Homeschool Curriculum FOR SALE

I'm trying to clean up my shelves to make more physical space, but also to make more room in my brain and eliminate confusion. If you would like to purchase anything below, please leave me a comment.

Paypal payments accepted and we can make those arrangements privately if you want something.

Shipping is $4.00 for one book. If you want multiple items, I can give you ONE shipping price based on the weight of your package and your zip code.

FOR SALE:


* Five in a Row Complete Set: Volumes 1-3 AND the Christian Supplement $125 ppd
 
* Math U See Beta Test Booklet $5.00

* Writing With Ease Level One Workbook (Student pages of Weeks 1-3 have been removed, but the lessons are still there. You will just need to use other copy paper) $20.00

* Writing Tales Level One Set ~ Includes Student Workbook and Teacher's Guide (coffee stain on first pages of Student Workbook) $30.00

* PENDING: Sonlight K (Core A) WITH Science 2002 Instructor's Guide with the Peel-n-Stick Time Line Figures as well as the following books (all paperback): $80.00

• The Boxcar Children
• My Father's Dragon
• The Family Under the Bridge
• Peter Pan
• In Grandma's Attic
• The Light at Tern Rock
• Johnny Appleseed
• Twenty and Ten
• The House at Pooh Corner
• The Usborne Children's Enccylopedia
• Exploring Wonders of the World

* PENDING: Sonlight B+C Instructor's Guide with the Peel-n-Stick Time Line Figures as well as the following books (all paperback): $65.00

• Window on the World
• And the Word Came with Power
• Gladys Aylward
• Catching their Talk in a Box

* SOLD: Charlotte Mason Elementary Geography (put out by Queen Homeschool Supply) $10.00


* SOLD: Sonlight K (Core A) WITH Science 1999 Instructor's Guide (pencil check marks throughout) $15.00

God speaks in the stillness

I fix my green tea. Steaming hot, with honey.

I kiss him goodbye and walk him to the door.

I linger at the door, listening, looking.

That is when I notice the splendor.

The beautiful little sliver of moon in the dark sky.

The song of the early morning birds.

The hint of light as it begins to spread from the east.

I light my candle and think, "I should write".

But, what?

This truly is my favorite time of day.

How on earth did that happen? I am not a morning person by nature. I have trained myself to be. Somewhere along the way, I realized that this is the only time I get ... to be alone with God or alone with myself.

But, then I learned that this is also a beautiful time to be alone with His creation! The birds really do sing more sweetly in the morning. The sky really does creep into day with a grace and beauty that is only visible in the break of day. The stillness of the rest of the world ... that is something I crave all day and this is the only time you can get it.

So, here I sit. Candle burning, tea steaming, birds singing ... in stillness.

Here, I ponder. What it means to follow God. What it means to be good. What it means to be righteous. What it means to be a good mother, a good wife, a good home-educator.

Here I sit with God.

And, it is here that He speaks to me. It is here that it is quiet enough for me to hear Him.

What is your favorite time of day?

Quiet around these parts

December ~ Making Peppermint Bark after reading The Legend of the Candy Cane

I've been quiet here lately.

I'm not sure why.

Honestly, I haven't known exactly what to say. Maybe it's "writers block".

I know I used to entertain you with very detailed homeschool posts on a regular basis. But, honestly, that is just too much to keep up with and still do a good job keeping my home and educating my children. We're still educating around these parts and I still keep notes for myself, but finding the time to write it up on here weekly (or even monthly, apparently) just seems difficult.

What else to write about?

Honestly, my head is often FULL of things to write about.

Religion ... Motherhood ... Marriage ... Health ... Recipes ... Natural Living ...

I think I have much more to offer you all than just homeschool advice.

Really!

We are living the "Narrow Path" dream that some people want to do and don't know how to get there. I could help with that. Why don't I?

Because, while sometimes my mind is FULL of good things to say, sometimes, it is just blank.

EMPTY

A blank canvas

The trick is to find the time to write WHILE IT IS FULL!

 

So, what would you like to hear about? Inquiring minds would like to know. If you have thoughts on this, share them in the comments section!

:-)

Anyhoo, I'm off to take the girls to a dance show at the local School of the Arts. We went last year and had such a wonderful time.

Until next time,

   IrieMomma

December ~ Making Christmas gifts

So much to be thankful for

You may have heard me mention the Jesus Stocking we kept this year for Advent. I'd been meaning to share what was inside.

I will tell you that when we read them all on Christmas day, the Hippie cried more than once because she felt bad that she "didn't write all the good stuff" that we did. The poor girl felt so guilty that she had only said "family" and not listed us individually. I assured her that we are all different and that we just thought of different things to write at dinner each night, but I know her heart and have no doubt how thankful she is for everything. That girl truly has a heart of GOLD. Anyway, I thought you might like to see what was written. (As expected, Momma's were mostly "novels" compared to the one word entries by the others. Forgive me. I like to write. :)

These are in no particular order ~ just stuffed in the stocking. And, yes, there are a few repeats. Hey, it's hard to remember what you've already written after 24 days!

