Mini Book Reviews: A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping, The Amberglow Candy Store, Everyone is Lying to You

On February 25, 2026February 25, 2026 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized3 Comments

Hello everyone! It is time once again for me to post a few mini reviews!

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping is perfectly adorable. This book is all about love, what we will do for those we love, and finding the people we love. Just so much love. There is also some very villainous villains in this one too, a zombie rooster, a talking fox who is really a witch who has been cursed by her own curse, and various other magics at play. The characters are all those who have been hurt by others, whose existences were not deemed acceptable, for being different or “other”. The inn is a place whose real magic is love and healing, and it is just such a cozy, heartwarming read.

Yay for book one for me this year in the Books in Translation challenge! The Amberglow Candy Store was a very cute, simple, and quick read. I wasn’t in love with it, and I felt like it read pretty young. I actually even looked it back up to see if it was maybe middle grade but it isn’t. However, it wasn’t a bad book. It is split up into different little stories, like most of these healing fiction style books, and I definitely had my favorite stories. I loved the story of Ayumu, and I loved the story about Kogetsu, the han-yu who runs the shop. His story was probably my favorite. This story also made me want to try the types of treats mentioned in this book! All of them are unknown to me, and now I want to try them myself!

I do love this cover immensely as well.

I picked this up as a blind date with a book and it was an amazing read! This is a fictional thriller, murder mystery book, and I literally didn’t want to put it down. The mystery was well done, but even more so the depiction of social media. The ups and downs, the reality and the facade. What is authentic, what is not. And how even when we know that, we are still drawn in by the images and stories we see. I loved too that this was all juxtaposed against investigative journalism and social media, and research vs. opinion. It was all fascinating and I couldn’t stop reading. This is not to say either that all stories and images we see online are inauthentic or fake; just that maybe we all need to realize that everyone no matter how perfect they seem online, is still human.

I also really enjoyed the author pointing out that these women influencers are very powerful, rich women, some of them billionaires behind the scenes from their work as influencers, yet they are under the radar or not acknowledged as such. They might have a different sort of job, but at the same time are CEOs of their brands, which can pull in the big money. Why are they not acknowledged as highly as other powerful CEOs, or even acknowledged at all? I thought this was a very interesting viewpoint.

J0 Piazza spent five years down the rabbit hole, doing research, and is in fact a journalist herself. When she had her baby in 2020 (I think) she began a deep dive behind the moms behind the blogs and Instagrams that always looked so perfect and had it under control, and began the podcast Under the Influence which is all about this topic. I of course started listening and it is just as fascinating as this fiction thriller!

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Quotes

On February 24, 2026February 24, 2026 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized25 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Today’s Prompt: Quotes

I love this prompt. I keep a reading journal and I always write down a quote or two from the book that I finished. These are from some of the last books I have read.

“He promised to keep trying to live in a good way, despite the pull of negative influences around him.”

“The only thing I was sure of at that moments was that I wouldn’t cry. I’d dealt with much worse events in my life and hadn’t shed a tear. Tears were for those who had the time to wallow in their misery. After each major disaster in my life I hadn’t had the luxury of falling apart. I’d needed to remain standing just for my survival.”

“Lilacs belong to old houses, they should lean and look in the windows.”

“The steaming crumble was hygge in a bowl. No self-respecting Scandinavian or Northern European would ever think of dieting in winter. Food is comfort against cold and dark.”

“When we arrive in Akureyri, twilight is descending upon the brightly lit town, its reflection cast upon the still dark surface of a fjord..”

“This was how the konpeito were meant to be eaten. And imagining the good things that might happen with others was a minor joy in itself.”

“Now I know there is an influencer for everything. Much like porn, if you can name a kink there is an influencer for it.”

“Some moments return to us, intact and incandescent, undimmed by the passage of time.”

“…I’ve found that simplicity doesn’t necessarily equal childishness. I like to be reminded that kindness, patience, and friendship are the things that make life enjoyable.”

