What We're Reading and Our Homeschool Read Alouds ll March '21

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 Today I'm sharing my reads and our family read alouds from the month of March..

What would you add to the list? Join The Creative2xmom Family on their journey of being a family of 5! 💑19yrs led to 👱15 yrs, 👧13 yrs, and 👱 9 yrs. Contact us for business inquiries, reviews and collaborations: BethAnn_97@hotmail.com Spring Reading List: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuOMZKqFbkw&t=129s Five Books That Shaped Me As A Parent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P59UdxwXA6o February What We Read: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU8qoglxVzg&t=3s Centered Review: https://creative2xmom.blogspot.com/2021/03/centered-review.html Relationship Goals Challenge Review: https://creative2xmom.blogspot.com/2021/03/relationship-goals-challenge-review_3.html Talking with Teens about Sexuality Review: https://creative2xmom.blogspot.com/2021/03/talking-with-teens-about-sexuality.html C O N N E C T subscribe at http://www.youtube.com/creative2xmom read at http://www.creative2xmom.blogspot.com like me on http://www.facebook.com/creative2xmom follow me on https://www.instagram.com/creative2xmom/ https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/52903?ref=nav_mybooks Music Attribution: Life of Riley by Kevin MacLeod FTC Disclosure: This video is not sponsored. *This video is not intended for audiences under 13 years.

Talking with Teens about Sexuality {Review}

In today's culture of sexuality and preference, many teens are struggling to get a grasp on who they are and how best to approach the world.  And to be perfectly honest, today's parents are struggling to keep up as well.  It's a very different world than it was even 10 years ago.  And to further complicate the issue, parents and teens often cringe at even the thought of discussing sex.  But it's time we take a deep breath and get comfortable.

Authors Beth Robinson, EdD and Latayne C Scott, PhD approach this difficult subject in a straight forward manner that left me cringing at times.  Right off the bat, I wanted to close my ears to many of the topics they were discussing.  Today's teens are being confronted with issues that I didn't have to deal with until I was in my 30's.  But they're crying out for guidance.  In a sex saturated culture, they're looking to us for help and it's time we get comfortable with the uncomfortable.

The common argument is to not bring up many of these topics for fear of our teens being exposed too early or encouraging sexual promiscuity.  But the truth is that much of this is already permeating our culture, whether we're aware of it or not.  Talking with Teens about Sexuality provides a solid Biblical base from which to have these conversations and challenges both the parent and teen to deeply understand the issues.  

This book approaches many intimate topics from sexual identity to social media, pornography to unplanned pregnancy.  I found it to be filled with wisdom and encouragement.  But most of all, I found it challenging... Talking with Teens about Sexuality challenged my own ideas on many of these issues and rekindled my fire as a parent to prayerfully guide my children in health and knowledge.  This is one of the best books I've read on this topic and I'd highly recommend it to parents of today's teens.

*Disclaimer: I receive a free copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

Weekend Links ll March 26, 2021

 

DIY Buttons and Button Crafts

10 Min Pillow Covers for Spring

Easy Lemon Curd

Handkercheif Scarf

Why Cloth Diapering is Truly Easier than it Seems

This Week:

What I'm Cooking:

We had Stuffed Peppers this week.  I love Stuffed Peppers.  They're a little of work... ok, a lot of work... but they are so worth it.

What are you making in this change of seasons?

What I'm Reading:

My stack of books has been tall this month.  Currently I'm loving Pocketful of Pinecones.  It's a gentle fictionalized story of a mother in the 1930's learning about nature study with her children.  It's sweet, innocent, and sometimes overly sentimental.  But it's a nice change of pace and quite inspiring.

What I'm Loving:

This past week, I've been so thankful for our essential oils.  The kids all have the sniffles and OnGuard and Breathe have been used quite a bit.  I've even used a little here and there.  

Do you have a favorite essential oil?

What I'm Doing:

Just like every other homeschool mom, I've been planning curriculum for next year.  I definitely have Spring Fever and dreaming of next year is much more exciting to finishing out this one.  :-)

What I'm Enjoying:

Homemade muffins...

Alice in Wonderland reading...

Afternoons doing school outside...

Evening stretches...

Herbal tea!

What are you up to?

Christ Centered Easter Basket Ideas

 *This post was originally published on 3/12/19.  Enjoy!

