The Tale of Three Trees: a Traditional Folktale

Last year during Advent, we came across a book that told a beautiful story about three trees. This book is usually read during Easter time but we enjoyed reading it during the Holiday season leading to Christmas day.The Tale of Three Trees: a Traditional Folktale by Angela Elwell Hunt, illustrated by Tim Jonke tells the story of three small trees stand living on a mountaintop. The three trees

Celebrating Las Posadas: family, food, books and crafts

In Mexico and many parts of Central America, people celebrate Las Posadas during the nine days before Christmas. It is a reenactment of the journey Joseph and Mary took to find shelter before the birth of their child.


At Christmas time, our city hosts a candlelit procession called "La posada" which means "the inns" or "the shelters" in Spanish. For many, it is a religious and social

Week in Review: Advent and Winter (weeks 14 - 15)

Dec. 6 to Dec. 17thOur weeks of homeschooling have been light this month as we celebrate Advent. We have not had any wintery weather to date but winter has not officially begun, so we’ll see. During the week of December 6th, we read books on Snowman but we also did family readings from our Bible. Our second Sunday of Advent was spent reading books on Advent and making advent crafts and ornaments

Decorating our tree with handmade ornaments

For years I have always wanted to put up our tree the day after Thanksgiving like some of my sisters and my mom do but that never happens in our home. My husband is from Indiana and his family always picked a tree in the woods and trimmed it on Christmas eve. My family growing up usually had ours up the first week in December.We compromised by agreeing to decorate our tree after my oldest son’s

Candy Cane Angels, Peppermint Ornaments and Books

Last Wednesday we decorated our tree. My husband grew up in Indiana and his family has a tradition of picking a tree in the woods, cutting it down and trimming the tree on Christmas Eve. I grew up here in Texas and my family would decorate the tree on the first week of December. We have learned to compromised over the years and begin decorating our tree between the 10th and 14th of December since

Books on Nativity and Nativity craft ornament

Pictured above our Nativity Cd ornamentThis Sunday marked the second Sunday of Advent. Last year was our first year celebrating the Advent as a family. I have to confess that in years past the focus was on the presents, That changed last year when decided to keep Christ in Christmas.It started last year when we read children’s books on the Nativity, I felt a strong desire to teach my children

Week in Review: Advent and Birthdays (week 13)

Nov. 28th to Dec. 4thThis week we did not do much in terms of homeschooling. We had two birthdays this week after Thanksgiving and began our celebration of Advent. During this month we are homeschooling on a lighter schedule to devote time to spend together as a family.On Sunday November 28, we celebrated our first Sunday of Advent. For hundreds of years, Christians have used an Advent wreath to

Cd Advent Wreath for our first Sunday of Advent

This Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent and the boys and I made together our of Advent Wreath from recycled materials. We are known for making recycled holiday crafts and this year is no exception. During Advent our family will be keeping CHRIST in Christmas and sharing the gift of Faith, Hope, Love, and Peace.Family ReadingWe read in our Doubleday Illustrated Children's Bible the story "Time

Celebrating Advent and what it means to us

This Sunday November 28 begins Advent. I look forward to celebrating this season with my children. It a season of waiting, expecting, and hoping. For hundreds of years, Christians have used an Advent wreath to inspire their hopes for the coming of Christ. By lighting candles and reading Bible verses, we are reminded about the meaning of Christ's birth and become more excited about his coming in

Week in Review for December 20 -25 (Advent)

This month we are homeschooling on a lighter schedule and focusing on the Advent. This week finished making our handmade gifts and ornaments. We had extended family over to visit and on Christmas Eve we went to see my parents. We celebrated Christmas at home.For our last week of Advent the boys were excited about Christmas. I was a bit nervous because sometime ago my husband lost his job and we

Christmas with Family

Pictured above my parents who have been married since 1954, a total of 55 years. My Dad is 78 years young and my Mom is 73 years young. We went to visit my parents home. While there, my older brother stopped by and it was a treat getting to see him and my parents. My older brother was kind enough to leave a gift for each of my sons for Christmas.We were so happy to see my Mom and Dad. My

Christmas Memories: "Our First Christmas 1999"

Christmas time holds a special meaning our in hearts. Christmas eve marks our anniversary as husband and wife since 1998, we had our first son in December the following year and we have spent many times together in the hospital during the Christmas time with our first son. I want to share with you our first Christmas together as a family because it means so much to me and my husband.Our First

Week in Review for December 13 - 19 (Advent)

Homeschooling Week 15This month we are homeschooling on a lighter schedule and focusing on the Advent. This week we put up our Christmas tree and made ornaments to hang. We had a visit from family and talked about the days of Christmas past.My mother gave us some ornaments as a gift and passed on some older ornaments that have been in the family. I received a used bread machine from a famiy

What my Child is Reading: December 13 - 19

This week we are reading books onHere are some of the boys' favorite picks this week:The Brightest Star by Alyssa Satin Capucilli.The Brightest Star board book tells the story of the Nativity. It begins with Mary and Joseph and tells of Mary's visit by an angel who tells her one day she will have a baby named Jesus. Readers follow Mary and Joseph's journey to the city of Bethlehem. Mary gives

The Legend of the Poinsettia and a Craft

The Legend of the Poinsettia retold and illustrated by Tomie de PaolaThis story is about a little girl named Lucida who lives with her parents, little brother and sister in a small village in Mexico. Her family and other villagers are preparing for Christmas. Each year the people in the village attend the procession at church to bring gifts to the Baby Jesus.After being asked by the church to

Candy Cane Angels and Candy Cane Books

On Monday evening we decorated our tree. My husband grew up with his family tradition of trimming the tree on Christmas Eve while my family would decorate the tree on the first of December. We compromised over the years and begin decorating our tree between the 10th and 14th of December since our oldest son and hubby's birthdays are on the first week of December and our wedding anniversary is on

Week in Review for December 6- 12 (Advent)

Homeschooling Week 14This month we are homeschooling on a lighter schedule and focusing on the Advent. My husband (of Irish descent) says some Irish begin celebrating the Christmas season on December 8th until January 6. Prior to that day, we cleaned the whole house which is another Irish custom referred as "whitewashing the house." It is viewed as purifying everything in honour of the coming of

What my Child is Reading: December 6-12

This week we readHere are some of the boys' favorite picks this week:B is for Bethlehem: A Christmas Alphabet board book by Isabel Wilner, illustrated by Elisa Kleven.A wonderful board book that introduces young children to the alphabet while telling the story of the First Christmas (the Nativity). It tells the story of Jesus' birth in graceful couplets such as: "L is L is for Lullaby Mary would

The Legend of the Candy Cane

Many years ago, a candymaker wanted to make a candy at Christmas time that would serve as a witness to his Christian faith. He wanted to incorporate several symbols for the birth, ministry and death of Jesus.He began with a stick of pure white hard candy; white to symbolize the Virgin Birth and the sinless nature of Jesus; hard to symbolize the solid rock, the foundation of the Church; firmness

What my Child is reading: December 1-5

Here are some of the boys' favorite picks this week:The Story of Christmas by Vivian French, illustrated by Jane Chapman. This board book tells the bible story of Mary and Joseph. It follows from the time Gabriel appeared to Mary, Joseph and Mary's journey to Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus. The colorful illustrations and simple text give explain to young children the story of Christ's birth.Our