” ‘I’m a raven.’ Lenore shrugged. ‘If you want sunshine and melodies, go find a swallow.’ “

And that is it for me today! I hope you do something that makes you smile today!

Books, Screens, and In-Betweens

On February 22, 2026February 22, 2026 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized21 Comments

I am linking up with Deb at Readerbuzz, Kathryn at Book Date, and Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

Hello everyone! Just when we thought winter was ending, we got a fresh layer of snow. Sigh. More than the snow, I am ready for the germs everywhere to disappear for the season! Michigan is still at a high level for flu, and it has been holding steady for two months. We actually had to cancel our skating trip because all but two kids are sick! (and knock on wood they stay well!)

Books:

Last week I read two books!

Everyone is Lying to You is a library book I got in one of those blind date with a book things. I absolutely loved it and could not stop reading it.

The Amberglow Candy Store… not as much. It was very sweet (lol) but it read very young. I actually went and looked to see if it was a middle grade book but it is not. It was not a bad read, but I didn’t love it. I do love this cover though!

This week I am not sure what I am reading. I do have a few I am thinking about.

I am also anxiously awaiting a hold I placed on a book of poetry by Lyndsay Rush, who is showing up for me everywhere the last few days. She was on a vlog I watched, she was quoted in the book Everyone is Lying to You, and then she popped up on another person’s Instagram who I follow. I would buy the book but I like to use the library first, plus Billy and I are trying to do a no spend month. Well, we are buying groceries and necessities but nothing just for fun or because we want it. We have a million birthdays this month and want to stay on budget.

Screens:

In between the Olympics, Billy and I watched The Burbs tv show. We both really loved it! Then Friday night we started watching the Netflix series Death by Lightning, which is fabulous. The cast is amazing – Michael Shannon, Nick Offerman, Betty Gilpin, Matthew MacFadyen – so many great actors. It is about James Garfield and his assassin Charles Guiteau, and it begins by saying that these two and their lives have been lost to history. That we have forgotten who they are, and their stories. I feel like I am learning so much, and I want to read the book that the series is based on by Candice Millard called Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President. Billy and I have also talked about taking a road trip out to Garfield’s farm in the spring. I love when a show or a book brings history to life, and sparks a new interest. So far I highly recommend it, although we are only two episodes in out of a four part series. Was Chester A. Arthur also so rough and uncouth? I need to know! Just a note: There is swearing in this trailer.

In-Betweens:

Well, I mentioned we had to cancel our skating trip which was a bummer. I know the kids were excited; it stinks that the majority of the families got sick. We do have another outing coming up in a few weeks, to a maple sugar farm. Orchard?

I don’t have too much else to add! I just did my Friday Coffee Catch Up a few days ago and yesterday we spent catching up on things. I did have a nice chat with Lisa and Cat from Cat’s Wire during our crafternoon, which was a nice break in the day. I didn’t end up crafting at all, since I had a sleeping cat on my lap.

I did post a few times last week:

Top Ten Tuesday: Books for the Armchair Traveler

Friday Morning Coffee Catch Up

And, I think that is it from me today! I hope that you all stay safe and healthy!

Friday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On February 20, 2026 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized18 Comments

Hello everyone!! Our mornings since we got the kittens have been very cozy. Wyatt, Billy and I hang out on the bed, doing whatever (I usually blog) and the kittens romp around the room being silly. Miso has usually come and gone by this point. She likes to wake me up early for her breakfast, cuddle next to me for a bit, then heads to higher ground when the kittens get up. Like me, Miso likes a slow morning.

Speaking of the kittens, they had their spay/neuter surgeries this week, and both of them did great. I was super nervous, and I hated leaving them there overnight, but it helped that my SIL works there and could update me often. She sent me pictures when they woke up. I thought it was hilarious – my kittens woke up and when they were awake enough to have food, they pigged out. The pictures Chrissy sent cracked me up. She sent pictures of Max and Mouse, and also of their mother and sister, who were also there being fixed. If you remember, their mom was a stray my friend let in his house around Thanksgiving, and she had the kittens a week later. The clinic has a grant program that allows them to do the surgeries for a great price – we paid $50 total for the kittens surgery, and that included the meds and vaccines. Anyway, their mom and sister were posing like princesses and my kittens were headfirst in their food bowls.

Isn’t the mom gorgeous? Can you believe she was just wandering the streets? She was underweight despite being pregnant when my friend took her in. She looks soo much better now!

On Valentine’s Day, we had a very simple celebration. Billy and I took a walk in the park at sunset, and then we went home and he made Wyatt and I pancakes with a homemade strawberry compote to put on top. It was delicious! I had mentioned earlier in the week that I really wanted them, for some reason, maybe a bit of comfort food mixed with bright flavors, and he did a great job.

Earlier that day we didn’t do much, other than go to the library. I ended up getting a book from their blind date with a book display, and I could not put it down.

We also had our Blackbirds meeting last week. It seems like once we recovered from being sick and got the all clear, we hit the ground running again. I think I could have used a few more days of slow moving, but that was not in the plans I guess. After our skating adventure this weekend I am not making any plans for a while!

However, Blackbirds was really fun. This time, I had the kids building Yeti traps for a bit of fun Stem time. Billy made 3d printed yetis for every kid, and then we gave them the supplies, the plans and a parent helper and they got to making – or, most of the parents did. It turned into the parents working on the traps with their kids and all of us parents just talking away, and honestly it was so fun. There were so many smiles, and one of the children came up to me afterwards to tell me how much fun she had, and how much she enjoyed making the trap. It made me smile.

We are signing Wyatt up for Little League this year! There is a city near us that offers a special needs team, and Wyatt and a few of his friends are going to join. It sounds perfect. They are super flexible about practices and games, and they only play two innings, which is probably the exact right amount of time for at least my little guy. It is also free! We sign him up this week and I am pretty excited! I don’t think anything starts until April so we have some time to get some practice in here first.

And since I am talking sports and activities, let me brag a bit on Mermaid Girl – who I am going to rename Ninja Girl on here. She has been taking karate, and was just accepted into the black belt club! This means she is fast tracked for her black belt, and has to go to extra classes and one of them is a weapons training. She has a bostaff which sounds so cool! I am very proud of her!

We have also been catching up on things around here, that got shoved aside when we were sick. School, housework, just the bits and pieces of everyday life. I also caught up on my correspondences with my pen pals, and I am heading to the post office tomorrow to mail them all. It has been so much fun, and I get so excited when I open the mailbox and find a letter! Max was attempting to help but fell asleep instead.

And that is about it from me today!! I hope that whatever you do today, you do something that makes you smile!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books for Armchair Travelers

On February 17, 2026February 14, 2026 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized32 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Today’s Prompt: Books for Armchair Travel

Oo this is a good one!!! I think I am going to do a mix of books that I have read and books that I want to read! I also want to choose books I haven’t mentioned very much here as well. Or maybe I will do picture books and middle grade! I am apparently just going to plan this right here while I type.

A Frog in the Fjord || The Year of Living Danishly || A Buzz in the Meadow

A Frog in the Fjord is on my vast and enormous TBR. I don’t know who else looks at books on Pinterest, but this was a Pinterest find. I can armchair travel to Norway, a country I would love to visit. As you read through this post, you are going to learn a lot about me, and where I would like to travel!

I read The Year of Living Danishly a few years ago and became obsessed with moving to Denmark. I would still love to move there, and every so often I randomly ask Billy to look at jobs there.

A Buzz in the Meadow took me to a rural French farm. It was run down and this book focuses on the wildlife and nature that happens there. I loved reading about the vernal pool that came back, and how the amphibians that used it also came back.

