Tag Archives: family fun

The Busy Mom’s Favorite Christmas Books 2016

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It’s here! The most wonderful time of the year … to read!  Reading together is a favorite activity in our family, and over the years, reading aloud has become a cherished part of our family’s Christmas tradition.  I’ve spent years scoping out books at yard sales and thrift stores looking for hidden treasures to read to the kids. I won’t lie to you—I’ve also purchased some books that were total losers, and they ended right back where I found them.  Ain’t nobody got time for that.

I had a great response to the list of favorite Thanksgiving books last month, so I’ve compiled a few of our favorite Christmas books too, in case you needed some inspiration as you start or continue to build your own family library.
Remember, these books can be found at the library, thrift stores, eBay and a host of other places. If you’re like me, and you want to build a family library, make some room in your budget to purchase at least one or two every year. Those books will create their own special memories for you and your kids in the years to come.

ChristmasBookFavorites

 

Coupla’ things before you see the list: I think moms need to be sneaky if they’re gonna teach their children to love to read. Sneaky moms put books everywhere.

Would you like your children to read more? You can put your Christmas books into a basket and simply put them in a cozy spot, complete with couch pillows and throw blankets. Don’t be surprised when you find the kids going back to those baskets over and over again.

Some ideas:
You could wrap each one, then pull out one each day to unwrap as you count down the days.  You could pick a few favorites that lend themselves to great crafts and make a special day out of each one—or— you could grab a few that specifically teach about some of the traditions in your home.  Keep it simple, busy mom!  (Remember: Your kids won’t miss what you don’t create an expectation for.)

And for the record:
I don’t do most of that stuff I just suggested. (sorry.)  I just put books in cozy places all over the house and when the opportunity arises, we read. Voila! Take the pressure off and enjoy this literature-rich season with your children— toddlers, tweens and even teens.  Here are just a few of our family faves. Merry Christmas! Continue reading The Busy Mom’s Favorite Christmas Books 2016 →

Schedule a Moment to Wonder

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Up until 75 years ago most Americans lived in close contact with nature on a daily basis. Far more of us lived in rural communities, farming and raising livestock. We spent our evenings outdoors watching the sunset, listening to crickets and marveling at fireflies. But today we’re tethered to our electronics morning, noon and night. And for most of us, our children are leading the way into the all-consuming world of digital living. For most Christians, Romans 1:18-32 is a familiar text. In the midst of a world that seems to be collapsing morally a little more each day we rush through verses 18-21 in our headlong dash to verses 22-32 which offer insight into what’s happening to our culture.

moment-wonder

But I want to draw your attention instead to verse 18-21. I want you read those verses several times, linger there for a moment and allow Paul’s words to sink in. He suggests that if we take the time to look around at God’s creation, we can’t help but see the Creator behind such magnificent beauty. If we take a look at pelicans and peacocks, elephants and eels, giraffes and gorillas our hearts have to pause in wonder. As we gaze up from a rural hillside at the myriad of stars overhead far from the light pollution of the city we can’t help but be amazed at God’s creation.

When Jane and I began homeschooling more than 35 years ago, she would often take the girls to the park or woods or to a nearby lake or stream for the day. They would read there, do their math, work on art, write poetry, develop their nature journal there and more. Set within the context of God’s creation the subject of His creativity and His plan for our lives was almost unavoidable.

Today with online learning, Chromebooks and Ipods, Ipads and Iphones, Google and cable television our children see almost exclusively what man has made–and often the very worst of what man has made at that. Rarely do they see what God has made.

I want to encourage you to get outside as often as possible. Dress warmly and go for a walk on a snowy day. Go to the beach or walk in the woods. Take family camping trips on the weekend or just go out in the backyard to do schoolwork. Perhaps no other emotion is more helpful for young minds than wonder. Let them be awed by an ant colony or a beehive or 10,000 acorns falling from a tree that may someday become mighty oaks. Let them watch birds or fish or butterflies and allow the awe and wonder to soak into their souls.

You’ll be amazed at how much learning goes on in that environment: science, Bible, history, art, poetry, literature and more. Linger in God’s magnificent creation at least once or twice each week and see how your homeschool experience begins to change. Watch as your children begin to grow spiritual eyes that can see the Creator who lurks behind the Creation.

“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made.” Romans 1:20a

Ask the Lord to open the eyes, mind and heart of your children and then let them soak in His creation. The results will amaze you.

See more articles from Jane Lambert on Nature Study and how to use the Five in a Row Nature Studies in your family.

What are YOUR Favorite Thanksgiving Traditions?

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Thanksgiving_Traditions

 

We love Thanksgiving at our house. Love.

