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Christina

@christinawkiddos

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Public account of our life in SC. Christian, wife, homeschooling mama, birth nerd, research fiend, rhythm finder, naptime crafter & book eater.

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My parents always ask if there is a family membership they can gift or contribute to us for Christmas— we have had memberships to the zoo, science museum, children’s museum… and the past few years, the Biltmore Estates (in Ashville NC). It’s such a great deal for our family because individual tickets are expensive, whereas a year-long membership is very cost-effective! We try to visit at least 4 times a year to enjoy each season, and we make a day of it. We often take someone with us (but not always)— we also have enjoyed special displays and visiting exhibits (like the King Tut exhibit or Candlelight Christmas).

We met my sister @npond (who lives in NC) with her kids, and brought my mom (@kthomp5 ) and my daughter’s good friend 2 weeks ago to enjoy a gorgeous fall day. It started off chilly and was summery by the end of the day.

We had early tickets to tour the house with the excellent included audio guides. We eventually split into 2 groups, me with the younger kids who were less tolerant of loitering; my sister with the older kids who found so many aspects fascinating and wanted to take in every bit they could. It’s so fun to see them integrate it with their history and literature studies. This time we also saw guest rooms we never had seen before, including one decorated with pictures of Mary & baby Jesus, called “The Madonna Room.”

We packed a picnic lunch and ate in the gardens as a break, then toured the gardens & greenhouse. Last of all we checked out the historical stables and workshops, finishing at the excellent ice cream shop! by @christinawkiddos

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2 days ago

After experiencing a serious postpartum hemorrhage following the birth of my son, I knew the risk of hemorrhage in future births was increased. I first tried to ascertain why I might have bled more after his birth as opposed to during my other births— that would be a whole article in & of itself! But going forward, I wanted to know what I could do to reduce the risk of recurrance. I read everything I could, reached out to experts and other mothers who had experienced hemorrhage and then gone on to have more babies without bleeding, prayed and made a plan. Here are the results— finally all compiled in case they help someone else!

(As always, this is simply my own experience, choices I made after research, prayer and counsel with wise and trusted advisors.) by @christinawkiddos

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25 days ago

📖2026/2027 Morning Time Lineup 📚 I always enjoy seeing what other families do, so maybe someone will enjoy this! I would describe myself as a Classical home educator, including aspects of Charlotte Mason & neoclassical— soon I’d like to do a post on how these are in no way contradictory (the whole “neoclassical is actually the OPPOSITE of Classical” discussion makes me roll my eyes so hard I see my own brain, but I digress…)… but we do a lot of both big-picture learning and memorization of vocabulary (details) as we seek to mold our children’s souls, minds & strengths in accordance with the Good, True & Beautiful (that is to say, in the Image of Jesus Christ).
We start the day at the breakfast table with Bible time with all the kids. Then I transition to “morning time” ie a one-room schoolhouse approach for the topic-based subjects, which all ages can participate in. (My oldest 2 join in when they can, but mostly they work on their own subjects on their own.)

We don’t do all of this every morning, I plan out generally what we need to get done in a week and check them off as we go, just sticking the marker in wherever we stop. (Pam Barnhill at Your Morning Basket has a great explanation of this as a “loop schedule”.)

We follow Classical Conversations memory work as our “spine” for which history era & science, English grammar, Latin & math facts to cover. Once a week (usually Friday lunch) all 5 kids join me for a math discussion based on the topic from that week’s Math Map.

History- Weekly CC History sentence with corresponding assorted picture books, a poem from “My America”, and 5-10 pages in the Tuttle Twins America’s Hostory. We use the Usborne Timelines & Encyclopedia as well as the CC Timeline song/cards to remember what was going on around the world at the same time.My 5th grader reads 1-2 pages in the 50 States book aloud to us each day (gotta sneak in more reading practice!)

Geography- CC weekly memory work (with CCHappyMom songs) & lots of maps to trace, assemble, etc. We refer to family scrapbooks if we’ve been there! And we are reading all of HC Hollings’ GORGEOUS geography story books (Beautiful Feet has a great guide & map to go along with by @christinawkiddos

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a month ago

If I had my druthers, we wouldn’t start our official school year until Sept 1st… but I at least get to make it special. ⚡️🏰🪄🧙‍♀️🧙🏻‍♂️ It’s Back to Hogwarts we go!

Some years it’s been elaborate, others very very simple (jellybeans and a round of “would you rather, Harry-Potter style)… some years we’ve watched one of the movies, others we’ve had friends over! One year we actually got to catch the first movie in the theater on rerun!

This year we hosted an evening Tri-Wizard Tournement (modeled after the one in the 4th book). There were 3 challenge stations which the kids rotated through in teams — plus an “unexpected challenge” (again as in the book)… which involved everyone dancing!

Sept 1 fell on a co-op day for us this year, meaning we got home brain dead at 4, so I’d made most things ahead of time & the kids helped me do most decorations the day before— and we kept it simple with games we already had and decorations we’ve used over & over.

