Beauty, Connection, and Adventure in Homeschool

Building relationships with our children, and between siblings is still one of the big motivations for our homeschool, but this year in our homeschool and family my focus has been on a few different things than in the past-

Our goals this year were to include more beauty, build a closer homeschool community, and add in more adventure as a family.
It takes a *lot* of dying to self and letting the Lord lead, for this introvert (except maybe the adventure part). As I told a dear friend- growing pains are hard.
But something has shifted. Somehow adding “more” of these things, when we needed less of so much, has created a peace and abundance that is not my own. It is ???? the Lord. He has met every need along the way.
He always does. So I will continue praying for the peace He has blessed us with so far, the adventure, beauty, and community.
To Do List

This trifecta of a goal has led us to do a few things differently this year.

We are still doing our No Sweat Nature Study regularly. This is just something we love, and I find so much value in as a homeschooler and mama. I love owning the kids to work in my own nature notebook. It’s just a great time all around.

Read Aloud Revival is still a guiding light in our homeschool. I love the read alouds, the writing workshops, the author access, and the many other benefits RAR brings to our home. It enriches my own life as a homeschool mama, and even if I didn’t use to for enriching our homeschool, I would probably get it just for me ????

This year we have added 2 things that I *love.* They help me add beauty and wonder to our homeschool days, the encourage me when I need it the most and more importantly, when I don’t know I need it.

Morning Virtues provides so much in their bimonthly subscription. I will leave a link here, but this is where we get our folk song, Bible readings, poetry, Shakespeare, music and art studies, as well as our virtue focus which also lines up with our Charlotte Mason habits I’ve lined out from Laying Down the Rails. ???? (was that a giant run on sentence? ???? )

Now we are also back to using the Wild + Free content bundles to enrich our homeschool as well. It’s hard to say that, because our homeschool is every day life for us. Yes we sit down and do table work for a while in the mornings (most) days, but overall, we learn all. day. long. So while Wild + Free is enriching our homeschool, it is one of my favorite additions to our home in general. I just love everything they stand for, and it is my biggest reminder that this is it. This is our time with our children, 12 to 2 years old (y’all, my youngest is already 2!).

Not time for Facebook, the news, tv, or running around like crazy from one activity to another.

This is it. In 6 years our oldest will be 18, and I know how fast that is going to go.

So we are using all these resources to slow down, focus on the little things, enjoy one another, and grow in Christ. It’s been a fun switch up, and even though it looks like a lot, it has simplified our life so much because I don’t have to waste time searching for what I need. It’s all right here and we use it at our leisure.

Giving our children a simple, slow, old-fashioned childhood is hopefully one of the best gifts they will get from us.

I pray they grow up to be adults that seek slow, peaceful lives, set goals that are not only financially motivated, and love the Lord. That will all be up to them, but we can certainly lay the foundation for it now.

Old Fashioned Childhood

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I’ve been sitting outside this morning, listening to the birds and enjoying the crisp air that tells me fall will be here soon. Too soon.

and I have to wonder, when does it stop being magical? When does it stop being full of wonder? Do we grow up, and it changes?

I remember being 13 and 14, and still wanting to play, still wanting to be in my own world, while all my friends were “dating,” and saying yes to boys they didn’t know … while I was the outsider that said no. While I still longed for being in the woods with my brother, fishing with my Memaw, and riding 4 wheelers at the lake.

Like it used to be.

I don’t think it changes though.

We don’t lose a sense of wonder. I don’t think we become grown ups who don’t remember what it is like to be a little kid. We start to feel an obligation to the world, and it quickly becomes difficult to be in the world but not of it… and with the world and its problems we leave behind all the things we knew as a child.

We grow up, but our imaginations can keep growing. We can continue to grow into who God made us to be, and quite frankly, you have to have a big imagination to do that! Because who could actually think the amazing blessings of the Lord- the sunrise, the birds singing, your perfectly matched to you spouse, your children, watching seeds become plants in the garden- could become reality? and He uses it all to grow us.

I’d also like to add, if you haven’t checked out the 1,000 Outside Podcast, it is phenomenal! Whether you have kids at home or not, the people she interviews and their massive amounts of information are fascinating. There is so much happening to our children and young adults because of technology. The world is changing in BIG ways (80% of jobs in 2030 haven’t even been created yet!), and knowledge about how and why is one of our greatest weapon to protecting our kids. And she has it!

