Christmas Books!

 Here is a list of some of our Christmas favorites:  books!  I started packing them away with the other Christmas decorations, and it's a big treat for the kids when they open the box of Christmas books and see some old favorite friends.  Maybe some of these are on your list of favorites.  If not, maybe they should be. 

1.  The Pine Tree Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs.  It's one of a series of seasonal books by the author based on a farmer and his family.  In this one, the farmer's family sells Pine trees every year, but keeps one as its favorite.  When a poor family drives up just to look because they can't even afford the Charlie Brown tree, the farmer's wife gives her favorite tree away.  Very spiritual.

2.  Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson.  This story is about a hibernating bear who always misses Christmas, but whose friends are determined to help him enjoy one this year.  It's a feel good hit.


3.  Santa's Favorite Story by Hisako Aoki.  This is a don't-miss!  Santa tells his forest friends that Christmas isn't about his presents, but about God's gift in Jesus.  It's just wonderful!


4.  Saint Nicholas, The Real Story of the Christmas Legend by Julie Stiegemeyer takes us to Turkey and the original Nicholas who gave to others because Jesus gave to us all.  It takes the silliness out of the Santa Claus hype.  We learned in this book about St. Nicholas Day, Dec. 6th, which celebrates the man's birthday.  The tradition is to leave your shoes outside to be filled with chocolate coins on Dec. 6th.  Ok. 

5.  The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski.  Do you know this one about the town loner/woodcarver who reluctantly re-creates a nativity set for a new widow and her son, giving them hope for happiness?  It's a sentimental classic in the making.  


6.  How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  It stands alone.


7.  The Twelve Days of Christmas by Hilary Knight.  The story in this one isn't in the words but in the pictures.  Every year we enjoy following the forest animals (why so many forest animals in these books?) as they get ready for a big Christmas party.  


8.  Any version of The Nutcracker.   We do like Barbie in the Nutcracker, but it's a little different from some of the traditional Nutcracker stories.  

We have many more, but I'm not going to list two others just to make it to ten.  Eight is a good number when having favorites.  In fact, Eight is  Enough (any other old-timers like me remember that one?).  

A Rowing We Will Go

Here's a bit about how we "do" school.  Does anyone else say that?  You know, we have to do school. 

Anyway, we finished up our Australia unit based on the book The Pumpkin Runner.  This unit comes from our core curriculum, Five in A Row.   I've been using FIAR off and on since Elizabeth was "in" kindergarten. 

On to this week.  FIAR users call their unit time, rowing.  For instance, we rowed The Pumpkin Runner last month.  This month we are rowing Mailing May.  It is a picture book story based on a true event involving a 5 year old girl being shipped across the mountains in Idaho to visit her grandmother.  She was listed as a baby chick because chicks were on the allowed list of things that could be shipped.  It is rumored that girls are called "chicks" based on this event (but it's still offensive!). 

As with most of our units, we started with the geography.  Let me admit that I was looking for Idaho in my book of mid-west states.  Oops!  It's right next to Washington state - a WESTERN state. 
So I dug up our Highlights activity book on Idaho.  E will work on this throughout the week.  Hopefully, she'll never think of Idaho as a mid-western state. 

 I don't know what we'll do next (don't judge me, now), but I have a feeling baked potatoes are in our near future. 

In Everything Give Thanks

Oh, I love Thanksgiving - this day every year when just about everyone in the United States takes at least a moment to be grateful for something, even to have practically the same basic meal (TURKEY should be the official national main course for Thanksgiving).  
I know God commands us to give thanks to Him all the time, but it is nice to have a special occasion to do so.  
It's easy to be thankful for the obvious gifts:  food, shelter, family, money.  For myself, I want to grow in my ability to recognize the less obvious gifts.  God wouldn't command me to give thanks in everything without providing everything to me.  
So I continue with my weekly practice of sharing with you my gratitude for ...

31.  my new camera.  Yes, that's kind of a biggie, but I'm thankful for it nonetheless.  What's more, as my camera had surpassed its intended useful life, I found a too-expensive camera that I wanted.  As it turns out, our credit card has a rewards program that we have never used in the 5+ years we've been in the program.   A little research and a few phone calls and a couple weeks later, I have a new camera.  Now I get to learn how to use it! 













32.  my new Bible study class at our new church.

33.  the free books I found at an exchange this week.

34.  the concert E and her friend performed for us last night.

35.  making pumpkin pie with my son.

 
36.  contact lenses!  

37.  the turkey in the refrigerator (I hope it's good on the table later!)

38.  that Charles found the key to the storage unit which contains all the Christmas decorations!


39.  not having to go anywhere today.

We're going au naturel

Well, we've gone into nature, anyway.  Earlier this month we had the first meeting of a nature club.  Elizabeth and I decided to start a nature study this month.  After sharing the idea with a couple other homeschool moms, I was encouraged to start a club for nature study.  Huh?  That sounds like work.  And planning.  I'm more of a non-planner when it comes to details.

Elizabeth was not thrilled, she was downright contrary, about doing this as a group.  She wanted to do this just with me.  But she eventually relaxed and enjoyed it a bit.  Here's what we did. 

I printed out journal pages from the Handbook of Nature Study blog, the Outdoor Hour Challenge, on cattails for the kids to sketch and document their time with the plants today.

