tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21840425144307584402024-03-19T00:01:16.699-04:00Read-at-Home MomKatie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.comBlogger1239125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-15594905246989244922024-03-05T17:54:00.000-05:002024-03-05T17:54:04.870-05:00Homeschool Update: January & February 2024 <h3 style="text-align: left;">Group Activities </h3><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">Geography/Art </h4><p>From <i>The Complete Book of Marvels</i> by Richard Halliburton, Dad read these sections, and the girls watched accompanying videos: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Carcassonne, City of Romance [<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnFlu9bYlBs">video</a>] </li><li>Mount St. Michael [<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah7MMBu7-7w">video</a>]</li><li>Reims Cathedral, Holy Monument [<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk9lwfIxo94">video</a>]</li><li>Matterhorn, Tiger of the Alps [<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIwsKCZRkXc">video</a>]</li><li>St. Bernard Monastery [<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upS2UFdktBU">video</a>]</li><li>St. Peter's, Church Supreme [<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svVc3i71uQk">video</a>]</li><li>Vesuvius, Famous Volcano [<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZc7Mtid9a4">video</a>]</li><li>Pompeii, City of the Past [<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpbDC4kUwOI">video</a>]</li><li>Blue Grotto, Cavern of Loveliness [<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtkgRTOjx2M">video</a>]</li></ul><p></p><p>C. also learned the locations of the continents using <a href="https://world-geography-games.com/en/world_continents.html">this game</a>. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">Latin </h4><p>We continued our lessons in <i>Getting Started with Latin: Beginning Latin for Homeschoolers and Self-Taught Students of Any Age</i> by William E. Linney, which introduced the second declension. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">Shakespeare</h4><p>We read the children's versions of <i>Richard III</i> and <i>Othello</i> from Shakespeare Stories by Leon Garfield and the girls watched the animated adaptations. For <i>Richard III</i>, the girls acted out part of Act 2 Scene 2 as a group, and then watched the film adaptation starring Laurence Olivier. For <i>Othello</i>, M. memorized Iago's speech from Act 1 Scene 1, lines 57-65, C memorized Othello's speech from Act 3 Scene 3, lines 267-279, and E. memorized Desdemona's speech from Act 1 Scene 3, lines 179-188. At the end of February, they were still working on finalizing those.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">Read-Alouds</h4><div>Dad read aloud this historical fiction title:<br /><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>At the Hot Gates: An Account of the Battle of Thermopylae</i> by Donald Sampson </li></ul></div></div><p>I read aloud these titles: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Animals' Christmas</i> by Anne Thaxter Eaton </li><li><i>The Tough Winter</i> by Robert Lawson </li><li><i>Over Sea, Under Stone </i>by Susan Cooper</li><li><i>From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler</i> by E.L. Konigsburg </li><li><i>Tom's Midnight Garden</i> by Philippa Pearce </li></ul><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">Catechism </h4><p>We did a little bit of work in our Catechism books, and then got ready for Lent with Ash Wednesday coloring pages, Lenten paths to color in, and Mardi Gras masks (with hearts for Valentine's Day!), and we colored and "buried" the Alleluia in a bookshelf. We attended the Latin Mass once in January once in February. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">Poetry</h4><p>We finished reading <i>Poem Making</i> by Myra Cohn Livingston and then analyzed "The Pirate Don Durk of Dowdee" and "Barbara Frietchie" using what we learned. </p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Science </h3><p>C. worked as far as I wanted her to go in the <i>Classic Science</i> student book by Scott McQuerry. Then she read <i>Lili: A Giant Panda of Sichuan</i> by Robert McClung. E. and I read <i>The First Book of Bugs</i> by Margaret Williamson together. </p><p>Both girls started listening to me read <i>The First Book of Plants</i> by Margaret Wiliamson. They also watched <i>Life on Earth: Plants </i>and wrote narrations on the Venus fly trap. </p><p>M. and I continued reading <i>Secrets of the Universe</i>, covering these chapters: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The Law of Conservation of Matter</li><li>Pascal's Law - How Liquids Behave</li><li>Boyle's and Charles's Laws - How Gases Behave</li><li>Bernoulli's Principle</li><li>How the Elements Combine - The Law of Definite Proportions and Gay-Lussac's Law</li></ul>From <i>Physics for Every Kid</i> by Janice Van Cleave, she did experiments 55 (Crash), 61 (Bonk), 79 (See Through), 89 (Hot Band), and 97 (Twang) and wrote reports. <p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Health</h3>C. had two visits to the orthodontist and read about puberty in <i>The Body Book for Girls</i>. <p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">History </h3><p>C. read with Dad from <i>The World of George Washington</i> by Genevieve Foster. She wrote narrations on the Declaration of Independence and Benjamin Franklin. </p><p>M. read <i>The Ancient South Asian World</i>, and watched episodes of the <i>History of India</i> from Great Courses, as well as <i>The Story of India</i> and <i>What the Ancients Knew: India</i>. She took notes on the Great Courses videos. Then she read <i>The Ancient Chinese</i>, and did a worksheet for each chapter, focusing on the Word Bank, What Happened When, Cast of Characters, and All Over the Map exercises. She did narrations on the Ramayana and Mahabarata and on Confucius. <br /></p><p>M. and E. read Virginia Schomp's collections of Indian and Chinese myths together. </p><p>E. continued reading <i>A Child's History of the World</i> by V.M. Hillyer. She also <i>The First Marathon: the Legend of Pheidippides</i> by Susan Reynolds and <i>A Gift for the King</i> by Christopher Manson. </p><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">English</h3><p> M. switched from from <i>Rex Barks</i>, which was becoming tedious to <i>Sentence Diagramming</i>. She completed the Beginner level quickly and moved on to Level 1. She finished Vocabulary from Classical Roots A, but we realized there were earlier levels she would benefit from doing and gave her Level 6 next. </p><p>C. continued working on the Beginner level of <i>Sentence Diagramming</i>. </p><p>E. did several worksheets to practice identifying verbs. </p><p>R. worked with me in <i>The Ordinary Parents' Guide to Teaching Reading</i> and practiced reading these Hooked on Phonics readers: <i>Pig Wig</i>, <i>Pig Wig Can Hit</i>, <i>Tag</i>, and <i>Ann's Hat</i>. </p><p>A. practiced identifying her letters and started learning the sounds for short A and short E from T<i>he Ordinary Parents' Guide to Teaching Reading. </i></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Math </h3><p>M. continued working on Challenging Word Problems 3 and Singapore Primary Mathematics 6B. She needed extra work on fractions and area. In Life of Fred, she continued with <i>Decimals and Percents</i> and she worked on 7th grade math and Algebra 1 on Khan Academy.</p><p>C. -finished Singapore Primary Mathematics 3B and moved on to 4A. She finished <i>Life of Fred: Farming</i> and moved on to <i>Goldfish</i>. In Khan Academy, she is still in fourth grade math. </p><p>E. continued working on Singapore Primary Mathematics1B, and she is 80% finished with early math on Khan Academy.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Music </h3><p>M. and C. have been working on the music theory exercises in <i>Practical Theory</i> by Sandy Felstein. All three girls did note identification and ear training on the computer and practiced piano and recorder daily. M. and C. played recorder duets of "Rondo" and "O Come All Ye Faithful"; C. and E. are doing a recorder duets of "Rigaudon." Occasionally, they watched episodes of <i>How to Play the Piano</i> with Pamela Pike from Great Courses.<br /></p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Physical Education </h3>This winter, they ran outside when the weather was nice and played with a sled on the hill with neighbor kids in the snow.<p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Typing and Handwriting </h3><p>All three girls practiced typing on Typing.com. M and C. also did Ten Fast Fingers and C. also did some typing on Keybr.com. E. practiced cursive daily; the other girls wrote their narrations in cursive. </p>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-32243659233978381202024-03-05T10:25:00.001-05:002024-03-05T10:59:49.837-05:00Read-at-Home Mom Report: February 2024 Wrap-Up<h3 style="text-align: left;">February Favorites</h3><p>These were some of my five-star reads in February: </p><p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiezSP4kVPV3j1gUoZqZ6-q3scF41EROJ9rMZYG34VXYEuZ1b5Tl15oz51v8Wn66JRASbsO8N69U2G1OUkkTsh-GBCMePZt0e7d2L0Kqp_4S8CVMcjnXi65pLgG1QIbmT1bCdFXv9ZDppq17NupiKL9RKqvtC-h68Tm9JBu_F-9LKOoFuW2CiEnRiiqeaJd=w124-h200" width="124" /><img height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNLlTcWfgzDUvg1bZF8nWs9UQFeEHo_9gd-Iq4Rz3I3R4OBw2reJB_FCB0aFWxEFgyDeHyJxJutO-a4wOt1KMNr1EFdezfUis6cLyqFpcGhp7SGB32ja8HPkW3EDI12aFbWTUhEWymHJlioWfFrXegKcU7OBUJT_-O9wHSk0Wh5qNLAuqvYmiaEm_1ip-q=w142-h200" width="142" /><img height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmnVm4uGJCG0F4oJSs6wnfOfkjk0BJn2Ik-XBfIx3V-M-_LfaP9E7s8dRYxhpLCmztVyR4dxoNlQ6JI-VXkB8U8IfC2xXQUe3_7vKWS5JN-BoOKKn5BLwzXd7dGEKwrwr5cLV-_g3mhqNedqy8SB88TcoIXym5fHBhk7VK53qh1BTWHVE3VIvAlWKHPjjr=w127-h200" width="127" /><br /><br /></div><i>Silas Marner</i> by George Eliot <br />I read this with the episodes from the Literary Life podcast, and they were very illuminating. I never would have recognized the Rumpelstiltskin references without help. I also loved the writing and found the story very satisfying. <p></p><p><i>Lunar New Year Love Story</i> by Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham<br />I don't read many graphic novels, but I love this author and illustrator, and I couldn't pass up a graphic novel YA romance! There are some wonderfully authentic Catholic details in this book (which I expected, since Yang taught at a Catholic school) as well as lots of fun information about the lion dance and really interesting, layered characters, including adults. This will probably make my favorites list at the end of the year.<br /><br /><i>Parnassus on Wheels</i> by Christopher Morley <br />This is a delight for anyone who loves books. I enjoyed the humor and love story as well as all the bookish commentary.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDfL8OG_WtsPt5ZFBovd0sOBXWpTo8zzHCowQByESv3akSSMNEhqXlH7B9FC5AYXHHYM58Rr-Alkdd38xPsyAS1BFbRmERpgmyoAJHx-Dz94enkRVf0iLqJS-dDlYBi6Weqbknitb7eLZbqZeQiFv8OnKIl3f9ins3h6xC8QFWjePdApsk78a6dENzb1Ik=w129-h200" width="129" /><img height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNQxPJu38BjKHq_gMKowqEBbYYu2eZFZnaGsFGtXqZhgbL9F5VQAmxKS_CbXXx9QUkZCnoGLwF9tw41O4GGtiwi0x5bj-Cb5yWT8AimEoGLD9O_evRP8ofQaLra1kZgqD0-1V9rc6JsVmey_Nx1qF3hA_cHjpSJFwLuQRw-e4MLkj0Mtw4RjdvQ5jg00mm=w133-h200" width="133" /><img height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqjSLCoCGgvKMFvlBOeFtjEsII69P31VEqp8Q-dAd1eicBbZQV76PTYxIbE-UIFhSfjdrIh5qHtn0FyTfdk7ITxG_6HqFsQ_7sfvkNRuZCvvBmYD_F1uVfsTPt5P9Hu5c36nv5a8FfIPKXIgI7s8rhWyqZs1v2gdyT38_XbREKFQGPj8lnCfJpkwLPdINe=w130-h200" width="130" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPvrWtwNvNWvqupVJq4ZzJ3W_J7WRpGvAgMNga7gH8IzQtlXPNulUI13Fz2O15wJFQXlYXAl8SD3gSkB4c6whVPXhh9mZzffKQXRE6NmT2QiBRQNN6SGgIEeatyg4bG-3RERPniBRQFsDfPmjAEhHdFIp_XvOWYc-SkgsCSnqAw4nUAi_uIMsR5D6gX23r" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="289" data-original-width="175" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPvrWtwNvNWvqupVJq4ZzJ3W_J7WRpGvAgMNga7gH8IzQtlXPNulUI13Fz2O15wJFQXlYXAl8SD3gSkB4c6whVPXhh9mZzffKQXRE6NmT2QiBRQNN6SGgIEeatyg4bG-3RERPniBRQFsDfPmjAEhHdFIp_XvOWYc-SkgsCSnqAw4nUAi_uIMsR5D6gX23r=w121-h200" width="121" /></a><br /><br /><i>The Road</i> by Cormac McCarthy</div>I expected this to be brutal, but it was actually quite hopeful despite the bleak setting and circumstances. The writing is also beautiful. <p></p><p><i>The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County</i> by Claire Swinarski<br />This is a novel immersed in Catholicism, and I absolutely loved it. There is a little bit of language I wouldn't have included if I were the author, but otherwise great writing and wonderful characters.</p><p><i>A Swarm in May</i> by William Mayne<br />This vintage UK middle grade book about a boys' choir school was an excellent read-aloud. I loved all the details about beekeeping and the way the boys teased each other and their teachers.<br /><br /><i>To Say Nothing of the Dog</i> by Connie Willis <br />I know I missed a lot in this book because it makes so many literary references, and it felt a bit slow for me, but it was so clever and such a fun concept. I know I'll want to read it again someday.<br /><br /></p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Read-Aloud and Homeschool Books</h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Over Sea, Under Stone</i> by Susan Cooper (5 stars)</li><li><i>Poem-Making: Ways to Begin Writing Poetry</i> by Myra Cohn Livingston (4 stars)</li><li><i>From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler</i> by E.L. Konigsburg (5 stars)</li><li><i>Tom's Midnight Garden</i> by Philippa Pearce (5 stars)</li></ul><p></p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Sequels and Series Books</h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Date with Malice</i> (The Dales Detective Series Book 2) by Julia Chapman (5 stars)</li><li><i>The Crow Trap</i> (Vera Stanhope Book 1) by Ann Cleeves (3 stars)</li><li><i>Kissing for Keeps </i>(Sheppards in Love Book 1) by Martha Keyes (3 stars)</li><li><i>Per My Last Email</i> (Wells Family Book 1) by Juliana Smith (4 stars)</li><li><i>The Dark is Rising</i> (The Dark is Rising Book 2) by Susan Cooper (5 stars)</li><li><i>Holmes, Marple & Poe</i> (Holmes, Margaret & Poe Book 1) by James Patterson (4 stars) </li></ul><p></p><div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Stand-Alone Books</h3><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Eyes and the Impossible</i> by Dave Eggers (5 stars)</li><li><i>Elf Dog and Owl Head</i> by M.T.Anderson (5 stars)</li><li><i>A Saint Squad for Teachers: 45 Heavenly Friends to Carry You through the School Year</i> by Amy J. Cattapan (4 stars)</li><li><i>Do You Mind If I Cancel?</i> by Gary Janetti (4 stars)</li><li><i>Start Without Me</i> by Gary Janetti (4 stars)</li><li><i>1000 Words: A Writer's Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round</i> by Jami Attenberg (5 stars)</li><li><i>If Morning Ever Comes</i> by Anne Tyler (3 stars)</li><li><i>Little Moments of Love </i>by Catana Chetwynd (4 stars)</li><li><i>1776</i> by David McCullough (4 stars)</li><li><i>Love, Unscripted</i> by Denise Hunter (4 stars)</li></ul></div></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">DNF</h3><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Twyford Code</i> by Janice Hallett</li></ul></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Family Reading Lists </h3><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">M. (girl, 10 years, 3 months)</h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Five Brothers: The Story of the Mahabharata</i> by Elizabeth Seeger </li><li><i>Tales of the Chinese Grandmother </i>by Frances Carpenter </li><li><i>The House with a Clock in its Walls</i> by John Bellairs</li><li><i>The Figure in the Shadows </i>by John Bellairs</li><li><i>The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring</i> by John Bellairs</li></ul></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">C. (girl, 8 years, 5 months)</h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Catherine the Great</i> by Katharine Scherman</li><li><i>The Secret Diary of Jeb & Abigail</i> by Jean Fritz</li></ul></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">E. (girl, 6 years, 4 months)</h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse</i> by Ursula Moray Williams</li><li><i>Jason and the Bees </i>by Brom Hoban</li></ul></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">R. (boy, 3 years, 11 months)<br />A. (girl, 3 years, 11 months) </h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Eloise Wilkin Treasury</i> (A.)</li><li><i>More More More said the Baby</i> by Vera Williams (A.)</li><li><i>Hope is a Hop </i>by Katrina Moore (A.)</li><li><i>Sleepy Time Tales</i> (R. and A.)</li><li><i>Animal Tales</i> (R. and A.)</li><li>Mr. Putter and Tabby series by Cynthia Rylant (R. and A.)</li><li><i>Owl Moon </i>by Jane Yolen (R. and A.)</li><li><i>My Big Book of Outdoors</i> by Tim Hopgood (A.) </li><li>Sheep in a Jeep series by Nancy Shaw (R.)</li><li><i>Sweet Dreams: 5-Minute Bedtime Stories</i> (R. and A.)</li><li><i>Nini Lost and Found</i> by Anita Lobel(A.)</li><li><i>Caps for Sale</i> by Esphyr Slobodkina (R.)</li></ul></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">My husband </h4><div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Ramayana</i> by Elizabeth Seeger (with M.)