About Just Call Me Marmee

          Hi there! We’re so glad you’re here! My name’s EmmaLee Darr and I’m the happy wife to Trevor; we have four kids- Ginny (8), Haddy (6), Lizzy (3), and Andy (2). My husband is a pastor and we have been serving in ministry since shortly after we got married at 19. We are passionate about sharing the gospel in our church, community, and, most importantly, in the home with our children. We began homeschooling in the Fall of 2020 when our oldest was in Kindergarten and quickly fell in love with it. Our favorite parts of homeschooling are nature study and, of course, sharing great books together!

          My goal with this blog is to bring the love of reading into your home, both for you, mama, and for your kids. I was raised in a home where my parents prioritized reading with us and that instilled a deep love of all kinds of literature in me from an early age. Books carried me through the difficult transition years of middle and high school, helping me process how to “grow up” alongside Anne Shirley, the March sisters, and the many fearless women in Janette Oke’s Women of the West series, amongst many others. As an adult I discovered a love of fantasy in college and quickly devoured the Harry Potter series, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the Inkheart books. I graduated with my bachelor’s in elementary education and found an even deeper love of literature through sharing it with my fifth grade students. My fondest memories of my years spent teaching were the ones where a student who had started the year proclaiming themself “not a reader” found what I like to call “the one”: the book that MAKES you a READER. I believe anyone can love reading and those who don’t just haven’t found the right book yet. 

          Today, I especially want to equip moms to love books because I am confident this love will spill over to their children. This is true for homeschooling families and also for those who choose private or public education. Our children’s education is ultimately our responsibility, no matter what education path we choose, but in a world that is changing by the millisecond it is impossible for our children to learn all they will need to know before leaving our homes or graduating from high school. Instilling a love of books in our kids will equip them to go into the world at age eighteen and learn whatever they need or want to, in addition to giving them companions for the difficult parts of their journey. I hope this blog reminds you (or helps you discover it for the first time) of the joy and delight that comes from a great book, and that it inspires you to share it with your children. Enjoy!