The sacrifices of men and women who have served our country in time of war, conflict and peace should never be forgotten or taken for granted.  Those who have served our nation, both in the past and present, deserve to be honoured for their dedication and allegiance to our country and our welfare as a nation .  It is our duty to not only take time to pay our respects, but to teach our youth about the history of our nation and our military.

Taking part in Remembrance Day services, in one way or another, has been something I have done my entire life and it is something my children participate in as well.  When they were quite young, we wore our poppies, made crafts, observed the 2 minutes of silence every November 11th and we shared simple stories to help them understand, on their level, what this day was all about.  As they grew and could grasp more, we did more. We now share stories of our family and friends who have fought in wars and who have taken part in peace keeping missions.

Most recently my boys took an online course about WWII which covered the strategies and politics of the war as it unfolded. They came away from that course with a deeper appreciation of those who stood up for our country and fought to preserve our freedoms.

By taking opportunities to be involved in Remembrance Day ceremonies, history courses, family discussions and online activities, I am proud to say my children have a deep respect and appreciation for our veterans.

Here are some resources I have found to help you learn more about Remembrance Day…

Remembrance Day Resources

Links and Resources:

Education/Lesson Plans/Support Materials:

• Veterans Affairs –

  • Remembrance Day (main page)

  • List of Events – grouped according to Province

  •  Veterans’ Week Learning Resources

  • Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae – includes his poem “In Flanders Fields”

• The Royal Canadian Legion

  • Youth Contests – Plan ahead and research your local deadlines for entry

• Canadian War Museum

• Donna Ward from Northwoods Press – Remembrance Day Resources/Links

  • WWII Secret Agents in France – Remembrance Day Lesson 1:1

• Activity Village 

• CBC News – Canada – Type “Remembrance Day” into search box for articles and look for a link to a Live Stream on November 11th to watch the ceremonies.

Arts and Crafts:

• Painted Coffee Filter Poppy Craft for Remembrance Day from Happy Hooligans

• Colouring Pages and other resources from Activity Village

• Poppy Crafts from Hodge Podge Craft

• Worksheets, Colouring Pages and Crafts  from DLTK Kids

Books and References:

• A Poppy Is to Remember

• In Flanders Fields: The Story of the Poem by John McCrae

• Remembering John McCrae: Soldier – Doctor – Poet

• Canada’s Wars: An Illustrated History

• The World Wars

• Animals at War

• The Second World War (high school level reading)

On social media, you can look up #RememberThem to find more links or to express your gratitude to our Veterans.

~Lest We Forget~

Each and every member of our family has their own value they add.  We all have special talents which can enhance our family relationships.

Add Value to Your Homeschool

Have an evening or a rainy afternoon meeting with your kids to brainstorm and help one another recognize their own special gifts and talents?

I’m sure your family has someone who:

• Can make you laugh

• Enjoys a good and lively discussion

• Is a caregiver

• Can organize

• Bakes or cooks

• Is musical

• Enjoys organizing

• Loves to read to other

• etc.

The list can go on, but you get the idea.  Sharing your unique talents and gifts within the family will strengthen everyone and also help you recognize how you can help others outside of your family unit.

As homeschool parents, husband and wife can also take time to brainstorm how to add more value to the homeschool day.

How can we enhance the education of our children?

Add more value to your homeschool by:

• Adding in more of the Arts – Music and Art

• More fieldtrips

• Co-op classes

• Online classes

• Park days and play days with other homeschool families

• Finding ways to help break down learning barriers

• Having a flex day

• etc.

Some ways we have added extra value to our homeschool and our curriculum can be found in these HSI posts:

Spelling Help

Home Schoolers Journey…Am I Doing Enough?

Homeschool Business Letter Project

10 Homeschooling “Mistakes” You Need to Quit

Think You Can’t Homeschool Art? Think Again!

This vocation of home educating our children is important, but never forget to enjoy the process, and more importantly…enjoy one another!

Grabbing your coffee or tea on the run and feeling the pressure for everything to be perfect?