</li><li><i>Parnassus on Wheels</i> by Christopher Morley </li><li><i>Fancy Free</i> by Betty Cavanna</li><li><i>At the Hot Gates: An Account of the Battle of Thermopylae</i> by Donald Sampson (read aloud)</li></ul></div></div>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-40789799376536973482024-02-10T21:09:00.001-05:002024-02-10T21:09:20.003-05:00Read-at-Home Mom Report: January 2024 Wrap-Up <h3 style="text-align: left;">January Favorites</h3><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgbiSToBnFnZ6dNBrdyFnqFd4QWGl-5ZvnDapl3mYXzczxBBGyanRk-1PP5wGz2qdBa1LQGtCpCobs7bhy_jtjNL4YWB1BeB8NpdTB8h-EeI6OepWY1vqBk-pDjDpBcapEBIkrkNZa8kjHmgsxyB0KaXkHfo4UyDSkmVlle4t5fqovVJupe_EgPMGc0Z2YU=w203-h320" width="203" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidfEelCDz-SARN7Tft4Hfp7xnIJLaGVJNg_-71bvlY9NH6hQJi9iR0OFo0MaQFNRcgL-aALrBKpftC_EX-kZAJEXCJdER6Y--gSpOgjcYLRrlHL8467j9CB7i47pGaytP_kpasa5dOdc4rfdRtN81hISkgp5YioNUbNPkizGI-xs7eae7yDjlerSwkWPAZ=w213-h320" width="213" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6KWtbSYeR8LafpHeJaW3k_CiFsEPuMFCWt59PqcfT_2wC6hxysMpIapnDdEHJPNReke0gLfURW3ydgCjPe9vj5Gf5t3bH590le7vG4MGoD1EKp24ehfP_ArJZxdVm2c_LhGU53b-O-wsvc0jgghGu2eV1g2Q9AMNjuvkBi_mn0YWq0KL-sAZxuplHLJMQ=w214-h320" width="214" /><br /><br /><i>In This House of Brede</i> by Rumer Godden <br />My book club picked this for January, and I re-read it and took notes and everything only for book club to be canceled due to illnesses among the members. So now it's the book for our February meeting. I loved it the first time I read it, but I loved it even more the second time. </div><p></p><p><i>Rosie and the Dreamboat</i> by Sally Thorne <br />The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren <br />These two short stories from the Improbable Meet Cute series were the best of the bunch by far. I have never been able to get into any of Sally Thorne's books, but this story was adorable. The Christina Lauren story wasn't 100% clean, but I loved the epistolary format and slow burn trope. </p><p><i>Designed to Fail: Catholic Education in America</i> by Steven L. Kellmeyer <br />I loved this not so much for its indictment of the failures of many Catholic schools, but for its unapologetic statement that parents are the primary educators of their children, and that religious ed. programs and similar roadblocks rob parents of the task that only they can properly accomplish by virtue of the graces of the sacrament of marriage. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjR0TmiAGF_EarFPlA-zvFfl85rmE-KgqQG8uRH1b7EYlXygvoYIhT3JUsMgJx1KZsNW8tuYJujibeyKMhmYYaRW60XJ-MqRYCuobcggUmvQwpgsspcTi4m-MvjVTwqph4JBdB9sPTYoB1PHy8BJLRqyl0BApYynOgnk9cdeNTKwFLIXI2dZrDdig-8AK3e=w213-h320" width="213" /><img border="0" src="https://www.blogger.com/img/transparent.gif" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHb91EmiVEBucUpoHMHoJQiyKs-R2O9ShS5DqJbo3Y54jG3WShvJnYOnIzdsYHA_uMA1g1vSX-fKYboZdB_h5IkwHSRAQ6PTKzkt3fW9E1CAZKhYCIZUIn_7pxvrEpQwlisH_G8rL8eabWWdgSb4hP_2SHNDDIAx_V62ON7izio05_p6tZxBCXCxKjshVD=w207-h320" width="207" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjg_TUorFMlxcfAUAWmi2WmGkjRF_2MNgOWwVsT1mg0XEpj1yx4ahsnic6WhNb7RaPB1lY0jwrftuzedp7WooOZ7Mozi1PcQWHvB24sNJukuCOBnDNYWwc4dafC25nqVQ0lsJB2wF8tdVYylj2T4iTLaTdhcd1RzNw2ORP7mHxcsdeEZTt875U2e7bsWe-Z=w210-h320" width="210" /><br /><br /><i>Dungeons and Drama</i> by Kristy Boyce</div>This is exactly what a YA romance should be. I loved all the characters, even the parents, and the gaming store setting. <p></p><p><i>Whose Body?</i> by Dorothy L. Sayers<br />This introduction to the Lord Peter Wimsey series was delightful. I especially loved the dialogue. I can't wait to read more from this series. </p><p><i>Four Quartets</i> by T.S. Eliot<br /><i>The Poems of T. S. Eliot: Read by Jeremy Irons</i><br />I read Four Quartets aloud to myself and then listened to Jeremy Irons read all of Eliot's poetry. I didn't understand a lot of it, but I loved it anyway. </p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Read-Aloud and Homeschool Books</h3><i><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Animals' Christmas</i> by Anne Thaxter Eaton (4 stars)</li><li><i>The Tough Winter</i> by Robert Lawson (4 stars)</li></ul></i><p></p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Sequels and Series Books</h3><i><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Summer Lightning</i> (Blandings Castle Book 4) by P.G. Wodehouse (4 stars)</li><li><i>Mercy Watson is Missing!</i> (Tales from Deckawoo Drive Book 7) by Kate DiCamillo (4 stars)</li><li><i>Cuckoo's Calling</i> (Cormoran Strike Book 1) by Robert Galbraith (4 stars)</li><li><i>The Civil Prisoners</i> (Warstowe Saga Book 2) by Meriol Trevor (4 stars)</li><li><i>Worst Wingman Ever</i> (The Improbable Meet-Cute Book 2) by Abby Jimenez (3 stars)</li><li><i>Drop, Cover, and Hold On</i> (The Improbable Meet-Cute Book 4) by Jasmine Guillory (4 stars)</li><li><i>With Any Luck </i>(The Improbable Meet-Cute Book 5) by Ashley Poston (2 stars)</li><li><i>Royal Valentine</i> (The Improbable Meet-Cute Book 6) by Sariah Wilson (3 stars)</li><li><i>Retying the Knot</i> (The Fab Forties Book 1) by Liwen Ho (4 stars)</li><li><i>Head Over Stilettos</i> (The Fab Forties Book 2) by Liwen Ho (4 stars)</li><li><i>Death in the Spotlight</i> (Murder Most Unladylike Book 7) by Robin Stevens (3 stars)</li></ul></i><p></p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Stand-alone Books</h3><i><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>A Christmas Resolution</i> by Anne Perry (3 stars)</li><li><i>The Getaway List</i> by Emma Lord (4 stars)</li><li><i>That Wintry Feeling</i> by Debbie Macomber (2 stars)</li><li><i>Courting Mr. Emerson</i> by Melody Carlson (3 stars)</li><li><i>The Relaxed Home School: A Family Production</i> by Mary Hood (3 stars)</li><li><i>A Winter in New York</i> by Josie Silver (4 stars)</li><li><i>Antigone</i> by Sophocles (5 stars)</li><li><i>A Midsummer Night’s Dream</i> by William Shakespeare (5 stars)</li><li><i>The Year of Pleasures</i> by Elizabeth Berg (2 stars)</li><li><i>Daniel Boone</i> by James Daughtery (5 stars)</li></ul></i><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">DNF</h3><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>A Week in Winter</i> by Maeve Binchy </li><li><i>The Warden</i> by Anthony Trollope </li></ul></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Family Reading Lists</h3><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">M. (girl, 10 years, 2 months)</h4><i><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Five Sons of King Pandu: The Story of the Mahabhárata</i> by Elizabeth Seeger</li><li><i>The Ramayana</i>, adapted from the English translation of Hari Prasad Shastri by Elizabeth Seeger </li></ul></i><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">C. (girl, 8 years, 4 months) </h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Isaac Newton</i> by John Hudson Tyler</li><li><i>The Courage of Sarah Noble</i>, by Alice Dalgliesh</li><li><i>The Matchlock Gun</i> by Walter D. Edmonds</li><li><i>The Witchcraft of Salem Village</i> by Shirley Jackson </li><li><i>Daniel Boone</i> by John Mason Brown. </li><li><i>Benjamin West and his Cat Grimalkin</i> by Marguerite Henry </li></ul><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">E. (girl, 6 years, 3 months)</h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>In the Grip of Winter</i> by Colin Dann</li></ul><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">R. and A. (boy and girl, 3 years, 10 months)</h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Mercy Watson series (mostly R., on audio)</li><li>Bink and Gollie series (mostly R., on audio)</li><li>Frances series (both)</li><li><i>Rag</i> (R., for reading practice)</li><li><i>Owl Moon</i> by Jane Yolen (both)</li></ul><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">My husband </h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Little Lord Fauntleroy</i> by Frances Hodgson Burnett</li><li><i>Benson Boy</i> by Ivan Southall </li><li><i>Foster</i> by Claire Keegan</li></ul></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-53570717947377895302024-01-15T11:59:00.001-05:002024-01-15T11:59:20.394-05:00Homeschool Update: November & December 2023<h3 style="text-align: left;">Group Activities</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">Geography/Art </h4><p>From <i>The Complete Book of Marvels</i> by Richard Halliburton, Dad read these sections, and the girls watched accompanying videos: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Fort Jefferson, Coral Outpost [<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ_szZ6KeHw">video</a>]</li><li>Popocatepetl, Smoking Crater [<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXKnutAYzcw">video</a>]</li><li>Chichen Itza, Mayan Capital [<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h39NdL7cqL4">video</a>]</li><li>Christophe's Citadel [<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCQlS1XRfmU">video</a>]</li><li>Panama Canal, Mammoth Ditch [<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rbZ-TRRJMw">video</a>]</li><li>Machu Picchu, Inca Fortress [<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKNJZ_oi5BU">video</a>]</li><li>Iguazu Falls [<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJNhB8JEfDM">video</a>]</li><li>Rio de Janeiro, Glittering City [<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NlCGr_9OhA">video</a>]</li><li>Gibraltar, Rocky Sentry [<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeDthTNY1IE">video</a>]</li></ul><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">Latin </h4><div>We continued our lessons in <i>Getting Started with Latin: Beginning Latin for Homeschoolers and Self-Taught Students of Any Age</i> by William E. Linney. </div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">Shakespeare </h4><div>We read <i>Twelfth Night</i> from <i>Shakespeare Stories</i> by Leon Garfield and watched the animated adaptation. The girls each memorized a speech from the play. E. had Orsino's "If music be the food of love..." from Act 1 scene 1. C. had Olivia's "O, what a deal of scorn looks beautiful" from Act 3 scene 1, and M. had Malvolio's "Daylight and champaign discovers not more" from Act 2 scene 5. </div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">Read-Alouds</h4><div><div>Dad read aloud these historical fiction titles: </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"The Winged Cat," "The Prince and the Golden Ax," and "The Demon Pazuzu" by Deborah Nourse Lattimore</li><li><i>The Winged Girl of Knossos</i> by Erick Berry </li><li><i>A Song for Gilgamesh</i> by Elizabeth Hodges </li><li><i>Mara of Old Babylon</i> by Elizabeth Witheridge </li></ul></div><div>I read aloud these titles: </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Mist on the Mountain</i> by Caroline Flory </li><li><i>Christmas</i>, edited by Alice Dalgliesh</li><li><i>The Best Christmas</i> by Lee Kingman </li><li><i>The Lion in the Box</i> by Marguerite deAngeli</li></ul></div></div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Catechism</h4><div>We did our regular lessons from the Catechism books in November, but in December, we focused mainly on Advent. We did the Jesse Tree and our morning Advent prayer service and in the evenings we lit the Advent wreath and prayed using Lisa Hendey's <i>5 Minute Prayers Around the Advent Wreath</i>. We also attended the Greccio Living Nativity at the Shrine of St. Anthony, carols in the church at our parish, and Mass for the Immaculate Conception and Christmas Eve in addition to the Sundays of Advent. We also read <i>Hanna's Christmas</i> for St. Lucy Day and watched <i>Juan Diego: Messenger of Guadalupe</i> on Formed, as well as the Christmas specials of Story Keepers, Brother Francis, and Benjamin Cello.</div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Poetry </h4><div>In November, we continued reading <i>Poem Making </i>by Myra Cohn Livingston. In December, we read Christmas poems from the Dalgliesh Christmas book in lieu of poetry lessons. </div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Science </h3><div>C. and E. finished the animal sections of <i>The Golden Treasury of Natural History</i>, but I felt we needed further study. C. started working on the <i>Classic Science</i> student book by Scott McQuerry and E. started <i>Animals: A Science Workbook for Ages 4 to 6</i>. After a couple weeks, we weren't happy with E.'s book so I told her to stop and we started reading <i>The First Book of Birds</i> by Margaret Williamson together. My plan is to continue studying animals separately, then bring the two girls back together in February or March to study plants.</div><div><br /></div><div>From <i>Secrets of the Universe</i>, M. and I read: The Law of Universal Gravitation, Conservation of Momentum, and Optics - the laws of Light. From Physics for Every Kid by Janice Van Cleave, she did experiments 39 (Balancing Act), 41 (Paper Flop), and 45 (Ramp) and wrote reports.</div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Health</h3><div>In December, we had several health-related appointments. C. had a visit to the orthodontist. E. visited the optometrist and ended up with glasses. All 5 kids went to the dentist. </div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">History </h3><div>M. read The Ancient Egyptian World and staretd The Ancient South Asian World. She watched Great Courses lectures from History of Ancient Egypt and History of India as well as episodes of Ancient Lives and Story of India. Independently, she read <i>The Lost Queen of Egypt </i>by Lucile Morrison, <i>Boy of the Pyramids</i> by Ruth Fosdick Jones. </div><div><br /></div><div>With Dad, C. read these sections from <i>The World of Captain John Smith: </i> Indians and Thanksgiving (1621); Trouble in Bohemia; Of Kings and Brides; Massacres, Indian and White; Hugo Grotius; A Painter Goes to Paris (Rubens); Buckingham Finds a Bride for Charles; Enter Cardinal Richelieu; Broken Promises; La Rochelle and the Huguenots; New France Again; On the Way to China; Inside the Great Wall; Japan's Closing Door (1622); In and Out for Christian IV; John Winthrop of Groton Manor; Neighbors, New Amsterdam and Plymouth; Velazquez; Velazquez Sees Rome; Galileo's Final Visit to Rome; Gustav Adolf (d. 1632); Plans for Massachusetts; John Smith Is Not Invited; Governor Winthrop; Pilgrims and Puritans; The Bell Tolls (1631)</div><div><br /></div><div>They also read <i>The Puritan Revolution</i> by C. Walter Hodges, and <i>The World of William Penn </i>by Genevieve Foster, which includes these sections: </div><div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>William Penn, 1660-1684 </li><li>Three French Explorers (Marquette, Joliet, La Salle, 1672, 1682)</li><li>Louis XIV, 1643-1715</li><li>Two Moghul Emperors (Shah Jahan & Aurangzeb Alamgir, 1658-1707)</li><li>Sir Isaac Newton, Edmund Halley</li><li>William Penn, 1684-1699</li><li>James II</li><li>William and Mary, 1688</li><li>K'Ang-Hsi, 1662-1722</li><li>Peter the Great, 1682-1725</li><li>William Penn, 1699-1718</li></ul><div>In <i>A Child's History of the World</i> by V.M. Hillyer, E and I read these chapters: </div></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Fairy-Tale Gods</li><li>A Fairy-Tale War</li><li>The King of the Jews</li><li>The People Who Made Our ABCs</li><li>Hard as Nails</li><li>The Crown of Leaves</li><li>A Bad Beginning </li></ul></div><div><div>We also read <i>Life Long Ago: The Athenians</i> by Leonard Weisgard, <i>Archimedes Takes a Bath</i> by Joan Lexua and <i>The Iliad and The Odyssey</i> by Jane Werner Watson. Independently, she read <i>Lysis Goes to the Play</i> by Caroline Dale Snedeker, <i>The Spartan Twins</i> by Lucy Fitch Perkins, <i>Our Little Athenian Cousin of Long Ago</i> by Julia Darrow Cowles, and <i>Our Little Spartan Cousin of Long Ago</i> by Julia Darrow Cowles. </div></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">English </h3><div>M. switched from <i>Rex Barks</i> to the Beginning book of <i>Sentence Diagramming</i> and continued with <i>Vocabulary from Classical Roots A</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div>C. continued with the Beginning book of <i>Sentence Diagramming. </i></div><div><br /></div><div>E. switched from <i>Grammarland </i>to <i>Treasures Grammar Practice Book</i> Grade 1 </div><div><br /></div><div>R. (age 3.5) worked with me in <i>The Ordinary Parents' Guide to Teaching Reading</i> and practiced reading <i>Dad and Sam</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div>A. (also 3.5) is slowly working on learning letters.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Math</h3><div>M. continued working in Challenging Word Problems 3. She finished all the review sections in Singapore Primary Mathematics 5B and 6A and moved on to the final book, 6B. She started <i>Life of Fred: Decimals and Percent </i>and worked on 7th grade math and algebra basics on Khan Academy. </div><div><br /></div><div>C. continued with Singapore Primary Mathematics 3B and <i>Life of Fred: Farming. </i>She moved into 4th grade math on Khan Academy. </div><div><br /></div><div>E. finished Singapore Primary Mathematics 1A and started 1B. She continued with Early Math on Khan Academy. </div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Music</h3><div>All three girls practiced piano and recorder. They sang carols at church and at the Greccio Living Nativity. </div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Physical Education</h3><div>When the weather is good, the girls have been running on the hill and playing on the playground. Indoors, they have done some exercise and dancing videos. </div>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-86603133813226289322024-01-08T00:44:00.001-05:002024-01-08T00:44:13.676-05:002024 Reading and Writing Plans<h3 style="text-align: left;">Reading Plans</h3><p>I'm not making any drastic changes to my reading life this year. I set my Goodreads goal to 200 books, but I won't be surprised if I exceed it, and I decided to stick with seasonal TBRs. </p><p>I have just a few goals: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Read at least one short story per week.</b> I intended to read more short stories last year, and I did read a few anthologies, but I often found it tedious to stick with one theme or author for too long. By committing to one story per week, I can feel free to jump around between different collections and authors without worrying about finishing a book.</li><li><b>Read 30 minutes on Kindle app daily.