You learn something new everyday

Growing up, I was the slightly odd girl who enjoyed school and looked forward to the first day of each new school year. I relished the crisp, new schools supplies ordered neatly on my desk. The stack of the year's new text books were just waiting for me to dive into and acquire all sorts of new knowledge. I loved it. And what I loved even more was getting to enjoy my school days from the comfort of home. I was part of the "pioneering" homeschool generation, if you will, at least for our area. I was one of the strange kids, whose socialization skills people were very concerned about. I think I turned out just fine. In fact, I'd dare to say people probably couldn't pick me out of the "Who was homeschooled and how had a normal childhood" line up. I feel that growing up doing school in the midst of everyday family life at home rather than education being confined to a classroom during normal school hours has really engrained in me a sense of life long learning. Homeschooling was a great experience for me and I am so excited to be able to share that journey with my little men!

  As a second generation homeschooler, you'd think I would have some sort of advantage in making a plan for my boys' home education. I suppose I do, in that I have the assurance that homeschooling is possible and worth it. But I have found that there are just so many different paths you could take- when it comes to curriculum, style and even philosophies on education. It is a bit overwhelming, honestly, and you do have to be careful to over plan! I have enjoyed doing the research and trying to hone in on exactly what I want my boys' education to be made up of. It's been interesting to me to see what styles and ideas resonate with my hopes for this journey and that they're not necessarily the ones I was taught with.

 My first introduction to a new philosophy on education, in general, was encountering the thoughts of Charlotte Mason. I just love Miss Mason's vision- of integrating education, slowly and gently, into the everyday life of a child. This education style lets children be children; to run, play and be out in nature as much as possible in the early years. Mason believed children absorbed a vast amount of knowledge from really engaging in the world around them and promoted this "education" before stressing "bookwork". Especially having little boys, this philosophy really hit home with me. I have seen their little minds come alive when out and about picking up nature treasures or fighting with gusto in a pretend battle. Homeschool veterans and boy moms who I highly respect have repeatedly encouraged me to not worry too much about schoolwork with boys until they are about 6 or 7 because before then they really don't have the attention span for it. I have seen more and more recent research to back up their advice, so I try not to overload my boys too much "school", too soon. But being the lover of learning I tend be, I have a hard time not doing some sort of learning activities! I appreciate that Charlotte Mason realized this balance of optimizing on this crucial developmental period of time while not pushing a child to grow up too fast! During the preschool years, Miss Mason really emphasizes strengthening relationships and working on character training and good habits. Really setting the foundation for successful school years.

For the Children's Sake by Susan Shaeffer Macaulay, is the best primer for the Charlotte Mason approach I could recommend. This book really made the philosophy of it al come alive and painted a picture of exactly what I wanted my children's education to look like. When Children Love to Learn is another great Charlotte Mason read, as well.

 

 Charlotte Mason encourages lots of living books- high quality writing with captivating characters who will teach children, while engaging their imaginations. The book loving Mama that I am, this was a huge draw for me and the reason why I was drawn to the Sonlight curriculum path as well. We are experimenting with Sonlight's Core A this year with my almost 5 year old and 3 year old boys. So far, we have been really enjoying it! I love the concept of learning history and geography by hearing stories from those times and places to help kids visualize these ideas better. And I just love reading to my boys! I appreciate the Instructor's Guide and having things planned out for me to teach from. I really appreciate that they offer the first 3 weeks of each core's IG for free on their website. Here's Core A! I have slowly been picking up books from this Core's book list- mostly used off of Thriftbooks. It's been a great way to give Sonlight a try without paying the box price. Other great sources for book lists and good criteria for choosing living books is the classic, Honey for a Child's Heart!