The Princess:
Kindness
Mommy and Daddy to make the food
Going to Germany
Faith and Trust
Joy
Mommy and Daddy to make everything happy
Seeing my cousins, B*** and S*** (sorry, safety and all)
Money
Mommy and Daddy
Happiness, not madness
Jesus
Everything
Christmas
Pets
Food
Water
Family
God
Friends
Love
Judah (our cat)
W**** (the Hippie)
Saint Nicholas
Not washing the dishes (the Hippie had to wash ALL of the dishes for a week as a punishment ... turned out to be a great thing for the Princess, lol).

The Hippie:
Education
Decorating
No dishes or chores on my birthday
Furniture
Crafts
Nativity scene
Advent
Family needs
Water heater
Friends
The Christmas Tree
Health
I am thankful for my wonderful family.
Books
Cars
Gifts and Daddy being off on December 23rd
Trees
I am thankful for my shelter.
I am thankful for food and water.
Jesus ... Merry Christmas
Friends
Food
Toys
Table and chairs

Daddy:
Jesus
Chaos
Dark Chocolate
Jah
Vehicles
Hot Shower
Plants
Love
W* (The Hippie)
Music
Being a Daddy
Herbal remedies
Patience
Buddha
Family Pets
Boards (surf)
M* (The Princess)
Momma
Friends and Family
Days off
Dinner time with the family
the Ocean
S* (our best friend/brother)
Days off work


Momma:
I'm thankful to have a roof, a floor and a warm, cozy bed.
I'm thankful that God gave us Jesus so that he could show us how to be loving and kind.
Blue skies and sunshine
I'm thankful to be married to my best friend and soul mate.
To live close to the beach
Hot tea, Hot showers ... and Ice Cold Beer
Easy access to clean water and fresh, local produce
The chance to spend each and every day with my children
Family Dinner Time ~ listening to the girls' prayers, our conversations and the laughter
Two healthy children
Nanu (my Momma)
I'm thankful that God gave us B* and S* (my nieces) before taking Uncle W* (my little brother) back to Heaven.
God's Love
The time I got to spend with Papa (my dad) and Uncle W* (my little brother)
That Homeschooling is legal
Aunt C* (family friend for 32 years)
For my Babies
Access to books
Music and my ability to hear it
Animals ~ all of them, but especially our pets
Daddy
W* (the Hippie)
M* (the Princess)
Books
Cuddling
I'm so very thankful to have found my one and only soul mate and to be sharing my life with my very best friend in the world!
My eyesight ~ so that I can see God's beautiful creation, my beautiful family and so that I can read books.

*********
Almost a 100 things to be thankful for ... and I could have kept this going all year long.

What are you thankful for today?

On keeping Christ in Christmas

I wrote this post on December 10th. I got busy with some sort of child-rearing or home-making task and decided to leave it for a bit and come back to it to edit and revise if needed. Then, a couple of days of Christmas gift-making got in the way. And then the national tragedy that split my heart in two. And, then I just didn't have it in me. Somehow, we got busy living this thing called Christmas and almost a month went by before I had time to revisit this post. So, although Christmas has passed, here are my original thoughts from three weeks ago. I hope they bless you and your family in some way.
 
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I read a blog post recently about how Christians should stop whining about the secularization of Christmas. It did a great job of putting into words many of my own thoughts, so I shared it on Facebook. Along with the "share", I said something along the lines of how keeping Christ in Christmas is up to the individual family and home, not the media or the stores. I also might have mentioned that my own home has been "all about Christ" for two weeks now.

About an hour later, I got a private message from an old friend of mine (whom I love, by the way) wanting to know what I meant. I thought I'd share some of what I meant here.

I could start by giving you the actual, physical examples of how we're keeping Christ in Christmas. I mean, there are things we're doing that are setting the tone. As I said in this post, we have several rituals going ...

As I type this, my seasonal candle is burning. Whenever I pass it and notice the flame, I try to remember to say a small prayer for peace ... in my heart, in my home and in the world.

As I write this, I am listening to Christmas hymns and carols on Pandora. Now, I'm not going to try to tell you that my children don't also like songs like Frosty, the Snowman or ... well, would you look at that. I can't think of another title. Haha. Not to say that we're not also listening to the traditional ones, but as soon as I tried to make that statement for you, the only stuff that came to mind was about Jesus. I just proved my own point ~ we are listening to Christmas music all the time, but we are not just listening to the silly, secular songs. We are mixing it up ~ beautiful songs about the birth of a baby, classical songs from a certain ballet we love, country songs about Christmas and the silly, secular songs. The girls know and love a variety ... and I know their hearts are focused on the right things.

We have lit the Advent candles on the wreath every day since December 1st. And, the girls are tickled pink about the Christ candle, which doesn't come until the 25th.

We have each written something we are thankful for each and every day and placed it into our Jesus stocking. Although these are secret and are to be read on Christmas day, I've accidentally seen things like "Jesus" and "God" and "food" and "family" written on their cards. That makes my heart smile! My children really get it.

The girls have opened the next door on their Advent calendar each day and we've read the next story in our Advent book each night.

We visited Bethlehem. That in and of itself is a totally indescribable experience.

We are reading books every day. We are reading about the story in the Bible, but we're also reading books about animals and inspiring individuals. While not directly Biblical, each book is inspired by Christ and His message. We're reading such a beautiful array of inspirational stuff right now. Again, it centers the focus each and every day.

