D is for Daddy reads a story

Ever since my oldest, who is now 17, was a little bitty baby, I would read to her and all the kids that followed. I have a slight obsession with books and tend to buy them before other necessities and when we started homeschooling, I wanted to find a way to include dad in the scenario. I decided it would be great for him to do a "reading time" every evening. Hubby came from a non-reading family so this was new to him, but he gave it a go. For years he has read, almost every night, to the kids. He has read Little House (the whole series), Winnie the Pooh, 21 Balloons, and the list goes on. It has been heavenly for the, now older kids, to have memories and reminisce about all of the stories dad has read. It has been a great, yet very simple way to incorporate dad into the homeschool experience. Coming from the single, working mother home that I did, it always brings tears to my eyes and a reassurance when other stresses press in, that my kids at least have a daddy that takes the time to read to them. It's a bonding that can't be replaced and has helped instill a love of reading in ALL of my kids. I just can't recommend it enough.

And if this is a new idea to you, and you need some jump starting, here are a few awesome read aloud ideas to get you started:

The Francis collection by Russell Hoban These make all of us giggle every single time!

Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne  "A very long time ago, about last Friday" -one of the best written lines ever!

Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois  This is one of my all time favorite books!



Hank the Cowboy has always been a favorite as well. Especially on Summer nights outside or while camping!

And if you think your kids are too old to read to them, give it a try. You would be surprised how interested they get with a bucket of popcorn and the right book!

Counting Blessings

So I was doing pretty good with reading the bible everyday and keeping up with the 90 day plan. But then I ordered a book. And it arrived in the mail really fast. I just took a peek at the first chapter. Before I knew it, I had finished the whole book and now I'm officially a good week behind in my bible reading. But I'm not upset about it at all. I can't believe how amazing the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp is. Skip on over to Amazon and order it. It's under 10.00 and if you order a couple of extra copies to give away you'll get free shipping. There will be no regret on this one. Her writing is beautiful and speaks so perfectly to the deep purpose understanding that, I believe everyone goes through at some point in their lives. The struggle to find beauty in failed dreams, hope in unexpected disasters, and genuine gratefulness while exhausted has been one of my biggest struggles. I found it wonderful how every time I was reading and a question or "yeah, but" popped into my mind, on the very next page or next chapter she addressed it. Some serious life changing can happen while reading this book! I think it's really beautiful that so many women have been touched by the message of counting gifts. Simple and profound all at the same time. Should be easy but it is hard in practicality. That's why we need it so badly. It reminds me of a Jewish thought that Messiah might come if  all of his people would keep Shabbat together, at the same time, just once. Can you imagine the beauty in the world if everyone would give thanks for all things, for one day, together? I can't imagine either.

A New Year of Challenges

Oh so, so long since I last wrote anything. I was sucked into the facebook vortex and have not been able to get away from it! But I am determined to journal more on my blog this year. I have such a hard time remembering things that I really would benefit from having my thoughts cataloged somewhere. So that's my first challenge to myself; blog more.
The second challenge is what this post is really about. I read about a few people reading their bibles in 90 days and decided to join in. I didn't register or anything but I have stuck with the reading plan (so far) and am enjoying it thoroughly. Many people have never read their bibles all the way through and I have to admit that there are a few portions I don't think I have quite read completely. But for the most part I believe I have read pretty much the whole thing. Just not on this quick of a time frame. I've never done the bible-in-a-year deal either. Several years ago after we started celebrating the biblical feasts, we also started reading the Torah portions each week on Shabbat. Since then, I have read and studied through the Torah (first five books) several times. What I love about that system is the amazing interlocking message and explanation it has for those of us that went to church for years but never really connected the dots between the "old" and the "new" testament. Before that, I hadn't read too much of the old testament beyond a few "stories" and the Psalms and Proverbs. Now with this 90 day challenge, it really will put the whole story together, fresh in my mind, in a short period of time. It doesn't allow time for any in-depth study but I am taking notes of things to possibly look up later. I've been faithfully reading everyday since the 3rd and have just finished up with Exodus. I am using the NET bible and this translation has so many fascinating notes that it is hard at times to stay focused! Something I am particularly excited about is if I stay the course, even if I add on several days for flexibility, I will be finishing up close to Passover. What a great thing to get myself prepared for a new spiritual and biblical year by absorbing the whole bible first. Very nice. Check it out!

