Fall 2021

20 / 24

20
It’s very likely that the hustle and bustle surrounding the Thanksgiving and Christmas
seasons will soon affect your household. You will probably, even schedule a long-
anticipated homeschool Christmas break.
Yet, you’re still, after all, a homeschooling mom – and, as such, your mind tends to
wander to the ever-expanding list of things that you could be doing during Christmas
break instead of... um... actually taking a break.
This Holiday season, just say “No!” to these 3 homeschooling mom tendencies:
1. Striving toWin the “Spectacular Holiday Mom Contest”
All of the other homeschooling moms are making advent calendars, creating stunning
holiday crafts, baking yummy Christmas goodies, and more, right? You see it posted on
Pinterest and Facebook.
Well, you could kick into gear and pour all your time and energy into trying to keep
up, or you could kick the guilt and enjoy your family while being who you are instead
of comparing yourself to a friend or a social media ideal.
Need some inspiration on this one? Check out our website blog and Facebook page
for motivation and encouragement.
Rather than trying to compete in a nonexistent “Spectacular Holiday Mom Contest,”
enjoy the unique and individual ways that your family chooses to celebrate the season.
2. Attempting a Major Homeschool Makeover
Perhaps this works for some homeschooling moms, but designing an updated
homeschool schedule or researching new homeschool curricula just doesn’t seem
appropriate during the Christmas break.
We encourage you to focus on the reason for the season instead. Concentrate on our
Savior’s birth and celebrate it in meaningful ways with your family.
You’ll be surprised how God will bring forth blessings when you focus on Him. You
might even find that, as a result of dedicating time to the Lord, your schedule will improve
and the curricula you thought you needed to replace will start working for you.
3. Trying to Complete a Homeschool Catch-Up Plan
We know. You’re just feeling like you’ve fallen a bit behind where you’d like to have
been at this time of year. It seems wrong to take off some time for Christmas break
when you could be forging ahead with schoolwork. The kids really don’t deserve a
week or two of time off when they haven’t made it to Point A in the curriculum, right?
Resist this one, please. It almost always ends badly.
It’s time to remember that homeschooling is so much more than bookwork. And,
the Christmas season is the perfect time to concentrate your homeschooling efforts on
discipling and building family relationships.
This Christmas break, avoid these homeschooling mom tendencies, and focus instead
upon Christ, the reason for the season.
This article is a reprint of a blog post we shared on the Homeschool Iowa Blog.
What NOT to Do This Holiday Season
Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix:
Sift together:
3 cups powdered sugar
2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup powdered coffee creamer
(experiment with different flavors! My favorite is French Vanilla)
4 cups powdered milk or instant nonfat dry milk
To prepare:
Use 1/2 cup of hot cocoa mix and 1/2 cup of hot
water, stir until mix is completely dissolved and enjoy!
Great for gifting or to enjoy
after some outside fun!
From the kitchen of: Jenn Warren