Tag: Christmas

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Christmas Gift Giving: NO Toys! Buy Them Hours of Creative Fun.

Don’t buy your kids toys, buy them hours of fun.

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Whether you are looking for Christmas gift giving or making a special kid in your life happy, think in HOURS not items. By this I mean you should look at the time your child will play with an item as you evaluate whether or not to buy it.

Continue reading “Christmas Gift Giving: NO Toys! Buy Them Hours of Creative Fun.”

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Homeschooling and Christmas Tips

Have you said, "No more!" to helping at Christmas time at your church because you are weary? You are building a legacy.
Do you feel like you have realistic expectations for December and the holidays? Here’s some Christmas tips for you!
I have often found myself worrying and anxious with mom-guilt: Am I doing enough? Will this be a good Christmas? What else should I be doing? Is baking 60 dozen cookies for the neighbors enough?!?
Picture of green and red decorated Christmas cookies
I was helping with the church Christmas play one year (which went well) but my home life was another story. I felt like a nervous wreck!
So how are you doing? I find that I have had the best holidays by following these rules for myself:
  • Keep quiet and let others talk!
  • Make sure you compliment the efforts that others have made to make the holiday special whether they traveled to get to the dinner, cooked the dinner, or contributed in some other way.
  • Do your share in helping to keep any children entertained. Moms with young children will certainly appreciate having the help: reading to children, playing with blocks, holding a baby, or even changing a diaper. Older moms will love it as well: play cards or chess, listen to the children talk about their school, projects, dance class, siblings or babysitting. Teens will want to talk about their accomplishments, hobbies and dreams, too. Most people are glad to share themselves with someone who loves and cares about them.
  • Don’t expect that people will voice their appreciation of YOU or compliment YOU.
  • Serve the needs of others.
  • Not everything will go well. Don’t have unrealistic expectations- there will be spills, someone will be late, someone may be rude, something may not taste exactly right.
  • If something doesn’t go right, move on. Don’t dwell on it.
  • Ask permission before offering opinions and advice. “I have some ideas about that. Would you be interested in hearing it?”
Be thankful for who you are with and the blessings of God has showered upon you this past year. We keep a “Blessing Book.” We have found that remembering God’s blessings at the end of every day keeps us grounded in the truth and reality of God’s care for us.
We recommend that YOU keep a blessing book too. Our goal is to write down 3 blessings per day. Some days there are lots more blessings to record!
Concentrate on the positive. I took a challenge to write down 50 Things That Make Me Happy. I thought it might be difficult but once I got started, it wasn’t! Will you take up the challenge? This might be a fun group activity to do with family this Christmas.
Bonus and MUST READ article for this year: Don’t Buy Your Children Toys This Christmas! This article talks about buying your children hours of fun instead of the usual toys. Great ideas!
Homeschool Christian Mom Elizabeth Estelle is ready to help you!

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