 

Nature Walk with kids

 

What is your Why? Why are you homeschooling? What have you done, or used, to meet the needs of your people and help you along with your why?

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The Adventum: Volume 1 (plus a coupon code!)

 Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew

The Adventum

Let me tell you about a little something my children are absolutely obsessed with and quote all day long- The Adventum. This is an audio drama style recording of God’s story of redemption; The Adventum, Volume 1 covers stories from creation to Abraham. At just over 4 hours, this is absolutely loved by all 5 of my children, and I promise your kiddos will love it as well. The Adventum is an entertaining, family friendly, creative, full- cast Bible epic with over 50 voice actors, music, and sounds.

Our family loves *loves* audio dramas, and this audio drama is going to be for anyone of any age. I’d say if they’re old enough to listen to stories on audio, kids can start enjoying The Adventum. Parents and grandparents are going to enjoys this Christian, family friendly audio drama, as well.

The Adventum Volume 1

 

What is The Adventum, Volume 1

There are 4 CDs in the volume 1 set. We received the physical CDs, but you can also choose to order the downloadable mp3 version. Not only are the stories told with great detail and energy, but the actors voices are great! If you are someone that listens to audiobooks or podcasts, you know the narrator’s voice makes or breaks the listening experience. The voice actors in The Adventum bring the stories to life with vibrance and energy that shows their love for telling God’s story. The quality of the sound and music is just beautiful; but it isn’t overbearing or over the top.

It’s just right, it’s just the right amount of everything-excitement, drama, sound, quiet, nature- to go along with God’s redeeming story, with the gospel.

What I really love as a mom, is that I have watched and listened as my children have fallen even more in love with God’s Word. They are actively looking up stories they hear on The Adventum and reading them from scripture. The audio definitely takes creative liberties to get a laugh from kiddos or grab their attention with sounds, music and details, but it is so wholesome and easy to listen to. This has been on repeat in our home since the day I handed it to them!

The Adventum Volume 1

The Adventum has been a wonderful addition to our home for those hot summer afternoons when we are worn out from playing, swimming, and choring, and need to rest indoors for a while. The girls even took the CD player and cds downstairs so they could act it out with dolls while listening.

My almost 10 year old son has created inside jokes with his siblings about all the silly parts in their favorite stories; he enjoys acting out the parts for his sisters.

This isn’t going to be the Bible word for word. If you are like our family, you have Bible time together, and devotional time together. Your children have probably had the Bible read to them since they were babies and knew many Bible stories by the time they were 3 years old. This won’t replace that. But it will be a fun, relaxing addition to your day and a wonderful way for your children to interact with the Bible. And maybe they haven’t heard God’s word daily since they were born, maybe you know a family that doesn’t know much about the Bible, or maybe you’d like your kiddos to want to dive in more deeply. I can honestly tell you that The Adventum will do just that.

I have found turning on The Adventum definitely creates an atmosphere in our home where there is a lot of excited talking about the Bible all. day. long.  And who can complain about that?

And guess what?! The Adventum, Volume 1 is currently discounted by 50% on the website. A special offer for readers includes Free Shipping (US only) using Discount code: advcrew2

I would love to get the remaining volumes for our family. We don’t really do big birthdays or Christmas, but I think this will be just right for those occasions. The other volumes would also make great Advent openers leading into the Christmas season, or even as a Resurrection Sunday tradition.

Connect with The Adventum

Read more reviews from the Crew for The Adventum Volume 1 by clicking the banner below:

audio bible stories
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Friday on the Farm: Mid Summer 2022 goat videos

Mid summer has brought much joy to the homestead so far.

Goat kids on the farm 2022

While we are still waiting on most of our garden to come in, we have been experiencing babies! ???? Goats that is. We have 3 kids and they’re so much fun!

Lucy gave us a moon spotted doeling, and Wendy gave us 2 bucklings- 1 moon spotted and 1 that is tan and white. The little doeling (Bristol, named after a fox in my son’s favorite book series, Pax) look like a regular on one side, but is beautifully spotted on the other. Her legs are also spotted.

We have always named our goats after the books we’ve read over the past year. So this year, we have a Bristol, a Bombur, and a Bilbo. Ill let you figure out who the boys were named after…

In the clip above, the bigger kid jumping straight onto the playground is the girl. Because she was a singleton, she is super big and healthy! The boys are so romp and play all day.

