Simblissity

Practice Makes Perfect

2012-01-04T09:38:00.001-08:00

I've had this twirling around my brain this week and I think writing it out will help me better sort my thoughts. I saw another silly "deep advice sign", which generally just make me groan. Have you seen these? It seems to be a new trend to make cruel signs and believe that they are actually motivating. Some aren't cruel so much as naive, but at this point, all of them make me groan. This particular sign said that "Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect."

I started to groan, seeing it as another "you're not doing it well enough" sign, but then I realized it meant more than that. It really begins to make sense when combined with Einstein's definition of insanity:

doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

When you have repeatedly practiced something the wrong way, the only thing you've perfected is how imperfectly you do it.

So I've been pondering this thought since just after Christmas. There are so many things I want to do better. In fact, I don't think there is a single area of my life that I don't need to dramatically improve. But hasn't this always been the case? What makes it possible to step out of that practiced rut? Can I will myself into dropping bad habits? Or, instead, do I need to practice good things until I've perfected them and they've displaced the bad?

The things we do are symptoms of the things we think. What thoughts do we entertain or "practice"? If we desire to be better housekeepers, do we really think this is possible while we are still ungrateful for the homes we are keeping? Rather than imagining life with a matching living room set, and practicing discontent, imagine life without any couch. Rather than dreading dirty dishes, imagine life without a family to feed. Imagine a family to feed, but no food to feed them. Practice thankfulness.

If we want to be better parents, do we really think this is possible while we are focused on our own comfort and entertainment? If you find yourself saying (or thinking) "All I ask...." or "I only wanted...." All I ask is that you pick up after yourself! I only wanted 5 minutes in the bathroom alone! then you probably also find yourself thinking (but not admitting) that you really should get up and find out what they are arguing about, but you're in the middle of something you enjoy....or that you really should take the time to teach them the right way to do something, but it's so much easier to just do it yourself...and then complain about it. Modern thought is that, as moms, we have to look out for our own interests; if we don't get our "me time", we won't be able to be our "best selves". What do you want your best self to look like? Practicing self-centered thought will never perfect selfless-giving. While I'm sure she exists somewhere, I've never met a mom who never took time for herself and worked herself into misery. But I have seen an abundance of moms that were so intent on their own self-interests that their families were miserable....and so were the moms. The happiest moms (and happiest families) I've seen involved moms that were dedicated to doing what was needed, regardless of the cost. More and more, moms seem to consider the cost of their own free time just too much of a price to pay. Practice selflessness.

If we want to be better spouses, can we do so while still thinking about the areas they've left unfulfilled? Any teen-romance movie will tell you that true love is all about "the way he makes me feeeeeel." But this isn't true at all, and that isn't love. Love is noble. Love is a choice. Love is something you give. If the googly-eyed feeling you experience makes you think about how happy it makes you feel rather than how happy you want to make the other person feel, it isn't love. Giving love makes you happy. The bible instructs wives to give respect to their husbands and it instructs husbands to show love to their wives. Many of both sides have said that it would be easy to fulfill their part if their spouse would fulfill their own part. If you want a better marriage, don't practice thinking about how much more they should do, practice thinking about what their needs and desires are. Practice love.

If we want healthier bodies, will focusing on how unattractive we feel change our body shape? Our bodies react to what we put in them. Food is a gift from God for pleasure, fellowship, and fuel. It is not a drug. It is not a medication. It is not entertainment in and of itself. Our bodies respond to the food we give them, just as God created them to do. When you appreciate the beauty of God's incredible machine, known as the human body, you admire His handiwork. Perhaps your body is not what you want it to be. It will never be unnaturally perfect, but rather than focusing on what it is not, focus on what it needs to be healthy. Healthy is beautiful. Practice self-respect.

So this is my New Year's focus. I have spent many years perfecting self-seeking and discontentment. My thoughts are changing. It's time to practice good thinking.

What have you perfected?

Auld Lang Syne

2011-12-31T05:01:00.001-08:00

Written by Robert Burns, Auld Lang Syne has been around since 1788, as a Scottish poem that was soon turned into song. Chunks of it were a good deal older than this!

Translated, it is Old Long Since, meaning Old Times or even Once Upon a Time. When we sing "For Auld Lang Syne", we're saying, "For old time's sake."

If you've ever wondered why on earth people sing about forgetting their friends every New Year, you'll be happy to know that the first verse of the song is actually a question: Should old acquaintance be forgot? and the chorus explains why that would be a terrible idea.

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and never brought to mind ?

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and old lang syne ?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

for auld lang syne,

we'll take a cup of kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup!
and surely I’ll buy mine !

And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a wearyfoot,
since auld lang syne.

We two have paddled in the stream,

from morning sun till dine ;

But seas between us broad have roared

since auld lang syne

And there’s a hand my trusty friend !

And give us a hand o’ thine !

And we’ll take a right good-will draught,

for auld lang syne.

Day 12

2011-12-06T06:02:00.001-08:00

Thursday, the 12th Day of Advent

Advent Verses

Psalm 34:20 tells us that His bones will not be broken. John 19:36-38 confirms that none of His bones were broken, though the men beside Him had their legs broken to speed their deaths.

Jesse Tree

Our verse today is Exodus 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before Me." This easy-to-remember verse quickly calls to mind the exodus story and the Ten Commandments.
For a drawn ornament, a sketch of the ten commandment tablet works well. For a homemade ornament, you might search for a tiny frog toy from around the house to recall the Egypt plagues.

To Explore

Gingerbread! Yummy and whimsical, gingerbread has shown up in various children's tales for many years. Gingerbread gets its name from that all-important ingredient: Ginger! You can purchase a nub of ginger root at most grocery stores very cheaply. It has a strong, distinct flavor and a definite spice! Most of our baking incorporates powdered ginger rather than fresh ginger root. For fun background on this interesting spice/root, visit - http://www.annieshomepage.com/gingerbread.html

Christmas Around the World

Bethlehem (which is also the name of our candle this week,) is also known as the House of Bread. From this city, came the Bread of Life.
Bethelehem sees many processions and services at Christmas of various Christian denominations and celebrations last from December 24th until January 18th as it is celebrated differently and at different times by different denominations.

The Church of the Nativity is a famous site in Bethlehem and is built over the cave that is said to be the traditional location of the birth of Christ.

For more information, visit -
http://www.worldofchristmas.net/christmas-world/holy-land.html

Hands On (cooking, coloring, creating)

Let's make Gingerbread houses! My family has yet to be ambitious enough to put together an authentic gingerbread house, but we have made knock-off versions with graham crackers, canned frosting, and bagged candies. No one wanted to eat them afterwards, but they were fun to assemble! There are many kits available for the real thing and recipes for homemade gingerbread online.

Gingerbread Lapbook

Sandpaper Gingerbread Man

Easy-sew felt gingerbread man

Yum! I just tried my first Gingerbread Cake today

Non-edible, recycled Gingerbread house
and another: http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/faux-gingerbread-house-671455/

Jan Brett Coloring Page - http://www.janbrett.com/pdf/gf_mural_gingerbread_house.pdf

Music

Oh Little Town of Bethlehem - http://www.carols.org.uk/o_little_town_of_bethlehem.htm

Books

Games

http://www.gamegarage.co.uk/play/christmas/

Movies

Day 11

2011-12-06T06:01:00.001-08:00

Wednesday, the 11th day of Advent

Advent Verses

Isaiah 53:5 tells us He will be pierced for our transgessions and that by His wounds we are healed. 1 Peter 2:24 echos that we are healed by His wounds. John 19:34 describes some of the piercing He endured.

Jesse Tree

Exodus 12:14

“This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance."

Today's ornament is a lamb, to represent the sacrificial lamb of the passover meal. It is a beautiful time for a discussion of the foreshadowing of Christ as our the final sacrifice for our sins. You can draw a lamb and glue tufts of cotton balls to your lamb for dimension and texture.

To Explore

Snowflakes! Fascinating and fun, there is much to explore.

Snowflakes were first photographed by Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley. Two wonderful books that tell his story -

For beautiful, amazing photographs of snowflakes you will be amazed by these -

Need to skip the books and get straight to the facts? Visit the Bentley Snow Crystal Foundation.

Why six sides? This is a question that has existed for centuries! I was very impressed with the chapter on snow in the book Rainbows, snowflakes, and quarks by Von Baeyer, worth borrowing from library inter-loan if you're able.

This gave a humorous account of Kepler's fascination with the shape of the snowflake and acknowledged the beauty of God's hand in the details of the design of the world around us.

For an easier answer for the six sides, visit these sites:

http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/primer/primer.htm

http://chemistry.about.com/od/moleculescompounds/a/snowflake.htm

Christmas Around the World

Let's learn about China!