The Key to Puzzler’s Lock || Only in Naples || Tea With Elephants

I have an obsession with houseboats and canal boats. It has come up here many times but I am going to mention it again. My friend Kelly who just got back from England (I am giving her a hard time about going away again because she is my bestie and who will I talk to every morning if she is away again) is going to Amsterdam next week and I asked if she would stay on a houseboat for me. She said no and I think she is missing out by not doing it. Lol. Anyway, I love books that have houseboats and canal boats so I can travel there from my bedroom. FYI The Key to Puzzler’s Lock is for middle grade readers.

Only in Naples is another TBR pick as is Tea with Elephants. I would love to go to both Italy, and Africa. Sigh. I would love to see elephants in the wild, and cheetahs and giraffes. That giraffe hotel looks amazing to me! I have a family member who got to stay there and they said it was so cool! But until I become a world traveler I will have to be an armchair one.

Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop || The Bookshop on the Shore || Dear Bob and Sue

The first two are double whammies. Bookshops and travel! One in Korea and one in Scotland!! And Dear Bob and Sue was such a cool way to “visit” all of the national parks. And I learned I am not cut out to visit those national parks in Alaska except for in books! That grizzly bear situation is a big no thank you from me.

Temple of Swoon

And finally Temple of Swoon! I love to read books and watch movies that are about exploring the jungle! And since I would absolutely hate it in reality – too hot, too humid, too many giant bugs and snakes, I get my travel fix through books!

I am excited to see what I can add to my list today!

Books, Screens, and In-Betweens

On February 15, 2026February 15, 2026 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized25 Comments

I am linking up with Deb at Readerbuzz, Kathryn at Book Date, and Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

Hello everyone! Last week was yucky week! We all ended up with Covid. It was thankfully mild but we were still all super tired. We are feeling back to normal now though thank goodness!

Books:

While I was sick, I didn’t really feel like reading until I started feeling better. I did enjoy reading through Vivian Swift’s When Wanderers Cease to Roam, which was perfect. It was easy to read through, lots of pictures, and cheery. I am only halfway through it, but the chapters on the spring months were giving me life! About midweek I felt like reading again, and I ended up finishing two books.

I am really enjoying my slow “wander” through Swift’s book. Right now I am using it to get through these last dregs of winter, reading about all the seasons we have to look forward to, but I ended up buying a copy from Pango so that I can revisit it monthly or seasonally when I want to in the future.

The Cater Street Hangman is from a book series I used to read like crazy years and years ago. I often go back to it when I am not feeling well or need a comfort read.

And finally, A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping was delightful!! I absolutely loved it. Also another buy from Pango. I also sell on Pango, and one feature of it is that you can earn Pango bucks. You can either have the money you make sent to your actual bank account, or you can choose to keep it on Pango and use it to buy more books. That is generally what I do.

Screens:

Well, I didn’t read much last week but I did watch television. We watched a lot of Olympics. I have such warm and fuzzy feelings about watching the Olympics with my mom as a little girl. It was always so exciting and such an event, especially when we knew figure skating would be on. We would sit under blankets on the couch with our cups of tea and watch all of the skaters. Such good memories. I wanted to make some of these with Wyatt too, but he wasn’t as interested in figure skating. However, he does like to watch moguls and snowboarding. We are watching everything we can, but those are his favorites. Our kittens like to watch too, which cracks me up. They really like the luge and bobsledding, but Mouse was riveted by snowboarding the other day.

We are also watching the tv show The Burbs, and we are both really enjoying it! It is like the perfect mix of mystery and thriller, as well as a comedy. I need to rewatch the movie again now.

Julia Duffy, who will always be Stephanie from Newhart to me, is on it, and she is my favorite character, but I do also really love Tod, who is played by Mark Proskch, or Colin from What We Do in the Shadows. He was hilarious in that, and plays a similar type character in The Burbs. Justin Kirk is also great in this so far, but again, I also loved him in another show, Weeds.