 

In the clip below, Bristol is deciding she’s been left behind (she has not…) , and needs to know where everyone is ????

 

 

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Tyson’s Run, Streaming Now!

Tyson's Run

Tyson’s Run  is streaming now, and you definitely want to check it out! You can buy it on DVD or digital now!

This feel-good story of faith, grit, and courage is a welcome change to the cultural norm on our TVs right now. The unlikely alliances that support a teen on the autism spectrum will have your family walking away inspired! Fifteen year old Tyson watches his hero father lead the high school football team, and yearns for his approval. This leads Tyson to push himself further than anyone thought possible.

Tyson’s Run is relatable, and an absolutely beautiful picture of the blessings that pour out of determination and building relationships, and accepting others. The heart warming story of overcoming odds, changing perceptions, and of loving others is going to be a family favorite. This is probably most appropriate for kids 12+, but as always, make sure it is okay for your family-everyone is different.

I enjoyed the soundtrack, Tyson’s sweet disposition and innocence, watching his character change and grow, but especially seeing the “normal” mold being broken. I loved that the film gave Tyson, and children on the spectrum, a voice that shows they are not abnormal. We are all different, and that’s a good thing. Things have a way of working out for the best (a doctor in the show)- boy, don’t they! 😉

Thank you for a film we can watch without worrying what messages are being sent to our children. The messages in Tyson’s Run are clear- love, genuine kindness, and determination always pay big dividends.

Four-time Grammy Award-winning gospel singer Yolanda Adams recorded If You Be-
lieve, an original song, just for Tyson’s Run.

Buy your digital copy or DVD of Tyson’s Run today!

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Parents should know: There is some bullying in the school (the characters are not glorified who do this, but cause several obstacles for the main character). There are a some words/name calling our family doesn’t use, though these are not main themes or in the majority of the film. There is also standing up for what’s right, and defending those that cannot defend themselves. All of these situations are used to show the changes and redemption of characters in the show, but also how to do what’s right when others are doing wrong.

Giveaway: One digital copy of Tyson’s Run- Leave a comment on this post, or the Quiet in the Chaos Facebook post of Tyson’s Run for your chance to win. Comment in both places for an extra entry.

Giveway closes July 4, 2022

Disclosure: Many thanks to Collide Distribution for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.

 

 

 

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Famous Men of Rome- Classical Education Homeschool History

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew

Memoria Press

Memoria Press is known for their great classical education curricula and programs. We’ve used their Latin program, and a few other products. The last few weeks my 11 year old has been working through their Famous Men of Rome program. This is geared towards grades 4-5, and is an introduction to the great drama and action, beginning to end, that was the men of Rome. This is going to be a wonderful addition to any classical history, or eclectic homeschool.

Famous Men of Rome: Memoria Press

What It Is

Famous Men of Rome is a year long study consisting of 3 books and flash cards. The text or reader contains 30 stories documenting the rise and fall of this civilization via 30 biographies of men from Rome. The illustrations and artwork in the textbook are absolutely beautiful; this is one of my and my daughter’s favorite parts of this book! The pages are thick, and glossy. The pages are not hard on my eyes, but are just glossy enough to make the artwork pop. The pages are also the thickness and material that allows the pages to stay open more easily, which I really like!

Famous Men of Rome: Memoria Press

There are 160 pages in the textbook, including the maps, pronunciation guide, and glossary. The program covers
the biographical stories of:

  • ROMULUS
  • NUMA POMPILIUS
  • THE HORATII AND THE CURIATII
  • THE TARQUINS
  • JUNIUS BRUTUS
  • HORATIUS
  • MUCIUS THE LEFT-HANDED
  • CORIOLANUS
  • THE FABII
  • CINCINNATUS
  • CAMILLUS
  • MANLIUS TOR
  • QUATUS
  • APPIUS CLAUDIUS CÆCUS
  • REGULUS
  • SCIPIO AFRICANUS
  • CATO THE CENSOR
  • THE GRACCHI
  • MARIUS
  • SULLA
  • POMPEY THE GREAT
  • JULIUS CÆSAR
  • CICERO
  • AUGUSTUS
  • NERO
  • TITUS
  • TRAJAN
  • MARCUS AURELIUS
  • DIOCLETIAN
  • CONSTANTINE THE GREAT
  • END OF THE WESTERN EMPIRE

The student guide is where most of the work will be done by the student. This newest edition also contains maps of: Rome, Italy, and the Roman Empire, as well as a glossary of people and places. These pages are a regular paper, easy for writing, and do not feature any distractions. Students will find interesting lessons that include famous quotes, key people and places, vocabulary words, and comprehension questions. There is map work as well, which most homeschool parents love to include in our studies. =)

Along with all the comprehension questions, facts to know, vocabulary, and review lessons, I really like the activities listed for each lesson. The lessons help make this an even more comprehensive program, but add hands on elements.

