love to paint

When I started teaching, there was a book that was recommended to all new teachers-- The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease.  The beginning of the book is really a treatise on why reading aloud matters.  But, most homeschooling parents don't need to be convinced.  The ones I know and have met have all believe reading aloud is a good and important thing to do.  But, if you're looking for a book on why one should read aloud, The Read Aloud Handbook will explain why it is important and "how" to do it. Most parents, like my husband and I, want to read aloud books to our children, but struggle at times coming up with books we want to read aloud--especially at the younger ages.  So, we search.  We look for lists of books for independent reading and we look for lists of books for read alouds.  I live in a house of very avid readers so I am always on the lookout for new book lists! One friend suggested that I check out a popular blog titled the Read Alou...

Warning:  Indirect, implied spoilers included in this post. Last week, I watched Me Before You .  It was interesting.  The acting and filming were well done and drew me into the movie.  Afterwards, I looked up the sequel to the book that was turned into this movie and read a review with spoilers.   Sometimes I watch movies to help me understand what our culture believes about right and wrong, what our culture values.   Me Before You is one of those movies.   God cares about life.  He cares about our lives.   Psalm 139:13  ESV For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. Exodus 20:13   ESV You shall not murder. Me Before You is a movie ultimately about euthanasia and God is absent.   Well, not really.  God is always there--even when people think He isn't.  But, the characters in this movie never mention God.  One character only says that life isn't what h...

"Much as we don't see a clogged drain before it backs up, we often don't recognize the initial signs of anxiety, depression, cancer, heart disease, and many other conditions for what they are.  Until enough signs and symptoms add up to a situation warranting concern, we don't recognize a problem exists." pg. 42 from Hope Prevails by Dr. Michelle Bengston Depression is the subject that Dr. Bengston tackles in Hope Prevails .  She has both lived with depression and walked others through the struggles of living with depression.  I have read several books on depression over the years and I'm always curious about how authors deal with this subject.  I've seen it handled well and handled poorly.   In my own life, I have seen some Christians make black and white statements about depression--one person told me that it's just sin and anyone struggling with depression just needs to fight it.  Another Christian told me "that's just the way he/she ...

Yesterday at soccer, I was discussing social media and email with another teacher at a local school.  She said that their school used a poster to help teach kids about what to say--and not say via email and social media. I found a similar poster to the one she described HERE .  I'm definitely printing this up and laminating it for my classroom today!

With all our activities this year, I realized that some of the groups we're now involved in communicate via Facebook.  I've been off Facebook for five years because they deleted something on my page (non-offensive) without my permission.  I decided to return to Facebook this week.  But, it's interesting. My husband made this stipulation to me when I opened a new account:  "Don't put anything on Facebook that you wouldn't want in the newspaper."  I think this is wise guidance and it is what I am using to make decisions about what I post and what I don't post. I realize that I have walked back into the world of deciding who to be friends with and not friends with on Facebook--what to say and what not to say.  When I got off Facebook years ago, I realized that people wanted to be facebook friends with me who hadn't been nice to me when I was a kid.  When people say that people will do and say things they wouldn't in person, they usually are re...

My kids are no longer toddlers.  They're growing up heading towards their teenager years with lots of things they love to do.  There are so many opportunities we can pursue with them.  But, what is wise?  How much is enough?  How much is too much? This fall has been a busy one.  We have more activities going on than we have in past school years. Sports--Soccer 4-H Mini co-op for art Flute, Piano Watercolor lessons Homeschool PE 1x/week (this is an organized large group) Youth Group Mini co-op for French and Writing We've been busy for the past eight weeks.  But, what now?  My middle daughter loves soccer. Should we become a year round sports family?  Can we say no?  yes? Yesterday, I sat watching my daughter's soccer game and talked with a mom sitting next to me who had come to cheer on her friend's daughter.  This woman's two sons play sports year round and she was surprised when I said we only did socc...

Last spring, I found a book series on Hoopla Digital that I really enjoyed it.  It was a series about the Christiansen Family by Susan May Warren.  So, I was curious about her new series that begins with Wild Montana Skies .  This book is about a pilot, Kacey Fairing, who is returning home from a deployment to Afghanistan--trying to recover and cope with PTSD.  Enter her daughter, Audrey, and Kacey's high school boyfriend, Ben King. The book follows these three as they cope with a weather tragedy and as Ben and Kacey try to help others in need.  This is a story of the truth coming out.  It is a contemporary romance, but it isn't as bad as a Harlequin--or as bad as the second book I'm reviewing in this post. I like some romance in a novel.  There's plenty in Wild Montana Skies for me.  It isn't too physically descriptive, though, and I'm grateful for that.  This is the funny part of romance novels to me.  Where is the line that both...

For the past few years, I have enjoyed reading Melody Carlson's annual Christmas novels.  Every Fall, a new one comes out.  This year's novel is titled The Christmas Angel Project .  With this story, it's hard to explain the story without giving the crux of the plot away.  So, I'm not going to.  This story is one of 4 friends who grow and walk through some tough times together around Christmas. Melody Carlson writes these novels like Hallmark Channel Christmas movies (since they're the only ones nowadays who really make cheesy movies like the story of these books).  But, they're fun to read.  There's something about Christmas that makes people think of healing, family, friends, and fellowship.  That's what this book is all about. Does the plot flow?  Yes.  Are the characters flawed, yet likeable?  Yes.  Does the writing make it easy to picture the story?  Yes.  It's just fine. If you enjoy tv movies or cheesy Ch...

