Pinewood Castle

On the Feast of St. George

Have you read the book to your children today?

This morning we snuggled up on the sofa and took the time to enjoy the feast for the eyes the illustrations provide and the feast for the ears the abundant alliteration affords.

The feast for our bellies (a dragon cake) we will skip this year. It's a school day, I have a meeting to attend tonight for boy's choir, book club Wednesday, company coming from Oklahoma, two birthdays to plan, and am already terribly behind after tending to three of my children who have taken turns with The Four Day Fever and spending my Saturday chauffeuring children to violin, a ballet pizza party, and a play date. Yesterday was a needed day of of rest, catch-up, and comforting sick little ones.

I have a couple of "tweaking" posts in the works - one about the ever-changing The Chore Chart and another about how I am planning to tweak MODG (again )to suit our needs next fall. But, since they are nowhere near done and my little prince and princess are crying and distracting the others from their school work I suppose I had better attend to the chaos, hopefully with love, and begin Spring Week in preschool.

Have a blessed day!

Story Boards

Here's an idea I picked up from an old This Old Schoolhouse magazine.

My 3rd grader chose the Titanic -

4th grader did Narnia -

 

And my 6th grader did Island of the Blue Dolphins -

 

We'll keep trying to include a creative literature project each month as an alternitive to traditional book reports!

Appreciated

A big thank you to any readers who have clicked a book title link and made a purchase in the last few months. For me, receiving a little gift card from Amazon to spend on books is almost as fun as receiving your comments. Blogging is a two-way street - thanks for contributing!

 

 

Santa Lucia Morning - 2011

It seems every December 12th I am up until midnight making Lucia Buns. This year I was not particularly motivated to make them now that we know we have an egg allergy in the family and Joe & I are in the 8th week of a wheat-free diet (Wheat Belly).

I was hoping these almond flour star cookies would suffice, but when one precious daughter realized at bedtime that no Lucia buns had been prepared her tears jerked my heartstrings. "They are my favorite Christmas treat!" she cried. So to the kitchen I ventured to pull out the wheat flour, yeast, milk, and eggs. I sent my husband to the store for to get milk for hot chocolate and lingonberry jelly. I had not made the annual splurge for saffron, so cardamom had to do.

I was already short of sleep and wanted nothing more to sew a bit and retire before 10 pm. Again and again we moms and dads put ourselves aside for the sake of the children. But for mornings such as this, the effort was totally worth it:

 

These are the kind of memories our kids will carry with them into adulthood. As the Christmas cards arrive at our house with news of families whose children are grown and gone, I am reminded that our children are all together now, under one roof, for a very limited time (God willing). I really should appreciate this time with them now and cherish every day. Hopefully the nest we give them will prepare them to spread their wings and follow the vocation to which God calls them and they will carry with them the memories and traditions that are precious to them.

 

Sometimes the days are so difficult, the kids don't listen, the preschooler won't stop talking constantly and demanding attention and the baby makes one mess after another. Fun and meaningful seasonal traditions shine light onto these dark and dreary (and foggy) winter days.

So here are this year's highlights:

Another St. Lucy ornament was added to our growing collection ~

 

A weekend visit to the American Swedish Institute (and gift shop) was timely ~

We even happened upon a reading of Lissa's book: Hanna's Christmas (now out of print apparently, judging from the price!) (I wish I could remember how I happened to get it, surely I didn't splurge that much.)

And I just have to include a photo of the sunny story-time room. (I actually like the 3rd floor of this mansion the best - it would be perfect for homeschooling!)

It even has a stage and a turret!

 

But I digress.

We snuggled up and read our favorite Lucia book: Lucia Saint of Light, along with plenty of Astrid Lindgren, Jan Brett, and other books found on my sidebar.

 

Another book purchased at the ASI gift shop was happily added to our seasonal  bookshelf ~

D is for Dala Horse: A Nordic Countries Alphabet

 

And we always enjoy this CD ~ En Riktig Svensk Jul ~

Swedish meatballs are on the menu tonight. This recipe is gluten-free, now I have to decide on an acceptable egg substitution.

