December Morning Devotionals – Looking Beyond Christmas to Christ

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Tristan

Our morning devotional for December is planned around the idea that Christmas makes no sense without an understanding of Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. The birth of a baby is a wonderful gift but Jesus was not just a special baby. He was the Son of God who came to work miracles, Atone for our sins, die on the cross, and rise again breaking the bands of death. His life was so much more than a miraculous birth heralded by angels.

We can be forgiven because He loved us enough to pay the price of for our sins. We all sin. The punishment for sin is death, separation from God. Misery, captivity, and hopelessness. Jesus came to set the captive sinner free. What a precious gift!

We will one day live again, eternal spirits housed in perfected bodies because of Jesus. As the mother to a physically handicapped child that truth has rooted deep in my soul. I rejoice at Christmas because it is the beginning of hope. The start of a celebration of the life, death, and resurrection of my Savior, Jesus Christ. This priceless gift begins with the birth of the Christ child.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland says it so well, “I testify of the holy Resurrection, that unspeakable cornerstone gift in the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ! With the Apostle Paul, I testify that that which was sown in corruption will one day be raised in incorruption and that which was sown in weakness will ultimately be raised in power. I bear witness of that day when loved ones whom we knew to have disabilities in mortality will stand before us glorified and grand, breathtakingly perfect in body and mind. What a thrilling moment that will be! I do not know whether we will be happier for ourselves that we have witnessed such a miracle or happier for them that they are fully perfect and finally “free at last.”” 1

It is from this perspective that we planned our December devotionals. We will spend December studying the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as a family. Our children are familiar with the stories, having heard them many times. For this month we will watch The Life of Jesus Christ Bible Videos free online. Each day we will choose a few to view and discuss. We will ask questions, read scriptures, sing hymns, and keep before our eyes the life, not just the birth, of the Christ child.

What will you be doing this Christmas season to draw closer to Christ as a family? How will you celebrate the gifts that began with the birth of one precious, only begotten Son of God?

December Homeschool Plans

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Tristan

How did we get to December already? The homeschool year is flying by and January 1st marks the halfway point in the year for us. Life has been really busy with my eighth newborn, brain surgery for Mason, plastic surgery for Mason that has failed and reopened, and several more surgeries on the horizon. Add in everyday life in a growing family of ten and we’re so grateful we homeschool!

Homeschooling has given us the freedom to do school on our terms – our schedule, our interests, our learning style. We have laid out plans for December and I decided to share them. Here you go!

7th Grader – Makayla

Scripture Study – She has made it into Alma in The Book of Mormon. She will just keep reading and studying.
Math – Keep trucking along in Math U See Zeta. She will finish this level in January and is continuing to do well grasping the new concepts presented.
Apologia General Science – She begins Module 5 this week and has found her stride in her first major textbook course.
Writing – This is the year of the writer and she is still happily scribbling away each day, living like a real writer who sets her own pace and projects.
History – Makayla finished the booklist for semester one and now she’s taking some time to do an American history survey with Netflix. Seriously! She’s working through shows like Dear America for December.
Art and Music - Drawing continues and you can see a difference in her work from a few months ago to that of today. Piano lessons continue and she loves playing.

3rd Grader – Joseph

Scripture Study – Joseph is in unit 4 of Discover the Book of Mormon and enjoys it. He’s learning about Alma’s ministry as well.
Math – He started lesson 14 of Math U See Gamma today and lesson 15 is the halfway mark in the book. Multiplication is going pretty well and he’s working with 6′s right now.
Science – Still learning about animal classification with Daddy and his siblings. This week they began Mammals.
Writing – He’ll be writing for a newspaper this month which goes along with our history studies for Dec.
History – Joseph and his younger siblings are diving into the American Revolution this month. We’re using several resources but decided a fun spine is the Liberty’s Kids series on DVD. This 40 episode cartoon is jam packed with facts in an engaging story. Even better, the entire set is on sale on Amazon for $5.99 right now. Love it! There is a large website of resources to go along that includes information on many of the people, places, and events of the Revolution, a place to write a newspaper, and even small scale plays to reenact some of the history.
Art and Music – We will continue our Monday art lessons as a family and music this month is part of our devotional time.

