Reading through the summer

This summer has flown by (as it seems to every year)!  I had hoped to blog more, organize more, travel more...  oh well!  But one thing we did do was read more.  We didn't tour as many libraries & bookstores as I had hoped, but our weekly visits to our local libraries brought a lot of good books home, thanks to some great resources and reading guides.

This reading guide & excellent resource is simple, yet eye opening. Families are encouraged to read just one book from a certain area of the world each week.  The book gives a plethora of books to choose from and reserve from your local library, as well as printable maps, videos to watch, etc.  Some of our favorite books have been The Journey that Saved Curious George, One Hen, My Librarian is a Camel, and Adele & Simon in America.

Another incentive to encourage my growing readers was the easy summer reading program though Barnes & Nobles.  Just walking in the store gives me thrill, not sure if it's the smell of books and coffee or the memories of the many dates with Marty before kids. Only 4 books are required to be read in order for them to get a free book!  (It's not too late.  The program ends September 6th.)

A great blog that I've mentioned before is Modern Mrs. Darcy.  She puts together a great summer reading guide (for adults).  It has helped me branch back a little more into fiction as that's something I rarely read just for myself.

In the past, I've mentioned our family's love of audio books, especially in the car.  We have enjoyed almost the entire Little House series, listened to new books that I've never even heard of, laughed hysterically over Ramona the Brave, and wistfully imagined ourselves on the shores of Prince Edwards Island with Anne Shirley.  Below is a great blog post concerning audio books.

For the Love of Audio Books by Greta Eskridge

What I've Learned from Ma, Mary Poppins, and Marmee

Reading aloud with my girls is probably one of my favorite aspects of homeschooling.  Over the last several months, we have been reading Little Women (very slowly... it's deep!), Mary Poppins, Paddington Bear, listening to the Little House series in the car, with a sprinkling of poetry in the midst of all that.  Within these books are lessons galore!  But this post is focused on the three main women in these books and what I've learned from Ma, Mary Poppins, and Marmee.  

In boarding school, we were only allowed to watch one hour of television a week and that usually consisted of an episode of Little House on the Prairie.  It was during this weekly hour that my admiration for Ma began.  She reminded me so much of my own mother.  Ma always seemed so patient, desiring the best for her girls, rarely raising her voice, fully supportive of Pa and affirming him as the head of the family.  She was resourceful, knowing how to make or use items found with the little they had, always willing to learn new things, and thoughtful of family and neighbors.  I honestly can’t remember if I ever read the books as a child.  But when my girls were really little we read through the series in the evenings and I think I loved the books more than they did.  Now as we listen to them in the car, the wisdom and courage that flows from Caroline Ingalls amazes me! 

Mary Poppins… It’s a name that has always brought a smile to my face, not sure if it was the British accent or the disciplined way of doing things.  But I realized this year that it stems from my view of the movie and not from the book.  I have always thought that the book is better than the movie, except in this case.  I read Mary Poppins (for the first time) to my girls last month and was truly disappointed.  I hope this is not a spoiler for others, but Mary Poppins taught me all the things that I desire not to be:  prideful, quick tempered, arrogant, distant, and unapproachable.  She would care for the children only as a job, not with a sincere desire for them to grow.  There was very little grace within her.  I find myself often acting a lot like Mary Poppins: always wanting to be right in the eyes of my children, impatient, and unkind.  Oh, how I wish to be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger... 

Marmee...  Once again, I realized that I had never read the entire unabridged version of Little Women.  I have always loved the movie, but in this case, the book is even better!  We are still not finished with the book, mainly because it is 777 pages long (seriously!) and is not an easy read.  The tears that have been shed (from an unnamed mother) from reading the wisdom of Marmee who was such a strong and independent woman.  She learned the gift of having an even stronger husband, one who could be her team mate, friend, and protector.  She was honest, yet kind to her little women.  She gave correction, but not without examples and transparency of her own previous struggles.