My husband took two dozen extra Lucia buns to work with him to share with co-workers and we took in the celebration of this revered Italian saint to whom the Swedes are grateful. Even though we are not Swedish, we are grateful too!

Lots of Questions About Resources! A Homeschooling Meme

Lots of Questions About Resources:: A Homeschooling Meme

The amazing Grace at Our Field of Little Flowers tagged me for this meme ...

Of course I am way behind on blogging and you are probably wondering what is going on over here and why I am returning to blogging with a meme of all things. Well, because it's easier! Easier than updating everyone on our camping trip to the North Shore and resuming school and all the little ways our children are growing and changing.

I will get to all that eventually but this post was a little easier to prepare while listening to music practice. Yes, although I used to get offended when my clarinet professor read the newspaper during my lesson, I now multitask while my kids practice piano and violin. This is not the Suzuki way. Shhhhh - don't tell their teachers!

Anyway . . .

One homeschooling book you have enjoyed::
One? Ha, ha, ha.

In the early years: You Are Your Child's First Teacher.

A little later: Katrina Kenison's Mitten Strings for God and Susan Schaeffer Macaulay's For the Children's Sake and For the Family's Sake.

A little after that: Sally Clarkson's Educating the WholeHearted Child and Elizabeth Foss' Real Learning: Education in the Heart of the Home. (there is a new edition of the Whole Hearted Child on my wish list).

What I eventually (after meandering through Waldorf and Charlotte Mason inspired approaches) modeled our curriculum after: Berquist's Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum.

When my family grew and things weren't so easy anymore: Jackie Wellwood's One Hundred and One Devotions for Homeschool Moms and Large Family Logistics.

Currently exploring: Carol Barnier's books.

One resource you wouldn’t be without::
Well, I have to agree with Grace that an internet connection is invaluable. In fact I am intrigued by the idea of using an iPad with apps for homeschooling fun and exploration, or getting one for the coffee table so we can cuddle on the sofa while we surf.

An even more valuable resource would have to be my husband. There is no way I would or could homeschool without his support. He totally supports what I am doing, lets me make most of the curriculum choices and is generous with the education budget. Even though he does not take over teaching any subjects, he is always the answer man when the kids have questions, the comedian when we need humor and takes over doing the dishes when I am too tired at the end of a day (even if I am tired for a year or two). He puts in extra hours at home to help out instead of spending lots of extra time at the office or taking on side jobs for extra money.

Third, I have to say I have been totally blessed by attending a homeschooling mom's support group once a month. I feel much less like a homeschooling hermit by attending meetings, hearing talks and gleaning ideas and inspiration. Really, over the course of three years I have learned more from these meetings than all the books I have read.

One resource you wish you’d never bought::
Lots of wooden Montessori manipulatives. I paid too much for them, didn't really know how to properly use them, and now they just sit on the shelf.

 One resource you enjoyed last year::

Phonetic Zoo for spelling. Sorry I keep plugging this program, but hey - it works for us. Also, doing Artistic Pursuits with another family kept us faithful to art time.

One resource you wished existed::
A unit study for 1st grade based on Aesop's Fables - complete with narration of the stories, drawing the animals for art, studying the animals for science, poetry, biblical references for the lessons and virtues, and simplified versions of the stories in the form of phonics readers.

One more - I think someone should go into business selling boxed kits for Little Saints. I am so thankful to have all the weeks' supplies in ziploc bags ready to go, but would have paid $$ to have it all done for me.

One homeschooling catalogue you enjoy reading:
Emmanuel Books for sure. The Sonlight catalog gives me ideas of how to spice up geography with living books. I also keep the Veritas and ChistianBook.com catalogs for ideas.

One homeschooling website you use regularly:
Hmmm, I enjoy reading the 4Real and Well Trained Mind forums, though I seldom comment on either one because I feel like I have nothing new to contribute. Really, whatever question I have I just use the search feature first and come up with a wealth of information from previous threads. I have recently discovered two new collaborative blogs - Simple Homeschool and The Heart of the Matter and enjoy these quite a bit.

Thank you, btw, to those who have clicked book links and ordered something recently. A little Amazon credit came my way and it was most welcome!

