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Posts by Amy Landisman

Professional freelance writer. Mom to three girls. Introvert and rebel. Life learner. Coffee addict.

March 22, 2017 by Amy

Creating A Masterpiece {Homeschool Art Review}

Creating A Masterpiece {Homeschool Art Review}

Sharing my love of art with my little women is one of my favorite part of homeschooling. Spending a relaxing afternoon creating something new and beautiful never stops being a joy for us. We’ve recently had the pleasure of trying out the Monthly Plan from Creating a Masterpiece, which provides my girls with excellent video based art […]

March 15, 2017 by Amy

Creative Freewriting Adventure {Review}

Creative Freewriting Adventure {Review}

As a writer, the desire to encourage a love of creative writing in my kids is strong. I’m picky about what resources we use in our homeschool writing projects. I want my daughters to be inspired, and approach writing with a positive attitude. My goal is for them to experience the joy of bringing a story from the depths of their […]

March 9, 2017 by Amy

Remembering How I Became A New Englander

Remembering How I Became A New Englander

It’s been 15 years now, since I left New York behind, quietly slipped over the state line and became a Connecticut resident. It was something I said I would never do, back when I was 21 and knew everything. When we moved, I didn’t think it would be forever. In fact, I still don’t see […]

March 3, 2017 by Amy

Week in Review {Photo Friday}

Week in Review {Photo Friday}

Have you ever felt like you’ve fallen into a place where time moves more quickly? As if some outside force hit the fast-forward button on your life? I’ve been there lately.  So rather than go in deep, and tell you all about the changes (it’s all good), I’ve decided to share snaps of things going on […]

February 23, 2017 by Amy

A Quick Intro to 3D Printing

A Quick Intro to 3D Printing

We’ve been watching videos about 3D printing lately, and my girls couldn’t wait to try it out. The Butterfly (13) designed and printed a nameplate for her bedroom door. The Princess (10) created a unique artistic design using shapes. Following a quick lesson on how to set-up and use the 3D Printers, they used TinkerCad to create their designs. So what […]

February 22, 2017 by Amy

Rocks, Gems and Minerals (Wordless Wednesday)

Rocks, Gems and Minerals (Wordless Wednesday)

The Butterfly is participating in the rocks and minerals event at  Science Olympiad next month. This is her first year competing, so we aren’t sure what to expect, but we do know that the preparation has been fun! She and her teammate spent an entire afternoon testing every rock and gem they could find in […]

February 18, 2017 by Amy

Telling Kids the Truth About Cookie Dough and Important Things

Telling Kids the Truth About Cookie Dough and Important Things

This post is a flashback from the archives. It was originally published 6 years ago, when my kids were 4, 7, and 11. Our daily lives have changed significantly since those days, but I still maintain that establishing an honest, trusting relationship with your kids when they’re young will lead to a more peaceful experience of the teen years.  Also, skip the Santa […]

February 9, 2017 by Amy

Make Math Facts Stick with Times Alive! {Review}

  Do you have clear memories of being drilled on the times tables when you were a kid? Do you recall the boredom of the experience?  Luckily, there is a much easier – and fun – way to get your kids through the process of memorizing multiplication facts. Over the past weeks, my daughter has been using   Times […]

February 6, 2017 by Amy

Playing with Poetry: 3 Ways to Make Poetry Engaging

Playing with Poetry: 3 Ways to Make Poetry Engaging

  Teaching poetry can be daunting. Many young students find reading poetry daunting, or worse, boring.   I’ve been asking around and many (if not most) people seem to think poetry is a nice and all, but they aren’t enthusiastic about exploring it with their kids. It doesn’t have to be this way. Poetry is just […]

January 30, 2017 by Amy

Raising a Little Entrepreneur

Raising a Little Entrepreneur

If challenged to create a product to sell, what would your child create? They may surprise you… My youngest daughter (now 10) took a class at our homeschool co-op last semester called Little Entrepreneurs. Over the course of a couple of months, students developed their ideas for a product, created it at home, learned how to design a logo, […]

January 19, 2017 by Amy

Using Minecraft to Inspire Your Child’s Writing

Using Minecraft to Inspire Your Child’s Writing

It’s been ages since I first wrote about the educational possibilities using Minecraft. Since then, a wealth of resources have been created to help kids learn everything from coding to history using Minecraft as inspiration. I recently received a comment on my Reading and Writing with Minecraft post and I wanted to share. It’s from […]

January 11, 2017 by Amy

Sunrise Over Snow (Wordless Wednesday)

Sunrise Over Snow (Wordless Wednesday)

It’s been rainy here lately, not at all the snow filled Connecticut winter that I’ve come to expect. I caught the sun coming up over a fresh snow fall last week, and then it was gone. I know I always complain about winter, but now I’m going to complain about this lack of winter. It […]

December 14, 2016 by Amy

My UncommonGoods Christmas Gift List

My UncommonGoods Christmas Gift List

Did I leave Christmas shopping to the last minute? Of course. I’ve been browsing and I’m almost ready to  hit the Buy Now button. I discovered today that I could probably do my Christmas shopping exclusively at UncommonGoods and find something to make everyone smile. They have a unique selection of gifts for the women […]