It is in China that we find the Jade Dragon Snow Mountains. A legend about this mountain goes like this:

Once upon a time there were two mountain twins: Jade Dragon and Haba. The brothers lived on panning in the Golden Sand River until an evil fiend usurped the river and the brothers bravely fought against him. Jade Dragon wore out 13 swords in the battle, driving away the fiend...but not before Haba died in the struggle. Jade Dragon continued to hold the 13 swords day and night to protect the people from future attack. Over time, the two brothers became mountains and the 13 swords became 13 peaks.

For more information on these peaks, including photographs, you can visit here. Parents, be aware that it refers to old earth views.

Christians barely comprise even one percent of the population of China. This is a matter to take to heart in our studies today. Pray for China today. Missionaries are banned and Christians are sporadically persecuted. For more information on Christianity and China, visit http://www.chinaaid.org/qry/page.taf

Because so few are Christian, few citizens celebrate Christmas. Ironically, many Christmas decorations are made in China, though the factory workers quite possibly do not know what the items are for. Those who celebrate Christmas decorate with beautiful paper lanterns, lighting their houses and, less frequently, Christmas trees which they call Trees of Light. The Chines version of Santa Claus is known as Dun Che Lao Ren. The main winter festival in China is the Chinese New Year which does not take place until the end of January. The celebration is officially known as the Spring Festival and resembles our Christmas holiday parties including gift giving, visiting, and feasting. Fireworks are often seen. An aspect of the Chinese New Year that is very important to many Chinese people is the worship of ancestors, making it vastly different from our celebrations as Christians.

Hands On (cooking, coloring, creating)

Create a Chinese paper lantern

Catch a snowflake!
We often save our Snowflake Unit Study for a day when it snows so that we can see them up close and personal. Leave black construction paper outside in a covered, but cold place where you can easily grab it. When the snow starts to fall, hold a black sheet of paper out to catch the flakes. Dress warmly and be careful not to touch them or breath on them. It is amazing how much detail you can see! We take white crayons with us and try to sketch the pattern we see before they melt. Though we are rarely succesful, it is fun to try!

My family loves to cut snowflakes out of coffee filters. We starch and iron them and hang them from the ceiling with white thread. You can also brush on some regular glue and sprinkle with white glitter for an extra special effect. For other snowflake crafts visit here.

3-D snowflake craft

Snowflake Snack - Warm a flour tortilla in the microwave or steam it for a few seconds to soften it and then fold to cut snowflake shapes into the tortilla with clean scissors. Fry in oil briefly and then dust with powdered sugar. This is a favorite treat for my kiddos on "Snow Day".

Popsicle stick snowflakes

Music

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

Books

This first one is excellent for teaching about the water cycle. We stopped to create a lapbook on the topic this year:

Games

http://snowflakes.barkleyus.com/index.html

Movies

Day 10

2011-12-06T05:59:00.001-08:00

Tuesday, the 10th day of Advent

Advent Reading

Isaiah 9:6-7 tells us that Mighty God, Everlasting Father will be born as a boy-child in the line of David.

John 1:1-3, and 14 tell us that the Word was God and the Word became flesh. Luke 3:23-38 gives His lineage.

Jesse Tree

"Here comes that dreamer!" they said to each other.

Genesis 37:19 is an easy verse to memorize that quickly recalls the story of Joseph.

For today's ornament, draw a tunic/coat and let children decorate it to resemble a 'coat of many colors'. To make an ornament, find colorful fabric to cut and fold into the shape of a coat.

I can't recommend this site highly enough for easy to understand Jesse Tree devotions for children.

To Explore

Christmas Ornaments

The earliest known Christmas ornaments came from Scandinavia and they came in the form of stars, angels, etc. fashioned out of straw. The first known ornaments placed on evergreen trees were fruit, as the trees were used on the feast day of Adam and Eve. They were known as Paradise trees and represented both a tree of sin and a tree of life. Eventually, decorations included fruits and nuts and then other foods such as berries and cookies. Paper ornaments developed and became quite intricate. Ornaments were not created commercially until the 1800's. Glass ornaments orginated in Lauscha, Germany. F.W. Woolworth imported these ornaments into the U.S. in the 1890's. Dresden, Germany gained notoriety for their embossed paper ornaments.

Pickle Ornaments began as a fun game that rewarded the most observant child. Whichever child finds the pickle ornament first gets a special gift from St. Nick. Though the majority of pickle ornaments come from Lauscha, it isn't a common German tradition and no one seems to know for sure how the tradition began.

Christmas Around the World

There are so many wonderful traditions that come from Germany, they really deserve another day to explore.

To read more about Christmas in Germany, visit:

http://www.everythingaboutgermany.com/Germany-Christmas.html

http://www.theholidayspot.com/christmas/worldxmas/germany.htm

http://www.saskschools.ca/~gregory/chr/germany.html

http://www.learn-german-online.net/learning-german-resouces/weihnachten_en.htm

To wish a Merry Christmas in German, shout "Frohe Weihnacht!"

Hands On (cooking, coloring, creating)

String cranberries and/or popcorn!

Slice oranges thinly, dehydrate them (or bake low and slow on parchment,) and string with cinnamon sticks for a nice homemade ornament.

Applesauce Ornaments

Make a paper ornament with Jan Brett

Sweater or Felt scrap ornament

Paint stray puzzle pieces green and glue them into a wreath shape. Dot on some red paint for holly berries. Tie your puzzle wreath up with a ribbon to hang from the tree.

My family's favorite homemade decorations yet are the paper star ornaments that we purchased last year from Hobby Lobby for about $.50 apiece. We all sat down at the table together with a stack of magazines and cut out our favorite pictures and designs to mod-podge onto our stars. Everyone ended up with ornaments that reflected our personalities. For example, my youngest covered hers in ladybugs, one son covered his in pictures of candy, and my computer-tech husband covered his in pictures of computer parts from his computer magazines. I used Gooseberry Patch catalogs to cut out old Christmas card drawings. True keepsakes!

Music

Ornament by Trans Siberian Orchestra

Books

A beautiful children's story by Frank Peretti, though set in July and not Christmas

Christmas Ornaments Kids Can Make

Make Your Own Christmas Ornaments

Games

http://www.freegaming.de/onlinegames/Puzzle-|-Logic-Games/Match-3-Christmas.html

Movies

Today's movie suggestion has nothing to do with Germany nor Ornaments, but it is still my family's favorite - Elf!

Day 9

2011-12-06T05:58:00.001-08:00

Monday, the 9th day of Advent

Advent Verses

Zechariah 9:9 tells us the King will come, riding on a donkey. Matthew 21:4-9 confirms that it happend just so.

Jesse Tree

I need to apologize. I am giving more verses and ornaments than my family actually uses, in case some of you like to do Jesse Tree on Saturdays or sooner than December 1st. I accidentally gave you some verses out of order. Last week, I gave you Jacob's verse before I gave you Isaac's verse! If you have already done this portion, you can look back to Saturday's Jesse Tree to pick up Isaac's verse (a really good one!) I'm sorry for the confusion!

Today's verse tells of Jacob's name being changed to Israel:

Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." - Genesis 32:28

That's a lot of story to sum up with our children, but very interesting! A simple drawing of a ladder makes a nice ornament for today. If you are making ornaments, today would be a fun day for children to tie or glue a small ladder out of sticks or toothpicks.

To Explore

Santa Claus! My family doesn't do "the Santa thing", but this figure has a rich history worth learning. Originally known as Nicholas of Myra (where he became a bishop,) he is now associated with many names and legends. Born in present day Turkey, he was raised in the Christian faith by wealthy parents who died while he was still a youth. He used his inheritance to assist those in need, dedicating his life to serving God. The anniversary of his death is celebrated on December 6th as St. Nicholas Day.

Twas the Night Before Christmas is a poem that was written by Clement C. Moore as a present for his children. It was published in a newspaper and became instantly popular. This poem has been a key influence on the Santa Claus figure many children adore. His shape, color, and expressions that we all think of when we see Santa all originated with this poem. The names of his reindeer, his use of a sleigh, all give a hat tip to Mr. Clement C. Moore. A beautiful version to read is a 1912 version with illustrations by Jessie Willcox Smith, though there are many other delightful versions available. The JWS version is available free, online here.

Sinterklaas and His Helper is a book prior to the Clement C. Moore tale. It spoke of St. Nicholas bringing presents down the chimney, but had him riding rooftops on a white horse after travelling by steamboat from Spain. The St. Nicholas Day Song, still sung by Dutch children sings of this. The lyrics are found here.

To read about the legends associated with St. Nicholas, see here.

Christmas Around the World

Our English name of Santa Claus derived from a version of the Dutch name for Saint Nicholas: Sinterklaas. The Feast of Sinterklaas is a distinctly Dutch tradition. What a perfect time to celebrate Holland!

