15 hours ago
I learned from my mistakes last year and broke out my fall decorations on time this week. The autumn season is always more brief than I expect, and I want to enjoy it fully this year: including fall decor, fall candles, pumpkin muffins in the oven, and moody mystery books galore!
Summer eased out rather uncomfortably around here. We started school, but I wasn't as excited about it as I sometimes am. I think the dreary weather for a large part of our summer made it feel as if we didn't get a proper summer break, and this school year, which I've known will be a particularly difficult one, has been looming. I have all five kids homeschooling this year, and even though I feel exponentially more capable as a homeschool mom as the years go by, the challenges that come with more kids in school and older grades always seem to (nearly) cancel out my homeschool-mom gains. This year I can at least give myself the credit of seeing the challenges coming.
(The traditional first-day-of-school donut.)
Our homeschool days have been easier in some ways than I thought, because I have really got my homeschool systems down after perfecting my strategies over the last couple years. But it's also been harder in some ways. I shifted my mindset a few years back about homeschooling as the parent, treating it in my mind as more of a job that could take as long as 8 hours a day if necessary, and that helped transform our homeschool in alot of ways. However, this is the first year that it actually has been taking nearly 8 hours out of my day, and those extra demands are taking a little getting used to (for me). I also know this is most likely a temporary thing - our days will run smoother eventually, expectations will even out, skills will catch up, and I'll likely have more time on my hands again at some point. But right now my days feel packed.
We took a vacation a couple weeks ago, and I'm quite happy to report that it was uneventful! I think this may have been the smoothest trip we've had in quite some time, and a problem-free getaway was much needed. We drove up to South Dakota, we saw Mount Rushmore (including the evening lighting ceremony, which was wonderful), made a day trip to the Badlands with a stop at the infamous Wall Drug, saw a gunfight reenactment in Deadwood, took a tour of Jewel Cave. We stopped at Bear Country ( a drive-through zoo with more bears than I could count), and drove to the South Dakota Air and Space Museum (though the inside exhibits were unfortunately closed). My kids gained a grand total of six badges for various National Park Junior Ranger programs, which was quite an accomplishment.
Last time we went to South Dakota it rained the entire week, quite literally. We were tent camping, I was pregnant and soggy and miserable, and we cut our vacation short because we just couldn't take it anymore. After that experience, we were both a little nervous about this trip, but South Dakota was a winner this time! Overall, it was a nice quiet trip, with no car problems, no hotel issues, and no freaky weather events. Just what the doctor ordered!
Before we headed home we drove to Devil's Tower in Wyoming, and we also read about Custer and Crazy Horse before visiting Little Bighorn. It was a sobering way to end our vacation, seeing all the markers on the hill where Custer's regiment was completely wiped out. We read about the battle, and just seeing the sloping of the hills in person, I could really picture every stage of the battle as the cavalry advanced, and then retreated, finally forming a barricade behind dead horses on a ridge, before they were ultimately cut down. It was chilling, but it peaked my interest to read more about the Wild West, and I listened to "The Summer Of 1876" by Chris Wimmer on the way home. It was interesting to listen about different historical events as we were driving past the very locations where they happened.
The wide open, empty spaces of South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana got into my blood in a way. I live in a rural area already, but it's become very much more crowded than the places we visited, and I've been scheming and planning a fall hike somewhere more remote to get that taste of wilderness again.
I usually like to ease back into life when we get back from vacation, but I was forced to hit the ground running last week. We packed two field trips (one pre-planned, one spontaneous), plus a birthday outing for one of my kids with grandma, into that whirlwind of a week. We topped it off last weekend by visiting our local botanic gardens for a fall plant sale. We didn't end up buying any plants, but we did enjoy the gardens before coming home to watch a football game.
Then I drank some tea and and sat down to write this post before scrounging up some dinner. I've been missing writing on my blog, and I'm very much hoping I can carve out more time for writing despite this extra-busy season. Sharing on social media has always been draining to me, but writing on my blog tends to give me energy. It helps me organize my thoughts and feelings, and somehow that gives me a little boost to get on with what needs to be done. That's worth something! I'm looking forward to making it more of a routine again as we head into my favorite season.
At various times this summer...stumbling across a book by chance, seeing the news story about a lost submarine, and getting thalassaphobia videos recommended to me on Youtube (how did Youtube know I have thalassaphobia?)...I've been reminded of the incredible fact that we know so little about our own oceans. More people have been to space than have been to the deepest parts of the ocean. That is wild when you think about it! I thought studying what we DO know about the deep ocean would be a fun rabbit hole to go down with my kids in this late summer stage of the school year.
I did a little research and found a bunch of great picture books about the deep ocean and ocean exploration. These are not books about the beach, but books about the parts of the ocean that are not easy to get to, and all the creatures that lurk down there.
I encourage you to read through the descriptions before picking up any of these books for your family, because I didn't agree with everything in every one of these books, and tried to make note of that where I could. However, I think taken together, these books give a really fascinating look at the deep ocean for kids!
I also included a couple documentaries having to do with underwater creatures, if you want to make a unit study out of this list. From deep ocean creatures, submersibles, historical figures that mapped the ocean, and more - there is alot to get you started on an ocean study here!
Giant Squid by Candace Fleming - This picture book tells in pretty good detail about the mysterious Giant Squid, including it's tentacles, beak, large eye, babies, etc. The illustrations are interesting, and there is more in-depth information on the last page of the book.
Otis And Will Discover The Deep by Barb Rosenstock - A very interesting book about the first men to build their own deep-sea submersible in 1930. There is biographical information given in the back of the book as well. I love how the formatting of the words on the page add to the feel of the story!
How Deep Is The Sea by Anna Wilbourne - A great picture book to help kids understand the vastness of the ocean and the scale of how deep it really is!
