January Read Aloud

Thought provoking, rich vocabulary, subtle foreshadowing, good triumphing over evil...

The Night Gardener, by Jonathan Auxier, proved to be captivating and entertaining.  Both myself and the children were spellbound by the story.

Encourage, Enjoy, Engage

My words for 2017

ENCOURAGE

ENJOY

ENGAGE

I love encouraging other moms on this homeschooling/unschooling journey.  Seeing moms connect with their children on new levels brings joy to my heart.  Enjoying and engaging with the passions inside a child's heart creates a loving atmosphere so many homes and families are missing out on today.  

Please let me know if you are curious how homeschooling and unschooling could work for you. 

Birthday Celebrations

As always, I believe learning takes place all day in every way and when engaged you learn best.   Birthdays are no exception.  

Interestingly, both our children were born in January.  The oldest at the beginning and the youngest at the end of the month.  As a gift for her brother, GM offered to bake his dream birthday cake.  She is somewhat famous among family and friends for her yummy, homemade chocolate cake, so of course that is what he requested.  Not only was the homemade chocolate cake named, but a round layered cake with two different frosting flavors, cream cheese and chocolate. Without a hesitation GM set to the task on the morning of bubba's birthday.  

Creating such a cake from scratch would set many grown women into anxiety.  Yet not GM.  She bakes on a weekly basis and has since she could stand on a stool in the kitchen with me.  At 8 years old, she tweaks and changes recipes to fit her desired outcome.  On occasion, she completely creates her own recipe.  

You may think this is because her mother is a baker, but this is incorrect.  While I enjoy baking, GM's skills are of another level.  Watching baking shows, pouring over cookbooks, and perusing Pinterest, she is able to enhance her understanding and skills in baking desserts.  

Do I expect her to become a famous baker?  

Maybe, but at this point I am confident she knows how ingredients work together, understands fractions and measurements, as well as the enjoys the gift of blessing others with her treats.