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

A baking we will go!

This morning we packed up the sprinkles and cookie tins and headed over to grandma's; A.K.A Mema. The girls were very excited to do some Christmas baking as part of their learning today. Can you say fun? Ha, ha!

The baking fun started with some yummy cinnamon-nut mixture crescent rolls. I have heard of all kinds of yummy recipes you can do with Pillsbury crescent rolls but this was by far the yummiest I have tasted in the "sweet" department. A yummy cinnamon roll type glaze topped off this yummy treat. The girls enjoyed a warm one right out of the oven. After sticky hands and faces it was time to wash up and start the "Seven Layer Cookies." My husband loves these so we of course had to make them.

Kelly (8) and Lyssa (5) enjoyed breaking up the first layer of the seven layer cookie...Graham Crackers! Then came the butter, coconut, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, condensed milk, then walnuts! They turned out fabulous!

After the seven layer cookies were out of the oven we started the classic Christmas cookie decorating. There were stars, stockings, bells, and Christmas trees. First, the yummy frosting then the sprinkles. We stuck with a simple themed trio of colors: Red, Green, and White! There were sprinkles everywhere! It was so much fun =)

We look forward to some more baking! This most definitely wasn't the end of our adventure. We are heading over to the other grandma's tomorrow A.K.A Geegum to make a Gingerbread Village! Should be a fun mess =)

Share your baking goodies, would love to swap recipes! Happy Baking =)

Lindsey
Blessed to be a mom

Check out Lindsey's Reading Corner (my other blog), for a winter resource.

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

Lindsey's Reading Corner

As a homeschooling mom, I love looking for the best deals on children's books including educational resources. What homeschooling mom doesn't love that right? Because of my passion I have partnered with childrensbookstore.com to help get you amazing deals on children's books and educational resources. With much thought I decided to start a separate blog in this category as it contains all things books and resources and didn't want to mix it with my homeschooling journey. You can view my other blog at: Lindsey's Reading Corner. I am still working on getting a custom domain and button for my new site as I am also working on getting a custom domain name and button for this site. It's exciting starting these new endeavors but yet scary at the same time as I need to establish connections, etc. I am eager to connect with so many homeschooling families out there.

Feel free to stop on over anytime. I also have an fb page for Lindsey's Reading Corner if you are into staying updated that way as well. Have a blessed Thursday!

Lindsey
Blessed to be a mom

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!

What Bible curriculum do you use?

As a new homeschooling mom, of course Bible is an important part of our learning. I want my girls to know the Bible more than anything but have tried a couple different curriculums and they are just not working at this point.

Right now we are just doing a deep mom and daughter devotional (as seen on the right) along with learning the ABC Bible Verse alphabet. I would like a curriculum that is versatile with all ages if possible. What are you using? Can you please tell me a little about your curriculum? I look forward to your comments. Have a blessed rest of the week. We woke up to a little blanket of snow on our front lawn, yay, Christmas is coming =)

Lindsey

Blessed to be a mom!

Called to Homeschool!

As a new homeschooling mom I can honestly say that it has been a harder experience than I originally anticipated. The Lord began speaking to me about homeschooling over two years ago. My oldest daughter (Sweet Pea, 8) was enrolled in a public school since Kindergarten. All was going well. I was very active in her school and was on the PTA but something was brewing in my spirit, homeschooling kept popping up. I was back and forth and really unsure and very apprehensive. I prayed: 'Lord, if you are really calling me to do this, you will send the resources and help me be research what I need to do this.' The Lord did an amazing thing and resources and people just came my way in droves. God is so amazing. It first began when I homeschooled my middle daughter (Cup Cake, 5), when she was in preschool. This was an easy transition as I am a degreed and certified Child Development professional and taught preschool for years. God started me with what I was familiar with first. It was then a year later the Lord had me pull Sweet Pea out of the public school the end of her second grade year. Our youngest (Sugar Bean, 2.5), well she is potty training and a busy bundle of energy. I most likely will be starting preschool with her pretty early on as she is eager to be doing what her big sisters are doing. It's all a new challenge for me but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! I will not give up, Lord help me.

I have learned that if you are not called to do this, don't. If you are meant to, you will just know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are supposed to home educate your children. Prior to my journey I talked to so many moms that homeschooled their children and thought they were 'crazy' for lack of a better word. HA! But, God gave me the desires of my heart and here I am today. There have been dark days and discouragement but the Lord has been faithful to carry me through. Honestly, I wouldn't trade this for anything. I love my children and want to raise them up in the way they should go, according to the Bible. If I am disobedient in training my children, I will be held accountable for their lives and they may end up going down the wrong path in life. I do not want this to be. I want the Lord to bless me and my family and the only way this can be achieved is if we are being obedient and diligent! The "Jewels in my crown (my sweet little girls), will indeed one day earn me heavenly jewels in my crown.' This is why I named my blog "Jewels in my Crown.' Please feel free to share your heart with me and send on over words of encouragement. We are still in the adjustment phase but coming along swimmingly. We started our homeschool journey here at Brandon M. Homeschool Academy the end of August 2011. I will share what the name of our homeschool means in a later post. I am sure you will be touched and blessed by this.

I hope you enjoy my new blog as a homeschooling mom. I just ended my personal blog: Peaceful Island Mother and felt I needed to start over fresh with a new focus and that being connecting with other homeschooling moms and families out there.

God bless you and I look forward to sharing journey. For a play by play of my weeks including crafts, etc., you can view Lindsey's Journey on homeschoolingindetroit.com. (This is a local source in my state). Enjoy!

Also, if you are looking for excellent deals on children's books and even homeschooling workbooks, foreign language, biographies, etc., check out a site I have partnered with childrensbookstore.com. To learn more about this endeavor you can view my blog in process titled "lindseyskiddiebooks.blogspot.com.'

Lindsey
Blessed to be a mom!

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net