Lori Seaborg

St. Nicholas Day To Do List

My List of Things to do:
 
Before St. Nicholas Day (Thursday, December 6): 

• Hang stockings
• Decide on a new recipe from another country that we will make during the day. 
• Gather stocking stuffers:  ideas:  glow lights, new pens, and a gift for each
• Make goody bags for friends:  homemade candies (pecan brittle, toffee, peppermint bark)
• Read to the kids about St. Nick -- find book and have ready (Santa, Are You For Real? by Harold Myra)
• Have kids select items they are going to give away that day
• Plan where we will visit with our bags of give-aways (Waterfront Rescue Mission?)
• Make tags for friends' goody bags
• Buy cello bags or look at what we might have (dollar store) for goody bags

 

~ Lori Seaborg 2007

Rerun from 2005: St. Nicholas Day Traditions

Several years ago, when Tim and I were new parents,  we needed to decide what Christmas traditions we wanted to pass on to our children.  We definitely wanted our child and future children to celebrate Christmas as Jesus’ birthday, because that’s why there is even a Christmas Day, after all.  But could we also fit the magical fun of Santa Claus into Christmas without taking anything away from Jesus? 

 

For a while, we just opened our gifts on Christmas Eve and had our feast and a cake for Jesus on Christmas Day.  That’s it.   No Santa Claus. But as our children grew older, they started asking about the jolly red fellow they saw in the mall, and they kept seeing his image on nearly every sign in sight.  There’s something cozy about believing in a magical reward for doing good.  I could tell that the kids wanted to believe in Santa Claus. 

 

It was a happy day when I read about St. Nicholas and realized that I could have both – a special, set-aside day for Jesus, and a celebration of Santa Claus, too.  And I was also happy – no, delighted – to read that St. Nicholas’ day is December 6^th.  This gave me a way to extend the holiday season.

 

Who is St. Nicholas, Santa Claus?

 

Nicholas was Bishop of Asia Minor in AD 325.  He was known for being an all-around great guy, very generous and kind to all.  The story goes that Nicholas once threw bags of gold into a window one night, to help pay the dowry of a poor man’s daughter so she could be married.  When he threw the bags of gold, they landed into the daughter’s stockings which were hung to dry near the fireplace.

 

(This is where we get hung stockings near the fireplace)

 

The Santa Claus that we Americans have grown up knowing, the one who comes down the chimney, wears a red robe, and says, “Ho, ho, ho,” originated in 1822 when Reverend Clement Clarke Moore wrote a poem ('Twas the Night Before Christmas') to his daughters.  His appearance is thanks to the Coca-Cola company who had him drawn for an advertisement.  Such an adorable Santa Claus was drawn that he became immediately popular.  This Santa Claus is a fictional character, but one that many Americans love.

 

You’ll have to decide which Santa you want to celebrate – the fictional American version of 1822 or the real St. Nicholas of 325.  I think you can figure out ways to mix the two, if you like, and celebrate them both on St. Nicholas Day on December 6^th each year.  (Why December 6th?  That's the date of the birthday of Nicholas, the real Santa Claus)

 

You can read a lot more about the history of St. Nicholas at the website that I’ll mention at the end of this article.

 

How can we celebrate St. Nicholas Day, December 6^th?

(please note: I wrote this article in 2005.  Children have grown a bit and traditions have deepened, so a few of the following ideas have changed for our family.  Consider the following, and then visit the blog in the next few days for my 2007 ideas)

 

This is only our third year celebrating St. Nicholas Day, so we don’t have a lot of traditions established.  You will want to visit the website mentioned below for more on how to celebrate St. Nicholas Day.  Here is what we have planned for December 6^th this year:   

 

• On the night of December 5^th, children place carrots and/or hay in their shoes.  Legend has it that if a child leaves a treat for St. Nicholas’ white horse, he will leave a gift of candy and a present for the child.  Of course, we don’t tell our kids that the real St. Nicholas will be coming down from Heaven to do this, but we tell them that since St. Nicholas was such a kind person, he has inspired others to do kind deeds like he did.   The kids then get all twinkly-eyed trying to guess who would do a “St. Nicholas deed.” 
• We like to bake, so this year we will try the St. Nicholas Breads at the St. Nicholas Center website (below), which has recipes from around the world.   I think we'll try cookies from Germany or Switzerland. 
• Since St. Nicholas was known for giving to the poor and needy, we are going to go through our belongings in the next few days, and have them ready to give away on St. Nicholas Day.
• After our trip into town to give away items, we will have an afternoon tea (with our baked items front and center, of course!)

