Homeschooling with a Newborn

I can't believe our new baby is 6 weeks old already! Between taking care of him, teaching the older children, washing clothes, washing dishes, keeping everyone fed and getting back to our outside activities, it seems like time has just flown by.

Here are my tips for homeschooling with a newborn:

1. Bouncy Seat and Sling - I absolutely love holding my babies, but there are times I need two hands to get things done. My babies always seemed to startle when placed in a swing, but I love using the bouncy seat for short periods of time, and my Maya Wrap sling really comes in handy when we're out and I need to keep my hands free.



2. Older Siblings - My oldest two children are 9 and almost 6, and they love holding and entertaining the baby. They thankfully also like helping me with chores, so I have them do things like make their beds, fold and put away their own clothes, clean the playroom/schoolroom, clear the table, unload the dishwasher, take out the trash, etc. We haven't implemented a system of rewards or allowance at this point. Right now, we just focus on working as a team.

3. Quiet Time - Every day, I give myself the gift of one to two hours of quiet time. During the baby's afternoon nap, my 3-year-old and I also nap, and my older two children can either read or draw quietly. This little break gives me something to look forward to if we're having a rough morning, and the boost of energy I need to make it through the evening.



4. Simple Routines - In addition to our daily quiet time, I have simple daily routines that help me stay on top of household tasks. The routines keep me running on autopilot if we've had a rough night, and they also prevent me from being overwhelmed because I know exactly what I need to accomplish in any given day. Flylady's simple system of routines saved us from CHAOS over 6 years ago, and we've been flying ever since. You can learn more about Flylady here.

5. Meal Plan - Before the baby was born, I froze a few of our favorite casseroles and made a 3 month menu. I also ordered a few pre-made mixes from Homemade Gourmet that I can use when we're in a pinch. Once we're out of meals, I plan to go back to using pre-made meal plans that come with recipes and grocery lists. I found the Eat at Home Cooks blog a few months ago, and we've absolutely loved Tiffany's recipes.

Here's the menu I made that we're using for January thru March. (I'm sorry it took me so long to post this.) I made a six week plan, then repeated it for another six weeks. Most of the soups and casseroles were made and frozen during the weeks before Elijah was born, and the other meals are made in the crock pot or are really simple to prepare.

I'm normally a big fan of taking a break from school when you have a new baby in the house, but my oldest is not as far along as I'd like him to be, and I wanted to keep going. Here's a video with tips for Homeschooling with Little Ones.

Choosing Yes!

Last week, I planned to follow up my blog post about laying down our lives for our children with a post about saying yes to our children. The bad news is, I was just too sleepy to write that post. The good news is, somebody forwarded me The Year of Yes, and it was exactly what I had in mind.

This year, two women on one of my favorite forums passed away. Several more were diagnosed with illness and are fighting for their lives. Watching their struggle reminds me of what my mother-in-law said when my father-in-law was diagnosed with cancer, "We all have to go that way one day."

How will I spend my years here before I go that way? Will I grumpily get up and feed the baby or treasure the quiet moments I have alone with him? Will I nurture past hurts or nurture budding relationships? Will I focus on what's wrong in my life or on what's right about it?

What will my children remember about me when I go that way? Will they remember me saying no, hold on, wait or will they remember me saying yes? Will they remember a mom who had to homeschool, cook and clean all day or a mom got to spend all day caring for those who meant the most to her?

Last fall, I had the pleasure of interviewing unschooler Sandra Dodd for my e-book, 7 Secrets to Finding the Best Homeschool Curriculum.

She also mailed me a copy of her book, Sandra Dodd's Big Book of Unschooling, a collection of mindful parenting and unschooling articles based on her popular website. I put the book in my bathroom which is where I get most of my reading time, and I have to admit it has been nothing short of life-changing.

Here are some of Sandra's thought on Have To.

As we enter the new year, many of us make resolutions that involve can'ts, don'ts and have tos. This year, I want to embrace the choice I have to say yes to that which I value and no to that which I don't. I want to embrace the choice I made to marry, have children, homeschool and care for my home without grumbling, without complaining and without fear.

Several years ago, I listened to a sermon from Focus on the Family called Choosing to Cheat. The premise of the sermon was that we can be and do many great things in life, but we may not be able to do them all at once.