The kids & I plan to make butterbeer & shepherds’ pie, play one of our more involved/elaborate HP board games, and watch the 4th movie this weekend. If he’s lucky we’ll invite Dad. 😜😘

If you’re wondering if it’s worth the energy to do the silly family tradition? It is. :) Even if it’s using paper plates and eating in your pajamas. Imagination is a gift worth cultivating, given us by a very creative Creator! 😍 by @christinawkiddos

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2 months ago

Swim diapers by design are non-aborbant & permeable, only aiming to keep solid waste contained. They are thus VERY washable. Basically any tightly woven cloth with tight leg holes will do the job.

So… even the ones sold as disposable? They can be rinsed & dried in your dryer or on your line many times!!!

You can also buy new cloth swim diapers for under $10 and use them the whole season. Get two and you’re set for the year! (or 2 if your kid has a tiny bum like mine do).

Even better, ask a cloth diapering friend for any delaminated pocket diapers (they will know what you mean) or swim diapers they might be not needing anymore. Free!

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. by @christinawkiddos

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2 months ago

Oak Island 2026- We took advantage of our rental property not being booked and headed down to the beach for a last-minute quick trip. It’s nice to have some of our staples stored at the house so we don’t have to pack EVERYTHING… now to just not forget our owners’ closet keys 🔑🥴🤣… Anyway, we had a good deal of rain, but still plenty of sun & sand time… our family faves of putt-putt, Lil& John’s Sweet Treats ice cream (our toddler is to the color-ordering phase and just wants “Puwple”), and thai food… movies on the surround sound (“Jungle to Jungle” was a hit)… coffee with the waves in the background… lots of sand castles… hermit crabs… shells… worship with God’s people on His Day… time in the waves with friends… and especially sweet this time; time with Sabba (@rjszrama). Thankful for this slice of summer! by @christinawkiddos

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2 months ago

I’ve been surprised a few times lately at what seems to really resonate with people… this Story was one. May the Lord use His word to encourage and strengthen His people!

“so shall My Word be that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11) by @christinawkiddos

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3 months ago

I polled the audience on FB & Insta for fitness accounts that really work for moms, whose instructors have a good grasp of the physical fitness needs of the female body, throughout the lifespan. Here are the ones y’all recommended:
- Nourish Move Love @nourishmovelove (My personal fave- lots of options for workout length & type & equipment needed- from none at all to bands & dumbells or kettlebells)
- Expecting & Empowered @expectingandempowered
- Deliciously Fit & Healthy @deliciouslyfitnhealthy
- Brianna Battles @pregnant.postpartum.athlete
- Dr Christina Previtt @dr.christina_prevett
- Birth Fit @birthfit
- Momma Strong @momma_strong (Their app was especially recommended)
Great for diastasis:
- Mutu (I used this myself!)

Would love to hear any others that real mamas have used & found helpful! by @christinawkiddos

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3 months ago

To my surprise, this story struck a chord with so many people. I had this saved in my drafts for quite a while, and in my brain even longer… not sure that it would be encouraging or edifying to anyone. Funny how that works! Anyway, I post it here so it has a permanant space on the ‘gram. by @christinawkiddos

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4 months ago

Our July 2023 Boston trip in 3 minutes. by @christinawkiddos

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5 months ago

This may seem like a funny thing to post about, but it’s something I get asked about semi-regularly and it’s SUCH an easy hack: supercharged pancakes!! Pancakes CAN be a sure-fire way to spike everyone’s blood sugar, but with a few tweaks they can be quite blood-sugar stable, especially if served with bacon, sausage or whole milk!

You can start with any pancake recipe or even box mix… GF, kodiak, whatever! Use the highest-quality ingredients you can— good quality fats, best eggs you can get… and you can either use raw milk OR watered-down yogurt (greek yogurt adds a lot of protein & lowers the sugar content). That alone makes the pancakes a step above.

Then add in some or all of the following
- 1 T flax meal (keep this frozen to avoid rancidity)
- 1 tsp sea salt - box mixes never have enough IMO
- spices like cloves & ginger & almond extract, to taste
- 1 scoop of your favorite protein powder- I have used bone broth, whey, hemp, and (like today) organ-meat based - all good!
- any collagen or vitamin you’re trying to use up 😆 Or maybe that’s just me.
- hear me out: bone marrow (scoop out bones from making bone broth) or connective tissue from making broth. It’s not noticeable blended in and it’s SO nutritious.
Blend in a blender for easy pouring!
Add once on the griddle:
- frozen or fresh berries (low-glycemic fruits that reduce the amount of maple syrup needed 😆)

Ta-da! Now serve with REAL butter (margarine has no benefits at all unless you’re just totally dairy-intolerant… and in that case get the most whole-foods based you can!) and REAL maple syrup! Enjoy! by @christinawkiddos

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6 months ago

🥚🪺Egg Hunt Pics🪺🥚

This has stayed such a sweet and simple tradition over the years. The dads hide the eggs— filled with stamps, stickers, dye-free candies, erasers and other goodies— and the kids are always sweet and kind to each other even as they are absolutely psyched about finding the eggs 😆.

After the eggs are found and the desserts are served, I enlist the kids’ help in retelling the story of Holy Week using the Resurrection Eggs.

“You will seek Me & find Me when you seek Me with all of your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 by @christinawkiddos

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6 months ago