Now I have to tag six other homeschoolers to join in this Resource game:

Kirsten at Sonlight Garden. (I keep thinking about a quote she posted, "The most extraordinary education begins with a mother who smiles.")

Lori at Loving Them From Scratch

Sarah at With a Hopeful Heart

Jamie Jo at Lord Make Me a Saint

Sarah at Amongst Lovely Things

Jen at Northwoods Classical Academy

 

Exploring the Laura World

A few weeks ago I saw a book on the reserve shelf at the library that I thought was for me but wasn't - The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie. A friend of mine told me about this new publication months ago. Thinking it was just another guide book to the Laura sites, I put off buying it or checking it out since I had already purchased The Little House Guidebook. Seeing this title on the shelf reminded me to reserve it under my own library card number.

This 336 pager by Wendy McClure is more of a memoir than a guide book, and very much like having an adult one-on-one book club with an  insightful, hilariously funny old friend from college who also happens to have a gig in the publishing world. Unfortunately, as the evening wears on you realize how liberal she has become compared to you (especially when it comes to the preservation of traditional marriage and the use of foul language), but like most entertainment these days you put up with it because the book is an easy and fun read. It's full of her love for the Garth Williams illustrations, explanations of what really happened in the Ingalls family, humorous character analyses such as the contrast between Mary and Laura ("How else would we know how badly Laura's behaving if Mary wasn't around to give her weak admonishments? . . . Laura's badness seems quite reasonable to those of us with an inner girl who likes to let down her sunbonnet once in a while."), and fun little details about the Laura sites (yes, the latch string on the door of the Kansas cabin is made just the way it's described in the book - and it all makes it all make sense when you actually see it).

She begins by sharing her childhood obsession with the Little House books and curiosity about all the little ways of frontier life: making bullets, eating salt pork, twisting hay into sticks, and riding ponies bareback. Having only one brother and being a bit lonely for female company, she entered the frontier world and befriended Laura in the realm of her imagination. As an adult she revisited the books and started making those pilgrimages that many of us make with our families - to Pepin, Walnut Grove, Independence, Burr Oak, De Smet, and Mansfield. Biographies, unpublished works, and literary criticism were read, butter churns and coffee grinders procured and put to use, the TV series viewed on DVD, and Laura web forums and message boards explored.

Initially she is disillusioned with the sorting out of fact vs. fiction. Did Laura really remember the events on the Kansas prairie (when she was only three) or did she make them up based on her parents' stories? What role did her daughter Rose play in writing the books? Just how many moves did the family make and why were they not chronicled in the stories? Why is there no mention of baby Freddie who died? Apparently much the Ingalls' life was edited out for the sake of literary simplicity.

As she makes her rounds from site to site McClure encounters other tourists who challenge her understanding of the Laura World. Some are Christian families who admire the elements of faith they find in the frontier stories, some are homeschoolers dipping into living history, but the ones that really freak her out are the "end timers" who desire to learn homesteading skills for survival during the upcoming trials and tribulations. This seems to really put her at odds with her fellow pioneer fans and gets her searching not only for the underlying attraction to the self-sufficient and natural lifestyle that both radical liberals and conservatives share, but also the real reason for her own obsession.

In the end she realizes that we all just want to revisit our childhood memories for comfort, whether they come from a book or real life. Sometimes a journey down memory lane is healing, but other times we are sorely disappointed when people and places change and are no longer the idyllic scenes of our cherished memories.  Because real places are attached to the Little House books we are drawn to them with the hope of experiencing the Laura World in real life but soon realize that even Laura might not recognize those places today. Add to this the desire many modern readers share for a simpler lifestyle and willingness to return to the old ways of living (out of enjoyment, nostalgia, conviction, or perceived necessity) and soon we have a bittersweet pot of stew simmering in the kettle that tastes a little different to everyone.

Personally, I enjoyed this book in spite of it's shortcomings. The less than flattering reviews over at Amazon are fair enough - The Wilder Life may lack substance, be disjointed in style, and intolerant of Christians, but having read four of the books and visited some of the sites I found it entertaining and interesting and insightful. I am grateful to have discovered it midway in our Laura journey - our trip to De Smet is on hold until next summer and we have yet to read Farmer Boy, The Long Winter, These Happy Golden Years and The First Four Years. Fortified with an enlarged perspective and several grains of salt I am eager to proceed.