The girls can't wait to make a birthday cake and birthday cards for Jesus.

They're excited to bake for the neighbors.

They're excited to bake for the homeless and go out and deliver the goodies on Christmas eve, something we've done for the past two years.

I mean, really, there has literally been something every. single. day. to celebrating this season. I think that has a lot to do with our family's keeping Christ in Christmas. Christmas is not just this day at the end of the month that everyone is impatiently awaiting so that they may rip open the presents under the tree. It's a month-long celebration of something beautiful.

So, I think that keeping Christ in Christmas has a little bit to do with what we spend our time doing and just as importantly, what we aren't spending our time doing. But, I think it is much more than that.

Keeping Christ in Christmas has more to do with the spirit of your home. It has to do with what Christ was all about and truly honoring that with everything we do and say. It has to do with a focus on family and traditions and love and fun and relationships and giving, rather than a focus on shopping and me, me, me and stress.

We live in a secular world. Whether we want to or not, we cannot shield our children completely from what the world has to offer. What we can do, however, is to lead them happily in the other direction, down the Narrow Path, you might say (you like that plug?).

The world is all about me, me, me.

You have to work hard to make your home about Him, Him, Him.

The world wants to make money off of this special time and so the commercialism is at its best right now. I don't know exactly how we've done it, but I'm proud to say that my children have grown to be a little bit immune to it. When we discussed what they would want for Christmas, the Princess only wanted one thing and the Hippie said, "I'm really satisfied with what I have. Of course, I always want books and craft supplies. Oh, and some of those silks and scarves for dress up would be nice." (For the record, the Hippie's birthday is two days before Christmas, so she hasn't gotten a gift in a year. I think she's entitled to wanting 3 things. And, she melts my heart when what she wants is more books).

I don't know about you, but I'm proud. They both said that their favorite part of Christmas was the giving. I kid you not. They LOVE to make things for each other and for everyone else in the family. They can hardly wait for Christmas morning, but because they are jumping to GIVE what they've made, not because they are chomping at the bit to receive.

The Princess will tell you that she loves Christmas time because of the "JOY" ~ her words. "It's such a JOYFUL time".

So, how does one keep the focus of this JOYFUL time on Jesus?

Live your life as He would have. Do what He would have done.

  Give ... and get your kids excited about the giving, rather than the receiving.
  Love ... love your family and love those around you, your "neighbors".
  Feed ... feed your family and feed your neighbors and most importantly, feed the hungry.
  Honor ... honor God in all that you do and say, each and every day, but especially now.

For tips on the more practical side of things, especially with children:

Intercept the catalogs when they come in the mail ... before your children get their hands on them. We are all human. We can know that we are satisfied with what we have, but when we see the marketing, we are all susceptible (especially children) to falling for it.

Skip the television. Find some way to ensure that you're not watching the commercials at this time of year. Again, they will work on you and your children, telling you that you need something you don't. But, more than that, all of that "noise" will take away from the quiet and peace that you are cultivating at home.

While you're at it, stay away from the malls and shopping centers. The focus there is all wrong. I realize we have to give some gifts, but there's just no reason to go to those places. Make your gifts or buy them from someone else who made them on Etsy. Or, if it must be a toy or book or gadget, you can shop online, from the comfort of your home ... with those Christmas hymns playing and that candle burning and the Nativity Set a few feet away. Keeps you in a much better place than the feeling you'll get if you venture out!

Start and keep traditions with your family. And, start them early in the season. Enjoy the entire season, not just the day.

Choose quality ~ quality books, quality music, quality decorations. You don't have to be a Santa nazi, but make sure the balance is leaning in the right direction.

Really think about your gift philosophy and talk to your kids about what they have and what they do or don't need. Talk to them about how others live around the world so that they learn to appreciate what they have. Some good gift philosophies for your children might be giving only three gifts (hey, if it was good enough for the birthday boy, it should be good enough for us, right? The Princess still doesn't understand why WE get gifts on HIS birthday anyway). Another possibility that I've used in the past (and I got it from Kara at RockinGranola) is the want * wear * need * read mantra.

Remember, as irritating as it is to watch the world reduce something so special and sacred to nothing but spending and stress and tackiness, it is up to you to keep it special and sacred in your family and home.

As an anonymous speaker once said, "The best thing to spend on a child is your time."

Okay, I know I could just keep going like the Energizer bunny, but I must tend to my own family's enjoyment of the season. And, I'm sure you have things to do as well. Go forth and make JOY.

I think that is the key: Keep God in EVERYTHING. Make it a season about JOY. That is how we keep Christ in Christmas!

In the end, all we can really do is to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with [our] God. (part of Micah 6:8).

Books we read aloud this Christmas season

The Birds' Christmas Carol ~ My great-grandmother's hardback copy that she got when she was 8 years old ... in 1908.

 The Advent Storybook by Antonie Schneider

This book was just lovely. The stories are super short and all have a beautiful message to hear about God and His love for us. I'll be purchasing this one, for sure!

The Festival of Stones by Reg Down ~ this was a perfect read straight from October through Christmas. It included all of the holidays and seasonal festivals.