Field Trip To The Ocean Deep by John Hare - This is a book with no words, with illustrations of a group of kids diving to the ocean floor in scuba gear and taking a bunch of pictures. A quirky and fun picture book!
Diving Deep by Michelle Cusolito - The previous book gives an imaginative look at diving to the ocean floor, but this book goes through all the ways that humans actually DO dive down into the ocean! Great illustrations and lots of facts included. One reference to "millions of years".
Flying Deep by Michelle Cusolito - Another book by the same author, taking a closer look at what it would be like to go down to the sea floor onboard a submersible such as the Alvin, which is the longest continually-operating submersible in the world.
From Shore To Ocean Floor by Gill Arbuthnott - A very detailed book about the history of ocean exploration, and what we do know about the ocean floors. There are some things in this book I wouldn't agree with or appreciate - for example, assumptions about the age of the earth, environmentalism, information about various false gods/goddesses in ocean lore. But there is so much other interesting information in this book that it outweighs the negative aspects, so I think it's worthwhile if you're willing to wade through it.
How Deep Is The Ocean? by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld - A great picture book about various creatures that live at different ocean depths, including information about the pressures deep down in the ocean. The illustrations are colorful and fun in this picture book!
Dive To The Deep Ocean by Deborah Kovacs - A very detailed history about the Alvin submersible, and others that came after it. The Alvin was the first submersible to explore the wreck of the Titanic!
Solving The Puzzle Under The Sea by Robert Burleigh - This book is about Marie Tharp, who was one of the people to first create a map of the ocean floor using sonar. There are a couple different picture books about Marie Tharp, but this one was the less obnoxiously feminist of the two I read. I also liked that it was more detailed about the process of mapping the ocean floor.
Trail Blazer Of The Sea by Jean Lee Latham - This chapter book is the one and only book for children that I could find about Matthew Maury, who was the first person to recognize that there were currents in the ocean and map them. This book is hard to find - in print, I could only find it on Purple House Press, but it's well written and worth the effort to search it out if you are doing an ocean study! You can also read it on the computer only here if you are interested in previewing it.
Yoshi And The Ocean by Lindsay Moore - This book is about a sea turtle that was nursed back to health and then released. We follow her as she travels all through the ocean and back to the beach where she was born. It is amazing that little sea turtles can travel so incredibly far in the ocean, and this book gives lots of additional information about sea turtles in the back as well.
Into The Deep: An Exploration Of Our Oceans by Annika Seems and Wolfgang Dreyer - This is a big book, full of colorful illustrations and lots of information about different sea creatures and the ocean itself. This is a long one, so I haven't read every page yet, but from a limited flip-through I didn't see any references to evolution, etc. There is page after page of beautiful illustrations and information, and I think we'll be looking through this one for a while!
Documentaries:
The Riot And The Dance: Water - My kids have watched this documentary a couple times now, and my oldest declared it "such a good documentary" - I have to agree! It's a nature documentary from a Christian perspective, and it is truly impressive the quality of shots they were able to get on a relatively low budget. The music really sets the mood for a documentary, and I also learned about some creatures I legitimately never knew about before. Really interesting, and inspiring!
My Octopus Teacher - This documentary isn't so much about the deep ocean, but it is an interesting peek into the world of an octopus. I had two different people recommending this to me, and after watching it I know why! Some mentions of "millions of years of evolution" in this documentary, so when I let my kids watch it we will just talk about that beforehand.
I have been procrastinating on sharing this post because I keep thinking that as soon as I share it, I'll stumble across other books or documentaries that I'll wish I included - but it's time to get this published. Expect this post to be updated with more resources as time goes on, and if you know of any great resources about the deep ocean, please let me know!
I waver between feeling excited for the school year and very nervous. This is the first year that I'll be doing work with all five kids, and the thought overwhelms me. I try to remember that I felt that way each time I added a new student to the mix. This is the last time I'll have to recalibrate.
We've been making good use of our last week. Yesterday we went mini-golfing with our dear friends who now live a couple states over. I'm so happy whenever we get to see them, and we talk and laugh like we still see each other every week. Friends like that are special, something to treasure. The hardest part is always saying goodbye, until the next time they come here or we go there.
Later this week the kids have "cousin camp" at grandma's house, which means that Derek and I get a date night which we don't quite now what to do with. I'm hoping to do something fun on Saturday as a last hoorah for summer break.
The plan for today is a hike up in a state park, perhaps to an old broken-down lumber mill we discovered a couple weeks ago. Or perhaps we'll try a new trail. The kids are packing nature notebooks, binoculars, and snacks into their packs. I try to get them to draw something each time we go out into the mountains, but we are meeting a friend today, so my expectations are low for amazing nature drawings. Laughter, and silliness, and foot races, and sun-kissed cheeks are on the agenda.
We've been watching movies on the porch this summer. The kids lay out their sleeping bags, and we all wear long sleeves and pants to protect ourselves against mosquitos as the sun fades. The TV glows in the dusk, hummingbirds whir past our porch, and the kids laugh as we introduce them to childhood classics, like The Princess Bride and Hook. When my littlest looks cold I call her over to settle on my lap and zip her up inside my over-sized sweatshirt. She giggles against my chest at the defeat of the pirate captain.
The swimming pools have officially closed, despite my wish that they would stay open until Labor Day. Before they did, I took the kids to every family swim night I could, and I'm impressed with how much their swimming has improved. It's rather a magical stage, swimming right now. I stand in the pool and watch them play, but they mostly entertain themselves with very little help from me. I can just enjoy the sunshine and the sound of their antics. We always bring licorice or skittles for a snack on the way home.
I've had a running to-do list for several weeks now. Every time I crossed one thing off, two more were added, but I've finally chipped away at it this week. Plan enrichment subjects? Check. Choose read-alouds for the year? Mostly check. Set up sewing station, clean out the kids' toys, schedule doctor appointments, do the grocery shopping? All check. The things that are left are mostly the items I wanted to do for fun or things I've been putting off. Work on researching my family tree. Make clay earrings. Clean out the car. Organize the kids' fall clothes.