As Easter approaches, I've been thinking about what I want to put in the kids' Easter baskets.  It's a fun opportunity for me to treat the kids a little bit and purchase them a few fun surprises.  While I've always leaned toward filling their baskets with practical items, the past couple of years, I've also looked for opportunities to point my kids toward Christ. 

But building a Christ Centered Easter Basket requires forethought and intentionality.  It's so easy to get lost in the pastels of bunnies, chicks, and jelly beans.  As I've brainstormed the contents of our baskets this year, I thought I'd share with you a few ideas for building your own Christ Centered Easter Baskets.

Bibles--I like to gift Bibles when my children are transitioning from one life stage to another: entering elementary school, Jr. High, or graduation.  Or when my little ones are transitioning from storybook Bibles to developing quiet times.  These are a few of our favorites:

The First Message Bible
The Adventure Bible
The Action Bible
Teen Life Application Bible

Books--Books are always a favorite in our house.  There is rarely a holiday that goes by that I'm not gifting my children some sort of book.  And again there are so many wonderful characters and stories to pass on good morals to our children.  There are just a few:

Berenstain Bears and the Easter Story
Easter in the Garden
God gave us Easter
Berenstain Bears Easter Sunday
The Story of Jesus (Little Golden Book)
The Parable of the Lily
The First Easter
The Tale of Three Trees
Amon's Adventure
Our Favorite Easter Picture Books
The Mandie Books
The Sugar Creek Gang

Devotionals--I've been trying to lead my kids in a deep quiet time this year and help them develop the habit while they're still young.  In earlier years, we've gone through devotionals together as a family, and now as they're growing we leaning more toward personal quiet times.  These are a few of the tools we've used and continue to use:

3-Minute Devotions
The Names of Christ
Prayer Journal
Gratitude Journal
Bible Study (to complete with mom or dad)

Jewelry

Fancy cross necklace
Nail cross necklace
Cross bracelet


Toys and Crafts

Easter activity book
Stained glass coloring book
Stuffed lamb
Bible Pictionary

What items do you add to your child's Easter basket?

FREE Homeschool Resources for the Younger Years

Teaching those early elementary years are some of my favorite homeschool memories.  The kids were excited about everything and the whole world was an open book.  Learning was everywhere!

So as my youngest is moving on to a new phase, I wanted to share some of our favorite FREE resources from the early years.  These are some of our favorites from grades K-4th that were used with lots of living books and outdoor time.  Hope you enjoy!

Needs Vs. Wants Freebie for Grades K-1

Me & My Community for Grades K-1

Martin Luther King Jr. Trifold for Grades K-3

Martin Luther King Jr. Organizers for Grades K-2

Martin Luther King Jr. Mini Book for Grades K-2

All About Me Flip Book for Grades K-3

Benjamin Franklins Inventions for Grades PK-2

States of Matter Graphic Organizer for Grades 1-4

Bat Race Game for Grades 1-2

Fall Themed Proper/ Common Nouns for Grades K-2

St. Patrick's Day Reading Comprehension for Grades K-2

Life Cycle/ Butterfly and Frog for Grades K-2

Ladybug Life Cycle Spinner for Grades K-3

Kindergarten Science Doodles

Living/Non-Living Things Sort for Grades PK-K

Chicken Life Cycle Wheel for Grades PK-2

Zoo Scavenger Hunt for Grades PK-1

Pumpkin Themed Time Cards for Grades K-2

What are some of your favorite resources?

Weekend Links ll March 12, 2021

                                                           

 Free All About Gardening Printables

End Child Trafficking--How Everyday People Can Help

Ten Grown Up Nature Study Ideas

This Week:

What I'm Cooking:

We're tucking in close this week as we're had a good couple of days of rain.  We pulled in, made soup in the crockpot, and baked.  Between soup and zucchini muffins, I just can't decide.  :-)

What I'm Reading:

I finally got my hands on As the Tide Comes In by Cindy Woodsmall.  It's been out for a few years, but my library just got it in.  Woodsmall is my favorite Amish fiction writer, but this one reaches beyond the Amish genre.  She's paired up with her daughter in law in this novel and it's definitely got me hooked.

What I'm Loving:

We're loving the rain.  We had several days this week where we keep our homeschool lessons short and then just baked and played board games.  I'm loving these slower wintery days to just pull in and be together.

What I'm Doing:

This weekend, I'm working on next year's curriculum list.  We're moving into the fourth quarter and I'm just shocked how quickly this year's gone.  We're coming to the end of some of our curriculum and it's crazy to already be looking toward 2021-22.