I can be a great mom, a loving wife, a successful entrepreneur, a perfect size 6, a gourmet chef, a fun online buddy, an active homeschool group member, volunteer of the year, church member of the year, and keeper of a spotless home, but I may not be able to be all of these things at the same time. Saying yes to my husband and children may mean cheating in the areas of business, socializing or housekeeping.

Where will I choose to cheat?

I think the article by Sandra Dodd that touched me the most is the article in which she answers the question, How many hours should I spend with my child? At the end of the article, she says:

"If you want to measure, measure generously. If you want to give, give generously. If you want to unschool, or be a mindful parent, give, give, give. You'll find after a few years that you still have everything you thought you had given away, and more."

Would You Lay Down Your Life for Your Children?

Would you lay down your life for your children?

I don't know a single homeschool mom or dad who wouldn't answer "yes," if asked. But how do we answer that question when it crops up in day to day life?

Do we lay down our blogs? Our favorite forums? Our Facebook and Twitter applications?

Do we lay down our books? Our meetings and activities? Our "me" time?

Do we lay down anger, frustration, impatience and irritability?

Will we really lay down our lives for our children? Let's take an honest look at what needs to go...

Our Interests

Many of us have given up careers and other pursuits in order to homeschool our children. We are vibrant, intelligent individuals and we feel entitled to have hobbies and interests of our own.

But how many times will we tell our children to wait so we can read one more blog or answer one more forum post? How often will we tune out our children in order to tune in to talk radio or TV?

Now, I'm not suggesting we give up all of our interests, but I am suggesting that we take an honest look at the amount of time we spend pursuing those interests at our children's expense.

For me, excessive computer use is a major temptation, and I've found LeechBlock to be a useful tool in helping me monitor and limit my time on the computer.

Our Ideals

I'm fairly opinionated, and I entered the world of motherhood and homeschooling with specific goals and expectations of my children. When things didn't go as planned, it was humbling to discover that there was nothing wrong with my children - my goals and expectations were seriously flawed.

While it is great to have a vision for our families, we have to know when to set our ideals aside and embrace the children we have in front of us. What are their needs, wants, talents and dreams?

Instead of becoming frustrated because our children don't fit into our ready-made molds, we can spend time getting to know them and helping them grow into the unique individuals they were created to be.

Our Image

One of the most difficult things I've had to lay down is my desire to please and impress others. Several years ago, I realized that saying yes to those outside our home often meant saying no to those within our home, and I decided to start saying yes to those who mean the most to me.

One of my favorite reads last year was The 4-Hour Workweek, and I recently came across The Best Decline Letter of All-Time on author Tim Ferris' blog.

Yes, the letter is worded rather rudely, but if you focus on the tone of the letter, you miss the overall message. Edmund Wilson decided to say no to those who would use him so he would have time to say yes to the things that really mattered to him.

We would be wise to say no to the users in our lives - even if those users are extended family members, longtime friends, homeschool group members or *gasp* even church leaders.

1 John 3:18 says "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

John 15:13 says "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

In 2010, let's not just tell our children we love them, let's resolve to lay down our lives for our children.

Merry Christmas!

This year we received the best Christmas gift ever.


Elijah James was born on December 18th at 8:30 PM. He weighed 7 lbs, 1 oz and was 19 inches long.


We are home and doing well, and having a very Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!

Judgmental Secular Homeschoolers

I was only (mostly) kidding when I mentioned Christmas at the end of my last post. I do find it mildly irritating that some people are afraid to say the word Christmas, but I've found that the Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays debate plays out mostly online and in the media and not in real life.

I wish I could say the same for the division between Christian and secular homeschoolers.

My husband and I have always had non Christian friends. In fact, his best friend of 15 is years not a Christian. So when I was invited to an "inclusive" homeschool group meeting as a new homeschooler, I did not think twice about attending - especially when I found out they had a weekly ladies night out for dinner without the kids.

After attending several group meetings and events, I found that conversations often veered in the direction of ridiculing creationism, scripture, prayer and curricula that incorporate Bible verses and promote Christian beliefs. I heard a great deal of talk about Christian groups and their "scary" requirements, such as statements of faith. I heard comments that would not have been tolerated were they about Buddhists or Wiccans or any other religious group.

The ladies in the group were smart, kind and funny. But as a Christian, I was also in the group for support and encouragement, and I grew weary of hearing my faith ridiculed week after week. In my opinion, in a group that is truly inclusive, Christian beliefs would receive the same respect as any other belief.

