Merry Christmas everyone!

Well, here we are, our first Christmas as homeschoolers! I am so beyond excited and pleased with what we accomplished so far and look forward to what 2012 has to bring. As homeschoolers, I have decided not to take the full two weeks off like the traditional school but we will be having a whole lot of fun. The Monday and Tuesday after Christmas we will for sure be taking off then resume Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at least with math, reading, and writing. Don't want to lose what was gained so far. The same pattern will continue after the New Year.

It's nice because even when everyone will be returning back to the brick and mortar setting we might be having a couple days off then too. I so love being in control of our schedules. It is such a blessing!

The next couple of weeks are going to be kind of hectic so with that said this is my final post for the year. I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I look forward to starting up with fresh content and gaining new readers with this new blog! God bless you all!

Lindsey
Blessed to be a mom!

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Gingerbread, Gingerbread, and more Gingerbread, OH MY!

Oh gingerbread, oh gingerbread, so fun yet oh so stubborn. If you sing that to the tune of "O Christmas Tree" then you have that just about right, haha. This year we chose to do a Gingerbread Village, a cute little kit from Target. The past few years we have done a single large gingerbread house and a train. This year I thought it would be fun to do a little village. Talk about, WOW! That frosting was so stubborn with the gingerbread the houses kept caving in. UGH! haha. Eventually, it worked out and the results were very cute.

The girls still had a blast. Their Geegum (my mom, isn't that the cutest title for a grandma?) Kelly (8) came up with that when she was old enough to talk and it has stuck ever since, love it! Anyways, Geegum joined in on the fun, we all had a blast.

This project was an excellent fine motor exercise not only for my 5 year old but for my 8 year old as well. It definitely taught her patience and perseverance. We will continue with our Christmas fun until the end of next week. I can't believe we can now count down to Christmas on our fingers! Where does the time go?

Have you ever done a gingerbread house or village with your children? Was it successful?

Merry Christmas!

Lindsey

Blessed to be a mom

Christmas Crumbs

This week ahead we will be whipping out the rolling pin, cookie cutters, and sprinkles for some quality Christmas cookie baking. The girls are beyond excited and we have a few ideas up our sleeves to really make Christmas baking unique and memorable and yes all the while leaving crumbs in the process. I am thinking it's going to be messier than the previous years as we are making more than three different kinds of Christmas cookies. On Monday, we are starting the process with my mother-in-law so it should be a fun time not only for me but for the girls as well.

Here is a list of cookies that I am thinking of whipping up this week and next and of course leaving a nice crumby mess =) Gotta love it.

Christmas Cookies

•Classic Christmas Sugar Cookies-This one is a sure thing, of course!
•Gingerbread Cookies-Made these last year and turned out adorable, should we make them again?
•7 Layer Bars-My husband's favorite, it's a must!
•Candy-Cane Meringue Cookies-These look very interesting, thinking about it.
•Rum Balls- Hmmm, a nice adult treat, what do you think?
•Homemade fudge-(This will be done with Grandma A.K.A Mema, her secret recipe not the one mentioned, shhhh hee hee, don't really know if it's a secret but ya know, ha!)
•Chip Mixers-These look fun and sound great!
•Chocolate Snowstorms-Looks like fun, especially for winter. Thinking these would be a hit with some hot chocolate and marshmallows.

I am so excited to start our Christmas Crumb fun, let the fun times begin =) hmmmm I can smell and taste those goodies right now. Yum!

What is your favorite Christmas recipe traditions? Look forward to reading your ideas!

Lindsey

Blessed to be a mom!

Image by Scrubjay Wikimedia Commons

An Early American Christmas

Today, I taught the girls about Christmas in the early 1800's and how it was originally celebrated. From decorations to recipes the differences between then and now are quite interesting. In honor of the first traditions we handmade all of our Christmas crafts out of paper. Here are some of the few projects that we worked on today. They turned out quite cute if I say so myself! I was hoping to post pics of our creations but currently having camera-phone issues. I hope you enjoy the title cover of the library book we are currently using as a resource!

• Patterned Paper Chains
• Paper Christmas Trees
• Paper Gingerbread Men
• Paper Snowflakes

I was thinking of having the girls make their very own candle just like they did in the good ole' days. If I decide on this project I will most definitely post pics.

The next chapter of our Early American Christmas education is recipes. I was thinking of looking up a few recipes from the "Little House on the Prairie" days. Looking forward to that!

What have you done so far with your homeschoolers as far as "Christmas Crafts" go? Please share your ideas, would love to hear them!

Lindsey

Blessed to be a mom!