During busy holiday seasons, or even seasons when family commitments abound and pile high on your plate, it is easy to be too focused on that looming to-do list.

We can become so burdened with a whirlwind of errands, making the best Christmas cookies, or having the kids finish off their Math assignments before you declare “Christmas Break”, that we fall short in taking time to breathe and enjoy the season with our family.

Trying to create a perfect holiday by piling more on our plates without removing  other things is a recipe for disaster.

Life is all about give and take.

We are far from perfect.

You know that rule about shopping?

Where if  you buy something new to bring into your home, a piece of décor or even clothing, then at least one thing you previously had has to go?

What if, during these busy times of preparation we apply the same principle? 

What can you remove from your busy schedule in order to have more fun during the holidays?

Really think about this!

There is something you can put off or not do or even allow yourself to say “this is good enough”!

In our home, we change up our homeschool schedule and learning during the weeks leading up to Christmas. (See “Holiday Traditions and Homeschooling”)  My kids are still learning, but this allows us time to prepare for Christmas together v.s. me running around feeling all worn-out in the last days before Christmas.

You should also know that even though I change things up and strive to have things run smoothly, there are still days where things are very real and messy. Days where despite my best efforts I can feel the pressure.

As parents, we want every holiday to feel special and dare I say we even strive for perfection.

Holidays and Family Time

But Guess What?

Your kids version of a perfect Christmas and your version are probably a bit different.

Kids remember the little things you do as a family, like the time you had a picnic by the Christmas tree, or when you let them use glitter for their crafts, and your favourite carols playing in the background.
(Yes, I know how messy glitter is, take a deep breath and let it happen, I promise you will survive. )

As much as it is nice to have family traditions, it is okay to acknowledge that some years those traditions might be too much of a burden.  You can let it go and use this as an opportunity to create a fun and new memory!

The other day, I was rushing around and I could tell my kids just wanted to have fun.

So, we packed up and headed out to pick up some new decorations.  Once home, we laid a nice table cloth and sat together at our ‘fancy’ table to eat a simple lunch complete with some hot chocolate.  S-I-M-P-L-E !

We had such a great day!

Time spent with our family where we are free from distractions and can have focused time with our children is a way to create special memories and happy hearts!

Today, take time to hangout and do something fun or even silly together – it will be good for all of you!

Want more inspiration?

Check out my friend Kendra’s series: 5 Days of Making Christmas Memories – Stress Free!

She shares some very real, down to earth advice for all of us!

What kind of planner are you?

I am a list maker, the “old fashioned” pencil and paper kind of list maker.

There is something about a pencil or pen in my hand which helps me to own my to-do list.

When we physically write something out, it helps our minds to own those tasks a little more than if we write it via a keyboard, in a virtual way.

 Although, having smartphones and apps certainly are useful too.

Organizing Your Day

In fact, at our house we have a virtual calendar for our family where each member is colour coded, to go along with my paper list.

My husband and I enter our appointments, business travel as well as our children’s sports and other out of the home activities into our virtual calendar.  As our kids become more involved with activities outside the home, this has helped my husband stay in the loop.  When he is out working or if he has been out of town, all he has to do is check our calendar to know what the rest of us are up to.

 It also helps me!

At the beginning of each week I enter all the activities or appointments we have planned as a family and as individuals.

Once all of that is entered I can let it go and allow myself to focus on all our other “to-do” lists.  As homeschoolers, we all have a lot on the go from planning each child’s subjects and projects to the regular household stuff like laundry.

(That never ending pile of laundry, or is this just my house?  Lol.)

What Goes on the Master List?

Making a master list is great, but you have to be picky.

Discern what is on your list and what can or should be on your children’s lists.

Then break it all down, into your daily  Action List.

1. Have – To’s

2. Should – Do’s

3. Want – To’s

I keep my “Have to’s” as focused and clear cut as I can, and try to attack at least 1 “Should Do”.

Once my “Have to” and “Should do” lists  are done I get to pick something from my “Want to” List.  I can work away at one of my hobbies, read a book, or just sit.