 You can read a lot more about St. Nicholas Day at this beautiful website devoted to the day:  http://www.StNicholasCenter.org .  The site is full of recipes from around the world, traditions from other countries, a kids page and much more.  I love to visit this site!

 

by Lori Seaborg

 

 

Creating A Full Holiday Season

Over a chocolate shake (hers) and an iced caramel coffee (mine), a wonderful friend and I shared a lovely conversation today in a quaint little bookstore cafe in our equally quaint bayside town.  Everytime I go downtown, I hear myself say aloud, "I love this town!" 

 

Well, anyway, that was not the topic of the day. Instead, we discussed St. Nicholas and Santa Claus and handmade gifts and books that inspire us and the Nutcracker ballet and knitting .... and how to make the Christmas season last.  With that last thought still in my mind, I went to my blog this evening and searched my archives for December 2005 where I found this post I thought I'd rerun for you:

”Can you not see it is clear folly to crowd Christmas into twelve very

 full hours of one day and expect everyone to enjoy themselves? 

Christmastide is, after all, not just a day but a season. 

Let us make the most of it. 

By spreading out the gifts, parties,

and special treats over an extended period, parents quiet down

the choruses of ‘I can’t wait,’

as our little ones discover that

they can indeed learn to wait –

as long as they don’t have to wait very long.” ~

 

from Mrs. Sharp's Traditions by Sarah Ban Breathnach

 

 

A few Christmases ago, I decided that Christmas was becoming more of a burden than a good time.  The day after Christmas, I was faced with a huge mess – wrapping paper scrunched up across the floor; a new toy already broken; greedy, grouchy and over-sugared children; leftovers to deal with; the tree’s needles scattered across the carpet; decorations to pack up; and a few store returns, the thought of which created a migraine.  Yes, Christmas had become a burden. 

 

Memory-making is terribly important to me. I determined to figure this holiday thing out before the kids had a childhood-full of grumpy Christmas memories. 

 

I absolutely believe in what Mrs. Sharp is saying in the above quote.  Can’t we see that it is crazy (she says folly) to celebrate all in one day?  What great expectations we are putting on one little day!  We think we are supposed to enjoy family, invite friends, sing carols, open perfectly chosen and perfectly wrapped gifts, enjoy a dinner as large as Thanksgiving, give at least a thought if not a basket of fruit to someone else, and have a tray of goodies to equal all the sweets eaten all year long, plus much more – all in one day. 

 

Are we absolutely crazy??

 

Well, I was. 

 

So with the reminder in my heart of the true meaning of Christmas, and with the help of Mrs. Sharp in the book above, I decided to change.

 

Over the holiday season, I will write you a series of articles about holiday traditions that we have observed in our home.   

 

I will share my ideas with you, but honestly, I’m as eager as you are for new ideas.  So please feel free to share your family’s traditions in the comments. 

by Lori Seaborg

Turkey Soup

Wait!  You didn't toss out the turkey bones yet, did you?  If not, you have the chance to try out this Turkey Carcass Soup!

 

Thanksgiving Night (tonight is fine): 

 

Toss the turkey bones, skin, yuckies, and all, into a big stock pot and cover the turkey carcass with water.   

 

Add 1-2 whole, unpeeled onions and about a tablespoon of peppercorns and a few garlic cloves, if you have them.  (all of these added ingredients are optional.  Other options are 2-3 bay leaves, leeks (washed, but toss in all of it), and whole fresh herbs like oregano, chives, thyme). 

 

Turn this pot on low and let simmer all night long (if you have less time, boil the water, then reduce to low and simmer for at least four hours.  The longer time, the more rich the stock, though.