This is such a short summary of my opinion of these women. Others may view them differently.  So often I feel that I have to read the self-help books to challenge myself, but there is so much to learn through the classics, children's literature, and even poetry. But none of this can happen unless we read.  Read aloud with delicious food near by, read in different places, read books that inspire and encourage, and try to focus on quality literature.  

It's a new year...

It's a new year...

New years resolutions, new goals, new desires, new books...

I love the reset of January 1st, looking back and learning from the previous year, yet looking forward to the upcoming one with renewed hope.  New years resolutions can get a bad reputation and honestly this year, I've wondered what's the point?  Every year I try to get to bed earlier and it never seems to happen.  Every year I try to do this and that, and it may get done until about half way through the year, if that.  

Over the past couple weeks, I've taken some time to assess my life using this printable as a guide and really seeking what the Lord would have of me this year.  I really enjoyed looking back at my favorite moments of 2015 (lot's of travel and change!) and yet was challenged by the things lacking in my life - better health and exercise! 

Some of the areas I desire to improve upon are:

 - prayer - My prayer life has been lacking for some time now.  A friend gave me a great spiral journal for my birthday and I've loved filling the front of it with prayer requests, verses on prayer, and literal prayers as I feel the need to write them out.  

- health & exercise - With traveling to two continents last year and moving houses, exercise & eating naturally were put on the back burner.  So this year, they've got to become more of a priority. Specific desires include less carbs & sugar, run two races, and more green smoothies.

 - books - I love to read!!  Yet why do I struggle to finish books? Part of the issue could be due to the fact that we read throughout the day as a homeschool family, but I think one of the biggest culprits is my phone that travels with me everywhere.  It is huge temptation for me to quickly check Instagram, spend who knows how long scrolling through Facebook, read that email really quick, and just browse Pinterest because I'm bored.  I've felt more and more convicted about this.  No concrete ways to remedy this issue yet, but where there's a will there's a way.  

Here is a Reading Challenge put out by Anne Bogel with Modern Mrs. Darcy that I hope to follow and use for accountability.

For those of you with kids, Sarah Mackenzie at Amongst Lovely Things and the Read Aloud Revival podcast has really inspired me and my girls to read aloud more during the month of January.  Just 15 minutes a day!

New books from Amazon always give me a thrill and I'm looking forward to getting to these titles over the next couple of months. 

- Fervent by Priscilla Shirer
- You and Me Forever by Francis and Lisa Chan
- The Fringe Hours by Jessica Turner 
- Finish The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
- Currently loving Simply Tuesday by Emily Freeman

Lastly, I'll leave you with the words of one of my new favorite songs, This Year by JJ Heller

This year I'm not looking back to who I was
Because I'm going to be someone I've never been
This year I'm not focused on the cracks in the walls
Not keeping tract of all the times I fall
This year
So long to last year
It's all becoming so clear
There's no use living in regret
Let's fight a good fight
Train our eyes to see the light
And make this year the best one yet
Starting right here, Happy New Year!

This Year

When I thought homeschooling couldn't get any harder by teaching three grades with three entirely different learners, our family decided to add the joys of moving to the chaos. No lie... first day of school began with cinnamon rolls (thanks to Trader Joe's refrigerated section), followed by crazy cleaning and prepping to get our house staged to put on the market by the end of the week.   

More sugar followed as we packed up the dog and headed to Chick-fil-a for free milkshakes (drive-thru, of course!).  Formal school didn't really happen until afternoon due to the lovely stayed-up-too-late-hangover Mommy got to enjoy.  Thank you, Magic School Bus on Netflix!

These three!  They are some of the greatest joys of my life!  (Yet can drive me crazy at the same time!)  It will be a fun year, to say the least!

Lunch included more Netflix by watching "On the Way to School."  Excellent documentary!  All three of my girls were mesmerized. The stories of several children around the world and their daily or weekly walks to school was quite humbling!

