Garden – Pollywog's Place Blog

Special Holiday Meals: Native American Recipes

Published on August 29, 2026April 28, 2026 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place BlogLeave a comment

There are several days that include Native American or Indigenous People Days and I know my family can trace its roots back to certain tribes. It is important to remember the people who came before us, and all that they sacrificed for us. I have made a menu to try for these days:

Native American Day Menu Ideas

Venison Chops w/Rice, Baked Salmon, or Slow Cooker Ribs

Three Sisters Soup, Rice or Quinoa, Fried Green Tomatoes, Tamales

Stuffed Acorn Squash, Succotash, or Butternut Squash Medley

Fry Bread, Bannock, or Indian Pudding

More recipe ideas here:

Native American Recipes You Can Make At Home

Pumpkin Recipes

Special Holiday Meals: September Edition

Published on August 15, 2026January 16, 2026 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog1 Comment

This time of year seems to be a little busier for us, so I thought it might be helpful if I just got all my special meals and recipes gathered for the month. I checked the menu plan and have made a list of the holidays that we want to celebrate.

If you haven’t seen our Perpetual Meal Plans yet, then you really need to check them out, as they have all kinds of special and unique holidays listed. Now is the time to start making your bucket list for Fall things, if you haven’t already.

Special Fall Meals with Recipe Links

You can also check out our Holidays tab and the September Holidays post for even more ideas!

Don’t forget to add upcoming birthdays onto your Meal Plan!

Here are a couple of links that you might find helpful:

Grocery List

Blank Meal Planner

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The Simple Joys of Slow Living: Have you ever heard of Rabbit ‘Rithmetic?

Published on June 27, 2026June 25, 2026 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place BlogLeave a comment

There are so many simple joys that can be found when we embrace the concept of ‘slow living’ which we are trying our best to do around here.

This month has been full of adventures here at home and away. We just never know what to expect. Our area has been experiencing a severe drought so that made gardening a little more challenging this season. We have been so blessed to get a decent amount of rain lately and I don’t complain about it, even when it happens mid harvest!

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Faithfulness in the Garden: Slow Living With GOD

Published on June 18, 2026June 18, 2026 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog1 Comment

In today’s garden reflection, I’m sharing what the Lord has been teaching me about faithfulness through the simple rhythms of tending a garden.

Gardening reminds us that growth takes time. Seeds are planted long before they’re seen, and harvest comes only after seasons of patient care. In the same way, God calls us to remain faithful in the small things, trusting Him even when we can’t yet see what He’s doing beneath the surface.

Whether you’re in a season of planting, tending, waiting, or harvesting, I pray this post encourages you to trust God’s timing and rest in His unfailing faithfulness.

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Our 2026-2027 Homeschool Curriculum, Schedule Plans, Resource Links, and Daily Routine – Tons of FREE resources! UPDATED

Published on May 19, 2026August 14, 2026 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog2 Comments

It’s that time of year again for us… time to get the next school year planned out. We technically finished up our 2025-2026 school year before Easter but I’ve been busy with the garden and such so I am just now getting around to making our new schedule.

It is always SO TEMPTING to take a few months off to just focus on this house but I know from past experience that this doesn’t go well and that it takes FOREVER to get a couple of the kids back into the school routine. You can read more about last year’s curriculum and routines HERE.

Having a little extra wiggle room in our schedule means that we can take off more time around the holidays and I can take a week off for new grandbabies too! We also love taking the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas to just reflect on the reason for the season and it gives us time to do fun things with the family too.

A couple of years ago we switched to more of a Charlotte Mason-style approach and it was GREAT for the most part. We still have a couple of kids who just hate anything to do with math so that’s been a little challenging but we’re making progress. We’ve also really enjoyed using some of the FREE courses with Under the Home Homeschool, even though some of the YouTube links no longer work. They have a lot of great lessons though!

I will also be pulling some lessons from the Old Fashioned Education site. They have a TON of great resources and FREE printable lesson plans for every grade! You can also check out the Plain and Not So Plain Website for FREE resources and complete lesson plans!

I had a rainy day to gather my thoughts for the new year and I put that to good use. Last year, I also purchased a Montessori Curriculum for Shyanne so we will continue to use that with her, while including her in some of our other lessons too. Shyanne has LOVES being a part of our school routine and she has already completed the Easy Peasy All-in-One Preschool program. She’s also been loving the printable packets from Living With Eve.

Shyanne’s journey has been miraculous and to see her doing so many things that we were told she’d never do has been such a blessing in so many ways!