The homeschool group that I'm now a part of is full of smart, kind and funny women who are also mostly Christian. In order to join, I was required to sign a statement saying I understood the group's beliefs and standards for behavior. Though we pray at meetings and openly discuss Christianity, I do not recall ever hearing other religions mocked or ridiculed.

Which group sounds more inclusive?

Please know that I am not basing my statements here on my experience with one group. I've seen Christian homeschoolers mocked and ridiculed just as frequently in the many discussion groups I've participated in online.

I know that some in the secular homeschool community have been hurt by Christians, and as a result, feel defensive. I think it's important to remember that Christians are imperfect people who make mistakes and hurt people. I have been hurt by Christians. As a Christian, I have hurt others.

I can also imagine that some secular homeschoolers find it difficult to be minorities among minorities, without access to a wide variety of support groups, legal organizations and curriculum providers. However, I feel the venom toward Christian organizations and companies is misplaced.

Yes, a Christian curriculum may contain Bible verses and *gasp* even teach creationism. Yes, a Christian support group may ask members to affirm their understanding of the group's practices and beliefs. Christian curriculum providers, home school groups and legal organizations do not exist to condemn, nor persecute secular homeschoolers - they exist to meet the needs of Christians. As secular homeschoolers grow in number, more resources will arise to meet their needs.

My advice to judgmental secular homeschoolers - forgive the Christians who have hurt you, and extend Christians the same respect you extend members of other faiths. Remember that Christian homeschoolers once had little access to support groups and quality curricula, but they formed companies and organizations to meet those needs, and you can do the same.

I honestly find it ridiculous that there is so much division between two groups who have so many common interests and goals.

Can't we all just get along?

Judgmental Christian Homeschoolers

Last weekend I went with my family to see The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. It's a really fun story about an unchurched family - The Herdman's - who shows up at Sunday School for the free food, takes over the annual Christmas play (which everyone is sure will be ruined), and ends up learning the true meaning of Christmas and making the play the best one ever.

The play really helped me think through some of the feelings I have about the division between Christian and secular homeschoolers. There is a reason we Christians have somewhat of a poor reputation. Some of us are just plain judgmental!

Instead of focusing on ways we can share Christ's love with others, we focus on condemning lifestyles we've deemed ungodly. Instead of spending our time ministering to those in need, we spend our time debating subjects like modest clothing, sheltering, Halloween, Santa, Harry Potter, Twilight, and the list goes on and on.

Now I am not saying it's wrong to have opinions about those things, but are these debates the best use of our time? Could that hour you spent crafting a blog post about biblical discipline have been spent praying for or mentoring a struggling homeschool mom?

Although I love even the most conservative among my fellow Christian homeschoolers, I've had to pull myself back from the brink. In the name of sheltering my children from ungodliness, I was beginning to find a reason not to fellowship with nearly every family we encountered.

Yes, every family we encountered was sinning. My family is also full of sinners. In fact, it is a sin for me to spend time looking for the splinter in my brother's eye while neglecting the log in my own.

My neighbors went through a messy divorce over the past year, and when my neighbor called and asked me to babysit her kids for a few months, it was honestly the last thing I wanted to do. But I prayed about it and sought wise counsel, and although my flesh wanted nothing more than to send her away with a little cash and a promise that I would pray, I knew this woman badly needed a safe haven for her children that I was in a position to provide. Instead of simply praying for her, I could be an answer to her prayer.

So instead of continuing to shelter my children from the messiness of life, we brought the mess right into our shelter. We had some difficult, yet honest conversations about the realities of marriage and divorce, and the ways divorce hurts children. We had some difficult, yet honest conversations about the consequences of sin. And we had the difficult, yet humbling experience of walking through tough times with a family who needed us, realizing that one day we may also be in need.

During the process, my children lost some of their innocence, but they learned a tangible lesson about sharing the love of Christ.

Are you teaching your children to simply pray for others or showing them how to be an answer to prayer? Are you teaching your children to avoid the lost or minister to the lost? Are you teaching your children that others are unworthy to be in their presence or that they are worthy of being loved?

Consider Mark 2:15-17:

While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the "sinners" and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

As we enter the Christmas season, let us remember to love on, not avoid and condemn, The Herdman's in our lives.

Don't miss my post next week about judgmental secular homeschoolers.