 

The next morning:

 

Strain all of the whole ingredients from the stock.  You are left with rich, brown turkey stock (especially brown if you had a deep-fried turkey this year!).  You can either boil this stock to reduce it (this will strengthen the flavor even further), or - this is what I do - you can freeze some of the stock for later soups (any time a recipe asks for chicken or turkey stock, use your own!).

 

Keep enough stock in the pot for your Turkey Soup:  8 cups worth, or so?

 

Later in the day, about 1-2 hours before dinner:

 

To the stock, add the following leftovers and ingredients:

• a Tablespoon of salt (I use Kosher)
• Thanksgiving leftover veggies (green beans, carrots, whatever sounds good in soup)
• Thanksgiving leftover mashed potatoes (these help thicken the soup)
• Thanksgiving leftover turkey meat
• chopped onion and garlic (if you'd like)
• other Thanksgiving leftovers that would be good in a soup

Let this soup simmer for 1/2 hour to 2 hours (or all day, like I do, but add the veggies - carrots, beans - at the last 1/2 hour so they won't be too mushy).

 

A 1/2 hour before dinner:

 

Add the vegetables now, and also add some noodles, homemade or purchased, or some biscuits to the soup and cook/simmer until they are done.  Or,  just serve leftover Thanksgiving dinner rolls with the Turkey Carcass Soup. 

 

This is one of my husband's favorite meals, with homemade noodles or dumplings in it.  Mmmmm!

 

by Lori Seaborg

A Practical Way to Teach a Love of Learning

Teaching a love of learning along with how to learn can be a lot of fun!

On Mondays, our children (ages 12, 10, and 7 - our 4yo doesn't yet participate) choose a subject to study for the week. They choose a subject of their choice, anything under the sun.

Some recent subjects: Time, Chickens, Video Game Designing, Horses, Baking.

On Friday, I want to receive from each person a paper or "notebooking" page or lapbook on the subject chosen. I don't have a lot of rules about this, but just want something to save for their notebooks (binders, with page protectors), and proof that they did indeed research.

During the week, ample time and resources are at their disposal for research: books, the internet, a library day, a camera, science supplies and anything else they need.

At our house, we always leave available many types of scissors, all of the writing implements you can imagine, paper of many types, etc. The children can use whatever they need for their research.

This doesn't take much time for me to plan. Maybe a trip to the library, or help searching on the Internet.

Any time it does take is well worth it, because it's rewarding to see the children happily learning about a subject that has caught their interest.

by Lori Seaborg 2007

A Month of Sewing Tutorials

If you like crafts at all, you absolutely must pay this site a visit:    Sew, Mama, Sew

Imagine!  A full month of sewing tutorials!  Each day in November (2007), a new set of craft tutorials is posted. 

Today:  Lunch Bags!  How fun is that?! 

by Lori Seaborg 2007

Crafty Blog: Me and My Girl

I've been surfing the crafty blogs again - this time of year makes me do that - and wanted to share this new one with you:  http://ihavetosay.typepad.com/meandmygirl/ .  The author of the blog created Me and My Girl to encourage mothers and daughters to create things together.  Recent posts include Lollipop Cookies and a darling tote created from a child's crayon drawing. 

The author comes from this blog:  http://ihavetosay.typepad.com/randi/ , which is well worth exploring.

Enjoy!

by Lori Seaborg 2007

Nature Study

Nature study is definitely my favorite subject in our little school, and all four kids really enjoy it now, too.  At first, one was timid about drawing, but I told him that there is no right or wrong in art -- we are the only ones with our eyes, after all, and nobody can say we didn't see the object the way we drew it -- and I told him that nobody has to ever see his work if he doesn't want to show it.  A year of drawing later, and he's one of our most enthusiastic. 

We make a point of going outside on Fridays and nature journaling after we read a selection from Anna Comstocks' Handbook of Nature Study.  Sometimes we draw in our own backyard or take a little jaunt to Weeks Bay or another nature trail.  If we must, we just look out the window if the weather is poor.

