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It has been well received as an "inspirational" book. There is a recipe at the end of each chapter, creating a unifying effect, a s each story is a window into a different aspect of our homeschooling experience. As a mother, I know that one of the keys to successfully and happily mothering (and homeschooling) is to stay motivated and inspired. While homeschooling mothers have enjoyed it, it is also inspiring to non-homeschooling families.

One advantage of the number of pages (49) is that people can sit down, read it and get inspired without being intimidated by the size. It is in various stores as well as is circulating via word-of-mouth through various distributors in the States and Canada. I have been happy with the success of the sales so far; the book is now already in its second printing.

The following excerpt is taken from one of the first pages in the book.

From personal-experience stories to tip-filled articles (and each chapter ending with an appropriate recipe) this collection is sure to delight a large reading audience. As a freelance writer Sharon Schnupp Kuepfer (with a Bachelor of Education) has had articles published in BackHome Magazine, Nurturing Magazine, Home Education Magazine, The Dollar Stretcher, Companions, Mennonite Brethren Herald, GeoParent.com and FaithToday.com.

Mrs. Kuepfer was a school teacher before she had children, and always had the dream of homeschooling. So when her husband s job moved them 1000 miles from southern to northern Ontario, the choice was busing their children to a large town school or going for what (to them) were the more obvious benefits of homeschooling. She had her chance and has loved it ever since.

The time span includes the first two and a half years of their homeschooling experience from the fall of 1999 to the winter of 2002. The earliest stories were written when Kayla was 8, Clarissa, 6, Michael, 4, and twins Natasha and Nicole 1 1/2. The major focus of this book is Kayla and Clarissa since they were of school age during these years.

"If it is true that 'what we learn with pleasure we never forget,' then the family of Sharon Kuepfer will have long memories indeed. Her book, Homeschooling Memories and Child-Friendly Recipes is an intimate glimpse into the heart of a large, warm, lively homeschooling Mennonite family. Part cookbook, part essay collection, Homeschooling Memories kicks off with "The Busy Baker," an account of a four-day baking marathon undertaken by Kuepfer's entreprenuerial eight-year-old daughter, and reaches its climax with "Cousins Camp," in which ten cousins ages ten and under - and one very busy adult -- have more fun than you might expect.

Every chapter includes a kid-friendly recipe like Fun Finger Jello-O or Zippy Dip, as well as many practical and thoughtful child-rearing, homeschooling, or household management tips. This is a great book to have on hand on rainy days, when you're feeling overwhelmed, or any time you just need a smile."

