Taking Back Christmas One Gift at a Time {The Entitlement Epidemic ends here...}

The newspaper landed with a thud. A loud, pre-dawn jolt against the door announcing that frenzy was on its way.

This week's paper, like all Thanksgiving newspapers of the past, contained a hoard of good deals...rock bottom prices and doorbusters for all the latest and greatest...the MUST HAVE items on everyone's Christmas wish list.

Or so the headlines read.

Top Gift Ideas for Sneaky Learning

As a self-proclaimed, passion-directed homeschooler, I have definitely embraced the idea of strewing...sowing and scattering seeds of imagination, interest, ideas, and information...throughout our school day in hopes that these will grow into passions...hobbies...and life-long loves.

With purpose, I strew.

At Christmas time, my gift-giving takes on intentionality. I often purchase family gifts of Frankincense that will not only delight but also strew. ON PURPOSE.

"Stained Glass" Art Tutorial

Looking to add a little color to your winter white? Look no further than this "stained glass" paper craft. You can hang these in your window and watch the light cast a wonderful colored glow throughout the room.

12 Picture Books for Thanksgiving

For the next couple of weeks, we will be forgoing a fictional, chapter-book read-aloud and focusing our afternoon reading time on a handful of Thanksgiving-themed books. Although a few of the books I've chosen are beginner-style chapter books, most are lengthy picture books that give a LIVING look at various pieces and parts of the holiday and its beginnings.

What We're Reading In November 2014

The snow is upon us...already. With one day-long dusting behind and a big snowfall projected for later this week, I'm already focusing my efforts on my attitude. (This warm-blooded, southern girl sometimes has trouble being thankful during the tundra-like temps of midwest winters.)

3 Simple Tips for Using All About Spelling With Multiple Ages

Two years ago, as I watched my daughter struggle with spelling, I went searching for a program that would unscramble letters for her. I needed a tool that would put sounds in their proper order...something that would set them all straight. 

I found All About Spelling and watched with thankfulness as words FINALLY became clear to her. (You can read all about that here>>> and more here>>)

Since then, two of my boys have joined her in an ongoing quest to learn HOW to spell...not WHAT to spell. 

Admittedly, with three different children doing three different levels of All About Spelling, it can sometimes be difficult to keep all the curriculum organized in a user-friendly way. By implementing three simple tweaks to the program, I've established a smoothness to our spelling time, making All About Spelling more manageable for multiple ages. 

Sanity-Saving Meal Planning Tips for the Homeschool Momma

As a homeschool momma, I have the blessing of balancing both HOME and SCHOOL each day. But, that blessing can quickly morph into a curse if either side of the pendulum swings out of control from lack of organization and planning.

Because I am a firm believer in "slow" food--food that is whole--food that is prepared with my own hands...food that is eaten together around the family table, I count meal-planning and preparing a large chunk of the "home" part in "homeschool". We eat all three meals together. We prescribe to the 80/20 rule. And since The Hubs is not a fan of cold sandwiches or leftovers, and since he comes home for lunch, we have three full meals each day. While I'm no Julia Child, I do think I have learned a few helpful tricks over the years for making kitchen work a bit more homeschool-friendly.