Here is a great link to help you learn more about nature study and nature journaling:  http://highland.hitcho.com.au/naturejournal.htm

Our children use drawing pads you can get from Michaels or Hobby Lobby. We don't take our art out of these books to put it into notebooks like we would other subjects.  It's left intact.

We have an assortment of colored pencils, pencils, watercolors, acrylics, brushes, etc.  Hobby Lobby has great portable paint sets.  I've just collected things over time.  When we go out, we grab our sketch pads and the bag that holds those items.  And a water bottle for our water supply.  That's it!

I think that website above will get you started. It has great links to other sites, too.  I find that looking at other artist's sketch pads (online) is great inspiration.  My husband even picks up a pad and some paints when he sees us doing nature journaling.  It's rather contagious!

by Lori Seaborg 2007

Back from a Blogging Break

Hello!  I have enjoyed my blogging break, but hope to start blogging again here.  I've been asked by Precious Moments to blog for them on a site that will be announced next week, so when I have that going, I will "simulcast" my blogs so that you can read the posts here or there.

What's been happening in our house?

We had a nice summer, starting with a trip to North Carolina to visit my parents and brothers. Everyone used to live down here, and I'm not quite sure why they all left - it's lovely there, but is also just as lovely here - but anyway, we have to now drive about 12 hours to see them all!  I love to visit North Carolina, though,  especially the mountains.

While in North Carolina, I went to the Child Light Conference, which is a Charlotte Mason conference. I was so inspired by that! 

In July, we saw our Navy Blue Angels fly in their home show on Pensacola Beach.  This is an annual tradition of ours, and we had such a great time enjoying the show and beautiful Pensacola Beach.

Also in July, a great friend came over to teach me more about sewing.  We made cute dresses for our little girls.  I haven't sewn again, but would love to.  I was so proud of such a beautiful dress!

I can't remember all we did in August and September, but our days have been happy ones.

Earlier this month, we went on our favorite field trip we've ever done:  a boat trip in Orange Beach on a boat called Bottom's Up.  Here are some photos of our trip:  Bottoms Up Boat Tour in Orange Beach, Alabama

Just last week, we had a wonderful Fall Party with fellow homeschoolers. It was located at a beautiful home and the hostess, a homeschooling mother of 7, decorated and planned everything so well.  Here are some photos of our party:  Fall Party

We have just a few regular things on our schedule:   Ballet one hour a week for our 10yo daughter, and Art classes once every other week at the Mobile Museum of Art, and 4H just once per month. 

I try not to allow our schedule to get too full so that we can meet up with friends when we want to, and so we can enjoy spontaneous things, like a trip to the beach because the weather is perfect or a field trip with our homeschool group.

Still, our schedule could become busy every day if we let it!  It's a matter of choosing which activities are worth leaving home. 

I hope you all have been doing well!  I'm excited to be back to blogging. I have a lot to say since I've been silent and thinking for so long.  :) 

by Lori Seaborg 2006

Goodness, it ' s the end of May already

It's really hard to be blogging when the weather is perfect.  I think you might see more of my posts this summer, when it is sweltering hot and I'm indoors more.  We've had what seems like the most perfect spring I can ever remember.  But I think I say that about each spring, except for the one that included two floods a couple of years ago. 

Lately:

• Kittens were born on May 1.  Can you imagine a better day to be born but May Day?  It just sounds sweet.  We decided to let our cat have one litter of kittens, for educational sake, and planning on keeping the kittens. Mama (that's me) said, "I'm hoping for just two."  The kids, of course, wanted larger numbers, like 4 or 6 (gasp).  Thank God, there are only 2 kittens.  We're even one short, since we have four kids.  But that's just fine with me!

• Starting in mid-April until mid-May, we were either out of town (Orlando!) or had company here - Nana and Popo visited for a couple of weeks, then our college friends and their 5 children met us at a beach house on Pleasure Island (Alabama Gulf Coast). 
  

• My FreeHomeschool group that I founded last September has really grown by leaps and bounds.  There are over 1,000 members now.  As a result, a lot of great homeschool items are posted daily for free (shipping is often requested).  I'm so glad that it has helped others.
  