To read how Saint Nicholas is received in the Netherlands, visit here.

Some Dutch traditions are a tad ornery, but in their gift giving, they emphasize the unique efforts that go into giving the presents and not on the monetary value of the presents. This is certainly to be admired.

A distinctly different addition to the Santa Claus story can be found in the Netherlands celebration of a character known as Zwarte Piete. Parents might want to use caution in investigating this part of the story. Some images shown in search engines are frightening and others, quite racist. For an explanation, see here.

In Dutch, Happy Christmas is said as "Prettige Kerstfeest!"

Hands On (cooking, coloring, creating)

One Dutch tradition is sharing uniquely disguised presents and requiring an elaborate hunt for them. What a fun day to have a scavenger hunt! Surprise a family member today by placing a note for them by their plate or some other conspicuous location which leads them to another note, leading them to yet another note. Eventually, the clues should lead them to a prize. Clues can be drawn pictures for younger children or more complicated riddles for older children. "Brrrrr, it's cold in here!" could lead to an envelope in the freezer . "You're so sweet, much like the bowl I'm hiding in" could lead to the sugar canister. Visit here for more (and better) ideas.

Poems are very popular this time of year in Holland; try your hand at writing poems today!

Letters made from chocolate are very popular in Holland. If you are feeling ambitious, try melting almond bark into alphabet letter forms for the initials of the recipients' names.

Try your hand at Dutch Donuts, known as Oliebollen.

Though often used to refer to the Netherlands, Holland is actually just one small part of the Netherlands. For more background information, visit here. Label a map here.

Make a hand-print Santa!

Music

Up on the Housetop, lyrics found here.

Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, lyrics found here.

Books

Rich with history, but probably more appreciated by adults -

Fun tale of the Baker's Dozen -

Games

http://static.bored.com/games/swf/games_1229209931_Christmas_Fr33zChristmas_Fr33z.swf

Movies

The Santa Clause -

Miracle on 34th Street -

Miracle on 34th Street (updated, free version)

Veggie Tales (We love this one!)

Day 8

2011-12-03T19:34:00.001-08:00

Day 8, the second Sunday of Advent

Advent Verses

The second week of Advent begins today, and for me, there is a change in the air. Last week introduced an anticipation and hope that held such excitement! This week issues in a sweet reverence. Our candle this week is also traditionally purple as a color representing repentence. It is called the Bethlehem candle to remind us of the place God had prepared for Christ. Five hundred years before His birth, God was already sharing the location plans for the birth of our Saviour. He prepared a place for Joseph and Mary. Through John the Baptist He led men to prepare the way of the Lord. This is traditionally a week of preparation.

Another name for this Candle is the Peace Candle. Our peace was purchased at a price. Our dear Saviour gave much that we might have peace with God. Isaiah 9:6 calls Him our Prince of Peace. Most of our verses this week will speak of the price He paid; the price foretold long before it happened.

But today's verse is Micah 5:2, which told us He would be born in Bethlehem; specifically, the Bethlehem of Judea. There were several villages in Palestine that shared the name Bethlehem, but God left no room for confusion here. Matthew 2:1 confirms this birthplace.

Jesse Tree

Today's verse tells of Jacob's name being changed to Israel:

Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." - Genesis 32:28

That's a lot of story to sum up with our children, but very interesting! A simple drawing of a ladder makes a nice ornament for today. If you are making ornaments, today would be a fun day for children to tie or glue a small ladder out of sticks or toothpicks.

No studies for today but we can't wait to start again tomorrow!

Day 7

2011-12-02T19:23:00.001-08:00

Saturday, the 7th day of Advent

Advent Verses

Genesis 12:1-3 &22:18 describes a promise to Abraham.
Matthew 1:1 & Galatians 3:16 confirm and expound.

To Explore

Bells!

It seems we see them all over during this season. Why duringChristmas? Bells have been around for thousands of years as a wayto announce occasions. They rang to mark joyous occasions. They rang to mark unhappy occasions. They rang to warn ofimpending danger. They rang to call commuties to gather. They are rung during Christmas to announce the celebration of Christ'sbirth.

Christmas Around the World

Hungary!
Hungarians enjoy celebrating Christmas twice! Once on Dec. 6th for St.Nicholas' Day and the second on Christmas Eve. Hungarian childrenenjoy a Christmas tree, too, but they do not participate in thedecorating. In fact, they do not see the tree until ChristmasEve. After supper, children are told not to enter the room, butto listen for the angels. When the angels are finished decoratingthe tree, they ring a bell announcing to the children that they areleaving and that it is safe to come in. After presents areexchanged, many families attend a midnight mass. The next day,Christmas Day, is set aside for visiting with family.

Hungarian cooking - http://www.hungarotips.com/ch/cook.html

To wish a Merry Christmas in Hungary, try saying "Yokararácsony!"

Hands On (cooking, coloring, creating)

Jingle Bell Ornaments -
http://www.crafts-for-all-seasons.com/jingle-bell-snowman.html
http://crafts.kaboose.com/jingle-bells-ornament.html

Coloring Page - http://www.abcteach.com/free/j/jinglebells_m.pdf

For a jingle bell activity, nothing can beat turning up the volume toJingle Bell Rock and dancing around the house together.

For a rhythm game, pass a bell from player to player as eachparticipant sings only one syllable of the song "Jingle Bells". One person would get to sing "Oh", another sings "what", and yetanother sings "fun" and so forth until you've finished the song...."itis to ride in a one horse o-pen sleigh, hey!" But you can't singyour syllable until the bell has been handed to you, creating a fun andinteresting sounding song.

Music

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
This song was originallya poem, written in 1864 by Henry WadsworthLongfellow. The tune was added in 1872 by John BaptisteCalkin. Two stanzas were omitted in the final song because theyreferenced the Civil War. The original poem: http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Poetry/christmas_bells.htm

Books

Games

http://freeonlinegames.com/adventure-games/go-santa.html

Movies

The Bells of St. Mary's

I have one other subtle link to tie in bells and Hungary. Trace the link with me, starting with the famous line from It's a WonderfulLife, that says "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets itswings." The main character in that movie, Jimmy Stewart, was also the maincharacter in another of my favorite Christmas movies: The Shop Aroundthe Corner, which takes place in Budapest. How's that for alink?

Day 6

2011-12-01T19:36:00.001-08:00

Friday, the 6th day of Advent

Advent Verse

Psalm 110:1 tells us He would sit down at the right hand of God. This is mirrored in the New Testmanent in Hebrews 1:3.

Jesse Tree

Today's verse is a little longer, adding some challenge to our memorization:

"I will make you into a great nation
       and I will bless you;
       I will make your name great,
       and you will be a blessing."

-Genesis 12:2

Our story continues on to Abraham, still Abram at the promise in these verses.

A drawing of a tent is a fitting ornament for today, as Abram was called away from his home and family to follow the Lord as a wanderer. A homemade ornament could be a tent cut out of brown felt with a toothpick glued on for tent-posts.

To Explore

Christmas Trees!

Though originally rooted in paganism (pun intended), the Christmas tree often plays an integral part of Christian holiday celebrations. The fir tree is first known to have come indoors in Scandinavia during the dark ages. In the midst of freezing, dark winters, the fir tree stood with marked contrast to its stark surroundings. Vikings found encouragement in this hardy tree. The evergreen was a popular symbol for many pagan cultures.

A legend about St. Boniface tells how the evergreen began to be associated with Christianity - http://www.essortment.com/all/historychristma_rfra.htm The tradition spread throughout Christendom and it became tradition to hang an evergreen from the ceiling each winter. However, the tree was still not associated with Christmas.
The first recording of the tree being used for Christmas celebrations didn't occur until 1510 in Latvia. You can read more about that history here - http://www.firstchristmastree.com/
Another legend says that it was Martin Luther who influenced our current celebrations of the Christmas tree. http://christmas.howstuffworks.com/stories/christmas-tree-stories2.htm
For a brief run-down of the development of the Christmas tree, you'll enjoy this site - http://www.christmasarchives.com/trees.html

Christmas Around the World

Latvia - http://www.latviatourism.lv/info.php
Christmas feasting in Latvia - http://www.eat-online.net/english/habits/christmas/christmas_latvia.htm

To wish a merry Christmas in Latvia, you would say "Priecïgus Ziemassvºtkus".

Hands On (cooking, coloring, creating)

Ice Cream Cone Christmas Trees (my kids LOVE this one) -
To make, add green food coloring to white frosting and smear over sugar cones. Let kids decorate with ice cream sprinkles and cupcake decor or mini m&m's. Take a picture because this craft will be gobbled up quickly!

Handprint Christmas Tree -
Dip child's palm in green paint and then upside down on paper or fabric. Make a row of 4 handprints, then 3, then 2. For the top, use yellow paint on the child's other hand, or draw on a star. Thumb prints dipped in red paint make great "tree" decorations. Using fabric paint on a sweatshirt makes a great gift for grandparents.

