In this beautifully illustrated story, Squirrel is waiting and wanting to winter.  He is determined to see the first snowfall!  Deer tells him that snow is "white and wet and cold and soft" so Squirrel watches and searches for it.  After enlisting his friends Hedgehog and Bear to help, the trio mistake several "white and wet and cold and soft" objects for winter - like a toothbrush, a can, and a sock.  This book will become a new family favorite and can be enjoyed all throughout the season, not just for holidays!
Offered in hardback only for $10.99 USD​

Most of my life, I knew there was this basic list of educational options for kids.  It included the following:
1. Public school
2. Private school

Though in my mind and in my own experience growing up, the list looked more like this:
1. Private school

When ​​​I had just one child and lived with my parents, the list looked like this:
1. Private school
2. Fancy private school

Currently:
1. Homeschool

I'm not entirely sure how that happened.  Yet here we are, homeschoolers by default (mostly). Over the last however many years our schooling options, opinions, and mindsets have evolved.  Priorities shifted.  Prayers were said.  Things changed.  ​​And by process of elimination, we became those "weird" homeschoolers.  Let me explain...

We can't afford private school.  So that takes care of that "option". 

​​The local public schools proved themselves to be definitely NOT an option.  I'll try not to delve too deep into why and I certainly don't want you to think I have a "thing" against public schools in general.  I don't.  But I do have a "thing" against the Vice Principal who gave me prior notice that he would falsify grades in my son's Algebra 2 class (and then actually did so!).  I'm also not fond of the lackluster teaching staff or the outright refusal by some to help my learning-disabled son. Of course I also have a "thing" against the entire district because they didn't follow their own policies after the gun threat incident.  But that was only "blip" on their radar, so I'm supposed to have found that comforting.  I also had a "thing" when my oldest son was forced to take a standardized test for a class he wasn't even in - because the school knew he would score high and wanted to "boost" their numbers.  Then there was this other "thing" about how the guidance counselor and district staff answered my questions with untruths and illegalities - because either THEY didn't know better (which is a problem in itself) or because they thought I didn't know better.  Well, I did know better.  All of this nonsense essentially eliminated the local public schools from our list of schooling options, but like I said, I don't wanna get too deep into this. 

While all this was happening,  I kept feeling more and more like school absolutely dictated our lives.  We can't travel when we want because of school. We can't have lunch together as a family because of school.  We give up like 40 hours a week together because of school!  Why is that normal?  Why is that desirable?  And since when did it become a good idea to send your children off to a bunch of strangers because what? - you think they can do a better job that YOU can?  Ohhh riiiiight, because they need to "socialize".  If that's true, then it must also be true that if you go to traditional school you will turn out perfectly well-adjusted and appropriately socialized.  That's a boatload of bu!!$hi^ I'll discuss on a different day. But really, I'm just grateful for to privilege of having homeschooling be an option for our family.

So by default (or perhaps by design!), homeschooling became us.  And now the list of educational options for our children looks like this:

1. Endless​.  

One of our MOST popular series for older readers (ages 14+), The Phoenix Files are exciting and full of mystery and plot twists.  Follow main character Luke as he and his friends discover how an evil corporation is plotting to destroy the human race.  They only have 100 days to save the world.  My oldest kid LOVES these books.  He has read the first 5 and can't wait to start the 6th! 
Offered at $6.99 USD paperback or $36.99 for the entire collection.​