What's On Your Nightstand - October

October has flown by. It didn't feel like I read in very much, but I did make through 1037 pages of Gone with the Wind. I am counting that for more than one book. My November nightstand is smaller since my mom is coming for a two week visit in November. I making my goals manageable.

For November:

From September I read:

• The Excellent Wife: A Biblical Perspective by Martha Peace - I know a lot of people really like this book, but I found the author's tone very overbearing and harsh. There are some great books on the market for a wife that is wanting follow God's Word that I can't recommend this one at all.
• Hands Free Mama: A Guide to Putting Down the Phone, Burning the To-Do List, and Letting Go of Perfection to Grasp What Really Matters! by Rachel Macy Stafford - You don't have to be attached to your phone or technology to gain insight from this book. Excellent advice for learning to live in the moment and focus on what is important right now rather than letting your life be filled with unnecessary busyness. Excellent read!
• Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell - So I finally made it through this very aggravating book. No, I did not like it. I can't find anything enduring about Scarlett at all. And the ending! Ugh! Yes, I knew how it ended, but reading it was still galling. I guess I am too much of a romantic and I need my books to have perfect endings. Anyhow, I did read it. I am in the know and from there we will call it good. One day I will get around to doing a more thorough review. 
• My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell - Oh what fun! This is a re-read and as a homeschool mom this is a book I can really appreciate and it has hysterically funny parts to top it off. This tells the story of Gerald Durrell and his family who relocated to Corfu, a Greek isle. He loves natural history and spends his time wandering the island collecting and studying it to his heart's content. A fun read. (Just so you know: This is a PG read including language and drinking.)

 I listened to:

• A Long Way from Chicago: A Novel in Stories by Richard Peck - I love this series by Richard Peck. One of my kids listened to them so I decided that I would also listen to them before they had to go back to the library. They were just as good as I remembered.
• A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck - Ditto and this one even made me cry and it had the perfect ending!

See what others have read over at 5 Minutes for Books. 

Wednesdays with Words (Hand Free Mama)

I wasn't sure about this book, but I got it for a really good price so I grabbed it. Oh my! Is it stepping on my toes. It has give me a lot to think about.

 

The daily and weekly rituals of your life add up. Not only do they create your past, but they quite possibly also create the past of someone you love. What you choose to do with those moments, in addition to the value you place on them, can mean the difference in creating lasting impressions or creating none at all. p. 74

Wednesdays with Words (Master Life Before It's Too Late)

My quote comes from Mastering Life Before It's Too Late: 10 Biblical Strategies for a Lifetime of Purpose by Robert J. Morgan. This was a much needed reminder--one that I'm going to write out and tape to my bathroom mirror.

 Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand. -Thomas Carlyle (Kindle 4%)

Curriculum Choices for 2015-2016

We have just finished our 4th week of school and I have yet to post what we are doing this year. For some reason having older kids equals being busier and finding time to blog falls way down on the bottom of the list. We have basically delved into all of our subjects except for our fine art subjects. Here is a list of what we are doing maybe not so much for anyone's benefit but my own. So let's start with the students.

 

 Delani is 7 years old and is officially in 1st grade. Oregon just changed their compulsory age for school to 6 this year, but it doesn't go into effect until next year so she is the last bunch of kids who can enter 1st grade at 7. My plans for Delani last year which included learning to read were derailed, so this year that remains our focus.

 Chantry is 13 and is in 7th grade. This year he is learning to have to be more independent, especially in reading. He has always been paired together with his older sister, Destini, and again they will do a lot of the same though they may have different requirements on narrations and writing.

 

Destini is 15 and in 9th grade. She is my second high-schooler. My goal is to keep better records (or at least stay on top of them) than I did with her older brother. I still need to sit down and make sure I have enough credits for her this year. (Yes, I should have started off with that, but honestly I only have so much time.) Right now the work load is feeling heavy enough.

Bible: 

Everyone:

• 1 chapter of the Bible along with the book Balancing the Sword 
• a devotional book
• Bible memory 

Delani:

• The Golden Children's Bible 

Chantry & Destini:

• Personal Bible reading 

Math: 

Delani:

• Math U See Alpha 

Chantry:

• Math U See Pre-Algebra 

Destini:

• Math U See Algebra I 

Language Arts: 

Reading has been a struggle for Delani. I have tried several programs with her and haven't had much success. On the flip side I also wasn't able to be very consistent with her last year so that is my big goal this year. So far so good (for being consistent--I'm not too sure about the reading).

Delani:

• IEW's Primary Arts of Language Reading 
• IEW's Primary Arts of Language Writing 

Last year my older kids did Rod & Staff Grammar and by the end of the year I was burned out on it. So this year our grammar looks a little different.

Chantry:

• IEW Fix-It Grammar: The Nose Tree 
• Spelling You See American Spirit 
• Oral & Written narrations

Destini:

• Easy Grammar Ultimate Grade 9 
• Dictation with Spelling Wisdom 
• Oral & Written narrations
• A writing program - to be determined

Literature: 

Delani:

• We are working our way through the My Book House series. We currently are on Book 7. We also add in a lot of picture books. 

