Home with Brandi

04/25/2026

I talked with several international leaders in Banff, and most are bringing back play, recess, and more hands on learning.

04/25/2026

I can’t sleep due to a prescription of oral steroids.
So, we’re prepping and making custom worksheets for this week! ♥️
PreK and 1st Grade Proud!

04/23/2026

Homeschool Newbie sharing time.

Not all of our experiences in public school were bad. We had met some really great people over the years. One of those being, Mr. Casto, Luke’s 1st grade teacher.
This was his chart, that he provided to his students/families.

“Map it Out”
I use this a lot for spelling words, sight words and (especially) digraph phonic words.
Like:
L-OO-K
ST-R-EE-T
F-EE-T
CH-AL-K
It’s been very helpful with sh, ch, sh, th, silent E, vowel teams and the vowels!
It has became a staple, a great tool that I found very helpful. It’s perfect for those of us who need some repetition. 

Here is a sample for you!

We are also happy to send you a video or link on how to use it.

04/22/2026

Example of our school day the 21st and 22nd.
15 minutes on all work sheets together.

And he believes that language + Literacy, math + science and fine motor skills is just playing with mommy and sissy.

This is the truth of homeschool! !
Lucas went from not reading, to reading alone.
Reminder: we started Homeschool in March.

Edit: he was pretty mad that the pizza was green. Said it wasn’t fair, it’s his favorite 🤣🤣

04/20/2026

We went from not reading at all, to reading solo!
We started homeschooling March 8th.

04/16/2026

04/14/2026

I truly believed that fresh perspectives and new ideas could help shape where we were at, into something better—something stronger for our kids and our community. I held onto that hope for a long time. Unfortunately, that vision never became reality.

I showed up. I gave my time, my energy, and my heart every chance I got. I wanted to be part of something meaningful—something that made a difference. But somewhere along the way, it began to feel like the only thing truly wanted from me was financial support, not my voice, not my effort, not my care.
I felt as though my child was a number, that there were very few who truly cared for them. Those few who did care, I would never speak against them… they truly made a positive impact on my children, they even made a heartfelt impact on me.
I wish there were more of you!

However, I stood firm in what I believed could be better, even when it wasn’t easy. I lost friendships because I refused to give up on that belief. I kept hoping things would turn around—but instead, they only seemed to grow heavier and more disheartening. Gossip grew louder, drama snowballed.

It’s a hard lesson to learn, but an important one: when people show you that your value is tied only to what you can give them, you have to take that for what it is. Not what they say—but what they do.

Because at the end of the day, words can be comforting, but actions tell the truth every single time.

If I want time with my children, if I want them to enjoy life.. not be trapped in 4 walls for 8+ hours, we choose more, we choose homeschool!
I wish I had been more open to the thought of homeschool a long time ago.

04/14/2026

Let’s do this together 💫

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