                                                                                      

My Holy Moses Score Booklist

Yesterday I stopped by one of the local thrift stores for "just a minute" and came away with 2 boxes of books! I usually always find a few good ones but never have I left with a cart FULL of them! I was so thrilled I thought I might share them here. I love to see what others are reading and I am known for snooping on bookshelves everywhere I go. I also have a habit of trying to see what books are in little inset pictures of ads. I can't help myself. I tend to lean towards reference books and childrens books and of course classics. I don't get too many fiction books for myself. So for those fellow book aficionados, here you go.

Now instead of making you squint and try to see all of the titles, I'm going to break it up into groups for you! Aren't I nice?

This is a neat set I have been wanting for awhile. I read the original book Simple Abundance by Sarah ban Breathnach years ago. Now there is a daybook (hb), companion workbook(large pb), and a study book(hb).

I just LOVE Cheryl Harness books! Excellent illustrations and information. Great childrens books.

This big book is brand new and will be perfect for the newest addition to our little one room schoolhouse.

And note the "teacher approved" label in the lower right hand corner of the cover! That sure makes me feel better!?! :-)

Here are assorted books for my littles including a sweet Precious Moments bible for my Lydia bug. Can't imagine paying full price for books that will get so much wear and tear. And they are all in excellent condition...for now. ;-)

This oversized hardback book is brand new and is a memory book filled with beautiful watercolor paintings. Every page is to be filled out with information about my life, my mom's life, and my daughter's life. It will be wonderful for a certain daughter's birthday next year. I just hope I can remember enough to fill in all of the pages!

This is a stack I am particularly excited about! All excellent condition including the matching full set of The Chronicles of Narnia!

Another stack of excellence! And do you see that 2003 Taste of Home cookbook? We collect those for the girl's hopechests. Also a hardback brand new I Spy book (the kids love those) and a Cartooning book with some of the best instruction I've seen for two of my kids. Details on the rest below

An inside peak of the top book; The Classic Herb Cookbook

What I like about this are the full page spreads of photographs and detailed information on each edible herb.

Poetry for Young People is a series I highly recommend. Great illustrations to accompany the text throughout.

 

Always a score when I find any DK Eyewitness books. It looks brand new!

My kids (especially the boys) cannot get enough of Stephen Biesty cross-section books. They check them out at the library all of the time! And these two huge oversize books are seriously in brand new condition.

Here are more goodies for me!

At the top of the pile are three quote books and everyone knows how I love my quotes! I especially love the one full of garden thoughts, so inspiring!

These are great standards to collect for the self help section of everyone's personal library.

For Men Only by Shaunti Feldhahn(great series for couples)

Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson (LOVE all of her books!)

Keeping Our Children's Hearts by Steve and Terry Maxwell (of MOTH fame)

boy meets girl with CD by Joshua Harris(gotta plan ahead!)

The Heart of Anger by Lou Priolo (highly recommend)

Five L♥ve languages of children by Gary Chapman(met him once-very nice guy)

Brand new hardback and the girls just love his stuff, not that our dogs are like his though! :-)

One of my favorite titles from my youth. Classic hardback with lovely ribbon bookmark.

A thick compendium by William J. and while I was flipping through it, I didn't recognise half of the books he recommends! That is hard to do; stump me on books so I'm excited to read through it and discover many more title to search for!

I have more deals from previous trips to share but I'll save them for later. So I am wondering how much everyone thinks I paid for my Holy Moses Score of books?? If I counted correctly, I've listed 46 books. Let me know what your guess is in the comments and we'll see if I really got a deal or not! But don't do what hubby does and under price it all. I did pay more than say 5.00 for all of them! No bursting my bubble of pride allowed! :-)