Check Out the Testimonials for Homeschooling Moments and Child-Friendly Recipes: A Collection of the Unique Adventures of a Mennonite Family I liked your book. I had thought of homeschooling before but when I read your book I knew I could do it. When our kids start out at our schools they're good kids. When they come out, they're rascals. My dad saw that too but he didn't feel he had any choice. If it works with my older boy, I'm going to try with my younger one. - Noel Kaludjuk, Coral Harbour, Nunavut Sharon, I just wanted to let you know I absolutely loved your book! The day my Mom gave it to me, I came home, put the kiddos to bed and read it until it was finished! I have read it a couple times since then also. The recipes are good and I love the way you let your children cook on their own! Kyle likes to help me cook too especially when I bake and it was encouraging to know that they are never to young to start learning. I can t wait until your next book is off the press so I can devour that one too! -Christa Schwartz, Ohio We've even bought your book and read it. My daughter Joy, who is 9, has read it and is amazed at these girls who do so much. Joy is really good at domestic chores too, and likes to take charge when I am away. Today I was letting her sew the seams on a dress I am making her for the winter. It was an easy material to sew and it's just for everyday, so I thought it's a good one to learn on. Out of the blue, she says to me, "Do you think those two famous girls sew too?" I was totally puzzled about what she was referring to. So she elaborated, "You know, those girls in the book -- Clarissa and her sister." I had to chuckle that she called them "famous" and then I reminded her that she does pretty special things too. I just haven't put them into a book and made her famous! - Jewel Cressman I really appreciated this book because I was re-evaluating homeschooling and it was this book, in all its simplicity, that reminded me of why I loved homeschooling -- because of the everyday moments I get to share with my children. -Louise Fillion, Winnipeg, Manitoba I love reading your newsletter - loved your book. It encourages me to see a homeschooling mother enjoying it so much. You make it all sound so simple. Keep it up. -Rachel Zehr, Gladys, Virginia Sharon, I thoroughly enjoyed your book. I sat down and read the whole book cover to cover in one sitting and later read some of the classic stories to David while we were traveling! I think the way you write and your family style sounds so "Schnupp-like!! I loved it! I am highly recommending it to others. -Frieda Herschberger, Sioux Lookout, ON I received your book and find it intriguing. I homeschooled our children, too, and loved it. I heartily agree with your ideas about learning by doing. Looking back, I wish I would have been less afraid of messes and would have given my children more freedom to have 'hands-on" experiences like you are doing. Best wishes. - Verda J. Glick, El Salvador I enjoyed the book so much that I was reading it in bed the other night only to wake and find a dent in the book! We cook most everything from scratch and in large volumes - the additions in the back of your book for "quantity cooking" were wonderful! -Robin Helgager, Laporte, MN My nine-year-old daughter really enjoyed reading your book. Afterward, she wanted to work a lot in the kitchen. It really motivated her. -Bernice Gingrich, homeschooling mom, Palmerston, Ontario Your book is more than just stories. It has stories that motivate. I gave one of your books to one of my friends. She later said, "I read half of that book that night yet. You'll never know how much I laughed." Another friend that has your book told me, "The way she homeschools is what I want. How does she do it?" -Cathie Gingerich, homeschooling mom, Conestoga, Pennsylvania Your aunt Sarah gave me your book to read. I found it most interesting. Your writing is so delightful and the book will be a wonderful treasure for your family and friends. I think the Lord has given you such a special gift which you are using to teach and mold the lives of your dear children. What a blessing! They are privileged indeed to be learning life s skills by things they truly enjoy. I was pleased to see