School supplies were simple, but useful as we also like new markers, notebooks, and glue sticks.  It was fun to watch them fill out their 1st Day of School Interviews (found here) and then compare them with last year's.  

Each girl picked out one subject to do before calling it a day and heading to church.  We are excited to try some new curriculum this year.  Chloe's adding Wordly Wise for vocabulary & spelling. Naomi is starting cursive handwriting with Cheerful Cursive, and Sophie is using Horizon Math, which we've never tried before. 

Overall, the day was nothing to boast about.  It was certainly not as exciting as other "first days," but I can promise you that none of us will ever forget it.  At some point during the day, we listened to one of JJ Heller's newer songs called "This Year."  Check it out on YouTube.  As Emily Freeman says, I'm treating September like the new January.  A new home, a new school year, and a new perspective...

Here are some links that I'm gleaning from these days:

- 10 Tips For a Stress-Free Homeschool Day by Ruth Simmons
- Amongst Lovely Things with Sarah Mackenzie (Love it all!  Her blog, her podcast, tips, etc)
- The Homeschool Snapshots Podcast

(This was written last week, but due to technical difficulties, I couldn't post it until today.  Two weeks of homeschooling under the belt...)

What I'm reading, still reading, and want to read...

Some of these books I'm still trying to finish reading (Love & Respect, Own Your Life).  Both really good books, just not something I can pick up, snuggle down and read for extended period of time (without falling asleep).  The Antelope in the Living Room is a friend's copy that I'm trying to save for bedtime reading since I could probably finish it in a day or two, especially after reading Sparkly Green Earrings.

The Fringe Hours and The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up came via Amazon last week, both books that I've seen sprinkled all over social media and many of my favorite blogs. The Fringe Hours I'm saving till I finish some of the other books I'm currently reading. But I'm excited to dive into a book designed to show women how "to take back the fringe hours - those little pockets of time you already have in your day - in order to make time for your passions and practice self-care." The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying up (the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing) is already scaring the living daylights out of me and I'm only in the third chapter.  The thought of gathering every single piece of clothing in my house, placing them on the floor, and sorting through them one by one. My worst nightmare!  No promises yet, but I'm eager to finish reading it.  We'll see...

Weekend Words...

"Let's aspire to use our mouths with godly purpose.

     - to build... not to break.

     - to bless... not to badger.

     - to encourage... not to embitter.

     - to praise... not to pounce."

Words I'm reading...

- "Each day, you are writing the story that your life will tell throughout eternity.  As you recommit to God's values and priorities, every choice you make and every action you take will move you toward the exceptional life for which you were made." - Sally Clarkson, Own Your Life.

- "The key to creating fond feelings of love in a husband toward his wife is through showing him unconditional respect." - Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, Love & Respect.

- "We will pattern our lives after their poverty.  We are poor by choice.  We want to be poor like Christ, who, being rich, chose to be born and live and work among the poor." - Mother Teresa, Teresa of Calcutta

Words I'm listening to...

- Inspired to Action Podcast: Talk more, tech less (Balancing family and technology)

- Read Aloud Revival Podcast: A lifestyle of reading aloud with Melissa Wiley

- EntreFamily Podcast: Tips for traveling with kids and loving it! (I may have listened to this 3-4 times.  Inspiration!)

Random Words...

- Words written on a cow showing where we get our beef.  One of those moments, I'm thankful to be a vegetarian.

- Yet, not quite ready to be vegan as we so love our NC State ice cream...

May your weekend be full of sweet words, words that bring life, words with no regrets... "The words you speak are not neutral - they are either moving your relationships towards life or moving your relationships toward death." - Paul David Tripp

The tongue has the power of life and death, 

and those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:21

What happened in March, and what's left of April...

What happened in March...

(Better late than never seems to be my motto these days... late to church, late nights, late waking up, late blogging...)