</b> I'm finding this somewhat difficult to get in every single day, but I'm still going to try to get into a routine for at least the weekdays. The true goal here is to read more books from Kindle Unlimited, Netgalley, and the books I own on Kindle. </li><li><b>Read 40 books that I own in some format.</b> Books from my physical TBR, Kindle TBR, and Audible library will all count toward this goal.</li><li><b> Take notes on some books.</b> The books I have in mind for this are the ones I read with the Close Reads and Literary Life podcasts as well as with my book club and any other classics or "serious" books I pick up.</li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Writing Plans </h3><p>When I first decided on this list, I didn't quite have a vision for how I wanted my writing life to look this year, but a week into the year, I have figured it out. This is the year for reclaiming the fun of writing. The past two years have mostly been about proving to myself that I can write fiction and submitting to a variety of places to see what I could get into. This year, I still have plans to submit, but only to things that I'm actually excited about. </p><p>Here are my writing goals: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Skip Flash Fiction Magic at least once a month.</b> Since I first joined in April 2022, I have never missed an FFM prompt. I have decided to intentionally break that streak so that I don't feel endlessly compelled to keep it going. I also want to feel free to skip multiple weeks if I'm devoting my writing time to another project. </li><li><b>Submit to 4 Reedsy Prompts contests.</b> I get the emails about this contest every week but have yet to ever write a story for any of the prompts. This year I'm aiming to do one per quarter, as long as there is a theme that interests me. </li><li><b>Submit to Woman's World 15 times.</b> I am determined to increase my chances of getting published in Woman's World by submitting more often. I think, without a lot of anthologies, and with less pressure to do FFM every week, this should be doable. </li><li><b>Submit to one anthology.</b> Right now, I'm leaning toward having this be another Dragon Soul Press anthology but that could change. </li><li><b>Write a short story collection.</b> I have an idea in mind for this, but I'm still working out the details. I'd like to start in February. </li></ul><p></p>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-39816591022912025852024-01-02T06:00:00.001-05:002024-01-02T06:00:00.130-05:00Read-at-Home Mom's Top 23 Books of 2023<div><div>It's that time of year again! In 2023, I read 294 books, and from those I have chosen a top 23 plus a bonus list of my favorite children's and teens books I read this year. Books that were published in 2023 are marked with *. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">My Writing Community </h3><div>This year, several of the friends I have made through Flash Fiction Magic on Instagram have published novels. Though these are not necessarily in my preferred genres, it was wonderful to be able to read their work and share my thoughts with them in real time. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrsfe2CVuK4l27hEVMzWvWf3wr6pintiD3uuKVTPrthF8gg6J65VWrMSQbyvpBS1YN0RUoJWuKeo9sISlHIKqwSGpZJXo8dQUkc1H42wMbO4X9j4pe7TG6ZFVRZBKSSjziFPky8eXV6beX7e3EuwXvKlww8KpG50IeFWHAB0pn24VZUNZ4qSWtBFV0TvhY=w207-h320" width="207" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjwUbCf3HohzwBhFzJgdVS8h2iRbumDQeTLMsl5-vyc4bINs3EPBAs9jLzW6LPTEEfNMJtydO3L8JXeJE3MUvxK9etBuNbArFgZ-NIw10eDy6jN-p-fE0G6Ku8bA3RF3w2yocjPJXnmXFR5HJDZsOGlw-XZ-0vPVBvWlPQNjA71uw-Dw-xl4x66ZKXhOIC=w200-h320" width="200" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaVUX7NaxHP1UqCLegT1oL50m2kjloJ28LX6Bd1UMgaA2EYAw2Khwo7NfhiyeZEWXPuzVU2RUGVwdQrFl9Qw3H0n_VFD6kzjEQbgMPOt74whCO0pCsnqwYEiGaGWmHqpZ_ZozwPdBwhGruXinf3dW_jlEi3k7P1jE-V7Ag6Z8WAPsUC2X2x9a1ZoyNJ68d=w207-h320" width="207" /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div></div><div><i><b>Unleashed*</b></i> by Amber Kirkpatrick is a fantasy romance with a grumpy coffee-addicted hero, Fen, who lives in a futuristic world where some people have super powers and are persecuted (and sometimes killed) because of it. There is great Catholic representation in this book, and Fen is a beloved favorite character in my writing group who stole my heart right along with everyone else's. </div><div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Glass Helix*</b></i> by Katee Stein is a young adult dystopian romance also set in a fascinating futuristic world. I fell in love with Mae and Khai and I was completely invested in the world of the story from beginning to end. There is darkness in this book, but also so much light and hope. </div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Where Darkness Dwells*</b></i> by Andrea Renae is the first book in a fantasy trilogy set in a world immersed in darkness. A variety of points of view give us glimpses into different aspects of this world, and there is something for every reader, including family dynamics, romance, and adventure. I'm excited for book two!</div></div></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Favorite Nonfiction </h3><div>I didn't realize how much nonfiction I was enjoying this year until I sat down to make this list and found so many five-star ratings.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCf36NIpUSw-ijmh7Y3G8FWTKQ5nXpmRSuu309Li0spmDOuqx-4meIBDujs-QDZzc3mY0mWqSemoKm-zPS5I_HUdgmOE8sRj6-EpIzuyUjiEuhSY1x_z2yLfAEvg7VHEjJWFo4jITdCbfG1wP09na9pu3hkeA0-Wt3HvKNB0nOJUz6pm14SdllAgIES3Aq=w213-h320" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTDtcd1GQzKZBHodD5xzL-X03P9khQmyuKHQQtLCObiSw8J5F6Yd6DlA06fcF6I4VkV2ehYUywg7rOIRbl_N5AZ2mEkX2D73qPuq4FqkbDaWnlqw09R_KgnMj0Iv0VQUtFVbHaHmCri5N58MnbB5zbsjTsV7e3kIpPm-eu3thQXd87mtsqNNLPSJnWaAb9=w211-h320" width="211" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1ob0PmxhLbuwF0TVg71hlqYXlBQf_Xc4giCFA4IGBhqkxA-Xufy2rk06LEhXWSNtXfkBV_3pG9I4paTnKRYnWnzf019uRJa_Su3sclXWuLkYezk_K-vyiKd8tn3eEqsbR3eKt8bebrq1OH8J5bNoHDtbyRRdAJ_TtY_vmhYg0ORuPutZe9eAvgXkrvM_v=w210-h320" width="210" /><br /><br /></div></div><div><i><b>The Habit of Being</b></i> by Flannery O'Connor is the best book I read this year, and probably in my top three books of all time. These letters about her writing, her friendships, and her faith are such a treasure, especially for a Catholic writer. I felt as though I was getting to know this beloved author intimately, and I wanted to highlight every single bit of writing advice. I will definitely be re-reading this at some point. </div><div><br /></div><b><i>These Precious Days</i></b> by Ann Patchett has stuck with me for months. It's an essay collection, and the most memorable piece in it is the essay she writes about quarantining with a friend who had cancer during the pandemic. There is a lot of Covid-related stuff I can't stomach even nearly four years later, but this managed to capture both the personal and universal experience of 2020 and I don't think a more perfect piece of writing about that time period exists.<div><br /><div><i><b>The Nineties</b></i> by Chuck Klosterman was a great nostalgic throwback to many of the fads and pop culture figures of my late childhood and teen years. It was interesting to view all these things with the benefit of hindsight and to look at how certain phenomena shaped the lives of people my age. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIQAxyA_jzvf-hVJKIIw2SaPF2P3noUh1ta9wtiW-p27JJKTIK4DXusVD-4JqhMIs3Lp4XXwAgVm6m4ALBX8KtCDhiAYht8YoTJLaPxzbV7Bc2H3cmr4MproDkonXstpmlt-Oa5XhHyp8V9gaPKwcPg1zECbRekJzIVhatIdMgpwYzSbxGiOA_0hiU6pY2=w210-h320" width="210" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxU3hBAUbfuUM-PjwBY1qmcHtxCLWazmv4HAv4HINmmWp0weCqG_Rt1UFZYrhHPgeen92SMyP86hLtrffHRUh6XMdspQu8UA3vVQAwIFlIeD8yJvikVm5R54lAdS7T_mqPu9wC8_HLY35Tdj_OwHPgYHHRJ8zif9RYCuPU2341vq3412p3spfzceyfaL0Y=w209-h320" width="209" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnZdCtYpqMVgGbz6BaUoHMx394F2GGn8RR8ep3NzjG0kdEXUKKp6u7f5vPWCVVjvqtJMhDxT5LD0uShUuUsooB6VLy105UdVPGVGr1mvze_o8FuyS6f_zidc_mwOgkjh6qNOFCPJcvp83NlCJwRxt4rCtqCAkFAY_2ChEiLWnVBE4Ku-hJQcobfEqkk923=w211-h320" width="211" /><br /><br /></div><b><i>It Was an Ugly Couch Anyway*</i></b> by Elizabeth Passarella is ostensibly the story of how the author and her husband nearly lost their minds trying to buy an apartment in New York City, but it's also just a memoir of New York City living that I really enjoyed. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The Mind of the Maker</i></b> by Dorothy L. Sayers is a book I'll need to reread to get the full impact, but it's a beautiful, philosophical reflection on how we, creatures made by God, ought to create. I read this with the Literary Life podcast, and it has converted me to a full-time listener. </div><div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>A Swim in a Pond in the Rain</b></i> by George Saunders is a college-level short story writing class in a single volume. I had a set of book darts on hand when I read this one, and I ran out and had to switch to post-its. There is so much valuable insight in every section, and I know I will want to revisit it. </div></div><div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJVWpR2iQ0WmCSGGWxTMcoNa0iU0PNq924FadF2Bc1qaZFRTn2MLdJ0LSm2xOdb1xo-LZRNh9F54aDX18s_C2Af0kIzVEduhO9UWetKQSIhSzJn7NIm5XVrtLolXIwZqfryKYGDnh-djskGTpeIGSWaXae6ZoroQ3LyhcZxFVgFGcsdpWhv5h5Y0g-6p6F=w221-h320" width="221" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHvGXodzePtkZBhG8y75L5bV58yfbEFNSepyblyTkBV63UQXYr24qC0b8sMBh38fRmQGqrxucre0DHvRvnwkHOXsfcrJsYXC2GKWWs6GKzlvuZFFwf6LO_b_35N4weAgia_w46b8fgDXz53eZlEvZ--9HLOB-w2-4vr-Le9wtJsSPzZciBqkoc5YpOWPne=w218-h320" width="218" /><br /><br /></div></div><div><i><b>Times Three</b></i> by Phyllis McGinley is a poetry collection by a 1950s housewife who enjoyed being a housewife. Her poems are very funny, and this collection is a Pulitzer winner. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, <i><b>Credo*</b></i> by Bishop Athanasius Schneider was a gift from my husband. It's a great explanation of the teachings of the Catholic faith explained in a no-nonsense and straightforward tone. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Mysteries </h3><div>I feel like I didn't read that many mysteries this year at all, but these two were excellent. </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnJTBsgVY0dkc6B0XRRF291L_7NiBKNhr6jrPDQAAEEOfZFXhYVPZT_VipkbsX0AGJUMLOuJgNa1wOH2RQIxl2ck2tIqmnwTNj6X0Jd2YU4kB77PQVglqs8U9Drs-TMIAxCBTKnXdOBkE3PWB76UtaB2lBagWa7nNbUOwudOlqxP6uW734Cb-6Jug9O7Eu=w207-h320" width="207" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbtuIESJJxjAAyZxttXyHcr5CCapjLUQycaAS-YfaEX30nRVmC5K7uJX0MHCoWCoF6knQq86oJnAVFUFRzsSvuJ2soZwnvbRU3IdFCgO3N8JPGMEiC77lCRGwuMk1ImrTHupTBruDrgFy1zLdw6ucrqQKPeWmhrcd3StTwOnDQ4WSK-z-Q3flmm0xDgE7P=w208-h320" width="208" /><br /><br /></div><i><b>The Likeness</b></i> by Tana French involves an undercover investigation, which I always love. </div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><i>The Appeal</i></b> by Janice Hallett is told entirely in documents and I was so pleased with myself because I figured out one aspect of the story before the characters did. </div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Romance </h3><div>I wrote a lot of romance this year, and I read a lot of romance to keep me in the right mindset. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxvcQ1g4uZd1bTivX-CrBB6dQtNXqCU09s7uWKYldHXHide50nSFrYc3S7isGPnLwoIOLxr3nq9tOad_8tRNbYRjPkW116s5qVGuhq1EjXBxXoI3dHwrMUSZZGx8PBu3nJFMXAgCu_p03NHeiSLPA6gmU0ls69Zkho_IavwtRtTIA1g5N4DVz72-7iNsid=w208-h320" width="208" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhl0RvvTsnjdhyomWjZltSTt79dw3DXOVsf_Szb0B5BSZYHDtJ3x0pdWRQ7AMBq3rxDmRz2VgFEoMYJMOQAHoK9yI4QHG4auhiXt6-2fdKQqyug889NiTDz6cecl89ZZnPyx-Aom4luJniz_enC4Ohsy7kLViwmz0ksSX07FOwZ1Ficoxvkp5vPEO6Sk9iD=w211-h320" width="211" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrLgNT4CHMjK0EVKyh_u0DVM1dCRdi71_ut-h6xCKY1tqXfV4L9XNrEIb6mfGOcm2VqhifnNAwNjYJUHvt62yxGgWkzzm8oGuoCb0jbURoBuHyIjJTOsOaAuUCdMCuaBZ929bplwbDV6EcDMF3rJ22imXdkP-puTukQUE_gTVlnQGduy0OOO4tAQwETvl7=w210-h320" width="210" /><br /><br /><i><b>Yours Truly</b></i>* by Abby Jimenez stood out because of its believable male protagonist whose introversion and social anxiety felt very real. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>The Road to Roswell*</b></i> by Connie Willis is a hilarious sci-fi romance involving an alien and a road trip. It was delightful. <br /></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b>Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other*</b></i> by Bethany Turner is an enemies-to-lovers small-town romance with an important message about the price of fame. <br /><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjB4PVggVvQ2XZHNdPI4y5ssCFfRIJlxdL3tl4zak7KdQFAqmaL9BI2Xd7dt13aQWs-y0F9McBXIXqOg46d4v-Zx4uTMgZVhFHLBdShqWemZjyM4KosMGgP9hMIEedZoVvVjImVrc3fhmaejCGTSNBZs3AYKU_wJm0Vkn5IFoB9dblFpSKKfbi0pYfprhu1=w210-h320" width="210" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0IhDODE0HGsx0YLWk1ylQYrEhKe3o5G-_UGerBVJNIoq5aROgejVr5fNuJxBaBPrQcjQCgMHwJgpvEJ1taE7YnPzrYfhL3DRZVuQLqe4ng9cy9pfD28yWEKNSQui2Jw69nL4QCohMEJM8YIcXUQeZTaXh0-JiOHMrysjpXmQciH_VSgAp66YJMt2Xnh5N=w213-h320" width="213" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVRfKRb7sg8r0sLa3KVo9pGJqpFw04ycVpfgdF8Ste8oepM-ofFz_ZHv7I0YDLy1-BKKTJ65fwi2cGKpY1IBBQySd3Vfe6IUgwJoKQiJ8SnSsNfrojxVIfvvvlBWAXTLIk-K58hOxbAUmNA7WgoU-E_hgnT3cE-Hfksa-2bu3UWtPrJfyO2sHqJYU4b2lv=w207-h320" width="207" /><br /><br /></div></div><div><i><b>The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley*</b></i> by Courtney Walsh features a quirky heroine who struggles to make friends but finds love when she begins to step out of her comfort zone. <br /><br /></div><div><i><b>Arabella</b></i> by Georgette Heyer is a Regency romance that made me laugh out loud with clever turns of phrase. <br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Faking Christmas*</b></i> by Kerry Winfrey is a hilarious and festive holiday romance that I loved almost as much as my favorite by this author, Very Sincerely Yours. </div></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Other Fiction </h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9vtDXW0WcCQOfsNhY2F1z8Wb9YzSyXm6KmmHQzlSuh5QZoNnQIu_Ap2Y2SmRXSjelCBKggZgyLRo7ahvVgItmK8RbfrfVn3EKNyQsPdTBeAudpzrYuj9zZMvXKgn-asGkFQ9geJCcc2pyIZQjfRToTu0pX4PzBvoWwmX6CwnxFRRcSdaiY7Xe2AgmDpp4=w211-h320" width="211" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRV1HSTm5ET1x1rShirtx5dlZjsVNGviCRNTirGzlUPVziJL7_3YZQl9VQ5tL_i30j9OncYwEL6t946IBxTKUkFklManvzhtJdGNe0r11DrUuf1C4zhJiyIPwEI1P2fFzncY-1Tga3xVBqLa2WFoHM9t-dskT3LRNXIa7fLjEQ4I1YRLmm1n4B_ZFwR-eX=w212-h320" width="212" /><br /><br /><i><b>The Optimist's Daughter</b></i> by Eudora Welty has stuck with me for months after reading it with Close Reads. I love the way Welty observes and comments upon human nature. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Tom Lake*</i></b> by Ann Patchett is a beautifully written family story set during the pandemic and involving a mother, her daughters, and stories of her past. The audiobook narration by Meryl Streep is impeccable. <br /><div><br /></div><div><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4Lnvo2iHeCeYW-hbaNw05IqIEznbZf4VB_aUzgrac597QgVm6-ANgKV3G22pk_8BDJq6fHxwcEyWoa4wyQvJDzyaJbyctQCFZeA2Z-KT1xSuXG_ih1z3zM9NpnCcYlhMsXbUBy5s9BUDXwRMVrbWeg1_DO7zPNYHuiCWJ4sheI9Nipkkt9_erRgmqDxli=w213-h320" width="213" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhzrTF3-FvXVG9ZDHqy5SS2uhHN9tqe6HkJI-jEP_IXotVo6hvrjPvJfwWZ11EdHiIC78wkL7esMx3NDz6NkYN9NRtgGwT_C74MKe1F2a9cHs1PvUL0ngsFayyBUqtQB5LG9ytzcSr6_PUIXB0X9g2QSvUn7Ik9r3-004S6qbdabXndcC60_eLfXeamaqVe=w209-h320" width="209" /><br /><br /></div><div><i><b>A Lot Like Christmas</b></i> by Connie Willis is a wonderful collection of Christmas short stories that I will definitely revisit in future holiday seasons. </div><div><br /></div><div><div><i><b>The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Volume 1</b> </i>by Beth Brower is a delightful historical novel told in diary entries and the last book I read in 2023. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!