2nd Grader – Emma

Scripture Study - Emma is in unit 3 of Discover the Book of Mormon and studying the missionary journeys.
Math – She started lesson 13 of Math U See Gamma today and lesson 15 is the halfway mark in the book. Multiplication is going pretty well and she’s working with 6′s right now.
Science – Still learning about animal classification with Daddy and her siblings. This week they began Mammals.
Writing – She’ll be writing for a newspaper this month which goes along with our history studies for Dec.
History – American Revolution as described for the 3rd grader.
Art and Music – We will continue our Monday art lessons as a family and music this month is part of our devotional time.

Kindergartener – Daniel

Scripture Study – Daniel finished the Book of Mormon Stories reader today and will begin Old Testament Stories tomorrow.
Math – He finished MUS Primer and so we’re trying to find a good place for him to work in Math U See Alpha. He really knows a lot of it and has been testing out of chapters. We’re up to lesson 9 and he can probably test out of most of the book. Math is one of his easy areas. I let him lead. I think I will try to begin Life of Fred Apples with Daniel in January.
Science – He does animal classification with the others.
Writing – Daniel has been focusing on copywork. For December we’re doing something different. I want to let him do some oral narration that I will transcribe for the newspaper. He will have to do copywork at least once a week from his oral narrations.
History – American Revolution with the older kids.
Art and Music – with the older kids too.

My Four Little Boys – Oliver, Caleb, Mason, and Samuel

These guys participate in morning devotional and then have some activities available if they want them. Oliver is four and has been enjoying color by numbers and letter of the week type activities so I will keep some printed for days he wants them. We have many learning toys, games, and manipulatives as well as art supplies on hand. Caleb is three and into everything. This is one boy who needs positive direction or he will find mischief. I’ll be purposefully including him in some regular activity times for December. Mason is 1 and working on his wheelchair skills and coloring. I’ll be working with him on talking, hopefully adding a few new words to his vocabulary each week. Samuel is almost 5 months old and as the youngest he is working hard to roll over, chew on things, and watch his siblings.

I’ll share a post later this week about our December Morning Devotionals. For now I have some children wanting to play Yogarilla again!

What are your December learning plans??

Super Duper Publications – Frogs, Gorillas, and More!

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Tristan

Learning always goes better when you add an element of fun. The same is true of physical, speech, and occupational therapies. Super Duper Publications capitalizes on this principle of fun in their extensive product offerings, many of which make perfect gifts this holiday season. We were able to review several of their products in November. My children’s two favorite items were:

Hopping Frogs - This game has 420 cards divided into decks that focus on sounds children often have difficulty saying. Each card has a question whose answer requires a child to say a word with the focus sound. As a parent who did speech therapy for one of my children I love this game. Joseph had serious speech difficulties as a young child, requiring surgery and lots of speech therapy at home. Hopping Frogs would have been a fun way to practice each sound he was learning to articulate. The decks even offer the target sound in different positions in a word, because sometimes a child can pronounce it at the beginning but not in the middle or at the end of a word. Once a child answers a question they can hop a plastic frog to their own personal lily pad to play. With over 100 plastic frogs there has been a lot of hopping going on at my house!

Our other favorite was MagneTalk: Yogarilla. This game has children doing 15 yoga poses along with Otis the gorilla. A sheet is included for the caller to read each step of the pose, giving children practice listening, following directions, and moving their body to create trees, boats, bridges, and more. Magnetic tiles are moved from the edge of the board to the three center boxes and then children try the sequence of poses together.

I can’t count the number of times my children have asked to play Yogarilla. Truly, they love it! I love that it is a purposeful, active game that we can do through the winter to use up some of their energy. It doesn’t take a lot of space to do yoga!