Yes, my curriculum contains Bible verses and I like it that way, thankyouverymuch. And by the way, Merry Christmas! Yes, I said Christmas. That's the actual name of the holiday! (smile)

Homeschool Holidays - Fun and Easy Ways to Celebrate Christmas

Christmas really is my favorite time of year! Our new baby is due in a few weeks, so we won't go on as many outings as we usually do, but I'm still looking forward to having fun and learning with the kids.

In addition to decorating the house, baking cookies, viewing Christmas lights and going to see The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, we're going to work on this Symbols of Christmas Lapbook and read Christmas stories.

Some of our favorite Christmas books are Michael Hague's Family Christmas Treasury and The Family Read Aloud Christmas Treasury. I purchased the books this year to avoid library fines, but you should be able to find them at your local library.

We've been a bit slow pulling out the Christmas items this year, and my oldest is already asking me to start playing Christmas music. Here are some of our favorite sounds of the season.

You can find additional ideas for celebrating Christmas in our December 2008 newsletter, 5 Fun and Easy Christmas Activities.

Yesterday, we sent out our December 2009 newsletter which contains last minute gift ideas for those of you who are Still Shopping for Christmas Gifts...

If you're not a subscriber, you can follow this link to sign up for our free, monthly homeschool newsletter.

Merry Christmas!

Homeschooling Families: Getting Ready for a New Baby, Part 2

Our remodel isn't done yet, and right now our house is in total chaos. If a room doesn't look like this:



It looks like this:



For the past few nights we've been sleeping like this:



I used pregnancy as an excuse to have my husband give me a mattress on the floor one night, and last night I got my bed back. (Yes!)

My oldest is not big on change, and he keeps asking if I think all of these changes will be worth it. I told him I think it will. He also wants to know if it will be fun having a new baby around. I told him I'm sure it will. We talked about how fun it was adding his little sister, and then his baby brother. He agreed, and wants five more babies after this one.

Our hospital offers classes for older siblings that the children have enjoyed with each pregnancy. The class lasts 2-3 hours, and the children learn what babies look like inside their mommies, how babies get food before they are born, what newborns are like, how to help take care of babies, etc. They also get to tour the hospital, and take a peek inside the nursery.

These classes are totally unnecessary, but they're fun and they seem to make the kids feel special. With our last pregnancy, the instructor took pictures of the kids that we could put in the baby's hospital bassinet. The kids were so excited when they came to visit and saw those pictures.

Another one of our traditions is to get t-shirts for the older siblings to wear when they visit us in the hospital. This year I ordered shirts from Em Tanner Designs. These shirts were on the expensive side so I looked for a coupon code before ordering.



I was so tickled by this "Lil Bro" onesie that I had to order it. My husband was not amused.



Someone gave my oldest a Big Brother Journal when our daughter was born, and since then I've ordered them for the big sibs with each pregnancy.

They are pre-printed journals that ask the kids questions like, "What do you like to do with the baby?" - very simple questions that get hilarious answers from the 2 to 5-year-old set. It also gives them places to put photos or draw pictures. I LOVE re-reading these journals.



When we brought our last child home, I had a little cake in the freezer that we defrosted and decorated. We had a party for the baby where my older kids gave him small presents they'd wrapped themselves, and their brother gave them small presents for being such great older siblings. That was fun, and I plan to do that again.

Like I said, all of this is totally unnecessary, but it has been fun for us and we look forward to doing it. If it seems overwhelming, one simple thing to do is pull out the older kids' baby books and talk about your favorite memories of them.

That will be really difficult for us this time as my middle child's baby book is only half finished and my toddler's baby book does not exist. I keep telling my oldest that there are benefits to being the first born.

Homeschool Families: Getting Ready for a New Baby

It seems like I just found out I was pregnant, but every time I look at the calendar I am reminded that we only have two short months to go!

I've spent the past couple of weeks getting bids from contractors to help us do things like get rid of old, nasty carpet, paint our grubby walls and organize our closets. Now they're actually here working, and I can't wait until they're done so our house can go back to being a home.

Whenever I announce a new pregnancy, I am always asked if I'll put my older kids in school. I say I couldn't imagine getting rid of all my helpers! Beyond that, school comes with burdens of its own - rushing through breakfast to get everyone dressed and out of the house on time, packing lunches and backpacks, keeping up with assignments and notices from the teacher - homeschooling is so much easier.