McClure's memoir also relieved me in some small way - I think it took me back to a time when we were attending a certain exclusive Latin Mass venue and an veteran TLMer reassured me, "Don't worry - you don't have to be Little House on the Prairie to come here," a comment that stuck with me over the years. I understood what she meant and she understood how out of place I felt - I was an artsy city girl at heart, college educated and brought up quite differently than most of the other young moms of that particular parish. "There's room for all," she was saying, and I hope the author of The Wilder Life now realizes the same about the world of Laura fans.

Dew Points, Monarchs, Monkeys and a Good Book

Is your dew point below 60 yet?

If it is I sincerely hope your have spent the day outside and are reading this after the sun goes down.

We actually enjoyed coffee on the porch this morning. While marvelling at how much of the garden had bloomed while we were away last week I spotted the caterpillar making the famous "J". It's monarch time again and we almost missed it. This week it's been to hot to get outside and pay much attention to anything other than getting in the van and getting the a/c blasting as quickly as possible.

Even a one day break in tropical humidity is most welcome, not just because we can finally see out of our windows without condensation clouding the view, but also because we can eat meals outside today. You see, our kitchen table is currently covered with the Little Saints project. Even though prepping ten lessons for three families is taking a chunk of change and huge blocks of time, I am so excited to begin this program with my preschooler. Filling bags for other families with prepped materials as well as anything listed that will fit and is not perishable is almost as fun as making Christmas gifts. I know I joked before about "roping" the other moms into this, but seriously - it is so much fun to be blessing other homeschooling moms by working together on this swap and to anticipate being blessed by having all the lessons ready to go. I can't imagine prepping all 40 lessons either ahead of time or week-by-week. I have a feeling that most moms never make it much past cutting out all those monkeys in lessons four! (Not to mention that it is downright challenging to find brown card stock!)

 

I know I still need to post about our Laura vacation and how we fared camping when the great outdoors was one big sauna. I will get to that as soon as I finish cutting out those monkeys!

In the meantime I have one book to recommend: Uncovering the Logic of English. It was so good I actually read it on vacation, wishing the whole time that I had read it before ever teaching a child to read or spell.

Used Book Sale, Blog-Style

Can you help me clear some bookshelf space for next year?

I know there are places to sell used books, and I do sell off some used books on Amazon and sometimes on 4Real, but thought I would offer my readers a little better deal on books we either don't use anymore, have never used, were non-returnable, or somehow have two of. Is that ok? I don't think I have ever seen other bloggers do this, so I hope it's not a taboo thing.

If you would like to purchase anything, please leave a comment with your email address and I will send you my PayPal info. Please add $5 to your order to cover the cost of the PayPal fee, packaging and media rate in the continental U.S. unless you want a lot of books, then the shipping might be a little more.

Here's what I have got piling up:

Artistic Pursuits K-3 Book 1. Used one year, excellent cond, $30. SOLD

Artistic Pursuits K-3 Book 2. New never used, $35. SOLD

Drawing with Your Four to Eleven Year Old from Christopherus. Used some but still in excellent cond, $15.

 

Second Grade Literature Guide - Teacher Key from Memoria Press. New, forgot to use, $10. SOLD

Little House in the Big Woods Student Study Guide from Memoria Press (a title included in the Teacher's Key). New, forgot to use, $5. SOLD

The Moffats Student Study Guide and The Moffats Teacher Guide from Memoria Press. Used orally, didn't write in it. Like new, $5. SOLD

 

The illustration in these books is fantastic, but I found them tedious to read out loud:

Tree in the Trail, Holling C. Holling. New, never used, $5. SOLD

Minn of the Mississippi, Holling C. Holling. Read once, still like new, $5. SOLD

Teacher's Manual - Holling C. Holling's Geography: A Literature Approach Guide, $5. SOLD

Paddle to the Sea, Holling C. Holling. Read once, still like new, $5. ($15 if buying all three books and guide) SOLD

 

My Christmas book shelf is too full!

