Merry Christmas 2023

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From our homeschool to yours, Merry Christmas for 2023! May your wishes come true this holiday season and throughout the rest of the school year!

Merry Christmas

We are staying home for Christmas, enjoying each other, Santa’s gifts, lots of yummy food and maybe a cup of hot cocoa (or two). The day after Christmas we have friends and family over for a festive lunch. Continue reading »


Week 3 – Done

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“Have you gotten into a rhythm yet with the new school year?” a dear friend asked me. “Yes and no,” I replied. Every week, we have had some kind of project or reason to not go full blast every single day. However, I feel like we are definitely into a school rhythm.

F-250 pulls trailer

Leaving our home to go camping; the roof top tent opens atop the trailer

Week 3 – no exception. We had to prepare for a camping trip, so Friday’s lessons got cut short. Also this week, my daughter and I got to spend some time with the middle schoolers from our co-op, in the National Park, while enjoying a back-to-school picnic and multiple games. Continue reading »


Merry Christmas 2022

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I hope you had a merry Christmas; #merryandbright, as they say in our social media world. We stayed home and enjoyed wrapping gifts for our children on Christmas Eve. When it is -2 F (-16.7 C) outside, you do not feel like going anywhere.

Teens building LEGO kits

Our children building their respective LEGO kits

Now that they are older, our teens give us a list of wishes. One of the wishes is that we also give them something they do not expect or know about. They like to be surprised. Continue reading »


Christmas Program

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If your children take music lessons, at least twice a year they have recitals, programs, and concerts. Typically, in December and in May. The pandemic messed up that routine, of course. We have had to do Zoom recitals at home and skip going to nursing homes. But we kept on going with our lessons and did our best to monitor the progress of our children.

Strings

Playing in church with friends motivates children to practice.

One week before Christmas this year, the kids played violin to accompany our church’s choir for the beautiful “How Great Our Joy” by Craig Courtney. What a piece! Such a refreshing sound from the usual round of Christmas carols. It was only one piece, but a new experience to give them a taste of what it is like to accompany a choir. They enjoyed it and said they would like to do it again if called upon. Continue reading »


Christmas Break 2019

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Last week, we dashed about with Christmas preparations and I imagine you all did the same. We receive so many emails over the Christmas season, I figured you would not miss one more, from this blog.

Mother and Daughter in matching dresses

Twinning with my daughter is always fun.

We had family in town for a few days before Christmas, then they left. When Christmas came, we celebrated quietly, with our family of five: me, my husband, our son, daughter, and cat. Can’t forget the cat!

One of the reasons we homeschool is because we are home buddies. We do not seek to be with crowds. Nothing wrong with crowds. If that’s what you like for a celebration, go for it.

Mother and son playing nerf guns

My son and I playing with nerf guns. He usually wins, but I won this time.

New Year’s Eve will also be a quiet affair for us. We do not usually stay up until midnight. One year, I think the kids wanted to stay up just to see the ball drop live in New York City, but they fell asleep by 11:30pm. Ha! Ha! Ha!

This friend of ours told us that, around 5-6pm, their family watches celebrations on YouTube from Europe or the Middle East – it’s midnight over there. Then, they go to bed at their regular time. Isn’t that a great idea?

As far as this break, we are taking it easy with everything. Still, we need to prepare a bit for Science Olympiad and Spelling Bee, which are coming up in January. We also need to touch the piano and violin now and then. But yes, a relaxed break is being had by all, including this mama.


The Nutcracker Ballet

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For the past five years, we have been attending The Nutcracker Ballet by the Appalachian Ballet Company. The shows always take place at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium.

Mom and children at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium

With my children at The Nutcracker in 2017

It is fun to establish Christmas traditions and then, as the years go by, compare pictures, especially when children are involved. Seeing their growth, one gets a sense of the passing of time. It’s shocking sometimes to compare “then” and “now” pictures and see just how much they have grown. Continue reading »