Wednesday, December 31, 2025

What I Read and Our Homeschool Read Alouds ll December 2025

 What I Read:


Giving Your Words by Sally and Clay Clarkson

This book is AMAZING!  If you're looking for a more natural way to disciple your children, Giving Your Words is a treasure trove.  I have so many notes from this book.  This is a really great one for any season of parenting, whether new parents or parents of teens and young adults.


Christian Heroes: Jacob Decayer
by Janet and Geoff Being

Jacob Deshazer had no idea where his life was going to go when he joined the army.  But after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, there was no turning back.  When several problems arise with his plane, Deshazer is forced to parachute into Communist China and hope for the best.  Unfortunately, he finds himself as a POW and ends up spending 40 months in captivity.  Through grueling hardship, lack of medical care and nutrition, emotional torture, and days of hopelessness, Deshazer is finally exposed to the gospel which infuses him with the strength to go on.  Once released to go home, Jacob Deshazer finds himself with a heart for the Japanese people and later returns with his wife as missionaries.  This is a beautiful story of survival, hope, and forgiveness.


Made to Crave by Lysa Terkeurst

What if our food choices were about more than just fitting into a pair of skinny jeans?  What if it was really about dedicating our healthy to the glory of God?  These are the questions behind Terkeurst's Made to Crave book, as she explores the idea of food and how it relates to our relationship with God.  This was an interesting choice for me to pick up in December, when poor choices abound.  But I wanted to read it before January hit as a preemptive move.  It got me thinking about how we use food to numb out our emotions, just like many other drugs.  And how making good choices can actually require us to lean into God's strength and purposes in our lives.  This book goes well beyond the typical health and nutrition, inviting the reader to find a deeper motivation for weight loss.

Our Homeschool Read-Alouds:


The Light at Tern Rock by Julia L. Sauer

Ronnie and his Aunt Martha agree to take care of a lonely lighthouse while the keeper spends a few days with family.  But as Christmas looms, the keeper doesn't return, leaving Ronnie and Martha with a difficult decision: make the most of the holiday on Tern Rock or leave the lighthouse deserted?  This book is a quick read, but a strong lesson in forgiveness, understanding, and the true blessing of togetherness.


The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

This was a re-read for us.  I love reading this one at Christmas and it's definitely become a family tradition.  I can see myself reading this one at Christmas, even after the kids have graduated.


The Turning by Gloria Whelan

This is the fourth and final book in the Angel on the Square series that we started reading in October.  This book takes us up to the early 1990's, and the continued crumbling of the Soviet Union.  We've loved this series from start to finish and can't recommend it highly enough.

What are you reading?

Tuesday, December 30, 2025

Top Five Read Alouds of 2025

A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus

It's 1940, and William, Edmund, and Anna's grandmother has died.  Although the children are prepared financially, suitable guardians are in short supply, and the children are sent from London to live in the countryside.  Tossed from one home to another, the children remain close and always on the lookout for a real family.  But can they find such a place in the throws of WWII?

NeverMoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

Morrigan Crow is cursed.  A child born on Eventide, Morrigan is blamed for every small inconvenience... from hailstones to heart attacks.  On the eve of her 11th birthday, the day in which all Eventide children die, Morrigan is whisked away to NeverMoor by a remarkable benefactor, Jupiter North.  There she is trained to compete in the Wonderous Society trials, still trying to discover what makes her special.  Can she still in Nevermoor indefinitely and avoid the Eventide curse?  Or will she bring her cured nature with her and be driven out of the only safe place she's ever know?

The Cricket War by Tho Pham & Sandra McTavish

This book follows 12-year-old Tho Pham as he flees communism in 1980's Vietnam.  An unexpected journey involving pirates, a refugee camp, and eventually arriving in Canada, Tho learns about courage, resilience, and the true meaning of home.

Half-Magic (Tales of Magic series) by Edward Eager

Curious Jane reaches down and discovers a strange coin on the sidewalk.  Without thinking, she makes a wish and it comes true... but only in half.  What started out as a boring summer, soon turn into the summer of a lifetime for Jane and her siblings.  From one adventure to another, the group discovers the unexpected thrills, and consequences, of hasty wishes.  Witten with a funny and gentle style, the Tales of Magic series provide lots of laughs, escapades, and a true sense of family.

The Angel on the Square (Russian Saga series) by Gloria Whelan

Set during the fall of 1914, The Angel on the Square focuses on young Katya living in St. Petersburg.  Her mother is a lady in waiting to Empress Alexandra when the revolutionaries force the royal family out of the city.  All four books are set in Russia and cover the time period from WWI to the fall of Communism.  This series is an incredible look at one family's courage, hope, and will to survive.

Which one will you read first?

Monday, December 29, 2025

Top Ten Posts of 2025

As 2025 is coming to a close, I want to thank you for all your support and encouragement.  It means a lot to me that you take the time to read my thoughts and musings.  I thought I'd compile a list of the most-read posts from 2025.  As well as a few of my personal favorites.  :-) Maybe you missed a few of these when they were first published and would like to read them between the week of Christmas and New Years.  I pray that Creative2xmom continues to inspire you as much as you inspire me.  Enjoy!

#10--Pros and Cons of Dual Enrollment in High School






#7-- Ten Things We Don't Do In Our Homeschool

#6-- Twelfth Grade Homeschool Curriculum Picks ll 2025-26

#5-- Ten Cozy Autumn Homeschooling Ideas








And a few of my personal favorites:










January Homeschool Ideas and Fun Days

 *This post was originally published on 12/31/18.  Enjoy!

 Looking for ways to add some fun to your homeschool?  Here are just a few of the holidays and fun days you can celebrate this month:


January 1st--New Year's Day

Help your kids set goals for the new year with any of these goal charts:

Setting several overall goals
Specific steps for reaching 3 big goals
Goal setting punch card
Self Evaluation and Goal Setting tracker

January 5th--National Bird Day

Learn more about the birds in your area and add some bird watching to your nature study.

Resources for a Bird Themed Unit Study
Homemade Bird Feeders
Bird Nest Cookies
US State Birds Art Pack

January 7th--Old Rock Day

Find a flat rock, paint it with some inspirational artwork, and hide it for someone to find.

January 15th--National Hat Day

Craft a Hat for Poetry Tea Time
Complete a Hat Words Word Search
Research hats in a given time period

January 20th--Penguin Awareness Day

Read Mr. Popper's Penguins.
Complete a Unit Study with the book.
Do a Penguin Craft.
Roll and Draw a Penguin.

January 21st--Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Help your children write down their dreams.
Read Who was Martin Luther King Jr.
Break open a white and brown egg to show they are the same on the inside.

January 23rd--National Handwriting Day

Brush up o your cursive.
Learn a new bullet journal font.
Practice some calligraphy.

January 31st--Inspire Your Heart with Art Day

Study an artist in a given time period.
Take a pastel chalk art lesson
Create fingerprint art.
Practice with Art for Kids Hub on Youtube.


How are you celebrating in January?
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