We are going on a vacation in September, and those last two things need to be accomplished before then. I'm just excited to get to go on vacation at all, since every unexpected expense this summer cut into our vacation budget. It'll be a shorter trip, but we have alot of interesting stops planned, and you can bet I'll count every educational experience as a school field trip, because we can. I don't typically like taking trips in the fall instead of the summer, but out of necessity it has started to grow on me. It also makes it easier to get started on school when I know that we have more fun things coming right around the corner.
My coffee is lukewarm. It's time for a warm-up so I will close this out. I wish you all the last bits of summer fun you can muster before pumpkin spice starts to fill the air!
We are over halfway through our summer! Summer can become so busy for our family, and I'm trying to squeeze so many activities in, that we don't always have the time or schedule to sit down and enjoy picture books together. But a few weeks ago I decided to put a little effort into finding good picture books for the season, and we have discovered so many good ones with a summertime feel to them!
These picture book lists have become quite useful for my own family - they help me to remember which seasonal picture books I want to revisit each year, and hopefully you all will find some favorites here as well.
I will be linking the books on Amazon because it is a permanent place for you to read more about each title, but I encourage you to request these books on hold at your library, or if you find one you want to buy, look for them on used book websites! When you request books from the library it helps with the library's circulation, and if you prefer to buy you can get books so much more affordably with used book sites.
Be sure to grab the printable list at the bottom of this page!
Twenty-One Steps by Jeff Gottesfeld and Matt Tavares - The beginning of summer is often marked as Memorial Day, and this book is about the Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier. It's a great book for teaching kids the true meaning of Memorial Day, and remembering those who have died in the service of our country.
Anansi And The Moss Covered Rock by Eric A Kimmel - This story takes place in a jungle, and a spider accidentally discovered an enchanted rock that knocks people out. He fools different jungle creatures with the rock, until he himself is fooled. Note: Some magic in this story, of the fairytale variety, since it involves an enchanted rock.
Anansi And The Talking Melon by Eric A. Kimmel - This is another story featuring the tricky Anansi, who fools Elephant into thinking a melon is talking to him! My kids thought this one was funny.
Summertime In The Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder - This is a short picture book based off the Little House On The Prairie Books. The girls are shown in different fun summer activities, and the illustrations are gorgeous.
The Summer Visitors by Karel Hayes - This is a picture book very light on words - you really need to look at the pictures to follow the story of a family of bears who steal the summer family's things and shadows them in all their fun summer activities. It's almost like a comic book in a picture book, and one that younger kids could enjoy even without you reading to them! If you have a young one who likes to make up stories based off the pictures, this would be a winner.
The Umbrella by Jan Brett - I associated Brett's books so much with winter that I am always interested to see a book that doesn't fall into a cozy holiday category. In this book, a boy goes looking for creatures in the rainforest, but they all have an adventure surrounding an umbrella he drops on the forest floor. This book also incorporates some Spanish, which would be a fun angle for using Spanish vocabulary during reading time!
The Donkey Egg by Janet Stevens - This book follows the same characters as the spring book Tops And Bottoms. Fox tells Bear that he needs to watch a donkey egg until it hatches. At the end of this book, Hare and Bear work together to plant a field of watermelons. Lots of fun facts in this book about the passing of time as well.
The Seed And The Giant Saguaro by Jennifer Ward - This book has a building rhyme scheme about Saguaro cat and all the creatures that live in the Southwestern desert. Some info is given in the back about the fruit of the saguaro cactus, and how long it takes to grow!
Happy Birthday, Dear Duck by Eve Bunting - All of Duck's friends give him pool-related gifts for his birthday - but they live in the desert, and there is no water! Cute book involving an inflatable pool, which makes it perfect for summer!
Peter Spit A Seed At Sue by Jackie French - This is a quirky book about some kids who start a watermelon seed-spitting war in their town. The text rhymes, and my kids thought it was really fun!
Sweet Pea Summer by Hazel Mitchell - In this book, a little girl goes to stay with her grandparents, and attempts to grow some sweet peas for a flower show. She has to troubleshoot along the way. The illustrations in this book are sweet, and all the flowers make it lovely for summer.
Summer Story by Jill Barklem - This is the summer edition of the brambly hedge stories, and this one features a wedding! The Brambly Hedge books have some of the cutest illustrations out there, and we loved this one.
Poppy's Babies by Jill Barklem - This is the follow-up story to "Summer Story", in which Poppy's new babies are having a hard time sleeping above the mill - so her husband Dusty and his friend prepare a surprise nursery!
Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping by Peggy Parish - This isn't high literature or anything, but it's a classic, and kids will enjoy all Amelia Bedelia's silly puns! This is my favorite Amelia Bedelia book from my childhood.
Summer Of The Tree Army by Gloria Whelan - This is a book about the Civilian Conservation Corps established by Franklin Roosevelt, and a boy in Michigan who befriends on of them. An interesting look at the Great Depression time period and what life might have been like for young men during that time. The illustrations in this one are so golden and summery.
Thundercake by Patricia Polacco - This is the story of how a grandma helped her granddaughter through her fear of thunder. Very appropriate for those occasional summer thunderstorms, and I think making a thundercake with the kids afterward would be so fun!
Summer Days And Nights by Wong Herbert See - This is a sweet book about some of the very ordinary joys of summer. As an adult I thought it was a nice reminder that you don't have to do big things for summer to be exciting - it is all by itself.
A Camping Spree With Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen - We love all the Mr. Magee books! The illustrations are adorable, and the rhyming is top notch. In this one, Mr. Magee and little dog Dee's camping trip is interrupted by a curious bear. As someone who had our own camping trip ruined this summer, I love that the book ends with them camping in their backyard!