A great resource I've found to encourage lots of reading of good books in our house is The Read-Aloud Revival. I love all the inspiration and tools this site gives to Mamas to "build a family culture around books"-as Sarah Mackenzie, curator of the site phrases it. My favorite way to "redeem the time" while doing chores is to listen to the Read-Aloud Revival podcasts! Sarah has had some of the greatest minds in home education as guests on the show and she also offers some fun printable resources as well! I currently bought her newly revised book, Teaching from Rest and I can't wait to dive into it soon! Great podcasts, similar to those offered by the Read Aloud Revival, can be found at Your Morning Basket. Another uplifting and pretty source of articles and podcasts for Homeschooling Mamas, especially those leaning towards Charlotte Mason style, is Wild and Free. They have beautifully curated bundles of themed resources that come out monthly you can subscribe to. They offer a free sample bundle so you can get a feel for what they are about. I linked above to said freebie, I highly recommend checking it out!

 Nature Study is another huge proponent of the Charlotte Mason method. Living out in the country on a farm is such a huge blessing when it comes to raising little boys. We have acres of fields and plenty of nature for curious little boys to explore! This year, we are incorporating an "official" nature study it our school routine and have been having fun with it! The boys have nature baskets we take out for walks and fill up with earthy treasures; then we come in the house and pull out our nature journals and record our findings. Everywhere I read about nature study, I see the Handbook of Nature Study being highly recommended. I picked it up off of Amazon and I can already tell it will be a great homeschool resource for many years to come! I also bought exploring nature with children- a simple but engaging curriculum to give our nature study some structure. We started using good quality sketchbooks for our nature journals this year to encourage the thought that the boys sketches were important and for archival sake. This last summer I ran across the most adorable free printable natural journals from the blog, Hope with Feathers. There are only a set for June, July, and August but they are so perfect, I highly recommend printing them off and stashing them away for next summer. ;) There is pages for sketching, journaling,  monthly calendar and weather tracker!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For our basics 3 "R"s of schooling, my oldest is still working on getting the alphabet memorized and is getting a grip on writing his letters. We have been using the Raising Rock Stars Preschool program by 1+1+1=1.  I really like the simple outline of learning a letter a week and the biblical basis it's presented in. Also, the letters are taught from A-Z but from the easiest to write to the hardest which has been a great way for my boy to build confidence. We are just getting starting with the Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, which I have heard great reports on! Math comes pretty naturally to my little boys it seems and they have picked up a lot from everyday life. For an arithmetic curriculum, I was really intrigued by the idea of  Ray's Arithmetic. The original curriculum was published in the 1870s and is a good, common sense approach to learning math. I really appreciate having the classic The Well Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home on my bookshelf to reference for each school year and to make sure I am getting the basics covered!

My 3 year old Little/Big boy loves to "do school" with big brother. I am amazed at how much he has learned by just being at the table while I am teaching my oldest! It gives me a great sense of hope and grace to realize I don't have to teach them each every single, little thing they need to know. They'll even be teaching each other at times! My 3 year old will do a lot of the same "work" his brother does, even if it's over his head, because he wants to be a big kid. But he does have some of his own activities as well! My boys really enjoy the Kumon workbooks especially the cutting workbook! Another really neat educational "toy" we enjoy using is the Kid O A to Z Magnatab . There is a numbers one as well!

I am grateful to have this "grace year" of not "having" to do school to see what direction we may want to officially take next year. There's a lot of big ideas and plans I have for school that I would have loved, as a little girl and a student, but I'm not sure how they will resonate with my little boys. So, we experiment a bit and have fun in the process; because more than anything else, I want my boys to get pleasure out of learning and instill in them a lifelong hunger for education. So far, we've been enjoying quite the adventure- students and teacher!

 

The Jesus Storybook Bible for "Big Kids"!

I absolutely love the Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. It was the first bible I bought my firstborn son when he was a baby and almost 5 years later, it is falling apart and taped back together from so much use. The Jesus Storybook Bible is my favorite kids bible and honestly, I love this "version" for myself as  well. I love the whimsical, entrancing interpretations of bible stories.

  I was really excited to hear that Sally Lloyd-Jones was releasing a "big kid" version of the Jesus Storybook Bible. The story of God's love for you is being advertised for teens and adults. Comparing the two books- The story of God's love for you is basically all the text from the Jesus Storybook Bible without the "children's" illustrations. While I can see the idea behind doing this- "growing" the book up some- I prefer having the stories,that are intriguing to young and old alike, along with the fun and captivating illustrations of the original Jesus Storybook Bible.