</div></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Top Ten Favorite Children's & YA Books </h3><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Seven Percent of Ro Devereux*</i> by Ellen O'Clover </li><li><i>Borrow My Heart*</i> by Kasie West </li><li><i>Roland West, Loner</i> by Theresa Linden </li><li><i>...And Now Miguel </i>by Joseph Krumgold </li><li><i>Where the Red Fern Grows</i> by Wilson Rawls</li><li><i>Shadow of the Hawk</i> by Geoffrey Trease </li><li><i>The Labors of Hercules Beal*</i> by Gary D. Schmidt </li><li><i>My Family and Other Skaters*</i> by Fiorella de Maria </li><li><i>The Lost Library*</i> by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead </li><li><i>Squished*</i> by Megan Wagner Lloyd </li></ul><div>Reading plans for the new year are coming in a day or two! </div></div></div></div></div></div>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-76212832449753032192024-01-01T14:44:00.002-05:002024-01-01T14:44:37.824-05:00Read-at-Home Mom Report: December 2023 Wrap-Up<h3 style="text-align: left;">December Favorites </h3><div>I'm late with this month's post, so I'm going to skip adding book covers or commentary so that I can get this done quickly and jump into a new year of reading! These were all five star reads: </div><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>A Lot Like Christmas</i> by Connie Willis </li><li><i>The Appeal</i> by Janice Hallett </li><li><i>Credo</i> by Bishop Athnasius Schneider </li><li><i>Gifts: Visible & Invisible</i> by Catholic Teen Books </li><li><i>The Holiday Stand-In</i> by Kortney Keisel </li><li><i>The Mind of the Maker</i> by Dorothy L. Sayers </li><li><i>Date with Death</i> by Julia Chapman</li><li><i>Pop Sonnets: Shakespearean Spins on Your Favorite Songs </i>by Eric Didriksen</li><li><i>4:50 from Paddington</i> by Agatha Christie </li><li><i>The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Volume 1</i> by Beth Brower </li><li><i>The Catechism of the Catholic Church </i></li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Read-Aloud and Homeschool Books</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Ancient Egyptian World</i> by Eric H. Cline </li><li><i>The Lion in the Box </i>by Marguerite de Angeli </li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Sequels and Series Books</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Jeeves and the Yule-Tide Spirit</i> by P.G. Wodehouse (from <i>The World of Jeeves</i>)</li><li><i>The Christmas Appeal</i> <i>(</i>The Appeal book 1.5) by Janice Hallett </li><li><i>We Grant You a Merry Christmas</i> (<i>Save the Date</i> short story sequel) by Morgan Matson </li><li><i>Solo for the Season</i> (Gift Wrapped Romance) by Martha Keyes </li><li><i>Merry Kismet</i> (Gift Wrapped Romance) by Anneka Walker </li><li><i>Cabin Crush</i> (Gift Wrapped Romance) by Kasey Stockton</li><li><i>The Clause in Christmas</i> (Poppy Creek book 1) by Rachael Bloome</li><li><i>It Happened One Christmas Eve</i> (Museum of Literature Romance Book 3) by Jenn McKinlay</li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Standalone Books</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Things Fall Apart</i> by Chinua Achebe</li><li><i>So This is Christmas</i> by Tracy Andreen </li><li><i>A Christmas Legacy</i> by Anne Perry </li><li><i>Bright Lights, Big Christmas</i> by Mary Kay Andrews</li><li><i>A Cross-Country Christmas</i> by Courtney Walsh </li><li><i>Leaf by Niggle</i> by J.R.R. Tolkien </li><li><i>On Fairy Stories</i> by J.R.R. Tolkien </li><li><i>Simon Sort of Says</i> by Erin Bow </li><li><i>The Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman</i> by Louise Plummer </li><li><i>The Christmas Guest</i> by Peter Swanson</li><li><i>The Christmas Joy Ride</i> by Melody Carlson</li><li><i>Christmas in Winter Hill</i> by Melody Carlson </li><li><i>The Christmas Spirit</i> by Debbie Macomber </li><li><i>You Make It Feel Like Christmas</i> by Toni Shiloh </li><li><i>Starstruck </i>by Amy Clipston</li><li><i>The Velvet Room </i>by Zilpha Keatley Snyder </li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">DNF</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>My True Love Gave To Me: The Costa Family Christmas Romance Series Box Set</i> by Ellie Hall </li><li><i>Baggage Claim </i>by Juliana Smith</li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Family Reading Lists</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">M. (girl, 10 years, 1 month)</h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Call of the Wild</i> by Jack London </li></ul></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">C. (girl, 8 years, 3 months)</h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Flight and Adventures of Charles ll</i> by Charles Norman</li><li><i>Fire on the Wind </i>by Geoffrey Trease</li><li><i>The King's Day</i> by Aliki</li><li><i>William Penn, Quaker Hero </i>by Hildegarde Dolson</li><li><i>The Puppets of Spelhorst</i> by Kate DiCamillo</li><li><i>The Explorations of Pere Marquette</i> by Jim Kjelgaard</li></ul></div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">E. (girl, 6 years, 2 months)</h4><div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Lysis Goes to the Play</i> by Caroline Dale Snedeker</li><li><i>The Spartan Twins </i>by Lucy Fitch Perkins</li><li><i>The Boxcar Children</i> by Gertrude Chandler Warner </li><li><i>Our Little Athenian Cousin of Long Ago</i> by Julia Darrow Cowles</li><li><i>Our Little Spartan Cousin of Long Ago</i> Julia Darrow Cowles</li><li><i>Archimedes Takes a Bath</i> by Joan Lexau </li></ul></div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">R. and A. (boy and girl, 3 years, 9 months)</h4><div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Life</i> (mostly R.)</li><li><i>How the Grinch Stole Christmas</i> by Dr. Seuss </li><li>Mercy Watson series by Kate DiCamillo </li><li><i>The Kingfisher Young People's Book of Oceans</i></li><li><i>The Lorax</i> by Dr. Seuss </li><li><i>Oliver Elephant</i> by Lou Peacock</li><li><i>The Lost Gift</i> by Kallie George </li></ul></div></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">My husband</h4></div><div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Mara of Old Babylon </i>by Elizabeth P. Witheridge </li><li><i>The Animals' Christmas</i> by Anne Thaxter Eaton </li><li><i>The Lion in the Box</i> by Marguerite de Angeli </li><li><i>Christmas </i>by Alice Dalgliesh </li><li><i>The Flying Classroom</i> by Erick Kastner </li><li><i>Anson's Way</i> by Gary D. Schmidt</li></ul></div></div><p></p>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-28915007263079508962024-01-01T14:16:00.001-05:002024-01-01T14:16:29.590-05:002023 Reading in Review <h3 style="text-align: left;">Stats</h3><p>This year, as has become the tradition, I tracked mainly novel-length books, with a handful of short stories and novellas thrown in (but no picture books). My Goodreads goal was originally set to 100, but I changed it to 200 fairly early on, and then read 294 books total. </p><p>I read an average of 24 books per month. I read the most in April (36) and December (37) and the least in June (18) and August (18). </p><p>I read 200 books written for adults, 27 written for teens, and 67 children's books. </p><p>The adult books included: 15 literary fiction, 61 romance, 13 nonfiction, 23 mystery, 7 classics, 5 poetry collections, 1 play, 13 fantasy, 6 sci-fi, 8 historical fiction, 5 comics and graphic novels, 10 women's fiction, and 8 general fiction. </p><p>Among these 294 books, there were: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>at least 197 audiobooks</li><li>14 books from my Kindle library</li><li>82 books from our home library </li><li>16 books from Netgalley </li><li>32 read-alouds </li><li>49 books from Hoopla </li><li>37 from Scribd/Everand </li><li>12 from Kindle Unlimited </li><li>15-rereads</li></ul><p></p><p>The breakdown of star ratings was as follows: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>5 stars: 102 books</li><li>4 stars: 121 books</li><li>3 stars: 62 books</li><li>2 stars: 9 books</li><li>1 star: 0 books </li></ul><p></p><p>I had 32 DNFs.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Goals Review </h3><p>My big goal for the year was to focus on writing first and reading second, and I think I did quite well with that. By giving myself permission to prioritize writing, I was able to put the work in on a longer short story without feeling guilty, and obviously my reading life has not suffered. </p><p>I had originally planned to do more analog tracking of my books in 2023, but I only made it through half the year because the system I was using wasn't working for me. I have a new set-up established for 2024, and I think I will have more success.</p><p>Another goal I had for the year was to read more with my eyes. I can't tell whether I did this or not because I didn't come up with a method for tracking it. I did still listen to an awful lot of audiobooks so this may not have been a success. </p><p>I also wanted to read short stories throughout 2023, but I didn't have a plan, so I didn't read as many as I could have. I will have a new short story goal in 2024. </p><p>The other two reading goals I had were to use seasonal TBRs to choose some of my books, and that worked great, and to read the Catechism of the Catholic Church with the Catechism in a Year podcast, and I did that as well. </p><p>At the start of the year, I did choose some reading challenges, but I decided two weeks to just abandon them and I have no regrets. </p><p>In terms of writing, nothing went according to my plan, but it all turned out for the best. I did keep up with Flash Fiction Magic every single week without missing, and I submitted to Havok twice and Spark three times. But I did not write a long short story every quarter (I only wrote one, in the fall), and I determined this was not the season in which I want to write a novel, if I ever do. I have something new in the works for 2024 that I hope will go better. </p><p><b>Favorite books of the year and 2024 goals are coming soon!</b></p>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-18965303025194072152023-12-03T10:38:00.003-05:002023-12-03T10:38:46.415-05:007 New Picture Books for Christmas 2023 <p>Advent is here, and I am excited about new Christmas children's books! I have received 7 Christmasy review copies this year. </p><p>Two are in board book format. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: center;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiYdH78GzI2LgCX1LVDuAB1X2VRAaZbqcza2FD1JvKriTVpg819AlgLZCQQpNSbTbN7df5rO76iXFmoY20ugouffZkzXZ2pMalAmY-jENtY7APWJdSe1XzQoMl-HTzhzBi3_4y6No0L20mYT1UcI_X3i1i1pXcS7JwtydBv9Lb9TDMhlVDgIAlWBJutiDV7=w187-h320" width="187" /><img height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-Ehf6Dw4APOcmGz8u1au9wSnqXdxv4Um9dDAyxZQTiwV9zhhf7jZZ-VM4ML0swj4NpjjgN7JL2ppKtkcDKIeq4LqJq_zosYtAq55PSdIgdMhInS_J1fiUS9hzwNwafbQCimC74obWrJ3Vofb-swSGDTnzcUdCtodjjwtOhQTGj2mSr5maGmGLAjzDRSl_=w232-h289" width="232" /></div><i><br />Be My Reindeer</i> by Jeffrey Burton and Anna Hurley asks who will pull Santa's sleigh. Dinosaurs? Kittens? Robots? Each turn of the page reveals the face of a newly suggested character, and antlers glued onto the back cover appear to grow from each one's head. The silliness is perfect for the toddler age group, and I would have loved this for holiday story times at the library. We are sort of growing beyond the board book stage here, so I think Saint Nicholas is bringing everyone picture books this year, but we'll be sure to pass our copy along.</div><p></p><p><i>In the Holly Jolly North Pole</i> by Joel Stern and Nancy Leschnikoff is a rhyming pop-up book designed in landscape format so that the book has to be turned sideways to be read. It's a pretty generic peek into life in Santa's workshop, but the fun pop-ups and cartoonish figures will appeal to little ones all the same.</p><p>The rest of these are picture books.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: center;"><img height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh0JN7uFKtVGxMx8wj34eN_A9QCP9hPjR6hJJhB-3dj1kmpkNqLcZYdEb9ZdLHLQY5FBOm-qNZkBjP4NJa_c4_RiL0-MGXpreq6-QXwVyXiQS5A_okBQ6wLGy-ofRtoWsW5_mMpoVnnJGOSiJoTpMjczFX8kZv6mMNwEJ6KPWgcujYqkRR7TADtm2xWZ6tj=w185-h245" width="185" /><img height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVcXP_SV1xHss0TP3QtTSOyTmyyQWX7RaQe-hjzZhUdhoDxgOL5IERwTcMLRhaTnLDCTdlPmz6kwUq_3LsIIQM4IVStYft99wlN5IEwW7xoWWvbXwHjGKM1IrFUKDI8ev6El6s2fYA60xl6QNQyDD7mXJskAZgtnq6oPekzUK0e3zCDrkAVe4OY6enz1O8=w239-h239" width="239" /><img height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhrPM0akOLTWyuVP6m9zr7i5Z8KH-9tMsdWCy-qft9m5pj9wDAcBspwpfSjLLG0ZKoOYmpD8aS9KcHVGkmfrOInnkqdwU1lRsuWRrCNiK6nYymawOKRwUzwQlWtCEXf6DxTlXFBxhWC-ttm1UMc7P0vuwYJennP57IpFrWNyaxtrVQ5_HxEym9YiKOD_ciT=w206-h240" width="206" /></div><i><br />Merry Christmas, Strega Nona </i>is a reprint of a 1986 Tomie dePaola favorite. During Advent, Strega Nona has so much to do to get ready for her annual feast, but while she depends on Big Anthony to help her, he schemes with the neighbors to find a way to give back to Strega Nona. I love that this book mentions the Advent wreath and Mass. I plan to give this one to my eight-year-old from St. Nicholas.</div><p></p><p>In <i>We Disagree About This Tree</i> housemates Bear and Mouse are getting along mostly fine until they get a Christmas tree. By turns, they each decorate the tree the way they believe it should look, each irritating the other until the tree finally falls down. This book has a grammar error, in which a singular hypothetical referee that Bear believes would help mediate their disagreement is referred to as "they." The rhyme is also a little bit awkward in parts. Still, it's a funny odd-couple style story that will make kids laugh. St. Nicholas isn't bringing this one to anyone, I'll probably just sneak it into the stack at some point. </p><p><i>The Christmas Doll</i> by Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey is based on an episode of a British television show I've never seen or heard of, <i>The Repair Shop</i>. Evie and great-grandma Sue bring an old doll named Lizzy to the Repair Shop. Great-grandma tells the history of the doll from her own childhood, and then the "Teddy Bear Ladies" restore her so that Evie can have the doll. It's a really sweet story, and my 6-year-old who shares the doll's name will receive this one from St. Nicholas. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBOD_5aWON1eXpDGRgVUTJsN2Pzuajm-k3k2VFlCV_KCmqnoEFVgu5ZXEHaigvy7Iy2LuZT05u22kJrNApkqMeiU5rhE0WxabK8pZ1Vgm9ILENPGnvR26s6zGXcMfdnoCaGYxeqVtjXR8dTGW8d7kuyO1tlaLxjPJkAY39L-vF3TiSnVbPltkO-H_mN-5e=w320-h287" width="320" /><img height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUtPZwOBGp83RPtCfHpTzxW5dgTrtYK2WCQ2pAfAXdq2D7EQJKHnA2NJ678tg5ozyg_MysDSpPu1e_4akDjvcAjDghwAwMuKS_Dp9YIT_rLIWQpPqecUMxW9vmxdAmAcJkqvx-SDUjnDKsOFPlx6jmqVq8NeXtErCq3YyQbXr2Z1bedtAWqn8TRE8MVzPr=w212-h287" width="212" /><br /><br /><i>Dasher Can't Wait for Christmas</i> by Matt Tavares is a sequel to Dasher from a few years ago. On the eve of Christmas Eve, Dasher wanders off, takes flight and has a little adventure with a human friend, and then has the opportunity to bring gifts to that child on Christmas Eve. The appeal of this book is the beautiful use of light in the illustrations. It creates a similar magical feel to The Polar Express. My oldest daughter received Dasher when it was first released, so this one is going to her.</div><p></p><p>Finally, <i>How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney?</i> by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen is a surprisingly sweet book from this duo. It explores all the various silly ways Santa might have of entering our homes on Christmas Eve. My 3-year-old daughter, who has been asking a lot of questions about how Santa gets into our house, will receive this one. </p><p><i>Thank you to Candlewick Press and Simon & Schuster for the review copies!</i></p>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-61842504566960408132023-12-03T10:23:00.002-05:002023-12-03T10:23:57.874-05:00Read-at-Home Mom Report: November 2023 Wrap-Up <h3 style="text-align: left;">November Favorites</h3><p>I had a great reading month in November, and a lot of favorites. All of these were five-star books. </p><h4><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjWy6YlFNAAjmPoX0WqUhEwlnRegA-TzOHU_-0Ak4UZ0-StV5L0Aui4SzlrvJ2GFHoTyyMMb0s4dV45-PMx3JI2CUj0dEDsVImwWEX0rFRrkQxKxrWgmxi4vmJnUBeHT5NVW47bTG2ZYtGdwbn2I2r2cTVAXyeN-NQKa0tn3MWmTmTtpCKD5WAUbB2NT-W9=w207-h320" width="207" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghMfYRLfFQ79OXH1FjEN2d9bmUpFS1L5QtRKQhLZN8yWvOZ50j2QyazavfUbrfB6zr8yrLF0ffDOq9e1TbYIt2rLWbNIUm7d3VKDHK5DEBT1s2wT6JNmtAvt9xyKworERRNVIoiR5nDm3ze5mcuEgORgetmbrIjeWNwmQpfzst7KKpJBvmQD9RhRUHW-aQ=w208-h320" width="208" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIwP1uFV6OU-2T_qDEOSL_6OuP87CnzIv-dmi86UZF2mfNXcz3PlWys6uSdBvTOnTPCoprOnOQxt1e3ATyh1VUyLO61CZLdNDoq8jLxCO9JYIH47oaxTIAhmA_k7jWfyXGANhuriAlOVj8zAueYGDpFZUw0v5xl90hbU9QAn4RN3KNlTAvxoTRtkEAaIEK=w208-h320" width="208" /></h4><h4><i>Unleashed</i> by Amber Kirkpatrick</h4><p>My friend Amber wrote this fantasy romance, and I read the ebook from Hoopla before my paperback pre-order even shipped. I love the characters and the setting, and most especially the dialogue. There is some real sadness and brutality in the world of the story (many of the characters have superpowers and are persecuted for it), but the love story between grumpy, wounded Fen and bright, young Sara manages to be sweet and cozy even against such a backdrop. I also love the friendship between Fen and Marcel, and the fact that Marcel and his family are Catholic. I'm really excited for book two of the series! </p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><i>A Man Called Ove</i> by Fredrik Backman </h4><p>I already knew I loved Fredrik Backman's writing, and this book just further confirmed that opinion. This is such a hopeful story, despite how broken Ove is, and it points out the importance of community without becoming saccharine. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><i>A Canticle for Leibowitz</i> by Walter M. Miller, Jr.</h4><p>This is a fascinating Catholic science fiction novel that I know I will need to read again to fully appreciate. I especially loved the first and last sections. </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgB-Po6T481ihcBJ96TVo1kmjOTH4OPJE4n6KZIwXV9oXehnAEdZtebqTa9XbZ7JDPdmm4hnxSMKnlJ1ioCcmgaDVzJicrw-UdFOAezNRmSUCplwk2kt2hZRl6ouCwFf0C3fgu0xFT7TUiKW3Z7LZ-P8Jom7_cTwO2BMvK13Hu34Xm9_fIX0KYnv1cCUFbj=w207-h320" width="207" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVpKf_FzXokqn0I4N2Bvp8dLrK9_BLOgFtypn75CuvSw6HVUTNdMVLIouJx4_LAeVtcEbSaGIw1y7JVrIl2zXWI0hSpOVTQDPdjt0LAzKhRsAAU9EwOCcdS3pUQMWVbsTYxzqqHS_4euVL6Ub-ja4ZSIlpWphChquauEtwyT80H5XK-o5eQQlqjXbXSY-S=w213-h320" width="213" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9Z5RaNt7t5MYWcVQIxaUZ8FZ68QOQV8EJIBNH9vkO7Ex9xUrfGdTwqWkhwUVp3GmznNf6zeIBPMHaHMFpmrhkmM2Y7j0m1QTVEbwxMYOvCaUZZ8NMtuIMvwyuh4kHD0tFgh3zzwL8vs0iVJwLfZFCxmBSmBaIdEi45EA5x_VEQROvR4cqob2pMA-d4jVz=w211-h320" width="211" /><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;"><i>Crowns</i> anthology edited by Brittany Eden and Brigitte Cromey</h4></div>I have a story in this collection, which is full of unique voices and beautiful prose, poetry and artwork. It's an honor to be included. <p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><i>Essays of E.B. White </i></h4><p>I listened to this essay collection, and I was just blown away by White's writing. It was interesting to view the issues of the day (1950s to 1970s) from his point of view, and also to hear his reflections on nature, farm life, and New York City, as well as on William Strunk. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><i>A Swim in a Pond in the Rain</i> by George Saunders</h4><p>This was on my winter TBR, but I didn't pick it up until mid-November. I listened to the audiobook and read along in the hardcover, marking all my favorite passages with post-its and book darts. It was like taking a creative writing class, and made me feel inspired for my own writing.