Alice Atherton's Grand Tour {Review}

 

Twelve year old Alice Atherton is grieving her mother when her father decides to send her to the French Riviera to visit family friends, the Murphys.  While spending the summer in their home, she meets a delightful array of guests including Picasso and F. Scott Fitzgerald.  Each guest, as well as the Murphys, holds an important piece of the puzzle in Alice's healing process.

This charming read is a sweet introduction to the 1920's and some of the historical figures of that time.  It definitely holds an old fashioned feel reminiscent of authors such as Alcott and Montgomery.  Readers of The Boxcar Children series will likely enjoy it as well.  The characters are full of whimsy and the introduction to famous artists and writers was a fun bonus.  This book is generally without any red flags for parents and I would recommend it for ages 8-11.

*Disclaimer: I recieved a free copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

50+ Titles for Family Movie Night

*This post was first published on 3/27/20.  Enjoy!

 For years, our family has done a weekly Family Movie Night.  This tradition started back when we had littles and my husband working nights.  Every Friday morning when he'd get off work, he'd take a couple hour nap and then try to readjust his internal clock for the weekend.  By Fridays, I was also tired of chasing two very active littles and just needed a moment where we were all sitting down together.  Thus our Friday night tradition was born.  Over the years, the kids have come to know the routine... always homemade pizza, always popcorn, and a movie for us all to enjoy.  Having a wide range of ages, it can be tough to find something that appeals to everyone, but the following is a list of 50+ parent approved movies for early elementary (some lower) on up through middle school.  As always use your own judgment based on your family values, but we've found this list to be mostly clean and suitable for those ages.  Enjoy!

*The Adventures of Milo and Otis
*Adventures of the Wilderness Family
*Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea
*The Aristocats
*Babe
*Because of Winn-Dixie
*The Black Stallion
*Cheaper by the Dozen (old and new)
*City of Ember
*Cool Runnings
*Daddy Day Care
*Enchanted
*Finding Nemo
*Frozen
*The Game Plan
*Girl of the Limber-lost
*The Greatest Showman
*Gus
*Heidi
*The Herbie Movies
*High School Musical
*The Incredible Journey
*The Invention of Hugo Cabret
*Little Women
*The Mandie Movies
*Mary Poppins
*Moana
*Mr. Popper's Penguins
*My Big Fat Greek Wedding
*Night at the Museum
*Nim's Island
*The Parent Trap (old is our favorite)
*Pippi Longstockings
*The Queen of Katwe
*Ratatouille
*Return to Me
*Robin Hood (Disney)
*Sarah, Plain and Tall
*The Secret Garden
*Secretariat
*The Sign of the Beaver
*The Silver Skates
*The Original Star Wars
*Sound of Music
*Snowball Express
*Stuart Little
*The Swiss Family Robinson
*Tangled
*The Ugly Duschund
*We Bought a Zoo (some mild language)
*Wizard of Oz
*Wonder
*Yours, Mine, and Ours (old and new)

What would you add to the list?

Weekend Links ll October 6, 2023

 

Leaf Bookmark Set

Free Insects Activity Book

10 Books for Kids Who Loved A Wrinkle in Time

This Week: 

What I'm Cooking:

Monday began our three week Daniel Fast with our church.  We've modified it a little to hopefully help the teenagers through the next three weeks.  Myself as well.  Can anyone say coffee?

So there been lots of vegetarian dishes in our home this week.  My favorite was probably taco night.  Seasoned brown rice and black beans with onions, garlic, and spices provided the base and then we topped our tacos with all the good things.  We'll definitely be repeating that on the menu.

Any good recipe ideas for our fast?

What I'm Reading:

My current non-fiction read is Techno-Logic by Lee Binz.  It's quite a bit of information I've heard before, but it's written in a much easier format to read.  Honestly, I'd put it on any parent's reading list for setting boundaries with technology both of kids and adults.  I'd like to get a copy of it into everyone's hands.

What I'm Doing:

Other than being a mom taxi?

That's been my life lately.  Today alone, I took a kid to work, took a kid to the dentist, and shuttle two kids to trampoline and dance.  I'm beat.

What I'm Enjoying:

Seeing old friends...

Young adult literature...

Creative writing prompts...

Vegetarian tacos...

Cool nights...

What are you up to?

Well Said {Review}

Why does is it so easy to unlease our tongues and let words fly?  Why is it so hard to control such a minute part of the body? And why does words cut so close to the heart?

Author Sarah Molitor takes her readers on a journey of choosing words to speak life and strengthen relationships, all for the glory of God.  In a society where it's easier to tear down than build up, Molitor seeks to find grace for her family and friends, and call out the best in others.  Well Said endeavors to bring the heart of Jesus into our every day conversations.  Some of the other topics covered include using life giving words in social media and seeking forgiveness to move toward reconciliation.

I actually love the message of this book.  Using our words to reflect Jesus' heart is crucial in today's society.  Molitor has an easy conversational tone in her book, and shares personal stories and illustrations to keep her message relatable.  I did feel like her messages was encouraging and inspiring.  However, I also think there are better books on this topic.  So it wasn't perfect, but it wasn't bad either.  A good place to start if you need encouragement in using your words well.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

Free Preschool Resource Sites

Preschool was probably my favorite years of homeschool.  The kids are just so excited about everything.  Everything is new and their enthusiasm just overflows.  It really is the best age to enjoy preschool.  And while I didn't use a formal curriculum with my kids, there were times when it was nice to pull from some resources to have things for them to do.  Our days were mostly filled with books, conversations, counting, and play, but they did have times that they wanted to "do school."  So having some quick and easy to grab resources was beneficial.  If you find that you're in a similiar boat, I compiled a few sites to help get you started.  Just remember these are simply a guide.  Each child learns differently and so much of preschool is about play and experiences.  I hope these till be a bless to your family and you move into your homeschool journey!

Miniature Masterminds

ABC Jesus Loves Me

Joyful Heart Bible and Rhyme Curriculum

Reading the Alphabet: Free Reading Curriculum

God's Little Explorers

Letter of the Week Preschool Curriculum

Raising Rock Stars Preschool

What would you include?