My oldest, Kaden, was on Spring Break this week so we decided to go out for some Mom & Son time together! We started our morning at the Original Pancake House for brunch. I got Strawberry Crepes and he got Chocolate Chip Pancakes (that he said weren’t as good as his Grandma makes which I thought was cute).
After brunch we headed down the plaza to Nova Candle Co. where we poured our own soy wax candles!
When we arrived, we each had two little trays waiting for us at our spots. We had one scale to share between us to measure our fragrance.
The first step was to pick which vessel we wanted to pour into. We both went with the classic 3 wick.
The next step was to decide which fragrances we wanted to use for our candles. We were each given a chart to bring to the smelling station with us that listed the names of all available fragrances and was told to make notes of which ones we liked or didn’t like. I used the process of elimination, landing on the ones that I loved best. I tried to maintain balance by using one from each category, with the exception of Cozy, because I’m not a cozy person. I enjoy those scents for about a month when Fall is first upon us, and the rest of the year they make me sick to my stomach.
Once our selections were matched with our fragrance bottles, we were ready to begin pouring. Since we both had the same candle, we took turns measuring out 1.2 oz to pour into the bottom of the vessel.
Once that was poured, we began pouring our soy wax on top. We then whisked really well, making sure the fragrance was evenly distributed within the wax.
After the wax was poured and well whisked, we set our wicks. Kaden named his “Coastal Breeze” and I named mine “Sunshine” after the song “Sunshine” by Atmosphere. In it, there is a line that says “if I could, I would keep this feeling in a plastic jar, bust it out whenever someone’s acting hard.” I wanted my candle to be my own Little personal glass jar of Sunshine so that I can bust it out anytime I need it.
His handwriting is so beautiful that I asked him to write both of ours on the labels. I drew a little sun on mine that makes me smile when I see it.
Once we were finished, we had to let them set overnight. The next morning, I went back to pick up our candles. They smelled even better after they had set than they did before we left. I’m absolutely in love with mine. Kaden’s was also very lovely – it gave me “Summers on Block Island” vibes.
We both had a really great experience and I’m really glad we chose this for our Day Out. I will definitely be returning! Mia has already asked if we could include this as part of her 10th birthday celebration which I think would be perfect! This is an experience that she would absolutely adore! Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper birthday celebration without stopping nextdoor at Aglamesis for a delicious treat after!
This year, we are really excited to announce that we will be selling our homegrown flower bouquets! The girls have signed up for the Children’s Entrepreneur Market through our homeschool program!
Through this program, the girls will be running Morozov Mini Market entirely on their own. From decorating to sales and everything in-between!
They will be selling:
Homegrown Flower Bouquets
Handmade Flower Presses
Sewn items (Ella)
Homegrown Flower Bouquets
These are examples of a few of our bouquets we created last year – I wish I had taken photos of every one we made. This year we have expanded our gardens and have already added much more variety of flowers. We will continue to add to our gardens throughout the season.
The girls will be selling different size bouquets including adorable mini size ones! Mini size are best for personal place-settings, but also perfect for little hands who loves flowers like their moms!
We took a class on floral arrangements through another one of our homeschool programs, Grace Girls. We are really excited to use the skills we learned to better arrange our bouquets this year.
Flower Presses
These flowers presses were designed by me, but are still good examples of what the girls will offer. They will only use the straps for their presses since they are a much more kid-friendly option. They will design and paint each press themselves, but any wood burning will be assisted by their dad for safety purposes.
Sewn items
Ella is currently working on sewing our Morozov Mini Market banner for their booths. It is already turning out so cute!
These are a few examples of her past creations. She has specific kids-would-love items in mind that she’ll be making for sale.
For my birthday she made me an apron to collect our chicken’s eggs in. It is reversible, doubling as a kitchen apron as well. She picked all of the fabric herself and I absolutely love it! The plan is for Ella to sew a few child-size ones to sell at their market. With the major influx of both homeschooling families and backyard chickens, I think this will be a “hot” item. We may not have time to achieve this by our June market, but we will definitely have them for our Fall market – which is actually perfect with the timing of laying for the majority of people who began their chicken journey after the 2025 Bird Flu began.