Last week on my blog, I posted:

In Our Homeschool

Friday Afternoon Coffee Catch Up, Minus the Coffee

Wednesday Morning Coffee (Covid) Catch Up

A Cozy Little Life: A Look at Book Journaling

In-Betweens:

Not too much, since we were sick, and I mainly blogged about everything else in my coffee catch up posts, except Valentine’s Day! Billy and I went for a walk and saw the sunset, with our Starbucks teas in hand, lol, and then we came home and he made us all pancakes with strawberry compote that he made himself, because I had weirdly decided I wanted those for some reason earlier in the week. They were delicious and we all loved them!

The kittens go in for their spay and neuter and surgeries tomorrow morning. I will miss them scampering and stampeding around the house while they are gone, and I will worry as well. My poor babies. It’s always so hard, isn’t it? We had our Blackbirds meeting last week, which was a lot of fun, and then this week our Blackbirds are going to a skating event I arranged. I am nervous about that as well! I want Wyatt to have all the experiences that he can though, so I will muster through it. This skating loop has an ice skating sled, that he can sit on and be pushed. There is also a cabana that we rented, a bonfire, and there is a restaurant that serves pizza. It will be fun although I will be a nervous mama until it is over.

And with that, I hope that all of you have a great day, and do something that makes you smile, even if it is something small!

A Cozy Little Life: A Look at Book Journaling

On February 13, 2026 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized18 Comments

Hello everyone!! I am having a slow morning this morning, and it felt like the perfect time for this post.

For the past year I have been keeping a reading journal and “annotating” books, and I have gotten a few comments and questions about it all. I was inspired by a couple of different vloggers on YouTube: Elizabeth at The Plant Based Bride, Cups and Thoughts, and Katie is Reading.

Now all of these vloggers have much more involved and creative setups than I do, and also annotate quite a bit more than I do, but I wanted to share their setups and also Elizabeth’s annotation video as examples of how amazing this can all be, and how detailed you can get. Maybe one day I will be at their level but for now I am happy with what I am doing. It brings me joy and makes me happy and that is what matters. Do I sometimes start pages over, or rethink what I am doing? Yes, I do, but I also don’t compare what I do to these vloggers. For one, I don’t have nearly the number of supplies that they do, and I don’t think that matters. I think if you want to do this, you just need some sort of journal or notebook, maybe some markers, and if you feel the need for more, you can even check the dollar store near you. Ours has started carrying crafting supplies, including stickers and washi tape. Some of you might have a lot of supplies at home already. Whatever you have, you can do this. If you have a printer, you could print book covers, or different images. You could go old school and cut pictures out of old magazines even. The important part is to have FUN!

As far as my reading journal goes, I have a few sticker collections that I have picked up, and markers (that don’t bleed) and just regular journals that I got off Amazon. I did recently purchase some winter washi tape, and I am also using all of these items with my letter writing as well! I am slowly adding to my supplies, but like I said it is not something you need to run out and stock up on unless you want to.

These are just some examples of different pages I did for books I have read. Some are mainly quotes, others I have written more in depth thoughts and questions I had about the book.

As far as annotating, I am not that critical nor do I make that many notes in the book itself. My method is to just flag the passage or quote that I like, and when I finish reading, I look back through, and write my thoughts down from there, or not. If you watch Elizabeth’s video though, she has a fantastic video chock full of information about annotating. She is one of the vloggers I watch who actually challenges me to read more critically. I feel smarter after watching her book vlogs, honestly. They remind me of being back in my literature classes in college, and as a lit minor, I had a lot of those!

So I know I said you don’t need to buy stuff if you don’t want to, but I wanted to share some supplies in case you are interested in what I have around and use.

This section contains Amazon Affiliate links and I would receive a small commission if you were to purchase something.

Blank Notebook || Peter Pauper Press Stickers (they have so many and they are so cute!) || Winter Washi Tape || Winter Stickers || Markers

However you choose to do this, if you do, just remember, it is all about fun and relaxing, not comparison to others or having all the things.

And that is it from me today! I hope that whatever you do, you do something that makes you smile!

