While my husband and I didn’t start out with a mission statement, it developed over time. We strove to do an exceptional job in educating our children but our goal became more than merely raising smart kids who knew the Bible. Continue reading “Blueprint for Biblical Homeschooling Success”
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?!?
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!
Do you need some extra homeschooling help? Use this link to get on my calendar and let’s chat! Move from being a hesitant homeschool mom to a happy homeschool family.
Green beans hide as they get big enough to pick. At least mine do! Have you ever wondered what to do with those green beans that hid until they were GIANT?
I found a good crock pot baked bean recipe that cooked them into deliciousness!
Note: Don’t use green beans that are hard and dry or have a brown line down them, just the big ones.
Have you ever wondered what to do with those green beans that hid until they were GIANT? I found a good crock pot baked bean recipe that cooked them into deliciousness!
Course
Side Dish
Cuisine
American
Keyword
green beans
Prep Time30minutes
Cook Time6hours
Servings4
AuthorHomeschool Christian Mom
Ingredients
4 cupslarge green beanscut into 1 inch lengths. Note: Don't use green beans that are hard and dry or have a brown line down them, just the big beans.
1/2 cup onionchopped
2tbspdark molasses
2 tbspfavorite BBQ sauce(We like Bull's Eye Original.)
2tbspketchup
1tbspyellow mustard
1 tspsalt
1/2cupwaterYou can use the bean water!
1/2 tspapple cider vinegar
1tspcurry powder
1 tbspWorcestershire sauce
5-6 slicesbaconuncooked, cut in half
Instructions
Boil beans for 5 minutes to soften. Save 1/2 cup of bean water for recipe.
Cover bean mixture with the half pieces of bacon slices.
Cook on high 6 hours or low for 9 hours.
Alternative: Can cook, covered, in the oven at 250 degrees for 6-9 hours, adding water if it gets dry.
Recipe Notes
Let me know if you enjoyed this recipe by SHARING it on your Facebook page. Thanks in advance!
I post recipes that our family actually eats! Why? Because no matter how good a homeschooling day you have, you (usually) still have to make something for dinner! I hope you enjoy this recipe.
I am Elizabeth Estelle, Homeschool Christian Mom, providing timely access to homeschooling answers for moms who have an “I’m stuck” moment during the day.
Do you need some extra homeschooling help? Use this link to get on my calendar and let’s chat! Move from being a hesitant homeschool mom to a happy homeschool family.