What I Read and Our Homeschool Read Alouds ll July 2026

Nonfiction:

 

Holy Sexuality and the Gospel by Christopher Yuan

See my full review here

Teaching from Rest by Sarah Mackenzie

Jumping into homeschooling can be overwhelming.  You're suddenly solely responsible for your child's education as well as all the other tasks on your plate.  It's sometimes hard to wrap your mind around how you're going to get it all done... let alone do it peacefully.  Teaching from Rest is all about finding that peace and sitting in it, even when your homeschool day goes awry.  This a a short, quick read that really challenges the homeschool mom to slow down and focus on the souls in front of them.

Better Together by Pam Barnhill

I read this one every summer as part of my Morning Time planning.  It always gets me excited for the new year and feasting on all the riches.  It really simplifies the idea of Morning Time of a new homeschool mom, but it's also a great encouragement for us seasoned veterans as well.  Pack full of ideas and resources, I look forward to reading this one again and again.

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi

Born and raised in a loving Muslim home, Nabeel fully embraced his family's faith.  He studied, quoted, and embodied the tenets of Islam.  But quietly, behind the scenes, God was working in his heart.  Through a series of investigations into Christianity, the Lord slowly revealed Himself to Nebeel.  This book is an intimate look into the heart and mind of deconstruction.  Qureshi details his former faith with clarity and sincerity in an attempt to bridge the gap between a Muslim and Christian mindset.  His writing gives valuable insight to through with Muslim neighbors and friends.  All in all, it was a fascinating read.

Fiction:

The Melody of Love by Wanda E. Brunstetter and Lorine Brunstetter Van Corbach

See my full review here.

Our Homeschool Read Aloud:

The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer

This book is small, but mighty.  Through rich arguments, Tozer challenges his readers.  How to fully release one's self to Christ, how to quiet one's spirit, how to recognize counterfeit faith, how to properly view meekness... and why it matters.  I read this one with my 10th grade son and while I struggled with it at times, it was a worthy read.  It caused both us to sit and reflect on how we are following the Lord and viewing ourselves in light of His Word.  HIGHLY recommend this one for parents and teens.

What are you reading?

15 Chores Your 2-4 Year Old Is Capable of Doing

 *This post was originally published on 1/21/15.  Enjoy!

My baby boy is growing up and I can hardly believe it.  He's just turned 3 year old and I'm suddenly seeing this real boy emerge.  He goes back and forth in his mind as to whether or not he wants to grow up.  One moment I'm hearing "I'm a big boy. I play baseball."  The next moment I hear, "I'm a baby."  Well, Mama's baby at least.

And while he's my baby, he's more than capable of helping out and doing chores around the house.  So I have to remember what 3 years old realistically looks like.  It looks like "my big boy" and "Mommy's little helper."  As a reminder to myself, and maybe you too, this is the list we're working off to help our Little Man learn his chores around the house.

1. Wiping up spills-- Littles have all kinds of spills.  But the good news is with a small cloth and some elbow grease, they are also capable of cleaning up those spills.

2. Sweeping under the table--Investing in a small sweeper and dustpan will yield a much cleaner dinning room.  :-)

3. Setting the table-- My little guy loves to take silverwear, water bottles, plates, napkins, and more to the dinner table.  It's not perfect, but it is very helpful.

4. Serving drinks-- Right now we're working on taking glasses to the table, but serving drinks from a small pitcher or getting water front the fridge are also useful skills.

5. Making the bed-- Yes, it's a process, but these kiddos work on spreading out their blankets and organize pillows and lovies.

6. Putting away clothing-- I wash and sort, and my Little Man is learning what drawers store what items.  And he loves getting out his jammies at night.

7. Picking up toys-- Really, this is such a basic beginning and my kiddos learn early on, "You make the mess?  You clean it up." 

8. Getting dressed-- Watching your little one get dressed is really quite comical.  But it's a life skill to be learned.  And even though they want to "be the baby," these little guys are ready to learn.

9. Spot clean up after a meal-- Just like cleaning up spills, kiddos this age can easily wipe up the dinner table after meals.

10. Load dishes into dishwasher-- We start with the kiddos bringing their plates into the kitchen and eventually we move into scraping plates, rinsing and putting dishes in the dishwasher.