Days with a new baby are also great learning experiences for children. Diane Hopkins' article, The Baby is the Lesson, explains this perfectly. Even if academic work does take the back seat for a moment, my children will learn so much more at home than they would in school. They also love new babies and I don't think they'd leave home if they could!

In addition to getting our house ready for the baby, I'm also making preparations that will keep the house running more smoothly once the baby arrives. I am at my worst when sleep deprived, so I've learned to set things up so I can run on autopilot.

I keep meals really simple. Breakfast is either cereal or something from the freezer that can be quickly defrosted and heated up. Lunch is sandwiches or leftovers. Dinner is defrosted and reheated from the freezer, or made in the crock pot.

Before my last child was born, I made a 3-month meal calendar, including grocery lists and breakfast/lunch/dinner menus. I also packed our freezer to almost overflowing with pancakes, muffins, breakfast sandwiches, soups, casseroles and other make ahead meals. This made it really easy for my mom and husband to help when they were around, and for me to keep everyone fed when they weren't.

I doubt I'll have time to stock the freezer before this baby is born, but I am making menus and getting my recipes in order. I recently found out about the Eat at Home blog, and I'm planning on trying some of her free weekly menus and recipes.

I also keep housework to the bare minimum when we have a new baby. I know it's not eco-friendly, but we use plastic cups and utensils, and paper plates. My kids reduce my workload by helping with chores - making their beds, folding their laundry, taking out trash, picking up toys, etc.

My 8-year-old can prepare cereal and juice when everyone's too hungry to wait on me to get moving in the mornings. He also unloads the dishwasher, and I'm working on teaching him to straighten up their bathroom. It's slow going, but I think we'll make progress before the baby is born. I am blessed to have children who actually LIKE doing chores!

One other thing I do when getting ready for a new baby is simplify our schedule as much as possible. I have no problem saying no to outside obligations, and I make sure we are home every day for mom's naptime our daily quiet time.

So this is how I keep everyone sane during those crazy post-partum months. Next week, I'll share the traditions we have that make having a new baby fun!

Spring Cleaning

The public schools in our area were on Spring Break last week, and we had wonderful weather and a chance to run around outside with friends for the first time in over a month.

During February and March, at least one member of our family (usually 2 or 3) was sick with the flu, the stomach virus or some other nasty bug. At one point, I had to call in reinforcements - Grandma! She came over for a few days so I could catch up on laundry (and sleep).

We did have a bit of lemonade with those lemons. My 1 and 7-year-old's turned 2 and 8!

Basketball season ended and soccer season began.

We went to see the museum exhibit King Tut and the puppet show Peter Rabbit. And my beautiful 4-year-old princess turned into a 5-year-old queen.

Now that I'm caught up on laundry, and (mostly) caught up on sleep, I can't wait to get back to blogging.

I have a good friend who is a professional organizer who "insisted" on coming over to help me get organized, and I'll share her secrets, along with pics, in the coming weeks. I'm also planning to release my first e-book next week. Guess what? It's free!

Happy Spring!

Witnessing History

Yesterday was a fun day for our family. We started it by learning about history at the King Tut exhibit at a local art museum. We ended it by watching Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech, then watching President Obama take the oath of office.

We talked about the importance of having a vision that's larger than yourself and being willing to work towards something that you may not live to see. We also talked about the great change that has happened in this country since my parents and grandparents were children. I love living in a country where great change is possible. I love knowing that great change can happen again!

There was one member of our family who was not impressed with my history lesson:

He found a comfy spot on the couch, covered his face with a pillow and promptly went to sleep!

So much for making history interesting.

We'll Just Call Them "School Supplies"

There was some "P.E. equipment" under the tree this year.

My husband bought me a treadmill, my two oldest received 2-wheeled scooters, and we all got a Wii. We've been bowling, boxing and playing tennis, go carts, baseball and golf since Christmas morning. Yesterday evening I forced everyone to change out of their PJ's so we could get out for some fresh air. My husband was the last to put down his controller!

One of our good friends had a stroke this year around Thanksgiving. She is the single mother of an 8-year-old boy, and she's not much older than my husband and I.

Until recently, we've taken our health for granted. Now we're realizing that it's getting easier to pack on the pounds and harder to lose them. We want to take better care of our bodies and model healthy habits for our children.

Once my husband goes back to work, there will be strict restrictions on the Wii. The restrictions are more for my sake than the kids'. It is all too tempting for me to get them occupied with something electronic so I can do my own thing.

