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BLACK CULTURE, HOMESCHOOLING, TRAVEL (AND OTHER THINGS FROM MY SWEET, IMPERFECT LIFE)

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I’m Amber

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My name is Amber O’Neal Johnston, and I started this website to document and discuss the joys and trials of raising my kids to love themselves and others.

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The Latest Posts

Book Club Notes: Nic Blake and the Remarkables

Books

My Tweeners book club (4th and 5th grade boys and girls) recently read Nic Blake and the Remarkables by Angie Thomas, and everyone loved it. The...

Book Club Notes: Talkin’ About Bessie

Books

Our 4th and 5th-grade book club recently wrapped up a meeting on Talkin' About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman, an illustrated...

Book Club Notes: Clayton Byrd Goes Underground

Books

I run a homeschool book club in my local community, and we recently read Clayton Byrd Goes Underground. We have five different age groups meeting in...

NEW! A Place to Belong Paperbook

Books

I'm thrilled to announce that A Place to Belong is now out in paperback with a gorgeous new cover! The new edition is lighter-weight and more...

Delighting in the Days by Wild+Free

Homeschool

I'm excited to be featured in Delighting in the Days, a new 132-page book of some of Wild+Free's best articles on childhood over the past few years....

Books & Things: Agreeing to Disagree

Books, Homeschool, Race

I’ve made a point not to disparage curricula, books, services, or products that fellow homeschool moms have created for this community. In fact,...

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Soulful Hymns for a Culturally-Rich Hymn Study

Homeschool, Race

I recently wrote about how we approach Charlotte Mason hymn study in our home. One of the things that continues to bring us joy is incorporating a...

Books as Mirrors & Windows With Simply Charlotte Mason

Books, Homeschool, Podcasts & Videos, Race

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down to chat about books as mirrors and windows with Sonya Shafer from Simply Charlotte Mason. We had a great...

Book Review: Christmas Gif’ by Charlamae Rollins

Books, Race

I just have so much to say about this book.⁣⁣⁣⁣ It is not a typical Christmas book and I mentioned it in African American Christmas Books We Love,...

Hymn Study in a Charlotte Mason Home

Homeschool

One of the hesitations I've heard from some moms who are considering a Charlotte Mason education is the sheer number of subjects being covered. They...

African American Christmas Books We Love

Books, Homeschool

I am not sure whether to break out in a version of "These Are a Few of My Favorite Things" or "Deck the Halls" because this list is both: all of our...

Charlotte Mason Handicrafts: Clay Modeling

Homeschool

I had (most of) the equipment ready to go for clay modeling last Friday. Admittedly, I had to google "armature" and decided we were going to be...

Setting the Spark: Podcast Interview

Homeschool, Podcasts & Videos, Race

I recently had so much fun speaking to a couple of homeschool mamas from my own neck of the woods. I chatted Lorien Magnus and Destiny Kosarick, the...

Book Club Notes: Ansley’s Big Bake Off

Books, Homeschool

Our local homeschool support group has read a variety of books over the years, and we're always on the hunt for something fun and interesting to...

How I Teach My Kids to Read

Books, Homeschool

One of the questions I often get from new homeschooling moms is, "How did you teach your children to read?" On one hand, I love answering this...

Multicultural Holiday Gift Guide: Diverse Book-inspired Gift Ideas For Children

Books, Homeschool, Race

In the midst of the holiday frenzy, I work hard to keep our home environment peaceful and focused on the "reason for the season." Rather than shun...

Charlotte Mason Poetry Series

Homeschool, Podcasts & Videos

Over the past few months, I've taken a deep dive into poetry study and its application in our homeschool. Fortunately, Charlotte Mason researcher,...

Homeschooling Outside the Box Podcast: The Importance of Heritage

Homeschool, Podcasts & Videos

My daughter advocated for herself when she wasn’t getting what she needed, and she taught me that what may look like “acting out” could just be...

Charlotte Mason for All Podcast: Parallel Narratives

Homeschool, Podcasts & Videos

“Charlotte Mason for All” is not only the name of a new podcast. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣It’s a rallying cry! ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣In fact, the concept of Charlotte Mason for...