Down To The Sea With Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen - Another Mr. Magee book! In this one, a pod of whales gets Mr. Magee and Dee in trouble - and then gets them right back out of it. I love how these books always end in such a cozy way.
A Perfect Day by Lane Smith - A cute story about a perfect summer day for a bunch of animals - or for one animal at least! This one is simple and short, I think it would be cute for the younger crowd.
A House For Hermit Crab by Eric Carle - This is a cute story about a crab who invites other sea creatures to make his house more beautiful. So many of Carle's stories are perfect for summer, especially this one!
The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle - A ladybug bluffs his way out of trouble, saying another ladybug is not big enough for him to fight. To prove it, he goes on a trip to find someone "big enough" to fight...and eventually ends up right back where he started. A funny story for kids!
The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle - A cute book about a cricket that wants to chirp as he meets various bugs, but he can't until he meets another cricket.
A Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle - A firefly mistakes various lights for other fireflies - including fireworks, which gives this a fun 4th of July tie-in!
Swimmy by Leo Lionni - After hearing about this book for years, I finally read it, and I can see why it's a classic. Swimmy swims faster than his brother and sisters, and escapes being eaten by a big fish. When he finds a new school of fish, he has the idea to swim in the shape of a big fish, and scare all the predator fish off. It's a cute, simple story.
The Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown - A sweet book personifying a little island, and telling about everything it experiences through the seasons - but especially in the spring and summer.
Roxaboxen by Barbara Cooney - I think this book, centered around the imaginary games of children, would also be perfect for summer. A group of kids play in a pretend town, and still remember their wonderful game years later. Very sweet story about imagination and childhood.
Pie Is For Sharing by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard - This book captures all kinds of childhood summer fun in the illustrations, while highlighting all the things we can share in the summer. I loved the style of illustrations in this book, which were also somewhat 4th Of July themed.
Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee - A simple picture book about the fun of roller coasters!
The Streak by Barb Rosenstock - This is an interesting picture book about the history of Joe Diaggio's batting streak. This book would be fun to read before going to a baseball game to incorporate a little sports history!
Yogi by Barb Rosenstock - For another baseball-themed book, this picture book biography of Yogi Berra is a fun one!
Quick As A Cricket by Audrey Wood - This would be a cute one to read before a trip to the zoo, as a child compares himself to a bunch of different animals! To me it also had summary vibes.
Sea Glass Summer by Michelle Houts - In this story, a boy finds some sea glass, and dreams about where the glass originally came from. The illustrations in this book are beautiful, and it's interesting to think about what each piece of sea glass may have been originally.
Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall - Jabari is afraid to jump off the diving board - until his dad helps him to be brave enough. Perfect for summertime, and I love the strong dad figure in this book.
Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackwell - In this book, we see scenes in the life of a lighthouse keeper, until electricity and a new light eliminates the need for him to live in the lighthouse. The illustrations are gorgeous, and this book is an interesting peek into the history of lighthouses.
Honey... Honey... Lion! by Jan Brett - Badger and Honeyguide always share honey - until one day, Badger decides not to share, and the honeyguide bird teaches him a lesson. A fun story about African animals!
Hattie & Hudson by Chris Van Dusen - A girl named Hattie makes friends with a sea monster and names him Hudson. My kids are fascinated by the notion that sea monsters might live in deep lakes, so this is a fun, summery story for them! This is from the same author as the Mr. Magee books, and the illustrations are a similar style!
Armadillo Rodeo by Jan Brett - Thinking he has found a friend, a little armadillo follows a bright red set of boots straight into a rodeo! A cute story set in Texas.
The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield - In this story, a young boy is scared of the dark - until he watches the moon landing, and looking at the bright moon in the dark sky fills his mind with imagination. This book was written by a Canadian astronaut and is based on his childhood experience of watching the moon landing. Note: There are some little imaginary monster figures in some of the illustrations when the boy is still afraid of the dark, so be aware of that since it may be a bit scary for small kids.
Possum And The Summer Storm by Anne Hunter - The possum family's home is washed away in a storm, and all the creatures help them create a new home. A cute and cozy story for a stormy summer day.
Down By The Bay by Raffi - I don't know anything about Raffi, but this book is based on a silly summer song that I think would be lots of fun to sing with kids on a road trip!
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant - A sweet story about relatives coming to visit for the summer.
Otis And Will Discover The Deep by Barb Rosenstock - A very interesting book about the first men to build their own deep-sea submersible in 1930.
One Morning In Maine by Robert McCloskey - In this story, Sal loses her first tooth while working and running errands with her father. This story had summer and small-town vibes.
Tacky Goes To Camp by Helen Lester - It's summer in Antartica, and Tacky goes to camp with his penguin friends - but does everything a little differently than them! I loved the Tacky books as a kid, and this is a cute "summer" one.
One-Dog Canoe by Mary Casanova - A cute story about animals that want to join in canoeing fun - even though it's only a one-dog canoe!
Mornings With Monet by Barb Rosenstock - A great book about Monet and the process of painting. This one is bright and colorful as it shows Monet painting flowers on a morning in his garden.
The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco - Mary Ellen chases a bee to it's tree with her grandfather - and they pick up a crowd along the way! There is an unexpected and sweet lesson about the value of books at the end of this story.
Island Boy by Barbara Cooney - A book about the life of a boy named Matthias, as he grows up with his family on an island, marries, has children and grandchildren, and one day dies. It's a bit of a bittersweet book, but so homey as well.
When Lightning Comes In A Jar by Patricia Polacco - This book captures the happiness and fun of family reunions, with a firefly tie-in. Very sweet for summer.
The Golden Glow by Benjamin Flouw - Fox finds a page in his botany book that doesn't have a picture, and goes on a mountain hike to find the elusive "golden glow" flower - and he's helped by friends along the way!