Famous Men of Rome: Memoria Press

example of activities at end of lesson

These activities include discussion questions, but also many will translate well to discussion questions and starters. There are also research activities in some lessons. My daughter really enjoyed the family tree activity, and because we enjoy mapping, that has been fun for her as well.

Famous Men of Rome: Memoria Press

In true classical education style, the program includes memorization for the student. The Drill Questions found in the appendix of the study guide and on the flashcards, will be memorized to help student have instant recall. How to do this, and how to use the program in general is all outlined for the teacher in the teacher’s guide. The teacher’s guide is just that- you will find detailed answers, examples, and what is expected of the student. I *love* this because it helps those of us learning right along side our children know what is expected of them, and how to better help them get there. I also like to have my child look at the teacher’s guide once we have completed a lesson, so they can see where they needed improvement and where they did exactly what was asked of them.

I am working more closely with my 5th grader on this program, because she is ready for more detailed responses in her work (clearly … haha). This is a great program for student to begin more independent work, or to be used as a family/with the parent. The text can be shared between students in a family, or read aloud by the teacher during morning time. Each child can have their own student book, or some students may work from the student guide, and others work orally (for younger kiddos), or maybe orally and by drawing illustrations.

I think this is going to work well for any family that is learning about Rome in history (one of our favorite things we have studied!), whether they are a classical education family, or more eclectic like ours. We love learning using many educational philosophies, and tweak anything we use to work for us! So if memorization isn’t your thing, this program can still work well for you. This is also going to work well for independent learners or as a family subject. The possibilities are truly endless.

Lastly, the flashcards are exactly that. They feature questions about people and places learned about in the stories from Famous Men of Rome, and are used to help their recall and easy memorization of what they are learning.

Memoria Press always offers great programs and supplements, and their Famous Men of Rome set is no different. I highly recommend this for any family studying this phase of history.

Famous Men of Rome: Memoria Press

 

Connect with Memoria Press

Read more reviews from the Crew for different Memoria Press programs:Classical Christian Education

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Weekly Wrap Up {Christmas 2021}

Around August of this year (2021), my husband and I started talking about making a trip to the Grand Canyon. He had driven along the Red Rock Scenic Byway Drive  through Sedona on a business trip, and called to tell me we had to take this drive. My question was- what else is out that way for us to see?

He said we could make the drive to the Grand Canyon we’ve always talked about.

So we did.

Grand Canyon @ Christmas

Grand Canyon, AZ

We didn’t get to see the scenic drive, as it turns out, due to weather. But we did so so much more. For 11 days we traveled out west as a family; we spent many hours in the car … like so. so. many. But we broke the hours up with lots of stops in different places.

family Grand Canyon trip 2021

We stayed in Airbnbs, in 4 different towns- experiencing

  • Flagstaff
  • hiking Walnut Canyon
  • Williams
  • the Grand Canyon in the fog, snow, and sun, via a car and a train.
  • We drove through Navajo Nation, which is absolutely beautiful, for a short hike through the desert to see Horseshoe Bend
  • and then went on to Canyon X, a section of Antelope Canyon
  • we drove through the Petrified Forest
  • stopped in Albuquerque (on our way to TX) where we visited Old Town and the History and Science Museum (There isn’t anything worth noting in Albq, except a really good restaurant called Fork and Fig. Yum!)
  • We ended our trip at Palo Duro Canyon, TX where we decided we need to return for a spring/summer camping trip down in the canyon.
Horseshoe Bend

Horseshoe Bend

The kids were great, everyone was ready to come home by day 11 (so we headed back 1 day earlier than planned), baby napped on daddy’s back each day, and we all crashed into bed every night. On December 27 Baby B got really sick, throwing up in the car. We weren’t sure if it was car sickness or something else.

