Dear Home School Solutions Friends,

Well, after a long break from blogging for the holidays, I'm finally back! I trust you each had a blessed Christmas, and are refreshed as you've begun a new chapter in your school year.

We took a full two-week break from school work, and are just back at it today. The kids are in my view outside enjoying a snowy recess, so I thought I'd do a little blogging.

I'm no Opray Winfrey, and I'm sorry to say I don't have any grand give away planned, but I'd like to share with you some of my best picks for Christmas this year. Below is a list of gifts and books that our family gave or received that I consider worth the money!

If you found any good treasures this year, I'd love to hear from you in the comment section below.

Happy Home Schooling!
Mrs. Sherry

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Best Books

The ADVENTure of Christmas (Helping Children Find Jesus in our Holiday Traditions: A Mom's Guide) by Lisa Whelchel, Multnomah Books...I've been eyeing this book for a couple of years, and wouldn't buy it for my cheap self. My husband takes good notes, though, and surprised me with it this year! I was so proud that he even ordered it online (thanks to advice from our small group!). For each day of advent, a Christmas tradition or symbol is explained complete with activities and discussion questions. There are lots of recipe and craft ideas, and the book features beautiful artwork. I can't wait to use it next year for our Christmas Bible lessons!

Mortimer's Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson, McElderry Books...I've long been a big fan of Karma Wilson who writes the Bear Snores On series of books. This book is about a little mouse who displaces a Jesus statue from his manger and steals the warm bed for himself. Later, however, he hears the Christmas story and makes room for Jesus. This is a charming book with a beautiful lesson! I also received a hard cover version of Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson, since my paperback copy was falling apart. It's a great Christmas book, too!

Frog Went A-Dancing by Lissa Rovetch, available through Dicovery Toys...This is the cutest little book about a frog asking all the animals for a dancing song, then finding out that it's his mommy who knows the perfect dancing song for a frog! My dancing daughter loves it! It comes with a CD.

Build-a-Book by Discovery Toys...I bought this to keep my four year old busy while I listen to my first grader read aloud. It has baseball card-sized cards which you can sort and then place into slots by category. She seems to really like it.

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Best Games

Pet Detectives, www.morningstargames.com...My six year old is into detective and spy stuff, so we wanted to find something to suit his interest that didn't involve some kind of murder mystery. He absolutely LOVES this card game which comes in a cute tin lunch box. It's for ages 7 and up, but he plays it just fine, and learned right away to count by 20's to 100 because of the money element. He says it's his "best present" which means it beat out his Legos. That's saying a lot! It does take a long time to play, so plan accordingly.

Zingo by Think Fun (We got ours from Discovery Toys.)...This is a fun and quick playing game that is easy enough for a 3 year old to play (with a parent) and is still enjoyed by early elementary kids. Older kids can play as the "judge." It's a twist on traditional Bingo with play variations, and can be used to build vocabulary, spelling and reading skills. It's a great game to play when we need a quick break from paper work. My kids love this game!

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Best Toys

Monkey Mouth by Discovery Toys...Okay, I thought this was a goofy toy, but my daughter saw it and really wanted it. I had enough credit from a DT party I hosted to get it for free, and sure enough, both my kids LOVE it. It's just a fun toy. It comes with a mold you can use to make clay teeth for a little monkey. It also has toy dental tools. Who knows? Maybe it will inspire one of my kids to be a dentist.

Dance With Me Doll...It's a tall ballerina doll with elastic on her feet so little dancers can dance away. My budding ballerina loves her! It came in a cute ballet slipper case and was only $20 online....Sorry, but I can't remember the company. I'll see if I can find it if anyone's interested.

Diego Rescue Unit...I figured it won't be much longer that my six year old is into Diego type things, so I indulged and bought this at the LAST minute. I was glad I did, because he really enjoys playing with it. Isn't it fun to just see kids PLAY sometimes?

Little People Pink Castle by Fisher Price...also a last minute purchase, this was a big hit with both my son and daughter! You just can't go wrong with Little People. It's a classic.

Mini trampoline...used from Grandma! My kids have loved this gift, and it's a great way to earn PE points inside on a cold wintry day! It doesn't take up too much room, either.

(You probably noticed that I had several Discovery Toys on my list. I hosted a party for the first time, and earned a good amount of freebies, plus my friends who came got some good discounts, too....I'd definitely do it again!)