• At the beach (Gulf of Mexico), we did some fishing from shore.   Between our friends and whoever was holding our pole, we caught 3 stingrays, 2 crabs, and too many catfish.  All were thrown back out, after being inspected closely for education's and curiosity's sake.  We learned that catfish have very sharp fins (I think that part is their fin) and  you have to watch out when you hold them.  The stingrays are very gentle.  You only have to watch for that one small spike on their tail.  They are not at all aggressive, so it was easy to free them and let them go back into the surf.  The crabs were caught with a regular fishing pole when their claw got caught on the line.  They looked like they were truly caught red-handed! 

• There have been so many busy days lately....I don't even know where to begin in telling you about them.  These children truly have an idyllic childhood.  It is not perfect, as we are not in heaven (of course), but it is idyllic.  I think a child could have an idyllic childhood in the inner city as well as here in the country, if only the child is allowed to play.  "Let the children go out to play!" Charlotte Mason says.  I agree. 
  

Thank you to those who have left comments over the past couple of months.  I love reading what you have to say! 

Lori Seaborg

 

Time Away

This blog has always been a come and go thing for me.  When I'm coming, I'm writing down what I've learned to share with you.  When I'm going, I'm off learning from others.

Lately, I've been spending my time at two places:

• WellTellMe.com, where you can learn about all sorts of natural things, such as how to make kefir (sort of like yogurt) and how to get rid of dandruff naturally.  It's a forum, so you're reading from those who have tried this or that.  I've always had a curiosity about things, so I love reading the posts, even if I have no intention of trying what I'm reading.  Sometimes, though, I read of something I'd like to try, so lately I've been making kefir and found that we really like it! 
  

• SparkPeople:  All of those other sites I gave you a month or so ago for eating well or losing weight pale in comparison to Spark People.  At this site, you can do so many things:  food journal, weight log, exercise log, read articles, join in the chats on the forum....it's like joining an expensive online weight loss/healthy eating group, only SparkPeople is absolutely free.  Can't beat that!

Oh, and another place I've been online is on the group that I founded for sharing homeschool supplies with others for free.  We broke 900 members last week!  I'm so excited about what is offered on that board.  http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/FreeHomeschool  Please join us!

I'll try to get back on here more often to share with you all that I have learned.  Our Spring is in full bloom here on the Gulf Coast .  There has been so much to do, and all of it is fun!

Lori Seaborg

Children ' s Health Insurance Programs

Someone asked me about our children's health insurance coverage, so I wanted to pass on the note to you all in case it can help someone else:

Oh, I am so happy that you asked if the children's health insurance was in your state so I could find this link!!  http://www.insurekidsnow.gov/  It is the government's site with a list of all of the programs available from each State.  I have used the programs in Florida and in Alabama, and they worked the same.

In both states, I was able to sign up online.  I had to sign that our children were without health insurance, and give just a little financial and other information.  It's a simple application and I never had to mail in paperwork in either state.  If you make too little money, they will refer  you to Medicaid, as this plan is not for the poor.  There is an income cap, though, based on the size of your family.

I don't know if the plan works the same everywhere, but in both Florida and Alabama, we paid $50 per year per child up to three children (you would pay less or more depending on income, but never over $100/year/child up to 3 children)  and in both states, we pay nothing for ER visits, nothing for most services.  We pay $3 once in a while as a co-pay, normally for routine doctor visits.  At the pharmacy, I believe we pay nothing.  We didn't pay anything for vision or dental.  And we have for the most part been able to use any doctors that we already had, since the insurance is with a major insurance company.

It has been an AMAZING blessing for us to have this.  Our children don't go to the doctor for illnesses or routine visits, but this insurance has been a great peace of mind for us. We have used it for ear surgeries and for broken bones and ER visits and speech therapy and physical therapy.  With 4 little ones, emergencies do happen!

If anyone has uninsured children, I really encourage you to look at your state's children's health insurance plan.  It will give you such peace of mind:  http://www.insurekidsnow.gov/