At our house the goal of our action lists is to provide our family with:

• organization

• direction

• strategy

• peace of mind

• a sense of accomplishment

This may sound all neat and tidy, but let me tell you, we definitely live a real life around here which also means it can all just be a whirlwind of organized chaos!

The holidays are fast approaching and with it comes excitement and anticipation.  No matter what faith or beliefs you hold close to your heart each of us have a few times a year where we are preparing for some type of holiday.

We celebrate Christmas, and I still get excited much like I did when I was a child.  Perhaps on some level even more.  As a Mom, there is something magical about handing down family traditions as well as creating our own.

Holidays and Homeschooling

Why Bother With Tradition?

Following tradition is nothing new.

We have been following tradition since the beginning of time; mankind and our beliefs are deeply rooted in tradition.  Stories handed down from one generation to the next, everything from our beliefs to family recipes. 

Having and following tradition speaks to our hearts, connects us to our rich history and builds up our relationship with one another.

There is nothing like sharing good food and great stories to bring a family closer.

Preparing for Holidays

I am a list maker!

Put a pencil in my hand, pass me a pad of paper and I can write “To Do Lists” like nobody’s business; everything from shopping to baking.

As handy as lists are, they will only be as good as the effort you put into them.  After I complete each list I make a note of my “most essentials” I require in order to pull off my bigger plans.

If I head out to do my grocery shopping without taking the time consult with my baking list, then chances are my trip to the grocery store will not be successful. I am bound to forget a crucial ingredient. (Yes, it is often the eggs, butter or milk.)

Prioritizing the essentials of our day and our holiday season is what helps me stay on track and not stress about little things like perfectly baked gingerbread cookies. 

We all have our favourite traditions, so taking the time to prepare and pinpoint your most treasured traditions will help you in the larger scheme of your holiday.

Homeschooling and Holidays

We are very lucky to enjoy the flexibility of homeschooling as we prepare for our family celebrations.

People will often ask me how many days  we take off and if we follow along with the schools in town?

My Answer is that we vary our off time from year to year.

Depending what method of homeschooling you follow, what your family traditions are, and the needs of your family will depend on how many days you take off.  Many homeschoolers I know take a year round approach to their studies which allow them to plan some more time off around special holidays.

Adjusting our Homeschool Schedule

December 1st is usually the start of us adjusting how we go about our homeschool studies.

We start changing up our routine and schedule to include extra crafts, more music, trips to donate items to the less fortunate, baking, reading Christmas themed stories and even Math by the fireplace.

Other things we take time to do include helping neighbours shovel snow, building snow forts and inviting other kids on the street to jump in to help out, as well as decorating our home.

The best part about all of this is we are teaching our kids things which cannot be found in textbooks.

We are carrying on and building upon our family traditions as well as celebrating our family, friends and neighbours – we are making connections!

These are skills and knowledge you cannot find in a curriculum, but will surely last them a lifetime!

Something For Everyone

This year I have also found some great studies to add to our adjusted homeschool routine for the holidays!

We love the Nutcracker and Christmas Carols!  Mary, from Homegrown Learners and SQUILT: Music Appreciation, has a wonderful Nutcracker Unit Study as well as Squilt Christmas Carols  for your music enthusiasts!

Christmas Carols – Music Study

What a great way to enjoy some of our Christmas favourites and learn at the same time!

I am also excited to share that Tricia, from Southern Hodgepodge, now has “A Simple Start in Christmas Chalk Pastels” available.  I share more information about these Chalk Pastel tutorials in “Think You Can’t Homeschool Art? Think Again!”.  Now we can continue on with learning more chalk pastel techniques while making some great Christmas art to hang! (Click on the book to see more details!)

 “Truth in the Tinsel”.  (Link listed below) is an e-book is full of crafts to celebrate the Christmas season; we also cannot wait to get started with this book!  In fact, I have planned ahead and have already purchased all my necessary supplies, my kids are so excited knowing they get to do a craft Everyday leading up to Christmas! I wrote more about it here: “Truth in the Tinsel and Homeschooling”

TRUTH in the TINSEL

Easy Printable Ornaments!

