2015 Blog in Review

What a fun year I’ve had with blogging!

I started the year in 2014 introducing *revel* as my Word for the Year. The first time I did that exercise. I’ve enjoyed posting and referring and considering it throughout the year. I had wonderful guest posts from some of my favorite internet people. The Lord used this mightily to help me understand better how to ‘enjoy Him forever.’

Overlapping 2014-2015, I wrote a series about Homeschool Changes we were going to make. We essentially totally revamped our whole homeschool, changed our curriculum to AmblesideOnline, and established new routines. I loved writing that series and your interactions were invaluable as I made decisions for our homeschool. These decisions brought about one our best homeschool years ever. I’m so thankful.

I’ve enjoyed continuing to post Wordless Wednesdays. They don’t get a lot of interaction, but I like having the pictures and the juxtaposition with Wednesdays with Words.  WwW is a fun link-up to host and I always like to read quotes from the books you’re reading. Keep learning and sharing and teaching!

Of course, the Simple Woman’s Daybook entries, when I can, help me to look both backward and forward in general life. I am sometimes frustrated by some of the prompts, but they always help me think, so I’m grateful.

Along the same lines, I like when I post Our Weekly Amble posts.  They help me evaluate our school week; often encouraging me that we really have done something! Often, by Friday afternoon, I’m burned out and think I can’t face it, but, really, doing the post re-energizes me and helps me plan the upcoming week. Lord willing, I will do a better job with these in 2016.

I enjoyed participating in some of the Keeping Company linkups. My friend Heather and I read through part of Own Your Life together. It fizzled a little as the book didn’t meet our needs.  These connections with the greater blogging community and the friendships it fosters are so important!

In August, I released my first eBook, I Am, I Can, I Ought, I Will: Charlotte Mason’s Motto Explained for Upper Elementary Students. I still can’t believe I wrote a book! It is completely free remains available for download. I’d love to hear your reactions still … positive or negative. I’m considering future ideas, so your feedback is greatly desired. My hope is that the Lord uses my words to draw you closer to Him in obedience and understanding.

In October, I wrote a 31 Days series for the first time – 31 Days to Surviving Sports Seasons Sanely. I enjoyed writing the series and was able to think through several ways to improve our sports seasons, but am unsure how you, the readers, felt about it.  Is this an exercise I should consider for 2016? Are there other topics you’d be interested in reading what I have to say for that many days? Is that many posts in a row too much? I tried to keep them short and sweet, but am afraid several readers were disengaged.

I wrote some fun posts about our Academic Year schedule and our Yuletide Session in November. Since we use a non-traditional schedule, it was helpful even for me to put down what and why we have arranged our schedule thusly. I enjoyed sharing some of our traditions for celebrating the Incarnation with you, too.

I’ve enjoyed adding Periscope and Instagram to my social media repetoire this year. I haven’t ‘scoped very often, but I enjoy it when I do. I enjoy watching scopes and have made friends chatting in the commbox. Instagram, though, has become a medium I enjoy very much.

In 2016, I hope to become more consistent in posting book reviews and Our Weekly Amble. I also hope to continue to improve the graphics I’ve been creating. I hope to have more guest posts from my children. I plan to be more organized with my Word of the Year; to attend to Attend! as it were. I hope you will enjoy the journey with me!


Top posts in 2015

1. By far, not a surprise, the top post was my ebook release: I Am, I Can, I Ought, I Will: Charlotte Mason’s Motto Explained for Upper Elementary Students.

2. Our Weekly Amble for February 16-20, 2015 was a surprise, the Ambleside Online folks were kind enough to link it on the public Facebook page.

3. Another surprise that got linked on a couple of CM Facebook pages (and Pinterest) was Handcrafted: Nature Study Bags.

The next two most popular posts I didn’t even write. What does that say? I choose to think it says I chose excellent topics and excellent guest posters with loyal followers:

4. Revel in Repetition by Mystie Winckler

5. Reveling in the Classics by Jennifer Dow