She also made this adorable reversible pot holder. One side has a fun dog fabric while the other side has cute cats.
This “Peekable Picture Frame” has always been one of my favorite sewing projects she’s created. When closed, it resembles a quilt square, but when open, it has a beautiful photo that Ella picked out to put in it.
We do take custom orders if our booth dates don’t work for your schedule or you would like something sooner or later! We may be adding more dates this market season🤞🏼.
I’m loving this Harvest of the Month campaign! It’s been so fun having a specific produce item to focus on for the month! The month of February was focused around Carrots!
We are a very Holistic Health-oriented family. We believe food and movement are medicine. We also believe you are what you eat (if you eat garbage, you’re going to feel like garbage.) I am hopeful that by sharing these Harvest of the Month unit studies we put together in our homeschool this year will help educate others in the importance of eating healthy & inspire others to intentionally eat healthier too.
Health Benefits
Let’s start out with the health benefits that you will gain by simply eating carrots:
Improves Eyesight, Reduces Macular Degeneration
Anti-aging
Prevents Cancer
Prevents Heart Disease
Strengthens Bones
Promotes Healthier Skin & Hair Growth
Improves Kidney Functions
Prevents Infection
Cleanses Body of Toxins
Improves Liver Functions
Prevents Strokes
Protects Teeth & Gums, Better Breath
Aid Digestion & Weight Loss
Maintain Cholesterol Levels
Minimizes Inflammation
Blood Pressure Regulation
Regulates Blood Sugar Levels
Improves Brain Health & Cognitive Function
Boosts Immunity
Anti-fungal
Antioxidant
Rich in Potassium + Vitamins A & K
High in Fiber, Combats Constipation, Cures Diarrhea
Naturally Boosts Energy
Prevents Diabetes
Increases Sperm Count in Men
Carrot Seed Essential Oil also has many health benefits, but it is strongly urged to avoid during all stages of pregnancy, as well as by individuals who suffer from epilepsy. As always with Essential oils, make sure you are using a pure & reputable brand (I use Young Living and DoTerra) to get the best results.
Treats Kidney Stones
Treats Jaundice
Aids in digestion, gas, and bloating
Improves breast milk production
Stimulates lymphatic system
Relives menstruation pain
Relieves muscle pain
Stimulates appetite
Healthy Skin and hair
Antioxidant
Heals abscesses, wounds, and other skin disorders
Treats ulcers
Improves liver and gall bladder disorder
Relieves stress & anxiety
Improves respiratory function
Recipes
I made cute little recipe cards of the Carrot recipes we made this month so you could print & put together your own Harvest of the Month Cookbook as I continue to post each month!
🥕 Cinnamon + Carrot Bread 🥕
🥕 Carrot Muffins 🥕
🥕 Ukrainian Carrot Sandwiches 🥕
These were hands down my favorite of all the Carrot foods we made. They were SO good! I’ll definitely be making this again soon for Easter and many more meals after that! We really liked these a lot.
🥕 Baked Carrot Fries 🥕
🥕 Ukrainian Carrot Gravy 🥕
We all really loved this gravy and have officially made it our “house gravy.” My husband and I agreed that it was better than any form of gravy we have ever tried before!
🥕 Carrot Pudding 🥕
🥕 Carrot Cake 🥕
I prefer my carrot cake to be packed with thickly shredded carrot pieces, nuts, & Golden raisins, but kids don’t particularly feel the same, especially if they haven’t already been introduced to these textures in cake before so I made a kid-friendly & sensory-friendly carrot cake with no nuts, no raisins, and carrots grated so thinly they resemble more of a carrot “pulp” than a carrot, so that you would never know carrots were included. It’s lovely, but come Easter, I’ll be making it the way we love it – full of texture.