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Need more ideas on how to Homeschool and prepare for the holidays?  I was a panelist on this iHomeschool Hangout, along with other homeschooling moms who shared some great holiday preparation tips!

We are so excited to get started with “Truth in the Tinsel, An Advent Experience for Little Hands” in just a few days!

Truth in the Tinsel

Last year was the first I had heard of “Truth in the Tinsel” Click here to visit Truth in the Tinsel. and it was already just a week before Christmas.

I decided to do some of the crafts and activities anyway, so I scrambled to get some of our craft supplies gathered the children around and made a few of the crafts.

We had fun, even my older kids got involved!

As homeschoolers we are lucky to be able to adjust our schedules and routines in order to fit our needs.

Every holiday season I do just that!

I make adjustments to our regular routine so we can truly enjoy every holiday, make new memories as well as follow some of our older traditions.

Come December 1st, I start to add in more Unit Studies and “Truth in the Tinsel” is a perfect fit for us!

Even as I write this, I have some of our supplies out beside me which my kids have noticed and now they are ready and excited to get started!

My Tips to Get You Started

• Once you download your ebook, go straight to the Craft Supplies page to write out what you need, then head to the store to purchase it all in one go if you can.  Once you are home, organize the supplies into bins/boxes and small bags  you can zip closed for any of the smaller supplies.

• If you are feeling extra energetic on the organizing side of things you can even have a bin for each child and sort the supplies needed for the next day into each of their bins the night before.

• Don’t worry if you find out about this “late” just pick up and start with it like we did last year!

• If some of your children are too young to do the crafts, there are also some picture word clues and other downloads to print and use with your own Advent calendar.

• Many older children can still enjoy making crafts with their siblings.  They can make their own and elaborate on each craft or they can help out the younger kids with their projects.

• Most of all … Have Fun! Go with the flow and do what works for you and your family each season.

This is a wonderful resource for families either as a unit study like we do, or just as your way to count down until Christmas!

Want to save some time? Or just need something a littler easier?  Check out Truth in the Tinsel Printable Ornaments!

Easy Printable Ornaments!

To learn more about “Truth in the Tinsel” click on the link below and start up a new Family Tradition!

Click here to visit Truth in the Tinsel.

TRUTH in the TINSEL

Do you use “Truth in the Tinsel”?  I would love to hear your tips!!

Homeschool burnout, it happens.

Even when we think it can’t happen to us, it can.

I am not an expert, nor do I hold a degree in psychology, but I am a Mom.

A mom who homeschools, a mom who lives real life.

A life where laundry never folds itself and thus sits too long in baskets, where library books are sometimes overdue, where we have days supper has to be ordered in last minute because I was too tired to run to the grocery store.

But also a life full of fun, smiles, hugs, games, toys and learning along side of my wonderful family.

We all know life, at times, has a way of dishing out way too much on our already overfull plates.  It has happened to me more than once, so I thought I would share some things I do to recover from those moments of feeling tired, overwhelmed or even what we all fear:  Burnout.

This is not my expert opinion, but rather things I do for myself to help stay on track and yes…even recover in times of burnout. 

Homeschool Burnout

My Real Life Recovery Strategies:

1. Prayer/Meditation

2. Fun, Fun and More Fun; plan a Field Trip!   “Planning the Perfect Family Field Trip”

3. Coffee Shops and Book Stores – Journal some basic ideas to get back your groove   “Find Your Homeschool Groove”

4. Get Up and Get Moving   “How I Stay Fit With Kids Underfoot”  (my guest post at Lisa Johnson Fitness )

5. Puzzles, Games and Play Dough

6. Make a trip to the Food Bank or Gather things for a Toy Drive

7. Pick a Small Corner of your House to re-vamp

8. Unplug

9. Get More Sleep

10. Take some goofy pictures with your kids

11. A good cup of tea and a good book for a family read-a-loud

12. Take a Nature walk with your kids or just you and your spouse

13. Skype with a friend

14. Play some of your favourite music

15. Say “NO thank you” to adding more into your schedule

16. Celebrate Your Family – Have a Dance Party

Bottom Line:

Never loose touch with what makes you smile, what energizes you and what moves you.

