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What I’m Reading- Fahrenheit 451
Most of the books I read in highschool have left a seared distaste in my memory… simply because it was part of school. I just had a long, long… very long discussion with my oldest to not discredit the value of something simply because it falls under the banner of “school.” As I was talking to him, I said that a conversation like this would have been lost on fourteen year old me. School was not a good experience for me. I skirted through. I reached out in middle school and asked for help, for tutoring… anything… but was told I just wasn’t applying myself. That if I would just…
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What I am Reading- Death on the Nile
We took a long car trip back in July. It was our bi-annual trip to St. Jude for my daughter’s scans and appointments. She underwent treatment for a malignant brain tumor almost four years ago. We are on a schedule of going to St. Jude every six months to make sure she is still cancer free and see how she is dealing with the side effects of treatment. Sometimes she and I fly out for the appointments, but usually in the summer, we opt to drive so other family members can go with us. This time, we decided to bring the whole family and make a trip out of it.…
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What I’m Reading- Where the Crawdads Sing
I follow several bloggers on Facebook and Instagram that are homeschool friendly and conservative in their views on life at large. When I see them post about a book, I typically take note. I will head over to the Overdrive app on my iPad and see if the book is available to check out. When I looked up Where the Crawdads Sing, it was unavailable and I put it on hold. I was something like number 700 and there were only 2 copies available. I promptly forgot about the book and moved on. A few months later, I got an email that a book I had put on hold had…
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What I am Reading: Starting a Micro Business for Teens
I am blessed to be part of a large homeschool support group in Western North Carolina. Our group has been vital in our homeschool life across the board… socially, academically, emotionally. I can say with confidence that our homeschool story would be much different had we not found this group. Every year we take part in our group’s enrichment classes. They are parent taught which is really cool because we have so many gifted people in our group with a variety of interests. Our classes serve babies through high school. Although my degree is in Early Childhood Education, I have discovered over the last few years how much I love…
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What I am Reading: Murder on the Orient Express
Recently, my big kids and I were given the chance to do a “Sleep in the Deep” at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chatanooga. This is about a four hour drive from where we live. My kids were hunkered down with their devices, freshly loaded with downloads on Netflix. The fourteen year old was watching A Series of Unfortunate Events and the twelve year old was watching Despicable Me 3. I was all alone with my thoughts until I remembered that I have a phone! And a Hoopla account through our library. When we pulled over at a rest stop, I downloaded Murder on the Orient Express. Crime shows are my…
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What I’m Reading: Start With The Heart
I feel like I am at an odd time with parenting. I have an almost 14 year old, a 12 year old, 9 year old, and 7 year old. The baby and preschool years are over. People said it would happen and it would happen fast… and they were right. One day, I had little tiny people and was in the thick of diapers and potty training and nursing and Sesame Street… and then I blinked and there is a teenager in my house. I feel like most parenting books are geared for parenting the little years and I walk away from them feeling like I’ve missed the boat with…
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What I am Reading: The War That Saved My Life
As many of you can relate, homeschooling just isn’t where the big bucks are. For most of us, it is a financial sacrifice to school our children at home. It is a worthy calling and a worthy sacrifice. One thing I wish I could provide for my children are opportunities for travel. I would love to take them along the route the Ingalls family traveled in the Little House Books. To let them see the secret room where Corrie Ten Book hid with her family. To visit the Grand Canyon or Mount Rushmore, The Eifle Tower or Buckingham Palace would be a grand adventure. Now, please hear me. I am…
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What I am Reading: A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and A Great War
I love all things Narnia. C.S. Lewis is one of my favorite authors. I don’t cry often… hardly ever really… it’s a problem. But the Chronicles of Narnia get me. I hate when The Pevensie Kids are grown up and stumble back through the wardrobe and into childhood away from Narnia. It makes me sad every time. I well up with happy, excited tears in “The Last Battle” when they are going further up and further in. I am not as big of a Tolkien fan, but definitely call my children hobbits on a regular basis… due to 2nd breakfasts and their stature. All that to say, I was intrigued…
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What I am Reading: Teaching From Rest
Oh rest! How I dream of you… but not really… because you have to sleep to dream and I don’t seem to know how to sleep. I thought once my children grew out of the baby and toddler years, sleep would return to our home. My kids are 14, 12, 9, and 7 and we still have restless nights… bad dreams, sickness, midnight visitors who come to the bedside with thirst and hopes for comfort from parents who have been startled out of sleep. Oh rest… what are you? How can I teach from rest if I don’t even remember what rest feels like??? Last year, I made a goal…