It Began With Lemonade by Gideon Sterer - A whimsical story about a girl who has to be creative with the location of her lemonade stand - and has alot of unexpected customers.
Insect Detective by Steve Voake - This is a great book for making kids more aware of summer insects and sparking an interest in going outside to look for them!
The Circus Ship by Chris Van Dusen - A circus ship sinks off the coast of Maine, and all the animals terrorize the townspeople - until they realize the animals aren't mean after all. Cute illustrations, with great rhyming text!
The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, And The Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood - An adorable book with the narrator talking to a little mouse about how to hide his strawberry from the big hungry bear!
The Mystery of The Monarchs by Barb Rosenstock - An interesting book about the people who discovered where the monarch butterflies spend the winter months. Since we see the Monarch butterfly in North America during the summer, it's a good time to read this book!
Randy Riley's Really Big Hit by Chris Van Dusen - This is a fun book about Randy Riley, who cannot hit a baseball...until a fireball is hurtling towards earth and he builds a robot to hit it back into outer space! Really cute, retro type illustrations in this one!
Rattlebang Picnic by Margaret Mahy - This is a quirky book about a family that decided to have seven children instead of buying a speedy car. They buy an old "rattlebang" car...but what will happen when they accidentally go for a picnic on a volcano? A cute story about a big family on a summer picnic gone wrong! Note: This one is a bit rare, so if you find a copy, snag it!
If I Built A Car by Chris Van Dusen - In this book a boy on a road trip imagines a better design for a car - one that has couches and endless snacks, and sails and flies while we're at it! I think we all have that childhood experience of being on a long road trip and imagining all the things we wish we could do in the car, and this book captures all that in a fun, imaginative way.
A Family For Old Mill Farm by Shutta Crum - This is a cute story about a family visiting different homes, looking for the perfect one...while different animal families settle down at the abandoned Old Mill Farm.
Town Mouse Country Mouse by Jan Brett - The town mice think they'd like to try life in the country, and the country mice would like to take a vacation in the town - but each set of mice soon realize that they miss their own homes! I love Jan Brett's version of this tale, and it reminds me of why vacation is always so refreshing - it gives you a fresh perspective on home.
I hope you all are able to find some interesting books to add to your family favorites - and if I missed a great summery picture book, let me know and I may just add it to this list!
You can click here for a printable version of this summer picture book list!
Hope you are enjoying every last bit of the summer, as we intend to do as well!
Currently...
Watching...alot of survival shows. As a family we are watching the latest season of "Alone", and by ourselves Derek and I are rediscovering a series called "I Shouldn't Be Alive". I remember a few years ago catching a terrible stomach bug, and I basically binge-watched this show, and then I forgot about it because thinking about it after that made me feel queasy. I no longer feel queasy about it though, and Derek and I are hooked. I also just discovered this Youtube channel talking about lost hiker stories, so kind of along the same line (except not all of the hikers make it out).
Reading...alot of picture books for the kids, and picking out my favorites for a summer picture book post coming up soon. I'm not sure if anyone needs another picture book list, but I am enjoying putting these posts together because they are lists of our personal favorites - so instead of re-visiting other lists, and trying to remember which books we liked and which ones we didn't, I have my own list to request from the library each year. And hopefully some of you kind find a few winners from the lists too! Here are all of the lists I've done so far.
Sipping...limeade, or homemade virgin pina coladas. I basically just mix together pineapple juice and Silk Coconut, and call it a pina colada. Yum.
Sporting...shorts and dresses, finally, because we've finally had a turn in the weather! It was the rainiest June I remember in a long time, and was quite cold until after July 4th. I still wouldn't say it's as warm as a normal July, at least not in the mountains, but it's so much nicer out than it was. The weather was so unlike summer until just the last couple weeks, so I'm just now getting into summer mode, with less than a month left until we were planning on starting school again. I may just delay our start by a week so summer feels less short.
Trying...to figure out if we can afford a vacation this year, or if we should opt for a staycation. I know everyone is probably hurting financially with this inflation - so many of our monthly bills have gone up in the last few months, and I can't get out of the grocery story under budget anymore. But as I talked about in my last post, we've also had several things break on us this spring/summer - our microwave, Derek's car, our whole tent debacle. And finally, our stove officially died this past week. A few of our buttons were fried by a power surge in June, but we were hoping we could just make do...until I tried preheating the oven and none of the buttons worked. All of these annoying costs are coming out of our vacation budget, so I'm not sure what is going to happen with that now. We will either scrape together enough for an inexpensive camping vacation, or we will do a staycation (which could also be really fun, if we can just sell it right to the kids).
Remembering...that we did at least get to visit an interesting place when we went on a short trip to visit my grandma - Mesa Verde! Mesa Verde National Park has the oldest buildings in North America, thought to be built around 1200 AD (or some maybe earlier). They figured that out by tree ring data - they looked at some of the oldest trees in the park, and then looked at some of the logs used in the building construction, and matched up similar wet/dry season patterns in the tree rings to get to the guess of 1200 AD. I don't know much about the accuracy of that, but it's pretty interesting anyway!
We went on a tour, but a word to the wise, if you sign up for a Mesa Verde tour, it takes about an hour to get from the Mesa Verde Visitor Center to where to tours actually leave. Not knowing this ahead of time, we somehow arrived just on time for our tour, but the tour guide must have left early because there was no one to be seen. We waited until the next tour arrived an hour later, and they pretty much had to let us in since the other tour had departed early. If you ever visit and you schedule a tour there, plan to be at the visitor center at least an hour and a half before your tour time. I thought they should have put some of this information on the website, but really, I should have known better. It's been along time since we had been there.
Looking forward to...taking the kids to the pool in the next couple weeks. We haven't been swimming all summer because of weather and sickness, but I think we might finally make it to the pool next week. There are no outdoor pools near us, but there are a couple in town that have affordably-priced family swim nights. I always stock up on licorice and watermelon before the pool - those are just the traditional pool snacks, I guess.