December 14, 2016 by Amy

The Twelve Dancing Princesses {Wordless Wednesday}

The Twelve Dancing Princesses {Wordless Wednesday}

  The Adventurer played  The Old Woman in a recent production of The Twelve Dancing Princesses at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, CT.  The Butterfly played Jill, the quiet, sweet princess who often had her nose in a book. I love watching them year after year, changing and growing as performers. The performing arts has […]

December 13, 2016 by Amy

Plan Your Year, Reach Your Goals in 2017 {Review +Coupon}

Plan Your Year, Reach Your Goals in 2017 {Review +Coupon}

Disclaimer:   I was given a  copy of this planner in exchange for my honest review.   It’s that time again. Time to look back at last year and determine what you want to change for the coming year. It’s time to reflect, set new goals and plan how you will achieve them. I’m giving a […]

December 3, 2016 by Amy

7 Favorite Homeschooling Resources for 2016

7 Favorite Homeschooling Resources for 2016

I want to start by saying that I don’t believe success in homeschooling is dependent on expensive resources. At our house, curricula and resources are here to help, but they don’t dictate our learning adventures. We often use these materials to guide us, or as a starting point, or we use it as intended for […]

December 2, 2016 by Amy

Show Prep, Holiday Prep

Show Prep, Holiday Prep

Our December routine has been the same for the past four years, and I love it. It also makes me a little crazy, because it’s non-stop activity until I drop, sometime around mid-month. When I recover (around the 15th) I rush to get all of the Christmas planning, shopping and decorating completed. I promised myself […]

November 28, 2016 by Amy

A Post Election Gratitude List and the Things We Can’t Control

A Post Election Gratitude List and the Things We Can’t Control

 I haven’t slept well these past weeks. I toss and turn in the dark hours, waking with alarming images floating through my head: pervy old white men laughing, swastikas painted on playground equipment,  fascism in neon lights on tall buildings. Every damn morning I rise up like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, wondering what the […]

November 9, 2016 by Amy

Language Smarts {The Critical Thinking Co.™ Review}

For the past six weeks, we’ve been trying something new at our house. My 9 year-old is learning quickly (and painlessly) about grammar, reading comprehension, writing, punctuation usage and spelling using a single resource.  I love the thoroughness of Language Smarts™ Level E from The Critical Thinking Co.™. It’s a full language arts program that covers everything a […]

November 3, 2016 by Amy

Cooking Up History Micro-Study {Homeschool Legacy Review}

Sometimes it’s fun to take a break from our typical homeschool routine and do something a little different. For a change of pace, we’ve been using a unit study from Homeschool Legacy. It’s the Once-a-Week Micro-Study called Cooking Up History with the Founding Presidents.  I intended to use this primarily with the Princess (9), but the […]

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About Me

Embracing the chaos of homeschooling three little women. Wife to city boy turned Wilderness Dad. Journalist. Lyme warrior. Horse rider. Anti-Spanx activist. [Read More …]

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Welcome. How Can I Help You?

Welcome. How Can I Help You?

Adorable Chaos was started in 2008 with the goal of supporting moms - homeschooling or not - in the … [Read More...]

Homeschool Record Keeping {MySchoolYear.com Review}

Do you have a plan for the upcoming school year or are you still in the process of planning (like … [Read More...]

If You Were Me and Lived in … {by Carole P. Roman and Awaywegomedia.com}

If You Were Me and Lived in … {by Carole P. Roman and Awaywegomedia.com}

Our favorite way of learning history is through great books. When given an engaging story to connect … [Read More...]

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Lyme Warrior

Little High, Little Low {The Trials of a Sugar Addict}

Little High, Little Low {The Trials of a Sugar Addict}

The following post is a flashback, written shortly after I was diagnosed with Lyme and put on a restricted diet. Years later,  I’m still on it. I’m still dealing with Lyme. A true addict, I’m still craving the sweet stuff. A few things are essential to my happy survival. They are faith, hope, love and until […]

Photography

16 Hours in Lake Placid

16 Hours in Lake Placid

This is the story of  a wedding, a road trip and finding direction. We set out at the crack of dawn to drive north on a damp icky September morning. It was actually 9:30, but it felt earlier because it was Saturday. We were on our way to a wedding, in Lake Placid. ON Lake […]

Life Learning

7 Colleges for Homeschooled, Unschooled and Self-Directed Learners

7 Colleges for Homeschooled, Unschooled and Self-Directed Learners

  I began researching colleges last year, when my daughter began her Freshman year of homeschooling high school. Does that sound a bit early? I feel that the more I know about college requirements for homeschooled students, the more effectively I can prepare my daughter for the admissions process. I think as a homeschool parent, it’s essential to know all the options available. […]

Homeschool Art Projects

Homeschool Art Project: Roman Fresco Paintings

Homeschool Art Project: Roman Fresco Paintings

I struggle a little with art projects. It isn’t that I don’t love seeing what my children create, it’s that I have trouble getting started.I have trouble letting them get started. I fear the mess. And it takes me time to work up the courage to let them open the paint, especially since I haven’t […]

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