Special Connection Homeschool

I think I have found my staple Challah Bread for our Sabbath meals.  It is called Easy Challah Bread and it is " a six-ingredient, simple recipe for Challah bread." They were certainly right. This is easy to make and tastes so much better than the other version I made. Our family can't seem to get enough of it!  I found it at Allrecipes.com . I find most of my recipes there. The only difference I made was I let it rise a second time after shaping it and placing it on the pan. Now I am working on a freezing technique for the dough. Since I have Co-op twice a month I make one batch of bread on the week that I don't have co-op and use the frozen portion on the week I do. It didn't rise as well the second time but it was still delicious! 

In following our guide to studying the Biblical Holidays , we have started celebrating Shabbat, or the Sabbath, every week. The basic items needed to celebrate are a table cloth, two candles, bread, and wine (which we substitute grape juice). The bread they make is called Challah bread and they have a specific cloth to cover it on the table. The reason for this is that it is Jewish custom to bless certain foods in a specific order and bread comes before wine in the blessings. However, on the Sabbath the blessing of the cup comes before the blessing of the bread therefore they cover the bread so that it is not shamed in not having gone first. I wanted our table to look traditional so I wanted a cloth myself. The book we are using, A Family Guide to the Biblical Holidays , had a pattern for making one. I also searched for a few craft ideas online and settled for my own easy version. I bought a pre-made cloth napkin and used special fabric markers to make it easier for Gess to do it by...

When I first met my husband one of the hardest things to get used to was how quiet he was. His speech was always clear and audible, but it was never loud. Even when upset his voice remained in an even tone. When he listened to music it was never cranked and he rarely watched TV. I, however, came from a very loud home. My parents always had something turned on. If it wasn't the television, it would be the radio. In fact it was the radio the TV was usually still on, just turned down. Their voices were much louder because they were always talking over something and if you were upset you yelled. These were two very different environments. Having been raised in a loud environment, I was pretty much the same. I screamed when I was angry to make my point, I always had the TV or radio on, and I even loved to fall asleep while watching a show. As you can imagine, this change was quite an adjustment. It was easy enough to get over watching so much TV when I decided it was too expensive, ...

I am sure if you have been on Facebook, Pinterest, and other such places you have seen the Oreo cookie moon phases. Gess is learning about space right now and her text book suggested using paper plates to make the phases of the moon, but I decided to go this route since it seemed a bit more fun. It's really easy: Step 1 - Break the cookie apart leaving the middle in tact. This is the toughest part. Gess broke a few and the middle isn't always in tact but we were still able to use those for some of the moon phases. Step 2 - Use a butter knife to carve the cream out into the desired shape of the moon. Step 3 - Place it on your chart. Repeat until you have all the phases done. We put it on a paper plate. Most people label it, but I did not. Instead I would have Gess tell me what they are or ask her a phase and have her point to it. The phases are: 1. New Moon 2. Waxing Crescent Moon 3. First Quarter Moon 4. Waxing Gibbous Moon 5. Full Moon 6. Wan...

My daughter has Down syndrome and there have been many things that have been difficult for her to learn. From walking and talking to education and life-skills she has had many struggles along the way. Every time I find something successful I long to share it with others who might find it helpful. That was the entire reason I started this blog. However, this post is not about how I taught my daughter to pray. Instead, it is about how my daughter taught me to pray! Prayer is a popular topic to study. The Scripture has much to say about it and yet I find myself struggling to do it. Oh, I sit and bow my head just fine. I even have chunks of my day carved out for just that purpose, but what do I do when I am there? One thing I do is talk. Prayer is a conversation and I am good at that part, but it's the quiet listening I am not so good at. I also struggle with what to say. I have my list and I go down it. I have loved ones who need salvation and friends who are sick. I pray for my ...

Gess turned 13 last October and I have to tell you she is certainly showing great signs of maturity. I have blogged over the years of ways I taught her how to do chores, remember her homework, and regulate her screen time. Well, all the hard work has not been in vain! We seem to have a system that is working quite smoothly! I believe the My Student Logbook was the final tool that helped pull it all together. I reviewed this last September and it is a constant in our daily use now. What I do is list each subject that Gess must complete each day. Below that are other things she must accomplish such as chores, practicing her piano, reading a book, and making her bed.  To motivate her to complete them we have one rule. No Media until every box is checked off. That means: No TV No Computer (except for school related) No XBox No CD or MP3 music. She does get breaks in her day. She can play outside, with legos, color, or any other thing that is not media related. Thi...

Last year I reviewed a reading program titled Essential Skills Advantage or ESA . We really loved it and Gess still uses it a few times a week to supplement her other lessons. While you can get some perks with a premium membership, the program itself is absolutely FREE .  The activities are colorful and engaging.  Here are a few Gess has done. Anyway, I love suggesting resources that work for us. That was the main reason I started this blog. When I find a great resource and its FREE, I have to remind my readers about it from time to time. So give ESA a try. I think you will find your child might like it too. It certainly won't cost you anything to find out!

Every year I resolve to read the entire Bible in a year. Sometimes I make it through, but most of the time I do not. I will at least strive to stay consistent. This year I found a nice reading schedule called the 52 Week Bible Reading Plan that may help with that. I like it because it changes what you are reading every day. Your reading covers these areas: Epistles, The Law, History, Psalms, Poetry, Prophecy, and Gospels. If that one is not for you I found a pretty good list of other plans to follow as well at Ligonier Ministries Bible Reading Plans for 2015 . They offer them in PDF and I prefer that so I can read it in my own bible and check it off when done. It's easier to keep up with if I get behind and allows me to get ahead too. I actually started before January so I had some wiggle room. While I am not encouraging Gess to read through her bible in the year she does have daily reading she does in her studies each day. For memorization I am going to participate in the ...

At the start of 2012 I blogged about the New Year Photo Book we were making that I found at No Time for Flash Cards . Now is my annual reminder to keep up with it, or start one if you have not yet done so. Now that Gess is actually getting bigger its still a fun book to do. At 13 the fascination isn't so much about how much she has grown (which she actually hasn't grown at all this last year) but what events stood out to her. Of course, going to Camp Barnabas was her favorite event so she chose that one. When looking at photos to choose from that she couldn't stop laughing at this one of her and her counselor at the pool. This will be our entry this year! I compiled all the pictures last year to show what ours looks like inside. It was another great year and Gess really loves looking back on how much she has grown and think about some of the great experiences she has had.