I haven't blogged in a while...we have been busy learning and spending time together as a family which has meant spending considerably less time on the computer and watching television. I had to stop by tonight and share a funny from my little bit; my 6 year old daughter.

She told my husband and I she could tell fortunes if she read our palms. She took my hand first, squinting her eyes and concentrating on my palm. "You are going to have a lot of money." she tells me. Oh yeah, tell me more! "How?" I ask. She brings my palm all the way up to her face staring hard. "Well", she says, "by stopping buying things." Geez. I thought I had hit the jackpot for a moment. ;) My husband said, "You really are a fortune teller!!" That is until she read his palm with equal intensity and told him, "You are going to buy me a puppy." Hmmmm, I see....a future in persuasion.

I also wanted to refer some great books I have read lately, some of them book lovers have probably already read:

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See Now one of my top ten!

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell I am obsessed with this book-very strange but fascinating, I have ordered all other books by this author

The Giver by Lois Lowry Phenomenal

Sleep Toward Heaven by Amanda Eyre Ward Sad but engrossing

So Many Books So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading by Sarah Nelson Funny, smart and easy to read a chapter at a time

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingslover This book resonated with me as my cousin is an African missionary and this story revolves around a missionary family in the Congo. I found the end to be a bit slow, but worth it.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova I loved this story, it took a while to get through but I savored every moment

The Nanny Diaries by Emma Krauss One word; hilarious!

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Piccolt A very interesting and morally challenging story, never expect any less from Ms. Piccolt!

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier Infinitely better than the movie.

I am now reading the sequel to the Sparrow~Children of God by Mary Doria Russell. I am relishing every page. Hopefully I will get some better info on these up soon and review my favorites.

Back to School

Yesterday we had our first day of school along with our school district. It was a great first day, we had lots of fun! I am feeling excited and a little more organized and confident with our curriculum this year.

We started our day off by making "Writer's Notebooks" that we will use to journal and story tell. We personalized these by using family photographs and magazine clippings to make a collage. Here is the finished product:

Trace's Notebook:

Avery's Notebook:

We dove right into our storytelling process and Avery proudly showed off her stormy story, lightning and all!

I have found some very cool information on different websites and we have a full year of fun ahead of us. A lot of friends and family ask how our schedule works and so here it is for this year:

Monday
8:30- Journal
9:00- Art (ARTistic Pursuits-An Introduction to the Visual Arts)
9:30-Spelling
10:00- Outdoor Walk/Nature Study
10:30-Math
11:00-Reading Workshop
11:30 Chores/Independent Play
Lunch 12:00

Tuesday
8:30- Writing Workshop
9:00- Social Studies-Classical Study/Timelines
9:30-Mystery Detectives

10:00- Outdoor Walk/Nature Study
10:30-Math
11:00-Reading Workshop
11:30 Chores/Independent Play
Lunch 12:00

Wednesday
8:30-Journal
9:00-Music
9:30-Read Aloud Time
10:00- Outdoor Walk/Nature Study
10:30-Math
11:00-Reading Workshop
11:30 Chores/Independent Play
Lunch 12:00

Thursday

Co-op (The kids will take three classes a piece during co-op)

Friday

8:30- Writing Workshop
9:00-Science
9:30 Math
10:00 Spelling Test
10:30 Library
12:00 Lunch

Of course, we don't always stick with our schedule. For instance, we don't stop at exactly 9:30 on the dot to move to Math. That would be ridiculous. For me that is the ultimate about homeschooling. If someone doesn't feel well or a lesson isn't progressing, we have the freedom to move on to something that will. That's the beauty of it. But it does really help to have a general outline and sense of order so we aren't in chaos either.

Also on Fridays, as we did last year, we visit the Library, check out books for the coming week and then stop at one of our favorite places for a slice of pizza. (Providing everyone behaved all week long!)