- Concerning my March goals, not much happened.  Getting to bed at a decent hour is still a work in progress.  I finished Notes from a Blue Bike with a friend (great read!)  I'm on chapter 3 of Love & Respect, which is a great book, but it's a struggle to force myself to read for pleasure when I've already spent time reading aloud to the girls (not to mention I fall asleep every time I lay down to read.)  I may have read a chapter of The Happiness Project before it was due back at the library (I even tried to renew it!).  Oh well!

- All of our plane tickets are ordered and our lodging arranged.  The countdown has officially begun!  The girls have worked so hard making sea glass earrings and jars, cake pops and lemonade.  It's been special to see them give so willingly and be able to say they paid for our train passes (Naomi earned enough for hers and Chloe will be able to pay for the rest of ours, plus money for some activities while there).

- 40 bags in 40 days was such a nice thought...  We may have decrapified 10-15 bags, but let's be honest... purging is hard.  If nothing else, I was encouraged by a friend who read about it and actually did it!  Setting goals is not in vain.

- We got to celebrate two birthdays in March, my sweet husband and our littlest girlie.  Both celebrations were low key, but special.  No regrets on this goal.  

                                  

                                                   

                                                   

What's left in April...

- Really do the envelope system this month with our budget.  Even though, we're well into April, it's not too late.  I need to remember that every penny saved could be put towards our trip.

- Re-discover my love for getting outside, especially my morning runs.  I forget how fresh air and getting those endorphin's going is so vital to starting (or continuing) my day on the right foot. 

- Read more of Love & Respect (a perspective of marriage that is foreign to our culture and even in our churches), read Own Your Life, and who knows what else...

                                    

- Finish this school year well!  Our writing class is wrapping up this month, ballet recital practices are in full swing, and some intense language study needs to happen before next month!

- Buy train passes, rash guards for the girls, and start packing!!! 

- Reach out to others through opening up our home, sending encouraging notes, or even a simple phone call or text.  

What I learned in February & what's to come in March...

What I learned in February...

 - snow skiing is still as thrilling as when I was 8 years old and brings an entirely new dimension with your 4 year old between your legs.

 - traveling with my children is and will continue to be one of my favorite parts of life.  Their passports will become their greatest textbooks.

 - my 10 year old does not have a birth certificate!  Discovered this at our local post office trying to get their passports.  We thought that her hospital certificate was her birth certificate for the past 10 years!  This was quickly remedied.

 - I love my best friend more now than ever!  Traveling on youth trips with him, taking time to date him when we can squeeze it in, living life:  the good and the bad with him.  I wouldn't trade him for anything!

 - Even though I love the winter months (& my sweet girls), I crave alone time, whether it's a hour at our local coffee shop or just in my kitchen fixing supper with a podcast going.

 - God is teaching me patience through my girls wanting to help in the kitchen.  The perfectionist in me really comes out!  Mold me, Lord because I can't do it in my own strength.

  - Purging stuff is hard.  I have done horribly at my 40 bags in 40 days.  I don't even know what day I'm on.  I could blame it on the snow/ice and the laziness that comes with days like that in NC or that we had a quick stomach bug with one of our girls, but it just comes down to the fact that it's hard.  I'm not giving up though.  

Now for what's to come in March...

1.  Get ready for bed when my nightly alarm goes off.  I NEED TO GO TO BED EARLIER!!!  I have been working on this for years.

2.  Finish Notes from a Blue Bike, read Love & Respect, and pick up where I left off on The Happiness Project.  I finished The Best Yes last month.  Phenomenal book that I'm still taking notes on. Will share more in another post.

3.  Order plane tickets (once tax money comes in...), train tickets, and arrange lodging (already have some tentative arrangements made.  Yay!) for Japan.

4.  Continue 40 bags in 40 days...

5.  Celebrate birthdays well.  Two of my favorite people are turning another year older and celebrations will be quiet, but special. My littlest informed me last night that she is no longer 4, but already 5.  I turned weepy at the thought of my baby being 5 soon, but she quickly assured me that she would still be my baby when she was 5, and 6, and 7...