Beyond that, excessive TV, computer and video game usage is fairly unhealthy for children, even when it involves educational programs. I will try to post more on that later, but a great book about the subject is The Plug-In Drug by Marie Winn.

I hope you're enjoying your holidays!

Merry Christmas!

This is the first Christmas that we've spent a lot of money on the children, and I'm really excited about watching them open their gifts on Christmas morning. They rarely ask us for anything, and we don't buy them toys throughout the year, so I'm not overly worried about materialism.

We like to give the kids an opportunity to give of themselves to help others. So for the past few weeks we've been focused on selling cookies to buy toys for a local charity.

Jazzy and Drew take turns helping me mix the batter:

This year Drew was promoted to scooping cookies from the hot cookie sheet:

Then we package up the cookies and deliver them to friends and family:

Not one to be left out, little Isaiah even did his part:

All in all, we baked 28 dozen cookies! We made the last delivery on Saturday, purchased the gifts on Sunday and dropped them off yesterday. The kids were excited to find that the agency employees remembered us from last year.

We also got in a little culture this month. A couple of weeks ago, we went to see the play Madeline's Christmas:

And on Saturday, my husband's 35th birthday, we went to see The Nutcracker. He even stayed awake the entire time:

Then on Sunday, the kids sang with children's choir at church. We've blown the theory that homeschooled children are too sheltered!

The Christmas cards have been mailed, the gifts are wrapped and under the tree, I've finished my grocery shopping, and I'm picking up our smoked turkey tomorrow.

I'll be too busy in the kitchen to blog tomorrow, and on Christmas day I'll be stuffed full and sleepy. I'll see you some time next week.

Merry Christmas!

Sounds of the Season

Engaging the 5 senses is a great way to enhance your children's holiday memories. Hang colorful decorations, burn scented candles, bake goodies, light a fire, and snuggle up under warm blankets. When your children encounter these sights, smells, tastes and textures later in life, they'll think about home.

One of our favorite Christmas activities is listening to Christmas music. I don't think I'll ever listen to A Charlie Brown Christmas by Vince Guaraldi without thinking about my husband and kids, and decorating the Christmas tree.

Here are some of our favorite Christmas CD's:

A Charlie Brown Christmas by Vince Guaraldi
Christmas Time with Motown
Faith by Kenny G
Mariah Carey Merry Christmas
Slow Jams Christmas
The Preacher's Wife by Whitney Houston
Wishes by Kenny G

Oh, and my children wouldn't forgive me if I left A Pooh Christmas and Disney's Family Christmas Collection off of the list.

Traditional, gospel, instrumental, remix and squeaky cartoon character versions - we love it all around here. I guess I could do without the cartoon character versions, but even I'll admit Mickey Mouse can out sing me.

Here's Josh Groban singing my all time favorite Christmas song:

Christmas - Uncut

Today, I'm going to bravely reveal another Christmas truth. There's a marked difference between Christmas in blogland and Christmas in real life.

Christmas photos in blogland looks like this:












Christmas photos in real life looks like this:












Or, after a little threatening, like this:












The scene at J.C. Penney's Portrait Studio was even worse. Toddlers... It's a good thing they're so cute.

The Truth about Christmas

We finally cleared the clutter and brought out the Christmas decorations. We decorated the tree, and once my husband had rearranged the ornaments to his satisfaction, we brought out the gifts.

I know, I know... Christmas in America is too commercial. I know Jesus wasn't really born on December 25th, and I've heard all about the origins of the Christmas tree. But we don't worship Christmas trees during December or any other month. And honestly, in America, every day is a bit too commercial for my taste.

The truth about Christmas is - you decide how it affects your family. Tree or no tree, gifts or no gifts, Santa or no Santa, you can spend time debating with friends and family, or you can spend time enjoying them. You can make your loved ones miserable, or you can make memories that will warm their hearts for years to come.

At our home, we go on outings, bake goodies and raise money for charity. We burn cinnamon candles, "ooh" and "aah" over crafts from years past, and collect keepsake ornaments for our ornament tree.

We have ornaments from Our First Christmas Together, Our New Home, and Baby's First Christmas. We have ornaments that commemorate everything from a first choir performance to our children's former fascination with Barney. This year we purchased an ornament in memory of my husband's father.

Tonight we read the story of Christ's birth, and we talked about Emmanuel - God with us.