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJvjXEnPdb-41Ty2gX85x62rUBJg4vLKrTsU5Sa28oxJ_LRzPZPzTZrccwKSymOt2rYTqfu0R2qb50qqZlgRuWqG6jDPdP5rxbbIHU0RdAI8kHYRk72mHhadwlg-Hzgqd18LNm3B2b-EJuzSyRCt2NRmWci9RX2Omim5PCg39Ph-JsPcECMwneIOvU3RmW=w211-h320" width="211" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQbWslOwdH68ryCArtYr-h4Cs_l6wHWPz4-vfviL7o3w6nAZm8ucA60OjmT7UYL-bryb2zzNphLYUEfhJxIS6xw3zsyZrFYcbY80HAiL3OAHYorcASZe8rHdxifxwv4Z4d82f0SM5NtqkljMG77TpbYpn6ibYz1r2DItTtbMvFybykSQO41VnF7eQYQCrC=w207-h320" width="207" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6JG3ZgelhjiTlWCS1De6X0KFv3PIP_mGF8UwzZsCV_cvfwSdsuSmHJCkTnlD3uxinylUn-yCyJrYWU3cLWhGsyPtlv8x4REDgRYkV_lRcnr037GW23o4v3FwOJQz69OCoZkCXTNpRLWhjBt9GJo4uZStmZShSTqaCAnqeB_YYOLQ1ktGaSXU9pawRq2e1=w209-h320" width="209" /><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;"><i>Times Three </i>by Phyllis McGinley </h4></div><p>I found this Pulitzer prize winning vintage collection of light verse by Catholic housewife Phyllis McGinley at the used bookstore, and it turned out to be such a gem. I love the author's wit, and her poems about saints were among my favorites.</p><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><i>Faking Christmas</i> by Kerry Winfrey</h4>This was my first Christmas romance of the season, and it was delightful! Just like this author's <i>Very Sincerely Yours</i>, this felt like it was written just for me. I laughed out loud multiple times listening to the audiobook, and I fell in love with the characters. I really want to own a copy of this one. <p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><i>Mind of the Maker</i> by Dorothy L. Sayers </h4><p>I read this with the Literary Life podcast, and I loved the way Sayers thinks about the creative life in light of Christianity. This is one I would like to read again and annotate next time.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Read-Aloud and Homeschool </h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Ancient Near Eastern World</i> by Amanda H. Podany (4 stars)</li><li><i>Mist on the Mountain</i> by Jane Flory (4 stars)</li><li><i>Bread and Butter Journey</i> by Anne Colver (3 stars)</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Series Books</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Fourth Wing</i> (The Empyrean Book 1) by Rebecca Yarros (4 stars)</li><li><i>The Parfit Knight</i> (Rockliffe Book 1) by Stella Riley (4 stars)</li><li><i>The Horse and His Boy</i> (Chronicles of Narnia Book 5) by C.S. Lewis (4 stars)</li><li><i>The Magician's Nephew</i> (Chronicles of Narnia Book 6) by C.S. Lewis (5 stars)</li><li><i>The Firm</i> (The Firm Book 1) by John Grishman (4 stars)</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Stand-Alone Books</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Awake, Not Woke</i> by Noelle Mering (5 stars)</li><li><i>A Slipping-Down Life</i> by Anne Tyler (4 stars)</li><li><i>Hey, Hun</i> by Emily Lynn Paulson (4 stars)</li><li><i>Tenth of December</i> by George Saunders (5 stars)</li><li><i>And So This is Christmas</i> by Brian Bilston (5 stars)</li><li><i>The Lost Library</i> by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass (5 stars)</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">DNF </h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Iron Flame</i> by Rebecca Yarros<br />I just couldn't sign on for more of this series. The book was so long, and I couldn't handle all the sexual content. </li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Family Reading Lists </h3><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">M. (girl, age 10)</h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>My Family and Other Skaters</i> by Fiorella De Maria</li><li><i>Staying Nine</i> by Pam Conrad</li><li><i>Journey of the Eldest Son</i> by J. G. Fyson</li><li><i>Hittite Warrior</i> by Joanne Williamson</li><li><i>The Lost Queen of Egypt</i> by Lucile Morrison</li><li><i>Fog Magic</i> by Julia Sauer</li><li><i>Boy of the Pyramids</i> by Ruth Fosdick Jones</li></ul><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">C. (girl, 8 years, 2 months)</h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>My Family and Other Skaters</i> by Fiorella De Maria</li><li><i>This New Land</i> by G.Wisler</li><li><i>The Voyage of the Dawn Treader</i> by C. S. Lewis</li><li><i>Ghost Light in the Attic</i> by Pat Thomson</li><li><i>The World of Captain John Smith</i> by Genevieve Foster </li><li>The Puritan Revolution by C. Walter Hodges</li><li>Witch Dog by John and Patricia Beatty </li></ul><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">E. (girl, 6 years, 1 month)</h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Hickory</i> by Palmer Brown </li><li><i>Beyond the Paw Paw Trees</i> by Palmer Brown</li><li><i>The Silver Nutmeg</i> by Palmer Brown</li><li><i>Now We Are Six</i> by A.A. Milne </li><li><i>Ralph S. Mouse</i> by Beverly Cleary</li><li><i>Carbonel, The King of the Cats</i> by Barbara Sleigh</li></ul><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">R. (boy, 3 years, 8 months)<br /></h4><div>*R has started sounding out words and has begun reading the Hooked on Phonics readers.</div><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Rag</i> by Barney Saltzburg </li><li><i>Dad and Sam </i>by Leslie McGuire </li><li><i>The Animals' Santa</i> by Jan Brett </li><li><i>All About Alfie</i> by Shirley Hughes</li><li><i>I Love You, Little Shark</i> by Jeffrey Burton </li><li><i>In the Night Kitchen</i> by Maurice Sendak</li><li><i>Truckery Rhymes</i> by Jon Scieszka </li></ul><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">A. (girl, 3 years, 8 months)</h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>All About Alfie</i> by Shirley Hughes </li><li><i>Truckery Rhymes</i> by Jon Scieszka</li></ul><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">My husband</h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Mist on the Mountain</i> by Jane Flory </li><li><i>Heartsease</i> by Peter Dickinson </li><li><i>The Blood-Red Crescent</i> by Henry Garnett </li><li><i>The Winged Girl of Knossos</i> by Erick Berry (read aloud)</li><li><i>The Winged Cat and Other Tales of Ancient Civilizations</i> by Deborah Nourse Lattimore</li></ul><p></p>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-90844305850239909412023-11-21T00:03:00.000-05:002024-01-15T12:05:34.222-05:00Homeschool Update: October 2023<h3 style="text-align: left;">Group Activities</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">Geography/Art </h4><p>From <i>The Complete Book of Marvels</i> by Richard Halliburton, Dad read the sections about the Boulder (Hoover) Dam, Niagara Falls, New York City, and Washington, DC. Then we watched these videos: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cBQJnA7U1g">America's Most Powerful Dam</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjmVLs97gqg">Thundering Waters</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xbX3emGReY">New York, the Wonder City</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8ffX3-_zqk">District of Columbia</a></li></ul><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">Latin </h4><p>We continued working our way through <i>Getting Started with Latin: Beginning Latin for Homeschoolers and Self-Taught Students of Any Age</i> by William E. Linney. After we learned a few verbs and how to conjugate them, we took a break from the book to make sure all three girls were solid in their understanding of how to identify and translate each verb. E. took a bit to catch up. C. is our strongest Latin student right now. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">Shakespeare</h4><p>The girls spent October memorizing some of the three witches' lines from <i>Macbeth</i>. They recorded a performance on Halloween. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">Read-Alouds</h4><p>In October, Dad read aloud <i>The Golden Goblet</i> by Eloise Jarvis Mcgraw and <i>Egyptian Adventures</i> by Olivia Coolidge. I read aloud <i>A Lemon and a Star </i>by E. C. Spykman and we played the audiobook of <i>The Halloween Tree</i> by Ray Bradbury. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">Catechism</h4><p>M. and C. continued to memorize answers to questions in the <i>New St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism Volume 1</i> and E. continued to memorize the answers to questions in <i>The St. Joseph First Communion Catechism</i>. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">Poetry</h4><p>We are reading <i>Poem-making: Ways to Begin Writing Poetry</i> by Myra Cohn Livingston on Fridays. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Science </h3><p>C. and E. read about birds and insects in <i>The Golden Treasury of Natural History</i>. In <i>Secrets of the Universe</i>, M. and I read three chapters: "Planetary Motion," "Pendulums and Falling Objects - Galileo's Laws of Motion," and "Newton's Three Laws of Motion." She watched several demonstrations by Julius Sumner Miller, and did two experiments from <i>Janice VanCleave's Physics for Every Kid</i>, one about buoyancy and one about gravity. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Health </h3><p>E. watched the episodes of How the Body Works about the tongue and the nervous system. M. visited the orthodontist. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">History </h3><p>E. and I read about Egypt in <i>A Child's History of the World</i> by V.M. Hillyer. We also read <i>Pharaoh's Boat</i> by David Weitzman and <i>The Great Pyramid</i> by Elizabeth Mann. On her own, she read: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Mummies Made in Egypt</i> by Aliki</li><li><i>Pepi and the Secret Names</i> by Jill Paton Walsh </li><li><i>Hatshepsut, His Majesty, Herself</i> by Catherine M. Andronik</li><li><i>Zekmet, the Stone Carver: A Tale of Ancient Egypt</i> by Mary Stolz</li><li><i>Seeker of Knowledge</i> by James Rumford </li><li><i>The Shipwrecked Sailor: An Egyptian Tale with Hieroglyphs</i> by Tamara Bower</li><li><i>Sokar and the Crocodile</i> by Alice Howard </li></ul><p></p><div>She also acted out an Egyptian burial using a homemade paper mummy and a shoebox sarcophagus she decorated herself using drawing instructions from <i>Ralph Masiello's Ancient Egypt Drawing Book</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div>M. and I finished <i>The Early Human World</i> and read most of <i>The Ancient Near Eastern World</i>. She watched most of the episodes of the Great Courses class, <i>Between the Rivers</i>. She wrote a narration about Hammurabi and read <i>The Three Brothers of Ur</i> by J. G. Fyson. </div><div><br /></div><div>C. and Dad continued reading <i>The World of Captain John Smith</i> by Genevieve Foster, covering these sections: </div><div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>John Smith, Sightseer in Italy (1600)</li><li>Galileo</li><li>A Royal Wedding (1600 - Henry IV & Maria de Medici)</li><li>Grand Opera and the Violin</li><li>John Smith and the Terrible Turks (1601-1603)</li><li>John Smith, Slave (1603)</li><li>Cervantes and Don Quixote</li><li>Boris Godunov</li><li>The Queen Is Dead (1603)</li><li>King James I</li><li>The Globe Theater</li><li>Ben Jonson</li><li>Sir Walter Raleigh a Prisoner (1603)</li><li>Sir Francis Bacon Rings the Bell</li><li>The King James Bible (1604)</li><li>Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot (1605)</li><li>A Meeting in Scrooby Village</li><li>A Frenchman Reports on New Spain (Champlain)</li><li>Santa Fe, New Mexico</li><li>Champlain Visits Canada</li><li>Off to Virginia (1606)</li><li>New France, the First Colony</li><li>The Great Chief Powhatan</li><li>John Smith at Jamestown (1607)</li><li>A Compass and Talking Paper</li><li>Pocahontas and John Smith</li><li>John Smith Draws a Map of Virginia (1608)</li><li>Half Moon on the Hudson River</li><li>French and Indians on Lake Champlain</li><li>President John Smith (1608)</li><li>Starvation and Shipwreck</li><li>(Tobacco to the Rescue)</li><li>A Synagogue in Amsterdam</li><li>At Home in Leyden</li><li>(The Telescope (1608))</li><li>Galileo and the Planets</li><li>Henry IV is Dead</li><li>Galileo in Rome (1611)</li><li>French Missionaries in Canada</li><li>Pocahontas Is Married</li><li>The Royal Couple</li><li>King Gustav Adolf</li><li>Russia's New Tsar, Michael Romanov (1613)</li><li>The Naming of New England</li><li>In Memory of Shakespeare (d. 1616)</li><li>Pocahontas in England</li><li>The Law vs. the King?</li><li>Raleigh's Last Adventure (1616)</li><li>The House of Burgesses (1619)</li><li>Servants and Slaves (1619)</li><li>They Knew That They Were Pilgrims</li><li>John Smith, Unhappy Admiral</li><li>The Mayflower Sails (1620)</li><li>Anchored at Plymouth</li></ul></div></div><p>C. also read <i>Puritan Adventure</i> by Lois Lenski. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">English </h3><p>M. continued working on <i>Vocabulary from Classical Roots A</i> and <i>Rex Barks</i>. E. continued working in<i> Grammarland</i>. C. continued working in the Beginning book of <i>Sentence Diagramming</i>. </p><p>R. started sounding out consonant-vowel-consonant words. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Math</h3><p>M. continued working on Challenging Word Problems 3. She finished the reviews in Singapore 5A and moved on to 5B. She also continued with Khan Academy 6th grade math, <i>Life of Fred: Decimals and Percents</i> and drilling math facts with flashcards online every Friday. </p><p>C. continued with Singapore 3B, Khan Academy 3rd grade math, and <i>Life of Fred: Farming</i>.</p><p>E. continued with Singapore 1A and Khan Academy early math. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Music</h3><p>All three girls practiced piano and recorder daily. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Physical Education</h3><div>The girls rode bikes and played on the playground. They also did an exercise video from the Ten Thousand method once or twice. </div>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-57212957323994235392023-11-03T19:55:00.003-04:002023-11-03T19:55:43.553-04:00Read-at-Home Mom Report: October 2023 Wrap-Up <p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">October Favorites</h3><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKw48ns5NLPLTgABhr_AIrnA-jyqZ-LYATfJQ7tJo9F8lvEP9XYl5Eq3EHJE6QukkrP728_Jsp9Di_Bornz4kvPUHiak8kev3qT_6UdxY17ai0bvYLcFtV2tVUI-ZIIggkTmN6NeWgiZapUMZj4zEz46lPsopkwcLcOC_LelDqv8SK4K7Y-5sUv3GW7mhx=w197-h320" width="197" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5dYryfBbNEsLNzJHIkky_su_r_PKC6aidAhlxVrMxh1ZVaZbx-aNKp_VNI_Omhq3niQH3Ry8YQ7moe7XH1Z4Vcp00hl1dtT2MTiinXKuNrHDsC9VS1T0I8fe8sFJy-Ew2021DEKW2_Rkiar1-o40hJTg-fLGVJ18gsejJrV5rugjzJ5sGyf5525aV61_M=w209-h320" width="209" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0zlEXG6TFYh5qkczjRZiCKQrdAfXTZR_tXrdWaoS8cG-ZfgdrPhzoCYLtvk_xAoYeNdCC8jDR8_Ehv4TJ3Vd-pw3-O49OyP6GNZVHnaEvd8RB61lh_scCOqQxM5IbdKv-PC4cbY0pG9ET7rEPg9wzwp261v2bkGsgXBTRRQmcUB2DB4UpKLxw2pllmw1G=w210-h320" width="210" /><br /><br /></div><i>A Patchwork Planet</i> by Anne Tyler<br />Anne Tyler's talent for characterization never ceases to amaze me. I became totally immersed in the life of her main character, Barnaby Gatlin, and was fascinated by his every move, no matter how mundane, from beginning to end of this novel. Absolutely no one writes like Anne Tyler, and every book of hers so far has been a delight. <p></p><p><i>The Moving Toyshop </i>by Edmund Crispin<br />This was an enjoyable book not for the mystery plot, but for all the literary allusions and witty repartee between characters. I read this with Close Reads, and it's one of my favorites of the books they did this year. <br /><br /><i>It Was an Ugly Couch Anyway</i> by Elizabeth Passarella<br />I loved this memoir about the trials and tribulations the author and her husband endured trying to buy an apartment in Manhattan from an elderly woman. The author read the audiobook, and that made me feel like I was having a chat with her whenever I listened. There is also a charming interview at the end of the audiobook with the lady who sold her the apartment, and I loved hearing that. <br /><br /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9FolIzVUEjePT9zvgRSZxoM2P0HCl2IArnXtCID9VcC9QApp4KA2o5emEeJ5pxPRkY7mpLXT8G6MQ7nhpcCv1bNQvRQIAQ2pFmHaE99oP2JT8IofzfFXVDfzBZ7nfUUsCXvPTOslj6CDG4vP8807EZ-q_iqARXNnqtEwKPeJ2GQMmn5UnCZtIU1VKw9Ls=w212-h320" width="212" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWXJQ9s07kX0PlZm3Gi1SJHw9Pw84-y64XNKTfCa-mIP0h_OXAKbUSGtCYZOWorqqhp4JrelRpz38cvZdWvuJZf6oGdkrL0OEVoc6hloxlkJBvi9x-8ABXdvrG4rByH5_iDX7RPaUQKnD9pU2T8G_6W4QKvPh_5ryAm1XniHENB7T_JM83B-qfEdtPn-Gp=w217-h320" width="217" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEitAuz8hHp6ZFw1swIbGIgOv26FOyg_9tFXYW350COCLWN6nzhf79QBH-nW3R4A2iKuNbpdooYE2gZbE0n1UN8hsJIiPAQjIW4D59mFBua98Wx13h7yB_OaJN8My0HVcJUevERLZGfI_de6JPrxqkWCjJVmfVPey-JNVsUnn_xKYandeRefU0SK4hDvNtOP=w214-h320" width="214" /><br /><br /><i>Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine</i> by Gail Honeyman<br />The dark humor in this is spot-on. I figured out the big reveal at the end pretty early on, but that in no way spoiled the reading experience. Eleanor is a one-of-a-kind character and seeing her come into her own years after significant trauma was heartwarming in a quirky way. </p><p><i>The Puppets of Spelhorst</i> by Kate DiCamillo<br />Kate DiCamillo's latest is the perfect example of why I read everything she writes. Her prose is beautiful, and there is a depth to the story beyond just entertainment. I'm so excited to know this is the first of a trilogy because I want more! </p><p></p><p><i>My Family and Other Skaters</i> by Fiorella de Maria<br />I'm reviewing this for Catholic Mom, and it is a delight. It absolutely would have been my favorite book if it was around when I was 9 or 10, and my girls are eating it up as