Growing...a lovely herb garden in our porch greenhouse. My herbs are doing so well this year, despite the cold start to the summer. I want to avoid the mistake I made last year and start harvesting some of the herbs now! My oldest is also growing a tiny straw-bale vegetable garden, and I think it's doing well...we have flowering squash plants right now, so hopefully that's a good sign!
Planning...to start doing a few hikes before summer is over. The mountains are in rare form this year, with all the moisture we got in June, and there are flowers and tall grasses everywhere. It's very lush and colorful, instead brown-tinged and dry like July so often is. I'm loving that we have no fire bans, and I want to take the kids out for some nature journaling and picnics in the next couple weeks.
Preparing...for the school year, but only lightly because I don't want to get myself out of summer mode quite yet. I've mainly been putting together a history syllabus for my 7th grader, and requesting some historical fiction books from the library to screen. I'm hoping to find a few winners for him to read. He'll be studying ancient history this year, for the first time seriously, including the Greeks and Romans. I want to give him some interesting books set in that time period, but books that don't over-glorify those societies either. I know they are important foundational to our current culture and political structure, but they were also Godless, so I'm hoping for something that will give him a realistic (but appropriate) feel for those eras. Open to suggestions if any of you homeschool moms have already studied ancient empires.
Summer is in full swing, and here I am, finally getting around to sharing the rest of the books I read in the spring! I have a whole new list of books I would like to read this summer, so I wanted to share these books before I dive into the summer reading season in earnest. There are some winners in this post for sure!
Tales From The Perilous Realm by J. R. R. Tolkien - I decided I wanted to read more works from Tolkien, and this short story collection seemed like a good place to start! Only one piece (The Adventures Of Tom Bombadil) fits into the Lord Of The Ring universe - the rest are stories set in other places, but all with a similar fantasy element. My favorites were Farmer Giles Of Ham and Leaf By Niggle. Farmer Giles is a quirky and fun story about the rise of Giles from lowly farmer to hero. Leaf By Niggle is a sad and sweet story about a man who has an obsession with completing an elaborate painting but must go on a journey before he is able to complete it - but in a strange new land, he finds his painting completed and brought to real life. I think Tolkien's Catholicism comes through in Leaf by Niggle, but I still found the story touching. This edition also included an essay about "fairy stories" that I found really enlightening when considering Tolkien's approach to fairy tales and fantasy fiction. Definitely recommend if you are a Tolkien fan!
Sackett's Land by Louis L'amour - I have heard this series mentioned in a podcast, and my grandpa read so many L'amour books, I decided it was time for me to pick them up. This book follows the first Sackett of this family line as he travels to America and decides he wants to plant his feet in the New World. It's an adventure story, and less character-focused than plot-focused, but there is still a depth to L'amour's writing, especially as it relates to manhood, that makes this book better than "twaddle" adventure stories. I'm looking forward to reading the next one.
Why I Left The Contemporary Christian Music Movement by Dan Lucarini - I picked this book up on a whim, because I'm always interested in topics related to the trajectory of Christian music, and music we sing in church. This book was originally published in the early 2000's, by a man who used to be a worship leader in a more contemporary style, before he started seeing some problems with it. This is mainly a memoir-style book, but he does provide some insights into aspects of Christian music that I never considered. One point he makes that I never though about thoroughly is how the style of music does affect people physically, and we would do well to consider that when it comes to what kind of songs we sing in church. I don't think I agree with all of his conclusions, but I do think he makes valuable points in this book, and it's helpful to hear from someone who has been on both sides of the so-called "worship wars". If you want to genuinely understand someone who is concerned about how modern music styles are incorporated into church, I think reading this book with an open mind would be helpful.
The Great Concern: Preparation For Death by Edward Pearse - The title of this book makes it sound morbid, but it's definitely not! This is a Puritan book about how we can order our lives so as to have the least eternal regrets when death finds us. For the first part of the book he addresses unbelievers in urging them to be reconciled to God, and toward the end he addresses mindsets that Christians should have to ensure we are ready for our dying day. This book had a big impact on me, especially Chapter 9, when he gives advice on "graces" we should strive for in making sure we are at any moment ready to enter eternity. He urges the reader "to think nothing too dear to part with for the glory and honor of God", and that is something I have been thinking about ever since.
Death In The Clouds by Agatha Christie - This is a re-read for me, since I am trying to read all the way through the Hercule Poirot series. Death In The Clouds follows the mystery of an old woman, an accomplished blackmailer, who is apparently killed by a poison dart shot at her through a blowpipe, while on an airplane! As with most Christie mysteries, this book starts of slower and picks up toward the end. I think these are the perfect books ro read before bed, because they are interesting, but usually not to the point where you can't put them down and end up reading until midnight. They are cozy in a classic way, and Hercule Poirot is my favorite literary detective ever, so of course I enjoyed it!
To Seek And To Save by Sinclair B. Ferguson - This is a devotional book meant to be read in the weeks leading up to Easter, as it follows all the Biblical figures leading up to Jesus's death and resurrection. I think Ferguson writes in such a calming style, and I enjoyed this devotional. It was perfect for fixing my mind on the resurrection this spring.
The Kalahari Typing School For Men by Alexander McCall Smith - This book is part of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, and it is very similar to all the other books in the series -following Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi as they solve petty crimes and personal mysteries for their clients. In this book, the ladies deal with the problem of a new detective agency moving into town and possibly taking some of their clients, and Mma Makutsi decides to start a typing school for men on the side. These books are cozy mysteries with a twist, and the setting is so well described it makes you feel like you live in Botswana too. These are another calming book for bedtime reading, and I recommend the whole series!