Educational Resources
I had a lot of fun creating this Facts About Carrots printable! I feel like we learned a lot about carrots that we didn’t previously know!
These were a few of our books that we used to learn new information about carrots:
Activities
🥕 Planting Carrots For Our Garden.
We painted mini terracotta pots and planted carrot seeds inside.
We learned that carrot plants have roots, stems, leaves, and flowers. We eat the root part of the plant which grows underground. The seeds are planted underground, but can also be started inside 4-6 weeks before spring. Once the carrots are fully grown, flowers form on the carrot plant. The seeds fall down and replant themselves. It takes about 100 days for a carrot to grow.
🥕 Watercolor Painting Carrots.
Each of the girls painted carrots using watercolor paints. I asked them to draw their carrots first and then paint them. I think they turned out really good! I asked Moses to participate in this activity, but he chose not to.
🥕 Scrap Fabric Carrots
We used fabric and ribbon scraps to make carrots on canvas banner pieces. Each person got their own banner piece to work on. Moses, again, chose not to participate. I am in love with the way it turned out and it will be hung for at least through Easter.
DaytimeNighttime
I’m honestly really proud of our first Harvest of the Month unit. We learned a lot about carrots that we didn’t previously know and fell in love with recipes we may not have tried. We are excited to work on our March Harvest plans!
We (the girls) recently learned a new skill at Grace Girls: Loom Knitting.
I had actually learned this skill many years ago during my first trip to rehab at Timberline Knolls before I had any of my babies (my oldest will be 15 in a few months!). Timberline Knolls was such a beautiful resort of a treatment center that I absolutely took for granted, knowing what I know now. I did, however, pick up some great life skills there and I learned a lot of valuable tools regarding addiction & mental health that I still carry with me today. (Plus, fun fact, I was there at the same time as celebrity, Demi Levato. I didn’t get to meet her as she was kept privately in one of the halfway houses, away from us regular folks 😂, but it was still a big deal around the center at the time.)
This was a skill that was still a little too challenging for my younger girls. Mia wasn’t interested from the start and asked to stay home. Ella got it down pretty well, though.
Each girl was given a baggie filled with a tiny size loom, a ball of yarn, a hook, and a large sewing needle. Our project that we were focusing on knitting was hats for newborn babies for the Pro-Life Organization: Life Forward.
This is a cause that is near & dear to my heart and it might be important that I add a *trigger warning* here.
When I was 18 (almost 19) years old, I became pregnant with my oldest son. I was freshly home from my first trip to rehab, not even 45 days sober. Every single person in my life at that time tried their hardest to force me to abort my child. I was threatened with homelessness. I was threatened to be strapped down to a table against my will while an unwanted abortion was performed on me. I was taken to Planned Parenthood. I signed the papers even though I absolutely did not want to go through with it. I was taken to the back room, alone, and shown a video. I spoke with a counselor. I broke down in tears saying there was absolutely no way I could go through with this, it isn’t what I wanted or believed in, and they helped me.
They helped me say no. They helped me find a voice for my child, and myself. They helped point me in the direction of free parenting classes, where I found an organization called Healthy Moms & Babes, who help young mothers who have decided to keep their babies but don’t know what to do next. They provided me with services, classes, and a small basket of free baby items & coupons when I graduated their program. They helped me understand my next steps in finding prenatal care. They provided me with resources.
These organizations are exactly the safe spaces young mothers need who otherwise wouldn’t have any other support in their decision to keep their baby. Without their help & support, I could have been pressured into making a decision I absolutely did not want to make for myself or my child that I would have regretted every day of the rest of my life because I was young, afraid, newly sober, and alone. I didn’t know I had options – up until that point I had been told abortion was my only one.
I am so proud to be contributing as a family to this cause, even if it is something small. There is a baby out there who will be blessed to GET the chance to wear these hats, who might have otherwise missed out on life without the support of these organizations. I am proud to teach my girls to stand against the crowd and be a voice for the literal voiceless, now more than ever, in a world where women are seriously obsessed with getting abortions.
