Funny what can happen when you let your kids lead the way the with learning (dare I say UNSCHOOLING?). While shopping at the wholesale club a few months ago, Miss B found this great little Pop Bottle Science Kit. It looked great -- and the price was $10. (I'm noticing while writing this post that it is $5.98 on Amazon now - GREAT deal!) Included in the kit is the bottle, measuring spoons and cup, balloons, a cork, and a lesson book. You might need a few other household items, but they are things you would already have around the house. Here's the description:


We have completed a few experiments from the bottle this week - and what I love is that my nine year old gets all of the supplies and pretty much can do the experiments for she and her younger brother, and if she needs my help it lets her know in the book. You really get a lot of knowledge for quite a small time investment with these little experiments.

The concepts are short and easily illustrated. They are perfect for my nine and six year old! Earlier this week we learned about how everything is made of molecules and how molecules are always in motion. When we put food coloring into a bottle of water, the molecules diffused throughout the water.


Yesterday we made a prediction about whether paper balled up in the bottom of the open bottle would get wet when it was submersed in a bucket of water. We had to follow the directions exactly - and discovered that the paper was MAGIC! The force of the air from the bottle kept the water out and the paper dry. Simple, really.



On today's schedule is a lava lamp made with vegetable oil and food coloring. I'm so glad we purchased this book and are having fun with it now - a perfect way to do quick and fun science with multi age children!

If you have a favorite science resource, can you let me know? I'd love to add to my resources!!

This week's Wednesday recipe is one many of you have probably made. If you're like me, however, sometimes I just like to get ideas for WHAT to make, because sometimes I forget about recipes I have made in the past!

Also, be sure to check out my "Recipes" tab at the top of the blog for more ideas!

My six year old is pretty picky, so I can adapt this meal by making some cheese quesadillas without going to extra trouble.... seems like whenever we have Mexican food it's always a hit with everyone! I will probably serve it with some corn or green beans and Spanish rice to round out the meal.

This is what happens when I have some time on my hands -- a new look for my blog. I think it's fun to play around with Blogger and create new headers. I don't have a fancy editing program. I just use Photobucket. So, grab my new button and I promise I won't change my blog design for a few months!

It's been a white Christmas here in the deep South... first one I've ever had, and I'm enjoying every minute. The picture above was taken just as we were finishing our dinner yesterday.... and as I type the snow is still falling.

Christmas in our house this year was peaceful. Slowly, over the past few years, we have felt inundated with gifts, stress, and all the trappings that don't have much to do with the true meaning of Christmas. So, this year we decided to do things differently. My husband and I made a pact - no gifts for each each other, and one gift for the kids (besides, they get so many gifts from all of our family). We took the money we would have spent on their Christmas gifts and donated to our new favorite charity, Love Without Boundaries.

Let me tell you - I thought this was going to be difficult for my kids. I am happy to say I underestimated them. Miss B, in particular, was so happy we were doing this, and I think GMan didn't even give it a second thought. Granted, Santa Claus did come - and brought each child a couple of things from their list, but compared to past years, it was a very scaled back Christmas.

I also have a special friend - my "Advent Buddy" who kept up with me each day and provided encouragement to be peaceful and intentional in the four weeks leading up to Christmas. Last Tuesday we met for breakfast and she gave me a wonderful scented red candle. When I lit it in the days leading up to Christmas it reminded me of the precious gift we have in Jesus, and how we needed to SLOW DOWN and remember that gift.

We had a lovely Christmas Eve service at our new church - the children participated in prelude music and then Miss B and a friend sang "Away In A Manger" during the offertory. It was so meaningful and a memory I will always have. Before the service our congregation celebrated with a birthday cake for Jesus. Have I mentioned how glad I am to be a part of our church family?