Worship: The Ultimate Priority by John MacArthur - This book addresses what worship actually is, and how it is NOT only the songs we sing on Sunday - worship should encompass everything we do in life as believers. I found this book challenging and encouraging, and I love MacArthur's focus on giving God glory in everything we do.The gospel is also beautifully woven into every chapter of this book. I think this is a beautiful book to read if you find yourself worried or discouraged or stale in your walk with the Lord. I'm sure I will be reading it again.
The Saint's Advantage By Christ's Ascension And Coming Again From Heaven by Christopher Love - Is that a Puritan title for you, or what? I decided to focus on reading a variety of Puritan books this year, and this one was a unique topic to me. So much is written about how we benefit from Jesus's life, death, and resurrection, but we forget that the fact that He also ascended is a critical piece of the puzzle. We have an advantage in His ascension because He know lives in Heaven to intercede for His children, and this book explores that idea more. One note I wanted to include about reading Puritan works - it is really important to keep track of the numbering of the points they make in their writing. If you read a Puritan work, I think it's really helpful to make an ongoing outline so you can keep track of which point each paragraph or section is supporting. It's easy to get lost if you don't pay attention to the structure of the book, and I found attentive reading to be especially important for this book.
Tuesdays At The Castle by Jessica Day George - This book was about a princess and her family who live in a "living" castle - a castle that changes it's structure and room arrangement every Tuesday, has opinions about it's occupants, and does what it can to assist those it loves. As the family faces a conspiracy to assassinate and take over the throne, the castle itself is a major player in helping to foil the enemy's plots and help the royal family. I thought this book was fun, but I sometimes thought the castle was taking on too much of a god-like role for the characters, so I'd probably be a little bit cautious in handing it to my kids. It was a cute story, and a very unique concept, but I'm undecided on whether I'll read the next book.
Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins Of Gorlan by John Flanagan - This book was recommended to me by some dear friends, and I'm so glad I read it! This book reminds me of Robin Hood, but set in a fantastical world with strange creatures that serve an enemy named Morgorath. In the midst of that, we follow the story of two young teenagers who are just entering their apprenticeships. Will is disappointed because he wanted to attend battleschool, but instead is apprenticed to the mysterious Ranger. Meanwhile, another boy Horace is struggling with bullying in battle school. The boys eventually form a friendship, all the while training to defend the kingdom against the rising threat of Morgorath. This book would be a fun book for boys, and I'm curious to read the next one and see if the rest of the series is just as good! I thought this book was wholesome and I didn't have any content concerns. The only thing I would note is some strange creatures near the end who have an ability to hypnotize their victims, freezing them with fear before they attack them, but that seemed par for the course in a fantasy book.
The Eye Of The World by Robert Jordan - This book is the first in the Wheel Of Time series, which I've been hearing about for a while, so when a friend offered to lone me the book, I jumped on it! It's hard to describe the plot of this book, because as our friend said, nothing much happens but it's still somehow interesting. The book introduces a boy named Ran and his friends at the beginning, who encounter an Aes Sedai (a female who has strange powers and protects them on their journey), before being attacked by the Dark One's forces and having to flee to the Aes Sedai's city for protection. The world-building in this book definitely lives up to the hype - it's a very complex and imaginative world, with dangers at every turn. Along the way we learn that one of the boys is likely a figure who is prophesied to fight with the Dark One, but we don't know who it is until the end (and we also don't know if this figure will end up being a hero or the downfall of the world). It was interesting to read a fantasy book aside from Narnia or LOTR, which are pretty much the only other fantasy series I've read. I think there is a noticeable difference between the underlying philosophy of this book and Tolkien's and Lewis's works - this book very much had a more New Age underpinning, and the difference between a New Age based fantasy and a fantasy book from underlying Christian worldview was an interesting study for me. Because of some of the New Age imagery, especially at the end of the book, I probably would be cautious in recommending it. My other note about this book was that it didn't feel like any of the characters were actually trustworthy - the Aes Sedai has a bad reputation, so you're not quite sure what her motivation is, and each of the boys is touched by some sort of dark element that has the potential to corrupt their character. You're not really sure if anyone is good or bad. I think I need a "rest", so to speak, in my fantasy books - some character or place that we know is good or safe, so we can mentally rest before wading back into peril. I don't feel like there was any "resting place" in this book.
The Winter King by Christine Cohen - This was a YA fantasy book, put out by a Christian publisher, about a village that must serve a god-like "Winter King", who returns each winter to watch over the village as they offer more than they can afford in sacrifices. Cora hates the Winter King, and starts to investigate a mysterious book that the village leaders are trying to keep secret. In the meantime, a plague starts attacking the village, and she must figure out the secrets of the book before it's too late for her family. I really appreciated the elements of family loyalty in this story - the family at the center of the book is close and sweet to each other. I thought this book was going one direction, but it definitely didn't end the way I thought. Maybe a spoiler alert - in the end, the Winter King ends up being real and he actually does care for the village, but the way the village leaders taught about and presented him was false because they were just pursuing power. I kept trying to figure out if this was some sort of allegory, but I don't know. It was an interesting story, but my content notes would be that there is definitely some mythological-type elements (such as the Winter King "god" who ends up being good), sacrifices to the Winter King and that sort of thing, and some ghostly elements. I enjoyed it, but to me, there were too many confusing spiritual elements for me to want to read it to my kids. I kind of want to hear an interview with the author so she can explain what she was going for with this story. But credit where credit is due, I have to say it was quite well-written!
Flourish by Lydia Brownback - This book addresses the lies that Christian women often believe about how to flourish. I listened to this book and feel that I could have absorbed so much more, so I will probably read or listen to it again. This was a Christ-centered book that encourages women to keep our eyes on Jesus instead of listening to worldly messages about how to flourish - even those worldly messages that sometimes infiltrate the church. I found it personally challenging, and I also think it helped me understand other people in my life better, and gave me some insight on how to encourage them.
