Family Archives | The Sparrow's Home

The latest board games we can’t stop playing

September 9, 2019 by Susan Leave a Comment

Our latest list of board games are clever, fun, and kind of addictive! Two of them are great two-person games, too, which are perfect for at-home date nights.

Four games.

All of them are strategy games, although that’s where the similarities end. They really couldn’t be more different.

Before our boys left for college, we got Camel Up and Decrypto and loved them so much we played as much as we could before they left.

Since we’ve become empty nesters, my husband picked up Santorini and Quacks of Quedlinburg and it’s so much fun to have new games that the two of us can play together.

I can’t wait to tell you about these. You are definitely going to find something to love here!

Organize your pantry in one day on the cheap

August 19, 2019 by Susan Leave a Comment

A neat, clean and organized pantry for around $100 in supplies done in an evening! Doesn’t your whole world just feel better when you put things in order?

I’m not a perfectionist, and my house is no museum. But sometimes, enough is enough. You know? Over the years my closet kitchen pantry has been a source of frustration for me.

Here was the pattern:

Feel frustrated by messy and not-very-user-friendly pantry.
Take everything out and clean pantry.
Put everything back in.
Feel frustrated by clean and not-very-user-friendly pantry.

Homeschool science that prepares your kids for the worldviews they will face in college

August 5, 2019 by Susan 4 Comments

Online homeschool science courses that teach that science supports, rather than contradicts, Scripture help develop a Biblical worldview in students as they approach college.

I was compensated for my time in writing this post. All opinions are my own and I’m genuinely thrilled to partner with College Prep Science.

Christian parents.

We raise our sweet babies up to know the Lord, investing countless hours on family devotions, taking them to church, and modeling Christ-like living to them.

Then at 18 we send them off to college and wonder why so many leave their faith.

My husband and I will be experiencing our first foray into empty nesting this fall. (And to answer your question: Yes, I do expect there to be weeping.) As I think about my boys living away from our home, at the top of my prayer list is that they would maintain a strong Biblical worldview.

And when I say “Biblical worldview” I mean that they would see the world through a lens that says,

On all domains of doctrine and in life, the authority of scripture is to be placed higher than all human understanding, for it is God’s word and as such the highest authority.

-John Wycliffe

Need to make hot dogs for a crowd? Use the crock pot!

June 24, 2019 by Susan 2 Comments

Super simple. Yummy. Feeds a crowd.

You are going to want to hold on to this one.

We hosted our second and final graduation party last weekend. (One week after we geniusly decided to hold a yard sale…not the best decision!)

My eldest son had requested jambalaya for his grad party. It was delish, but when my currently graduating son requested hot dogs and chips for his party, I was not disappointed at the ease of this menu.

Introducing (drumroll please) Homeschool Disney

June 3, 2019 by Susan 10 Comments

I’m not the biggest Disney fan in the world. My husband, however, has a good shot at that title.

My appreciation and love of Disney has grown over the years. And that is in large part to how completely stuffed the Disney parks are with educational and learning opportunities. You see, I’m a consummate lesson-finder.

Movies, TV shows, books…lessons to be found.

Walks in the woods, games, random inanimate objects…I could teach a class.

When I began visiting Disney parks with my husband, I was wowed by the impeccable attention to detail. I have long said that when you visit Walt Disney World or Disneyland, you’re being invited to be a part of the stories. And I was also pretty amazed (and surprised) by the amount of learning that can be drawn from the parks.

17 role models of what living out an ordinary faith looks like

May 13, 2019 by Susan 3 Comments

There’s not one single answer to what it looks like to live a life of faith. These 17 people each lived out an extraordinary story in a uniquely different way, and a simple faith was at the heart of each one.

I received a complimentary book and was compensated for my time in writing this review. As always, all opinions are my own.

What makes someone a hero of the faith? Just the phrase is intimidating, if you ask me. But as with most things in life, a change of perspective can make all the difference. I’ve been reading about the lives of 17 individuals who did some amazing things and instead of feeling intimidated, I’m inspired.

The book is Eternity through the Rearview Mirror: How Simple Faith Changes Everything—Seventeen Extraordinary Lives, and I’m anxious to tell you about it.