Hi dear friend, I am so happy you found your way here today! If you’re on Instagram, you may have noticed my sudden quietness there since September. I wanted to give a small update on what I’ve been up to, including homeschooling, and where The Cooper House is heading in 2026.
On Social Media
Completely stepping away from Instagram back in September wasn’t something I planned. It just slowly became clear that the pace, pressure, and noise of social media were weighing on me more heavily than I’d wanted to admit. I’ve been praying and reflecting greatly on this during my time away, and I finally have some words and thoughts on the matter to share, though it’s certainly a condensed version. Over time, Instagram began feeling less like a community and more like beautifully curated commercials, with everyone selling or reviewing something from every corner. Even the “helpful” content often felt surface-level, trendy, or polished in a way that didn’t actually meet me in real, practical life. And for several months, I refrained from scrolling at all because of this. It got me asking, what was I truly looking for on or from social media after all? I know it can be used for good, and I have experienced that, for sure. Yet, for some time, I couldn’t shake the question of why I kept going back to it if it wasn’t adding purpose to my days in a meaningful way beyond a quick dopamine fix.
Stepping away gave me space I didn’t know I needed. I began to notice how much quieter my mind felt, how much more present I was with my family, and how the Lord was gently revealing places where I had been distracted, comparing, or seeking affirmation that could never satisfy. I have more to say about Instagram and the spiritual side of things for me, but that conversation needs its own space, so I’ll save it for another blog.
As someone who has shared consistently online for years, I’ve tried to choose authenticity over growth. That meant saying no to a lot of collaborations that didn’t align with my values, my brand, or what I believed would be genuinely helpful to my audience. Not only this, but it was seeping into the time I needed to be with my family in more ways than one. Even with boundaries, the pressure to keep up, post often, show up perfectly, or imperfectly (what even is the “right” balance for this?), and stay “relevant” became utterly exhausting. As vulnerable as sharing this makes me feel, all of this left me creatively drained, hesitant to add more to the noise, the comparison, or the fluff of social media.
So what’s next? I’m not making any announcements or permanent decisions about returning to Instagram. I am also not saying Instagram in its entirety is bad, and that everyone should get off of it if they want a better, more meaningful life, so please hear my heart, friend. At this time, I feel more drawn to writing here when I can, slowly, thoughtfully, and in ways that I hope can drown out some of the noise, offering you a little ‘out’ from the social media scroll, too. This goes against every SEO practice and marketing advice out there, but I’m not chasing clicks, sales, or the biggest audience. I just want to write and share, and my blog space feels like the right place to regroup, reflect, and find my footing again.
On Homeschool
We are still moving along in our homeschool! I gave an update on the first twelve weeks of Year 5 and Year 2 here, so if you haven’t checked it out yet, I hope you make your way there after this blog post for that update! We are currently in term two, week nineteen, and I plan to go through week twenty-one before our Christmas/New Year break.
My Year 5 just started reading The Courage and Character of Theodore Roosevelt by George Grant, which was my favorite book I pre-read for Year 5! She wrapped up Of Courage Undaunted: Lewis and Clark by James Daugherty and concluded our Lewis and Clark reading with a beautiful picture book of Sacagawea by Lise Erdrich.
My Year 2 is listening to a couple of his Ambleside Online Year 2 books in audio form this term, and it has helped me out immensely! We love the Wind In The Willows Dramatic Version from LibriVox and the Burgess Animal Book on YouTube.
This year, we’re not doing Christmas schooling, keeping things much simpler than in years past. We’ve hung a few of our favorite Advent Artist pieces on the walls, our beloved Names of Jesus cards are strung up once again, and the Christmas book basket is back in rotation, full of stories we love to revisit. However, none of this sits in place of our regular homeschool rhythm, mainly because our homeschool schedule has given us a place of security in our days that feel a bit unsettled.
And honestly? That’s been okay. There’s still plenty of Christmas magic swirling around us. No guide, curriculum, or extras required 😉.
On Life Lately
Amid the usual routines of homeschooling, the beginning of the holiday season, and homekeeping, I’ve been grateful for more pockets of time in my day that would have usually been used up with social media. I’ve spent time on home projects I wanted to do for a while now, read new books, took a nap or three, and even started up my crochet again. We signed my daughter up for Sewing School these last few months, and in that hour and a half of time, 1x a week, I loved having my Bible study time in the car while I waited for her. It was a wonderful short-term routine I savored when it came, and my daughter left each sewing class with a completed sewing project each week!
I’ve been working 1:1 with an amazing Holistic Hormone Coach, Leisha Drews, in her Nourish Your Hormones Coaching Program. It’s been almost four months of significant progress, month after month, though not without some challenges. I’ve learned so much in the course, through her guided, personalized coaching on my hormones, and I am feeling really, really good lately. I look forward to keeping up with the things I’ve been implementing in the new year. She has a podcast, Happily Hormonal, which is where I started with her, so give her a listen if you haven’t! She’s a Christ follower, too, which gives her extra cool points in my book. I’ve been telling all my friends about it.
Now that the weather here in Arizona is under 70 degrees, I am getting outside daily, and it has been so nourishing for my soul. I love lying out on our picnic blanket, with my Kindle, and spending some time soaking up the sun. I’m currently re-reading Garden City: Work, Rest, and the Art of Being Human by John Mark Comer.
Perhaps I’m getting too vulnerable here, but I was experiencing crippling anxiety attacks in the middle of this year, which I haven’t had since my oldest was born. Some of the deeper-level work I’ve been doing to heal came through my prayer time and walking. I was so unsettled, not knowing what to do about it, but I had an urge to get up and just move. I began walking circles around our large table one night when I was having trouble sleeping, and began praying my heart out. Soon, this became a regular, multiple times a day routine, and I haven’t stopped since (and I’m getting better sleep!). Though I can get outside and walk, sometimes I’ll still do some laps around the large family table when the kids are doing math or handwriting, or when I just need a minute to settle my mind. This isn’t the only thing I am doing for my anxiety, but I know there is power in prayer and laying down my anxiety to my Savior every day.
We got to visit a breathtaking ranch resort in the southern part of Arizona for a long weekend, where it monsooned heavily around us the whole time. It was beautifully captivating. My daughter got to ride a horse for the first time, and we spent our entire time in awe of God’s creation in the desert, outside of the city.
There’s a lot more going on behind the screen, but for now, I hope this little update finds you well. Thank you for being here! It means so much, and I’ll be back soon with more. You can always email me at amanda@thecooperhouseco.com anytime. I’d love to hear from you, and if there’s anything in particular you’d like to read about from this space, please don’t hesitate to let me know!
Merry Christmas, and a wonderful New Year to you and your family!
I am always thrilled when people return to blogging – it was a happy time in the internet, before social media. Last year I wanted to write more, but only managed twice. A goal this year is to try again and be more consistent in sharing our homeschooling there. I will follow here, too!