We’ll be working on finishing our newborn hats and will be returning them at our next Grace Girls meeting, along with our baby bottle bank that we are collecting loose change in for Life Forward.
We started off our week with a homeschool field trip at Civic Garden Center for their Lil Sprouts program.
This is a FREE group that meets every 2nd and 4th Monday of the month from 9 – 10:30 am, designed for children ages 3-8. Each meeting includes different themes and activities. This week’s theme was birds.
First, we made Nesting Balls for the birds who are beginning to return from their winter migration as the seasons are preparing to swift. These balls are meant to be hung outside for birds to use the organic materials to build their nest.
There was a table set up with the materials we could use to make our balls. All material were organic and safe for the birds. The girls used a lot of moss, alpaca fur, and twigs.
Don’t mind the “temporary” tattoos that just won’t wash off 😅
We took the materials back to our table and made our balls. I love how they turned out! And they will be perfect to hang near the birdhouses the girls have all been working on over the winter. We hope that the birds love them too!
After we made our Nesting Balls, we listened to the story The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle. Then we went outside for a group Nature Hike to listen & watch for birds with binoculars. We used the Merlin App on our phones which luckily all participating families already had downloaded!
Sasha had the great idea of looking on the cable wires near the main road to see birds. She said she thought of that because that is where all the birds always are. We were able to spot an American Robin because of her idea! We also heard a Cardinal – our state bird – but we didn’t see it.
We were really excited to see flowers beginning to bloom. We named different flowers that we saw – at least 4 different kinds! We were particularly excited about the abundance of Crocus! We also checked on the tree sap collected in buckets through a tap that they set up in a past Lil Sprouts meeting. We got the taste the fresh sap which surprisingly had very little flavor prior to being boiled.
We finished our hike and headed back to the classroom to close out our meeting. I am so glad that we found this place! Sasha has already asked to begin regularly attending the Lil Sprouts classes and Moses said he wanted to come to our next meeting as well. I’m excited to find out what the next theme will be!
The Civic Garden Center also offers a variety of really neat & useful classes for both adults and families. There is also a super cute gift shop with all kinds of items for your gardening needs! I’m really glad that we found this place & am excited to incorporate it into our regular homeschool schedule!
It’s been awhile since we last had a Grace Girls meeting! We had a long winter break and then we ended up having to unfortunately miss the first meeting of the year: Responding to a Medical Emergency. I was really looking forward to that one too.
This time, the youngest girls and I went to the meeting together. The older girls have already built a Birdhouse, so I decided to give the younger ones a turn. I’m really glad that I did this. I think it minimized arguments between the girls. Taking turns was much easier with 2 girls than 4, especially on such a small project.
Our friend, Mrs. Liz, led this project and was so kind to put little kits together for each family using cedar wood that came from her family’s personal scrap lumber inventory. Each kit included instructions as well as pre-cut wood pieces labeled where to place them, small pre-drilled holes for the girls to know where to place their nails, and a little perch. Each family was also given a piece of scrap wood to hammer on, wood glue, and sanding paper to use.
Sasha took our kit apart and laid out the pieces. The girls and I took turns sanding pieces of wood.
Then we were ready to begin assembling our Birdhouse. Athena was really excited to get to use a hammer.
After a couple bent nails, we got our rhythm down. We found it easier if I started the nails just a little, and they took turns hammering each one down. I reminded them that Dad taught us to always attach pieces diagonally for stability.
Once the bottom and sides were together, it was time to attach the roof and add the perch using the wood glue.
Then they had a finished Birdhouse! 🐦 They were really proud of their Birdhouse and I was very proud of their hard work and ability to take turns & work together. I love the way it looks! I think it’s so adorable!
I can’t wait to find the perfect spot outside to get it hung up in time for Spring!