Christmas Remembered by Tomie DePaola. Hardcover, like new, $10.

A Fairy Tale Christmas. Excellent Cond. Hardcover, $5. SOLD

Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo, hardcover. Have two for some reason. Like new, $7.

We Believe in Christmas by Karen Kingsbury, hardcover. Like new, $7.

 

Mondays with Mary. Wonderful book, just not organized enough to use it these days. Excellent cond. $10.

Choosing Beauty by Gina Loehr. Like new, $5.

The Authentic Catholic Woman by Genevieve Kineke. Some pencil markings, but excellent cond, $5.

 

Teacher's Manual - Who am I?, $5.

Guiding Your Catholic Preschooler, $2

I Go to Mass, bought new but forgot I already had one, $3.

Prime Time Together with Kids by Donna Erickson. Cute ideas, Excellent cond, $7.

 

The Montessori Method, hardcover. Like new, $10.

Why I Became a Catholic by Eugenio Zolli Former Chief Rabbi of Rome, RCB hardcover. Like new, $15.

Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas, hardcover. Like new, $15.

The School of Love by Archbishop Goodier. RCB hardocover, like new, $15.

 

First Communion Days, bought used but forgot I already had one, $3.

A Year of Celebration: Experiencing God Through the Feast Days of the Church, hardcover, $7.

The Catholic Answers Guide to Family Finances by Philip Lenahan. Like new, never used, $7.

Surviving Depression: A Catholic Approach by Kathryn Hermes. Excellent cond, $7.

 

GIA Catholic Gather Hymnals, two of them. New never used because I thought I had ordered the Comprehensive edition. I have two of these available. $10 each or two for $15.

 

The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt - bought used but forgot I already had one, $3. SOLD

The Twenty-One Balloons - bought used but forgot I already had one, $3. SOLD

My Side of the Mountain - bought new but forgot I already had one $3. SOLD

Benjamin Franklin: Childhood of Famous Americans - bought new but forgot I already had one, $3. SOLD

 

Teacher's Manual - Voyages in English 3. New, never used and was not returnable - $10.

Teacher's Manual - Evangelization of the New World, not sure I ever used this - $8.

 

The books and experiment kits to these programs can be found here. Very fun program and do-able for multi-age. The manuals are $19.95 new.

Teacher's Manual - NOEO Science Physics 1 with note booking pages already copied, $5.

Teacher's Manual - NOEO Science Chemistry 1, $5.

 

Started with the Horizons math program, kind of wish we had continued, but we are now on the Math-U-See track.

Teacher's Manual - Horizons Math K, $5.

Teacher's Manual - Horizons Math 1 Parts 1 & 2, $5.

 

 

Thankful Thursday

Dearest readers, I apologize for appearing to recommend a book I have not read yet. I feel prey to the "but everybody's reading it" mentality when I ordered One Thousand Gifts and now that I have read the reviews more carefully I got cold feet and cancelled the order. I should have listened to my intuition. Maybe you will like it but I just had a few qualms. In the process some fellow moms have provided some wonderful recommendations. I Believe in Love: A Personal Retreat Based on the Teaching of St. Therese, Holiness for Housewives and Victory over Vice by Fulton Sheen are titles now on the way.

Still, I feel the need to focus on being grateful and appreciative this Lent and suspect this would be a little but powerful gift I could give the Lord and one that He would greatly appreciate from me. Instead of jumping on the 1,000 Gifts bandwagon I will just go back to the good old Thankful Thursdays, starting today.

Lord Jesus, I am so thankful . . .

~ that single digit temperatures might not return for another nine months

~ for wood burning fireplaces and enough firewood to see us through March

~ that this is the year our vision insurance pays for new frames

~ for my husband's job, bonus and tax return

~ for CDs with the songs Pa sang in the Little House books that make the scenes come to life

~ for Archer Farms pasta and the delicious recipes right there on the package

~ for labels listing common allergens

~ readers who bless me with their egg allergy knowledge and experience

~ our violin teacher who not only didn't mind that I stayed out in the van with sleeping little ones, but was also happy for us that they were getting a good nap

~ day 50 of the 100 day practice challenge

~ the opportunity to hear the goosebump-inducing Texas Boy's Choir (this is an amazing 5th-12th grade SATB choir)

~ our mantle clock that chimes loudly enough to double as a school bell

~ my husband's teamwork in raising and educating our children (and changing burned out lightbulbs - thank you honey, you light up my life!)