I am very excited about our writing and reading workshops, a time where they can work independently or get my help as needed as I do chores! I also implemented independent play last year which was the greatest addition to our day ever. The children can spend time playing, but no computer (or television-obviously!) and they have to play alone. They may go into their rooms or the back yard and play, but it really helped develop their imaginations and ability to entertain themselves instead of demanding to be entertained. Here is Trace during his Independent Play time building an army:

Well, that's it for now. We are eager to get into our school year and learn! I added a couple more pictures of my little hard workers for their Nana :)

Book Reviews: Night/Memory Keeper's Daughter

I have to start by saying, I have been blogging about almost nothing but books and book reviews...but I have been doing a LOT of reading. Summer is upon us, school's out and the slick humidity and daylight that never seems to end just naturally pulls me back to when I was a child and school was out for summer. I literally (no pun intended) had my nose in a book all summer long. And so it goes on, for me it's better than swimming, better than ice cream, better than air; a good book I can carry with me through all the pit stops of summer, and lose myself into a fabulously woven story. The next two fall into that category, definitely the kind that take you away to a different place and time where you identify so completely with the characters that later you have a memory of them and momentarily you are puzzled at whether they were real or not.

Night by Elie Weisel

I was so unaware, had no real idea of what this book was when I saw it. I had seen it around some book blogs, so the title stood out in my mind when I breezed by it at a local thrift store. It was a very thin book, so deceiving. I scooped it up for 25 cents. Later at home, I picked it up to read the prologue thinking I would read it later in the week after I finished my current read. The prologue alone was so haunting and mesmerizing, I read on. I read on past dinner, on past my husband on the couch watching the 10 o'clock news, and on to the end of the story, leaving me so humbled and ashamed of the things I take for granted. Between the covers of this story is the story of a man that lived through the unthinkable. His world, his reality came to a screeching halt, everything he believed in stripped from him slowly with hate and malice. It is truly unimaginable the things he witnessed, lived through. I believe everyone should read this book and never, ever forget that in this world, the unthinkable could happen to us, to anyone. We should never forget such things. Imagine, your reality could change and your humanity could be robbed from you, your right to live no longer yours, but in the hands of someone who wants to eradicate you from this earth. There is nothing else I can say-this story cannot be summed up. I also loved Weisel's writing style; beautiful, somewhat poetic at times, harsh and slicing at others. Five stars.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

I really loved this book. It was wonderfully written, the imagery taking me to the heart of each moment described in this story. It was also bitterly sad, yet still hopeful.

The story opens with Dr. David Henry delivers his own twins during a blizzard one cold dark night in 1961. Alone but for his wife and his nurse Dr. Henry brings his children into the world, a healthy beautiful boy first, and then a daughter, which he immediately recognizes has Down Syndrome. During a time when Downs children were often sent to institutions, and after his own very personal and devastating loss of his young sister, Dr. Henry makes a split decision that will forever change his life.

"Later," Edwards writes, "when he considered this night -- and he would think of it often, in the months and years to come: the turning point of his life, the moments around which everything else would always gather -- what he remembered was the silence in the room and the snow falling outside." In that quiet, terrifying moment, the grief and resentment caused by his sister's death at the age of 12 washes back over him, and he acts to preserve their vision of a happy future. He hands the baby to his nurse and asks her to take it to a home outside the city for handicapped children. When Norah awakens a few minutes later, he tells her their second baby was stillborn. "He had wanted to spare her, to protect her from loss and pain; he had not understood that loss would follow her regardless, as persistent and life-shaping as a stream of water. Nor had he anticipated his own grief, woven with the dark threads of his past."

Edwards story is an intricate and delicately woven tale about the dark power of secrets and the redemptive power of forgiveness. Another 5 star book.

Now I'm off to read A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah....

Book Review-The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner is a haunting tale about the relationship between two boys and a stark portrait of past and present day Afghanistan. Two boys, Hassan and Amir are raised together, both motherless by different circumstances. They are as close as brothers, but a world of differences separates them. Amir and his father, Sunni Muslims, are wealthy and privileged with an honorable bloodline while Hassan and his father are Shi'a Muslims and are poor illiterate servants that live in a mud hut behind Amir's grand house.