Phil Callaway s name on the back page. We know the family well. -Irene Kroeker I laughed and laughed reading your book. I m letting my friends read it, and they are laughing over the stories too. I wouldn t want to live in your home -- there s too much flour flying around -- but I d love to be a fly on the wall. -Sarah Durksen, St. Catherines, Ontario I ve enjoyed reading your book. Your book gave me some ideas and made me realize our girls, Alicia (7 ) and Nikki (6) are probably ready to help with things like baking and cooking. We ve started and it works great! (Now I have clean bathrooms and supper help! How much better can life get?) Alicia would thank you if she knew you! She loves baking and cooking. - Trudy Metzger, mother of five and author of upcoming books, Conceptions and Misconceptions of Marriage and Dandelion Bouquets for a Mother s Heart This little book has the potential to give a homeschool a real boost! Perhaps the kind of boost one may get by attending a conference many hours from home, not to mention the many dollars one wishes were still in the bank! -Enos Miller, homeschooling father I have to tell you I got very inspired by your book. My boys (ages 8 and 10) read it cover to cover. It inspired me to spend more quality time with my children. I got my chore charts back up again. -Bertha Penner, mother of 4, seller of Manitoba Honey, The Best Honey in the World! , Portage la Prairie, Manitoba ... when I came home I ... curled up on the couch and read your book almost cover to cover, quitting only when I realized the school children would soon be home. Anyway...it is wonderful. Real, practical, funny, and best of all not intimidating. My favorite anecdote was when you were taking care of Carolyn's children and the kids noticed all the similarities between you two sisters. So here is my applause and may your book go far and wide. -Dorcas Smucker, freelance writer and mother (a later P.S. from Dorcas) Just want you to know that my Emily, age 11, has been devouring your book. She says she just RELATES to Kayla, she wants to be home-schooled, and the most encouraging thing she's ever read is your statement that your daughter will discover that "once a writer, always a writer," since she is also a budding writer. She's been down with the flu and wanted me to read your book aloud to her. (an even later P.S.S. from Dorcas) Did I send you the form letter about us deciding to homeschool Emily? You can take some of the credit for that, because reading your book kind of clinched it for both Emily and me, that this is what we wanted." -(Dorcas) After reading your book, Janae (11), said to me, 'When I grow up I want to homeschool my kids, and I want them to have fun while they learn. I love the way she lets her kids make messes when they are in the kitchen.' Sharon, your book is very entertaining and fun to read and it has given me good ideas in parenting. I have helped 2 of my younger ones learn to bake since reading your book. They thought it was cool. -Sheryl Horst, mother of four, Middlebury, Indiana I have a copy of your book and am blown away by your energy and ingenuity. -Elaine Gingrich, author of The Expectant Heart (in progress) I thoroughly enjoyed reading your book. Has anyone ever called you an overachiever?=) I was especially impressed with how you graded your daughter's "schoolwork". It's amazing how much formal education is passed on informally when parents take the time to show their kids the how and why of things that are so ordinary. I had never thought of learning fractions by using recipes, but that is a very obvious and fun way of learning that 1/2 + 1/2 isn't 1/4 but 2/2's. -Christine Shantz, freelance writer and mother of 3 Hi Kayla, How are you today? I met your Mom & Dad at Providence College in April and bought a book from your Mom. In it is your bread recipe. I have used it a lot, and love the bread. It is delicious! I like to add flax seed, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, and bran to it. I just use a little less whole wheat flour. I bake 4 loaves at a time and try to give one of them away while it's still fresh. People love the bread! I wanted to let you know, and say "thank you! -Sylvia Froese, Lowe Farm, Manitoba I thought your idea of