To my family, Thanksgiving is simple—and wonderful. It’s

  • All the wonderful, warm fuzzy feelings of the holidays—without the stress of gift giving—WIN.
  • A chance to remember Thanksgivings from long ago  (otherwise known as children talking with grownups)
  • Food. (cray cray, I know)
  • Cousins (the more the merrier)
  • Neighbors (invites go out every year)
  • More food.
  • Movies
  • Games
  • Books
  • Slow cooked apple cider
  • Christmas music (starts on Thanksgiving evening)

Peanuts_ThanksgivingAnywho—the kids and I have put together a new eBook that’s brimming with time honored, family recipes from The Busy Mom writers, traditions, a Thanksgiving devotion from Firmly Planted Family, craft ideas, book suggestions, printables, templates for my favorite family tradition and more!

It’s almost done…

But before we finish it, we thought it would be fun to ask you, our readers, about your favorite Thanksgiving traditions.  Do you have a simple tradition that really makes Thanksgiving memorable?

 

Talk turkey and {simple} traditions with me—leave your comment below!
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10 Ideas For Celebrating Back To School!

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10 Ideas to Celebrate Back-To-School @thebusymom.com

 

Can you believe it is that time of year? Again? Here in East Tennessee kids are headed back to school the first full week of August! Yikes! What about you? Are you gearing up for another homeschool year? Kids getting ready to head back in your area also? I am one of those moms that loves to celebrate EVERYTHING! I love a reason for cupcakes or balloons. Don’t get me wrong, my simple celebrations aren’t always Pinterest-perfect, but celebrations don’t have to be! Adding one of these simple ideas sometime the week before school starts will help to create some positive, wonderful memories for your family as you start a new school year!

1. Snap a few special pictures. Use this list to make sure you don’t miss any special back-to-school moments. I love these sidewalk shots using chalk to write their grade level.

2. Bake a fun treat together. (Or one to take to your new teacher and classmates!) Try these adorable apple-cinnamon back-to-school cupcakes! And here are a few healthier options like fruit kabobs and apple sandwiches or these adorable cheese stick pencils!

3. Read a sweet book together. Here are a few back-to-school picture books to share with your kids: My Brave Year of Firsts by Jamie Lee Curtis, Chopsticks by Amy Rosenthal, Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate, How Do Dinosaurs Go To School? by Jane Yolen.

4. Have a good-bye to summer party. Have one last hooray! One last sleepover, one last visit to the water park, invite friends over, etc. Making it a “last time” possibly in the week before school starts could seem a bit sad, but I think it’s just making it more special and making memories. Focus on the positive.

5. Make a gift for the new teacher. Even if that teacher is YOU. I like gifts, don’t you? 🙂 What about a pencil vase/jar made out of crayons? This ruler crate/basket is adorable. This pencil wreath would be a perfect back-to-school gift for a new teacher! Or, if the teacher is you, a pedicure or gift card to Starbucks may be more to your liking!

6. Go back to school shopping. Even if you don’t leave your house to school, a new outfit or a new pack of crayons is always exciting!

7. Fill out an interview with each child, an “all about me” type questionnaire that makes a great keepsake. Here is a great printable interview already made for you. Scroll down on this post for another colorful interview printable.

8. Print a few lunchbox notes to encourage your kids throughout the year. You can always place these notes at their place at the table if you’re at home, or on their pillow! I think if I print some out ahead of time I might be more inclined to use them through the year. Here are a few printable notes you can give to your kids! And a few more for you to choose from.

9. Ask your kids for THEIR ideas! They may have a fun idea for your family to try out in the last days before you start your school year back up. Kids are often a lot more creative than we are.  My kids would likely say, “Let’s go to Dollywood one more time!” or “Let’s have ice cream for supper!”

10. Pray together. Pray for your students, their teachers, their friends, their school, our country. Pray that our families can be a light to the world in whatever school setting they attend.

Have a great school year, Busy Moms!! 

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Heidi St John Homeschooling Guide to Daylight

Family Fun at the Beach

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Summer is here and many families are spending time at the beach. I’m not a fan of the beach myself, but my boys are beach bums! Living in Florida means that it’s beach weather for most of the year, and I try to get my boys out as often as I can.  I had so much fun sharing things to do at the park with your kids that I thought I’d do a list for the beach.

Family Fun at the Beach

5 Things to do with your Family at the Beach

1. Nature walk: Yep can do this at the beach as well. Walk along the shore and the sand and look for animals.  Consider doing a morning walk, an afternoon walk and an evening walk and notice the difference in what you find. Or a high tide walk and a low tide walk! We usually find hermit crabs, small fish and seagulls on our walks. And every now and then we are blessed with a dolphin or manatee sighting.  Just be sure to watch out for jellyfish, they sting!  (Take pics of what you find if you can’t collect it, then identify it in a nature book when you’re back home!)