Let the littles decorate their own felt Christmas trees, again and again -
http://www.rufflesandstuff.com/2009/12/im-dreaming-of-pink-christmas.html

Color a Christmas tree and then add glitter glue ornaments - http://www.supercoloring.com/image_print.php?img_src=http://www.supercoloring.com/wp-content/original/2008_12/christmas-tree-coloring-page.gif

Part of the St. Boniface legend included his use of the triangular shape of the evergreen tree to explain the trinity. Here is an excellent math lesson lapbook on triangles -
http://xinpeifamily.blogspot.com/2009/09/triangle-lapbook.html

Latvian Recipes - http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2308551/recipes_for_christmas_dinner_in_latvia.html?cat=22

Music

O Tannenbaum, also sung as O Christmas Tree - http://www.fashion-era.com/Christmas/christmas_customs_tree_history.htm#O Christmas Tree (O Tannenbaum)

Books

Read FREE online, Hans Christian Andersen's tale: The Fir Tree -

The first book on this list makes me cry every time. The last makes me laugh every time. All of them are good, but these two are our favorites.

Games

Decorate the Tree

Trim the Tree

Another Decorate the Tree (has annoying music; be warned)

And Another

Movies

A Charlie Brown Christmas from 1965:

Day 5

2011-11-29T19:09:00.001-08:00

Thursday, the 5th day of Advent

Advent Verses

Psalm 16:10 tells us He would rise from the dead and both Mark 16:6 andActs 2:31 tell us it happened just as foretold.

Jesse Tree

I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. - Genesis 9:13

Today we continue with our discussion of sin entering the world and go on to the Flood. This can be a difficult discussion, but I appreciate today's words from RCA's devotional page - "Even in a sinful world, God still loves us and keeps His promises." This is a simple, beautiful truth that our children can grasp.

A drawing of a rainbow is a nice ornament for today's verse. If you are creating your own ornaments, you might enjoy painting a window sun-catcher. These are usually easy to find and rainbows are a popular design for them.

To Explore

Christmas Cards!
The very first Christmas card originated in England and was sentin 1843. It was the idea of Sir Henry Cole, who wanted to sendgreetings and well wishes to friends and family that included anencouragement to care for those in need. Rather than hand-write somany letters, he commissioned designer John Calcott Horsley to havethem printed.

You can see in this image of the first Christmas Card a happy familytoasting to the season. In the side panels, they are reaching outto those less fortunate with food and clothing.

Christmas cards soon became a popular custom. Popular artistsincluded Kate Greenaway, Frances Brundage, and Ellen H.Clapsaddle. An internet image search for these names revealsbeautiful, intricate cards. The custom was not seen in the UnitedStates until 1845. For 30 years, Americans imported their cardsfrom Europe. In 1875, the first line of Christmas Cards waspublished in U.S. by Louis Prang, a German immigrant.

To view a beautiful gallery of Christmas card images, visit http://www.emotionscards.com/museum/xmas.html

Christmas Around the World

England!

England has a rich Christmas history, including being the birthplace ofChristmas cards. It is also where we derived our custom ofsinging Christmas Carols to friends and neighbors, originally known as"Wassailing". Wassailing had a very different beginning than whatit is today but we'll get to that another day.

The mistletoeoriginated with the Romans as a symbol of peace. Enemies that metunder the mistletoe set aside their weapons for a temporarytruce. This developed into our custom of kissing under themistletoe and was first seen as part of the Christmas season inEngland.

Christmas traditions in the UK are very similar to what is celebratedin the US, with a few exceptions. British children enjoy pullingChristmas crackers found on their plates on Christmas Day. Crackers are bright paper tubes, twisted at the ends. Children helpeach other pull on the ends which causes a loud pop or "crack" andreveals the contents of the tubes, usually riddles, trinket toys, andconfetti. Many also contain a party hat that must be worn for themeal.

Pantomimes are a popular Christmas Eve activity. You can readabout their development here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantomime Another British tradition is listening to the Queen's ChristmasMessage, broadcast on Christmas afternoon via radio and television.

The day after Christmas is called Boxing Day and is considered a publicholiday in the UK. It is customary to give gifts to tradesmen youencounter on this day, often celebrated now through tipping thepostman, trash pick-up, etc. It is also a popular day to raise moneyfor charity.

To celebrate old-style, see http://www.christmasarchives.com/how2english.html

To share Christmas greetings in England, you'll blend in better if yousay "Happy Christmas" rather than the American "Merry Christmas".

Hands On (cooking, coloring, creating)

In all honesty, my family enjoys taking several days to celebrate today'stheme. There are so many things to do, this unit can easily fillaweek!

Christmas Crackers are a fun craft project.
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf78360388.tip.html
http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-make-christmas-crackers
http://www.oldenglishcrackers.com/make-your-own-crackers.htm

Christmas Pudding is a distinctly English Christmas fare -http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Christmas-Plum-Pudding/Detail.aspx

My entire family looks forward to our afternoon of making homemadeChristmas cards. Our favorite cards don't contain anydrawings but instead use only construction paper, scissors, andglue. It is challenging to make tiny details withoutcoloring anything, but we all enjoy cutting out those little touches,such as whiskers for kittens and even curling steam for cut-outs of hotcocoa. Give it a try!

Some other Christmas card ideas -
http://familyfun.go.com/christmas/christmas-gifts-cards-decorations/christmas-cards/
http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/homemade_Christmas_cards.htm
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/christmas/treecard/
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Christmas-Tree-Pop-up-Card-(Robert-Sabuda-Method)

Music

A traditional English Christmas song is "I Saw Three Ships". One version is found here: http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/i_saw_three_ships.htm

Books

Games

http://www.fupa.com/swf/sinta-clause/SintaClause.swf

Movies

A Christmas Carol is a classic British Christmas movie, though myfavorite version is quite American -

Grown-ups might appreciate some British humor, though the following maynot be appropriate for children -

Day 4

2011-11-29T19:06:00.001-08:00

Wednesday, the 4th day of Advent

Advent Verses

In the Old Testament, Isaiah 7:14 tells us He will be born of a virgin.
In the New Testament, scripture is fulfilled in Matthew 1:21-23, as anangel appears to Joseph in a dream and mirrors these same words.

Jesse Tree

"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. -Genesis 3:4

And so sin entered the world. Our verse for today recalls the lie told in the garden. Though we don't know what kind of fruit it was, a simple drawing of an apple would make a nice ornament for today. If you are using symbols rather than pictures, you could hang a small fake snake to help remember this part of the story.

To Explore

The Nutracker is a famous Russian ballet that beganas a storybook entitled The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T.Hoffmann. This version was never actually intended for children,though the ballet has become a classic children's Christmas tale. It evolved from story to play to ballet, set to the music ofTchaikovsky.

A history of the handy, yet beautiful tool known asthe nutcracker -

Lesson plans on The Nutcracker

Nutcracker Coloring Pages

NutcrackerColoring Page

Christmas Around the World

Russia!
Russian Christmas contains an interesting history including the banningof celebrations, a different celebration date, and a 40 day adventseason!

To read about Russia's rich history and traditions, visit:
http://www.travelcentre.com.au/travel/russia/russian_christmas.htm
http://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/russia.shtml
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2303475/a_traditional_russian_christmas_dinner.html?cat=22

Historically, St. Nicholas is dear to Russia, but not as a Santa Clausfigure. Russians instead look forward to a figure known as FatherFrost. St. Nicholas was brought to Russia in the days of Vladimir the Greatand even now, Nikolai is one of the most popular boy names inRussia. For more on St. Nicholas in Russia, see http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=95

TheTale of Babushka is perhaps more popular in the western world than inRussia, but nonetheless, it is a great Russian Christmas Folktale - http://www.mikelockett.com/stories.php?action=view&id=34

To wish a Merry Christmas in Russian, say "'S Rozhdestvomkhristovym!" or simply "S Rozhdestvom!", emphasizing the lastsyllable.

Hands On (cooking, coloring, creating)

Make a nutcracker from a potato chip can - http://crafts.kaboose.com/nutcracker-ornament.html
Make a nutcracker from clay pots - http://the-artful-crafter.blogspot.com/2009/11/christmas-nutcracker-clay-pot-ornament.html
Want to make one like the pros? - http://www.nussknackerhaus.com/home-makingnutcracker.htm

Color a Nutcracker online - http://www.thecolor.com/Coloring/Nutcracker.aspx
Print Nutrcracker puppets - http://printables4kids.com/printable-nutcracker-puppets/
Print Nutrcracker coloring pages - http://parenting.leehansen.com/downloads/coloring/christmas/pages/toy-soldier.htm

Music

Be sure to visit http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/search/songs/?query=nutcracker%20suiteto listen to The Nutcracker Suite.