Wednesday Morning Coffee (Covid) Catch Up

On February 11, 2026 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized23 Comments

Hello everyone!!! It’s been a minute since I posted here. If you are on my socials at all, then you already know, but that illness that Wyatt had – and passed on to us – was Covid. Ughhh. I started feeling pretty crummy Friday night, and by the time we went to bed, I had an idea that is what it was. When I got up on Saturday morning I took a test and yep, that line showed up. Billy was starting to feel sick too by this point as well.

Billy and I both immediately set up virtual doctor appointments to get on Paxlovid. I know that this is not the choice everyone would take, but we thought since we have Wyatt to take care of and we were all sick at the time, that it would be a good idea to take it. The other time we had Covid, back in like 2021ish, Billy had it in May and then Wyatt and I had it in July. Billy set up in his office when he had it that time and I solo’d it with Wyatt.

Anyway, we were both super tired for like two days, and have Paxlovid mouth which is disgusting. Wyatt rebounded quickly, but as he has a certain level of dependence on us, ended up spending a lot of time watching tv in bed with his parents as we rested. Lol. However, yesterday I felt so much better! The sun was shining, it was warm (40 degrees!), and I threw open the windows a tiny bit to air out the house, and got busy cleaning. I scrubbed down the bedrooms with bleach, washed all the bedding, scrubbed floors, just pretty much went on a crazy deep clean spree. I also decided anything that made me think of winter needed to put away. Winter decor was banished to boxes, and snowy reads put back on the shelves for another time. I moved out books that feel like spring, changed our duvet cover, and by the end of it all, the whole house felt lighter. Fresher. And I felt happier and lighter as well. I saw Mireille posted about vignettes today and I need to pop over and read her post, but that is what I was doing yesterday too. Changing my vignettes. Changing my view, and my mindset.

It is still too early here in Michigan to start seeds, I think, but I think we will give it a try. I feel like if we get some wee plantlings that there is a way we could make a makeshift greenhouse situation on our deck for Wyatt and I to tend. We need to move our thinking forward to spring. As the seasons start to shift, so do we. It is premature to think of spring being here, I live in Michigan after all. Winter could be here until April for goodness sakes. But, I am going to start thinking at least of brighter, longer days. Of more color in the world, not just the blues and grays and whites of winter. We need pink and green, yellow. We need birdsong. I think that if the weather is a little better next week Wyatt and I might take a field trip to the zoo, walk around, go into the butterfly house, watch the otters play.

We have been watching the Olympics a lot around here, and playing with our three cats, little Miso who is like the Nana for our kittens. She follows them around, just sort of watching them. They nuzzle up against her and she sort of makes a face like eww but also allows it. But when I put them in the office for the night (I don’t trust them running around the house at night yet) she sits outside the door for a bit, and in the morning she waits for them to come out, and nose boops them. I had to laugh yesterday, Mouse, our little adventurer and scamp, ran by Miso and play swatted her poofy tail, and then ran off. She was brave, that could have earned her a little hiss but it didn’t.

I haven’t wanted to read much while I have been sick, but I did receive two letters from pen pals which made me smile. Yesterday while Wyatt was painting, I wrote them back. It was so nice to have a cup of tea, and just write out letters that I will send out to two very different places, while my son happily painted next to me. Poor Billy had to go back to work yesterday, but he was working from home so that was better at least.

Today we join the world again. Wyatt goes back to therapy, and I think he will be glad to get out. I know I will be happy! I think we might try to go to the library and pick up our holds as well. And maybe I will stop at Starbucks and grab Wyatt a cookie, and a Medicine Ball for myself. Then we will come home to our house full of animals and Billy and settle in for the evening.

And I think that is it from me today! I don’t know what is in my camera roll, we will find out here together I guess!

I hope that whatever you do today, that you do something that makes you smile.

