Keeping It Simple

My computer crashed... Again. This time I think it is for good. But I wanted to share this, so I ordered the blogger app and here I am. I don't think I'll use it often, but it will do for this. :) My boys loved "John Treegate's Musket", an action packed story that leads up to the beginning of the revolutionary war. When we finished the final chapter this morning and I asked my boys if they thought we should read the next book in the series about the war; they unanimously and enthusiastically agreed that we should. Once I saw that the next two titles in the Treegate series were $4.95 each on my kindle app, I *enthusiastically* ordered both of them. John Treegate's Musket is also $4.95 on kindle. I have no idea how to do links via the iPad, but if you go to amazon and search "Treegate series", they should show up. I purchased "Peter Treegate's War" and "Sea Captain from Salem". I know prices can change quickly on ki...

Does anyone else just cringe at that?... after years of failed resolutions, I used to balk at even the thought of such things. Now, I try to take a more moderate approach. Turning the calendar to the new year is a like having a blank slate. It is a time step back and evaluate how things are going. What activities are working for us? What activities are we interested in pursuing? Are there things that we would like to do/accomplish as a family this year? It is a great time to get these conversations going. But, if you are in the mood for making resolutions... I am reading One Bite at a Time by Tsh Oxenreider, a digital book that is the suggested (not mandatory) January reading for "Booking It 2012" at Life as Mom . The idea of this book is not to make an all at once resolution, but to make reasonable changes "one bite at a time" (get the title now ;)). So far, I love it. I did get nasty cold just after beginning the book, so starting on any of the "bite...

I have just a few minutes and access to a computer (a very old cranky one ;)), so I am going to throw everything into one short post. First- In my earlier curriculum post, I mentioned that I'd share more about English for a Thoughful Child. Well , if you hop over to the  Curriculum Choice , you can read about our experiences with this book! I have to confess that I struggled sharing on a forum other than my own comfy blog, but I am hoping that after doing it once, it will seem a little more natural. Next- A few parenting/homeschooling thoughts that I wanted to share: I was watching a dog training video with my boys when the instructor said, "you need to create an environment where your dog can succeed". For some reason this has really stuck with me. (Please- I am not comparing my boys to dogs! :)) It occurred to me that when I have challenges with one of my children, rather than stepping back to see how I can help create a situation that allows for succes...

I highlighted The Read Aloud Handbook in my first "must have" post  . I can't imagine life in our homeschool without it. So far, my selections have very little do with actual homeschooling. My experience is that our homeschool thrives when our house is orderly (relative to having 3 rowdy boys, 1 teen daughter, and toddler grandbabies who visit), and when I am attentive to how I am parenting my children. These two books are ones that I reread every so often to keep me on track: Sink Reflections : written by Marla Cilley also known as the Flylady Reading this book was life-changing for me. If you signed up for "Flylady" emails in the past and threw your hands up in exasperation over the slew of messages cluttering your inbox, I strongly suggest this book. I had three different encounters with the Flylady before I ran to my local bookstore and purchased a copy of Sink Reflections . My final push toward the Flylady was listening to a young mom,...

Not so much. The funny thing is that after 20 years of homeschooling, I am still not an expert. Homeschooling girls is different than boys, having adult children humbles you (even wonderful adult children!:)), and, like anything, the more you know, the more you know that you don't know everything (or maybe anything). However, I know a good thing when I see it, so I thought I'd share a few of my homeschool resource library must haves . My very first pick is this fabulous book . It is not a homeschool book per se, but it is the book that set our homeschool on a different course. Like many homeschool moms, I was already a book nut when I first read this book. And I already read aloud to my children--- lots. However, this book revolutionized the way I viewed reading aloud to my children and how I incorporated it into our day.  I am tempted to go on and on... how my son who did not like books became (and still is) a huge book fan, how my college a...

This book is amazing! Absolutely amazing. I have been reading parenting books for years (27 years to be exact!). The first one that I have a distinct memory of, released the year my oldest daughter was born, is A Mother's Touch by Elise Arndt. I tend to stick to Christian parenting books and have read many from popular authors- and I love them all. But , with the disclaimer that this book is not from a Christian viewpoint, this just might be my favorite parenting book yet. This is one of those rare books that inspires you to act- right away. It does not just introduce a concept- it explains it, gives examples, and makes the possibility of enacting change seem manageable! Whether it is decluttering your child's environment, creating routine, managing a schedule, or reducing media in your child's life, this book gives you the information to deal with it and solid reasons to want to deal with it. I think I may be more moved by this book than a newer parent would ...

I have to say that I love this book. If the author of this book can get up and be at school by 6:30 a.m. ready to teach children that he is not even related to, how much more inspired should I, the mom of my students, be? He really is more like a homeschool parent- he shares movies with his students, takes them on trips, reads to them, spends his spare time with them, ... the list goes on. His method of teaching is all encompassing. I found Rafe Esquith (author of above mentioned book) to be inspiring!! * Before posting this, I read through the reviews on Amazon.com. People have many opinions of this book- they range from being critical of the the author and his methods to finding the book "exceptional". Regardless, I think any teacher or homeschool parent could glean a lot from reading it! :)