Time for ourselves as homeschool parents may be limited, but that just means we need to be more diligent about taking care of ourselves.

Schedule time for yourself to recover!

What do you like to do to unwind and re-focus?

Run Your Own Race

In this age of information overload with social media sites and instant messaging our world is noisier and more connected than ever.  While it can help us learn more and even develop new friendships, it can also lead us to get caught up in what everyone else is doing.

Don’t get me wrong, it is nice to share and help one another with:

• What books we are reading

• How we handled a Math melt down

• Ideas on preparing our kids for College

• Spelling tips and tricks

• How to make learning come alive

• Organizing all the supplies

• Encouragement when the tough days hit

• etc.

The thing is, we can easily get caught up in it all and start comparing ourselves to what everyone else seems to be doing.

We forget to run our own race!

I had a gym teacher a few years ago   (ok …it was many years ago, just humour me!),  coaching us for our track and field meet, stop us mid race because we were looking back over our shoulders to see who was coming up behind.  He said, every time we look over our shoulder, we are slowing ourselves down.

Now it didn’t feel that way, but once we got used to just powering through the race focusing on ourselves, pushing ourselves to do the best we could each do…we all got faster.  We also all became much better at being in tune to what is going on around us.

Don’t Keep Looking Over Your Shoulder

While it is necessary and great to connect with friends, to network and help one another out, it is also necessary to just be present and mindful of what you are up to in our own homes.

The time comes everyday where we just have to focus on our families and where we are at in our “race” and not slow ourselves down by looking over our shoulder.

Our Time – Our Journey – Our Race

Each and everyone of us can share similar experiences, but we also have our own unique circumstances.  We will slow down our progress if we keep looking over our shoulders and comparing ourselves to other families.

Don’t worry if  you see the other family who seems to do a lot of Art and you don’t.  Take note that you would like to start adding more Art to your children’s studies, but please don’t stress about it.

Nor should you worry if you feel like some academics are behind…

We all learn at different rates, we all have life throw different things in our path from time to time.  If in fact, you truly are behind…again please don’t stress, it’s just time to make a new plan.  A plan which is right for your family and your circumstances.

We can find a pace which works for us!  Our friends (whether in real life or via social media networks) can help us keep our pace, encourage us, and even give us a nudge from time to time.

Good friends will even give us reminders, like my gym teacher, to focus on our own race should they notice we are starting to look over our shoulders.

Run Your Race-Enjoy Your Journey and Encourage One Another!

When I make the above statement my kids scurry around the house to find their library cards, backpacks and rolling suitcases; then place them by the front door.

They will grab a snack…usually apples and bottles of water, quickly dress and remind me to make sure I have change for the parking meter!

They are on it…no dilly dally!

They LOVE going to the library!

We have been so busy lately that I put  our trips to the library on the back burner.  We went from going every 2 or 3 weeks to going every 2 or 3 months!

We lost our Homeschool Groove!

Library Day Keeps Us in Our Home School Groove!

I didn’t even realize I had fallen out of our routine!

Which means I was far too distracted by our busyness than by what our true schedule should be…Ooops!

Have you ever been so distracted and caught up in life that you put off important things?

How To Stay in Your Groove:

• Make a list of special things each of your kids like to do. (lego, art, games, outdoor play, etc.)

• Make a list of special things you like to do.

• Find some common ground between all of your lists.

• Where do you like to go? Sometimes you just need to get out of the house. (We love our Library time as well as going on Nature Hikes)

• Try to stay on track with the little things. i.e.  chores,

• Music can help motivate us, find some tunes and let the music move you.

• Plan a family adventure.

• Keep creativity at the forefront of what you do each day. (Don’t forget we can be creative in many different ways; it isn’t just art or music.)

• Check in with your kids and your spouse as much as you can. Maybe a weekly meeting is a good idea. Even young children can contribute…they know what made them smile and what fun things they learned.  Older kids can also start to take responsibility for how their days go and contribute their thoughts.