Meet Me In The Margins by Melissa Ferguson - This book was about an editor in a stuffy publishing house, who also wants to publish a romance book. She accidentally leaves her manuscript in a secret room at work, and when she gets it back she discovers someone else at work has been reading and editing it. I was also interested to read the author's note and see that the author was inspired by visiting Thomas Nelson in Nashville - I went there once, so I could picture it when she explained her inspiration. This was an adorable chic-lit book, and totally clean! There was not much focus on the physical element of romantic relationships, but the story was sweet and kept me wanting to read the next chapter. Definitely a winner in my book, and I'm looking forward to reading more by this author!
What have you all been reading? And do you have any special reading plans for summer?
Today is an island of calm in the middle of a whirlwind of a month. Derek has the day off and took the kids to the first day of VBS for me, so I have a little time to read and write. It is also the first at-home day we've had this month that it isn't cloudy and raining, so I am sitting out in the sunshine, listening to birds singing in the trees, hummingbirds humming, and grasshoppers buzzing. It finally feels like summer around here.
Odd Weather, And Pricey Too
This is a very odd year in our area for weather. Usually by late June we have consistent sunny and even downright hot days, but this year the entire month has been damp and cool. Almost every day we have some sort of rain in the mountains, and while it is absolutely lovely for our vegetation, it's been dampening my mood. We haven't been able to go outside without a light jacket most days, and we've been feeling the lack of sunlight - to the point that when I spotted a patch of sun the other day, I ran outside to bask in it for a minute before a cloud drifted back in to block the light. But this morning I'm warming my bare arms in the sunshine, and it is glorious.
June is always a hectic month for us (I'm not sure why, but it is), and this year feels especially crazy-making. It has been a particularly hard start to the summer for our budget. With all of these storms, we've had the power knocked out a couple times, and a power surge fried two rows of buttons on our stove. I can now cook things at 375 degrees, or 700 degrees, and nothing in between that. We are trying to decide if we can limp along with our now limited temperature settings, or if we are going to have to buy a whole new stove, because they don't make the replacement parts for our oven anymore. We also think something has happened to our hot water heater, possibly because of the power surges, because the furnace won't stay lit and our water is often cold.
On top of appliance problems, we attempted a camping trip the other weekend. We were so excited to be in a warmer corner of the state for a weekend, the weather was gorgeous, and I could feel my mood lifting...before another storm rolled in. I'll keep it short, but basically a windstorm destroyed our $300 tent, we barely got all our things out of the destroyed tent before it literally blew away, and we were forced to turn around and go right back home on the same day that we had arrived. The disappointment of the kids was the hardest part. We might try camping again later this summer, but not until the state weather patterns change. We did go to a movie as a consolation treat for the kids. It's always an event when we go to the theater, since we go so rarely.
Before all these financial hits happened, I did get a new phone. My other iPhone was three years old, which is practically ancient as far as iPhones go (I kid, kind of). The thing that pushed me over the edge was that the camera lenses on my phone broke, and I do use my phone for a decent amount of our pictures, so that bumped it up in priority. If I had known our stove was going to break and we'd lose an expensive tent, I might have waited on the phone. Thankfully our carrier was having a great deal though, so I have a decent pocket-camera again.
Overall, it's been an expensive and dreary start to the summer, but I have high hopes that things are starting to look up. It's supposed to be sunny for a good part of this week, the kids are excited about VBS, we have dear friends in town to visit, and we have an upcoming visit to my grandma's cabin which I know will be a restful time.
Homeschool Conference, And Books
I went to our state homeschool conference last week, and if I am struck with inspiration I may eventually write about some of the things I learned. At this point in our homeschool journey I feel I have alot of the day-to-day logistics and my curriculum choices figured out, so instead of going to tip-based sessions, I chose based off of the speakers I knew I would enjoy hearing. If you ever get a chance to hear Andrew Pudewa, Jason Lisle, or Paul Washer speak, take it. It doesn't even matter if you are familiar with their work, just trust me, you'll get alot out of their talks. Even though I've listened to many of their talks or sermons before, I was still so encouraged and challenged. Their advice, wisdom, and information never get old to me.
I also took my oldest two kids with me to the homeschool conference this year. We do the IEW writing program, which was created by Andrew Pudewa, so they insisted on coming so they could meet him since they have seen him so often on video! They even got a picture with him, which was a highlight. I was impressed with how well they listened and enjoyed the sessions we went to, and it was so nice to have buddies with me throughout the day.
At the conference, we had a chance to go through the Semisaurus Creation Museum, which is a museum built within a traveling semi trailer! That can sound underwhelming at first, but I was amazed at how much information and interesting artifacts they packed into such a small space. We took at least 45 minutes to go through it, and that was with trying to hurry! We were really impressed with it and learned a lot.
I've had hardly any time to read this month, but a blog post is hardly complete without mentioning some books. I am working through On Our Knees by Susan Heck during my morning devotional time, and it has been encouraging and challenging so far. Susan Heck is one of the few Christian women authors I recommend. She has memorized the entire New Testament, and is working on the Old Testament, and the amount of Scripture she has tucked away definitely comes through in her writing!
I am also reading a John MacArthur commentary, and for fun I'm working through a couple books - Exiles by Jane Harper is one of them. I wouldn't call Harper's books clean, there is definitely bad language in her books and some other content concerns, but something about her books just works for me. It may be the Australian setting. I'm a bit of a sucker for books set in Australia, so if you have read any good ones, pass them along. I'm also started a series with a book called A Gentle Tyranny, which is a dystopian YA, but with a pretty interesting twist. I'll save the full summary for the end-of-summer book roundup.
(Lulu, hiding out in our duffle bag before the disastrous camping trip.)
Next up on the blog will be all the books I read in April and May, since I'm still playing book review catchup! Keep an eye out for it next week.
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