 

 

My Thoughts Exactly

Marion Fernandez-Cueto's review of Eat, Pray, Love over at Faith & Family puts into words all the thoughts and feelings I have had about this book since reading it in a book club some years ago.

In a nutshell:

While the self-fulfillment celebrated in Eat, Pray, Love is essentially a lie—100-proof narcissism, straight up—it’s a gorgeous, top-shelf lie, with a narrow twist of truth to it, and it goes down easy.

It’s that gorgeous, truth-twisting part that keeps frustrating me: all that beauty … wrapped up in a lie.

No More Bent Books (hopefully)

When we returned from vacation and our mail delivery resumed we found over a week's worth of mail stuffed into our standard sized mail box. It took my husband ten minutes to extract everything, including a large envelope with a used hardcover book ordered from Amazon. The book was bent, of course, and I made a special trip to the post office to politely and patiently ask why we continue to have problems with books being stuffed in our mailbox rather than delivered to the door.

The answer? Our mail carrier is supposed to deliver over sized packages to the door. Why doesn't he? I may never know. But we decided to meet him halfway by getting a larger mail box like this:

 

I am also making a sign: PLEASE DO NOT BEND FLATS CONTAINING BOOKS - PLEASE BE KIND AND DELIVER THEM TO THE PORCH SO THEY ARRIVE FLAT AND IN NEW CONDITION.

I hope this does the trick. If not - perhaps cookies?

Books for Age Three

Because you asked, here is a sampling of books I have on my little girl's shelf. These titles are specifically suited for age three: lots of repetition, predictable format (animals in threes), songs and nursery rhymes. Some of these books were the first ones my older children "read" (memorized). Our little girl started this for the first time today - retelling the story of Three Billy Goats Gruff at the dinner table. Precious!

I also have storage boxes in the basement set aside for age four and another box for age five. I'll post those eventually if you really want me to, but how about after I finally finish my Circle Time plans? I now have my new 2010-11 planner so I can revise the plans for next year.

But for now - the three year old list:

Richard Scarry - Best First Book Ever, Best Storybook Ever

Szekeres - I Love My Busy Book

Beskow - The Tale of the Little Little Old Woman

McClintock - Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Galdone - Three Little Kittens

Goldman - Three Little Pigs

Paparone - Five Little Ducks

Carstrom - Jesse Bear books

Udry - A Tree is Nice

Hall Ets - Play With Me

Hillenbrand - Down By the Station

Tranpani - Itsy Bitsy Spider

Child's Play - There Was an Old Lady

Cauley - Clap Your Hands

Hunter - Humphrey's Corner

dePaola - Favorite Nursery Tales

The Real Mother Goose

Lindvall - Read Aloud Bible Stories

Zolotow - Over and Over

Palazzo - Who's Who at the Zoo

Ormerod - When We Went to the Zoo

Degen - Jamberry

Am I Big or Little?

Leuck - Teeny Tiny Mouse

Lewison - Going to Sleep on the Farm

Berger - Grandfather Twillight

Gag - Millions of Cats

Numeroff/Bond - If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Pig a Pancake, Moose a Muffin

Hobermann - The Seven Silly Eaters

Lenski - The Little Train, Fire Engine, Airplane

Gramatky - Little Toot

Eloise Wilkin Stories

Flack - Ask Mr. Bear, Angus Lost

Brown - The Runaway Bunny

Lear/Jan Brett - The Owl and the Pussycat

Zion - Harry the Dirty Dog

Rosen/Oxenbury - We're Going on a Bear Hunt

Golden Book - The Little Red Hen

Usborne - Farmyard Tales

Wilkin - My Little Golden Book About God

Lucy Micklethwait Art Books

Puppet Story Books (can be found on Ebay)

*******************

If I could only buy one book for my three year old, hands down I would get the Read-Aloud Treasury. My sister gave me the copy her daughters loved and each of my children have loved it book too. I have spent hours on the sofa reading this to little ones I almost have the whole thing memorized. The book is a collection of nursery rhymes, poems, short stories, a rebus and finger-plays. There is something about the illustrations kids absolutely love. They point to the pictures and demand,  "Read this one." I have been reading this book to the Little Princess before naptime and bedtime. She demands her two favorites (Three Billy Goats Gruff and Little Red Riding Hood) and then I have to convince her to let me read one new story.