Despite their differences the boys are raised as nearly brothers. Then, the year Amir is twelve during the annual kite flying competition he witnesses an unspeakable act of violence against Hassan. It changes everything. As Afghanistan comes under the attack of Russia Amir's life is changed forever. The story chronicles the life and hardship of Amir and his father as they flee to America, and try to find a life in a new world while still clinging to their love and loyalty of their old, broken one.

As an adult, fate draws Amir back to Afghanistan one last time. In the home of his heart, he finally has an opportunity to redeem the single act that has haunted him for his entire life.

Never have I read such a tormenting and heart wrenching story of love, loss and redemption. It is with sorrow and hope that you turn the last page of this book. It took a while for me to move on to my next read with the echo of this one still in my thoughts. I also loved how much symbolism and thematic elements were throughout the book; each time you came across one with understanding, it was a little gem. I also thought the relationships portrayed in the story were rich and all the characters had flaws that we can find in ourselves. It made a fine point: no one you love is perfect, but love isn't about perfection. Definitely a five star book! For more on the book and the author check out this site.

The Time Traveler's Wife & The Handmaid's Tale Reviews

Another two reviews for the SRT. Stop by at Katrina's blog to get the details and free book give-aways!
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

This was added to my SRT list after I saw it on another list. I scooped it up from the library, eager to begin it. However, it quickly became clear that I wouldn't be devouring this one in the usual way. I had to read this in doses, the prose especially drove me a little crazy. Even then, I couldn't stop reading, it had me hooked.

The story opens in a chilling scenario of our world in the future. It is bleak and meaningless. After the deterioration of society-increasing rapes, pornography, violence and the rise of the women's movement, a regime of religious fanatics called the Republic of Gilead take over the government and control of America. Men have all the power, women are reduced to groups. The Wives are respectable women, married only once, the Aunts are older women who train the others, the Marthas as well are older or cannot produce, the Handmaids are women taken and distributed for their viable ovaries. The spirited ones, the resistant, are Unwomen, sent to live in colonies saturated with nuclear waste. Also, not known to all, are the Jezebel's, women used for their bodies.

The regime tries to eradicate the horrors of the past with control. Pictures are used in place of words since women are no longer allowed to read. People who do not follow the regime's rules end up on "The Wall" hung in public for all to see what crimes they are guilty of by a sign hung around thier neck with a picture to signify the offense. Only those worthy may have the privilege of children. Due to nuclear spills and toxins among other things, many babies do not survive. So Handmaids are distributed to the Commander's and their Wives where they are attempted to be impregnated by the Commanders once a month. No touching, no passion, no love is allowed in these relationships, so far in fact, that the wives are present during the "ceremony." And this very thing is where the regime finds it's fault line; for nothing can deter the force of human nature. And to be human is to feel, to pursue relationships of love.

Margaret Atwood has written a very believable and horrifying tale. It certainly gives you the heebie jeebies just thinking that it is not altogether impossible that fanatical groups could go so far as to destroy our society and strip us of control. Overall, I think that I did take something away from this book and recommend reading it. It is one that will take a while to dissipate....






The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Neffenegger


This turned out to be a book I can add to my favorites list. I will say though, that after loving it and recommending it to a friend, she did not like it at all. I was so puzzled, we like many of the same books. For her, it was the time travel. So I will prelude my review by echoing a reviewer I read on Amazon; if you do not like time travel in a book, this one will not change your mind.

That said, I cannot emphasize enough that in my opinion, this book is the furthest thing from science fiction. I think that for time travel, it was altogether unique and unprecedented.

The Time Traveler's Wife is the story of Henry and Clare De Tamble. Henry has a chrono-displacement condition that causes him to time travel when he is nervous, anxious or upset. Usually he travels to his own past-particularly places or events that are significant to him, like his beloved mother's death or his wife's childhood. This is in fact how they meet-Clare meets Henry as a child over the course of her childhood he will appear and she eventually finds herself so comfortable with their unusual relationship, she isn't surprised when she falls in love with him. She knows this is how it will be, since this is what eventually happens.