Friday Afternoon Coffee Catch Up, Minus the Coffee

On February 6, 2026February 6, 2026 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized24 Comments

Hello everyone! Today is a kind of a blah day here. Wyatt caught a cold somewhere and hasn’t been feeling well. He is all stuffed up and coughing and had a low grade fever last night and this morning. I hate when he is sick! And, I am feeling a bit under the weather today as well. I need to fight this off! Yuck!

This week was just a week. Nothing too exciting, and then Wyatt started not feeling well on Wednesday so we didn’t do too much after that. I did take Mouse in for a wellness check at the vet. Her eyes are a little runny, and she has been having some litter box training issues so I thought I would take her in. She was such a good little girl, and they all loved her.

I am so glad that I took her in. The vet detected a low grade heart murmur, which he said she might outgrow later, but that they may not spay her when we take her in this month (she is getting spayed somewhere else). So we will find out what happens. My poor baby! He said the fact that she is not fatigued or coughing are all good signs. Other than that, the visit went pretty well. They said she might just be taking a little bit more time to learn the litter box ways, as she is now going next to the box, like a goof. She will figure it out. I hope. Lol.

Miso is trying hard with these kittens. She is still very good with them, although I can tell they annoy her a little. This picture sort of reminds me of Garfield and Nermal!

Max is still Max, an orange floof. He loves Wyatt, which is what I wanted, a pet that Wyatt can grow up with. Miso is my cat, she loves me the most, she’s older than Wyatt, you get it. So the kittens are Wyatt’s growing up pets. Mouse likes Wyatt too, but Max is more attached to him, and will cuddle up next to him. Although, as if they sensed that sentence, Mouse just wandered over to Wyatt to cuddle him. Maybe she knows he doesn’t feel well today.

Michigan is like one giant germ right now! My brother’s family has been sick too, and my little tiny niece, the hurricane, was diagnosed this morning with low grade pneumonia. The doctor gave her some antibiotics and said she should be feeling better within a day or two. Poor baby girl!

I am also so behind on replying to comments and visiting blogs. I apologize. Hopefully I can get to it soon.

And I think that is sort of it for today! I am feeling sort of crummy and uninspired. Lol. Stay safe and well friends!

In Our Homeschool

On February 4, 2026 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized5 Comments

Hello everyone! It has been a while since I have posted about our homeschool studies. It’s not as visual for the blog as it was when he was younger! However, we are still working hard and doing some fun things.

Before Christmas, we finished up the Revolutionary War. I lingered way too long on that topic. I always joke that I spend way too much time on history but I can’t help it – I love history, and it is what my degree is in. That and literature. Wyatt loves history now too, and it cracks me up what he holds on to sometimes. He loved the story of Paul Revere, and loved shouting “The British are coming!”, which Revere actually never did but we talked about actual history and then also, this fictionalized version. He made a lantern with a tealight, and we just had a great time with it.

After Christmas, we moved on to the Lewis and Clark expedition, and westward expansion. This is a whole new adventure and he has been enjoying it. We are about to head down the Oregon Trail, and we are also reading Little House on the Prairie for Language Arts. When we finish that one up, we are going to start The Cabin Faced West, which I have actually not read yet myself!

I mentioned that we are reading Little House on the Prairie. I learned this morning that Friday is Laura’s birthday, so I am planning a few fun celebrations for that, like a mini Pioneer day.

Wyatt and I were both done with modern, abstract artists so I am starting a whole new unit with him in art – architecture! He is already excited over it and we have only been working on it for a week. We needed something new and fresh to liven things up! Wyatt loves houses and building things so it seemed like a good fit.

We started last Saturday with Billy, and talked about foundations, how important they are, the difference between shaky and solid. He got to do a little experiment with both as well, trying to float a foundation and building on it to see the difference. Then he and Billy built a “floating” building, the Sydney Opera House. It was a lot of fun, and he had a blast. We did have to crack up because the non-technical parent (me) bought the supplies and did not pick a large enough “harbor” for our opera house to float in. It more or less rested on the sides of the container. But, he got the idea!