Books I’ve Read {July Update}

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Talking with Your Daughter About Best Friends and Mean Girls (8 Great Dates) by Dannah Gresh – I have a few friends who plan one-on-one dates with each of their kiddos, and it is something I would love to incorporate into our family life. We do a ton of stuff all together, but one-on-ones have been rare since Emily started Kindergarten and is able to participate in most of the activities that Melody participates in. As the tween years approach, I think this is a great guide to help me stay connected, especially with Melody as she deals with more relational stuff with friends, neighbors, mean girls, BFFs, her sister, God, boys, and us – her parents! Each date includes an overview, an audio message from their website, a challenge (object lesson), and some girl talk time. There is also an alternative to do this as a small group, and do the girl talk time alone. And it ends in a short time of prayer.

A Girl’s Guide to Best Friends and Mean Girls by Dannah Gresh – I only skimmed this one as it is actually intended for tween girls. It is another great resource for young girls to read through. Instead of having to make decisions on the fly about choosing friends, it is a guide to being intentional about who to build relationships with and how to deal with relationships that might not be great.

Classical Christian Education Made Approachable by Classical Conversations – I needed this one to get my head into the homeschool game. This is a second reading for me since we started preschool homeschooling years ago. (Although I didn’t really realize that was what I was doing…) The book discusses the different educational models, and in the appendix there are practical real-life schedule for a homeschool day. I really like how the book also compares education to building a home and what it takes for it to all come together.

The Get Yourself Organized Project by Kathi Lipp – I was a little hasty in choosing this book for my to-read list this month because all I did was read it. I did not have time to actually put anything into action, which defeats the purpose of the book. But I do always enjoy a good Kathi Lipp book, and they’re all good! Next go-around I would love to actually implement the steps to having less mess and stress in my life!! :p

READING
Looking forward to reading these books in August. Anyone else want to join me?

Project Inspired: Tips and Tricks for Staying True to Who You Are by Nicole Weider
The Unwired Mom: Choosing to Live Free in an Internet Addicted World by Sarah Mae
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
Dancing Through Life: Steps of Courage and Conviction by Candace Cameron Bure
20150805_114801-1But then, I also have these waiting for me… and for you!! Be on the lookout for giveaways coming soon on our review blog!
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Have you read any good books lately? What are your favorite kinds of books to read – mysteries, biographies, historical fiction, cookbooks?Book List 2015To check out the books on my book list, you can READ THIS POST or visit our Amazon store.

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Books I’ve Read {June Update}

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

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Notes From a Blue Bike by Tsh Oxenreider – I ended up not reading this book because I received the launch team copy of Longing for Paris, and didn’t have time to read both. (You can read more about this book HERE, and about us meeting Tsh HERE.)

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo – Hmm…where do I start with this one? I have lots to say about it, but that would turn into a long review, and I know you are in the middle of summer fun. I love Marie’s perspective on clutter. She pretty much says get rid of it all!! The more I have decluttered, the more happy I have become, for sure, but I can honestly say I will never be a minimalist. There are items in my life I would love to pass on to my future generations, photos or items that hold great memories which I will forget if I tossed them, etc. I really like the process she describes to go about decluttering so you can be tidy, but I am not a huge fan of all the talk about (spiritual) energy and saying “thanks!” to my possessions when I get rid of them. I think she does more or less trash (maybe recycle) all items leaving a home, which I don’t like because someone else really can use them, or you can sell them. I also don’t believe that she has kids…when you bring kids into the picture, it’s a whole different story when it comes to the rate of accumulating things. :p

Be You, Bravely: An Experiment in Courage by MOPS – So good! This book is a devotional for MOPS members this past year, so it is not a book you can purchase. I really enjoyed all the stories shared by the authors, and the questions at the end of each article were super thought-provoking. It gave me a new perspective on stepping out of my comfort zone and being brave(r) to do the things God has called me to do. I think there is a new book for the upcoming MOPS year, and I hope someone will let me borrow it when they are done reading it since I am not a member anymore.

Longing for Paris by Sarah Mae – I’ll be posting about this more later, but it is awesome. That’s all for now. 😉 It is only $8.37 on Amazon right now, probably for a limited time, so get on it! Anyone who pre-orders the book can fill out this form HERE and get an invite to a webinar with Sarah and Sally Clarkson. See the video about the book HERE.

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READING
Looking forward to reading these books in July. Anyone else want to join me?

Talking with Your Daughter About Best Friends and Mean Girls (8 Great Dates) by Dannah Gresh
– A Girl’s Guide to Best Friends and Mean Girls by Dannah Gresh
– Classical Christian Education Made Approachable by Classical Conversations
– The Get Yourself Organized Project by Kathi Lipp

20150708_165154Have you read any good books lately? What are your favorite kinds of books to read – mysteries, biographies, historical fiction, cookbooks?Book List 2015To check out the books on my book list, you can READ THIS POST or visit our Amazon store.

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

2014-2015 School Year: Curriculum

Obviously, it is not back-to-school time anymore, but I thought I would humor you all by posting our curriculum choices for the year, and also to remind myself of what all we are doing. 😜 We started back on August 18th, and we are into Week 10 of the school year. We are “officially” homeschooling both girls this year, with Melody being in 2nd grade and Emily in Kindergarten. I am so proud of them for working hard these past two months. And I’ll just repost what I posted last year. –> It looks like a lot, but we don’t do all the subjects every day, except Language Arts and Math. The bolded items are what we mainly work on, and the others are done if there is extra time. We try to get school done by lunchtime (except for MOPS days when school is in the afternoons,and Memory Masters Workshop days when school is during lunchtime/early afternoon), and Melody can mostly do a lot of it on her own. Emily is slowly getting the rhythm.

I’m not quite “on it” with getting the curriculum and materials in order, but it’s getting there slowly but surely. I need some motivation to fix it up a bit so I can get a blog post out about our “schoolroom”. 😝

How has the school year been going for you so far?

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Melody – 2nd grade/3rd grade

Emily – Kindergarten

Both girls

(We go through lots and lots of other books that connect with what we are learning too, but that might be another blog post as well…if I had the time… 😜)

***(italicized items are done in their classes taught by a tutor that meet on Fridays)

  • 161 events & people in a chronological timeline
  • 24 history sentences: (including the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights)
  • 44 U.S. presidents
  • 120 locations & geographic features in North America (emphasis – the United States)
  • 24 science facts (including the first 12 elements of the periodic table and the parts of 8 body systems)
  • Latin rules & vocabulary (including the text of John 1:1-7 in Latin & English)
  • English Grammar facts (including the principal parts of 11 irregular verbs)
  • Multiplication tables up to 15×15, common squares and cubes, as well as basic geometry formulas and unit conversions
  • Exposure to drawing techniques
  • Music theory and tin whistle
  • 6 great artists and related projects: American Masters
  • Introduction to orchestra and 3 classical composers
  • Weekly science experiments or hands-on projects
  • The practicing and refinement of oral presentation skills