Later, Clare finds Henry in the "present" time, where he is meeting her for the first time; and so it goes. However, although you see them in different times, the novel manages to progress beautifully. Henry is unable to change or alter the future, so he can only accept events as they occur. The story chronicles their marriage and frustrations as he and Clare seek medical help for his condition, struggle through failed pregnancies, navigate through every day situations which are more unorthodox than most couples. The author's depth and reality of the characters is fresh and believable. Although it was a story about the stresses and commitment of love and marriage, it also examined the frailty and complication of other relationships between people in the story; family and friends. I truly loved this story and will probably be reading it again soon. Highly recommended.

**And here's a litte fun trivia: this movie is in production for the big screen. For details go here. Even better? Rachel McAdams, the up and coming beautiful actress that starred in The Notebook is casted as Clare. It is scheduled to be released in 2008. I will definitly be seeing this one!

Book Reviews on 1st Three Completed SRT Books

I have finished three books from the Spring Reading Thing! I am having so much fun reading non stop, and I can clearly see I will have to add A LOT more books to my list which will not be a problem after reading all those lists! I have done reviews on the ones I have finished.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon This one had me hooked from the first paragraph which made me laugh out loud. See below:

"It was 7 minutes after midnight. The dog was lying on the grass in the middle of the lawn in front of Mrs Shears' house. Its eyes were closed. It looked as if it was running on its side, the way dogs run when they think they are chasing a cat in a dream. But the dog was not running or asleep. The dog was dead. There was a garden fork sticking out of the dog. The points of the fork must have gone all the way through the dog and into the ground because the fork had not fallen over. I decided that the dog was probably killed with the fork because I could not see any other wounds in the dog and I do not think you would stick a garden fork into a dog after it had died for some other reason, like cancer for example, or a road accident. But I could not be certain about this."

The main character of this book is a 15 year old autistic boy named Christopher who decides to investigate the murder of his neighbor's dog. As he maps out his reason and logic, you are able to glimpse into his very practically thinking mind. Sometimes he explains how he doesn't understand gestures, facial expressions and generally can not relate to other people's emotions, instead he trusts facts. As Christopher uncovers clues, he also discovers some truths about the demise of his parents marriage. The reader watches him put all the pieces of his life together and ascertain what they mean to him. Mark Haddon has given us a truly unique narrator and it is funny, sad and touching to hear Christopher's thoughts. I really enjoyed it.

The Rapture of Caanan by Sheri Reynolds This is the story of Ninah Huff who is the granddaughter of the founder of the "Church of Fire and Brimstone and God's almighty Baptizing Wind." Her grandfather doesn't give an inch for any infractions on his compound which consists of his extended family. Worse, he makes the rules and sets humiliating and terrible punishments for those found guilty of breaking them. Ninah is a wonderful character who has the sense to question some of the practices and beliefs of her family and the church. However, when she gets pregnant by her prayer partner, she is in new territory and her secret, when found out rocks the community and brings members of the church to a close self-examination. The characters are flawed but likable. I really liked the Grandmother's character and her relationship with Ninah. This was a quick read, just a couple of days, and I enjoyed it, but was a little disappointed with the ending. You know those books where there isn't really closure and you are left to imagine the end? It's one of those.

Marley and Me by John Grogan

You know those books you can't put down? I finished this book in one day! It was a wonderfully light read and had me laughing so much in the first few chapters my husband finally said, "WHAT is so funny?" Dog lovers will love all of Marley's antics, my favorite being his episodes at Obedience Class. It is also a sweet chronicle of a couple just beginning a family. A wonderful novel about a capricious pet and the family who loves him. Definitely recommended! More about the book can be found at www.marleyandme.com.

Spring Reading Thing

Okay, so I haven't posted in forever. But since only about 3 people read my blog, that's okay. :)
I just had to participate in Katrina's Spring Reading Thing since reading is about the only thing I can commit to. Most nights my hubby watches the History Channel while I curl up on the couch beside him and read whatever book I am currently enthralled by.