Books

Games

Movies

The Nutcracker ballet, with Baryshnikov

An animated version

Efficient Google Search

2011-11-29T08:33:00.000-08:00

I thought I was pretty handy with Google, but I found this great chart for performing google searches and I can't believe all the features available to make hunting down info even easier!

It contains some other great tips, such as keyboard shortcuts. I discovered these a couple years ago and they make work on the computer MUCH easier. Take a peek! It has inspired me to add computer science to our lesson plans. I'll be including this chart in our new class!

Day 3

2011-11-28T18:28:00.001-08:00

Advent Verses

Alsoknown as the Hope candle, we continue throughout the week to readprophecies from the Old Testament and revel in their fulfillment. We are not only celebrating the birth of a baby. We arecelebrating that this baby grew to be a man who laid down His life as asacrifice for our sins and that through His death and resurrection, wehave access to eternal life with Him. Without this gift, we wouldhave no hope. We also look with hope to the fulfillment of His promiseof a second-coming and rejoice that He always keeps His promises!

Isaiah 61:1 tells us He wouldpreach good news and Luke 4:14-21 confirms this fulfillment.

Jesse Tree

Today, we go back to the beginning. Our verse is Genesis 1:1

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

Today's ornament can represent this verse with a drawing of the earth. If you are hanging symbols rather than drawings, you could decorate a bouncy-ball with paint, marker, or painted paper mache to look like a miniature earth. Tack a string into the rubber ball with a push-pin to hang from your Jesse Tree.

Verses to Know

I encourage the kids to memorize a verse eachday with the Jesse Tree readings. We’ve never successfullymemorized them all, but they are surprised each year how quickly theverses come back to them. The very purpose of the Jesse Tree isto tell the story of the gospel from beginning to end and what betterway than with scripture our hearts? Today’s verse is a promise ofthings to come. A promise of Christ to come:

Ashoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branchwill bear fruit. - Isaiah 11:1

Jesse was father to David, who was in the lineage of Christ. Today’s verse is not chronological. Today we learn that God issovereign and has always known what His plans would be. Tomorrow,we begin with creation and work our way forward.

Downloadable Ornaments

http://www.eriercd.org/jessetree.htm

http://www.shalfleet.net/advent/makeajessetree.htm

http://paperdali.blogspot.com/2009/11/jesse-tree-ornaments.html

Homeschool In The Woods has an amazing unit study called History of Holidays, whichincludes beautiful Jesse Tree ornaments to print and color. Ifyou have ever used anything from Homeschool In The Woods, you know thatthe quality here is amazing. This set is not free, but veryaffordable, especially when you consider that it covers holidays yearround, not just for Christmas.

To Explore

The Advent Calendar
Advent calendars have been around for over a hundred years as a fun wayto count down to Christmas Day. The modern Advent Calendar comesin many shapes and sizes ranging from beautifully ornate to amazinglysimple. Styles range from gold guild to toilet paper rollswrapped in paper. Chocolate Advent Calendars are a funtwist! A brief history can be found here: http://awoodenadventcalendar.com/history-advent-calendar.htm

Christmas Around the World

Germany

We owe many of our modern Christmas celebrations to the Germans,whohave celebrated Christmas with it’s Christian purpose and family focusprobably longer than anyone in the world. Christmas celebrationswere actually banned for a long time in Christian communities becauseof their wild, pagan celebrations. Even up to the time of ourAmerican Revolution, Christmas was not commonly celebrated by thedevout. When Queen Victoria married Prince Albert of Germany,customs began to change. England began to adopt thefamily-friendly Christmas customs of Germany and the trend spread.

An interesting German Epiphany tradition is to mark three letters withchalk over doorways for protection: C, M, and B; standing for the“Three Kings” Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. However, even manyGermans might be surprised to discover that these three lettersoriginated with the Latin phrase for “Christ bless this house” —“Christus mansionem benedicat”.

Some German children believe it is the Christ child and not Santa who“brings gifts”. Our name for Kris Kringle likely originated withthe German term “Christkindl”, meaning ‘Christ Child’.

German Traditions -
GermanChristmas Words -
German Spritzgeback Cookies -
German Liebesgruebchen (Love Dimple Cookies)
German roots to our modern Christmas -
German Culture Site (discussing Advent) -

Hands On (cooking, coloring, creating)

Today would be a great time to create your own Advent Calendar! There are so many different versions out there – it is amazing! Here are just a few:

Envelopes and paper clips -
Advent Book -
Jan Brett downloadable -
List of many more ideas -
Advent Jar -
ToiletPaper Cups -
Felt Pockets -
Fabric Envelopes -
An amazing collection of homemade ideas
Small, adorable Advent houses to print and fold

Online Advent Countdown Calendars –
http://www.billybear4kids.com/holidays/christmas/advent/advent4.htm
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/calendar/
http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/Advent/Beliefnet-Interactive-Advent-Calendar.aspx

This year, my family is just going to use a sticker-calendar (the firstlink shown.) Here are samples of other calendars that may bepurchased. Perhaps they will spark your imagination and you willbe able to design your own. Be sure to share a link with us here; we'dlove to see what you come up with.

Music

A well known German Christmas song is Ave Maria, composed by FranzSchubert in 1826. Schubert originally intended the lyrics to bean excerpt from The Lady of the Lake, but over time the words weresubstituted with the Latin text of the traditional Ave Maria prayer.

The German lyrics: http://www.vistawide.com/german/christmas/ave_maria.htm

Books

Games

Frost Bite

Movies

Holiday Inn with Bing Crosby is a great display of holiday countdown!

Day 2

2011-11-27T15:50:00.001-08:00

Monday, the 2nd day of advent:

Jesse Tree

Isaiah 11:1 "A shoot will spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots."

A Jesse Tree is a marvelous way to learn and to remember the Old Testament and God's faithfulness as we look at how it all directs us to the glorious revelation of Christ.

The first day of Jesse Tree celebrations begins with choosing the tree. There are many ways to make a Jesse Tree, the simplest being to tack a large green triangle to the back of a door and add ornaments daily. This could be done with velcro, hooks, or buttons and does not need to be complicated to be treasured.

My family prefers to add Jesse Tree ornaments and verses on weekdays only, during our regular school hours. Our Jesse Tree decor isn't traditional, but it works fine; we use a tree branch and suspend it horizontally on the wall, hanging ornaments with string, but many Jesse Trees are vertical and are "planted" in a bucket, pot, or vase.

Our first day for the Jesse Tree begins with hunting down the perfect branch. We like one with a nice curve to it and lots of tiny branches for hanging our ribbons. I use the removable 3M or Scotch hooks. These are flexible, so they hold all shapes of tree branches and allow them to stick out from the wall a bit. Also, they leave zero residue when it comes time to take down our “tree”.

Copywork pages for Jesse tree verses, days 1 - 3
Verses for upcoming Jesse Tree days

To Explore: The Advent Wreath

The Advent wreath’s predecessor was rooted in paganism as Scandinavian peoples celebrated Saturnalia by lighting candles in a wheel made from evergreen branches. During long, dark winters the people looked at the evergreen as a symbol of hope of life and the return of the sun.

As Vikings converted to Christianity, these fierce people embraced their new faith with exuberance. The hardy evergreen came to represent eternal life rather than spring. A single candle was lighted to represent the Christ, the light of the world.

Christmas Around the World: Let’s learn about Norway!

Norway’s Viking Christmas roots
Modern Norway Traditions
Brush up on the language
Norwegian Christmas words
Norwegian Rosemaling, a beautiful form of artwork.
Here are Geography Notebooking pages that I created for my own kids to use. They aren't fancy, but my kids prefer it that way so they can make it their own creation. They work together to color the flag and mark major cities, rivers, etc. in the map section.
Norway Christmas Coloring Page
Norway Geography Coloring Page

Hands On (cooking, coloring, creating)

Make a Norwegian ornament

Peppernuts, also known as Pfefferneusse

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup butter

1 egg, beaten

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 pinch salt 1 pinch ground black pepper

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1. Heat molasses with butter, stirring until melted. Let sit to cool. Stir egg into molasses mixture.

2. Mix dry ingredients, except powdered sugar. Add to molasses and butter gradually. Blend thoroughly.

3. Roll into small balls. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar.

Books

Here is an accompanying craft for Jan Brett's Christmas Trolls book.

Music

Games

Toboggan Run

Movies

First Sunday of Advent

2011-11-27T15:40:00.001-08:00

The Prophecy Candle

The prophecy candle is a call to listen. Advent is a season of hope and expectancy, made deep and rich with the history of God’s word and His sovereignty. The prophecy candle urges us to recall the prophecies of old and celebrate their fulfillment. And just as He was prophesied to enter the world as a baby and then to die, He was also prophesied to come again. God knew what He was doing then…and He knows what He’s doing now.

