Merry Christmas!

From our family to yours! We wish you joy in celebrating the birth of our Savior and creating memories with loved ones.

Christmas Morning Breakfast

Yes, another food post! I'm very pregnant and am back in baking mode. I've been testing recipes for a special Christmas morning breakfast and have found two PERFECT recipes. The only problem, I can't decide which to make because they are both soooo yummy! The cranberry cake is definitely a bit more healthy, especially with whole wheat flour, but the raspberry rolls are so tempting...maybe we'll have to make both... What are your Christmas morning traditions?

Christmas Baking {cookies and such}

I am in full swing Christmas baking mode, neglecting all other responsibilities (such as unpacking and cleaning) and eating myself into a sugar coma. Here are some of my favorite Christmas cookies and other treats I've been making.

Ginger Crinkle Snowflake Cookies

German Christmas Markets!

Decorating for Christmas (without a mantle)

6 weeks to go!

A {somewhat nerdy} gift list for homeschooled boys...and their parents...

We tend to be very practical when it comes to gift giving. I think a big part of it has to do with the fact that I am the one ultimately responsible for cleaning up any new purchases that come into our home... Thus, unless it offers some practical or educational value or will be entertaining for longer than 15 minutes, it just isn't going to make it on our shopping list.

Here is what did make the list:

For the little guys:

Architecto:

For the little builder and future engineer who is only four but already has several different kinds of building sets...hopefully this will offer a new challenge for him.

Sweet innocence (the appearance of...)

I love this little stinker! He is the sweetest little guy when he's not causing mischief. It's hard to believe this seemingly innocent little boy could be responsible for smashing an entire banana onto the floor mat in our reading area, coloring on the walls, or dumping an entire box of cereal on the floor (and all before noon)!



Homeschool update

While things have been hectic the last few months, we have still tried to make time each day for school. It's definitely not as organized as before, but hopefully we can get settled in the next week or two.

Ethan has been learning to write cursive and has quite neat penmanship. German cursive is a bit different, but he's picking that up quickly too. The spelling book I got him is more on Joshua's level, so I need to find a replacement curriculum. He is speeding through Beta math and just started the Apologia Zoology book (which he LOVES). Since he now attends German school, we don't have as much time to study all the things I had planned, but we still read from our history books, just more spread out. I found a few free German and European history kindle books that we are reading in addition to our other history curricula. We finished reading the Railway Children, which they loved, and are now on the second book of Dr. Dolittle which they also can't get enough of.

Let it snow

We have had snow the last two days and the boys couldn't be happier. Ethan went out back and built a snowman all by himself. Grant and Joshua trudged around outside for hours catching snowflakes on their tongues and throwing snowballs. Snow was made for little boys!

 



Trier

Last week we visited the city of Trier, the oldest city in Germany (founded around 16 BC). I had visited there several years ago and it is such a beautiful city full of old Roman structures. It was a rather chilly day but the boys were troopers walking all around. We ate soft warm bretzels and doner's and had some kinderpunsch. They were just getting the Christmas markets set up and it was such a magical atmosphere to see everything all lit up and festive.

Paris with Kids

Although Paris might not be at the top of the list of child-friendly destinations, there are a few things you can do to make it more enjoyable for yourself and them. Before we left on our trip we studied some of the things we would be seeing in Paris so that it would be more meaningful when we got there. That is one of the primary reasons I enjoy homeschooling, the freedom to take my kids to see historical sights rather than just read about them. Here are some resources we used in planning our trip to Paris. 

The Louvre: We downloaded the Louvre Kids iPhone app which is a great way to learn about some of the works found in the Louvre. It's perfect for kids because they are learning about the works of while they find specific parts in the painting or work puzzles. Ethan was so excited when he saw a work of art that was featured in the app and all the boys did extremely well in the museum (we lasted 4 full hours!) 

A week of first's...

Last week was an exciting week for Ethan. He lost his first tooth and started public school for the first time!

While we were at his school talking to the principal about enrolling him in German school, his tooth fell out. He was so excited and could not wait for the tooth fairy to come. I was a bit surprised at the going rate of teeth in Germany though, he got a $5 bill under his pillow! I think the tooth fairy is going to go broke by the time all those other teeth fall out...

Paris, Day 3

Our last day in Paris was spent at the Palace of Versailles. The palace is quite spectacular, ornate decor, paintings and grounds. I can just imagine how beautiful the gardens would be in the Spring. The boys tolerated the palace but loved running wild through the gardens. We rented a little boat and paddled around the lake, cold as it was, and yes, fed more birds.

Happy Thanksgiving {best dinner rolls ever}

I have so many things to be thankful for, a wonderful family, the opportunity to live in another country and travel, good health, financial stability, and faith in Jesus Christ which makes all things possible.

It can be easy to get caught up in the frustrations of the present, seeing boxes piled to the ceiling of our new house wondering if they will ever get unpacked, the kitchen scattered with dirty dishes and playroom scattered with toys, changing another dirty diaper (from a child old enough to be potty trained), doing the fourth load of laundry for the day, you know the drill... It's good to take a few moments to think about those things that are really important and try to realign my life with the true purpose of life.

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving surrounded by those you love! Your family and friends will love you even more if you bring a plate {or two} of these Lion House dinner rolls to your Thanksgiving celebration (yes, I think I finally figured out how to use my German oven, and no they're not organic- but they're dang good!)