Little Roots Co.

Adding Delight to Your Home This Winter

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Little Roots Co.
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“It was so wonderful to be there, safe at home, sheltered from the winds and the cold. Laura thought that this must be a little like heaven, where the weary are at rest.”

Laura Ingalls Wilder | The Long Winter

The snow is steadily falling on this January day here in the Midwest. I’m reading news stories of wintry mix in places like South Carolina and Florida and seeing pictures of children sledding for the first time in their lives. What feels like such an adventure to some, can often feel long and dreary to the rest of us that are accustomed to the harshness of the long winters! Many times I need choose the attitude of faithfulness and do the next right thing (whether or not I feel like it), and other days perhaps I need to cultivate better rhythms of joy.

Here’s a few things I’m doing to add delight to our home this winter.

1. Add Variety to Mealtime

We eat dinner together all the time as a homeschool family and sometimes I just need some change to an already exhausting part of the day! I like to think of things that all of us can enjoy together; from adults to kids that will foster further conversation throughout the day.

World Watch News. We are currently finishing up our four month free subscription with World Watch News and I’m adding it onto my “purchase” list for next year’s homeschool curriculum. Every lunch (or sometimes dinner) one of the kids will pull out my laptop and we’ll watch it together as a family. I love the faith aspect this show brings to the news, the variety of stories, and the ways they highlight things going on in lots of parts of the world (expanding our world view).

Podcasts or AudioBooks. You can often find us listening to the Biggest Story Podcast at breakfast (or watching the videos) and doing our activity books.

Planet Earth or National Parks (Disney +). There is so much to be said about viewing all the amazing creations God has made! Even if I never get to physically take my kids to any of these places in their lifetimes, it is so fun to expose them to what’s beyond their little midwest worlds. Honestly, it’s just as good for me too. When I see beyond my own walls I am reminded of the bigger story I am a part of. (Note: some of these shows do talk about evolution.)

2. Family Read Aloud

Winter truly is the perfect season for a family read aloud. We’ve finished Mr. Popper’s Penguins and are starting The Bears on Hemlock Mountain. When my kids are a bit older I look forward to reading more of these missionary hero tales and these Christian Heroes: Then and Now together as a family.

Other books we’ve loved:

When my kids get a bit older I’m looking forward to reading together:

3. Picture Books

I wish I had been taught the beauty of picture books while getting my bachelor’s degree in education! We snuggle up in the afternoons with our stack of literature that ALWAYS includes 3 picture books. My kids are 9, 7, 5, and (almost) 2 and I don’t see this ending anytime soon. I’m learning with them through these incredible true stories and they are being exposed to enriching vocabulary at the same time. There’s lots of really bad (poorly written) picture books out there, but there’s also so many hidden gems. I get my best book lists from places like Brighter Day Press and Treehouse Schoolhouse.

4. Board Games/ Card Games

Just like you need the right picture books, sometimes you need the right board games! Nothing helps the endlessly long days or bad attitudes like pulling out a new or favorite game. I like to do this as a way of one on one time with my kids. You’ll usually find us playing something like:

Games I’m hoping to add to our collection this year include:

5. Personal Development

Instead of making a “book number” goal this year (i.e. read 50 books), I chose a few categories I want to continue developing and will read based on those. For 2025, I picked areas like homeschool, health, marriage, and productivity. Winter can be a great time to do some personal development and focus on a few areas you want to grow in or shore up.

Homeschool Personal Development Books

I’ve read all of these books and own almost the entire list, so this year I’m just picking a few to “re-read” (for me that will be Modern Miss Mason and Awaking Wonder).

“Everyone begins as a child by liking Weather. You learn the art of disliking it as you grow up. Noticed it on a snowy day? The grown-ups are all going about with long faces, but look at the children – and the dogs? They know what snow’s made for.” C.S. Lewis

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