Books & More Books

Our orders for next year's homeschool curriculum are arriving on the front porch and I have been sorting and storing dutifully, looking forward to some time in August when I can look at everything more closely and actually sketch out our daily and weekly plans. I only have a few more things to collect: a recorder for Dino, a Time Line for Sunshine from Sonlight, re-stocking of the art supplies, possibly some thinking putty, and the rest of the titles needed for Circle Time, literature reading, history and geography.

Can we talk homeschool budget? I am totaling my orders as I go and the yearly cost of homeschooling seems more staggering every year. However, after doing some research I find that we would be paying triple this amount if we sent three children to a nearby parish school and seven times more for a non-diocesan Catholic school option. Not that that gives one license to over-spend . . .

One must still economize. Beyond buying used or swapping, I have been looking for ways to save money on the book bill. Sometimes I put credit card points towards an Amazon gift card. Other times I have a little bit of credit from Amazon rewards (the tiny bit of commission I get if you click on a book link and buy it). Barnes & Noble offers a 20% discount to educators. I just heard about swagbucks and will look into that. One great option for me is a local bookseller who offers 27% off new books orders to homeschoolers. I like this option both for the deeper discount as well as the opportunity to support a local business.

Some of the books on the list I delivered to the bookstore last week are intended to supplement 5th grade MODG geography. I was perusing the Sonlight Core 5 thinking about how neat it would be to study some non-Western cultures and I realized that the 5th grade MODG geography is basically a tour of the continents - a perfect opportunity to mesh some Sonlight eastern hemisphere titles with MODG (if we have the time to read them).

I have been hearing from some readers who also use MODG with some tweaks and thought it would be fun to share those teaks. Here are the ones on my geography list - some titles are ideas from Sonlight and others are ideas from searching on Amazon. I am still researching titles and may make some changes. Some titles I have already red lined due to poor reviews on the Sonlight website.

Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois  

Europe:

Europe (True Books) by Sandra Newman

My Tour of Europe: By Teddy Roosevelt, Age 10 by Ellen Jackson

This is . . . series by Miroslay SasekRome 

Paris, London, Venice, Ireland , Greece , Edinburgh, Rome

South America:

The Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark 

South America (True Books) by Libby Koponen

Seven Wonders of Ancient Central and South America by Micheal Woods

Asia:

Asia (True Books) by Gary Drevitch 

Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun by Rhonda Blumberg

Silkworms by Sylvia Johnson

Seven Wonders of Ancient Asia by Michael Woods

Sadako and the 1000 paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr

Li Lun, Lad of Courage by Carolyn Treffinger

Eric Liddell: Something Greater Than Gold by Janet Benge 

India: The Culture by Bobbie Kahlman 

India the People by Bobbie Kahlman 

Mother Teresa by Demi

Teresa of Calcutta by D. Jeanene Watson
Gandhi by Demi

Arabs in the Golden Age by Mokhtar Moktefi 

Genghis Kahn by Demi 

Genghis Kahn and the Mongol Horde by Harold Lamb

Africa: 

Africa is not a Country  by Margy Burns Knight

Seven Wonders of Ancient Africa by Michael Woods

Journey to Jo'burg: A South African Story by Beverly Naidoo

Africa (True Books) by Mel Freidman

Australia:

Australia and Oceania (True Books) by Mel Friedman

Faces: Australia Through Time by Carolyn Yoder

Australia: The People by Erinn Banting

Antarctica:

Antarctica (True Books) by Mel Freidman 

Escape from Disaster by Peter Larangis

Animals Robert Scott Saw: An Adventure in Antarctica 

All for today. What's your favorite way of saving money on books?