Welcome back to another week of working through the Mom Set Free Bible Study. I’ve gotten so far behind in basically everything since the beginning of December. I thought January would allow me to catch up & return to slower living, but it’s been somehow ended up just as busy for me as I’ve been working an almost full time schedule again. Fingers crossed for February! This chapter went deep and with how busy I’ve been I decided to take my time and not to rush it just to get through it “on time.”
I feel like this week’s challenge really helped me to open my eyes and come to terms with certain things.
Read Ephesians 1:17-19
Paul prayed that God would give “The Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that,” we may:know Him better.
What 3 things did Paul pray for the Ephesians to know in verses 18-19?
The HOPE to which He has called you
The RICHES of His glorious inheritance
His incomparably great POWER
How have you tended to think about God’s sovereignty? How has your understanding of God’s sovereignty impacted the way you parent?
Truthfully, I haven’t been living with this in mind and that feels really difficult to admit for some reason. I have not been putting God first. I think that it has impacted me negatively. I have been leading by my example and not by God’s.I need to do a better job in this area.
Look up the following verses, and note what they have to say about God’s power.
I was planned by God and given a plan to follow out long before I was Earth-side.
I may make the plans for my life based on what matters to me, but the plans are by God’s design. He is leading me down the paths I need to go down. My passions and interests are not random, they were chosen by His plan for my purpose.
I am human and it is easy for me to get lost in the way that I think I should live my life instead of living the life that God has designed for me. His plan for me is far greater than anything I could come up with on my own. Every single step in life is part of His plan and is all working together for His greater good. I need to stop looking at God based on my level, because he is not on my level – He is far beyond anything I could imagine.
When He created the world, He created me too. I was designed for great things because of Him, because He sees me as a necessary part of his overall plan for the world.
He is everything. The before, the during, and the after.
Read Matthew 7:9-11
Sometimes we view God as someone who wants to take things away from us. How does this passage refute that lie?
I don’t think he wants to take things away from us, but sometimes what we think that we want for ourselves isn’t what is actually best for us. God knows what is best for us and wants the best for us. He wants to answer our prayers, but we have to ask. We are imperfect parents, but still wish to give our children the best. God who is perfect wants to and has the ability to give even bigger and better gifts than us, but that doesn’t mean giving in to our selfish, materialistic desires.
Over the past year & a half that my husband has been off work, God has shown me time & time again that He will provide. He will take care of us as His children.You have to be willing to surrender though. You have to truly put your faith in Him and believe in your heart that it not only could happen, but will happen – that at the end of the day, everything will be okay.While this year has been a struggle, it has also provided us with many blessings & gifts.
How can we apply this truth to our children?
Know that even when I feel that I can’t provide for my children, that God will help make it happen because he too wants what is best for my (His) childrenand doesn’t want to see us struggle or fail.
Read Roman’s 8:32
What does this verse reveal about God’s ability to understand the sadness, grief, and even anguish that we experience as parents?
Even as parents, we have to do things that we don’t want to do or have to endure battles that we didn’t see as part of our plan. I think there’s a little bit of comfort in knowing that God too had to give up his son, like I did. It wasn’t part of my plan. It wasn’t how I wanted things to be. He knows how sad I feel over it. He knows how heavy this burden is to carry with me every day, every year. He understands how I feel, when no one else can. God has other plans and even though I don’t know why yet, I have to trust that it is greater than what I want. I need to stop believing that it’s because I am not worthy or good enough, but because God has bigger plans.
What are some of the battles you are facing alongside your children right now that you desperately wish you could fix or control?
As a family, we are fighting a financial battle while my husband is not working. We are facing family drama that has led to a lot of estrangement, and I feel stuck in the middle. As a mother, I’m fighting a battle to be heard and obeyed. I am struggling with being the homemaker, homeschooler, AND worker. I want to come back home where I am most needed and useful, where my children need me. Personal struggles at home. I’m struggling a lot with the situation with my son living with my parents, which effects all my children: one misses out on the amazing experience of growing up with a big family, something I dreamed of as an only child, the rest have to miss out on knowing their brother, and miss out on many experiences that he is presented with as an only child. It breaks my heart that Moses gets sad when I call Kaden my son too, because he truly doesn’t understand.
