What We're Reading in December 2018

December reading always seems to be a toss-up for us. Some days find us nestled under blankets reading for hours--the falling snow and the quiet pace of winter mornings inviting us to linger.

Other days, however, are filled to the brim and overflowing with holiday hubbub. Parties and activities pull us at both ends, leaving us no time to turn the pages of our books.

Will nestle win the battle this December or will it be noise? It's anyone's guess. I suppose we'll just have to have our books ready and waiting to be devoured in bite-sized chunks if need be.

Here's what we'll be reading this month.

The Best Gifts for Your Reluctant Reader

It's time I made a confession. I'm a kill-two-birds-with-one-stone kind of mom.* My time is finite, but my tasks are great. Besides that, I have a limited storehouse of energy and finances. I need to make every drop of both count.

So, when it comes to gift-giving at Christmas, I am very intentional. As I've mentioned before, my husband and I have a long-standing pattern of giving three very specific types of gifts.

Three gifts. That's it.

Some would say that's not nearly enough--that we're bordering on Scrooge territory by restricting our kids' gifts to just these three things. But, we've found our tradition to be just about perfect, especially because, as I said, we squeeze as much use out of each of those three gifts as we can.

Top 7 Things I Learned as a Homeschooled Kid

Written by Chelsea Gonzales.

I was homeschooled as a child. I loved it, of course. But looking back on those days, I realize the experience was even better for me than I ever could have known at the time.

People often ask me if I've ever felt like I may have missed out on some important something by not going to school. The answer is no, not at all. In fact, I think I learned some important things as a homeschooled student that I may not have learned otherwise, and I think many of those lessons helped get me where I am today.

Creating a Christmas Even a Mom Can Enjoy

Written by Jessica.

Psst…Christmas Eve is only five weeks away. Deep breaths, everyone. No need to panic.

The weeks leading to Christmas can bring a mixed bag of stress, feelings of excitement, and anticipation for the special memory making and festive celebrating. This is especially true for moms who tend to be the magic-makers during the holiday season. Let's face it, we wear a lot of extra hats at this time of year. Typically, we're the bakers, the wrappers, the shoppers, the crafters, the decorators, the party planners...and the list goes on. We can often get so busy doing that we have no time to actually just be--to enjoy the Christmas season ourselves. The month of December and the days leading up to Christ's birthday can sometimes feel more like a burden instead of a blessing.

If you find yourself dreading December, here are a few quick ideas to create a Christmas that even a mom can enjoy:

What We're Reading In November 2018

Our library book basket is overflowing. Books are stacked up and spilling out in every direction. Admittedly, it doesn't make for the cleanest living space, but as I've mentioned, I can't pass up the chance to take a deep dive into the historical significance of the season. Our basket is brimming with the best-of-the-best in living literature and has an obvious Thanksgiving theme to it.

In addition to Pilgrims, Wampanoags, and Sarah Hale (the woman responsible for creating a national day of thanks), we're also reading about lots of other things during the month of November. Here's a look at the other books in our library basket.