Dewey's Magical Sleigh by Brahm Wenger and Alan Green ~ this is a great story about feeding those who are hungry!

All for the Newborn Baby by Phillis Root.

We sang this one and it put the dog to sleep.

There was No Snow on Christmas Eve by Pameal Ryan

The Christmas Donkey by Gillian McClure ~ beautiful story!

B is for Bethlehem by Isabel Wilner ~ Although this is a "Christmas Alphabet", it was just as lovely for my 8 and 9 year olds as it would have been for a kindergartner!

Country Angel Christmas by Tomie dePaola ~ you really can't go wrong with a Tomie dePaola book!

Who is Coming to Our House? by Joseph Slate ~ The Princess read this one several times. Perfect for the animal lover and Jesus lover!

The Baker's Dozen: A Saint Nicholas Tale by Aaron Shepard

This is the Star by Joyce Dunbar ~ the girls love these types of stories, the rhythm and the poetry. And, of course, the message.

A Christmas Story by Brian Wildsmith ~ I just love including all of these stories that are based on the Nativity story, but are creatively told from other points of view.

Merry Christmas, Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola ~ again withe Tomie dePaola! A beautiful story of generosity.

 The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg ~ there is also a DVD. This was our "candy cane day" ~ we read the book, made peppermint bark and watched the movie.

Room for a Little One by Martin Waddell ~ a favorite around these parts.

The Donkey's Dream by Barbara Berger ~ so beautiful!

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojcieghowski ~ another one that had a DVD as well. We enjoyed reading this story aloud and then the girls watched the movie.

Winter's Gift by Jane Monroe Donovan ~ a favorite of the Princess all throughout the year.

The Legend of St. Nicholas: A Story of Christmas Giving by Dandi Mackall

***
The Christmas Carol retold by Mark A. Taylor (can't find a picture)

***
The First Christmas retold by Mark A. Taylor (can't find a picture)

***
The Christmas Story Audio CD with the story, verses from the Bible and Christmas Carols (can't find a picture)

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore, Illustrated by Douglas Gorsline ~ we read this every Christmas eve.

******
 

And, the books in the book baskets that the girls read themselves, but we didn't quite get to as far as Family Reading Aloud:

DK Children Just Like Me: Celebrations ~ this one was a favorite around here!

The Little Drummer Boy by Carolyn Quattrocki (we did read this one aloud last year)

The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree by Gloria Houston

The Legend of the Christmas Tree by Rock Osborne

The Christmas Story from the King James Bible with paintings by Gennady Spirin

Hanna's Christmas by Melissa Peterson

The Legend of the Christmas Rose by William H. Hooks

A Small Miracle by Peter Collington (we did this one last year and it's really special)

Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck (we did read this one aloud last year)

The Tale of the Three Trees: A traditional Folktale retold by Angela Elwell Hunt

The Story of Holly & Ivy by Rumer Godden (we did read this one aloud last year)

Strega Nona's Gift by Tomie dePaola

Jacob's Gift by Max Lucado

The Story of Christmas words from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, pictures by Jane Ray

The Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie dePaola (we did read this one aloud last year)

The Gift of the Magi by O'Henry Lisbeth Zwerger (we did read this one aloud last year and we listened to this on audio this  year)

Silent Night illustrated by Susan Jeffers (we did read this one aloud last year)

Good King Wenceslas by John M. Neale (we did read this one aloud last year)

Bright Christmas: An Angel Remembers by Andrew Clements (we did read this one last year)

25 Days of Christmas

** Warning: This is a MILE LONG post because it records what happened each and every day of the Advent season. This is more for me to reference in years to come. If you feel so inclined, enjoy. **

(Started on December 7th)

******

For once, I feel like we've really gotten it right this year.

The focus of the season is spot on ~ a precious baby in a manger.

The girls are truly satisfied with what they have (and thankful for it). We're not rushing around trying to see what they want.

There's no me-me-me.

There's only Him-Him-Him.

So, in case I forget how to get us there next year (or the year after that), I wanted to attempt to document the Twenty Five Days of Christmas. I really should have started this post sooner (it is already the 7th of December and I'm sure I've forgotten some of the details by now), but we do the best we can with what we have, right? Honestly, the only reason I haven't started the post already is because I've been too busy living the life to write about it, which I think trumps the blog any day!

So, I'm going to try to go back and plug in what I can remember about this first week. And then, I'm going to try to remember to plug in any little things that happen each day from here on out (I'll only post the holiday-related stuff, though). I'll aim to publish this a little after Christmas. It should be fun.

Before December 1st:
Immediately upon our return from our Thanksgiving with family, things started happening. Yes, there was laundry to be done and unpacking and groceries to be bought, but it was officially Christmas time around here.

November 26 - present:
* Christmas music began to play. All day, every day. In the house. In the car. It is ON. We've enjoyed Pandora stations of Traditional Christmas, Classical Christmas, Christmas Hymns and Carols and Country Christmas. We've listened to Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker over and over. We've searched out specific Christmas songs on Youtube. We've listened to our Christmas CDs. We've kept it on the station that plays only Christmas music between Thanksgiving and Christmas whenever we are in the car. You get the idea. 
*Began (or rather, continued) lighting seasonal candles all day, day every day.
* So, just know that EVERY day below had Christmas music and candles all day. 