How do these verses encourage you to breathe hope into those situations?
I am hopeful things are the way they are because something bigger & more beautiful will come from it and that I will be lucky enough to get to see the plan unfold Earth side. Although in my experience, I also know that sometimes pieces of the plan don’t come together without loss, and there is a chance, and fact, that some parts won’t be answered until long after I’m gone. The same way I came long my бабуся left Earth side, but with an important purpose of bridging the gap between the old generation and the new to keep our heritage alive. Or the way Kaden was reconnected with his dad’s side of his family after his dad passed. Parts of my grandchildren’s stories and their children’s stories are already being written today, with each step we take. I just have to keep hope that I’ll get to see as much of God’s plan as possible.
Read Chronicles 20:1-12
How did Jehoshaphat prepare for battle in verse 3?
Seek the Lord
Now record how Jehoshaphat ended his prayer to the Lord in verse 12.
“Our God, will you not judge them? For we are powerless before this vast number that comes to fight against us. We do not know what to do, but we look to you.”
How would this mind-set impact your daily parenting?
When I don’t know what to do, look to God. When the kids aren’t listening or obeying, fighting with each other, look to God. When I feel like I’m failing and I can’t do anything right, look to God. When I feel like I’m both completely outnumbered and all alone, look to God.
Ponder your response to that invitation.
On a scale of 1-5, how difficult is it for you to trust God?:
I’m not sure I can scale that. The closer that I am to Him the more I trust Him, but when I get away from him, so does the trust. I have definitely noticed myself getting further and further since beginning my job. I know I don’t put enough trust in God. I divide between others – the universe, my ancestors... but he even begins his prayer “Lord, God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven, and do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations?” He is the ruler of all kingdoms & my ancestors. I don’t need to split up who to thank. He covers all.
What stories from Scripture, your life, or the lives of those around you that God, not you, is the One holding all things together and can be trusted with your children?
I cannot think of specific stories off of the top of my head, but I know God can be trusted with my children because they are His children first.
In our History course, we are currently learning about The Silk Road. This week’s assignment is making a Silk Road Supper.
We were given 4 courses (appetizer, main dish, side item, and dessert), Ella & Mia each chose two courses that they were going to be responsible for. I also chose 2 of my own to contribute to our feast. Ella chose a main & side, Mia chose the appetizer & dessert. They prepared their grocery lists by writing down the ingredients from each recipe that we needed to buy, leaving out the items that we already have.
Our next step was to go on a field trip to the grocery store and learn where the ingredients that we needed were sourced from, then buy the items that we need for our supper. We are fortunate to live where there is not only one Jungle Jims, but two, and either one a 20 minute drive for us. We decided that was the perfect store for this assignment.
For my friends outside Ohio, Jungle Jims is an International Grocery Supermarket. It’s sort of like an amusement park, but for foodies. It’s currently listed as the largest grocery store in the world. People travel from all over the country to visit this market.
You can shop international products by country. You can watch old-time animatronics perform or join eating contests. You can hang out at the lounge for beer & wine testing, or check out a cooking class at The Cooking School. Visit their Award Winning Restrooms. Watch the Jungle Jims Story in the theater or take a guided tour.
There is nearly every type of food you can think of from all over the world. It’s really fun to find new things to try that you otherwise would never know even existed.
It really is such an interesting place. If it’s your first time going, plan on spending at least half of your day there, if not more. It’s very easy to overspend though, so we try not to spend too much time browsing when we go. There’s a huge shopping area for kitchen tools & accessories, and a giant old school toy section filled with toys from my childhood & collectors items.