I recieved this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

Making my to-do list work for me!

I am a chronic procrastinator. Putting it off until the last minute has plagued me as far back as I can remember having deadlines to meet. School papers, 4-H record books, even holiday gift shopping- somehow, I am very, very good at postponing tasks until tomorrow.  I am also a self help book lover, so Glynnis Whitwer's new book, Taming the To-Do List, was a must read. The subtitle of Whitwer's book is how to choose your best work every day; that is defintely something I could use some help with deciphering in my life! Some days (most days) I feel like my to-do list would take me this life and beyond to actually accomplish. It's such an extensive checklist I have a hard time deciding where the best place to begin even is. After reading Taming the To Do List, I now have a much more realistic, workable plan and approach. 

  Glynnis begins by helping us understand just what procrastination is- the usual cycle it takes and how it can even be a sin. We then take a look at  some of the reasons behind why we procrastinate-out of fear or people pleasing, etc. The next chapter assesses what exactly we lose by putting off our responsibilities until "later." Whitwer expands into the cost on our character, our potential and even, our health. She uses some scientific evidence that is pretty convincing! 

  The book moves on to give some practical tips on how to actually combat our procrastinating tendencies. One of the first things we can do is cut out responsibilities we don't "need" to carry. We can set our self up for success by being at our best, physically, to think with clarity and focus. We can get enough sleep and we can avoid too much infoarion and too much multitasking.

We can give ourself grace and not expect perfection and form some better habits.  

 Glynnis leaves us on a positive, practical note-giving advice on how to become a better time manager and organize for our "best" work. She gives everyday, little changes we can implement to make our 

to-do list work for us. This book came at the beginning of a busy season that was starting to overwhelm. I am thankful for the strategies and encouragement Glynnis shares with us in her helpful book! 

I recieved this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion. 

The perfect book for changing seasons- of the year or of life!

I have found myself having a somewhat difficult time making the transition from summertime freedom to the regular routines of fall. Not only have I had to switch gears from flexible days of fun to structured days of commitments, Our family had also been preparing ourselves for the a job and lifestyle change that fell through. We had waded thru a long waiting period of planning and anticipation, expecting life to change pretty drastically come the fall. When that new chapter didn't come thru, I had to quickly restructure my plans to go on with the "same old, same old." In a strange way, a new book on change has helped me to transition to the fact that my life isn't really going to change after all!

 

 

Girl Meets Change by Kristen Strong shares truths to carry you thru life's transitions. The book is broken up into three parts: Acknowledge, Accept, Adapt. First, Kirsten helps us understand the many faces change can take on and that they can be sudden or gradual. I appreciated the chapter Kirsten wrote on giving ourselves permission to be affected by change and that God wants us to honestly bring our feelings to Him.

 

Next, it's time to Accept the change-to realize God loves us and works everything out for our good and to just keep taking small steps forward in faith. Kirsten uses biblical examples of Abraham and Joseph to show God's faithfulness thru big change. We learn to find peace in waiting, security in our limitations and to hand our worries over to Jesus.

  And lastly, Kirsten helps us learn to thrive in our changes by Adapting. We are reminded of what a help and blessing good friendships are to us, especially in our time of need and weakness. It is a balm to our souls to hear someone say, "I've been where you are and I made it thru. You will too." . And then we learn from Esther how we need to ask "How will God use me in this?", instead of "Why did God allow this to happen to me?" Kirsten wraps up her inspiring book with the reminder that no matter what changes around us, Christ will always be our solid ground.

 

I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

The perfect bedtime book- God Gave Us Sleep

I'm so excited to add another title from the favorite kid's book series, God Gave Us by Lisa Tawn Bergen!  The newest book in the series is God Gave Us Sleep is just about the most perfect bedtime story you could ask for. We get to follow the classic bedtime predicament of every family- it's bedtime and Little Cub doesn't think it should be so! She is having just too much fun and, after all, she's a big kid and doesn't need that much sleep. As a mother, I love the patient and gracious way Mama Bear addresses Little Cub's many bedtime "Why's?".  From "why do I need sleep?" to "What if I have bad dreams?", Mama Bear gives answers every kid needs to hear. She explains how God designed the rhythms of the day-work, play and rest-and how sleep is a gift.(Don't us Mama's know that's a truth!)