After church we did something very different for us.... we went out to dinner - Chili's. Normally we have some extended family over for dessert or a spaghetti dinner, but this year (in an effort to not put too much pressure on ourselves) we kept it simple. Normally I am stressed about getting the dinner ready before we leave for church and then getting home in enough time before the company arrives. We are always involved musically in the Christmas Eve service, so there is the added commitment that weighs on my mind. This year we focused on CHURCH and let everything else go. Perfect. We had a great time together, and I think this picture of my husband and Miss B sums up the mood:


We came home and put reindeer food in the front yard and some Snickerdoodles in the oven. The kids got everything ready for Santa, and we took the traditional Christmas Eve photo and read " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas".



Miss B had asked Santa for a keyboard (she is very into her music now and I LOVE it!).... he brought her a wonderful keyboard that will fuel her creativity!

Gman had very simple requests - a catcher's mask, a Winnie the Pooh watch, and a Nerf bandolier.... Santa obliged and we have darts flying all over the house.



As we were eating breakfast Christmas morning we remarked how QUIET it was -- there were no children whining to open presents, or worse yet - children crying because there were no more presents left. That happened last year, and I was shocked. Most of the day was spent with Miss B on the keyboard, GMan shooting darts and playing Wii, and lots of reading! (We are blessed to have grandparents and aunts and uncles that fuel the children's love of reading.)

I could kick myself for not getting picture of Christmas dinner - but my husband and I were busy in the kitchen most of the day, and I never thought to take pictures. My sweet father-in-law and sister-in-law and brother in-law came over for the feast (I'll post that menu next!). I felt victorious this year because we hosted both Thanksgiving and Christmas at our home and came out unscathed!


Actually, the greater victory was celebrating the birth of Christ in the most meaningful and simple ways.... and I'm hoping this will be a gift to my children that will last for years to come.

Today I'd like to share a poem my nine year old is copying - she will be finishing it this week, then giving it to her grandmother for Christmas. She copies a stanza and illustrates that stanza (I printed some paper from Donna Young's website for this purpose). It is a beautiful poem - last year we just memorized the last stanza, but this year we're going for the whole thing!

Christina Rosetti wrote the poem and it was set to music (a hymn) by Holst in 1906. Fine poetry and music like this is a gift we can give to our children.

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,
Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

*This post is linked to Mustard Seed Planting at Mom's Mustard Seeds - visit Rebecca's blog for inspiration.

Wow -- today at The Homeschool Chick I've been featured on the Hip Homeschool Hop post. I love this site and get so many wonderful ideas from the bloggers that link up each Tuesday. So, please visit and get some inspiration!

Last week we made our trip to the library and stocked up on as many Christmas books as we could find. While I was browsing, I came across a copy of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and also was able to find the DVD to go along with it. Let me tell you -- this has been so much fun for us this week! I didn't plan this activity, it just kind of fell in my lap, and I'm glad it did.



We read the first couple of chapters Saturday evening, and by yesterday afternoon we had finished the book. I had always heard of the book, but didn't know much about it. I think why we liked it so much is because it has lots of humor for boys (my six year old son loved it!) and the story turns out so sweetly (which appealed to my nine year old daughter!). If you're not familiar with the story, here's a synopsis:

Several things have impacted me over the past couple of weeks - a wonderful sermon at church, quiet devotions with my children in the morning, the many Christmas books we have read, and good talks with friends and family. There is so much to be grateful for in my life. Today, in particular, I was tempted to be dragged down by forces outside of my control, but when I sat down to write about my blessings it all came so easily, and my mood lifted. What a gift it is to blog about gratitude each Monday.

Miss B's Christmas Piano Recital was this afternoon. Here is a clip of her playing... I had to splice the videos from my iPhone. In this video, she and I have just finished playing a duet together. I love being able to do this with her! She will be playing "Angels We Have Heard of High". She is unflappable in a performance situation. If she is nervous you would never know, and she always shows a lot of poise for someone her age. I was really a proud mom today.


She was so blessed to have her granddaddy there - he never misses a recital! The new interim pastor from our church and his lovely wife also were in attendance.... they hardly know us and took the time out of their schedule to support Miss B. I was very grateful. Miss B's special friend, Noah (in the picture below) was also in attendance with his mother. I thought Miss B played very well - and when the recital was over we all went to Steak 'N Shake to have a celebratory milkshake! Life is very good.