What I'm Enjoying:

Zucchini muffins,

Hummingbirds in the yard,

Mad Libs,

"Peace" essential oils,

and dreaming!

What are you up to?

Relationship Goals Challenge {Review}

 

Drawing on the themes of his New York Times bestseller, Relationship Goals, Michael Todd leads his readers through a 30-day series of strengthening relationships.  Whether married, engaged, or simply in a serious relationship, these challenges are meant to push couples to a greater understanding of each other and God in their relationship.  Filled with daily Scripture and intentional questions, Relationship Goals Challenge leads readers through thoughts like:

• How can we communicate more clearly?
• How can our relationship grow us both as individuals?
• What does it mean to "fight well?"

and many more!

In a world that values individuality, a good marriage book is hard to find.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that Relationship Goals Challenge went beyond the surface level and provided some true insight.  Vulnerable and sincere, Todd's writing goes beyond your typical marriage advice.  These 5-10 min reads are meant to be followed with discussion time as a couple and the questions included certainly draw out some good conversation. This would be a good challenge to review every few years to keep marriages growing and strong.  If you're ready to invest in your marriage, the Relationship Goals Challenge would be a good place to start.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

The What's and Why's of the Morning Basket?

*This post was originally shared on 6/25/19.  Enjoy!

 For the past year or so, I've shared our family's morning basket here and on our Youtube channel.  Each month, I lay out the resources, books, activities that we are using to start our homeschool morning together and enhance our family's learning.  And over the months, I've been asked a handful of the same questions.  So I thought I'd take a few minutes to address some of those questions about the What's, Why's, and How To's of the morning basket?

*What is a morning basket?

A morning basket is a collection of resources to start your homeschool day with beauty and excitement.  In our family, it's a way of fanning the flame of curiosity for the lessons to come, and a way of reinforcing what we've studied previously.  It's often stored in a basket and thus labeled a morning basket.

*Does it have to be a basket?  Does it have to be in the morning?

No, to both.  We currently keep our morning basket items on a shelf in the living room.  But these items can be stored in a number of places: crates, shelves, baskets, desk area, etc.  We like to use our morning basket as a way of launching us into our school day.  But it can be used at any time of the day.  Some families use their at lunch and others at bedtime.  But really any time that works for your family, works for your morning basket. 

*What do you put in your morning basket?

Morning baskets vary from family to family, but often include several books, games, and some music.  Currently ours include: a book based on our history and science units, some poetry, a devotional, CC cards, Scripture memory box, and a read aloud chapter book.  Other ideas could be items related to music and art appreciation, math or language flashcards, logic books and games, other games, etc.

*How long does morning time last?

Our morning time runs about 30 min, but some families will linger together up to 1 hour.  You can make your time as long or as short as your and your children would like. 

*Do you cover all your topics each day?

Again it's what works for your family.  We rotate our history and science books based on our block scheduling, and sprinkle in music and art 1-2 days a week.  Daily we read from our devotional, chapter book, and poetry, as well as our memory work.

*How often do you change the items in your morning basket?

We rotate some of our subjects on a monthly basis, while others last a few months at a time.  Some families rotate on a seasonal basis or even by term.  My favorite morning basket to prepare is always our December basket with a focus on Christmas and some of the handicrafts and art work that are an added bonus to the season.

*Still have questions?

Feel free to search my Youtube channel for recommendations and resources.  Or leave a comment below and I'd be happy to help.

Do you use a morning basket in your homeschool?

A Delicious Taste of Mozzarella {Review}

In this volume of Little Stories of Great Composers, our guide, sweet little Minim mouse, introduces us to the works of Pyotr Tchaikovsky.  This delightful little mouse lets us know that he has two true loves in life: cheese and great music.  So when the children in his house start talking about Uncle Pyotr's visit, Minim is quickly interested.  It doesn't take him long to become enthralled with Uncle Pyotr as well once the composer plays for them.

This children's picture book is a great introduction to the world of classical music.  Our guide, Minim, is a sweet and lovable character with a funny personality.  He relates the story with quirky curiosity that many children would relate to.  The story is simple, but sweet, and the illustrations are beautiful.  The book also includes a code for downloading recordings of several of Tchaikovsky's compositions.  It's a wonderful way to have multiple resources in one place. A Delicious Taste of Mozzarella would make a fun book for children in the early years (up to age 8), or a fun introduction for composer study. 