We observed that the leaves were all brown, drying; some of the "tails" had started shedding their seeds (that was a messy experience!).  Those cattail seeds put dandelions to shame, I tell you.

Cattails grow near the water, though not in it.  Here's the soggy ground surrounding our subject.  

Everyone said they enjoyed this trip and want to do another one!  Umm, ok, I guess.  I did enjoy getting up close and just learning to appreciate the details (get it?).  I guess we're turning into one of those homeschool families.  Bring it on!

 

Thanksgiving Lessons

This week we have been reading the book Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving and learning about President Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation making the holiday a national one once and for all.  I have enjoyed learning about Thanksgiving in a way that goes beyond the first Thanksgiving with Pilgrims and Indians, Native Americans, if you will.  I never realized that before President Lincoln (one of my favorite presidents), Thanksgiving was a state holiday around the country, but not in every state; that other presidents declared a day of Thanksgiving on an annual basis; and that several presidents refused to make Thanksgiving a national holiday.

We read Lincoln's proclamation which you can find here.  Isn't it inspiring that, in the midst of a civil war, one of the worst periods of our history, President Lincoln, a newly re-committed Christian, found reasons to thank God for what was good in the United States?  I wish more of our current leaders would take the time to recognize what is good here - in a sincere-I-don't-care-if-it-gets-me-elected way. 

On a lighter note, here is a simple Thanksgiving prayer with a bit of first Thanksgiving history thrown in. 

The Trouble with Thanks

is that thinking about being thankful reminds me that I'm not very thankful.  I've been thinking about this list all week.  As it turned out, this wasn't a great week for me:  kids, hormones, kids, husband, busy-ness, and apparently a lack of gratitude.  I may not have 10 additions this week, but they are all hard-won.  
What AM I thankful for?

21)  Our safe trips to Tuscaloosa (Elizabeth and I) and to Pensacola (Zachary and Charles) last weekend;

22)  Our protection from the storms this week;

23)  That my kids still want me to say "good night" when they're in bed;

24)  For chocolate ice cream;

25)  For the book I'm reading about an amazing girl who gave up everything she knew about her comfortable life to serve the very uncomfortable (Kisses From Katie);

26)  For a new horseback riding instructor for Elizabeth;

27)  For the wind that blew some beautiful leaves into my paths;

28)  For the way my children so easily forgive me when I say I'm sorry (and that some day one of them will be more forgiving of the other);

29)  For home-schoolers who have taken the time to share their lessons and ideas with the rest of us;

30)  For motrin that alleviates these Southern seasonal headaches.

There.  I made it to 10.  Hallelujiah!  Praise God again!  

NOW THAT'S HANDY!

If you are familiar with Charlotte Mason's education, you know about handicrafts.  For everyone else, just know that Charlotte Mason incorporated handicrafts into her school curriculum.  Handicrafts were usually useful skills in which her students made or built things or helped to care for their school, home, and land. 



Well, Fall gives us an opportunity to practice a craft that can only be done this time of year:  raking leaves!  Our neighborhood was built on a former pecan tree orchard and pecan trees abound.  We have learned that about the same time that pecans are falling off the trees, so are pecan tree leaves. 
Elizabeth is trying to save money for the animal shelter, so she offered to start raking the leaves as her job.  She enjoyed raking, but didn't get into the bagging.  Oh well.  One handicraft at a time.

She's watching more leaves fall on her!  

 D.D. usually enjoys eating the pecans, but here she is just enjoying the company.

Her leaves, my bag and self-timer. 

Thursday already?

See?  It's only the 2nd week of my thankful posts, and I almost forgot!
I am thankful ...

11) for peaceful relationships between some animals

 


12)  for the earlier sunrise (it helps me wake up)

13)  that there are still 2 weeks before Thanksgiving
14)  for the laughter of little girls in my house

15) for the awesome way God beautifies the leaves before they crumple away

16)  for boundless boy energy

17)  that we have food and supplies to put in my new roomy pantry

18)  for contact lenses

19)  for a hotel room in Tuscaloosa so we don't have to get up at 4 in the morning to drive there for an 8:00 A.M. competition

20) for those who have honored our country with their service and sacrifices

Thursday Thanks

I've been looking for some kind of purpose for writing here.  A theme besides school.  Other bloggers have things like Wordless Wednesdays, Crafty Fridays, things like that.  I'm not a very cutesy, crafty kind of blogger, but I wanted something more.
Every year, it seems, I try to have the kids start a Thankful journal in November, and by the 2nd week, I've forgotten about them.  
So, this year, I'm going to start my own thankful journal right here.  Boy, do I need to remember to be thankful.  I wasn't raised in an environment of gratitude, and it's not easy for me to be grateful - sometimes.  
I so want my children to be filled with gratitude and so I need to share mine and create that kind of lifestyle for them.  
So, here goes . . . . 

I am thankful
1.  that I am saved!
2.  that I am married to my husband
3.  that Elizabeth is my daughter
4.  that Zachary is my son
5.  for inspiring Christian music that isn't in a hymnal
6.  that I am free to teach my children at home
7.  that I have a dishwasher, and a washing machine and a dryer
8.  that my kids are playing together right now, and are laughing together
9.  that Zachary is better (he was sick Monday and Tuesday)
10.  that you are reading this!

These are simple, I know.  I expect that as I remember to write down my thanks, they will become more meaningful.