It's been a relaxing week at our house....we have needed the chance to not worry about anything! We've continued with math and reading as usual. The kids have enjoyed reading different versions of The Nutcracker, and our favorite music this week is "Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson. We have been learning about the instrumentation and talking about how instruments can evoke certain feelings and moods in a piece of music.

Thursday we headed to Atlanta to ride The Pink Pig at Macy's. It's been a tradition here since the 1950s. We had a wonderful time! We went with some good friends of ours.... Miss B didn't want to have her picture taken with Priscilla the Pig!

Here are my two sweet children getting ready to ride the pig.... even though it was a cold, rainy day we had a great time!


And of course we headed into the mall afterwards and enjoyed some California Pizza Kitchen. What a special treat!



Today we have a friend staying with us... he is a good buddy of GMan's, so we wanted to do a fun activity with him. We read about the history of gingerbread, colored our own Gingerbread Glyphs (check out the link for great Gingerbread Math activities!), then decorated Gingerbread men with icing, chocolate chips, and candies.




The sun is out and I can hear the basketballs bouncing outside - the boys are getting some energy out and having lots of fun! Later we have a couple of homemade goodies to deliver and then I think I have to face the inevitable -- cleaning bathrooms! Well, the WHOLE day can't be perfect now, can it?

I'm looking forward to Miss B's piano recital tomorrow afternoon - I'll be sure to post some video when it's over.

It is cold, dreary, and just in general a yucky weather day here.... this dinner was PERFECT for tonight! Another plus was that it cost about $10 for the whole thing.... it fed four of us and we have leftovers for lunch another day this week.

I found this recipe at The Flowering Dogwood - it looks like she adapted the recipe from Real Simple Magazine. Liz has some wonderful recipes on her blog. My family gives this one a huge thumbs up.

• 8 small bone in, skin on chicken thighs
• 2 small yellow onions, cut into 1-inch wedges
• 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme

Today I am linking up with Inspiring You to Save for "Wandering Wednesday".... I'm trying to be more frugal in general and this is a great blog.... hopefully my Wednesday dinners will reflect a more budget conscious me! Click the button to visit Inspiring You to Save!

I'm proud of some of the big things we have accomplished since we began our school year. One of those is our study of mammals - which I tried to tailor to my nine and six year old so we could learn together.



In August we began reading The Burgess Animal Book for Children. Originally I had purchased the book because it is a part of Ambleside Online's curriculum - and we do use parts of that in our homeschool. A few times a week we read a chapter in the book. I must say, my children always ask me to read more and have gained so much from this sweet book. I read it aloud to them and the short chapters (about 15 minutes each) kept my little one's interest, and the detail in the chapters kept my nine year old very interested as well.

While I ordered the physical copy of the book, you can download your own copy for free, read it straight from the internet, get your own free audio download, or download your own free version for the iPad or Kindle (just search the iPad and Kindle stores for that). (By the way -- there are many other Burgess books for free download out there, and I can't wait to explore some more!)

The narrator of the book is Mother Nature, and each day she conducts "school" to instruct the animals around her about the mammals of North America. Each mammal gets a cute name and persona, which really helped my children to remember them. Now, when we see a certain animal out in the real world my kids will say "There goes Johhny Chuck!" or "Do you think that's Chatterer the Red Squirrel?" I LOVE IT! The scientific classification is an added bonus, and while my children remembered some of that, I didn't feel it was of utmost importance. At this age I just wanted them to soak up a general knowledge of the mammals of North America and enjoy learning about them. We accomplished this goal!

Some days I would print out coloring sheets from the internet about mammals we learned about, and other days I would just let my son build Legos or blocks while he listened. I'm finding that he's ALWAYS listening, even when I think he's not!

This week we are reading the last chapter in the book, and then will be watching a video, a DK Eyewitness Mammal DVD, which I got from our library.