The surrounding Plaza around Jungle Jims has plenty of food options if you’ve made yourself hungry while shopping and want to grab a bite to eat on your way home. Don’t leave without checking out the renovated Monorail that once upon a time in Cincinnati history rode guests through King’s Island’s now-retired Lion Country Safari exhibit.
They are currently expanding the jungle, and I’m sure, surrounding Plaza as well. I’m so excited to see what all is added!
A Silk Road Supper
• APPETIZER: Bruschetta al Pomodoro • (Mia)
I feel like this was a strange dish to be included in a Silk Road Supper, considering tomatoes are native to the Americas & did not reach Italy until the mid-1500s… after the Silk Road had already closed nearly 100 years prior… but we’re all about celebrating other cultures so we kept it on the menu 🤷🏼♀️. It was delicious though, so we’re glad we did!
• MAIN DISH: Middle Eastern Market Chicken • (Ella)
I forgot to get a picture of the finished dish, or of what it looked like packed inside a pita wrap – we were all so hungry by the time dinner was served. Ella made a rotisserie chicken in the crockpot. She’s getting really comfortable working with meat.
I made a Ready to Cook vegetarian legume “chicken” for myself. I don’t usually buy these products, but I wanted to try to get as close to the menu as possible for myself and I’m glad I did. It was so delicious.
• SIDE ITEM #1: Gan Bian Si Ji Dou • (Ella)
Ella chose to use ground turkey for this recipe. I think we would remake, omitting the meat all together. We substituted regular rice wine because I could get it at my work with my discount. Dad got to drink the rest. He said it tastes like if vodka & wine had a baby.
• SIDE ITEM #2: Biryani Rice • (Mom)
This ended up being Sasha’s Favorite dish. I’ve never had it so I have nothing to compare to. My husband said it tasted “Middle Eastern.” I think that means it turned out right? It was what I was aiming for. I thought it was good, and had the most pleasant aroma. I caramelized the onions all day (10 hours) in a crockpot and I feel that they still never got very caramelized. They smelled amazing while they cooked, though.
• DESSERT: Sakkarai Pongal • (Mia)
I liked this a lot. It sort of reminded me of Ukrainian Kutya, but thinner. The kids were disappointed, they thought it tasted more like Oatmeal than pudding and saw this as more of a breakfast option than a dessert option. I could see that. I did have some with breakfast the next morning and can confirm, it’s awesome for breakfast.
• BEVERAGE: • Ukrainian Kompot (Mom)
My reason for choosing this (besides that it is so delicious) is that the Silk Road branched off to the Black Sea, off the coast of Ukraine, which has always been a vital trading route, even today. China has been working on re-opening the Modern Silk Road that Ukraine aims to be a destination on for trade. Ukraine’s land is known to be the most furtile in the world and is known to be The Bread Basket of The World from their major exportation of wheat, soy, barley, maize, and sunflowers. Plus, we’re Ukrainian and I’ll use anything as an excuse to celebrate our culture!
Kompot is so great because in the summer you can serve it cold, then in these cold, winter months you can serve it warm like tea. It’s a great way to use up fruit that is turning mushy, but not yet moldy. Instead of throwing those away, place them in a gallon-size ziplock bag in your freezer. Once you fill a bag, use it for making Kompot to cut down on food waste & enjoy a delicious fruit drink.
I hope you enjoyed our Silk Road experience as much as we did. We thought it was a lot of fun and very hands on & family-oriented which we love. I am really grateful that we were able to take a field trip to such a large international market for this project. I’m also grateful for being presented with new foods to try and having children with an adventurous & open eating palate who are always willing to try new foods with me.
New Years is one of my favorite holidays. I love looking around our home, admiring all of the changes that we made over the year & dreaming of all the things I want to accomplish in the next. I love setting goals & even more, I love crossing them off my list.
I personally am SO excited for 2025! 2024 was a hard year for me, but 2025 brings so much new to look forward to. December ended with a lot of blessings for us that has lit a new fuel in me that has me full of hope and endless energy.
