Reading, Listening, Watching...

This month I have been reading My One Word by Mike Ashcraft.

I have been listening to 'Christmas' at Downton Abbey on repeat and occasionally my Pandora Christmas station.

I have been enjoying my lighted blossom tree from Hobby Lobby that my husband and kids bought for me last year for my birthday, with a cinnamon candle burning early in the mornings while I sip a cup of hot chocolate or decaf coffee.

I have been working on making some adjustments in our homeschool path due to some more testing and medications and diagnoses.  I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE the book Home Learning Year by Year by Rebecca Rupp.  She makes it SO much easier to write down goals and to double check our targets and projection paths.

I have been reading aloud picture books.  I am a firm believer that you are NEVER too old for picture books.  I have found that some of the MOST incredibly whimsical, magical, and absolutely beautiful artwork can be found nestled in the pages of a picture book.  I have also found that picture books are a great way to break up hard days.  Some of our favorites this week are Fall of Freddy the Leaf, How to Bake an Apple Pie and See the World.  We are also reading an Old Fashioned Thanksgiving, while not a picture book but a short story by Louisa May Alcott, I find that her use of language paints the most delightful pictures in your mind.

Speaking of Louisa May Alcott, one of my children is an avid Louisa May Alcott fan so we are re-reading Little Women together.  *sigh* I LOVE Little Women!!!  My other two are not so much, so we are reading The Great Turkey Walk aloud together.

We have added a few movies to our Christmas drawer, have I mentioned how VERY much we LOVE Christmas movies?!?!  Hallmark, cartoons, old-fashioned black and white movies...*sigh*  

And finally, there are several amazing things I have discovered from following Sarah Clarkson's Instagram page.  I know I did a post a few months ago about how much I adore Sarah Clarkson and her new book, but let me just say one more time, if you have not read her blog or seen her Instagram page...please take the time to do that!!!  Anyway, I think it was last month?  But Sarah told her readers about David Suchet reading the Gospel of Mark.  OH.MY.  I did not realize why his voice was so familiar to me, but my kids have two audio books that he narrates and I absolutely LOVE his voice!  I know he is also a well-known actor, but I don't think I have seen any of his movies, series, or plays.  But I bet he is incredible!!!  Within that same post, she talked about this song by Andrew Peterson. ' Is He Worthy?'  I have listened over and over to this song, it is so beautiful.

I have also been reading aloud the Story of Redemption by Crossway - it was a free pdf download and we have been reading it almost every day, using our Bible Timeline and Maps to trace the epic story God is proclaiming.  We have paired it with 'He Is' by Aaron Jeoffrey

We are getting ready to start Hallelujah by Cindy Rollins (&others).  I cannot wait.  We are kind of eclectic when it comes to our walk with God.  I LOVE my Jewish heritage while also proclaiming the truth that Jesus is the Messiah. 

Interspersing these things in between math and Barton Method and grammar and anatomy and music and art classes...it has made all the difference in the world in the midst of a hard season.