Elf on the Shelf Alternative

When I saw Elf on the Shelf  I thought it would be lots of fun but the idea of some creepy fella spying on my kids in order for them to behave wasn't exactly what I wanted to introduce in our home.  Since we don't "do" Santa and want our focus of this season to be on the Gift of Jesus, I thought it'd be fun to have Mary and Joseph travel through our home in the days leading up to Christmas.  Since writing is not my gift, I'll link you HERE for an explanation of how/why we do things the way we do.  We don't do everything exactly the same but pretty close.  It was nice to read that we aren't the only ones who chose to celebrate this way!

Here are some of the images from last year's adventure...

Back in the Saddle...almost!

I'm hoping to have some new things posted soon!  Life has taken over the last couple years and my blogging & crafting has been almost zilch.  God willing, that will change soon!

Week 4 Highlights

Wow!  Two consecutive weeks of me keeping the blog updated!  I hope no one faints from the shock.

This week has been a little weird like week 3 but much more productive.  Daddy was in New Orleans for a few days and was able to be home with us Monday so we kind of sped through some seat work to get to enjoy him as much as possible.  

Highlights with Snapshots :)

We cleared out our forgotten neglected  dried up tomato plants and found this guy/gal.  We now have a living science lesson on our back patio that comes in several times a day for observation.

Hudson thought our Tobacco Hornworm was particularly hilarious.  He laughed every time the caterpillar moved which led to lots and lots of giggling around the dining room table.

I FINALLY convinced my "barely two and so not ready to start officially preschooling but wants to learn her letters" child to move on from her lettter "S".  She still asks for me to draw her and S about a million times a day (and I still oblige her) but she has had fun with "H" too.

So, I readily admit that I sometimes I have no clue what the littles are doing while we're knee deep in schooling.  Our house is very kid friendly and I keep bathroom doors shut so it's not like they are going to chop off a toe or something and I sporadically check in on them.  I noticed Sydney Grace was nowhere to be found in the midst of doing some Bible study with the twins and went to look for her.  I found her like this, in her room, reading her Bible.  :)  I ran for my camera and fought the urge to scoop her up for a big ole hug.

 We talked about balancing our time with God and with fun, worldly things.

{See in the background the evidence of how I balance homekeeping with kidtending...or not.}

 Heart of Dakota {the curriculum we use} suggested an activity to learn about surface tension but it wasn't all that exciting so I did a quick google search and found this one at The Kitchen Pantry Scientist.  I cannot wait to explore her site a little more and implement her fun ideas into our schooling.  Even I was excited about this experiment.  It was super fun and had all the kids' attention.

Aidan did some phonics/reading review to brush up on skills we learned last year.  I am learning that reviewing is VERY important.  They are learning tons of new skills so quickly but it's always good to go back and review the "easy" stuff.

Hannah and I played a game of Addition War to help her relax a litle and be more comfortable with learning her addition facts.  Aidan is a self-proclaimed "math brain" and learns the facts easily so this was a fun opportunity for Hannah and I.

She did amazing, I learned that this route is TOTALLY this girl's learning love language, and she kicked my butt!  The look on her face was priceless, I love seeing my kids really get stuff and the sense of confidence that comes along with that.

 We talked a little about dikes in Holland this morning so I decided it'd be fun to build some of our own.  I was too lazy to hunt down our modeling clay feeling creative so we made our own playdoh to build with.

We built a few dikes and then they went nuts with pasta and cookie cutters.  We left for a couple hours and when we came home they picked it right back up.  When I took Syd to the potty a few minutes ago, they were playing Feed My Starving Children and making pretend cookies with their playdoh.  Friends of ours introduced us to this amazing organization and we have pledged , as a family, to support them this year.  

Today was one of those amazing days where we didn't accomplish a ton but what we did accomplish just left me feeling so encouraged.  I get to live this AMAZING life!  I get to see my children's hearts being transformed each and every day!  God has placed the most amazing people in our lives to support, love, encourage and spur us on to do greater things.  

Week 3 - CHECK!

Another week successfully completed!  Before we began this journey, I felt God calling us to homeschool.  The problem was, I had no idea how to trust that what I thought was God speaking, actually was.  I know now, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this crazy, tough, amazing life IS what God wants for our family.  I know this because I still have a desire to do it even when I really don't want to.  I honestly love it even when I am completely and totally overwhelmed. 

This third week of school was a bit crazy and not even the slightest bit conventional but I think that's part of what's so amazing about homeschooling.  We had family in and out part of the week, my hubby headed off to New Orleans for Hurricane Isaac cleanup and the baby has been sick (read: clingy, cranky and sleeping even worse than usual).  Even with all of that, we managed to squeeze in 3 days worth of learning time and even though it would have been easier to just write off the week as one of our "off" weeks, we powered through.  It's weeks like this that even I wonder how I do it but now that the week is done, I can look back and count it a success.  I could never do it without my amazing husband who more or less went along with us homeschooling in the beginning but one morning this week, sensing things going south quickly, took a moment to pray for the kids and I before he left for work.  I am also surrounded by an understanding and supportive family and friends who I'm learning to rely on more and more.  It's just amazing how God provides abundantly more than we could ask or imagine!

Here's a few pictures from our week...

Syd begs to "learn my ABCs on you phone" several times a day.  :)

Pollination potato chip style

Taking a fun tip from my amazingly encouraging friend, Rachel.

It's only day 3...

I may be new-ish to this homeschooling thing but I have learned a few worthwhile lessons so far.  I think the most important thing I've learned is knowing when to walk away from a lesson or school in general.  Today was one of those days that I knew wasn't going to be productive so instead of forcing it and us all being miserable, we baked cookies.  :)  No, we can't make this an everyday thing but there's a lot to be learned in every day life that can't be taught in a textbook or workbook.

Hopefully we'll get around to some formal learning after supper but if we don't we'll be ok.  Part of the beauty of our choice in schooling is the flexibility it offers.  I'm grateful for this opportunity for our family.

My baking assistants (minus one)

First Grade!!

 Today we kicked off our second "official" year of homeschooling.  One year ago I was 9 months pregnant and had a toddler and two unsure kindergartners.  Today I have an almost 1 year old, a 2 year and two very confident almost 7 year olds.  It's amazing how much change happens in the course of a year and I'm so excited about what this year holds for our family.

1 Year Ago

 Today

Walking around the Earth

(yes, Hudson is walking too!!)

 This little one is SO eager to learn alongside her Bubba and Sissy.

 Self portraits

I tend to be either hot or cold with this blogging thing but I am hoping for time to do a better job updating it with our schooling adventures and my crafting fun among other things.  

*Signs* My new love!

Custom Reclaimed Wood Signs