 

 

 I also loved how the book played out how a Little Cub who doesn't get enough sleep makes for a grumpy, frustrated Cub, indeed. My oldest son gets so very emotional and irritable if he doesn't get the sleep he needs and I think this part of the book will be a great way to illustrate to him that every little one needs sleep, for his sake and everyone else's as well!

 I have been buying the God Gave Us books since before my oldest was born and just adore them. I read God Gave Us You to my oldest as a baby and broke the news to him of a younger sibling on the way by giving him, God Gave US Two. I love the whimsical way that these books weave biblically based facts with adorable stories that are appreciated by every age!

 

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review

The beginning of my fall fiction binge

Fall means shorter days and wetter, colder weather. The workload slows down and I have more time for my favorite, cozy hobbies-like curling up on the couch with a warm cup of coffee and an engaging novel. My very favorite historical fiction author is Jane Kirkpatrick. I have been reading her books since I was a teenager. I so enjoy the way that she takes real women's stories from history and brings them to life, in a very real way. Plus, it's a huge draw for me, that as a fellow Oregonian, Jane's books are usually always set in Oregon. She weaves together the time and setting of the heroine's life with her inner life-her thoughts and feelings, victories and struggles. I am very impressed with the work Mrs. Kirkpatrick puts into researching the lives and personality of her heroines. Jane has a knack for making her characters vulnerable and believable. I come away from each of her books feeling like I have made a new friend from a different place and time. Here is how Jane herself describes her writing.

 

 

  Jane Kirkpatrick's latest book, The Memory Weaver, may be my favorite title of hers yet.

 The enveloping story of Eliza Spalding Warren, set in Oregon Territory in the mid 1800's. The child of missionary parents, Eliza grows up along side Indians she trusts and loves. But when tragedy strikes, her family is forced to leave and feel betrayed by the people they've come to serve. Yet another disconcerting blow comes when Eliza's mother dies soon after. In the wake of so much loss, Eliza is left to find her way, while expected to be her demanding father's ministry assistant and raise her younger siblings. Feeling weighted down and hopeless, Eliza finds herself wooed away by a man with all the right words to say to a young woman who is only used to being valued for what she can contribute not who she is. Eliza enters her marriage knowingly naïve about some of her husband's character, but determined that it is better to start her own life than forever just being her father's helper. As Eliza faces the challenges that come with growing up, expedited by marrying very young, she only wishes her mother was still on earth to give her the advice she desperately needs. Then enters the intriguing element of having passages from her mother's diary interwoven thru out the chapters of the book. Eliza finds that her mother was a real woman with real struggles and how she found strength in the Lord.

 

 This novel was the perfect way to start my fall reading binge! I've got some other great titles I'm working on and can't wait to share about in the coming weeks!

 

I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

A new children's book to start our fall off with thankful hearts!

 I love snuggling up on the couch with my 3 boys and sharing a good story together. It makes my book loving, Mama heart proud that they are always begging for "just one more" book at story time. So, What a better way to celebrate the changing of the season into a cozy, reflective time of year than to acquire some new, quality kids books? I'm so excited to have Thankful by Eileen Spinelli to add to our fall book rotation! 

                            

What a simple, yet deep child's poem book with delightful illustrations to bring it to life. Thankful reminds children (and their parents!) of some simple, everyday occurrences that bring joy and gratitude. I especially appreciated the way the illustrations brought life to the lines of the poem. The sweet scenes of a family sharing mundane, yet special adventures together made me love this book all the more!

I think this is my favorite line of the poem and illustration. This is an example my boys and I could relate to. We had such a  good and bonding time growing a garden this year. We learned together to work hard and be thankful for the food our garden provided us with!

 I am always working to instill everyday gratitude into my heart and the little hearts I am nurturing in my home as well. I know this book will be a great reminder to us and become a favorite around thanksgiving time.

I recieved this book in exchange for my honest review.