2. Collect sea shells: There are many different kinds of shells at the beach. Take some time to collect some as you hang out on the shore. You can start a collection, or use the shells to decorate by filling glass containers, scattering them on window sills or decorating picture frames.  You can also make charts and graphs of the different animals, sizes, colors and shapes of shells you collected.

3. Build a sand castle: Every year around summer time I take my boys to the dollar store to stock up on buckets and shovels for the beach.  We are not very skilled at sand castle construction, but we have a lot of fun trying. I learned that the trick to getting your castle to stand is to use wet sand. My boys have fun collecting buckets of sand that we pile in rows and columns to build our kingdom. We also use some of our sea shell collection as decorations.

4. Pick up trash: Sadly, the beach can be covered with litter. I like to take a few minutes before we head home to pick up any garbage that we see on the sand and near the water. Especially be on the lookout for those plastic soda rings those are very deadly for the sea animals.

5. Have fun! Get out there and splash in the water with your children. The waves can be a ton of fun. My boys like to be thrown into the big waves when we are at the beach. I can’t pick them up anymore, but I can gently push them into the water.  Be willing to do something you might not enjoy for the sake of making a memory with your children. It’s worth it!

BONUS: Many of us like to gather books to read before we go to the beach, so you’ll be familiar with what you see while you’re there.  Here are some of our favorites:

Those are just a few ideas of ways to have fun with your family at the beach. We usually spend an entire afternoon/late evening in the sun. I pack lunch/dinner, snacks and lots of water.

What are some of your favorite things to do at the beach?

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Heidi St John Guide to Daylight

A great list of ways to have fun with your family at the park | TheBusyMom.com

10 Things to Do At the Park

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One of my favorite places to hang out with my boys is the park. Living in Florida means that it’s usually warm enough to go outside all the time.  While the playground equipment provides a lot of fun for my boys, I have found that there are many other things to do at the park that are just as fun {and sometimes educational}.

A great list of ways to have fun with your family at the park | TheBusyMom.com

10 Things to Do with Your Kids at the Park

1. Have a picnic: On a really nice day pack up lunch and head to the park.  I have an old comforter in my trunk that we use for our picnics at the park. One days when we just need to get out and get some fresh air a picnic can be just what we need.

2. Read a book: This one goes well with #1. When we have a picnic at the park I always take something to read. I will read to my boys while they eat their lunches. Sometimes it’s something for school (a history book) and sometimes it’s whatever read aloud we are working on.  I also take something to read by myself while my boys play.

3. Take a nature walk: My boys love to explore and this year we are taking more time for nature walks.  When we are at a park I try to take a 10-15 minutes when we first get there or right before we leave to go on a nature walk.  We walk around the park and observe nature. We look for plants and animals. One year we visited the same park every week and we got to watch as ducklings hatched and grew. My boys also found a tadpole pond and we were able to watch the transformation from tadpole to frog.

4. Art: My boys love to paint and create and make messes. The park is a great place for this because there’s no mess in your house to clean up.   My boys love watercolors and chalk pastels so these are usually what we take with us to the park. They get to draw or paint things that they see at the park or whatever pops into their heads.  This can also be a great tie in with nature walks. Sometimes my boys will draw something that we found on our walk.

5.  Fly a kite: My boys love to fly kites! Sadly I take after Charlie Brown when it comes to kite flying. But the park is a great place for kite flying. There’s lots of open space and grass to run. And if you need some help there’s usually someone there to help you out.

6. Target practice: My boys love to shoot things. We have cap guns, swords, nerf guns and archery sets everywhere. There really isn’t much room in our tiny apartment for my boys to really have fun with these toys so from time to time we take our armory to the playground.

7. Games: Re-live your childhood by playing some of your favorite games  (hide-n-seek, red rover, tag,  etc).  My boys love to play hide and seek at the park because there are so many places to hide. If you have a big group of people red rover can be a lot of fun. My boys are always asking me for new games to play with kids at the park.

8.  Ball Game: Grab those soccer balls, footballs and baseballs when you head to the park.  Take advantage of the extra space to run and play and the extra kids to add to the fun!

9.  Climb Trees: My boys love to climb trees. Every time that we go to a new park they run around looking for trees to climb.  I love watching them climb like monkeys. Our favorite park has many trees and I love watching as my boys get older and are able to climb more trees.

10. Have fun: Get out there and play with your kids! My boys love it when I slide and climb and run around with them at the park.

What are some of your favorite things to do at the park?

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Heidi St John Guide to Daylight