Wednesday, January 31, 2024

What We Read and Our Homeschool Read Alouds ll January 2024

 

The Lost Prince by Francis Hodgson Burnett 

By the same author of Secret Garden and the Little Princess, The Lost Prince follows the story of Marco and "the Rat", two young boys, as they travel through Europe delivering the secret message, "The Lamp is Lighted."  From village to village and messanger to messanger, they travel on mission to liberate Samavia.  But can two little boys stay safe when an entire country is at war?  I was pre-reading this one for my middle schooler.  This one has been recommended on the Ambleside Online booklist and I was curious, knowing the author's resume.  I'm happy to say it was a sweet story (predictable at times) that supported a hero worth looking up to.  I love clean books like one that uplift honorable protagonists for our young boys.  I passed it on to my 12 year old as soon as I was done reading it, but it would be suitable for any readers 8 years and up.


Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar Dillard

For anyone that watched Counting On, Jill Duggar was known as the sweet obedient fourth child.  She was the big buddy to several younger siblings, and seemed to live an idealic life.  But as Jill grew up and eventually married Derrick, she began to question the form of religion she grew up with.  Should women always be in dresses?  Would "closing her womb" really mean turning her back on God's plans for her life?  How could she honor her parents and still follow what she honor God?  What if the two were in conflict?  This was an incredible read for a look deeper into the Bill Gothard cult and those who are seeking to untangle from it.


The Deconstruction of Christianity
by Alisa Childers and Tim Barnett



A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Set between London and Paris during The French Revolution, A Tale of Two Cities follows young Frenchman Charles Darnay.  As the novel unfolds readers get wrapped into the chaos of secrets, vengence, and abuse of power.  I originally assigned this one to my 10th grader as part of her World History course and decided to read it along with her.  For about the first 100 pages, it was a struggle.  The names and places were unfamiliar and it was a discipline to get through it.  But once the main characters were established, the book picked up.  This book is tragic, dark, .... moving... emotional... Dickens brings the issues of the Revolution to life, but also explores themes like vengenance, mob mentality, sacrifice, and redemption, among many others.


All of a Kind Family by Sydney Taylor

Five young Jewish sisters live life in New York's Lower East Side during the beginning of the 20th century.  This quick read has so much to love... the sisters support and encourage each other, sibling relationships are celebrated, and the family shares their Jewish heritage in a relatable way.  This is a great book for the 6-10 year old crowd.


These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder


The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder

We FINISHED!  We finished the Little House series.  Starting with Little House in the Big Woods in June 2023, sprinkling in a few books for our history curriculum, and we finished with the last two books seven months later... it's like saying good-bye to an old friend.  Read this series with your kids.  I remember starting through it the first time when my kids were  5 and 3 years old, and we've read it numerous times since then.  So well worth your time.  

What are you reading?












Tuesday, January 30, 2024

The Deconstruction of Christianity {Review}

 


In The Deconstruction of Christianity, authors Alisa Childers and Tim Barnett take a critical look at the phenomenon of deconstruction and how it affects one's faith.  What is deconstruction?  Who does it appeal to?  How does it affect or disrupt the lives of those who walk through it?  And how can we help our loved ones who are challenged by this dismantling of the Christian faith?

Childer and Barnett systematically walk the reader through the worldview behind deconstruction, giving it both historical and biblical context, as well as arguing its logical fallacies.  Deconstruction ultimately argues for individuals to come to their own truth.  The Deconstruction of Christianity shows how this is both contradictory and harmful both to those in and out of the church.

I really appreciated how these authors gracious laid out a logical examination of the issue.  This book is clearly written from a heart longing to guide and love a lost generation, rather than condemn those who are searching.  The Deconstruction of Christianity has not only helped me understand people better, but it's also helped me feel confident that I can discuss deconstruction in a loving and objective manner.  This book is best read by those who's loved ones are going through deconstruction or wanting to better understand the issue, not necessarily those currently deconstructing.  And it's a slow deep read.  I read this one twice before reviewing it as the issues are deep and complex.  My copy is full of highlights and notes.  This is a resource that I can see myself returning to again and again.

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

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Winter Homeschool Favorites

*This post was originally published on 3/13/19.  Enjoy!