Now that we’ve all been very badly sick with fever, chills, headaches, body aches, and nausea (for the kids) we are guessing it was the latter…

It isn’t exactly a 1 week wrap up … more like 1.57 week wrap up, but it’ll do.

I think I will try to get some posts up with info on each part of our trip, so that when families are looking for information on traveling there, they can see what it is like for families. if you’d be interested in hearing more about that, shoot me a message on FB, or comment!

Canyon X

 

Canyon X

Canyon X

 

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The Giving Manger {and giveaway!}

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew

Worhty Kids

Y’all. Every now and then along comes something that is just so beautiful and sweet, you feel the need to tell others.

The Giving Manger is one of those. WorthyKids has created something so sweet and simple, but impactful; you are going to love adding this to your family Advent celebrations. It doesn’t require daily crafts, snacks, or buying all the things. All you need is The Giving Manger and your family.

The Giving Manger

What It Is

The Giving Manger isn’t something else you have to add to your to do list. The Giving Manger creates an atmosphere of love and peace in homes because the end result isn’t about what everyone gets out of it. The end result is about loving others:

The purpose of using The Giving Manger for Advent is to honor Jesus, by loving and serving others. Just as He has served us.

The book itself is a hardcover picture book, with lovely cut-paper illustrations. The book will help get children excited about the tradition, while helping everyone understand how this new tradition honors Jesus and why you’re doing it. In the 32 page story, a dad explains to his children how Christmas will be different this year- they won’t be opening gifts on Christmas day, instead they will be giving Jesus gifts by loving and serving others during the Advent season.

When they’ve done something to serve others, children place a piece of straw in the wooden manger (both are included with the kit), to prepare it for Jesus. And finally, on Christmas morning they get to place Jesus in the manger. This can be done at night by a parent as a surprise for the next day, by the children, or the family on Christmas morning.

The Giving Manger

How We Used It

Let me tell you- there is something about that little baby Jesus that children *love.* I am not sure what He is made of, it feels like a resin, or resin coated wood? He is sturdy and just perfect for small hands. My kids have been in awe of baby Jesus!

For the purpose of this review, our family began using The Giving Manger before Advent, but hey- what’s an extra month of intentionally serving others and being kind (especially when we are talking siblings)? First we read the book, which is a beautiful and simple explanation of The Giving Manger.

Then, we read through the list of ideas for serving others. This is found in the back of the book, and is a big help when little minds are drawing a blank about how to serve others. There are several pages of simple ideas such as: paint rocks and hide them in the park, put a kind note in a library book, help a sibling with chores, read a book to a younger child, etc.

Much like the children in the book, my kids became very excited once they realized that serving others meant doing something for others that shows your love to them. We talk about this a lot, and they do this in helping me often. But I am so thankful this book and Advent activity really opened their eyes to serving one another better. I saw a big change in the competitiveness that’s creeped into their relationships in recent months (I feel like this happens at certain ages?). And they come up with ways to serve those outside of our family, all on their own.

 

I’ve found them jumping up first to help when I need it, doing chores for a sibling when they are sick, helping keep each other’s doors shut (because toddler!), and reading to one another more. The ideas in the back of the book are very practical for most families, I don’t think they’re over the top or too difficult at all. Of course families can come up with their own ideas, too!

But mostly I’ve just seen their hearts soften and become a little less me focused. And isn’t that what we want for our kids year round? Of course it is! At Christmas, when hearts can become very focused on what’s under the tree, or all the many fun activities going on, The Giving Manger is a wonderful centerpiece for our home, that helps everyone remember why we celebrate Christmas at all.

 

This sweet little kit of book, manger, straw and baby Jesus have created a peace in our home, it has opened hearts to the idea of what serving others really looks like. It has made Jesus somewhat tangible for little minds, and made a concept that may seem abstract to children more concrete.

Thank you WorthyKids, this is definitely a new family tradition for our Advent season!

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Start a New Christmas Advent Tradition with The Giving Manger

 

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Easy Chèvre: Farmer’s Goat cheese

We have an abundance of goat milk and I was running out of things to do with it. But with homeschooling 4 kiddos this year, and chores,  I needed something fast and easy!