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

 

Weekend Links

Baked Chicken Teriyaki Bowl

DIY Mason Jar Solar Lights

DIY Fruit and Vegetable Wash

Free Resources for Learning About

The Tuskegee Airmen

Taggie Tree Blanket

DIY Tin Craft Stars

Fabric Flower Tutorial

This Week:

What I'm Cooking:

My favorite meal this week was lasagna soup.  With tomatoes, beef broth, burger, and onions, this is one of my favorite soups to prep for the crockpot and forget it.  I love crockpot night during homeschool.

What I'm Reading:

I discovered that Adventuring Together is free on Amazon Prime.  This one has been on my "to read" list for quite awhile so I was excited to dive in, despite being in the middle of several other titles.  So far, it's been a pretty quick read, but very encouraging.

What I'm Loving:

Wednesday afternoon baking with my 13 and 9 year olds.  We've been picking a new item to try every Wednesday and it's been fun for all of us.

What I'm Doing:

This weekend we're spending some time getting the yard in shape...

pruning roses,

trimming hedges,

and freshening up raised beds.

What I'm Enjoying:

Good books,

Board games, 

Baking,

Evening fires,

Family bike rides!

What are you up to?

Relationship Goals Challenge {Review}

 

If you could intentionally invest in your relationship for thirty days and see it go from good to great, would you do it?  Seriously, would you take one month to really go all in with your romantic relationship to see it thrive?

Based on the best selling book of a similar name, this Relationship Goals Challenge asks you to do just that... take 30 days of intentional steps toward a better relationship.  Each day is centered around Scripture, thoughtful questions, and intentional steps toward seeking God's best for you as a couple.  Relationship Goals Challenge tackles questions like:

*How does your spiritual life affect your relationship?

*How do you fight in a healthy way?

*How do you heal from unhealthy patterns?

*How do you communicate effectively?

Centered {Review}

Former NFL lineman Jason Brown quickly turned heads when in 2012 he walked away from his career to become a farmer... yes, a farmer!  Then twenty-seven year old Brown seemed to have it all... a beautiful wife, a young family, and a contract with the Baltimore Ravens that provided a lavish lifestyle.  

But Brown says it was all an illusion as he found himself drifting further and further from the truth.  Until one day he heard the Lord and decided to walk away.  Hesitant to tell his wife, but desperate to save their future, he finally confesses what he's heard and the two embark on the crazy adventure of starting a farm to feed the hungry.  And not just feed the hungry, but donate everything they raise to North Carolina food banks.  

This is an honest account of Brown's growing up years, his commitment to Christ, and his conviction to risk it all when he hears from the Lord.  Not only is it Brown's story, but it is his testimony... a legacy of vision, humility, and faith.  He admits that through a series of financial misfortunes, he and his wife still struggle to keep the farm afloat, but even in their most challenging moments, they fix their eyes on the Lord and wait for his working.  Centered takes the reader not only through the timeline of the Browns story, but often times Jason Brown's voice is heard clearly... recounting the many miracles he's experienced through both the best and worst moments of this journey.  He can't seem to help himself as he moves in and out of sharing how great God is in both his life and the world.  His resounding theme seems to be "God is sooo good."

This book was honestly more than I expected.  I went into it thinking it would be focused on how football was his life... how this was a 180 from where he was headed... and in someways, I suppose that's all still true.  But Centered is more than that.  It's the story of a man who was willing to "walk away from it all" only to find that he was walking into the most precious gift from the giver of good things.  Challenging, heartwarming, and convicting... all rolled into one.  If you have a sports lover in your life... or are just curious why someone would walk away from a lucrative career in the NFL, this book just might be what you're looking for.

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

 

Teaching Bible Memorization to Children

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 Today I'm sharing how we memorize Scripture with our children. We use this process in about 5 min a day and it's been a huge blessing in our family.

Do you have a process of memorization with your children? Join The Creative2xmom Family on their journey of being a family of 5! 💑19yrs led to 👱15 yrs, 👧13 yrs, and 👱 9 yrs. Contact us for business inquiries, reviews and collaborations: BethAnn_97@hotmail.com Teaching Poetry Memorization to Children: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHDxf6w6ahQ C O N N E C T subscribe at http://www.youtube.com/creative2xmom read at http://www.creative2xmom.blogspot.com like me on http://www.facebook.com/creative2xmom follow me on https://www.instagram.com/creative2xmom/ https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/52903?ref=nav_mybooks FTC Disclosure: This video is not sponsored. *This video is not intended for audiences under 13 years.