(Click on Post for Video)

Sharing some of our homeschool favorites that have gotten us through this long, wet winter.
(Click for more)

January Homeschool Favorites:
http://creative2xmom.blogspot.com/2019/01/january-homeschool-favorites.html

March Morning Basket:
http://creative2xmom.blogspot.com/2019/03/whats-in-our-march-morning-basket_4.html

Scripture Writing Plan:
https://thecharactercorner.com/product/love-free-30-day-scripture-writing-plan/

The Waldock Way:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqCX1WaxK7QNR2dDdklS-VQ?fbclid=IwAR1PcS8CY_l6one6PrPI2HHSh7f6Ye_BJLjCeU7Ck_LIOm7vRuMLvmNxbfE

Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYhcaPiSWZo-6DJndDMOBgwburcDI8020&jct=OkensKgIAB_6xS6_fJ7MTiahnLhpSg&disable_polymer=1&fbclid=IwAR0MHG9W-tg0XFQWPnBSW21bZRKsQkSkX2Xvs6xQxm5BNlcImkSGT2cHRa0

Join The Creative2xmom Family on their journey of being a family of 5! 💑16yrs led to 👱13 yrs, 👧11 yrs, and 👱 7 yrs.

Contact us for business inquiries, reviews and collaborations: BethAnn_97@hotmail.com

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Friday, January 12, 2024

Weekend Links ll January 12, 2024

 












This Week: 

What I'm Cooking:

My favorite dish this week was Pasta E Fagoili in the crockpot.  A couple of nights a week my husband and I have been out of the house with various Bible studies so the crockpot has saved us.  And Pasta E Fagoili is a family favorite.  Luckily I planned it on a night that my son brought home a friend so it easily spread for extra guests.  Win-Win!

What I'm Reading:

Like I said last week, I'm reading A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickins with my 10th grader.  Wow!  It is keeping me on my toes.  This one is definitely challenging.  I'm typically a quick reader, but I really have to take it slow with this one.  It's complicated, interesting, and making me feel like a student all over again.Has anyone else read this one in adulthood?

What I'm Doing:

This week we worked on getting back into the homeschool routine. I'm glad I prepped a few things over the break so I wasn't surprised by upcoming tests and worksheets.  It was so nice; I'm going to have to keep on top of it this semester.  At least until February! :-)

What I'm Enjoying:

Last Man Standing reruns...
Fun field trips...
Classic books...
World Watch News...
Soups in the crockpot!

What are you up to?

Saturday, January 6, 2024

Weekend Links ll January 5, 2024

 












This Week: 

What I'm Cooking:

We had lots of soup on our menu again this week.  My favorite was chicken noodle.  This one is easy to throw in the crockpot in the morning and just let it cook all day.  Or if I don't have a lot of time, I make sure the chicken and broth go in early, and then I prep veggies and throw in throughout the day.  My favorite addition has been chopped bok choy.  It allows us to get some greens that we don't normally incorporate and it add just a slight hint of flavor that's really tasty.  Just make sure to get that one in before noon so it had lots of time to cook down and mellow out.

What I'm Reading:

After leisure reading, I'm back to the challenging stuff in January.  My fiction read this month is A Tale of Two Cities and it's a doozy.  My 10th grader is reading it for LA and History so I thought I'd read along.  It's definitely challenigng me and has sent me on a hunt for additional resources.

What I'm Doing:

I have been lazy and yet now as we've trucked through this Christmas break (We don't go back to school till the 8th).  One thing I have been working on is organizing field trips for our local homeschool group.  Field trips have been a challenge since 2020 and I finally decided I'm just going to get my act together and start searching out opportunities.  So over the break, I've been doing some research and getting things into place for the spring.

What I'm Enjoying:

Quiet mornings of break...
Christmas tree lights...
Healthier meals...
Flannel sheets...
Listening to the rain...

What are you up to?

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

2024 Read Aloud List

Every year I like to start off with a rough plan of the books we'll read during our read aloud time.  This list can change depending on our mood and the order is definitely not set in stone.  But it gives us a place to start.  We've been reading through the Little House series again so I've included the last two for us to finish.  You'll also notice that there's a lot of historical fiction and that's because I base a lot of our reading around our history curriculm.  We'll be finished Story of the World vol 3 in May of 2023, and starting volume 4 in August.  A few of these are re-reads for us as this is our second time through SOTW and I have some favorites in this time period.  If we get there and the kids want to swap out books that they remember, we'll do that.  But as of now, this is what we have planned for the next 12 months.


These Happy Golden Years


The First Four Years


All of a Kind Family


Streams to the River, River to the Sea


Around the World in 80 Days


From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler


Nory Ryan's Song


Journey to the River Sea


Snow Treasure


Escape to Liechtenstein


Bea and the New Deal Horse


A Place to Hang the Moon

What are YOU adding to your read aloud list this year?
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