Children's Book Monday

This zany story of a mother of seven who works very hard to please all her children's taste buds hits very close to home! We all laugh at the unusual things her children take a liking to and the interesting ways mom trys to fulfill there wishes. The illustrations are maybe even more charming than the story. You can take a peek here. The state of their house will be endearing to any book loving family and especially to those who have more than 2.5 kiddos!

Read-Alouds

Miss Molly I knew you would ask!!! What are we reading? We are reading books from Sonlight Year 5. We are not necessarily a Sonlight "family". When we lived outside the USA, it was such a blessing to get everything in one box. Now that we are here, I enjoy picking and choosing and following the kids interests more. But Year 5 I knew we had to do. I want all the kids around 10ish-12ish to read through the books put togetehr in this very special year. Year 5 is not so much a study of a history of a place but the study of people groups. We are at the very beginning of Year 5 (yes, I know that technically we are halfway through the school year. Don't ask!). I think with all the tangents and further exploration we are doing it could take us three years to finish this. We are reading the classic The Island of the Blue Dolphins. I loved this book as a young girl. I thought it would be adventurous, romantic and a little scary to be left all alone on an island. It has been such a delight to watch my children's reactions to this personal favorite.



We are also reading Torches of Joy, which I alluded to here. It is the story of John and Helen Dekker, missionaries to Papua New Guinea.



We are using the book 100 Gateway Cities of the 10/40 Window, as a prayer guide. It has been fascinating plotting the different cities on our map and fun to do further research on the Internet.What did homeschoolers do before Google? And we recently threw in Mosque by David Macauly. I love this man's books. I also do a mini-read aloud with the littles. We snuggle under the covers on my bed and are (believe it or not Miss Molly) reading through Milly-Molly-Mandy!



Well, there you have it. I am off to bed now, as it is late, because I spent too much time fooling around with that header!!!

Here a Birthday, There a Birthday . . .

. . .Everywhere a Birthday!!! Well, at least that is how it feels around here in the fall. I celebrated my birthday at the beginning of this month. My small group had cake for me. J invited the folks over for an impromptu dinner (made by him!). I got to spend time with my sister and my "bosom" friend. All in all, it was rather lovely. I also received this book, as a gift.



I have wanted to get my hands on it ever since it came out. I just was never able to rationalize purchasing another craft book. I have been trying very hard to discipline myself and only buy what I need. I have some serious stash I need to use up around here. Know what I mean? I even went so far as to spend an evening reading the entire book, cover to cover, at the local mega-bookstore. The desire for it was not dampened. I only accomplished fanning the flames higher. So, since receiving this beauty, it has been a constant companion. I am working up quite a list. I think I will be revising it though. I truly need no list, just one of everything ,please! Beginner or experienced seamstress, put this one on your Christmas/Birthday/JustBeenAWonderfulPerson list!

Green with Envy

Everyone is busy noting the signs of fall and assessing their fall wardrobes. We on the other hand are still wearing shorts and running the air. I do not believe Florida has fall. We have summer, a milder summer-season-thing and then BAM-it is winter. I long to wear tights, corduroy and hand knit sweaters. Sigh . . .in the midst of finishing up the odd projects from my table I needed some more thread. While at the store I discovered these beautiful bamboo knitting needles. I felt silly even looking at them. The last thing I needed was a new project/skill to learn AND it is not like I have a running list of all these warm-woollies the family needs. I could not resist though. They were smooth and there was all this yummy yarn to go with them.I selected some cotton yarn, thinking of a pattern I had seen in the amazing book Kids Knitting. The directions are clear and the drawings are perfect. If you want to learn to knit, check out this book! I think the wash mitts would make great puppets,too.






I warn you though that knitting is addictive. I am constantly holding up one finger and asking,"One more row,OK?". It is super portable and so far (the wash mitt not being too terribly difficult of a pattern) putting down mid project has been fairly easy. Now that I have finished up all my "15 minute" projects,(and picked up something new) I am going to focus all my attention on a bigger project that has been waiting in the wings.

I Went in for an Iron . . .

And as we were locating a cart, the cheerful worker handed us a paper bag and said (the magic words),"Fill it up with any books you want and it's only FIVE dollars!" There was no thinking about it. I snatched that bag up and began giving instructions to the girls with me to start looking. After we had piled an enormous amount of books in the cart, we sat down and sorted through them. P3(girl's beginning initial + birth order) became very concerned that ALL the books were going to fit in that one paper bag. Never fear, super-book-packer to the rescue. We carefully packed and repacked the books (can we count this for math in some way?)until they ALL fit. We located standard favorites, such as Hank the Cowdog, Madlibs (unused,YAHOO!), Amelia Bedelia and quite a bit more. I found a real gem.



It is not in pristine condition but it really doesn't matter because I would never sell it. I love old children's' books. There is something very special about the stories.I can't quite put my finger on what it is though.



They are simpler than the stories told today but the language is not dumbed down. The children are children. They play games, imagine things and get into all kinds of crazy situations that would never be allowed in modern books. They also all teach something but are less pushy about it. It seems that a lesson is shared quite by accident.


Unlike the story we read from the library tonight. The children in the book went to the beach, then they put on sunscreen, they only went into the water after they had paired up. One of the friends went too far and almost got hurt . . . blah,blah,blah,blah! There was no story, just a long list of rules about going to the beach with cute pictures. It made me shudder. It also makes me shudder to find the true treasures discarded. Many of them come with discard stamps from the public libraries. Arghhhh . . . what are they thinking???



Well, it is my personal duty to collect as many as I can for my children and grandchildren. Hey, who knows maybe I will open my own private children's library one day! What is your favorite oldie but goodie?

I Am Not Alone Part 2

This summer God has impressed on me how I am not alone. I have feared being "alone" for as long as I can remember. Some would say I am an extremely extroverted person. I think I am fueled by my desire to belong. This desire led to some pretty unhealthy relationships. (think boys . . .too many boys) As a young mother and then a young bride,(yes, in that order. Not a recommended strategy)I felt very alone. In the beginning, I was sure God had simply abandoned me. I quickly realized He wanted me all to Himself for awhile.



Then I began to pray for a friend. I desperately needed someone authentic. God slowly brought the most amazing women into my life. There was not just one authentic friend but several! This past summer as I have begun to disciple and befriend some younger girls, the Lord has brought home just how sweet the friendships I have are.



I know many ladies struggle with not having that authentic friend. My suggestion to you would be to pray and step out on a limb and be real yourself. On so many levels we cover ourselves up and think everyone else is doing a better job at (insert something you are insecure about here) than you. Oh my!!! What a lie. A really big lie. A really, really ginormous lie! A lot of these thoughts were prompted by a late night conversation with one of the authentic friends in my life. She had been thinking on all this after having heard ,speaker and author Todd Wilson, at a home school conference.She passed on to me a gem of a book. Go now and run out (well, run to the computer) and buy this book!!!! Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe. Even if you are not a homeschooling mom, or not a mom but a women who breathes air on this earth . . . buy it!!!! His gems apply to us all.



Oh, all the pictures? My piles of WIP. I know I am not alone in these!