(And All My) Work Be Praise

Nine years ago, I wrote names on a bunch of popsicle sticks, labeled a jar "prayer," and started praying occasionally with my then-very-little boys. You can read it about it here: http://workbepraise.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-prayer-jar.html.  Not long after that post, I unexpectedly got pregnant with Toby. To put it very mildly, that fourth boy in 4.5 years threw everything off kilter, and even little routines like the prayer jar fell by the wayside as we merely survived. Then we moved 800 miles across the country. Then we had two more kids. And while we have definitely developed routines of all sorts over the last decade -- our homeschool days have been predictable and manageable for two years now! -- I've had no success getting morning prayer (or morning anything, really) to stick. But here are at the end of our second month of school, and we're doing it! I really only made one major change: I don't wait for everyone to be at the table . I have kids who rise at ...

At this point, you can pretty much count on three blogs a year from me: my end-of-year reading log, my fall curriculum post, and something else that strikes my fancy somewhere along the way. But because I like to see what other people are doing, and because I like to look back on my old curriculum posts and laugh at how life didn't turn out like I planned, I'm sticking with it! T-10 days till our official first day, and here's what's on the docket: Levi: 8th grade Math: still undecided. Wait, what?! For my most mathy kid? Yes. We're waiting to hear about a scholarship opportunity before we decide how to proceed. Right now, at 11am on Aug. 19 while I'm writing this, he's taking his college algebra and  precalculus CLEP tests, one right after the other.  Science: finishing up Apologia biology, then studying other resources for two months in the hopes of taking the CLEP test in December. (And then, being done with biology forever. He hates it.) History/literatu...

Friends, the truth: I read like a maniac this year. Some things I read because I enjoyed them. Some things I read because I felt obligated to finish them. Most things I read to determine suitability for my children, who are also voracious readers. (Toby comes to me at least once a week, book in hand, asking, "is this appropriate for me?") If my Goodreads account is accurate (sometimes I forget to mark things down), I've read 170 books this year. A note: I gave brief explanations when possible. I highlighted in green books that I especially loved, highlighted in blue  books that my kids especially enjoyed, and highlighted in red books I do not recommend. The Bible : the whole thing, twice for the New Testament (still following this reading plan ) Christian Non-Fiction Parenting (Tripp) Does God Care How We Worship? (Duncan) Chosen by God (Sproul) CASKET EMPTY (commentary/Bible study guide) Keep a Quiet Heart (Elisabeth Elliot) The Hiding Place (ten Boom) Becoming Elisab...

With no lengthy introduction needed: 21 things I’m grateful for on this Thanksgiving Day of 2021. My tribe.   1. Our pediatrician, who is affirming and supportive of ME. (Hey, I see him six times a year at minimum, which is more than a lot of my friends. It adds up.) 2. Two sets of Jesus-loving parents/in-laws, so I need not fear an explosive holiday dinner (even if we don’t agree on politics).  3. The privilege of purchasing and preparing a gigantic meal, with no concern for the cost in money or time—and, the growing awareness of how much a privilege that truly is.  4. My husband, who is so, so gracious when I am so, so irritable.  5. All of my kids’ fine arts teachers, who handle our varying presentations of perfectionism with patience and care.  6. Facebook (yes, really), for the community I get in groups of like-minded people. (Note that “like-minded” does not mean we all agree all the time.) 7. Levi and Silas and their friendship, currently being forged str...

Oh, this poor neglected blog of mine, ignored completely since Christmas. Life does not leave much time for writing! Nonetheless, I wanted to make note of what we're using for this school year (at least for now; I had a good chuckle reading over last year's post and realizing how much we ditched along the way!). My boys. Levi: 7th grade Math : He'll finish up pre-calc through EMF  this fall, and then I'm going to have him go through the Modern States college algebra review so he can take the CLEP test. I estimate that'll take us through about Christmas. After that, I'm still not sure. Maybe Counting and Probability or Number Theory from AoPS? Science : Apologia biology. As much as he loves other sciences, he hates biology, so we're hoping he can CLEP this in the spring and be done with it forever.  History/Literature : Biblioplan  Ancient History Companion, study guides, geography, literature. We're also going through parts of the Omnibus I textbook ...

If I were going to write a Christmas letter [clearly, that ship has sailed], I would jot a few notes about each kid: Levi is 11.5, a tween through and through (though I won't say more than that, because it would embarrass him). He has a full school schedule and enjoys nearly every academic pursuit set in front of him, but continues to excel (and love) math above all else. He started with a new piano teacher in the fall, after his previous teacher retired in the spring, and we are thrilled to have found a fantastic fit in Mr. Dan. He's becoming a thorough dish-washing expert like his dad and is ready to take over mowing the back yard come summer. You'll find Levi reading a book at every available moment. Owen is 10, our dreamer/builder/artist. In addition to his challenge-based math program, he took up computer coding and Hebrew this year, thus making sure that his mom is totally unable to help with most of his schoolwork. We've been most impressed with Owen's sermon...

  Read last year's list here. This year was definitely divided into segments: the first half of the year, when I read a ton of chick lit while nursing Tessa, and the last half of the year, when I tried to keep ahead of middle grade literature. I'll note my thoughts on appropriateness here and there, in case it would be helpful! I have four strong readers, ages 6-11, so I'm not just pre-reading for the oldest, but for whether we can all pass it around. Age ranges are for our family (I consider Levi to be 12, in terms of his reading maturity) -- you might be okay reading things earlier or later. Feel free to ask for more specific thoughts! The Bible The whole thing, twice for the NT You can read about the Bible reading plan I follow here: https://biblereading.christkirk.com/ Christian Non-Fiction *Eve in Exile *Worship by Ligon Duncan (started but not finished) Adult Fiction *Weird Sisters *Tombland (the last in the Shardlake series I read last year) *The Interestings (not ...