The Road to the Good Life

Do you ever do something just for the sheer joy of it? Or, are you calculating in the back of your mind how something you're doing for fun can be used or repurposed so that you haven't wasted any time? Attempting a 100 Day Project can help you learn to let go, bolster your feelings of self-worth, and provide a sense of accomplishment.   Between February 13th and May 24th, I'm gifting myself 100 days of creativity. I'm participating in The 100 Day Project (follow @DoThe100DayProject or #DoThe100DayProject ) hosted by Lindsay Jean Thomson ( @LindsayJeanThomson on Instagram ). I'm planning on making 100 collages or mixed media pieces and will be posting my work periodically to Instagram at @RoadToGoodLife .     So far I've created eleven pieces and haven't missed a day yet! Read on to learn about this year's one hundred day project and how I'm approaching it.  

Up until the COVID shelter in place order went out in San Francisco in 2020, I’d never heard of Aduki beans. And then, just like that I had a dozen cans. If you've never eaten them, you'll want to go out and grab some and make this one-pot red beans and rice recipe either on your stovetop or in a slow cooker.   NOTE: This post contains affiliate links, preceded by (*affiliate link) .

  Last week, I had the opportunity to play with light and food in our kitchen. So, now, I'm daydreaming about (and planning for) my next creative space by thinking about the past places I've lived in.   Do you have a permanent or temporary space for creating in your home? If temporary, what tips do you have for getting set up quickly when the mood strikes you?   I've compiled a list of four things I've learned I need after years creating in shared, temporary spaces that may be helpful to you.  

Fall can be a time of new beginnings. A time for taking a second look at your everyday surroundings and really seeing what is or isn't working for you.   And our #SeeYourOrdinary Instagram Challenge can be part of that process.   Will you be joining us this year?  

No one starts their homeschooling journey completely sure of themselves. Sure former teachers may have an edge, as they're already familiar with rubrics, learning objectives, standards, and more. But, they're probably not well versed in the standards for their kids' grade level. All of us need to meet our kids where they are and find out what works for them and us.   After a few months of trial and error (and lots of reading!), we came up with a set of rubrics that work for us: a student self-assessment and a project-based assessment. "A rubric is a type of scoring guide that assesses and articulates specific components and expectations for an assignment (source: https://teaching.cornell.edu/teaching-resources/assessment-evaluation/using-rubrics )." These tools may work for you or they may not; feel free to take them or leave them.   What do you use to measure your child's progress?  

( updated 02/24/2022 ) Welcome! Nice to meet you!   I’m Eden, a fourth-generation Californian. Together my husband, 9.75 year old daughter, and Maine Coon/Ragamuffin rescue cat are in the process of unpacking and nesting in our new 100+ year old Craftsman in Berkeley, CA (until this past December we called a 100-year old, a 847 sq ft Edwardian flat in San Francisco home). We define The Good Life with haves not wants and experiences not things.     What's your story?