Here is how we are making our Chèvre AKA farmer’s cheese using raw milk instead of kefir

Easy Chèvre: Farmer’s Goat cheese

See Detailed Nutrition Info on

Easy Chèvre: Farmer’s Goat cheese

Ingredients

  • 1/2 gallon goat milk
  • scant 2/3c lemon juice
  • 4Tb white vinegar
  • salt to taste
  • any herbs or flavors that you may want

Instructions

  1. Warm the raw milk to about 180*- you don't want to heat it higher because it will affect the texture of your cheese
  2. once you hit 180*, remove from heat
  3. mix in the lemon juice (I say scan 2/3c because you don't need a full 2/3cup)
  4. stir well
  5. mix in the vinegar
  6. Let sit 30 minutes to curdle
  7. Using cheese cloth and a colander inside a bowl, pour the curdled milk into the cheese cloth. You want it to have about 3 layers of cheese cloth I cut a large piece and fold it over 2 times, then pull back one layer, leaving 3 layers total.
  8. Use the cloth to pull up around the milk and then hang above the bowl to strain the whey.
  9. After 1 hour, remove the hanging cheese cloth, and inside you will have cheese! lightly salt, mix un any herbs you want to flavor with, etc.
  10. You can use a cheese press to shape and mold your cheese. I just place mine in plastic wrap, rolling and shaping myself, then put it in the fridge. After it has set, I wrap in aluminum foil and place in a freezer bag and freeze.

 

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3 Fall Family Favorite Recipes

With colder months ahead, it’s time to start building up a repertoire of wholesome, hearty, and healthy meals to keep the family fed and happy through the fall and winter seasons.

With the spring and summer growing seasons out of the way, we often assume there will be a shortage of local produce to work with, but in fact, many fruits and vegetables such as apples, sweet potato and pumpkins flourish in the fall. So there are bountiful ingredients to work with and plenty of delicious flavor combinations to explore.

Here are three tasty fall recipes which are all easily adaptable for many dietary needs. These are great for using up any excess home grown produce, emptying the veggies from the freezer, or simply using up whatever canned goods you have available in your pantry that day.


Image Credit: Pexels, Free to Use Licence

Fall vegetable soup

When thinking of the transition into the fall season and deciding which recipes to try, the one that immediately springs to mind is a warm bowl of rich and nutritious vegetable soup – and for good reason! Vegetable soup is versatile, delicious, healthy and affordable, making it a great recipe to feed the family without breaking the bank.

Although a vegetable soup can be made from practically any vegetables, this time of year it’s great to try and use seasonal ingredients such as carrots, squash, potatoes, and kale- then spice these up with comforting fall favorites such as ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and garlic.

Soup is very forgiving so don’t be afraid to try new vegetables and flavor combinations if you have certain ingredients that need using up. To make the soup more hearty or to replace the addition of bread, try adding some baby potatoes, lentils, or butter beans for some bulk.

Here’s a quick recipe for a healthy fall vegetable soup that will serve a family of four as a main course and can even be made ahead and reheated later for convenience. If you like your soup chunky then leave your veg pieces larger, if you like it smooth then chop them more finely or blitz them with a blender after cooking and before serving.

For the soup you will need:

  • 2 tbsp of butter or coconut oil, whichever your preference
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 3 large carrots, washed and roughly chopped, no need to peel them
  • 2 cups of diced squash or pumpkin
  • 2 cups of fresh greens (kale or cabbage works great, as does spinach)
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped
  • 1 can of chickpeas, drained
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes (or use fresh if you like, simply chop)
  • 1 inch of fresh ginger, grated or finely minced
  • 1tsp of ground cinnamon
  • A pinch of chilli powder, (or more if you like it a little spicier)
  • A sprig of fresh thyme or 1tsp of dried thyme
  • 4-5 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you will be making it for a vegetarian)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • (I double this recipe for our family)

Method:

  1. Add the butter or oil, whichever you are using, to a heavy based saucepan that is large enough to fit in all of the soup ingredients.
  2. Once the butter is melted, cook the onions and carrots until they start to soften and brown, this will take a couple of minutes.
  3. Next add the squash or pumpkin to the pot alongside the crushed garlic and stir for a few minutes until fragrant.
  4. Then add the grated ginger, thyme, and spices. stir to combine, before adding in the chicken or vegetable broth, and your tomatoes.
  5. Bring the soup to a boil, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to simmer for 10 minutes.
  6. Next add the canned chickpeas and your greens and simmer for a further 10 minutes until all the vegetables are cooked. This may take longer for very chunky soups and may take less time if you have diced everything finely.
  7. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with a slice of chunky bread to sop up all the juices.