a whimsical cookbook was an ingenious choice as far as marketing. -Valerie Diefenbacher, freelance writer and homeschool mom, Wallenstein, Ontario I got your . . . book. I was impressed that Phil Callaway wrote his approval on the back. I've been reading Phil Callaway's stuff and really enjoy him as an author. He's pretty well-known and popular. Your stories are great. It's good to see the book, the front cover is nice. I'm finding your book to be really motivating me as a homeschooling mom. -Rhoda Zook, social worker and mother ...we got home at 10 p.m.. I stayed up and read it ... I could not put it down. I laughed and laughed. Well written. Very interesting and you can picture the stories as you write them. I'm waiting for book #2. -Bernice MacKinnon, teacher and mother Mom gave me your book for my birthday yesterday and I stayed up awhile after the baby was down for the night and really enjoyed reading it. I hope that I can give Sarah the enjoyment of baking that you have given your daughters. -April Garthwaite, young mom I'm really enjoying reading the book, Sharon. Thanks for the glimpse into your home life and school. I can tell that the tips on teaching and cleaning will be of most interest to me. Your children are benefiting from your ambition, enthusiasm, and positive outlook on life in general, and it's neat you are sharing those qualities with your readers through the book. -Danette Martin, author of We Have This Moment Marc and I are both very impressed with your new book. I have been reading through it and found it amazing and interesting. It is also quite hilarious . . . It was so impressive to one of Marc s parents neighbours that they want to purchase a copy. So perhaps if you wait a week or two I might have more orders for you as I am planning to advertise the book at work. -Judy Shaeffer My reason for writing is to tell you how enthused I am with your book ... I didn t want to lay it down until I finished reading it and now want to share it with everyone I know! It was wonderfully creative with so many ideas to help any mother! -Ruth Hershberger, grandmother The author has a delightful way of making day to day living come alive to the reader. Her practical mothering methods will inspire any young mom to do her best to love each part of her child s person. It will motivate moms to give their child freedom to learn and love and live and enjoy. Mothers will learn creativity and messes become acceptable learning processes, not burdens. You will laugh with the author and feel like you re right there as each episode is happening. This book is a must have for every young mother. -Donna Kauffman, freelance writer I got the books yesterday and read the entire one yesterday! It s great! You are quite a lady of talents! -Rhoda Stoll, mother of three, Hudson, Ontario Sharon, thanks for that book! I loved it and could hardly lay it down. I think I could sell a lot if I d stay around. I took it along to Ohio and my niece wanted one so I gave her mine ad decided to order a few more. Can you send me 4 please? We made the wild rice soup in Ohio and it was a winner. There are more of the recipes I am eager to try, and some of your concepts I want to put to use. Keep up the writing! -Esther Kuepfer, mother of 6 I enjoyed your book, Homeschooling Moments . . . I really enjoyed your description of your young daughter at work writing. . . I like very much how your book is bound. I like the cover too. One last question, how do you keep your motivation up to complete a writing project when you are so busy? -Margaret Hill, elementary teacher Received your book and read it cover to cover!! It is great!! -Sheila Paul, Cowichan Valley Christian Home School Group Sharon, I love your site. I went on it last week and read the excerpt to your book. You brave, brave woman! Letting your daughter, the baker, take over the kitchen. You've got more guts than me! You've got a great voice for memoirs. I enjoyed what I got to read:-) -Cass Andre, homechooling mom and award winning author The boys and I tried your [bread] recipe today as we talked about yeast in our study of plants. It turned out wonderfully, though we had to do it all manually! Thanks for an interesting book. -Sandra Kuepfer, homeschooling mom