This year, I made a cute little worksheet for my kids to fill out to get them started in finding their own joy of planning & wanted to share it with all of you, in case you would like to print it out for your kids too! Plus, it was really good insight to hear their answers they came up with!
Speaking of planning – after a lot of going back & forth with myself, I decided to splurge on a Christmas gift for myself this year! I got myself the Homemaking Planner of my dreams. If you know me in real life, you’d know that I always have my planner with me; planning activities or meals, or making lists of goals I want to accomplish. My planner is absolutely crucial to running my crazy lifestyle! If I’m not planning, I’m literally malfunctioning.
This planner has literally everything I need & want. Beautifully designed, daily to-do lists already planned out for me for the entire year with daily homemaking tasks to keep my home running smooth & Bible readings. It has the exact layout I was looking for. It has Holiday planning checklists, vacation planning checklists, cleaning lists, financial budgeting, goals & books I want to read, meal planning. It’s seriously the best planner for any Homemaking, Homeschooling, or Homesteading mom. If you are an extensive planner like me, it’s absolutely worth every single penny!
I’m SO excited to sit down today and plan all the things! I can’t wait to see how far this new planner will take me in achieving both mine & my family’s goals this year. I can’t wait to make our Homeschool Goals list for the year & start crossing them off!
We’re getting back on track, beginning today. We’re clearing the clutter from both our space & mind. We’re preparing for new adventures for our family. I’m so excited for all this New Year will bring!
Our Year in Photos 📸
I wish you a Happy New Year and wish that you, too, are filled with hope & joy for this year to come. What is something you are looking forward to most this year?
We have been working hard this week baking SO many cookies to put together little Cookie Basket Christmas gifts for our homeschool teacher, Ms. Natalie, and our piano teacher, Ms. Bayleigh. We also made a Cookie Box to bring into my work for my co-workers.
The kids were all big helpers and had lots of fun decorating. I loved how much they were into it and how long it kept them occupied for.
To keep the mess to a minimum, we rolled out our large paper on the table to work on. This is one of my favorite hacks! It makes the situation so much less stressful. Kids can also color on the paper while they are waiting. If you’re working in a group setting you can use it as a way to organize whose cookies are whose, what types of cookies are available to work with (Gingerbread, Sugar, etc.), or ingredients for allergy purposes.
I think that the kids did a really great job decorating. They really put a lot of effort into each cookie.
Cookies Boxes
This year we included:
• Snowballs • Gingerbread Men • Sugar Cookies with M&M • Peppermint Fudge • Chocolate Crinkles • Decorated Sugar Cookies & Gingerbread Men • Sourdough Gingerbread Biscotti
We had a lot of fun putting these together! I think they look adorable. I especially like how the box for my co-workers really shows what all is included in the box. I think next year I’d rather do all boxes than baskets for this reason. Mia asked if we can make this a new tradition for our family. We will definitely have to start planning earlier next year to increase our variety. This year, we just worked with what we had available on hand in our pantry. I’d really like to include some fruit ones next year, and a few other treats.
Each kid made their own Gingerbread House with Ms. Natalie for a Christmas activity before winter break began. I did not know this was our activity or I would have made sure Mia came. We did bring home a plateful of treats for her though. It was only Ella & Sasha’s classes today, but I like to bring the Littles so they can free play while the other kids are at their classes.
Some of the cookies broke in the process of trying to separate them. We were able to make the best of the situation and still make them work. I especially liked the little scenes that Ella made. I thought that was really creative.
The important thing is we had a lot of fun! I think they all turned out super cute and they were yummy! These cookies from the kits had a much more mild gingerbread taste to them than the ones we make at home, but I think that’s probably good for kids. Gingerbread can be a bit spicy for kids who aren’t used to a lot of spices. Next year, I’d love to try making our own Gingerbread Homes from scratch! I think that would be an extra special Christmas memory for us.
From Heroin to Housewife 