This recipe is tremendously versatile, healthy. You can add a scoop of collagen peptides to any soup or meal to make it even more beneficial to skin, hair, and nails! Classic Pumpkin Risotto

Image credit: Pexels. Free to use Licence

As the days get colder and the nights draw in, we are naturally drawn to more comforting food options that make us feel full and warm from the inside out. A family favorite, and great alternative to traditional pasta dishes, is the classic risotto. Delicious creamy rice served hot and packed full of seasonal vegetables is a winner with the whole family. Once again it can be made in advance and easily reheated.

This recipe will also serve a family of four as a main course or six as a starter.

Fall Family Risotto

Ingredients:

  • 1tbsp of butter
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • A handful of sliced mushrooms, approximately a cup
  • 1.5 cups of risotto rice such as Arborio
  • 1 cup of diced pumpkin
  • 3-4 cups of stock (veg or chicken)
  • ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Fresh parsley to garnish

Method:

  1. Add the butter and oil to a heavy based saucepan and melt together, then cook the onion and garlic until fragrant. Keep the heat low to avoid too much browning, or the garlic will become bitter
  2. Add the raw rice to the onion and garlic mix and stir to coat in the fragrant butter and oil mixture and cook for about one minute until the rice begins to go slightly translucent at the edges.
  3. Now add the mushrooms and pumpkin and cook for another 30 seconds so that they start to soften.
  4. Next add in 1 cup of your chosen broth and stir often until the liquid is almost absorbed.
  5. Continue stirring and adding stock a little at a time until all the stock is absorbed and the rice is cooked through and tender. No need to stir continuously, you just want to stop the rice from burning to the bottom of the pan.
  6. Finally stir through the parmesan cheese (or a little goat cheese if you can’t do cow dairy) and season with salt and pepper to taste, remember that the stock and parmesan are both quite salty, so check the risotto before adding any additional salt to the recipe.
  7. If using, garnish with fresh parsley and serve straight away.

This risotto dish is fantastically easy and can be customized with different vegetables and seasoning to suit your palate. Why not try making it with other seasonal ingredients  such as kale, sweet potato, beetroot or using different cheeses to add a subtle difference to the flavor.

Cinnamon spiced oatmeal cookies

Fall isn’t just a fantastic time of year for savory dishes but for sweet treats too. If you’re looking for a healthier alternative to ordinary cookies, then give these cinnamon spiced oatmeal cookies a try – they’re gooey and soft, and great served straight from the oven.

This recipe produces between 12-18 cookies depending how big you make them. If you’re not a fan of fruit in your cookies then you can always substitute in chocolate chips (yum!), chopped nuts or even leave them plain.


Image credit: Pexels, Free to Use Licence

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup all purpose flour (or gluten free flour)
  • ½ cup of wholemeal flour (if not using then add an additional ½ cup of plain all purpose flour)
  • 1 tsp of baking powder
  • ⅓ cup of vegetable or coconut oil
  • ⅔ cup of dark brown sugar or coocnut sugar
  • 1tsp of vanilla
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ cup of dried fruit such as cranberries, sultanas or raisins
  • ½ cup of rolled oats
  • 1 large egg

Method:

This recipe really does have a ‘throw it all in the bowl’ method and is a great one to try with your kids. Before you start have all your ingredients weighed out, this will make things easier or alternatively weigh them directly into the bowl.

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 and line two baking trays with parchment
  2. In a bowl mix together all of your dry ingredients
  3. In another bowl mix together you wet ingredients (you may need to melt the coconut oil)
  4. Combine the two mixtures to create your cookie dough
  5. Roll the cookie dough into balls and place on the trays leaving ample space for them to spread a little as they cook
  6. Bake until browned which will take roughly 15 minutes
  7. Allow to cool on the baking tray and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely or alternatively eat them whilst they’re still warm and gooey!

Fall is such a magical time of year, the trees begin to change color from green to gold, the temperature drops, and the days get shorter. It’s the perfect time to be creative in the kitchen and use up delicious seasonal produce.

Which one of these recipes will you try?

 

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you.  Thank you!

Homeschool 2021/2022 School Year Choices {5th, 3rd, 1st, and K}

This homeschool year, we are starting slowly. This is the first year we have taken a full blown summer break … we have done maybe a week’s worth of school since the end of May, and filled some time with lap books and other fun schooling activities. We’ve really taken off the majority of days for pool time (because I just can’t resist!), gardening time & family trips; and we have loved every minute of it!

