Classic Hilton's

I am excited. September 15th is coming. God has been preparing my heart and my head for this day for a long time. September 15th will be the official first day of school for the Hilton Home Academy. I've been practically homeschooling for three years now (via university model schools and cyber school), but for the first time we are official, registered with the district as homeschoolers and I am 100% in charge of how and when and why and what we will study. Whew! It takes me forever to process any given situation, which is why I didn't start homeschooling right out of the gate. But as I look back over our educational journey, I see how each administration worked for our family at that particular time and place and how they have contributed to shaping my hopes and dreams for our family.  There are a few resources that have played a significant role in my Plan-making. A Well Trained Mind  by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer - INVALUABLE! This book walks you through the classi

Every time I've had a newborn, I have chosen a song that belongs to them. There is nothing particularly special about this little ceremony, it is simply that in my heart, this song reminds me of my sweet little newborn.  For my dear firstborn I chose So This is Love  from Disney's Cinderella. This song's sweet lyrics perfectly captured how motherhood deeply changed my understanding of what love looks like. So much more than flowers and romantic gestures, love is about sacrifice, and motherhood is the very picture of pouring out your own life for the sake of another.  So this is love, hmmm, so this is love. So this is what makes life divine. I'm all aglow, hmmm, and now I know, the key to all heaven is mine. My heart has wings, hmmm, and I can fly. I'll touch every star in the sky. So this is the miracle that I've been dreaming of. Hmmm, so this is love.   My bundle of non-stop energy Grayson gets a swingy "Glee" version of Dream a Little Dream of

It has been two years since I last published something, though certainly not since I've had something to say!  My brain is simply brimming over with thoughts that I want to get out, but for the moment I want to reflect on where we are versus where we have been. My hope in the coming months is to write more regularly and to capture our homeschooling journey on these pages. Perhaps they will be a comfort to a mom in similar circumstances or an inspiration to someone who wants to homeschool but doesn't know where to start. Or maybe they will just be a personal record of who we are and what we're up to at any given point in history and someday my great grandchildren will find it and get a better sense of who they are!  We moved to Pennsylvania about 15 months ago so that Ray could work as an actor in Moses  at Sight and Sound Theaters. It was an incredible experience that has led to many wonderful changes for our family. He was blessed with a second contract to be in the re