Among the many things I'm thankful for this Christmas, I'm thankful that God is with us. And I'm thankful that, as homeschoolers, we don't have to hide behind phrases like "winter holiday." We can sing Oh Holy Night and Oh Come All Ye Faithful. We can use words like Savior and Emmanuel.

Whether or not you choose to celebrate Christmas, make time this season to celebrate. God is with us. That's a reason to be merry!

Our Year in Review

In the midst of the trials, there were many things that went right for us this year.

We tried lapbooking for the first time this August, and found that we really enjoy it. We completed a Thanksgiving lapbook from Hands of a Child last week, and this week we're working on a Madeline's Christmas lapbook I downloaded for $2.50 from CurrClick.

We wrapped up flag football season at the end of October, and Jasmine played organized sports for the first time ever in a P'nut basketball class at our local recreation center. She even brought home a trophy!

I haven't had time to continue posting Make it Fun Monday activities every week, but I have compiled a list of 5 fun and easy holiday activities in this month's newsletter. If you're interested, you can sign up for it here.

For school this month, we'll be reading traditional Christmas stories and enjoying our family's favorite holiday traditions. I hope to share more about them in the coming weeks. Happy Holidays!

How to Look Good in Your Denim Jumper

Last week, I shared tips for adding physical education to your family's homeschool curriculum. This week, I am focusing on fitness for homeschool moms.

As I've grown into, and out of, another pair of fat jeans, I've become even more determined to make fitness a priority in our home. If you're like me, exercise is the first thing to go when your schedule gets busy. Here are some simple ways you can add physical fitness to your routine:

1. If you're out of shape, begin slowly with a short morning or afternoon walk. As your fitness level increases and you pick up the pace, your toddlers can ride in a stroller or wagon, and your older children can roller blade or ride their bikes.
   
   If you're feeling adventurous, try this Couch to 5K running plan. This free, 9 week program will get you ready to run a 5 K by training as little as 20 to 30 minutes, 3 days per week. For all you i pod users, here's the program on podcast.
   
   
2. Visit your local indoor pool. While you watch the kids splash around, you can walk or jog in shallow water, and do simple arm exercises with webbed gloves, a noodle or Styrofoam weights. Water boosts your workouts by providing added resistance without placing stress on the joints. It also wears the kids out, so you can come home and take a nap!
   
   
3. Sign up for a fitness class. I don't like leaving my children in the child care facility of our gym. So last fall, I signed up for a Baby Bootcamp that allowed me to bring my children to class. My youngest rode in his stroller, and my older children exercised or played alongside me.
   
   These classes are also referred to by the names Mommy and Me, Stroller Fit and Strollercize. To find a course near you, run a Google search or call your local recreation center, YMCA or private gym.
   
   
4. Working out at home will save you time and money. Perform a simple routine of push ups, sit ups, squats and other simple resistance exercises at a set time every day. Invest in a set of arm bands, hand weights or an exercise ball, or use your favorite workout video.
   
   We have an elliptical machine and weight bench in our garage that allows me to squeeze in a 20-30 minute workout on days when our schedule is busy. Before exercising, I back the car into the driveway so my children have room to ride their scooters or play games. To add variety, I sometimes tape paper to the floor and let them color, paint or play with play doh.
   

This fall, I'll be using the above strategies to whip myself into shape. For accountability's sake, I'm following Terry's lead and adding a weight loss ticker to the footer of my blog.

Wish me luck!

Our Week in Review - Pirates

Last week, to commemorate International Talk Like a Pirate Day, we studied Pirates! We read Usborne's The Story of Ships, which taught us the history of sea travel, and The Usborne Official Pirate's Handbook, which taught us all the tricks of the trade.



Andrew took a fencing lesson at our local recreation center, and this weekend, I sent my little pirates on a treasure hunt. I used clip art to make picture clues for Jasmine, and I made riddles for Andrew based on this list from Scavenger Hunt Fun.




You can find pirate booty for sea lovers of all ages at Usborne Children's Books. Or create a lapbook using this free template from Homeschool Share.






To keep your youngest pirates busy, let them dig for treasure. My husband filled our sandbox a few weeks ago, and it has been a great babysitter educational activity for my children.



Grandma bought this plastic turtle sandbox for our children at a garage sale 5 years ago. If you don't have a sandbox, place sand in an empty plastic swimming pool, infant tub or Tupperware container.

International Talk Like a Pirate Day may be over, but the pirate fun has just begun. Aaaargh!