Homeschool Curriculum Choices 2021

Our main core as a family this year will be continuing through Sonlight Core D (Bible, History, and Read Alouds), which is American history. When we finish this core, we will move on to Core E, the second half of American history.  After doing several years of wold cultures and world history, we are very much savoring American history. I’d like to focus on President’s and state capitols this year. There are so many great read aloud, and readers for US History. Just not enough hours in the day for all the books!

I am also finishing reading through the P4/5 Core with my youngest 2. They will be K and 1st this year; they are less than 2 years a part, but one is a fall baby and one is summer, so they’re close in grade levels. We made the choice a long time ago to keep our fall babies back a grade (they don’t meet most cut offs anyway, and like many states we aren’t required to school until age 7). We are very happy with that decision; but I like them being the older in their “grade” for the purpose of Co-op, sports, and church activities. I will start Core A with them at naps and bedtime once they finish P 4/5.

Math- We will be using Christian Light Education for our math, as always. My kindergartener will be using their K2 books, and I hope this bridges the gap between K math and 1st grade math for her. I will probably add in Saxon K worksheets  for her as well. I think CLE K2 combined with some math games and a little Saxon K, will be a fine math foundation.

Science- I just haven’t made up my mind here. I really love Apologia’s science programs. We would do the Anatomy and Physiology  if we go with Apologia … we really need to complete the Sonlight Science for Core D *but* every time we go to do the science, my kids already know  everything we are discussing (thanks Wild Kratts), so I just feel blah continuing with it. I know I don’t have to finish it, but I hate to leave it incomplete; also, it isn’t only animals and biology. Core D Science covers lots of other fun topics, so I should just persevere.

We will also add in No Sweat Nature Study again. We have really enjoyed these classes, and are building some great nature journals.

Language Arts- My beginning readers (K and 1st) will be using AAR plus The Good and the Beautiful. My older 2 will continue with The Good and The Beautiful, in levels 3 and 5. This includes spelling, some phonics, grammar, some writing, and geography. The 1st grader is a great reader, so lessons with her are pretty smooth. The K wants to read so badly, and was killing all the CVC words we practiced on our Florida vacation (during snuggles in the morning). So we are looking forward to her reading this year.

We add in Explode the Code, and Wordly Wise to our language arts. My children love both of these, and it does improve their skills, along with giving extra handwriting practice. I like them because of all this, plus they provide independent work for my children; so while I work with one student on language arts or math, the others have some independent work that keeps them on task.

Handwriting- We begin with Handwriting Without Tears, and after the PreK and K books, we move on to A Reason For Handwriting book K and then A. I like giving my children lots of good handwriting practice. They usually fly through both K books, but then Book A isn’t as difficult and they’re better readers by then, making the copywork easier. My 3rd grader is in their first cursive book. My 5th grader has done so many handwriting copyworb books, and she likes them so much. This year I got her the Memoria Press cursive book … I think it is a poetry copywork.

Extras- We are doing logic this year, with some workbooks I found on Rainbow Resource. They do problems logic in their math, but this is just extra practice; my husband wanted to be sure they were hitting logic, so we are going to try it this year.

My 5th grader is doing French from Memoria Press, which she is sooo excited about. I think I couldn’t given it to her for her birthday and she’s been just as excited. We are adding in some new sets of Brain Quest for fun, Fandex Presidents and States, and Kanoodle for a little brain teaser game.

We are using the Answers For Kids boxed set for our Bible discussions, along with the Heroes of History and Christian Heroes added to our morning basket time.

We are praying over our homeschool year that each step taken is led by the Lord, and that our words glorify Him. I am truly grateful for the blessing of our homeschool journey, even during the hard days (especially) or mornings when life feels heavy, I know the relationships we are building are worth it. At the end of the day, the math and reading, and science topics don’t save my children. Jesus does. And while we love learning (just one reason we homeschool), learning to love each other and serve one another on really hard days, is maybe one of the best things I can give my children. Or at least show them day in and day out.

I hope yall found this helpful. If you have any questions about what we do, or why/how we do it, let me know and I can go more in depth for you!

Are yall ready for the school year? Or school week? Or school semester/term?  You’ve got this mamas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you.  Thank you!

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