Recently, I read two really good books.  They were very different from one another, though.  One was good and it took concentration and effort to read; while with the other, I made myself put it down after each chapter so that I could savor it and make it last. The first book was The Blessing of Humility by Jerry Bridges.  This book was not what I expected.  It surprised me with insight that I had never understood before.  I'm in my 40s, yet I had always seen the Beattitudes as a group of verses that were grouped by pattern, rather than meaning.  In this book, I felt like Jerry Bridges opened my eyes to see the pyramid that the Beattitudes form--each verse building upon the previous to help us understand God's plan for our salvation.  The book was very insightful and helpful to me when I was teaching a group of 2nd to 5th graders about the Beattitudes this summer.   I found time and time again that the curriculum book missed the point of the ve...

Yesterday, I walked through a valley.  It wasn't fun.  Valleys never are, really.  As I had entered this valley, I had just finished reading a fiction book by a new author I found on Hoopla that I enjoy, Cynthia Ruchti.  The book was titled As Waters Gone By .  It sounds like a bit of an odd title, but it's taken from a single verse of Job. Job 11:16 You will forget your misery; you will remember it as waters that have passed away.  (gone away in the NIV) Yesterday morning, I read the larger portion of verses surrounding verse 16 and they were filled with hope. starting with verse 13... If you prepare your heart, you will stretch out your hands toward him.  If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and let not injustice dwell in your tents.  surely then you will lift up your face without blemish; you will be secure and will not fear.  You will forget your misery; you will remember it as waters that have passed away.  And you...

Yesterday, my girls had a book group meeting (for 4th-6th grade girls).  They talked about a book titled They were Strong and Good by Robert Lawson.  It's a book full of potential material for discussion. Here are the questions that my girls came up with: 1.  Did you enjoy this book?  Why or why not? 2.  How would this story change if the author was not proud of his heritage? 3.  How does the author's story make you feel about your own family?  Why? 4.  What was the purpose or message of the book?  What was the author trying to say? 5.  How does the story connect to you? 6.  Why does it matter where you come from? 7.  Do you think that the title fits the book?  Why, if so?  If not, what would you call the book? 8.  Robert Lawson described his family as strong and good.  How would you describe your family in 2 words? 9.  Why do you think Lawson described his family as strong and good to begin ...

When I sat down a moment ago to write a review of the book I just read, the phrase "unrealistic realistic fiction" came to mind.  My husband perused the book I'm about review and declared that is wholly unrealistic. It is.  It is a Christian Romantic Suspense novel.  Lynette Eason just published the second book in her Elite Guardians series, Without Warning .  But, I don't think readers really expect all realistic fiction  to be realistic.  It is set in the present with people they can picture in a world they live in every day. Without Warning is about a personal bodyguard, Katie, who gets involved in a case of arson and life.  Katie cares about one of her self defense class students, Riley.  The man who's life is in danger happens to be Riley's uncle, Daniel. Katie quickly gets involved protecting Daniel Matthews and Riley.  The book begins with the arson of one of his six restaurants and escalates in danger from there.  Katie's fe...

This past weekend I read a book by Sarah Loudin Thomas.  When I started reading it, I had no idea that it was actually the third book in a series.  There was no indication of this on the front or spine of the book.  Surprisingly, I didn't realize that it was the third in a series until I got to the end of the book and read the descriptions of other books recommended at the back by the publisher.  This book stood on its own without depending on the two that had come before it. The book is A Tapestry of Secrets .  The story centers on Ella and her grandmother Perla.  Ella got out of an abusive relationship with her boyfriend a year before the story begins.  Her occupation is creating art quilts.  Ella is the kind of young woman who loves tradition and is closely knitted into the fabric of her family so when Perla has a stroke, she moves home to help take care of her.  The book is the story of Perla's recovery and the secret that she wants to ...

There Never was I Here Are you Beyond Went She Under Hid slyly He But, Me They all Saw

This past weekend I read a book I found on someone's reading list on her blog.  The book was Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. I loved it.  I'm glad I read it and I want my kids to read it. The book is about a girl named Ally who struggles in school.  She's been in eight schools or so in seven years because her dad serves in the military.  Ally has an older brother, Travis, who has her back.  Their family is a healthy family, but Ally's dad is deployed during the story. This book is a story about not judging a book by its cover.  Ally's MO is to distract whenever a teacher or school administrator asks her to read or write.  Because... Ally has dyslexia.  Over the years, her teachers missed it.  Her brother struggles with dyslexia as well.  Their parents know school is hard for them, but her dad likely had it as well and encouraged his son to compensate for it in auto class. Dyslexia often runs in families.  A few years ...

The grass swallows your paws As you sit Still Not a sound But, I want to see How God made you Hop little limber bunny Hop Walking closer The bunny skitters away Without a Sound

For the past two months, I've been teaching my 2nd-5th grade Sunday school class about the Beattitudes.  I've been using a curriculum, The Kids Travel Guide to the Beattitudes , that I haven't been that happy with, actually.  I had used a previous book in the same series and really liked that one.  But, this one...  it has felt like there's a lot of fluff.  So, I end up taking a few ideas from the book and writing my own lessons each week. Yesterday, I only had a half hour in which I needed to prepare my lesson.  I'd been taking care of my family's needs all day and that was all there was.  I prayed and trusted that the Lord would help me put the pieces together.  One of the pieces came from an unexpected place... A few months ago, I agreed to review a Christian Living book because all of the author's books have been encouraging to me.  The book is The Blessing of Humility by Jerry Bridges.  A few months ago, this man passed away in ...