With Christmas coming up, there are a few things I want my kids to know about Santa Claus. I know several Christian parents that actively avoid all mention of Santa Claus. They steer clear of Santa's workshop at the mall. They don't have any Santa-looking ornaments on their trees. They avoid any Christmas tunes that mention Santa's name. 5 Things I Want My Kids To Know About Santa Claus For some, it is one way to fight the materialism of the holidays (a commendable goal). For others, it is a fight against the pagan origins of the Christmas season. (The Germanic god Odin is one of the inspirations behind the ...Read More
Helping Little Ones Celebrate the True Meaning of Christmas
The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is somewhat inescapable. It is a busy time of year with parties and celebrations, baking and cooking, and family traditions. We have three little ones in our house ages 4, 3, and 1, and sometimes I feel a little overwhelmed with the thought of Christmas and how our society focuses on the perfect gift. However, when my husband and I had kids, we knew we wanted to set our children's focus on God in every area of their lives. That includes Christmas. While we don't think it's wrong to receive gifts, we don't want that to be our focus. If that is a family's focus, it is so easy to ...Read More
Startwrite: The Handwriting Worksheet Wizard Giveaway
Hey friends, you know that we believe copywork is important for kids and can be a great way to help with Bible memory. We've just been introduced to a tool that will make it even easier for you: Startwrite. Startwrite, the Handwriting Worksheet Wizard Software will help you create handwriting lessons quickly and easily. Startwrite can save you hours in lesson preparation time, yet it allows you to easily create fun, meaningful worksheets to teach handwriting. Startwrite Handwriting Worksheet Software is the easiest way to create customize handwriting practice sheets for your student. Just type it, print it and practice! ...Read More
Put the Bacteria Back in the Pickles
Bacteria in your food? Why yes. Bacteria in our food (the right kind anyways) is actually very good for us. Many of the foods that have traditionally been fermented, such as pickles and sauerkraut, are now made with vinegar. Producers ship them off to your local supermarket, devoid of the beneficial bacteria necessary for gut health. There, workers place them on the shelves for you to purchase. But you won't get the health benefits from them that you will from eating fermented foods with live bacteria! What Does Fermentation Have to do with Bacteria? There are a number of foods and beverages that can be fermented: ...Read More
Homeschooling Through the Nativity: FREE Unit Study
When Christmas season hits, I like to focus on homeschooling through the Nativity, especially in our language arts, handwriting, and other studies. As this Christmas season was approaching, I wanted to make sure my children knew why we celebrate Christmas. It's not for the presents or the tree decorating. We celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. So, I set out to create a unit study that focused their attention on Him. A blogger friend came up with the idea of "Homeschooling through the Nativity," and I ran with it. This "Homeschooling Through the Nativity" unit study encompasses Language Arts, ...Read More
10 Ways Ordinary Familes Can Fight Child Trafficking
During the Christmas season, our family looks for ways to give more of our time and money to those who need it most. We want to teach our children about the importance of giving and serving in light of God's great gift to us. Last year, we even decided to skip gifts. This year, we are going to be helping the child victims of human trafficking. Human trafficking is a $32 billion business, making it the second most lucrative crime in the world (right behind the sale of illegal drugs). Trafficking persons can happen for a variety of reasons, but sex trafficking is among the most lucrative—a $28-billion-a-year ...Read More
15 Days of Grain-Free and Sugar-Free Dinner Meals
If you are like most of us, when you cut gluten and/or all grains, you likely spend some time stumped about dinner. No more pasta? No pizza? No rolls, wraps, or sandwiches? It seems all of your family's favorite foods are now off limits. Trust me, I know how it feels! 15 Days of Grain-Free and Sugar-Free Meals (Free Printable) I've put together a 15-day dinner meal plan (see the free printable below). Some of these meals are fairly basic, but if you need recipes, in the printable I have links to digital cookbooks with the page number of the recipe. ...Read More
Traveling with Food Allergies: 5 Simple Hacks to Make Your Life Easier
We have been a dairy free family for close to three years due to a casein (cow milk protein) sensitivity in my two youngest boys. As is the case for many, it was a challenge to change our family’s eating habits. The first time we traveled away from home was just over 4 months from starting our dairy-free diet. I’m not sure who was more nervous about it—me or grandma! She was nervous about figuring out what to feed us. I was nervous about being such a difficult house guest. Since that first trip, we have traveled many times to visit family and friends. Looking for more gluten-free resources? This Everything Gluten Free ...Read More