Advent Reading

Our family has tried different books through the years, but Jotham's Journeyis the undisputed favorite, as well as its two sequels. My family decided this year to stop trying other books and to just take turns rereading the Jotham Series each year. The story follows young Jotham who is separated from his family and experiences harrowing adventures, ultimately arriving in Bethlehem. There are a few brief scenes that were intense for my younger children, but I simply reworded a line or two and went on when they were that age. The story is broken down into sections to last throughout advent. At the end of each section are verses for Advent and thoughts to ponder. I cannot recommend it highly enough. This series of books gives us three years of stories to follow and everyone is anxious to start the rotation again the fourth year. We are going through the books for the third time now and no one is even close to being tired of them.

If you are unable to find these books, here are some sources for Advent verses for each night:

http://www.pcusa.org/advent/pdf/dailyreadingsadvent2009.pdf

http://www.cresourcei.org/advent2.html

http://www.catholic.org/clife/advent/advent.php?id=18

http://www.crivoice.org/advent2.html

http://sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?sermonid=141209

Also, some Jesse Tree books provide excellent devotions that can be read during your family’s Advent reading time. My family has enjoyed all three of these:

Devotions

Here are some devotions you can view :

http://www.goshen.edu/devotions/Advent_Devotions

http://www.adventdevotions.net/

Or you can make an entire study from these sources:

A beautiful lesson in Advent from Homeschool in the Woods - http://www.homeschoolinthewoods.com/ChristmasLesson

Even more Advent ideas - http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/christmasunit.html#week1

Inductive Advent studies - http://miikogibson.com/advent_study.htm

Advent Verses

Jesus said to them, ‘This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.’” Luke 24:44 (NIV)

The Old Testament contains many prophecies foretelling the coming of Christ. Many interpreters number them in the hundreds. As we spend this season looking at those prophecies fulfilled, let us look with anticipation to the fulfilling of more to come.

Jesse Tree

My family likes to save Jesse Tree celebrations for weekday mornings, so this section will be empty during weekends. But for preparation, see the books linked above. Also, for extra Jesse Tree activities, our favorite resource has been Homeschool In The Wood's History of Holidays. It includes much more than Christmas, but the artwork in the Jesse Tree ornaments is truly beautiful and very fun for the kids to create their own ornaments while reading the accompanying verses. The price is worth it just for the December holidays, but it includes an entire year's worth of excellent activities.

Music

O Come, O Come Emmanuel is a favorite advent hymn. For a brief history and to hear the tune, visit http://www.biblestudycharts.com/HH_O_Come_O_Come_Emmanuel.html

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

Refrain:

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,

Who orderest all things mightily;

To us the path of knowledge show,

And teach us in her ways to go.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;

From depths of hell Thy people save,

And give them victory over the grave.

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,

And open wide our heavenly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high,

And close the path to misery.

O come, O come, great Lord of might,

Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height

In ancient times once gave the law

In cloud and majesty and awe.

O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree,

An ensign of Thy people be;

Before Thee rulers silent fall;

All peoples on Thy mercy call.

O come, Desire of nations, bind

In one the hearts of all mankind;

Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,

And be Thyself our King of Peace.

During weekdays, I will share additional activities and suggestions, but these are omitted during weekends since most families will spend this time in worship.

The Tree

2011-11-25T20:06:00.001-08:00

If we have a leisurely Thanksgiving weekend, my family likes to take a few days to decorate the tree. For some reason, my kids love to take turns decorating the tree with their own unique style. My geek-son decorates with computer parts, his brother decorates with his tiny stuffed animals, and my daughters decorate with ribbons and what-nots. Each tree design is photographed and then we do the real decorating.

At first, it was hard for me to sit back and let the kids decorate in their asymmetrical, unbalanced fashion. I used to sit on my hands and try offering up suggestions. Now, I string the lights and let everyone have at it while I offer up only smiles and compliments. How did I get over my perfectionist streak?

I didn’t.

I wait until they’re in bed and then I straighten it. Not so much that they notice it the next morning, but enough to make me feel better. Memories of decorating for Christmas are more pleasant than memories of mom and her OCD.

Usually, the decorating begins on Friday afternoons and culminates with a cold plate of summer sausage, cheeses, olives, etc. Daddy is working overtime this Black Friday, so we're all giddy with anticipation as we prepare for our Decorating Night on Saturday night. The kids were drooling as I tucked them in, far too excited about gherkin pickles than any child should ever be.

Preparing for Advent

2011-11-20T06:20:00.000-08:00

We have a strict "No Christmas Before Thanksgiving" rule in our house, but I have to sneak a little thought and planning in beforehand. The first day of Advent in 2011 begins Sunday, November 27, 2011. In case you're looking to prepare meaningful crafts, traditions, and activities for your family, I thought I'd break our pre-Thanksgiving rule to share our family favorites with you.

You might be asking "What is advent?" Well, the word Advent comes from the Latin word adventus which means "coming". During the Christmas season, we celebrate that Christ came to earth as our Saviour and we celebrate that He is coming again.

There are no rules written in stone for how you must celebrate Advent. It is a precious time that will be made unique by your own family. My family began celebrating Advent years ago, before our first child was a year old. We were young parents exploring how we wanted to establish our own traditions. We knew that we didn't want to raise our children with a typical Santa Claus Consumerism holiday. We wanted to pause and savor the true meaning of Christmas. We ran across an article by Focus on the Family that introduced us to the idea of Advent, and we quickly adopted the tradition.

As time went on and our children grew, we realized the season was still rushing by us too quickly. I discovered The Teaching Mom's Advent Calendar and we began a new tradition that we call Christmas School. Our regular homeschool studies stop for Advent and we fill our days with a new style of learning. We've incorporated many different traditions through the years and I'll happily share them with you here in the upcoming weeks.

These ideas are meant to help savor the season, not to add to the rush. I'll share more ideas than any one family could do in one season, so feel free to pick and choose your favorites. Because my family does most of our activities during weekdays, the weekends won't share as many activities as weekdays. If you are doing activities primarily on weekends, you'll want to borrow from other days.

As much as we love the activities that we've chosen, I would still love to hear about your holiday celebrations! Please share your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions!

Now, let's get started!

Some excellent books you might enjoy while preparing for Advent include:

Great websites include:

Teaching Mom's Advent Calendar

Our Lady of Refuge

Though it isn't necessary, an Advent wreath is a beautiful addition to your advent celebration. My family uses a cheap, simple wreath with short candle holders inserted from the bottom. We place taper candles into the holders through the top and then place a white pillar candle in the middle.

The Basics

The Wreath:

Here are some websites for wreath ideas:

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/advent-wreath

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-make-an-advent-wreath-273592/

Traditionally the candles include 3 purple, 1 pink, and a white center candle, but these aren't always easy to find and variations are perfectly acceptable. Blue is a nice replacement for purple. My family often uses burgundy candles. We prefer to save the candle lighting until just before bed so that we can enjoy their beautiful glow in the dark evening. We have found that it works best to not keep them lit more than 5 minutes per night to avoid them burning down before Christmas gets here. We gather together in the family room for our Advent reading and then light the candles as we read the verse and/or pray. Some families prefer to only light the candles on Sundays for Advent Readings.

Descriptions of each candle's name and meaning can be found here:

http://www.redeemerfridley.org/advent/candles.jsp

http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0132.html

http://www.crivoice.org/cyadvent.html

Join us for Christmas School!

2011-11-15T22:20:00.000-08:00

Each day of Advent features a different theme for study and activities.

Links will become active when the content is complete.

To follow along with my family's personal Advent & Christmas School, you can read along here.

Advent 2011
What is Advent
Preparing for Advent
Jesse Tree
Day 1, the first Sunday of Advent
Day 2, Monday
Day 3, Tuesday
Day 4, Wednesday
Day 5, Thursday
Day 6, Friday
Day 7, Saturday
Day 8, the second Sunday of Advent
Day 9, Monday
Day 10, Tuesday
Day 11. Wednesday
Day 12, Thursday
Day 13
Day 14
Day 15
Day 16
Day 17
Day 18
Day 19
Day 20
Day 21
Day 22
Day 23
Day 24
Day 25
http://blessedbliss.blogspot.com/2011/11/first-sunday-of-advent.html

Sonlight

2011-11-05T12:46:00.000-07:00

Sonlight is a program that I have always wanted to try. I was blessed to receive the Core 3 package and my family has had so much fun using it! This is not a textbook kind of program. Sonlight is a literature-based curriculum that combines small readings of history guides with lots of excellent fiction books that represent the time period being studied. It comes with books, guides, and more suggestions than you could possibly complete. I love having options!