I think it will be a perfect way to wrap up our study, and in these weeks before Christmas it's nice to relax a little. We've been doing the crafty thing and baking, too -- but quite honestly I just like activities with low prep on my part and high interest and learning on the kids' part!

If you wanted to make this a totally independent study you could download the audio and let your children listen in the car or during quiet times over a period of months, then let them wrap up with the video at the end. I'm all about instructing my children, but I'm trying to get more "hands off" activities for my own sanity!

I hope you can use this resource as you plan for the New Year!

This post is linked to Teach Me Tuesday, at a Bokros Kind of Life, and also to the Hip Homeschool Hop. Check out these two blogs today for some great ideas!

I've been such a faithful blogger for the past year.... wow - I can't believe it's been that long since I started keeping this online journal for our family. I'm so grateful to my husband for suggesting the idea to me and encouraging/helping me along the way. It certainly has been a productive, tiring, joyful, and meaningful year for our family.

We just finished celebrating my son's sixth birthday with a small celebration. He had such a great time - and as my husband and I were relaxing on the couch with a glass of wine (we deserve it!) I remarked that now I feel like I can really move forward with the holidays. Once my little guy's birthday celebration is completed I can mentally move to Christmas. This year, I'm so happy we have decided to SLOW DOWN, lessen our commitments, and truly enjoy the gift of Jesus Christ.

Some good news from today: Our good friends who have recently adopted their second little boy from China asked us to be his Godparents! What an honor this is, and I am so excited to watch this little one grow in his faith throughout his life. We have been inspired by our friends Bruce and Karen, and this brings everything full circle for me.... God is so very good!

My parents (who have been married 52 years) are also making a large move next week. They have sold their home and are moving into a continuing care community. They are both in good health, but my father is 80 and they wanted to have less worries for themselves (and their children) as they age. I am so happy they have sold their home and all is proceeding according to the plan, but I know this will be a difficult transition for them to make. It's hard for me, too - but I'm happy that they have spent their lives saving and preparing for their retirement, and can now truly enjoy life with minimal worries. We've also had some other family worries which I can't go into on my blog - but they have caused me a lot of worry over the past several months.

On the homeschool front: Over the next few weeks we will continue to do math and of course read, read, read. Other than that we are going to take a break. I would like to catch my breath before January gets here (we will be starting more combining of subjects and a couple new curriculums). The new year holds a few big commitments for me, personally -

1. I will be taking on another piano student, bringing my total to 7.... we will be preparing for a competition in March and a recital in May.
2. I will be teaching a class for our homeschool co-op - a music class for Kindergarten and First Graders - I'm SO excited about this!
3. I want to really focus on a CLASSICAL education for my children - after starting mostly eclectic, I've now found that I really do lean towards the classical end of the spectrum.

I may post occasionally over the next few weeks, but I'd really like to give my brain a rest from posting, schooling, and just the online world in general. I love reading blogs, writing my own blog, and getting so many wonderful ideas, but now it's time for me to devote my extra energy to creating a peaceful, calm Christmas for my family and hopefully finding ways for us to bless those around us. I want to take stock of life at the end of 2010 and see how I can improve in 2011!






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My son's birthday is Sunday. I had NO IDEA how much he would change my life - do we ever really have an idea of how our child will change us? I had my little princess and when I found out I was pregnant with a boy I was - truthfully - terrified! At 28 weeks I went into preterm labor - which was controlled with medication. So, bedrest for mom. I was beginning to learn PATIENCE from him already! He was born on Decebmer 12, 2004 (5 weeks early, but amazingly very healthy and 6 lbs!). He was little, didn't even open his eyes for the first couple of weeks.


The first year of GMan's life was HARD - I had a terrible time with postpartum depression, then we moved - if you've ever moved with a three year old and newborn, you know it's kind of tough. I must say, however, that this little guy was beginning to develop such a sweet, silly spirit! This video was taken when he was about nine months old -- I love watching it -- it makes me remember what a sweet baby he was, and how much I love him now!


I love to watch my children's progression from their birth until their current birthdays! Here's a look at GMan: