them below:

-Owl at Home
-Uncle Elephant
-Mouse Tales
-Mouse Soup
-Any Frog and Toad book (or really anything by Arnold Lobel!)
-Any of the Little Bear books
-Any of the Mr. Putter and Tabby books (you can see she has quite a collection! Super sweet series about an elderly man and his cat.)
-Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey (Great author, we have some of his other books too. This one is on the younger side, but I couldn’t leave it out of the lineup of her favorite books!)
-Amelia Bedelia (I grew up on Amelia Bedelia, and introduced them to my kids. They all think these books are hilarious, and I love when my daughter is reading and stops to give me an incredulous look at the funny misunderstandings.)
-The Josefina Story Quilt by Eleanor Coerr (A sweet story about a pioneer girl and her chicken, as they travel west. I don’t know why this one resonated with her, but for whatever reason it was her most favorite book for a while!)
-Clara and the Bookwagon by Nancy Smiler Levinson (Based on the true story of America’s first “bookmobile.” My book-loving girl loves this one!)

I hope this list has been helpful. What would you add to our list?
Michelle
@ourlifeintheshire

 #charlottemason #kidsbookstagram #picturebooks #booksforkids #raisingreaders #childhoodunplugged #readtoyourkids #childrensbooks #bookish #bookstagram #kidlitshelfie #shelfiesunday #kidsbookswelove
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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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