BRIGHTER DAY PRESS BLOG

I am thrilled to share our family's choices for this year's March Book Madness! I hope you'll join us.  My children and I have selected 16 picture books we hope you'll love, and we've put them into brackets in a printable format....

St. Patrick's Day is around the corner, and I wanted to share a list of our favorite picture books (along with a couple video recommendations). These books go hand in hand with our brand new St. Patrick's Day guide - a...

Do you have a voracious reader in your house? Chapter book series can be so helpful to keep your child satisfied, and I want to recommend a few our family has loved! For most of these, we've read book #1 as...

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is coming soon, and I wanted to create something as "open and go" as possible to help families learn about Dr. King's life and mission.  If you only have 10 minutes, watch his "I Have a...

I want to share our family's natural medicine cabinet, including the vitamins we take on a daily basis. This is not medical advice; please just take this as one family's journey toward wellness.     I am a registered nurse,...

This morning, I made "Upset Tummy Popsicles" to store in the freezer for the next time one of my children complains of a tummy ache. These contain fresh ginger for reducing nausea or calming an upset stomach, turmeric which can improve indigestion, peppermint...

Mark your calendars: The brand new Valentine's Day guide is coming on January 5!  I believe there is no better time to teach our children the truth about love and marriage through a biblical lens. In this 5-day study, we'll go beyond...

Every week, our family has a rotating dinner menu that keeps meals predictable and nutritious... and keeps us from driving through Chick-fil-A every day. I aim for meals I know my family will enjoy, that don't take too much time, and that...

Are you (like me) ready to declutter and simplify for this upcoming year?  I asked you for recommendations on decluttering your home and simplifying your routines, and these were the wonderful resources you sent my way. (Thank you!) Here are...

A couple weeks ago, I polled you all for life skills you hope to teach your children before they leave home. I absolutely loved your responses! I compiled the most frequent responses (and added a few of my own) and organized...

Did you know you can paint with watercolors on homemade air dry clay? You can find this project in my newest Christmas guide, Come to the Manger, but I wanted to share it here as well! This is a super frugal,...

December 6 marks St. Nicholas Day when people around the world honor St. Nicholas, a 3rd century bishop whose radical generosity inspired the idea of Santa Claus. Our family doesn't celebrate Santa, but we are planning to learn more about St....

Does your family read aloud during the Christmas season? There's so much activity in December that I find settling down under a cozy blanket to read with my children - even for 15 minutes a day - brings peace to our...

Our oldest children are now 11 and almost 9, and both have professed a saving knowledge of Jesus and have been baptized. We are seeing fruit in their lives that only the Holy Spirit can produce: more love, joy, patience...

Our family keeps Christmas delightfully simple by choosing three gifts for each person: something to read, something to wear, and something to play with. We use this system for children and adults! If you're anything like me, it's much easier to...

Since having children, we've adopted a 3-gift rule at Christmas: we all receive something to read, something to wear, and something to play with. This keeps things delightfully simple. Our kids have never asked, but if you're transitioning to a "lighter" Christmas this...

On November 1, I'll be releasing a new Christmas guide for ages 3-7 called, "Come to the Manger." But did you know I also have an Advent guide for elementary students (with preschool projects included)?      I wanted to...

There must be a publisher-approved name for this genre, but I'm calling them "bridge books" because they bridge the gap between reading picture books and reading chapter books aloud to your children. The "bridge books" I've listed below are heavily...

🍄 DIY Woodland Ornaments 🍄 My husband was born and raised in the Black Forest of Germany, a magical place that inspired so many fairy tales. It's also the home to these gorgeous mushrooms - called amanita muscaria. When I...

    On November 1, I'll be releasing a brand new Christmas curriculum called Come to the Manger: A Christ-Centered Christmas for Preschoolers. This 4-week guide includes daily Bible readings, picture books, activities for phonics and counting practice, simple recipes...

Because of the pandemic and the ever-changing political climate, more and more families are choosing to homeschool. In fact, since March 2020, the amount of American children who are homeschooled has risen from 3% to an astounding 11%.  So how do...