Seton Magazine Catholic Homeschool Articles, Advice & Resources

Abby Sasscer explores some fun and creative ways to start the school year, sure to keep everyone smiling, having fun and ready to focus on their work!

by Abby Sasscer | As promised, I will be giving you a quick tour of our Command Center which may be helpful as you gear up for another school year this September.

by Abby Sasscer | Our classroom is a place where any of the children can go if they want to do some quiet reading or if they need a peaceful place to homeschool.

by Abby Sasccer | We will be looking at what we did to simplify the children’s playroom. The playroom is an integral part of our learning environment.

by Abby Sasscer | Waiting until the summer months to simplify large areas of the home, especially our kitchen, was one of the best calls we ever made.

by Abby Sasscer | Today, we’ll be looking at our tiny spaces, namely, our laundry closet, linen closet and hallway bath. Tiny spaces in tiny homes need a WHOLE LOT of creativity.

by Abby Sasscer | Today, we’ll be looking at The Boys’ Room. Since my parents were slowly transitioning into retirement, my father temporarily stayed...

by Abby Sasscer | When Baby Girl felt she was ready to move in her sister’s room, our challenge was to make them feel like they had their own “special space”. This took a bit of creativity since the space we were working with was so limited. When Baby Girl is a bit older, we will eventually move a bunk bed in here to make their special space a bit more permanent.

by Abby Sasscer | The biggest change in our family this year is that Baby girl decided that she was ready to sleep in the “big” girls’ room with her sister. My heart is aching from this inevitable change and I’m still not used to seeing all this empty space at the foot of our bed. Sniff...sniff…..

by Abby Sasscer | Every time I do a meet-and-greet with mothers after my Project Nazareth talks, many of them have suggested that I be open to giving an online tour of our home. And while I thought the idea was great, a part of me wanted to keep our cottage out of the public eye.

by Abby Sasscer | Spring is definitely in the air and what better time to declutter and organize our domestic church than during this beautiful season of Lent. Despite the on-again, off-again winter weather we’ve been experiencing here in Virginia, the Great Purge of 2014 is well underway in our little home in the hills.

As soon as my baby girl turned seven months old, I started feeling ill. And it wasn't the typical "I'm coming down with a cold" kind of ill. I was having a very difficult time breathing. As a busy mom, I dismissed it as the usual effects of sleep deprivation. I went to the hospital just to be sure, but they sent me home after all the test results came out normal.

Eight years ago, our sewer line backed up and caused a small flood in our basement.  Gray water had entered the garage and the playroom.  Our insurance company required us ...

Several years ago, I received a phone call from a dear friend who invited me to take a free shopping spree at Costco Wholesale Club. The offer was so tempting since anything and everything I would purchase that day would all be paid for. I was so floored by such a generous offer that I felt like one of those eager contestants who had just won the grand prize in “Supermarket Sweep.”

Abby Sasscer, homeschool mom of 3 and public speaker on simpler living, shares her top 3 benefits to living with less and 7 steps to a simpler home!

When I was four years old and living in the Philippines, there was an elderly man who would come around our street once or twice a month to beg for food. He was ill and had a difficult time speaking. Nobody in the neighborhood seemed to know his name. Every time he came, my Lolo, or grandfather, greeted him with a hearty "Hello My Friend!" From then on, all of us children called him "My Friend".

When I was in fourth grade, I brazenly asked my father to buy me a pair of penny loafers. You see, the penny loafer fad had not fully caught on around my school yet, but I wanted to be among the first to own one. After waiting an eternity for his reply, he answered “Abby, we cannot give you everything… but we will deprive you of nothing.” I didn’t quite understand what my father meant. I figured it was just a nice way of saying “no.”

The second principle in living the simple life is: Trusting in God’s providential love. But why is it so difficult for us to trust in Divine Providence? Why is it so easy to surrender all the areas of our lives to God except for the area of finances? Because trusting in the Lord requires the understanding that His divine plan is so much larger than our own.

Ten years ago, our family embarked on a journey which entailed leaving our comfortable life in Northern Virginia to live a life of simplicity in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. And ...

“Be as simple as doves” –  Matthew 10:16 When I was sitting behind my vendor table at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Homeschool Conference this past June, an elderly gentleman ...