Are you looking for a gift for the children in your life? Explore Super Duper Publications extensive product line and you may find a unique, fun item that is just right! Shipping is free for all orders over $20 to the US and Canada. Other items in our box included:

Turtle Talk - a Language Fluency game with questions for 6 levels of speech ability. From repeating to one word answers or even full sentences, this game grows with your child as their language ability increases.
Electronic Spinner – With sound and lights, this adds an element of fun to games. It also is perfect in my family for little ones who tend to put dice in their mouths. We pull out the electronic spinner and they simply push a button for their turn, no dice needed!
Alone and other poems – Poetry is a wonderful way to help children develop phonological awareness, big words that simply mean children hear the different in sounds and word rhythms and patterns. This book is sweet and perfect for beginning listeners.

{Disclaimer: We received these products free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions presented herein are ours.}

One Extra Day – Lilla Rose Black Friday Sale Extended

Posted on November 30, 2013 by Tristan

The Lilla Rose servers have been so overwhelmed by orders in the last two days that I know many of you may not have been able to place your orders yet. Because we want you to have plenty of time and opportunity to shop my Lilla Rose Black Friday sale has been extended one more day! It now ends at midnight Pacific time zone on December 1st. You have all day tomorrow to get your orders in!

Not sure what size you need even after you’ve watched the sizing video? Contact me! You can leave a comment on this post, email me, or use the Contact Your Consultant tab at the top of my Lilla Rose website.

Here is a quick guide to sizing that I found helpful when I first discovered Lilla Rose products.

Put your hand around your ponytail and squeeze. If the amount you’re holding resembles a:

DIME, you’re a MINI
NICKEL, you’re an EXTRA SMALL
QUARTER, you’re a SMALL
50 CENT PIECE, you’re a MEDIUM

That’s for a ponytail or tails up. A half-up would be a smaller size, and a French twist would be larger. If you think you are in between go smaller for a tighter, more secure fit.

A wonderful thing about Lilla Rose is they are happy to exchange for a different size if you decide you need one! No receipt needed, just send them a quick email and they will send you prepaid shipping envelopes.

I got my order in and can’t wait to wrap a few up as gifts. Shh! Don’t tell my girls! Who do you know that would love some Lilla Rose hair jewelry?

My Lilla Rose Black Friday Sale Begins NOW

Posted on November 29, 2013 by Tristan

My Lilla Rose Black Friday Sale begins NOW and I want you to have all the details. I’m an Independent Lilla Rose Consultant and for the next two days you’ll discover great savings in my store.

20% off ALL items in stock
25%-50% off select items
FREE shipping on orders over $50

Lilla Rose offers a range of beautiful hair products that work with all hair types. With a wide range of design motifs you can satisfy your inner fashionista or that of the ladies and girls in your life. Each month Lilla Rose releases new, limited supply designs. For example, here are the Flexi of the Month designs released this year:

These always sell out quickly and then they’re gone. Lilla Rose is bringing a limited supply from this year’s special designs back just for this Black Friday sale so if you want any of these now is the time to snag them! My daughters have already told me their favorites in a not-so-subtle hint for Christmas gifts.

Be sure to shop through my store and let me know if you have any questions.
I’ll be checking in all day to help you out!

Black Friday from Home – My Online Shopping Plan

Posted on November 27, 2013 by Tristan

I rarely go out into the Black Friday crowds these days. You can find me happily shopping online from the comfort of my home, with hot chocolate in hand and pajamas on. There are many good and even great sales online this weekend. Would you like to know a few of my online shopping stops for Black Friday?

I do a lot of our Christmas shopping right on Amazon and have for years. They carry so many items on my children’s wishlists. As a matter of fact the items in the carousel above are from this year’s wishlish. While we are pretty low-budget this year a few of these items will make it into my shopping cart for sure on Black Friday!

Did you know you can buy essentials like diapers on Amazon? This is what we do! With several children in diapers it is so convenient to have them delivered right to my doorstep! I’m an Amazon affiliate, anything you purchase after clicking through my links earns me a small credit. You can click on a toy link and end up purchasing a Kindle, a book, or even diapers and I get a credit. Thank you!