I sang and danced around the living room as we unpacked our Sonlight box. The book choices were top notch. The best of the best. I have researched literature inside out and I knew exactly what books I wanted to cover for this history study....Sonlight chose the same great books! They truly are "great" books chosen to not only reinforce a history lesson, but to inspire the reader to think. I always thought this school-year in a box was out of my budget, but the price of these books is actually cheaper through Sonlight than through Amazon. Sonlight lists their prices of books in comparison to Amazon prices and nearly every book is cheaper than Amazon's. From the Sonlight website: "If you are a Core Sonlighter then you can save $82.15 on this package of 74 items rather than buying 44 from Amazon and 30 from Sonlight separately." The "30 separately" were books not carried on Amazon.com.

Another concern of mine was my need to control everything. I was afraid I would rebel if I was supposed to stick to a strict lesson plan. This hasn't been an issue at all. Sonlight comes with an Instructor's Guide that lays out everything you'll be studying in a nice, orderly fashion. It is arranged with two options of a 4-day or a 5-day schoolweek. Sometimes I worked it all into a 3 day week and moved ahead while other days I stretched it out over a 2-week "schoolweek". It was easily adaptable to fit our needs. Each day shares suggestions for a Bible reading (with incredible discussions notes often shared,) Memory work, a History/Geography lesson (also with great discussions notes and maps, Readers listed for younger and older students reading, a Read-Aloud, and Poetry. Each Reader also comes with a study guide for extra activity, discussion, and mapwork to take those stories deeper. Everything was laid out so that the boys finished their books just in time to coincide with each other and with our history lessons. It was perfect. We've loved this.

An article entitled 27 Reasons Not to Buy Sonlight strongly convinces me that Sonlight is an amazing fit for me. The only thing Sonlight and I don't see eye-to-eye on is my preference of a 4-year cycle for history. Granted, I always take longer than a year to get through each cycle, but I think this method provides even more opportunity for parallelism and insight. However, my regular choice for a history program didn't go nearly as deep as I wanted to go in American History, so we were pausing to study this same theme when our Sonlight box arrived. The timing could not have been more perfect!

I love their guarantee. It is a lot of money to drop all at once, though not more than you would spend purchasing these same books individually. It's hard to spend that much when you aren't certain it is a perfect fit. But Sonlight offers an incredible guarantee, taking all fear of risk away. "...with Sonlight's Love to Learn/Love to Teach Guarantee, you get to not only touch and feel your Sonlight materials, but actually use the materials in the comfort of your home for 18 weeks with our promise of a full refund if you feel the need to return them."

I love that the creators of Sonlight are Christians and that the curriculum edifies our faith without relying on Christian-speak. Most of the books are secular and the children get to read about other ideas and beliefs that are out there, but in a safe and healthy environment that encourages discussion. I think this is important - because those ideas are out there. Our children will hear it at some point. I do not want to raise ignorant children who can't fit into society enough to reach out to society. I don't want them to blend in and become natives, but I don't want them to run home crying at the age of 19 either. I feel it is my job to equip them to live out their faith deep in the trenches of the world.

Another great resource is the Sonlight Forum. I confess I didn't spend much time here due to my lack of extra time to spare, but for years now I have heard people talk about how cool the Sonlight Messageboard is. Lots of great insight on there!

If you are a Sonlight fan, there are great supplements available to take lesson even further, even though they really don't need it. If you'd like to combine Sonlight Core 3 (American History) with Story of the World's chronological World History, this chart might be helpful. It is geared towards Hakim's History of the US, not specifically geared toward SL, but it is easy to place coinciding events together to broaden the view from US history to world history. And here is another excellent resource for those interested in Sonlight.

Sonlight is teacher-friendly. It is meaty and it is flexible, two things that don't generally go together. Their communication is wonderful and very helpful. I can't think of a single bad thing to say about this program. I'm still on cloud nine that God blessed us with the chance to review it!

Emergency Preparations: The Basic "Why"

2011-11-01T06:34:00.000-07:00

If you mention the word "Stockpiling" to anyone, they nearly always assume there is a religious affiliation involved, a hoarding illness, or a fear of zombies involved. I assure you that none of the above is necessary and that being prepared for emergencies can be a casual part of being a responsible adult without taking over your life.
Things to consider:

Loss of Income
Few people see it coming. In this day and age, it's sadly common for a two-week notice to upset lives. Even if you qualify for unemployment, it takes several weeks for your paperwork to be processed and you'll still have a gap without a paycheck. Hopefully, you have a savings account to help you along, but you don't want to spend it on groceries and basic needs if you can help it. What would you have to fall back on if your car broke down? Or if you needed to take a trip to the Emergency Room? Without a job, many people don't have health insurance.

Weather Emergencies
Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Ice Storms all have a way of upsetting daily life. Hopefully, the worse that happens is loss of power. But loss of power can be more than just annoying. If it lasts for more than a few hours, you start to get hot in the summer, cold in the winter, hungry in the always. Once a disaster hits (or hints that it is going to hit,) grocery stores become madhouses. This is because most families only have enough groceries to last a day or two. If you have a couple weeks worth of stockpiled food, household necessities, and medicine then you can happily avoid the mad grocery store-scramble.

Be it from earthquake tearing up roads or loss of power preventing trucks from getting gas, there could come a time when trucks aren't able to enter your town. And when when trucks stop, you'll notice. We all depend on trucks to bring us what we need...food, medicine, etc.

You don't have to become fanatical, just pause to ponder a few scenarios and come up with a game plan. It's actually very interesting dinner conversation with your family. For instance, if you wanted to be prepared for a day or two without electricity, you're family will probably say they are pretty content with using the outdoor grill to cook with until the power comes back. And this is fine. But first, do you have a grill? Extra charcoal or propane? Once the grill is all fired up, will you be able to meet your coffee addiction needs? If you plan to eat canned foods for those few days, do you have a can opener that isn't electric? Do you have a pan you can put on the grill? Perhaps your family would want to consider a second or third alternative option for cooking, such as sterno stoves?

As you know, water is the most important need to think of first. It's always wise to have at least a few days worth of water stored. You'll want to have enough water stored to provide 1 gallon of water, per person, per day.

See? Those aren't crazy things to think about, are they? Notice how a zombie apocalypse didn't even enter the conversation? I encourage you to introduce the topic with your family throughout the upcoming week. Be sure to discuss:

Locations of Mom&Pop-type gas and grocery stores because these will not be hit as hard as the big box stores during emergencies.
Where you could store water and other stockpile items (under beds, top of closets, pantries, etc.)
What you would do about going to the bathroom if your power went out for a week. Eww.
What would you want to eat and how you would go about cooking it.
Where and how to meet back up if family members were separated during an emergency (school, work, etc.)

Take the conversations in small, baby bites. These are conversation starters. You do not have to have an answer to all of this right away. Just start the conversation. I will be sharing more tips on Emergency Preparations and Sustainable Living each week. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the topic!

Living Books Curriculum, Grade 1

2011-10-27T06:29:00.000-07:00

"The mind feeds on ideas, and therefore children should have a generous curriculum." These words, penned by Charlotte Mason over 100 years ago, capture the heart of Living Books Curriculum. Charlotte Mason held revolutionary ideas about the educating of children in early twentieth-century England. For many years, these ideas seemed to have been lost. However, they have been experiencing a revival of sorts over the last 20 years, and many homeschooling families are recognizing the brilliance behind her philosophies--namely, that education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life! A Charlotte Mason education exposes children to noble ideas and interesting concepts. Living Books Curriculum provides this rich and varied education without being overwhelming to parent or child.

I incorporated Living Books Curriculum for Grade One with my two daughters, ages 6 and 4. This is the first year of formal schooling for both girls, and I was prepared for my 4-year-old to be left out of many things. I was delighted to discover how wrong I was. Both girls stay enthralled for the duration of our studies each day. The excellent books that are included in this curriculum are irresistible; how could they not be enthralled? Charlotte Mason insisted that children are people and that their minds feed on living ideas found in living books. I am continually impressed with the fantastic book choices which can't help but spark a love of learning. The book list, which can be viewed at www.livingbookscurriculum.com, has a nice balance of modern books and the more classic books of yesterday. The age-appropriate selections hold children's interest and kindle many interesting conversations.

For 36 weeks, students explore a plethora of subjects using beautiful material. The year is divided into four 8-week terms, each followed by a flex/exam week. The program provides all of the ingredients of a rigorous education yet manages to retain the gentleness for which a Charlotte Mason education is known.

Bible Study is done with a devotional that begins with Genesis and progresses through the entire Bible. Two to three stories are studied per week, using both the devotional stories and Scripture readings.