Sample Chapter from Homeschooling Moments and Child-Friendly Recipes The Busy Baker Our kitchen turned into a bake shop when Kayla (8) heard her far-away cousins were coming to stay for a few days. As fitting her new occupation, a cookbook became her constant companion with the kitchen as her lab. On Day One the baker made vanilla wafer cookies and a frozen dessert. In the morning on Day Two she baked two pecan pies and some apple bars. This gave her a chance to learn about handling would-be emergencies as she screamed LOUDLY, Mommy, mommy, come!! She continued to shriek until I got there. The catastrophe was that her apple bars were starting to bubble and she was afraid they d burn. As I was getting them out of the oven, I realized that homeschooling was all about being there even when she had this crazy notion about running a bake shop. She then washed all of her bowls and beaters and planned to keep going after lunch. I want to bake now instead of sleep because I am in the mood and I might not be later. I told her that we all needed an hour of quiet time (especially her mother). Then she begged for only half an hour nap as she wanted to continue in the kitchen with making pumpkin pie squares. I didn t give her this leeway, so the busy baker bawled until I said, Take your cookbooks and read them while you nap. That ended the fuss, for with pen, paper and cookbook in hand, she proceeded to perch on her quiet-time chair where she wrote the dessert menu for when her cousins would be there. Later I saw in her little book the list of possible food items to make for her company. On page one it said: Cookies, apple bars, page two, Pumpkin pie squares, peanut butter pudding cake, butterscotch crunch cookies, page three, Jellow, biskets, vegdbel dip, page four, Crunchy granola bars, tarts, hot choklet, and page five, Marshmallow squares, quick nut fudge and peanut butter eggs. Just before supper, pumpkin pie squares were in the oven, fudge was in the microwave and Kayla said, I only have to bake two more desserts. Oh, no, I thought. No more baking today, her father voiced my feelings. Since I was leaving for the evening, Steve didn t want the hassle of helping his little baker bake. I was glad because I knew she still had a lot of work with transferring her pumpkin pie squares and apple bars from baking pans to freezer containers. In the middle of this rearranging process, she groaned, Mommy, they re breaking! They re OK, I replied. That s just what happens. They ll be a little crumbly. Calmer, she worked on. Later the container waited on the cupboard, neatly, little-girl labeled Apple bars. On Day Three, she made peanut butter pudding cake and then mixed up oatmeal cookies. Mid-afternoon, she said, beaming, Mommy, guess what! I m all done the dough. She had finished forming all the oatmeal cookie dough into little balls and calculated over six dozen cookies. Just before supper, Kayla said, I m going to bake pumpkin pie yet. Pumpkin pie! I thought. I was so tired and I wondered where her energy came from. But it really was helping me, we were going to be getting a lot of company, and baked foods do have a long freezer life. I said, however, that she needed to have her regular jobs done first. With this in mind, she said, No, I don t want to bake anymore, and I sighed with relief. On Day Four, half-way through the morning, Kayla said, Mommy, don t put my baking dishes away. I want to bake some more. She had already made a double batch of Rhubarb Crunch and was still on the roll. I wondered when she would be out of this mood since I was running out of freezer containers. As the Rhubarb Crunch was cooling on the counter, Oh Henry Bars (a candy-type cookie) were whirring in the mixer. I think that s stirred good enough, she said. Then, Now, I put this in the pan, she said as scrape went the dish against the cake tin. Later, her father pronounced these bars very good. She took a break for a few days, then when the cousins arrival was less than a week away, the baker returned to her bake shop. With the cookbook as her friend once again, she asked, Where can I find tarts in here, mommy? We looked under T but it didn t mention tarts. I said, Look under P for pies . (Earlier Kayla had found her using-an-index workbook page boring and difficult. Suddenly, this became an interesting and meaningful investigation.) Sure enough, there were Butter Tarts listed under Pies. She proceeded to make a double batch of filling, then a double batch of tart shell dough. I wondered if this child really knew what a big job tarts were but this was definitely one way for her to find out. Kayla recruited help from six-year-old Clarissa to roll out the dough for tart shells. Bang, bang went their little fists as they pounded on the dough. The rolling pin came out of the drawer, as flour scattered everywhere. Which cutter do we use? they wondered. After finding the right size tart cutter, they proceeded to cut the round circles that fit perfectly into the tart shells. Eventually, they were tired of rolling dough, so away went the remainder into the freezer, marked douh in scrawly handwriting for a handy dessert someday. Next came the gooey dumping of the syrupy stuff into the shells. A little later in the afternoon, after the tarts had gone in and then out of the oven, I sampled one of the them. They were Amelia Bedelia delicious. The next day, Kayla asked, What about these brownies, mommy? as she pointed to the recipe in the cookbook. Yes, I said. They re good. I ve made them before. Why not? I thought. She might be out of the mood sometime, and I can pull out all this extra baking (although her father is worried that the food might get a little old-tasting in the freezer). So eggs were beaten, sugar and flour canisters were refueled once again and the mixer sped away with this double batch of brownies. Later the freezer welcomed these as well and I knew our relatives would enjoy sampling her delicious desserts. Maybe once our company streak is over, her inspiration will fade and I will once again resort to buying day-old baking. Then the shrieking, I can t get this out of the oven! will be over and the requests for Mom, where s more sugar? will end. The baking crumbs all over the floor, Kayla s vest, and the counter might be replaced by a clean kitchen and a girl with a different career. Her math might come from a source other than learning the two times tables by the many times she doubled her recipes or learning to add fractions with, Mommy, what is 1/3 plus 1/3? Her real-life reader might switch from a cookbook to some other text. But one thing I know is that the mystery is now replaced by the magic as my little girl has entered the wonderful world of baking. Suddenly it has seemed to click that as long as she can read and follow instructions, she can take any recipe and bake. I realized how far she d come when a few weeks later she excitedly asked me, Mommy, can I bake this cherry pie? and I knew I could say with certainty, You can bake a cherry pie, little girl. Never-Fail Pie Crust We usually triple the batch, then freeze the rolled out pie shells in layers in a large plastic bowl with a lid. Mix in order given: 3 cups flour 1 cup melted lard 1/3 cup water 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vinegar 1 egg Roll out for pie crusts or tarts. (Refrigerate the dough first if too soft to roll easily.)

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