My own Lilla Rose store. Shhh! Don’t tell my girls but I’ll be shopping for Flexi Clips, Hair Sticks, and more this weekend. I’m an Independent Lilla Rose Consultant because we love and use their products almost daily. You may want to start browsing now because I’ll have a very special announcement posting at 3am Eastern on Black Friday. <hint! hint!> You may want to go ahead and set up an account with me, watch sizing videos, or even ask me a few questions about the wonderful Lilla Rose products.

JoAnn Fabric and Craft is another stop on my list. I know the stores have great sales but you can shop online too. Makayla has mentioned needing a sewing basket as her supplies are currently in a backpack. I’ve also got my eye on sewing machines. With two daughters who sew and a few sons who want to learn how to sew costumes it would be nice to have a second machine. I’ll compare their sales with sewing machine prices on Amazon to see if anyone has a great deal within my budget.

Where do you do your holiday gift shopping? Are you having a handmade Christmas this year? I love years when I have time to craft things for my loved ones too. This year it just isn’t going to happen at my house though!

Psst…..Don’t forget to stop by for my Lilla Rose special announcement on Black Friday!

When Calls the Heart – DVD Review

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Tristan

Have you ever heard of Michael Landon Jr. or Janette Oke? One makes movies and the other writes books. When you bring these two together what you get is a wonderful Christian film titled When Calls the Heart, inspired by one of Janette’s bestselling series. I was excited to watch this movie and planned to share it with my 12 year old daughter for some good, clean fun.

The film follows Elizabeth Thatcher, a high society daughter turned prairie teacher, as she makes the decision to leave home and go teach in the Canadian West. One of the integral factors in her decision is finding her aunt’s diary of a similar leap of faith into teaching. The film brings both women’s stories to life. In 89 minutes we laughed, cried, swooned, and had a wonderful mother daughter evening.

The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, leaving you waiting to know what happens next. My daughter’s response, “That’s not fair! Where are the books mom?” warmed my heart. She and I are both planning to read (or reread in my case) Janette Oke’s The Canadian West series. However I had news that made my daughter’s day a little brighter! When Calls the Heart is just the beginning because in January 2014 a television series picks up where the film leaves off.

When Calls the Heart was a sweet, funny movie. My daughter and I both highly recommend it! You can find it at WalMart or online at ChristianBook.com.

Want to know more? Check out this trailer for the DVD:

A note about the film: It is different than the book series because it focuses on Elizabeth Thatcher, the niece of the main character in the book series. You see portions of each woman’s story come to life throughout the film.

{Disclaimer: I received this DVD free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions presented herein are my own.}

Family Time, Surgery Setbacks, and some Winter Pretties

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Tristan

Did you notice the blog has been a little quiet? Well my house certainly has not been! Family is in for Thanksgiving week and the twelve cousins are soaking up every minute of it. It’s loud, it’s busy, and it makes my heart happy.

Also keeping us busy is Mason. He had surgery on Wednesday and has had major setbacks. It’s hard to know that what we hoped would help has only made things worse. You can read more about that here.

With a full day of family time ahead I just wanted to share a note that the December Flexi of the Month has been released early! Isn’t is beautiful? Be sure to grab one quickly if you want it because the monthly flexi usually sells out early in the month and when it’s gone, it’s gone!

In My Homeschool: Sharing What Works – Week 4

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Tristan

~~Right this minute I am at the hospital with Mason, who had surgery #10 yesterday.~~ Nevermind! Mason got sent home right after surgery. Read the details here. No, I’m not blogging, I’m snuggling my little man. This post was written and scheduled on Monday. I’m glad I remembered because I really love reading your entries, be sure to link up! So what is working for us?

There are several different things I mean by that, so let me expound just a bit.