November 26:
* We read aloud Room for a Little One.

November 27:
* We read aloud Festival of Stones, chapters 16 and 17 (about the Festival of Light and the coming of the Christmas child).
* We read aloud The Donkey's Dream.
* We read aloud The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey.
* The girls watched the movie The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey.
* The Princess read Marmee's Surprise (a Little Women book about Christmas).

November 28:
* We listened to four audio Christmas stories on Your Story Home:
  The Night Before Christmas
  The Gift of the Magi
  The Christmas Fairy
  The Christmas Orange

November 29:
* We purchased supplies for gifts we are making.
* We sang Christmas carols with our friends at the park.
* The Hippie printed the lyrics to Momma's favorite Christmas hymn, O Come All Ye Faithful so that she could learn it. We found a beautiful version by Faith Hill on Youtube. Said version made Momma cry. :)

November 30:
* We read aloud Festival of Stones, "The Christmas Star".
* We started reading aloud my Great-grandmother's copy of The Birds' Christmas Carol (this hardback copy has her name inscribed inside and the year 1908 ~ she was 8 years old, same as the Princess ~ that is pretty cool!).
* We read aloud a few poems and stories from our book A Christmas Treasury.
* We purchased more supplies for gifts we are making.

******

And now for the real 25 days ...

December 1:
* We attended our community tree lighting ceremony and watched as Santa arrived.
* We went to our regular Christmas tree lot to pick out our tree as we do every year. We've gone to the same place every year since before the girls were born. Their trees are more expensive, but we've grown to love them and what they do. They give the money directly to the local community in need. This year they are using it to help children in our community. The girls love to play tag and run and play around and between the trees.
* We lit the first candle on our Advent wreath.
* The girls opened the first door on their Advent calendar. We started a game that has continued all month ~ each of us guessing what picture will be behind the door. Up to now (December 7), Daddy has gotten two right and Momma has gotten one right. The girls ~ zip. :)
* We all wrote down something we were thankful for and placed it inside our Jesus stocking. As usual, Momma writes the "novel" compared to the one word written by Daddy.
* We read aloud the first story in our Advent storybook.

December 2:
* We began working on the Christmas decorating. Well, Daddy spent the day messing with the lights to see what worked and what he could fix (all while we watched the game, of course). Momma was sick ~ boo. At the end of the day, we knew we needed to buy more lights in order to do the tree, so that got pushed to the next day. But, Daddy did string all of the lights and decorations outside. Our house looks lovely from outside. Our neighbors love it.
* We played The Nutcracer Ballet in its entirety on Youtube.
* We lit the first candle on our Advent wreath.
* The girls opened the next door on their Advent calendar. We continued the game.
* We all wrote down something we were thankful for and placed it inside our Jesus stocking.
* We all had eggnog with nutmeg for the first time of the season.
* We read aloud the next story in our Advent storybook.
* We read aloud All for the Newborn Baby ... well, we actually sang it ... and the lullaby knocked the dog OUT!

December 3:
* Went to buy more Christmas lights.
* Daddy strung the lights on the tree and surprised me. One of those LOVE languages things. He really showed me love that day. Story goes ~ we've always decorated our tree with white lights only and red and green and silver were the colors of the tree ~ none of the "silly" "tacky" colored lights. Well, we had talked recently about lights and I guess it was the first time he'd heard that with my tree growing up, my family always used multi-colored lights and multi-colored ornaments. When he was at the store that day, he'd gotten colored lights and not told me. He had us do a count-down to turning on the lights (inside and outside ~ pretty fun) and when we hit ONE and he turned them on, I got to see a blast from my past. So special. If you know my family's history (and if you don't, I'll give you a one sentence synopsis ~ my immediate family growing up consisted of my Mom, my Dad, my brother and myself. Since 2001, that has dropped to only my Mom and myself. You do the math.), you know how touching and emotional it was for me to see the colored lights. He really knows how to speak to my heart!
* As mentioned above, we went outside and did the countdown to turning on the outside lights. Super fun and cute!
* We decorated the tree. The girls are getting older, so Mommy and Daddy are doing less and less of the decorating. The ornaments are a little more jumbled than we used to do it, but it is so worth it!
* Hot cocoa was served for all!
* We lit the first candle on our Advent wreath.
* The girls opened the next door on their Advent calendar. We continued the game.
* We all wrote down something we were thankful for and placed it inside our Jesus stocking.
* We read aloud the next story in our Advent storybook.
* We read aloud There Was No Snow on Christmas Eve.

December 4:
* Our neighbors knocked on the door and handed me a giant blow up snowman for us to use. They had been walking their dog when we went outside for the countdown and thought that was so cute. Their children are grown and they thought that ours would enjoy the snowman. Blessings from all around, I tell ya.
* We read aloud the next chapter in The Birds' Christmas Carol.
* We read aloud Festival of Stones, chapter 19.
* The girls read from our two over-flowing Christmas book baskets (this has been going on every day, but I forgot to mention it).
* We lit the first candle on our Advent wreath.
* The girls opened the next door on their Advent calendar. We continued the game.
* We all wrote down something we were thankful for and placed it inside our Jesus stocking.
* We read aloud the next story in our Advent storybook.
* We surprised the girls again by taking them outside to see the Snowman ~ pure joy!

