5 Days of Christmas Lists- 25 Simple and Creative Christmas Crafts

Have you ever walked into a craft store at this time of year? Oh. my. goodness. The combination of the luscious aromas, beautiful visual displays, and sale signs everywhere are enough to send even the least crafty of us into a frenzy. There’s something about Christmas that brings out our creative sides.

Being a homeschool parent is such a perk at Christmastime because not only do we benefit from educator’s discounts at most craft stores, but we also have the option of letting go of our formal curriculum to take advantage of the bounty of Christmas crafts beckoning to us on Pinterest.

Admit it. You’re addicted to Pinterest, too. 

5 Days of Christmas Lists- 25 Christmas Specials That Are Near and Dear to Our Heart

Today is already the third day of this series. Time flies when you’re having fun, right? As a quick recap of this week so far, on the first day I listed 25 of our favorite Christmas books. Yesterday I gave you 25 ideas for Christmas activities, and today I’m doing…drum roll, please…

Our 25 Favorite Christmas Specials and Movies

Okay, okay. You probably got that from the title right?

I love Christmas. I have always loved Christmas. One of my fondest memories of this time of year as a child was scouring the weekly TV guide for any and every Christmas special, circling them, and watching every. single. one- even changing channels back and forth if I had to. I was just nuts over them.

In fact, I even went so far as to record them on the VCR (Does anyone else remember Beta tapes? I’m dating myself…), and I would watch them year round. Used to drive my parents crazy. 

5 Days of Christmas Lists- Day 2- 25 Fun and Engaging Christmas Activities

I had so much fun yesterday writing about our favorite Christmas books, that I’m practically bursting at the seams with excitement for today’s post. As anyone familiar with me knows, I absolutely love all things homeschooling, so anytime I can find a way to integrate my favorite holiday in with some hands-on activities for my kids, you can bet I’m going to find a way to share it with you!

Since we homeschool year round, we are not technically homeschooling this month, as this is our 6 week break. However, I do count this month as “school” because we are so busy learning and creating through everything we do. 

5 Days of Christmas Lists- Day 1- 25 Must-Read Christmas Books

This is going to be an exciting week! For the next 5 days in a row, I’m going to be linking up with iHomeschoolNetwork.com and a slew of other iHN bloggers to bring you some amazing ideas and inspiration for the upcoming holidays.

Keep your eyes open this week for posts on:

Day 1- 25 Must-Read Christmas Books (That’s this post!)

Day 2- 25 Fun and Engaging Christmas Activities

Day 3- 25 Christmas Specials That Are Near and Dear to Our Hearts

Day 4- 25 Simple and Creative Christmas Crafts

Day 5- 25 Christmas Goodies to Make with Your Kids

Answering the Toughest Questions About God and the Bible- Review

Do you have some serious questions about God and the Bible that you don’t know whom to ask (or are afraid to)? Do you have loved ones who may be asking some things that you don’t feel equipped to answer?

Answering the Toughest Questions About God and the Bible, by Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz, just may be the answer to your prayers.

Concerned about the trend in society of young adults falling away from, or never finding, their faith, the authors decided to ask people in that particular generation to write down any questions they have about faith- anything. After collecting the results, they took the ten most common questions and collaborated to create a resource with clear and honest answers. Among the questions addressed are: 

50 Homeschool Supplies You Can Get for One Dollar

Homeschooling on a limited budget can be a tricky thing. Sure, the library and the internet are both great free resources, but it’s impossible to homeschool without a cache of supplies at your disposal. As a family of 12 living on one income, we usually only do any major school supply shopping twice a year, so the local dollar store has become our go-to place for those times we need to stock up but don’t have hundreds of dollars to do it.

Before I share with you the frugal deals we find there, I’m going to be honest and point out that there are some supplies that you should stay away from there because the quality just isn’t what it should be. There aren’t many, but I’m hoping to save you the trouble of purchasing these items there and regretting it later.  

The #1 Parenting Lie: Quality Over Quantity

This is the time of year when most of us look back on those things we are most thankful for- God, our spouses, our families, our children. Thinking about this recently has made me focus on a terrible untruth that has been circling as sage parenting advice for decades- quality over quantity.

According to these “words of wisdom”, the amount of time a parent spends with their child is not as important as the purposefulness of their being together. I’m all for families spending intentional time together. I think it’s wonderful. But…I think this advice is a little misguided and has maybe been taken just a bit too far. 

100 Reasons to Homeschool Your ADHD Child

I think it’s pretty safe to say that being the parent of a child with ADHD can be difficult at times. As the mother of a teenager with this disorder, there is but one thing we’ve done that I truly feel has made a difference in an otherwise volatile situation.

We made the decision to homeschool.

My son was not always homeschooled. He spent several years in public school- long enough to see that it was a terrible environment for him to be in. He was miserable; therefore, the entire family was miserable and trying to cope with an almost unbearable situation.

I don’t want to see other families like ours go through that. Public schools just aren’t cut out for kids outside “the norm,” and that’s okay. There is a better solution. 

Photographs from the Edge- Review

The beauty of God’s creation can be seen throughout the world in the variety of animals, habitats, and people groups to be found in abundance the world over. Photographer Art Wolfe, in collaboration with Rob Sheppard, has compiled an exquisite collection of the photos he’s captured in his travels throughout the globe in Photographs from the Edge- A Master Photographer’s Insights on Capturing an Extrordinary World. 

15 Homeschool Mistakes That Take the Spark Out of Learning

Are you homeschooling because you felt like sending your kids to school would take the spark out of learning? I completely agree with you because, to me, the harmful effects of compulsory schooling on children are obvious.

With that being said, it’s also crucial to point out that the same thing can happen in a homeschool setting, unless you are careful to avoid these: