I haven't posted much - and not because there isn't much going on! Sometimes I have weeks at a time where life just flows so smoothly, and we do lots of "traditional" school - you know, the kind where we hang out in the family room, do math and grammar, read lots of fun books together. The last few weeks have been so busy though! But so much fun stuff! That is what makes scheduling hard - it is not all the things I don't want to do (generally, I just don't do them, anyway!). It is all the things I DO want to do. And I think I already have life pared down to priorities. I try to be at home, but I also have to work at the shop. And it is nice to have those days where I can run errands while I am there, knowing that the kids are doing school and having fun at Grandma's house. But just this week, besides regular housework and shopwork, I have my homeschool meeting on Monday night, church on Wednesday night, a prayer meeting for the new Pregnancy Care Center on Thursday night, my Sunday School class meeting on Friday night, my church book discussion group on Saturday morning, a baby shower Sunday....plus this is our "season" of birthdays (4 in 6 weeks, 3 of those within 2 weeks in March!). Add in things like getting a hair cut, Awana and my Bible study on Sunday night...it just all sort of "clumped up" this month. None of this is weekly - homeschool and class meetings are monthly, book club every other month, the PCC meeting is a one-time thing. Just all at once this month.
I also want to take the boys to the Mastodon Art and Science Fair this week, Ben wants to work with his dad one day, and I had hoped to have another family over one day. But then the week after next - nothing except one birthday (last of the season!).
So, what to do, where to prioritize.....some things will have to fall off the schedule this week. Nevin also wants to take this Saturday afternoon and go do something. The house needs to get cleaned at some point. There is a 2' stack of books next to my bed, all calling my name. I guess these are good problems to have - so many things that I want to do, and am ABLE to do, and the boys are able to do.
Speaking of able to do, today we are going out for pizza at Pizza Hut. We participate in their Book-It program, so the boys each get a free personal pan pizza. Not enough to fill Tony and Ben, so I buy one more for them, and for Henry and I. We are also going shopping for Nevin's birthday gifts, and then going skating with our homeschool group.
I think I am going to clean house tomorrow morning.
Ben joined a chess club this month. It meets once a month on Wednesday at the library. After only one meeting he can now beat me in 10 minutes (it used to take 20!). He bought a tournament set with his birthday money, and I got him a couple of "strategy" books, and he is having a blast with that. I may have already posted this, but Tony was in the Awana Bible Quiz and his team took 2nd in their division. I'll take the Mom option of bragging on a couple of pretty smart guys! Henry cut his own hair and lit matches in the bathtub. Okay, maybe some bragging should get toned down. And Joe is just being Joe and having fun being a kindergartener.
Nothing much else to say, just keeping on keeping on for another day that we've been blessed with!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
What I read in February, 2009
February was a very good month - several books over 4, and two fabulous 5s. I have my own copy of the 5s now, if anyone wants to borrow them...
9. In His Steps – 4.5 – Charles M. Sheldon – the original “What Would Jesus Do?” book. Written in the late 1800s it is the story of a congregation that is shaken by the appearance of an impoverished stranger. The minister and five influential church members pledge to put the question, “What would Jesus do?” to every situation in their lives. Very good, thought-provoking book.
10. Aunt Dimity Detective – 3.75 – Nancy Atherton – another fun mystery. I don’t really care for the main character, Lori Shepherd. She has what Dimity calls a “wandering eye” and every story has a handsome man who thinks Lori is just wonderful….it gets a little tiresome. Otherwise, though, I enjoy the stories. Even the criminals turn out to be not so bad.
11. Still Alice – 5 – Lisa Genova – one of the best books I’ve read in a long time – Alice is 50 years old, a respected author, speaker and professor at Harvard. And Alice develops early-onset Alzheimer’s, and it is the story told from her perspective, as she and her family come to grips with it and re-evaluate the things that make us who we are. Never slides into clichés, uplifting without being sticky-sweet, an overall wonderful story that does not ignore either the hard or the beautiful things in life. I cannot recommend it enough. And it does NOT end anything like I thought it would and we’ll just leave you hanging there!
12. Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free – 4 – Nancy Leigh DeMoss – interesting – a lot of things that I have read before, but still gave some very good insights into what we believe versus what scripture actually teaches.
13. The Associate – 3.5 John Grisham - I feel like I have to give it a good score because it was interesting and a quick read, but I never really cared about any of it. The most interesting character (and the only one developed at all) is a friend of the protagonist who gets religion and AA and his life is radically changed. I bet you can guess what happens to HIM in a John Grisham novel!
14. Why The Sky is Blue – 5 – Susan Meissner – absolutely wonderful story. A woman with a perfect life is assaulted and left for dead. The consequences of that night and her family's decisions are told from her viewpoint and then fifteen years later from that of her 12 year old daughter as an adult. Incredible moving story about trusting God and not being afraid to love others. She is quickly becoming my new favorite author!
15. City of Ember – 3 – Jeanne DuPrau – to this goes the axiom of always read the book before the movie. The book was not bad – it was a bedtime read aloud with my two older boys. The movie is terrible
9. In His Steps – 4.5 – Charles M. Sheldon – the original “What Would Jesus Do?” book. Written in the late 1800s it is the story of a congregation that is shaken by the appearance of an impoverished stranger. The minister and five influential church members pledge to put the question, “What would Jesus do?” to every situation in their lives. Very good, thought-provoking book.
10. Aunt Dimity Detective – 3.75 – Nancy Atherton – another fun mystery. I don’t really care for the main character, Lori Shepherd. She has what Dimity calls a “wandering eye” and every story has a handsome man who thinks Lori is just wonderful….it gets a little tiresome. Otherwise, though, I enjoy the stories. Even the criminals turn out to be not so bad.
11. Still Alice – 5 – Lisa Genova – one of the best books I’ve read in a long time – Alice is 50 years old, a respected author, speaker and professor at Harvard. And Alice develops early-onset Alzheimer’s, and it is the story told from her perspective, as she and her family come to grips with it and re-evaluate the things that make us who we are. Never slides into clichés, uplifting without being sticky-sweet, an overall wonderful story that does not ignore either the hard or the beautiful things in life. I cannot recommend it enough. And it does NOT end anything like I thought it would and we’ll just leave you hanging there!
12. Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free – 4 – Nancy Leigh DeMoss – interesting – a lot of things that I have read before, but still gave some very good insights into what we believe versus what scripture actually teaches.
13. The Associate – 3.5 John Grisham - I feel like I have to give it a good score because it was interesting and a quick read, but I never really cared about any of it. The most interesting character (and the only one developed at all) is a friend of the protagonist who gets religion and AA and his life is radically changed. I bet you can guess what happens to HIM in a John Grisham novel!
14. Why The Sky is Blue – 5 – Susan Meissner – absolutely wonderful story. A woman with a perfect life is assaulted and left for dead. The consequences of that night and her family's decisions are told from her viewpoint and then fifteen years later from that of her 12 year old daughter as an adult. Incredible moving story about trusting God and not being afraid to love others. She is quickly becoming my new favorite author!
15. City of Ember – 3 – Jeanne DuPrau – to this goes the axiom of always read the book before the movie. The book was not bad – it was a bedtime read aloud with my two older boys. The movie is terrible
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