The flexibility of homeschooling allows me to start math over with a child who needed a new approach. Being able to find a curriculum that fits her learning style and start over in 3rd grade when we needed to was essential. We also are able to go slow and steady year round instead of having a summer break where she would lose several months of math knowledge from lack of practice. She is now in 7th grade and while she doesn’t love math, she understands it.

The flexibility of homeschooling allows me to help my later reader ease his way into chapter books on his timetable. We’re not stuck with assigned books that are too hard or too boring. He wasn’t labeled by his teacher and put in remedial groups just because he is smart in ways other than reading.

The flexibility of homeschooling allows me to let my gifted child soar. When he taught himself to read at age 3 I knew I was in for a wild ride. This son soaks up the written word, math, and anything else with ease. Instead of being bored because he is stuck with kindergarten work he is able to learn on his level, no matter how advanced that is. It also frees us from the pressure to push our gifted child to achieve. He keeps his own internal motivation and isn’t burned out.

The flexibility of homeschooling allows me to teach my children together and develop a family culture with shared memories of history stories, science experiments, and family projects. Multilevel teaching includes all my children and allows them to help one another and learn from one another. While I had to purposefully do preschool activities with my oldest child to teach her letters, numbers, colors, and shapes it is a different story for my younger children. They are surrounded by learning every day. There is always someone who wants to play a learning game with the current little ones.

The flexibility of homeschooling allows my family to set our own schedule. This has become essential when raising a child with major medical needs. Mason has had more doctors visits and surgeries than my other seven children combined. Homeschooling allows us to work around appointments and allows my other children to be involved with Mason’s day to day care and life. My children understand that learning happens anywhere we go and that they are responsible for learning, not a teacher or parent being responsible for the learning. When my other children are sick they can take time off school work and not get behind. The school work will be there for them when they feel better.

Now it’s YOUR turn! Share one thing that’s working in your homeschool right now. Simply write a post about it on your blog and enter your link using the blue ‘Add Your Link’ button below. Be sure to link your post’s specific URL, not the general URL for your blog. You are welcome to link back to this post or include the In My Homeschool button on your blog. {You’ll find the code for the button in the right sidebar.}

Don’t have time to write a post today? No problem! This linkup is open for a week. Write a post when it’s convenient for you and then add your link by next Wednesday. I can’t wait to read about what’s working for you!

I’m also linking up with Hip Homeschool Moms.

Two Christmas Reviews!

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Tristan

Way back in October I began to think seriously about Christmas. Okay, so October was not so long ago but that is when I found out I would be reviewing two wonderful things that are just right for Christmas. First, Christmas from Heaven: The True Story of the Berlin Candy Bomber, has graced my home. This picture book and DVD tells the story of how one man’s small idea to bless children was multiplied to bless thousands.

You see, Lt, Gail Halvorsen was flying much needed food supplies to post-WWII Berlin because the Soviet Union had blockaded land transportation. People were hungry and he was helping with the relief effort. One day he met some of the children and shared two sticks of gum. It was all he had and they were grateful even to smell the minty wrapper.

Lt. Halvorsen began dropping candy attached to little parachutes. First his and fellow airmen’s candy rations, then more as others learned of his efforts and donations poured in. A simple thing that became powerful.

I loved reading this book! It is a combination illustrated picture book and photo journal of the actual time. Even better, inside the book cover is a DVD with famed broadcast journalists Tom Brokaw bringing the story to life in a live performance with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Music and a story – who doesn’t love that?

The second item I received that has me in the Christmas spirit will be hanging on our Christmas tree this year. The Biblical Names of Christ Ornament set has 12 pewter stars, each with one name of Jesus. We will be adding a new star to our tree on each of the 12 days leading up to Christmas. We will use the scripture references for each name, found on the back of the box, as part of our family’s study of Jesus Christ’s life for December. Already my children are trying to get me to put our tree up early so we can start using these ornaments!

What are you reading and decorating with that will help bring the true spirit of Christmas to your family and home this year?

{Disclaimer: I received these items free in exchange for an honest review from Deseret Book. All opinions presented herein are my own.}

Our Busy Homeschool

Large Family Learning at Home