I just finished The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield which was GREAT, and The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd which is a treasure. I am currently reading Jodi Piccoult's Picture Perfect, but I won't count that. ;) Jodi is my new favorite author-if only she could shell them out as fast as I can read them!

Most of the books I am listing come from my "Books to Investigate" list in my book journal. Which is a great idea, I am having fun writing my thoughts after each book I read. (I added some info to some of the books.) So, here goes in no particular order:

The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian Quote from none other than my favorite writer, Jodi Piccoult: "The story centers on Laurel Estabrook, a young social worker and survivor of a near-rape, who stumbles across photographs taken by a formerly homeless client and tries to understand how a man who'd taken snapshots of celebrities in the 50s and 60s might have wound up on the streets. However, an author's note tells us that Bohjalian conceived this book after being shown a batch of old photographs taken by a once-homeless man; and the actual photos of Bob "Soupy" Campbell are peppered throughout the text. In another neat twist, Bohjalian's resurrects details from The Great Gatsby, which become "real" in the context of his own novel--Laurel lives in West Egg; part of her hunt for her photographer's past involves meeting with the descendants of Daisy and Tom Buchanan." Okay-intertwining the Great Gatsby which I include in the list of best books ever written? Had to check it out.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards-
This stunning novel begins on a winter night in 1964, when a blizzard forces Dr. David Henry to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy, but the doctor immediately recognizes that his daughter has Down syndrome. For motives he tells himself are good, he makes a split-second decision that will haunt all their lives forever. He asks his nurse, Caroline, to take the baby away to an institution. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child as her own. Compulsively readable and deeply moving, The Memory Keeper's Daughter is a brilliantly crafted story of parallel lives, familial secrets, and the redemptive power of love.

**Also, a little side note; Sue Monk Kidd said this was "Absolutely Mesmerizing." Love it!

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon This book is written from the perspective of a 15 year old autistic boy. That is enough to make it an intriguing read in my opinion.

The Rapture of Caanan by Sheri Reynolds

Marley and Me by John Grogan

A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah In A LONG WAY GONE, Beah, now twenty-six years old, tells a riveting story. At the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he’d been picked up by the government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he was capable of truly terrible acts. Eventually released by the army and sent to a UNICEF rehabilitation center, he struggled to regain his humanity and to reenter the world of civilians, who viewed him with fear and suspicion. This is, at last, a story of redemption and hope.

Crunchy Cons: How Birkenstocked Burkeans, gun-loving organic gardeners, evangelical free-range farmers, hip homeschooling mamas, right-wing nature lovers, and their diverse tribe of countercultural conservatives plan to save America (or at least the Republican Party) by Rod Dreher Referred by a friend and it looks interesting: At a time when the Republican Party seems to be fracturing from within, commentator Rod Dreher says it's time for the GOP to return to its roots. And he thinks conservatives could find inspiration from fellow Republicans who embrace a counter-cultural yet traditional conservative lifestyle -- what Dreher dubs "Crunchy Cons."

And may I add, if you have this book from the Grapevine Library, PLEASE RETURN IT. I'm patiently waiting.

Our Snow Day

Today being a snow day and all, we did a little of everything. But the best part was, after a study of volcanoes we have been doing we constructed our own! And Daddy was even home to help!

We started off the morning with a little of this:

Then we got up built and made one of these:Jason even made a huge pot of chili. Mmm...nothing like comfort food when it's cold out! Then, we got down to business! Here is the beginning of our volcano:

Someone kept taking off with our "rock." He looks innocent but don't be fooled.

We used a vase as our base with our "magma pool" at the bottom :) Crumpled newspaper became layers of rock forming our volcano. Next we covered it with tin foil and spray painted it:

Here's a close up taken by Trace:

After we finished, it looked pretty real! We took it outside, bundled up and prepared for the grand finale!

Very cool! It was lots of fun. Here's the cool website we found out a lot of our info on and you can even make your own cyber volcano! It was a great snow day all in all.