Chantry & Destini:

• Poetry: AO suggested poets 
• Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott 
• English Literature for Boys and Girls by H.E. Marshall 
• The Age of Chivalry by Thomas Bulfinch 
• A Taste of Chaucer by Anne Malcolmson 
• Watership Down by Richard Adams 
• Plus a pile of AO Year 7 free reads 

Science: 

Delani:

• Once we have a handle on reading we will probably add in some of AmblesideOnline's suggestion from Year 1. 

Chantry:

• It Couldn't Just Happen by Lawrence O. Richards 

I know most everyone does Apologia for high school science, but it was not a favorite with my oldest and I just couldn't see Destini, who is very non-sciency, enjoying it. One thing I have learned from my first highschooler is--if the student hates it or just struggles with the curriculum then both student and parent will be miserable the entire time. So for high-school science we are approaching it with a "get it done" mentality.

Destini:

• Integrated Physics & Chemistry from Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum  
• The Wonder Book of Chemistry by Jean Henri Fabre 

History & Geography: 

Delani:

• We will be reading through the D'Aulaire biography books. 

For Chantry & Destini we are loosely following AmblesideOnline Year 7. The recommended book The Birth of Britain by Winston Churchill. I delved into this book over the summer and really felt it wouldn't be a good fit for my kids. Since we used Mystery of History Volume 1 last year I thought we would continue on and add other books. I'm not sure how complete my list is, but for now it will suffice.

Chantry & Destini:

• Mystery of History Volume II (with mapwork) 
• Truthquest History Middle Ages 
• In Freedom's Cause by G.A. Henty 
• Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey 
• Joan of Arc by Mark Twain -The Complete Book of Marvels by Richard Halliburton 

The Extras: 

 All:

• Artist Study 
• Composer Study 
• Hymns & Folksongs 

Chantry & Destini:

• How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler 
• The Fallacy Detective by Hans & Nathaniel Bluedorn 
• Plutarch (one term) 

Destini:

• Foreign Language - Visual Latin 

Coop: 

Delani:

• Art, Presentation, and P.E. 

Chantry & Destini:

• Politics & Government, Shakespeare, and Art

What's On Your Nightstand - September

Between some really good reads, insomnia, and a lot of time in my vehicles, September turned out to be a great month for reading. In October I am going to attempt to pick up Gone with the Wind again. My Family and Other Animals will be a re-read and all contingent on it arriving in time from the library. Other than that I'm going to be keeping my eyes open for anything that catches my eye.

October's Nightstand:

 

 

 From August's Nightstand I read:

• Raising a Princess: Eight Essential Virtues To Teach Your Daughter by John Croyle - Good information. These virtues is what he and his staff instill to the girls at Big Oak Ranch. I loved reading his stories throughout the book of the lives that has been touched. This wasn't really the purpose of the book, but it is what spoke to me the most.
• Plan to Be Flexible: Designing A Homeschool Rhythm and Curriculum Plan That Works for Your Family by Alicia Michelle - If you have homeschooled for a while I think you pick up on finding a homeschool rhythm. If you are a new homeschooler or a very "check off the box" person this book may be beneficial.
• Regency Buck by Georgette Heyer - Whew! The sparks fly in this story in typical H fashion. I always enjoy Heyer.
• Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey - Tey writes a very compelling mystery and does it in such a way that I almost didn't think I could read it--it made me that nervous. Anyways, I did brave all my anxious feelings and quickly devoured the story. And if you lived nearby I would loan it to you it is that good!

I also read:

• Twelve Ordinary Men / Twelve Extraordinary Women by John MacArthur - I really enjoyed this book. If you had to pick between the two books, I highly recommend Twelve Extraordinary Women.
• The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera  - What an enjoyable read! I don't know if I can put into words exactly how I feel about it, but if you like Classical Education, books, or having a love of learning then I highly recommend it!
• Dauntless (Valiant Hearts Book #1) by Dina L. Sleiman  - A story of a young girl Robin Hood who saves a group of children. An okay read.
• The Random Gentleman by Elizabeth Chater - I wasn't too impressed with the first Elizabeth Chater novel I read, but as this was included in the Kindle set that I bought I have enjoyed the other stories more. Pure fluff, but work on those nights of insomnia
• The Marriage Mart by Elizabeth Chater - Ditto above.
• Letters from Grace (Love and War Book 1) by Rachel Muller - Another Kindle read.
• The Lieutenant's Lady by Bess Streeter Aldrich - I will admit that I had a hard time putting this book down. It has been over five years since I read a novel by Bess Streeter Aldrich and I think she writes a compelling stories. I'll definitely be looking up more of her books.

 I listened to:

• The Birth of Britain: A History of the English Speaking Peoples, Volume I by Winston Churchill - I've been listening this on and off for the last four months. What a hefty listen!!
• N or M?: A Tommy and Tuppence Mystery by Agatha Christie - I think I actually finished this one at the end of last month, but I didn't record it so here it goes. N or M? plus the following two books are from Agatha Christie's Tommy and Tuppence Series. These have been a favorite for my daughter and myself. These contain mystery, but aren't quite as serious as Poirot.
• By the Pricking of My Thumbs: A Tommy and Tuppence Mystery by Agatha Christie 
• Postern of Fate: A Tommy and Tuppence Mystery (Tommy & Tuppence Mysteries) by Agatha Christie 

See what others have read over at 5 Minutes for Books.