Language Arts is taught through poetry, read-alouds, lessons in storytelling, and Aesop's Fables. All of these are accompanied by narration exercises. Penmanship lessons use the Italics method in a book aptly entitled Italics: Beautiful Handwriting for Children. The lessons are so simple yet so effective. Italics is an inexpensive book and is intended to be used for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade. The poetry selections come from Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses. My only regret with this subject is that there are not enough poems in the book to cover the entire 36-week school year. By the time the book's poems have all been read, nearly half of the year is still left. The Teacher's Guide encourages readers to continue to read from the same book, and I daresay my girls and I will probably enjoy revisiting old favorites.

A guide to teaching reading is built into the weekly lessons in the Teacher's Guide. These lessons begin with pre-reading activities and alphabet recognition. Unfortunately, I find they are much more appropriate for my four-year-old than my six-year-old. However, children learn to read at different ages and stages and this is a gentle introduction for those at the beginning stages of learning. I have my daughters do different lessons, incorporating the second half of The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading for my older daughter. I am not a big proponent of pushing children to read early, but some students desire it and can benefit from more challenging material.

Living Books Curriculum uses several different books to explore earth science, physical science, biology, and health. A complete health curriculum is available on the Resource CD accompanying the Teacher's Guide. Some sections of the Teacher's Guide might appear to be overly simple for a first grade child. For example, the assessment at the end of the first term has students classify what is "plant" and what is "animal" using flash cards. Certainly, most first graders can do this easily. However, this should not be considered an indicator of the depth of material studied throughout Living Books First Grade Science. By the ninth week, when this assessment occurs, students have already read many interesting books, participated in experiments, and made many observations about plants and animals that far exceed being able to tell them apart.

Nature study is a key ingredient in a Charlotte Mason education. For those not accustomed to it, it can be a daunting endeavor. The Living Books Resource CD contains many helpful articles that guide parents and students into this new practice. Nature Journal forms are also provided on the CD.

Art, one of the most easily forgotten subjects in the average homeschool week, is scheduled weekly, using lessons from The Little Hands Art Book. This enchanting book does not require complicated resources and does not leave piles of useless clutter in its wake. Delightful art is created as little hands improve in hand-eye coordination and little hearts are inspired. Art appreciation is also developed using "Come Look with Me" books. These books, written by Gladys Blizzard, open students' eyes to the world of art and help them discover the world through the eyes of many different artists.

Music is studied through the lives of composers. Stories of the Great Composers covers the lives of 12 great composers. An accompanying CD allows students to listen to a composition by each composer. These are never quite enough to satisfy my girls, so we usually spend some extra time listening to more of their music through www.grooveshark.com while the girls alternate between coloring and dancing to the music.

World history in Grade 1 begins with the Ancients. On many days, this directly coincides with the matching Bible stories. In fact, the history readings for Grade 1 are more specifically a history of the Israelites. Some children will love hearing these exciting stories multiple times; some might prefer to skip some history readings. Grade 2 history begins again with ancient Egypt. Grade 3 covers Greeks and Romans up to the fall of Rome. This is not ideal for those wanting to study a chronological history in a four-year cycle. However, many families appreciate this multi-stream approach to history, which combines a slower examination of world history studied at the same time as American history from a different era. Grade 1 American history begins with the Colonial Period; Grade 2 covers the American Revolution, and so forth.

Geography is the section that has impressed me with its simplicity. Most of the lessons need only a map or globe and time for a discussion. Students examine a map to identify first what a continent is, then a country, then states, and so forth. Students trace the route of the Israelites during the Exodus. Oceans, continents, and countries are learned through map work and Geography songs.

Mathematics is not included, although there is a section in each week's guide for parents to write in lesson plans for the program best suited to the child.

What I especially appreciate about the Living Books Curriculum is that it helps keep me on task for all the lovely "extras" that I have a tendency to brush aside, such as Art, Music Appreciation, and Nature Studies. The truth is that they are not "extras." They are, in fact, integral to an education that is alive and inspired, that relates to the world around us.

I had a hard time adjusting to the weekly layout rather than a daily line-up. All lessons are written out for the week, not broken down into days. I tend to need more direction on a day-to-day basis, so I spend some extra time each week compiling a daily list for myself using forms provided on the Resource CD. My list is flexible, but it helps keep me more accountable for implementing books as outlined in the weekly layout. For parents wanting something to tell them exactly what they need to do for each step, this could be a deterring factor. For others, this flexibility is a wonderful characteristic.

The price for the entire kit is $525.00. The company does offer a payment option of four equal payments. If you wish to pursue this option you need to notify them. Living Books is eager to offer advice and help you choose the perfect package for your family. The Teacher's Guide makes up $75.00 of the total price. Several of the books in the kit will be used again and again in continuing grades. The prices for individual books in the kit match or beat the most inexpensive prices I can find elsewhere. The high price tag stems from the sheer quantity of books. If this price is too high, and you do not mind not owning your books, you could obtain many of them through the library system instead. For me, $525.00 is a lot of money to invest in curriculum, but I can honestly say that I think it is a fair price for the quality of the materials. Living Books Curriculum stands behind its materials so well that it offers a 12-month, 100% refund policy on all books and materials, less shipping costs. Living Books Curriculum also has a reputation for excellent customer service. Their staff is happy to advise on best-suited grade levels and choices for teaching multiple children. Their website also provides a forum which is very active and can be a great source of encouragement and wisdom for parents using this method.

If you are curious about the Charlotte Mason method and Living Books Curriculum, be sure to sign up for the free Get-Acquainted Sample Pack at www.livingbookscurriculum.com. It contains lots of free goodies. Also, Charlotte Mason's original writings are available to read online at www.amblesideonline.com.

Another one? Really?

2011-10-26T13:06:00.000-07:00

Well, yeah. Because I felt like it. And because it occurred to me that being a young 30-something actually qualifies as being one of those "older women" Titus 2 was talking about and maybe I could actually be of some help to someone. I mean, really, I'm opinionated enough. And I have no qualms about telling you that your shoes don't match your outfit any more than your parenting methods match your parenting goals. I know I would have appreciated it if someone had "told it to me straight" during those early parenting years.

In my "About Me", I mentioned farming, but the truth is, you're getting in on the ground-floor of this endeavor. The house exists, the land is there. But I'm not in said house yet. It's a farmhouse. An old farmhouse. The kind that needs completely rewired, etc., etc. I've always dreamed of raising my kids in the country, admiring my studly husband out in the fields, gathering eggs in the morning. Now that it is actually about to happen, I'm scared to pieces. Did you know there are snakes in the country? And bears? And cougars? Seriously. I'm a Nervous Nellie when it comes to the safety of my children and this is not an easy transition for me.

I also mentioned knitting, but don't think there will be grand and unique knitting designs shared here. I can make scarves, hats, mittens, and socks. And not a one of those, exceptionally well.

The homeschooling is done via a make-shift classical method. My children have always been homeschooled and I currently have children in all three learning stages at the same time (grammar, logic, and rhetoric.) We attempt every year to pursue a Charlotte Mason education. This strongly resembles classical in many ways, but is more fun and nature-focused. We always get behind and fall back to standard, classical assignments until we catch up again, which is never.

The product reviews are mostly homeschool curriculum reviews, though there are some other opinion pieces thrown in. I do not receive payment for these. Most of the time, I am given the product as a gift to review, but sometimes I just feel like sharing my opinion, so I do. I write for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, which I highly recommend if you are homeschooling mama in need of support or encouragement. They run frequent sales and even carry an online edition.

The low-carb comment referred to what works best for my family, not to what I religiously stick to. At the moment, I'm so far off the wagon, you wouldn't know there was a wagon. But we only backslide occasionally and I will very soon be back to feeding us the staples of a paleo, primitive, prism-style diet. They're mostly alike and I honestly balk at the term diet because it implies we're out to lose weight. No, we're out to eat healthy. It's a way of eating. Not just for a couple months until you reach your goal, but to love it for the rest of your life....unless you go on vacation and then that's different. Unfortunately, I really believe that last line and I extended that vacation we took in June and forgot to start feeding us the right way ever since.

Something that didn't make the "About Me" list is my efforts towards emergency preparations, stockpiling, or sustainable living...whatever you want to call it. I'm not Mormon, and neither am I an End-times Doomsday-er. I just want to be responsible with our finances and resources, with some emergency preparations on-hand...just in case. Just in case scenarios include loss-of-job, weather-related emergencies, etc. The scenarios I foresee do not include Zombie Apocalypse, though I can't help but joke about it being our real goal.

All of these topics are pursued with the goal of living more simply, thus the title. We make things so complicated. I've been a pack-rat all of my life, both with things and activities. As a family, we've reached that epiphany moment and are tired of the stuff. We've spent the last month decluttering and will make this move to the country with less than half of our current house contents. I'm very excited about that. It's so freeing to let go of the stuff.

Seriously? You're still reading? Okay, fine, but don't say I didn't warn you.