• Always keep your WHY a part of your daily check and balance, and don’t be worried if your Why changes.

• Have a schedule of some sort.  I find as my kids get older the more detailed my schedule needs to be.  This also offers them a bit of security and independence, since they know what is expected, they can learn to carry on to the next task as you do your chores or help your other kids.

I knew we were losing our groove when none of us were all that excited to do anything.  Asking the kids to do Math was echoed with moans and groans.  My kids like Math…they are really good at Math!

Time for ACTION 

When you start to hear the moans and groans, when our kids (or even ourselves) start to “self-block” with negative talk it isn’t time to drill the Math harder; it’s time to close the books and take action!

Pull out your list of what you all enjoy doing and get after it!

We got back to the Library this week!  I set aside the whole day just for that and 1 chore each.  When we got home the only thing they had to do was just enjoy looking through their books.

Today I had a small schedule of Math, French, and Spelling; 1 chore each and time with me,  where I promised them I would look through library books with them.

You know what? 

They did it!    All of it!

No fighting

No tears

No negative self-talk.

We all lose our groove every once in a while, I don’t think it is something we can avoid…but we can decide on the action we will take to get back into our groove again.

It’s your turn…I would really enjoy hearing how you get back your groove!

Anything from nature study in your own back yard, to taking a trip to the zoo.  Take advantage of the weather and get out to do some real life, hands-on learning.

Our family goes about these field trips in a more relaxed,  unschooling type of way and it works so well!  The kids  constantly talk about all they learned from visits to old Forts and riding a real steam engine,  visiting a zoo,  to visiting beehives and learning how bees make honey!

We don’t make our kids carry clipboards and take notes on everything they see.  We do, however, get involved in every trip we take and “get our hands dirty” right along side of the kids.  Taking the time to really get in on the action with your children will enhance any learning experience…for both of you!

9 Tips for a Great Field Trip!

1. Decide on a great place to go.  What have you been learning about, what have the kids been talking about?  Try to arrange a trip around their interests.

2. Go on-line or call your selected destination to determine the costs.  Sometimes they will have discounts for homeschoolers.  They may also be extra activities you want to take part in which require an additional fee.

3. Pack your backpack.  Don’t forget things like sunscreen, insect repellent, a small first aid kit, sunglasses/hats, water bottles, snacks, and a camera.  Maybe even a small coil bound pad of paper and pencil, just in case someone really needs to write something down. (Usually this would be me, as my kids seem to have a better memory than I ;_))

4. Wear comfortable and appropriate clothing.  Have everyone wear shoes they will be comfortable walking in for the entire day.  Take light sweaters or jackets packed as well in case your beautiful day takes a turn for the worse.  Also keep in mind trudging around a pond collecting frogs requires much different gear than going to the zoo or museum.

5. Get a map &/or an itinerary of what is happening.  Plan your “must see” exhibits or events, then you can fit in everything else around that.  Also plan some extra time at the end of your day to stay and wander around.   There may be a special point of interest for each of your children,  let them go back and take it all in.

6. Keep a memory book or journal.  Once you are home you can print off some notebooking or journal pages for the kids to paste pictures, or brochures into.   Is there something your kids would like to recreate at home? Perhaps you can have a craft day to make a model or paint a picture about what they saw.

7. Get the kids to plan.  Having the kids help you plan your trip will not only have them involved, but will also teach them some valuable life skills.  Perhaps each of them can pick out 1 point of interest and can assist in deciding what snacks or extra clothing they might want to pack.  I also like my kids to help plan what kind of safety issues we will need to keep in mind for our various trips.  It is also good idea to review  appropriate behaviour for where you are going.

8. Don’t forget a meeting place. Once you arrive at your chosen destination, don’t forget to make an emergency meeting place in case anyone should get separated.

9. Have fun!  Think about your field trip through the eyes of your child.  This is a time of discovery and excitement for them.   When everyone is excited and having fun real learning just happens.

Let’s support one another in our homeschooling journey and share…

Where do you like to go as a family?  Do you have a MUST do annual family field trip?