Hello, my friend!
I hope you’re having an awesome start to your August! My oldest child is entering first grade, so I’ve been hustling to prepare my head and heart and home for our fall semester. Sometimes I wish I was the type of homeschool mom who could just order a one-stop-shop-style box curriculum, but alas, I much prefer to drive myself insane with a little of this, a sprinkle of that, and a smidgen of whatever captures my or my kids’ curiosity on any given day. You just can’t put me in a box (curriculum), I guess!
I haven’t shared my recent reads in a while, so here goes. Since I just mentioned homeschooling/education, here are a few of the recent books I read, and loved, on the subject:
Thoroughness and Charm by Mandi Gerth
Homeschool Sanity by Sherry Hayes
Homeschooling: You’re Doing It Right Just by Doing It by Ginny Yurich
I also read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, which was incredible. My mom did recently tell me its sequel wasn’t nearly as engrossing, so I don’t think I’ll be reading it – at least not soon.
Because I know so little about the Vietnam War, which my late and dearly beloved Uncle Ronnie fought in, I’m reading a book written by one of his comrades, Robert Bogison, called Up Close and Personal. It’s hard to read, but gripping.
I recently finished re-reading 1st Corinthians, the Old Testament book of Ruth, and am currently studying the book of Hosea with a friend of mine. Beginning my day with time in God’s Word is a non-negotiable these days. I regret the many, many days it’s been relegated to the end of the day or neglected all together – pure foolishness!
Okay, onward with this week’s Top 4! I hope you enjoy it!
A MATH EQUATION WE ALL ACTUALLY NEED
“You are the average of the 5 habits you repeat most.” – James Clear
Which habits do you repeat daily? Do you think Mr. Clear’s quote holds true?
THE IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY QUESTIONS
“The quality of your life depends on the quality of the questions you ask.” – Renee Mathis
What was the last unusual and/or interesting question you asked someone? I’ve been asking countless questions about the various homeschooling philosophies and modern methodologies and have been thoroughly enjoying delving deep into the history of home education.
RING OF WISHES EXCERPT
Thankful Emmett is hard of hearing, Rosalind pushes open the creaky door and steps inside.
“Emmett, you’ve got company.”
Aphrodite’s voice floats down from what sounds like the ceiling. Rosalind tilts her head up, but sees nothing except the shaking, slow-moving ceiling fan. Like it’s a sailboat stuck in a storm, the loveseat rocks backs and forth, then rises off the ground half a foot and falls with a thud to the floor.
“Emmett!” shouts Aphrodite.
Emmett’s eyes pop open and his hand flies to his chest. “What?” He jerks forward, wild eyes darting around the room like a cowboy whose campsite’s just been invaded.
“That movie’s a classic,” Rosalind says, when Emmett finally sees her. He gives a relieved smile, then uses an armrest to help himself up.
“Rosalind.” An arthritic forefinger gestures toward the front door. “Did you ring the doorbell?”
“She’s been spying on you,” says Aphrodite.
Rosalind steps into the center of the living room and turns around in circles as she searches the ceiling. “Why don’t you show your veiled beautiful head, you coward?”
Noticing Emmett sigh and scratch the side of his head, she looks closely at ten of his fingers; none of them are adorned with Grandpa Chess’s ring.
“I would love to,” says Aphrodite, as a lavender cloud expands to fill just enough space to block the TV.
“Hey,” says Emmett. “This part’s really good.” He steps around the goddess-containing cloud and stands less than a foot away from the screen. “Rosalind, you’ve seen this show, haven’t you?”
Rosalind closes her eyes and presses her lips together so hard her teeth dig into them. She walks a circle around the cloud—which is slowly taking on a voluptuous, womanly shape—and stands beside Emmett, purposefully encroaching on his personal space. “Um, Emmett, care to tell me why you stole my Grandpa’s—your best friend’s—ring, and, might I add, the only item he thought valuable enough to leave to one of his relatives?”
Hearing the scraping sound of the back door opening, both Emmett and Rosalind look up to see Mae and Ginger come in, each of them shuddering and looking like they’ve just spent significant time standing under a waterfall.
“Good heavens.” Emmett gets to his feet and hurries, as much as an eighty-two-year-old can hurry, to the kitchen, where he fills a kettle and sets it on the stovetop to boil. After locating a tea canister at the back of a cupboard, he rushes toward the master bedroom and lifts a finger while shouting, “Be right back.”
“All right,” says Aphrodite, the cloud now a light, bubbling mist around her body. “Prepare yourselves.”
PRESSURE POINTS AND PUPPY POOP
That’s the title from one of my Substack posts this week. If you’re stuck on the “Whether to have kids” question, or you didn’t have your first child until later in life, like me, I encourage you to check it out, along with my other posts at The Late-Blooming Mom.
Thank you, as always, for your time, and your support of my writing. It truly means the world to me!
Check out my books HERE!