December 5:
* We read aloud "The Birth of Jesus" from our book Sacred Myths: Stories of World Religions.
* The girls read from our two over-flowing Christmas book baskets (Just go ahead and know that this is happening every day).
* We listened to Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker in its entirety ... again. The Hippie even put on a leotard and tutu and proceeded to dance to it.
* The Hippie made a Nativity scene out of sculpy clay ~ Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus and a manger.
* The Princess made gifts for the Hippie for Christmas.
* We lit the first candle on our Advent wreath.
* The girls opened the next door on their Advent calendar. We continued the game.
* We all wrote down something we were thankful for and placed it inside our Jesus stocking. The Princess is beginning to run out of ideas.
* We read aloud the next story in our Advent storybook.
* Sadly, the Christmas tree came crashing down (I guess it was "front heavy") and several of our ornaments broke. :( The Princess was rather upset because an ornament she made when she was 3 was among the wreckage. Daddy fixed the tree by anchoring it to a window. We re-decorated the tree.
* We read aloud The Baker's Dozen: A Saint Nicholas Tale.
* The girls set out their slippers to be filled by Saint Nicholas while they slept.

December 6:
* The girls excitedly ran to their slippers to discover some new hair things, a "REAL SLINKY", some cozy socks and a DVD of An All Dogs Christmas Carol.
* We attended the city's 21st annual production of The Nutcracker Ballet.
* We sang Christmas carols with our friends at the park.
* We lit a NEW candle on our Advent wreath ~ so, now there are TWO.
* The girls opened the next door on their Advent calendar. We continued the game.
* We all wrote down something we were thankful for and placed it inside our Jesus stocking. Daddy thinks he will forget what he's already written by the time we get to December 25th!
* We read aloud the next story in our Advent storybook.

December 7:
* The girls played a marathon session with the slinkies from Saint Nicholas.
* We lit two candles on our Advent wreath.
* The girls watched their new video, An All Dogs Christmas Carol.
* The girls opened the next door on their Advent calendar. We continued the game.
* We all wrote down something we were thankful for and placed it inside our Jesus stocking. I accidentally saw the Princess's ~ she was thankful for GOD ... We're doing something right. :-)
* We read aloud the next story in our Advent storybook.
* We listened to Dewey's Magical Sleigh on audio with the picture book.

December 8:
* We read aloud the next chapter in The Birds' Christmas Carol.
* We read aloud Festival of Stones, chapter 20.
* We read aloud Winter's Gift.
* We read aloud The Legend of the Candy Cane.
* The girls watched The Legend of the Candy Cane DVD.
* We made Peppermint Bark with the girls (candy canes ~ you catching the theme?).
* We lit two candles on our Advent wreath.
* The girls opened the next door on their Advent calendar. We continued the game.
* We all wrote down something we were thankful for and placed it inside our Jesus stocking.
* We read aloud the next story in our Advent storybook. 
* We went to Bethlehem ~ absolutely amazing!

December 9:
* We attended a holiday potluck party with friends.
* Took our homemade Peppermint Bark as a gift ... and watched as it disappeared almost instantly.
* We lit two candles on our Advent wreath.
* The girls opened the next door on their Advent calendar. We continued the game.
* We all wrote down something we were thankful for and placed it inside our Jesus stocking.
* We read aloud the next story in our Advent storybook.

December 10:
* Momma managed almost all of her in-person (as opposed to online) Christmas shopping while the girls were at an Art class.
* We lit two candles on our Advent wreath.
* The girls opened the next door on their Advent calendar. We continued the game.
* We all wrote down something we were thankful for and placed it inside our Jesus stocking.
* We read aloud the next story in our Advent storybook.
* We read aloud Merry Christmas, Strega Nona

December 11:
* Tons of Christmas crafting
* We read aloud Festival of Stones, chapter 21.
* We lit two candles on our Advent wreath.
* The girls opened the next door on their Advent calendar. We continued the game.
* We all wrote down something we were thankful for and placed it inside our Jesus stocking.
* We read aloud the next story in our Advent storybook.
* We read aloud The First Christmas.

December 12:
* We spent the entire day making Christmas gifts (while listening to Classical Christmas music, of course).
* Momma started a bit of wrapping.
* We lit two candles on our Advent wreath.
* The girls opened the next door on their Advent calendar. We continued the game. The score is still 2-2-0-0 (Momma, Daddy, Princess and Hippie)
* We all wrote down something we were thankful for and placed it inside our Jesus stocking.
* We read aloud the next story in our Advent storybook.
* We read aloud Country Angel Christmas.

** Here, we hit an insanely busy, double and triple booked stint that had us out from morning til night four days in a row and maxed this Momma out ... after which, I promptly turned us inward and shut off all outside commitments so that we could focus on our family for the final week. But, first (and, I'm only listing Christmas related events here, but there were MORE) ... 

December 13:
* We made beeswax lanterns with friends at the park in order to honor the Winter Solstice
* We attempted a little Christmas shopping.
* We lit the third candle on our Advent wreath.
* The girls opened the next door on their Advent calendar. We continued the game. The score is still 2-2-0-0 (Momma, Daddy, Princess and Hippie)
* We all wrote down something we were thankful for and placed it inside our Jesus stocking.
* We read aloud the next story in our Advent storybook.