Quote for the Weekend

I finished Sally Clarkson's new book today: Dancing with My Father.

This is more than just a "stop and smell the roses" book. It is that but so much more. Sally tells of a time in her life when she made a conscious decision to choose joy. She encourages her readers to recognize God and enjoy the life he gives us through the wonder of nature, relationships, our relationship with Him, and recognizing His handiwork in our daily lives even in the midst of conflicts and stressful situations. Her own personal stories are memorable, both her accounts of miraculously answered prayer as well as her honesty in relating the times of her life when she felt downright discouraged and depleted.

If I could pick a passage that represents the biggest gold nugget I will take from this book it is the following:

Many Christians tend to defend fervently their theological underpinnings and argue rigorously the tenets of doctrine. Yet often I have observed that in choosing to live only in the cerebral world of "what I know intellectually about God," they miss so much of his personality and nature, which can be observed through his role as the Artist . . .

Such an overemphasis on the academic determines that a relationship with God will be dryly but obviously absent of feeling and delight. It would be like writing or defending a long treatise on the role of a father, his character, and the history of fatherhood - separate from relating personally and intimately with him. No "report on fatherhood" would ever satisfy our need to experience life with an actual father, the life that comes from engaging in the personality, friendship, and companionship of a real live person.

God intended that we become witnesses of his beauty, design, color, and pleasure to that we could gain a more intimate, real, and personal knowledge of him. God does not want to be just a thought to know, but a personally engaging friend and Father whose relationship with is is filled with memory, delight, and moments to be experienced and enjoyed.

This book is exactly what I needed to read. In this stage of life I am struggling trying to homeschool three children with a distracting chatterbox of a three year old who rarely plays quietly with the plethora of educational toys I get for her each day and a new baby who obviously needs and demands my arms and attention. By 10:00 am I often feel scattered and short tempered and anything but joyful. I help the children memorize answers to the Baltimore Catechism (and while it is helpful to develop the memory and have ready answers) I wonder what kind of personal relationship with God each of them are really developing. Do we "say" our prayers as a family or intimately pray them? Do we sit through Mass waiting for the end or really worship God? Does the beauty and reverence of the Traditional Mass we attend inspire closeness to God or make religion too formal and academic for our children?

Questions to ponder and pray about . . .

The Winners Are . . .

have won a copy of Mitten Strings for God!

I hope you enjoy all the nuggets in this book that encourage moms to appreciate the extraordinary moments in ordinary life. Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day Give Away

I know I am not the only mom who has been blessed by this book: Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mother's in a Hurry

 

A year or so ago I gave away my copy to a friend. I finally replaced it the last time I ordered from Amazon with the intention of revisiting this book as a Mother's Day gift to myself. I even ordered two extra, to have on hand to give away. I think the time has come - in honor of Mother's Day I would like to give away my extra copies away to two of you!

Just leave a comment if you would like to be entered in this random drawing to be held Friday. I will pop them in the mail on Monday, hopefully in time for the winners to receive them by Mother's Day!

Free Books - Almost Free

Cleaning out the bookshelves here. Have you used Amazon Marketplace for selling your used books? It's pretty slick. It helps offset our book budget by a tiny fraction, but every little bit helps, doesn't it?

Some titles I prefer not to list there, so I am offering them to whomever is interested. I would appreciate a few dollars for shipping, but that is all.

Please leave me a comment if you are interested in any of the following:

Who Am I? Teacher's Manual. Image of God Series. 

Children's Literature List: Annotated with Catholic Emphasis. Lisanne Bales. Emmanuel Books

Ruth Beechick's Home Start in Reading, A Strong Start in Language, An Easy Start in Arithmetic.

It Takes a Family by Rick Santorum

Fascinating Womanhood by Helen Andelin

Five Children and It by E. Nesbit

Jesus Our Life - Faith and Life Level 2

Easy as 1, 2, 3: A Catholic Overview of Science by Nancy Nicholson

Science 2 for Little Folks by Nancy Nicholson

Thanks and have a blessed Third Sunday in Lent!