11. Wipe windows-- It's so easy to have Mommy spray a cloth and let the kiddos wipe down the windows.

12. Care for pets-- What kiddo doesn't love having a pet?  Filling water and food bowls, as well as brushing a pet are all chores that can be learned by a 2-4 year old.

13. Wipe down kitchen cabinets--With a small cloth, little ones can wipe down cabinets.  And they're at the ideal height to get those little finger prints.

14. Dust furniture--We love books in our family.  But with that, comes dusty bookshelves.  Small cloth for small hands and you have a dusting buddy.

15. Water plants--My little guy loves to see how things grow.  And with a little supervision, watering is a great way for him to be involved.

What chore is your little one working on?

Weekend Links ll July 24, 2026

 

Camping Preschool Printables

Tiger Unit Study

Coral Reef Unit Study

Three Essential Ingredients for Real Learning in Your Homeschool

Pond Life Worksheets

The Melody of Love {Review}

 

Single mom Amelia Miller loves her little boy.  Although raising her autistic son has its challenges, she is happy and content in the life they've built.  But when taking part in a family wedding, she meets Christian Yoder and something begins to blossom between them.  Can they navigate the challenges of a long distance relationship, blending families, and their own painful pasts?  

I love the interaction between Amelia and her son in this book.  Although Amelia is just learning of his autism diagnosis, she takes it all in stride and learns what she can to help him grow.  I really admired her calm acceptance and peaceful pursuit for answers.  I believe the author's intent was to bring greater awareness and tools for parents in Amelia's situation.  The Melody of Love contains a lot of helpful ideas and tips for parents navigating a similar diagnosis.  

The books also has layers of likable characters.  Although the main action of the book centers around Amelia and Christian, there are several secondary characters that fill in the story.  Amelia's son, Micah, in particular, is a wonderful addition to the story, and might be my favorite from this title.

The plot line was pretty predictable.  But for a light summer read, it was decent.  The bits about autism felt a little elementary, but would certainly bring awareness and insight to any parent in a similiar situation.  And it's nice to have characters that are relatable to real life questions and relationships.  All in all, it was a light, quick read that will leave fans of Brunstetter happily satisfied.

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

34 Things Every Married Couple Should Try Together

*This post was originally published on 6/23/14.  Enjoy! 

 

 My husband and I were in the grocery checkout line this morning.  A rare treat we had to spend time together.  I was glancing at the trashy gossip magazines, skimming the headlines.  And it saddened me to see another marriage breaking up.  An 18 year marriage reduced to the headline in a trashy gossip magazine.  And it just reminded me that we never get to rest.

We're approaching our 13 year anniversary this year and on occasion, I find myself thinking, "Hey we're actually doing well."  It's so easy to breath a sign of relief thinking, "This is it!  We made it!"  How easy it would be to just relax and coast from here, thinking 13 years qualifies us for a break.

But it's stories like this that just remind me that there's never a time for rest, never a time for thinking we've proven our commitment.  Thinking over the past 13 years and all the years we still have together (Lord willing), I'm reminded of the big (and little) ways that my husband and I have stregthened our relationship and plan to continue growing in our marriage.

1. Take a hike in the mountains
2. Star gaze in the backyard
3. Take a picnic to the lake
4. Dream storm about the future
5. Keep a letter journal
6. Read a book together
7. Play on a sports team
8. Have a picnic on the beach
9. Watch a thunder storm
10. Go on a mission trip
11. Host a small group
12. Take a walk in the rain
13. Go to a concert in the park
14. Kayak on a lake or ocean
15. Go camping
16. See a play
17. Zipline in a rain forest
18. Plant a tree
19. Travel overseas
20. Cook a new meal
21. Take a class together
22. Volunteer in ministry together
23. Go on a trip with your in-laws
24. Find a workout your both enjoy
25. Ride a rollercoaster
26. Host a block party
27. Pray
28. Go to a professional sports game
29. Learn to dance
30. Go tubing down the river
31. Work on a project together
32. Plan a second honeymoon
33. Split "his" and "hers" favorite desserts
34. Have a couple's massage

How do you keep your marriage strong?