December 14: 
* Momma and Daddy spent a good long while discussing Christmas gifts and making plans.
* Momma and Daddy managed to get a little bit of Christmas shopping in while the girls were at an Art class (national tragedy also struck at this time and rocked me to my core).
* Momma made her now famous squash casserole to share with friends.
* We celebrated the season with our second annual Advent Spiral with friends. The Hippie got to be Saint Lucia and wear the crown of candles!
* We lit three candles on our Advent wreath.
* The girls opened the next door on their Advent calendar. We continued the game.
* We all wrote down something we were thankful for and placed it inside our Jesus stocking. As you might expect, I wrote down "my babies".
* We read aloud the next story in our Advent storybook.

December 15:
* Though today was crazy busy, it was not Christmas related, so I guess all I have to report is:
* We lit three candles on our Advent wreath.
* The girls opened the next door on their Advent calendar. We continued the game. The score is still 2-2-0-0 (Momma, Daddy, Princess and Hippie)
* We all wrote down something we were thankful for and placed it inside our Jesus stocking.
* We read aloud the next story in our Advent storybook.

December 16:
* Momma and Daddy got a few more things on our list while the girls were at a birthday party.
* The girls made Christmas crafts with friends.
* We drove around on the other side of town looking at Christmas lights.

** And, now we turn inward ...


December 17:
* We read aloud another chapter from The Birds' Christmas Carol.
* I spent the entire day wrapping gifts for family.
* The girls learned to curl ribbon on a gift.
* We lit three candles on our Advent wreath.
* The girls opened the next two doors on their Advent calendar (we missed yesterday because we were out until after 10pm). We continued the game.
* We all wrote down two things we were thankful for and placed it inside our Jesus stocking.
* We read aloud the next two stories in our Advent storybook.
* We read aloud A Christmas Story by Brian Wildsmith.
* We read aloud This is the Star by Joyce Dunbar.

December 18:
* Momma finished most of the wrapping.
* The Princess worked on her Christmas gift-making.
* The girls watched a Looney Tunes Christmas Carol (the Hippie was sick).
* We lit three candles on our Advent wreath.
* The girls opened the next door on their Advent calendar. We continued the game. The score is still 2-2-0-0 (Momma, Daddy, Princess and Hippie)
* We all wrote down something we were thankful for and placed it inside our Jesus stocking.
* We read aloud the next story in our Advent storybook.
* We read one chapter of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

December 19:
* We read the next chapter in The Birds' Christmas Carol.
* The girls watched the TV movie version of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (we read the book in its entirety last year and the Hippie has read it herself. If we hadn't read it first, I wouldn't let them watch it, but since we have, it's a nice treat).
* The girls and I baked cookies for our neighbors.
* We painted ... Christmas gifts. Shhhhh.

December 20:
* We read the next chapter in The Birds' Christmas Carol.
* We listened to The Christmas Story on Audio CD along with the Bible verses from Matthew and Luke read aloud as well as six Christmas Carols.
* The girls and I went out for the last time for some last minute craft supplies for more Christmas gift-making.
* The Hippie spent the afternoon making gifts.
* Momma finished most of the wrapping and shipped the final box to family.
* We lit the fourth candle on our Advent wreath. The girls were so excited, they almost happy-cried.
* We each wrote two things we were thankful for and placed them in our Jesus stocking (last night was another late night and we didn't get to do it).
* The girls each opened the next two doors on their Advent calendars. We continued the game ... and the Hippie finally got a point!
* We loaded up in the car and drove around town looking at Christmas lights. We took with us a bunch of little pieces of paper that said, "Thank you for displaying the reason for the season. Merry Christmas!" ... We placed them inside the mailboxes of any house that displayed a Nativity scene.
* We read aloud the next two stories in our Advent storybook. The Hippie read the first one and the Princess read the second one.

December 21:
* We read aloud the next chapter in The Festival of Stones ... this one was "The Festival of the Christmas Child".
* We finished reading The Birds' Christmas Carol.
* We read aloud The Christmas Donkey by Gillian McClure.
* We made birthday cards for Jesus.
* The Princess finished making Daddy's gift and learned how to wrap by wrapping his gift and curling his bows.
* The Hippie also finished making Daddy's gift and wrapped it.
* The girls watched Santa Paws.
* We lit four candles on our Advent wreath.
* We each wrote something we were thankful for and placed it inside our Jesus stocking.
* The girls each opened the next door on their Advent calendars. We continued the game ... and the Hippie got another point! We are now at 2-2-2-0 ... poor Princess.
* We read aloud the next story in our Advent storybook.

December 22:
* The girls and I went out and bought all of the groceries for Christmas dinner, baking cookies for the homeless, baking cookies for Santa, making a birthday pie for Jesus and birthday breakfast for the Hippie.
* I painted a pegasus / unicorn for the Princess for Christmas.
* The Princess made the Hippie's birthday gift.
* The Hippie finished making Momma's gift and wrapped it.
* The girls delivered cookies and peppermint bark to one of our elderly sets of neighbors.
* We lit four candles on our Advent wreath.
* We each wrote something we were thankful for and placed it inside our Jesus stocking.
* The girls each opened the next door on their Advent calendars. We continued the game.
* We read aloud the next story in our Advent storybook.

December 23:
* Today was all about the Hippie and her birthday, so Christmas was pretty much placed on hold, but we did drive around and look at Christmas lights after her birthday dinner.

December 24:
* We made a special family Christmas Eve breakfast of biscuits-n-gravy.
* The girls opened the second-to-the-last door on the Advent calendar at breakfast (we skipped last night because of the Hippie's birthday). Still no points for the Princess.
* We all wrote something we were thankful for at breakfast and placed it into the Jesus stocking.
* We baked 6 dozen cookies ... for the homeless, for Santa and for us.
* The girls delivered cookies and peppermint bark to another set of elderly neighbors. They also spent the afternoon playing with said neighbors' great-grandchildren.
* Momma made pumpkin cheesecake for Jesus' birthday cake for tomorrow.
* Daddy helped each girl finish up a handmade gift they needed his help with.
* We drove around and gave cookies and water bottles to all the homeless people we could find, spreading holiday cheer as we've done each year. This is one of our favorite traditions.
* The girls each opened one present ~ zip-up pjs! They went bonkers (and of course the Princess "happy cried") because they LOVE zip-up pjs and haven't had any since they were about 4 or 5.
* We lit four candles on the Advent wreath both at breakfast and at dinner.
* The girls each opened the LAST door on their Advent calendars at dinner. We were all wrong tonight, which means the poor Princess never got a point. She cried. :(
* We all wrote one final thing we were thankful for and placed it into our Jesus stocking. I said I didn't want to stop because there were so many things I was thankful for that I hadn't written yet. I mentioned keeping one going all year long. Hmmm
* We left out cookies and milk for Santa.
* We tracked Santa on the Norad Santa Tracker.
* We read the last two stories in the Advent storybook (we skipped last night).
* We read The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore.
* After the girls were in bed, Daddy and I stuffed stockings, set out a gift for each girl from Santa and ate some of Santa's cookies. We also had grown-up egg nog (Daddy ~ egg nog with Kentucky bourbon, rum and brandy) and grown-up hot cocoa (Momma ~ hot cocoa with Irish Creme) and watched National Lampoons Christmas Vacation.

December 25: 
* Ironically, Momma woke up before the girls (that's a first). I was waiting on them. WHAT? Yep. So, I went into the living room, turned on the Christmas music, turned on the Christmas lights, lit the candles and started Momma & Daddy's tea.
* The girls had to wait for us to make our tea before they could go into the living room (as usual). It's so much fun to torture them. :)
* There were squeals of delight as they went through their stockings and checked out what Santa brought them (simple ~ the ONE thing the Princess asked for ~ a horse that changes colors in the bath ~ and craft supplies for the Hippie).
* The girls finished up the cookie pieces that Santa left for them.
* We spent three hours giving and receiving gifts ... mostly hand-made and all wonderful. I was so proud that the girls were WAY more interested in GIVING the gifts that they had made than the stuff under the tree for them. They got ALL of their giving out of the way first ... and were so stinking excited about it.
* The Hippie made me a beautiful necklace and bought me a candle with her own money. She made Daddy a wrap for his hair out of red, yellow and green yarn. She made the Princess a Royal family of dolls out of beads and fuzzy sticks. She also made her a castle with beds and linens for each of the family members.
* The Princess made me a holder for my sunglasses and a cloth to clean them with. She painted Daddy a picture of him surfing inside a wave and put stickers of sea creatures all over it and placed it into a frame. She made the Hippie a doll and a horse (also out of beads and fuzzy sticks) as well as a rug, a table, a book for the doll to read and a brush to brush the horse's mane and tail with.
* After all of the giving and receiving (with multiple potty breaks and play breaks), Daddy made us some yummy french toast with thick slices of bread, vanilla and cinnamon in the egg/milk and powdered sugar and real maple syrup on top.
* We lit all four candles on the Advent wreath AND lit the Christ candle in the center. We left the Christ candle burning all day.
* Most of the rest of the day was spent in the kitchen ~ Momma cooking, Daddy making balloon animals for the girls, the girls playing with and exploring their new gifts.
* We built a wooden marble run and had fun with the marbles.
* Momma and Daddy put together the girls' new German comforters and made up their beds for later.
* The girls played outside with Daddy a bit.
* I made a repeat of Thanksgiving dinner:
    Shirley Temples for the girls
    Olives and sweet pickles
    Homemade mashed potatoes
    Homemade squash casserole
    Homemade green beans
    Homemade stuffing
    Homemade vegetarian gravy
    Organic cranberry sauce
    Rolls
    Homemade pumpkin cheesecake
* After dinner (with all four candles and the Christ candle, of course), we enjoyed reading all of the things everyone was thankful for all month long. We played a game of guessing who wrote each one.
* We put candles in the pumpkin cheesecake and sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and shared a slice of pie.
* We read aloud The Legend of Saint Nicholas.
* The little bugs were tucked into their beds with their new zip-up pjs and their new German comforters and they fell fast asleep.

And, that, my friends was the end to a PERFECT Christmas.