well. <br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgg4CgYL1lCr6O-xYCbT3rSdKaBjyeEmSadSnSGno_R_dUWI9m3XR8YhOXYv9oopwhk7Y25ZCP0dNgMwkfp6oOHD6iK7Zb1NtKUuuRhAcZju7ylTm1_mLQafkiWP3pjHKbH3dCb7iRN4nkk816s74Q5ox0Z3Q5GCHe5sgbTGrWNA4mdU3ZVt9G1Nu0N9qgQ=w200-h320" width="200" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSppiCfLDg7_f9avDrnBm6oqhjODrBsoeoITwPA2j--xGZIa7MHJMUAXRsTGq7-E7CzfnTOb6OQ_sZf68vW4P_z8PSennautSUm3kAKT9LddgdfNSF_8uCLyEev9b7LzruO4zhJN1uzfbPWKYGEhw8oREtP1WWHFes1e4E3VMj4wBaq830wpZxxgyBuxpe=w207-h320" width="207" /><br /><br /></div><i>Glass Helix</i> by Katee Stein<br />My friend Katee wrote this sci-fi romance, and I could not put it down. I loved the world of the story, and the way the love story unfolded within the difficulties the characters faced. <p></p><p><i>Where Darkness Dwells</i> by Andrea Renae<br />This fantasy novel by my friend Andrea is a beautiful meditation on good and evil, darkness and light. Images from this book are lingering in my mind days after I finished it. </p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Read-Aloud & Homeschool </h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i style="font-style: italic;">A Lemon and a Star</i> by E.C. Spykman (4 stars)</li><li><i>The Early Human World </i>by Peter Robertshaw (4 stars)</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Series Books</h3><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Fool Moon</i> (Dresden Files Book 2) by Jim Butcher (4 stars)</li><li><i>The Princess Diaries</i> (Princess Diaries Book 1) by Meg Cabot (4 stars)</li><li><i>Townshipped</i> (Getting Shipped! Book 3) by Savannah Scott (5 stars)</li><li><i>In the Company of Witches</i> (Evenfall Witches B&B Book 1) by Auralee Wallace (4 stars)</li><li><i>Until the Celebration</i> (Green Sky Trilogy Book 3) by Zilpha Keatley Snyder (3 stars)</li><li><i>Losing the Field</i> (Field Party Book 4) by Abbi Glines (4 stars)</li><li><i>Can't Help Falling</i> (Sweater Weather Book 3) by Courtney Walsh (4 stars)</li><li><i>Meet Me on Love Lane</i> (Hopeless Romantics Book 2) by Nina Bocci (3 stars)</li><li><i>Grave Peril</i> (Dresden Files Book 3) by Jim Butcher (4 stars)</li><li><i>A Spoonful Of Spice</i> (Seasons of Love Short Story 2) by Liwen Ho (4 stars)</li></ul></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Stand-Alone Books</h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Howards End</i> by E.M. Forster (5 stars)</li><li>The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare by G.K. Chesterton (4 stars)</li><li><i>St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets</i> by Annie England Noblin (4 stars)</li><li><i>Snow Place Like Home </i>by Lacey Baker (4 stars) </li><li><i>Truth on Trial: Liberal Education Be Hanged</i> by Robert K. Carlson (4 stars)</li><li><i>The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic</i> by Breanne Randall (3 stars)</li></ul><div><div><br /></div></div></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Family Reading Lists </h3><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">M. (girl 9 years, 11 months)</h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Three Brothers of Ur</i> by J. G. Fyson</li><li><i>The Heir of Mistmantle</i> by M. I. McAllister</li></ul></div><div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">C. (girl, 8 years, 1 month) </h4><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Wayside School under the Cloud of Doom</i> by Louis Sachar</li><li><i>Then Came Adventure</i> by Emma L. Brock</li><li><i>The Far Side of The Loch</i> by Melissa Wiley</li><li><i>Ramona Quimby Age 8</i> by Beverly Cleary </li><li><i>Stella Endicott and the Anything is Possible Poem </i>by Kate DiCamillo</li><li><i>Eugenia Lincoln and the Unexpected Package </i>by Kate DiCamillo</li><li><i>All-of-a-kind-family Downtown</i> by Sydney Taylor</li><li><i>Catwings</i> by Ursula K. LeGuin</li><li><i>Catwings Return</i> by Ursula K. LeGuin</li><li><i>Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings</i> by Ursula K. LeGuin</li><li><i>Jane on her Own</i> by Ursula K. LeGuin</li><li><i>Puritan Adventure</i> by Lois Lenski</li><li><i>The Cricket in Times Square</i> by George Selden </li></ul></div><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">E. (girl, 6 years) </h4><i><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Book of Hob Stories</i> by William Mayne </li></ul></i><p></p><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">R. (boy 3 years, 7 months)</h4><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Monsters on the Broom</i> by Annemarie Riley Guertin</li><li><i>Knock Knock, Trick or Treat!</i> by Amy E. Sklansky</li><li><i>Thomas the Tank Engine: The Complete Collection</i> by Rev. W. Awdry </li></ul><p></p><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">A. (girl, 3 years 7 months)</h4><i><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>All About Alfie</i> by Shirley Hughes </li><li><i>Babybug</i> magazines </li><li><i>Thomas the Tank Engine: The Complete Collection</i> by Rev. W. Awdry</li></ul></i><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">My husband</h4><div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Jane on Her Own</i> by Ursula K. Le Guin</li><li><i>Past Eight O'Clock: Goodnight Stories</i> by Joan Aiken</li><li><i>The Winged Colt of Casa Mia</i> by Betsy Byars </li></ul></div></div>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-40441939825462470422023-10-29T22:32:00.003-04:002024-01-15T12:05:51.966-05:00Homeschool Update: September 2023 <h3 style="text-align: left;">Group Activities</h3><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">Geography/Art </h4>Dad is reading aloud geography this year from The Complete Book of Marvels by Richard Halliburton. This month, he read the sections about the Transbay Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon. After each section, the kids all watched a related video. The videos were: <p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfiRAbfkFzQ">Building the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge (1937)</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtmPVo6cCOU">BUILDING THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE 1960s BETHLEHEM STEEL PROMOTIONAL MOVIE SAN FRANCISCO MD65664</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eqr0qN4IVgI">Let's See Yosemite, 1938</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3Sc6iCCP18">1940s SANTA FE RAILROAD GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK PROMOTIONAL FILM 46014</a></li></ul><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The architectural landmarks covered in this book are our focus for art this year.</span></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">Latin </h4><p>We completed the first 20 lessons of <i>Getting Started with Latin: Beginning Latin for Homeschoolers and Self-Taught Students of Any Age</i> by William E. Linney, and it's going well so far. E. (almost 6) struggled at first, but she is holding her own. The girls take turns translating the exercises each day, and we use the audio recordings to help with pronunciation. Even the twins have picked up a little bit. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">Shakespeare </h4>Our play this month was <i>Macbeth</i>. We read the children's version from <i>Shakespeare Stories</i> by Leon Garfield, and the girls started to memorize the "double, double toil and trouble" passage in parts. <p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">Read-Alouds </h4><p>We are doing two read-alouds at a time this year. Dad reads a historical fiction novel and I read an additional novel. September's books were <i>Attar of the Ice Valley</i> by Leonard Wibberley, <i>The Axe of Bronze</i> by Kurt Schmeltzer, <i>The Crystal Tree</i> by Jennie D. Lindquist, and <i>Rabbit Hill</i> by Robert Lawson (which we finished on St. Francis's feast day owing to his role in the end of the book.) </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Catechism</h4><p>M. and C. memorized the answers to the questions in Lesson 1 of the <i>New St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism Volume 1</i> and E. memorized the answers to the questions in the first few lessons of <i>The St. Joseph First Communion Catechism</i>. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Science </h3><p>C. and E. are having science with me every morning before breakfast. We're reading <i>The Golden Treasury of Natural History</i>, and we have covered the formation of rocks, early animals (such as trilobites), and creatures of the seashore (including mollusks). </p><p>M. and I read two chapters from <i>Secrets of the Universe</i>: "What is a natural law?" and "Archimedes' Principle." She watched a Demonstrations in Physics video with Julius Sumner Miller and did two experiments from Janice VanCleave's <i>Physics for Every Kid</i>, one about electricity and one about magnets. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Health</h3><p>E. watched the KidsHealth How the Body Works videos about the ear, nose, eye, and teeth. M. read some of the later chapters in <i>The Body Book for Girls</i> (she's almost done) and C. started reading it. C. and M. also both had orthdontist visits. </p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">History </h3><p>E. and I read the first four chapters in <i>A Child's History of the World</i> by V.M. Hillyer. We also read <i>They Lived Like This in the Old Stone Age</i> by Marie Neurath and <i>The First Farmers</i> by Leonard Weisgard, and she created some cave art with crayons on brown paper. </p><p>M. and I read all but the final 5 chapters in <i>The Early Human World</i>. She wrote a narration about archaeologist Mary Leakey. She also watched supplemental videos: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Science Odyssey</i>: Origins 1</li><li><i>First Peoples</i> - Africa</li><li><i>Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life</i></li><li><i>Becoming Human</i> Episode 1</li><li><i>Science Odyssey</i>: Origins 2</li><li><i>Dr. Leakey and the Dawn of Man</i></li><li><i>Life on Earth</i> Episode 13</li><li><i>Becoming Human</i> Episode 2</li><li><i>First Peoples</i> - Europe</li><li><i>Becoming Human</i> Episode 3</li><li><i>Neanderthals: Meet Your Ancestors</i> </li><li><i>Lapedo Child</i> </li><li><i>First Peoples</i> - Australia</li><li><i>Cave of Forgotten Dreams</i></li><li><i>Lascaux: How to Save 18,000 Years of History</i></li><li><i>Ice Age Art</i></li><li><i>First Peoples</i> - America</li><li><i>Prehistoric Animals of the Tar Pits</i></li></ul><p></p><p>C. and Dad are reading <i>The World of Captain John Smith</i> by Genevieve Foster. They have covered these sections: The Queen's Little Pirate; Queen Elizabeth; Philip II; A Declaration of Independence; The Virgin Queen and Her Frog Prince; Mary Stuart; The Three Henrys and the Queen Mother of France; Young Walter Raleigh and Virginia; No Gold - But Tobacco; Little John Smith; To and From Holland; Mary Stuart and the Honest Man; James; Lord Roanoke and Virginia Dare; Spanish Armada; War of the Three Henrys; The Lost Colony; John Smith, Schoolboy; The Faerie Queen; The Upstart Crow (Shakespeare); The White-Plumed Henry (of Navarre); El Greco and Philip II; John Smith, Would-Be Knight; El Dorado, City of Gold; Akbar of India; Mr. Pilot in Japan; Entrance to China; Sun, Moon, and Stars; A Star Gazer, Tycho Brahe and His Dog; Gustav Adolf, Star of the North. </p><p>Independently, C. read <i>The Lost Colony </i>and she wrote a narration about Roanoke as well. </p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">English </h3><p>M. worked on Vocabulary from Classical Roots A. C. started working in the Beginning book of <i>Sentence Diagramming</i>. E. did the first three chapters of <i>Grammarland </i>and the corresponding worksheets. </p><p>All three girls read independently pretty much every day.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Math</h3><p>M. continued working on Challenging Word Problems 3 and started doing the reviews in Singapore Primary Mathematics 5A. She is also working on Life of Fred: Decimals and Percents and she drills math facts with flashcards online every Friday. </p><p>C. is working on Singapore Primary Mathematics 3B and Life of Fred: Farming, and she also does flashcards online. </p><p>E. is working on Singapore Primary Mathematics 1A as well as Khan Academy Early Math.</p><p>M. and C. also continue to work on Khan Academy.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Music</h3><p>All three girls practiced piano and recorder daily. </p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Physical Education</h3><p>The girls rode bikes many afternoons and played on the playground across from our house. </p>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-38629882438993564862023-10-16T22:30:00.002-04:002023-10-16T22:30:33.958-04:00Read-at-Home Report: September 2023 Wrap-Up <p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">September Favorites</h3><br />I only had two five-star reads in September, and both were 2023 releases. <p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1US9cC9Ni6plTvN9QwDMciXPfZ4EqlgVBNnwRY8D4vW68WvUKnSuLc8GyIjtDlpUO3ObqZe1yob6LQeLjBQ2zxZazNYyty8xn02iHH8-jGOIVPu-D8_8XBqPpb-r41JkJTac441ZjFmVWJpLx2DqZLdrx-5m8bHmIaXnkkiR0Qqgvzv4kCnjVnrmonBAW"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi38J3kpGkf5yFWsLq32ay1IwGDw2RjT_7F8JnOjeuFaq3y-ZsOZ06NTKrwvi10J8mJOlMUh7qKSsOzz35Uelvswl_afwbiYx6IMktx0RsEWpAbYfrRsfVVrMmbWK3jksZd5oHs9gsyTxkMLZhBZM_VElR_u96kHr79Ky5bwVr3XiUcK8UUpgJ7R5y20mCR=w210-h320" /></a><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1US9cC9Ni6plTvN9QwDMciXPfZ4EqlgVBNnwRY8D4vW68WvUKnSuLc8GyIjtDlpUO3ObqZe1yob6LQeLjBQ2zxZazNYyty8xn02iHH8-jGOIVPu-D8_8XBqPpb-r41JkJTac441ZjFmVWJpLx2DqZLdrx-5m8bHmIaXnkkiR0Qqgvzv4kCnjVnrmonBAW=w201-h320" /></div><p><i>Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other</i> by Bethany Turner <br />This enemies-to-lovers small-town celebrity romance has great characters and a charming setting. I had an ARC from Netgalley but ended up listening to the audiobook, which was excellent. I'm looking forward to the companion book coming out next year!</p><p><i>Fire and Rain</i> (Country Club Murder Book 16) by Julie Mulhern<br />This series is always fun, and it never stops making me laugh. This was another great installment. </p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Read-Alouds</h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i style="font-style: italic;">Old Mother West Wind </i>by Thornton Burgess (3 stars)</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;"><i>The Crystal Tree</i> </span>(Golden Name Day Book 3) by Jennie D. Lundquist (4 stars)</li></ul><p></p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Series</h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Death Checked Out</i> (Larkspur Library Mysteries Book 1) by Leah Dobrinska (4 stars)</li><li><i>Commit</i> by Kortney Keisel (The Sweet Rom"Com" Book .5) (3 stars)</li><li><i>Compared</i> (The Sweet Rom"Com" Book 1) by Kortney Keisel (4 stars)</li><li><i>In the Company of Others</i> (Mitford Book 11) by Jan Karon (3 stars)</li><li><i>The Madness of Crowds</i> (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache Book 17) by Louise Penny (2 stars)</li><li><i>Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good</i> (Mitford Book 12) by Jan Karon (4 stars)</li><li><i>And All Between</i> (Green Sky Trilogy Book 2) by Zilpha Keatley Snyder (3 stars)</li><li><i>Come Rain or Come Shine</i> (Mitford Book 13) by Jan Karon (4 stars)</li><li><i>Just Don't Fall</i> (Sweater Weather Book 1) by Emma St. Clair (3 stars)</li><li><i>The Vanderbeekers Ever After</i> (The Vanderbeekers Book 7) by Karina Yan Glaser (3 stars)</li><li><i>The Fall Back Plan</i> (Sweater Weather Book 2) by Melanie Jacobson (4 stars)</li><li><i>Faithful Place</i> (Dublin Murder Squad Book 3) by Tana French (4 stars)</li></ul><p></p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Stand-alone Books</h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i style="font-style: italic;">Paradise Lost</i> by John Milton (3 stars)</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Frederica </span>by Georgette Heyer (4 stars)</li><li><i>Counting the Cost</i> by Jill Duggar (3 stars)</li><li><i>When Sharks Attack With Kindness</i> by Andrés J. Colmenares (4 stars)</li><li><i>One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich</i> by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (3 stars)</li><li><i>The Only Purple House in Town</i> by Ann Aguirre (2 stars)</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Family Reading Lists</h3><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">M. (girl, 9 years, 10 months old)</h4><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Fall of the Soviet Union</i> by Miles Harvey</li><li><i>Three Margarets</i> by Laura Richards</li><li><i>A Wrinkle in Time</i> by Madeleine L'Engle</li><li><i>The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles</i> by Julie Andrews Edwards</li><li><i>Every Bone Tells a Story: Hominin Discoveries, Deductions, and Debates</i> by Jill Rubalcaba and Peter Robertshaw</li></ul><p></p><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">C. (girl, 8 years)</h4><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Pollyanna Grows Up</i> by Eleanor H. Porter</li><li><i>More Wishing Chair Tales</i> by Enid Blyton</li></ul><p></p><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">E. (girl, 5 years 11 months)</h4><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Animals of Farthing Wood</i> by Colin Dann </li></ul><p></p><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">R. (boy, 3 years, 6 months)</h4><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>In the Sea</i> by David Elliot, illustrated by Holly Meade</li><li><i>Little Blue Truck's Valentine</i> by Alice Schertle </li></ul><p></p><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">A. (girl, 3 years, 6 months)</h4><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Old Babybug magazines </li></ul><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">My husband </h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Attar of the Ice Valley</i> by Leonard Wibberley</li><li><i>The Axe of Bronze, a Story of Stonehenge</i> by Kurt Schmeltzer</li><li><i>The Incredible Journey</i> by Sheila Burnford </li></ul><p></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-15129616978257547632023-09-11T00:05:00.000-04:002023-09-11T00:05:26.091-04:00Read-at-Home Mom Report: August 2023 Wrap-Up<h3 style="text-align: left;">August Favorites</h3><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiytfY1ASFi7XWhbPZ6dHwrRAHg390Fw0tFWsv4ELdkeX9NFIufnoQOiA9722hYO-dBrKT8oFsRGHX_3BPFKPdvk7dvDaPloRtJEGhLkqvF755Fi7QfqTT9tnJu4nCM_ZG1UF7zQlF5VK2ZAnRajkmNCcPMEB_QiMXYA1uZnKAXBvtZoDLLz7VV6lr6oi45=w213-h320" width="213" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6TzMT38ebg491l1uGepQCi2DHhR3NaIHZeFnTNPjSFd6tEsUcpZ2iM6TD8t9e8AvRPeiYgzclCfPfyFCXv8LbPSbaBJnfqzvA1lq_bwqx72Ew2BWv4rETy1eRmCySqYdij2fCpmkbNGaIJPy18c4TGsCLa-oedhkkpbzNuKmq_dd1d8r9WEz7TCLCZZ0G=w207-h320" width="207" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGcuTVaPkwCyurknyCpF9DddJMzxi3K6aC2EkLGAt6NwdrTXP49Nny6Xwk9ZylZwURCWNxxYCDub1SRTCM2ZhWf4XUAjDyKvXLVHHhI4WLMPcLAv_qP3HdeUH5XjpmzOj0HpKyJMFKCAmqKgLGKFby1VPAJybD84SefV_CzXyWTE9dS3jHAuq1OtwxA-uM=w212-h320" width="212" /></div><p></p><p><i>The Portrait of a Lady</i> by Henry James<br />I did a slow read of this book with a group on Instagram that took most of the summer. Because of trips and other summer activities, I fell behind a few times and went long stretches without reading, and I know the stopping and starting caused me to miss things, but I loved the main character, Isabel Archer, and the writing, and I liked knowing I was reading a novel that was loved by one of my favorite writers, Flannery O'Connor. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>Brighton Rock</i> by Graham Greene</div>Though this is quite different from the other novels I've read by this author, I really enjoyed the reading experience. The way Greene incorporates religious themes into the story is similar to the approach he takes in my favorite novel of his, The End of the Affair, but in a totally different setting. <p></p><p><i>Tom Lake</i> by Ann Patchett<br />This was the stand-out book of the month. The audiobook is read by Meryl Streep, the story involves many references to Our Town, and the author manages to tell the story of two timelines in a single narrative. I have read a few other books by Ann Patchett and felt they were just okay, but this was truly delightful. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWVxcfBdC5YlNXRs7CcJxcvnLkeyZWbl01Y1XkMrRjZk3Ue9KUU2mgRdswCbH08VfkRM-FloL1xwtYfv8UrFJShRfZKME57j4nETH376CrQU8qmHaq2X89lUbzFkSy-bs77ziSfrZKGkPBRYW_jbobsgQgDPw7i3YThGvHLnonhWXwENPYpi0J3YqWL-As=w212-h320" width="212" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiF6JfTxaejTPfM8mPzLy9phO06RBPhuihVLSmcopBtUw48Bel4ec_tKva-fkBy1ChYXkL_zm4tihRVBV8iZhtmLbE1znfH1sRmR80CqxXcvuNgOJnypsXjkB6E8KkYp8r5zzJ8a4g2oszWUoY12FxELX4ktB4NBMpVbZQQ5WGrrJDxYSnKFENzHIloglQD=w210-h320" width="210" /></div><i><br /></i><i>Zero Days</i> by Ruth Ware <br />Ruth Ware is an author who has always been very hit or miss for me, but this ended up being my favorite of hers. She builds suspense in such an organic and believable way, and I didn't want to put the book down. Imogen Church who reads the audiobook is also excellent. <p></p><p><i>Share Your Stuff, I'll Go First</i> by Laura Tremaine <br />I gave this 5 stars not for the self-help angle, but because I enjoyed the memoir-style anecdotes the author used to illustrate the different areas about which she suggests women share with each other. </p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Stand-Alone Books</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Welcome to Beach Town</i> by Susan Wiggs (4 stars)</li><li><i>Must Love Flowers</i> by Debbie Macomber (4 stars) </li><li><i>The Life Council</i> by Laura Tremaine (4 stars)</li><li><i>Hello, Stranger</i> by Katherine Center (4 stars)</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Short Stories</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Girl in the Plane</i> by Katherine Center (5 stars)</li><li><i>All Roads Lead to Here</i> by Abby Jimenez (5 stars)</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Series Books</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Wishes</i> (Heartbooks Book 1) by Brittany Eden (4 stars)</li><li><i>Well Matched</i> (Well Met Book 3) by Jen De Luca (4 stars)</li><li><i>Below the Root</i> (Green Sky Trilogy Book 1) by Zilpha Keatley Snyder (4 stars)</li><li><i>Positively, Penelope</i> (Skymar Book 2) by Pepper Basham </li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Read-Alouds</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Midnight Horse</i> by Paul Fleischman (3 stars)</li><li><i>Friendly Gables</i> by Hilda van Stockum (5 stars)</li><li><i>The Story of Science: Einstein Adds a New Dimension</i> by Joy Hakim (3 stars)</li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Family Reading Lists</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">M. (girl, 9 years, 9 months old)</h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Americans to the Moon</i> by Gene Gurney </li><li><i>Reaching for the Moon</i> by Buzz Aldrin</li><li><i>Moonshot</i> by Brian Floca</li><li><i>The War in Vietnam</i> by Don Lawson</li><li><i>Women of Courage</i> by Dorothy Nathan</li><li><i>The Three Investigators in the Mystery of the Coughing Dragon</i> by Nick West</li><li><i>The Space Shuttle</i> by George Fichter</li></ul><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">C. (girl, 7 years, 11 months old) </h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>More All-of-a-Kind-Family</i> by Sydney Taylor </li><li><i>Sideways Stories from Wayside School </i>by Louis Sachar </li></ul><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">E. (girl, 5 years, 10 months old)</h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Enchanted Wood</i> by Enid Blyton</li><li><i>The Secret Staircase</i> by Jill Barklem</li><li><i>The High Hills</i> by Jill Barklem</li></ul><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">R. (boy, 3 years, 5 months old)</h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Anthology of Aquatic Life </i></li><li><i>Shimmer and Splash </i>by Jim Arnosky</li><li><i>If You See a Kitten</i> by John Butler </li><li><i>A House for Hermit Crab </i>by Eric Carle </li></ul><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">A. (girl, 3 years, 5 months old)</h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Bubble Trouble</i> by Margaret Mahy</li><li><i>What Shall We Do with the Boo Hoo Baby? </i>by Cressida Cowell </li><li><i>Mister Seahorse</i> by Eric Carle </li><li><i>Owl Babies </i>by Martin Waddell </li></ul><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">My husband </h4></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Fingal's Quest</i> by Madeleine Polland</li><li><i>Pictured Worlds: Masterpieces of Children’s Book Art by 101 Essential Illustrators from Around the World</i> by Leonard Marcus </li><li><i>Dexter</i> by Clyde Robert Bulla</li></ul></div><p></p>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-22139898130080875832023-09-03T22:02:00.000-04:002023-09-03T22:02:19.788-04:00Homeschool Plans: 2023-2024 <p>This school year will be my fifth official year of homeschooling, and I will have three students - M., C., and E. Because these three girls have fall birthdays, they all did a year of kindergarten the year they turned five, so while the state of Maryland classifies them as 4th grade, 2nd grade, and kindergarten, we think of them as being in 5th, 3rd, and 1st, and they work at all different levels in all different subjects. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Social Studies </h3><p>M. has completed the first phrase of the trivium, so she will be doing the Ancients at the logic level this year. E. will be doing the same time period at the grammar level. </p><p>M. will be reading <i>The World in Ancient Times</i> textbook series, including the volume of primary documents, and we will discuss the material and supplement with related video series, including Between the Rivers, History of Ancient Egypt, History of India, From Yao to Mao, Ancient Greek Civilization, History of Ancient Rome, Maya to Aztec and Lost Worlds of South America. </p><p>With E., I will be reading aloud <i>A Child's History of the World</i> by V.M. Hillyer and supplementing with most of the same picture books and videos M. and C. read their first year.</p><p>C. is in year three of the grammar stage, and she will be studying the Late Renaissance and Early Modern periods with Daddy using books by Genevieve Foster and the same videos and supplemental reading M. used two years ago. </p><p>Together, all three girls will learn about important geographical and architectural landmarks from <i>The Book of Marvels</i>. </p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Science</h3><p>We designed our own physics curriculum for Meg with <i>Secrets of the Universe</i> by Paul Fleisher as her spine. She will be watching video demonstrations starring Julius Sumner Miller and simulations from PhET at the University of Colorado, and doing experiments independently using Janice VanCleave's Physics for Every Kid. </p><p>Though we are still technically using <i>Building Foundations for Scientific Understanding</i> as our science curriculum for C. and E., I wanted a change, so we chose <i>The Golden Treasury of Natural History</i> as our spine for learning about our main subjects of plants and animals. At the end of the year, we will do a quick unit on magnetism to finish out the two-year course we've been on. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">English</h3><p>M. will continue her work with Rex Barks, as well as with Vocabulary from Classical Roots. She will also be writing narrations to accompany her history, with the goal of learning to identify and communicate the main ideas of the chapters she reads. </p><p>C. will begin sentence diagramming this year. She will also do some narrations.</p><p>E. will work through <i>Grammarland</i> by listening to the lessons and completing the worksheets for each one. She will work on narrating her history and science lessons. </p><p>Additionally, we will have daily read-alouds. The plan is to have one historical fiction and one realistic or fantasy title going at all times. We will also read one Shakespeare play per month and do a weekly poetry lesson from Poem Making by Myra Cohn Livingston. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Latin </h3><p>All three girls will begin Latin together this year. We'll be using <i>Getting Started with Latin</i>. We will also continue to memorize prayers and psalms in Latin and to attend the Latin Mass once a month. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Math </h3><p>The girls kept up with math all summer, so everyone is already well into their work for this year. </p><p>M. is doing algebra on Khan Academy and will be doing the review sections of Singapore Primary Mathematics 5A. </p><p>C. is working on third grade math on Khan Academy and Singapore 3B. </p><p>E. is working on Early Math on Khan Academy and will be working on Singapore 1A. </p><p>M. will move into <i>Life of Fred: Decimals</i> and C. will begin <i>Life of Fred: Farming</i>. M. and C. will continue to drill math facts using online flashcards, but we will be reducing the frequency from daily to weekly. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Religion </h3><p>E. will begin her two-year preparation for First Communion using <i>The St. Joseph First Communion Catechism</i>. M. and C. who have received First Communion, will move into the <i>New St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism Volume 1</i>, and we will take that at whatever pace they can manage it. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Health</h3><p>M. will be finishing <i>The Body Book for Girls</i>, and C. will begin to read it. </p><p>E. will study human body systems using the resources from Kids Health. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Art </h3><p>This year, art will mainly be covered by the material in <i>The Book of Marvels</i>, but the girls will also create art using how-to-draw videos, craft kits, and various media. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Music</h3><p>All three girls will continue playing piano and recorder and learning to sing. E. is using the Denes Agay Primer and <i>Hands on Recorder</i>, C. is using Denes Agay Book 2, <i>50 Graded Studies for Recorder</i>, and <i>Recorder Time,</i> and M. is using Denes Agay Book 3 and <i>The Recorder Guide</i>.</p><p>Music appreciation will most likely include a mix of ballet, opera, and musicals.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Physical Education </h3><p>We got a good jump-start on PE with all three girls practicing their swimming at the pool this summer. They will continue to ride bikes and play on the playground, and hopefully they will get a chance to practice more with their basketball. We may also reintroduce the morning warm-up exercises they did a few years back. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Preschool </h3><p>R. and A. are three and a half, so this year is preschool for them. We will be doing some good read-alouds and making sure to review their letters and numbers. I expect their learning to pick up a lot more in the second half of the year, as they are still quite young compared to their sisters when they were starting preschool. </p>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-13731519107494018752023-09-03T21:55:00.002-04:002023-09-03T21:55:44.902-04:00Homeschool Update: Summer 2023 <h3 style="text-align: left;">Group Activities</h3><p>The girls continued to work on memorizing Anima Christi. We also chose seven additional prayers to practice on a weekly rotation: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The St. Michael Prayer (Sunday)</li><li>Memorare (Monday)</li><li>Hail, Holy Queen (Tuesday)</li><li>Come, Holy Spirit (Wednesday)</li><li>Apostle's Creed (Thursday)</li><li>Glory Be (Friday)</li><li>Domine Non Sum Dignus (Saturday)</li></ul><div>Our June read-alouds were <i>I Will Adventure</i> by Elizabeth Janet Grey and <i>Canadian Summer</i> by Hilda van Stockum. Our July read-alouds were: <i>Shadow of the Hawk</i> by Geoffrey Trease, <i>Summer at Buckhorn</i> by Anna Rose Wright, and <i>The Road to the King's Mountain</i> by Margaret Ann Hubbard. Our August read-alouds were: <i>The Midnight Horse</i> by Sid Fleishman, <i>Friendly Gables</i> by Hilda van Stockum, and <i>Bambi</i> by Felix Salter. (E. had a very strong emotional reaction to a certain chapter in <i>Bambi.)</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Our June poet was Carl Sandburg. In July, we read <i>American Poems</i> from the Poetry for Young People series, and in August, we read <i>Animal Poems</i> from the same series.</div><div><br /></div><div>We read children's versions of <i>Hamlet</i>, <i>The Taming of the Shrew</i>, and <i>The Tempest</i>. The girls watched animated and live-action productions of the plays as well as <i>Kiss Me Kate</i>. </div><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">History </h3><p>M. continued reading about the 20th century using <i>The Century</i> by Peter Jennings as a spine. She is ending August with the Reagan presidency. </p><p>She has read many history and historical fiction titles: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Ben-Gurion and the Birth of Israel</i> by Joan Comay</li><li><i>Other Sandals</i> by Sally Watson</li><li><i>The Garden</i> by Carol Matas</li><li><i>Exploring the Himalaya</i> by William O. Douglas</li><li><i>The Ark</i> by Margot Benary Isbert</li><li><i>The Korean War</i> by Tom McGowen</li><li><i>The Korean War Soldier</i> at Heartbreak Ridge by Carl R. Green</li><li><i>The Shoes from Yang Son Valley</i> by Yong-ik Kim</li><li><i>The Year of Impossible Goodbyes</i> by Sook Nyul Choi </li><li><i>Echoes of the White Giraffe</i> by Sook Nyul Choi</li><li><i>Rowan Farm</i> by Margot Benary Isbert</li><li><i>Alexander Fleming</i> by Richard Tames</li><li><i>The School Segregation Cases</i> by Janet Stevenson</li><li><i>Brown v. Board of Education</i> by Diane L. Good</li><li><i>The Story of Jonas Salk and the Discovery of the Polio Vaccine</i> by Jim Hargrove</li><li><i>You Choose: The Civil Rights Movement</i> by Heather Adamson</li><li><i>Americans Into Orbit </i>by Gene Gurney</li><li><i>Walk in Space</i> by Gene Gurney</li></ul><div>She also watched a variety of videos, including episodes of Days that Shook the World and the following documentaries: </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Korea: The Never Ending War </li><li>Festival of Britain </li><li>Planet Earth: Mountains (about Mt. Everest)</li><li>Exploring the Himalayas</li><li>Nine from Little Rock</li><li>Space Race </li><li>Suez: A Very British Crisis</li><li>Cold War Roadshow </li><li>The Man Who Saved the World </li><li>Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment </li><li>Martin Luther King and the March on Washington </li><li>Dancing in the Street (part of episode 3)</li><li>A Hard Day's Night</li><li>Neil Armstrong: First Man on the Moon </li><li>People's Century: Freedom Now </li><li>Simple Justice: The History of Brown vs. Board of Education </li><li>Polio Crusade </li></ul></div><div>C. finished her history in June with the printing press and Shakespeare. </div><div><br /></div><div>She read: </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Shakespeare: His Work and His World </i>by Michael Rosen</li><li><i>The King's Beard</i> by Leonard Wibberly </li><li><i>Crossbows and Crucifixes</i> by Henry Garnett</li></ul></div><p></p><div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Math </h3></div><div>M. continued Algebra Basics and Get Ready for Alegebra I on Khan Academy. She continued working through Life of Fred: Fractions and she drilled multiplication and division facts daily. </div><div><br /></div><div>C. moved into Singapore Primary Mathematics 3B and finished Life of Fred: Edgewood. She also drilled her math facts daily. </div><div><br /></div><div>E. continued working on Early Math on Khan Academy. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Science </h3><div><br /></div><div>M. and I finished reading <i>The Story of Science: Newton at the Center</i> and then read <i>The Story of Science: Einstein Adds a New Dimension</i>. All three girls watched some episodes of Watch Mr. Wizard. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">English </h3><div><br /></div><div>M. continued working in Rex Barks and Vocabulary from Classical Roots A. Everyone read independently all summer. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">P.E. </h3><div>The girls rode bikes and practiced their swimming. All three girls improved their swimming skills. M. and C. can now go in the deep end independently and E. is almost there. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Art </h3><div>We finished reading <i>A Child's History of Art</i>. The girls made birthday cards for their aunt and a friend whose birthday party they attended. M. made paper cube animals. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Music</h3><div>Everyone practiced piano and recorder all summer, and occasionally did some singing. </div><p></p>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-6113021340686259012023-08-17T23:23:00.002-04:002023-08-17T23:23:10.543-04:00Read-at-Home Mom Report: July 2023 Wrap-Up<h3 style="text-align: left;">July Favorites </h3><p>These favorites were all five-star reads. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99r3ffovdCZkY0NkPr_O6bYXK4ItPXDfUhxlN4CpiLJXtAgjmoUvsDp5ZvzUi8i02Uh729FF3yFQQEoqeaa8aWbpqiciazhRNwzwBFRue7k3aiZsa0gCOQA9I2NOLaV5dk_98AfsANy-J15z2zSNNQVPg20l8Jqd4rrS4dHS_64PmTvASFrlRjQCQQx35/w215-h320/20230710_210109%20(1).jpg" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZ_6AXV6NxlBgnY72rdOVHWv8Nmo5IeTMD2WSsVoY-Sus60IUqdQsOZ6XYSluEFpn1pX8EkTkpXpnT_sSlA767yD1W8V-7fqlnyOmh2OUyKeArT_yrv364bMlCc6jqb53qwvH5GaCC_eipYc7tXJnyEoVKp8y9pzssj14mjY8Mp8_3IOcnSTd7XlyU0Aa_=w215-h320" width="215" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9oJNh7L06xZ-ezLhFNmq7sLc5FN_qFKviCKVXSTjT4kYiCYUNtT98uL5y3NZhweUKXX2ZZxRB4MBqwv2PMPjSPrX8qkpjALJrzmf_We403mB_byi_DkuLzyHNJfHHVm0Y9PLPut-3IT9DhKGIDj3OoewCvk-dhjlrRZUkPNV_48o8LyKFGjxRaaJdB_KZ=w198-h320" width="198" /><br /><i>Shadow of the Hawk</i> by Geoffrey Trease<br />This is a historical adventure novel in which two teens travel to a monastery to rescue the only known copy of an ancient play while pursued by nefarious forces who want the play only for monetary gain. It has great characters, a compelling plot, and it was a great read-aloud. My kids loved it and kept begging me to keep reading.</div><p></p><p><i>Where the Red Fern Grows</i> by Wilson Rawls<br />I have been avoiding this book my entire life, but my husband put the audiobook on in the car, and I was totally hooked. Rawls's writing is impeccable. The scenes he paints with words completely stuck in my mind and have stayed with me for weeks. Yes, the book is sad, but there are few stories more beautiful than this remembrance of a childhood spent with hounds. </p><p><i>Summer at Buckhorn</i> by Anna Rose Wright <br />This is another memoir-esque children's novel that I read aloud to my kids. Five siblings travel from the North to Virginia during the post-Civil War era to visit family and have a largely unsupervised summer in the great outdoors. When they arrive, they meet a sixth child who is reluctant to enjoy himself but soon learns how to have fun. The hijinks of these characters made my kids laugh out loud, and my middle child was tickled by the fact that the middle child in the story calls herself "the bookmark of the family." </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiD_JbVgc_4T0hncrFkl2h-ymqYg_pvkXRgNTv9YMzC1AUD7iogCjDaBvc_6FnDpx2GptBbjReo7YJ56nAvfvfL94_mMKdsp78hNIqqlOYtydomatA1ZELcI6ek2ydsGWY2zO2F-MmGWKd3zKkVg30wNASjs_lLfphc8gqR0rFPnkwULbT8-lAGwnaHmxlV=w206-h320" width="206" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9BXWTo-ZH_7aqM18S8ZejOhVcLl4K_zsqToa8h88_AwE-cQ-LISh_L3KLkZ3n6MN46-tpvDksWAbozkOtq6L4JNGTRO82BPGqaHtlCj0WCd4K2Os1qAG48ppV9N6VuBVbSg9ERX5Xj2DQK5G7iw-ZXKSVh8IodEFI91aFXB0sez3g9TCGvyvp7iG54GL1=w212-h320" width="212" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSNNwS6jH-1QEUjB6WNggnxiJVMLucliab4UURfw3MXwwUsgB4lmaKq8TVtzYZzLZIavXxh31Xbi1Ibwn0gg1L8CX0AI20Z9veitOv6H5Cdu6EaNTAv_ukgnjefKWwXA92STbrhKNuqEDucVqeIOpzlJMMie8jvQ0nRuXC8DeLlGPcXEX3pb3vv_svz0L3=w213-h320" width="213" /><br /><i><br />The Changeling</i> by Zilpha Keatley Snyder</div>My husband and I read this with our friend and discussed over Zoom. It reminded me a lot of one of my favorite children's novels, <i>Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth </i>by E.L. Konigsburg. It does a beautiful job exploring the dynamics between two friends who meet and part and meet again at different points in their lives, and it highlights the role imagination often plays in friendship and in coping with difficulties during childhdood. <p></p><p><i>Borrow My Heart</i> by Kasie West <br />This YA romance follows Wren and Asher. When Wren sees that Asher is waiting at the coffee shop for a girl who has clearly been catfishing him, she steps in to help him save face by pretending to be the girl. Then, quite unexpectedly, she falls for him herself, and has to find a way to let him know the truth. This was a delightful summer read, and one of this author's best books. </p><p><i>Charting the Course</i> by Leslea Wahl <br />I reviewed this YA romance/mystery for Catholic Mom. I loved the believable characters and the realistic and relatable discussions of faith in the story. <a href="https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/teen-romance-and-mystery-on-a-cruise-ship">My full review is here.</a></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaQ8rGWZ5q1akrDIIZtTLCXsj-UkNlRyG3MwdmVDYkSypxUZSr7bqf-kjHLcpafqi6xncTmEpbHloE47BJReH0RMxANC7FHNZubs3RsW3DAhsH8Wm2yK2pnb23DxS09nNVk9_iSxb7HLTfNd9RPuXKQfLSW2XaF-iiTeKOBWrb_xvRv2-ndXiWFXdj1Z4J=w211-h320" width="211" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7KvwUl7VCIn8sWHW1jGlokn5KItSlangsVhZ_fI6Q7XLu7UQ6JK-XTHv6XB2zOOInEj6NiTekOfQqFCzESz4xvVXf4lCRAXuEpL18aQlFxst0Ih89cviArYJAohwrGYpIjc5xjCR4RjoHU3wFUR_hyELFpGMx5E200tc_qvhiHcFbEWN6FtV8K4MyzEkw=w215-h320" width="215" /><br /><i><br />The Road to Roswell </i>by Connie Willis <br />This wacky sci-fi rom-com made me laugh and was so entertaining. The references to western and sci-fi movies were really fun, and all the quirky characters were so well-written. I couldn't put it down. </div><p></p><p><i>Teaching a Stone to Talk</i> by Annie Dillard<br />I listened to this book because my book group on Instagram was focusing on books published in the year of our birth, and this came out in 1982. It ended up being a beautiful collection of essays, including one that intertwines worship at Mass with arctic exploration in a surprisingly satisfying way. </p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Stand-Alone Books </h3><i><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Everything Sad Is Untrue</i> by Daniel Nayeri (3 stars) </li><li><i>Sparrow Being Sparrow</i> by Gail Donovan (4 stars)</li><li><i>The Me I Used to Be</i> by Jennifer Ryan (3 stars)</li><li><i>Ford County</i> by John Grisham (4 stars)</li><li><i>Begin Again</i> by Emma Lord (4 stars)</li><li><i>Gentle Writing Advice: How to Be a Writer Without Destroying Yourself</i> by Chuck Wendig (4 stars)</li><li><i>Before She Knew Him</i> by Peter Swanson (3 stars)</li></ul></i><p></p><div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Guide</h3></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Once More with Feeling</i> by Elissa Sussman (3 stars)</li><li><i>Summer Stage</i> by Meg Mitchell Moore (4 stars)</li></ul></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Read-Alouds</h3><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Story of Science: Newton at the Center</i> by Joy Hakim (3 stars)</li><li><i>The Road to the King's Mountain</i> by Margaret Ann Hubbard (4 stars)</li></ul></div></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Series Books</h3><i><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Final Empire</i> (Mistborn Book 1) by Brandon Sanderson (4 stars)</li><li><i>A Cryptic Clue</i> (Hunter and Clewe Mystery Book 1) by Victoria Gilbert (4 stars)</li></ul></i></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Did Not Finish </h3><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>As You Wish</i> by Jude Devereaux</li></ul></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Family Reading Lists</h3><div><div><h4 style="text-align: left;">M. (girl, 9 years, 8 months)</h4><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Alexander Fleming</i> by Richard Tames</li><li><i>Newton at the Center</i> by Joy Hakim</li><li><i>The School Segregation Cases</i> by Janet Stevenson</li><li><i>Brown v. Board of Education</i> by Diane L. Good</li><li><i>The Story of Jonas Salk and the Discovery of the Polio Vaccine</i> by Jim Hargrove</li><li><i>You Choose: The Civil Rights Movement</i> by Heather Adamson</li><li><i>Urchin of the Riding Stars</i> by M. I. McAllister</li><li><i>Urchin and the Heartstone</i> by M. I. McAllister</li><li><i>Meg and the Disappearing Diamonds</i> by Holly Beth Walker</li><li><i>Americans Into Orbit</i> by Gene Gurney</li><li><i>Walk in Space</i> by Gene Gurney</li></ul></div></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">C. (girl, 7 years, 10 months)</h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Little House in the Highlands</i> by Melissa Wiley</li><li><i>No Flying in the House</i> by Betty Brock</li><li><i>All-of-a-kind-family Uptown</i> by Sydney Taylor</li><li><i>The Road to Oz</i> by L. Frank Baum</li><li><i>A Pet for the Orphelines</i> by Natalie Savage Carlson </li></ul></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">E. (girl, 5 years, 9 months)</h4><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Jenny Goes to Sea</i> by Esther Averill</li><li><i>The Hotel Cat </i>by Esther Averill</li><li><i>Betsy and Billy</i> by Carolyn Haywood</li><li><i>Ramona the Brave</i> by Beverly Cleary</li><li><i>The Faraway Tree</i> by Enid Blyton</li><li><i>Lulu and the Duck in the Park</i> by Hilary McKay</li><li><i>The Rackety-Packety House</i> by Frances Hodgson Burnett</li></ul><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">R. (boy, 3 years, 5 months)</h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Great White Shark</i> by Claire Saxby </li><li><i>The Dinosaur Book</i> by the Smithsonian </li><li><i>National Geographic Dinosaur Atlas </i></li></ul><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">A. (girl, 3 years, 5 months)</h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>No David</i> by David Shannon </li><li><i>Monkey Puzzle</i> by Julia Donaldson </li><li><i>All Better, Baby</i> by Sara Gillingham</li><li><i>What Shall We Do with the Boo Hoo Baby?</i> by Cressida Cowell</li><li><i>Lake Life with You</i> by Cindy Jin</li></ul><p></p>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-588870446306339902023-08-07T13:44:00.005-04:002023-08-07T13:44:48.665-04:00Read-at-Home Mom Report: June 2023 Wrap-Up<p style="text-align: left;">*I am very late in posting this! We had back-to-back trips in July, and this post has been sitting in my drafts for weeks. But here, finally, is everything I read in June! The July round-up should be ready soon too. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">June Favorites</h3><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjreHV6Ea0DfLtN9AYkNur48x9qyU6e1fd4EtUxXZI8EsuJg_pRWARXyiU6xsHpoGIj_nBbVISCqVNgsSBl2BIehI4BUNLjqIN_ng1Z7-H7TZEmbTvO9mikGaqYO2xuJTufFeu4owWIJUVlTtUd3ZVeBWrBa23nNIwgoW9p5ndzfcunYjQutZV9NFFumOhx=w212-h320" width="212" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgo1Cv6tuJiEaBM-_2780J4mnR3w764QW0f7BJyCud2VXWFuAOHS-zsBICTUccI4oPTIF8c-NiIgW03aHlzSs9Tfoeo6a8tCNZLUGwom9eBKybiC_8mYmVUKUzf14rzoTANQSe7pNe6ujJeeNbbrOj_pB_9vF5SPmZl1NVlB0WeJITAtUfp9-vSZAqTWnbU=w211-h320" width="211" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiSn2ZPR1la67FwxtDpKSNy4hqTWR2HnIM8khk9MhSrmS74m2PpzHeZdqsBt1t2-IoNaAD_0H7fMo70eT_TA4_rB7WG8yR8BxtIYSVhOWjwCKAhAZpZGZovftjPOCJxYd4lIlVR8jSIxJAFwml8fIXkLS9ACM0z3BcD1VlkcE8fgjgeUFZ1FAtoDJK67b8i=w213-h320" width="213" /><br /><br /></div><i>I Will Adventure</i> by Elizabeth Gray Vining<br />I read this aloud to my girls at the same time that my 7 year old was studying Elizabethan England and Shakespeare. The story follows a teen boy to London as he takes on a position as a page for his cousin. He has several chance encounters with members of a theater troupe, including William Shakespeare himself, and he learns to overcome his homesickness and rise to the challenges of living in a new place. We all really enjoyed this one, and it was really easy and fun to read aloud. <p></p><p><i>The Labors of Hercules Beal</i> by Gary D. Schmidt<br />I wasn't sure at first how I would like this latest novel from Schmidt, but it was excellent. The plot requires some suspension of disbelief as some things do come together too neatly, but the writing is so beautiful, it truly doesn't matter. I loved all of the characters, and some scenes made me tear up. </p><p><i>A Spool of Blue Thread</i> by Anne Tyler <br />This book had a rocky start for me due to a bit of a red herring on the first page as to what the story is about, but it ended up being another wonderful portrait of a family from the author who is best at writing those.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhM4emnQUJgMaDK_rndzNjkOQASdKnPSpeWRE6qgoeDuYFpkzSfQJriJji4nFL2XlppZhzxFIJFpFK98BqSw6p-_GNUZUw4cd4898FEDF_LaN1r6Jwpphfts_RFATSGqaF3RPuxplHLEEEm71V0rllLbbcuTSCenoE_H_zLqXXDI8FkEvaptlGOqzspC0U6=w210-h320" width="210" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj30HidlqSvAj7HoHu_SbqyF-7CJlhGFYUM5aCz2H47kWR30YCcqaUMDMJU99DIUvbtxVcTNfelEDn7cwQAkmsrweOVmjO_dNGnbVG31oTcANzh2vAH03qECDKjAI0ZzwjNKBLXpNKrCDrITmHebhW42EQpAKc-xRB79GKV-lWNq968D-Gj2Ci-5UJmZcLs=w212-h320" width="212" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZiSYmswz41Ti6Euqm1ripLo9H5spT5T0jC_4ukZsZw5QqM3JRevcBb5N2GQzAUtV3HwMacNzqSVlPvA08nY1NOQt39SGmZXjOHb1PZbTVK2EeCZLIAQEXuDxZPOWvSbnnXDj90zForqGnLVw6jJhyrrAa-70pVNBWWuG5mZ5dS381atWF3GtwgpOpyXpE=w207-h320" width="207" /><br /><br /><i>No Two Persons</i> by Erica Bauermeister<br />This novel follows the life of a manuscript, from the imagination of the author, through the publishing process and into the lives of some of its readers. The structure of this novel seemed like it could be gimmicky, but it isn't. Each of the characters has an interesting backstory, and some of them are connected to one another. The author did a great job executing this concept without making it cheesy. </div><p></p><p><i>The Spectacular</i> by Fiona Davis <br />This novel about a Radio City Music Hall Rockette dancer and a bomber in 1950s New York City was so fascinating. It's a historical fiction book, but in parts it read more like a thriller. I've read a few books by this author, and this one is my favorite so far. </p><div><p><i>Same Time Next Summer</i> by Annabel Monaghan<br />This is the perfect nostalgic beach read for summer. The writing is delightful, and I loved the characters and the looks back into their past. Annabel Monaghan is a new favorite author for me this year.</p></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYhSoMia95xyxGp3fzscUNxUQ7X75wB6IuyR9c7y8Pt56mwONYfTWWsf4s4t-utR6iqfeSF-uaInPZWpgrJQ18iQOE2enUbKTYFXJBpK5MFiN6q0a3C5BeowWJtCfCA26Qezn6lj5glD6LE0VLqQyB0b6Anrgld3IrmyYM_Z528fxdVoopghqz3zJhcIaz=w210-h320" width="210" /></div><p></p><p><i>The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley</i> by Courtney Walsh<br />The socially awkward science-minded protagonist of this romance is such a great character. I loved her journey toward not just romance, but toward widening her social circle and learning that she doesn't have to be alone to be happy. </p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Stand-Alone Books</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Everyone Hates Kelsie Miller</i> by Meredith Ireland (3 stars)</li><li><i>The Firefly Summer</i> by Morgan Matson (4 stars)</li><li><i>The Gauntlet</i> by Ronald Welch (3 stars)</li><li><i>The Scarlet Letter</i> by Nathaniel Hawthorne (3 stars)</li><li><i>Just the Nicest Couple</i> by Mary Kubica (3 stars)</li><li><i>The Words We Lost </i>by Nicole Deese (4 stars)</li><li><i>It's Better This Way</i> by Debbie Macomber (4 stars)</li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Guide</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Above Ground</i> by Clint Smith (4 stars)</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Read-Alouds</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Canadian Summer</i> by Hilda van Stockum</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Series Books</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Gathering of Pearls</i> (Year ofImpossible Goodbyes Book 3) by Sook Nyul Choi</li><li><i>Perelandra</i> (Space Trilogy Book 2) by C.S. Lewis (5 stars)</li></ul><p></p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Did Not Finish</h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i style="font-style: italic;">The Museum of Ordinary People </i>by Mike Gayle<i> </i></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;"><i>Watch Us Shine</i> </span>by Marisa de los Santos<i> </i></li><li><i style="font-style: italic;">The Death of Mrs. Westaway </i>by Ruth Ware</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;"><i>Wait for It</i> </span>by Jenn McKinlay </li><li><span style="font-style: italic;"><i>If We're Being Honest</i> </span>by Cat Shook<i> </i></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;"><i>The Secret Book of Flora Lea</i> </span>by Patti Callahan Henry<i> </i></li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Family Reading Lists </h3><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">M. (girl, 9 years, 7 months)</h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Ben-Gurion and the Birth of Israel</i> by Joan Comay</li><li><i>Other Sandals</i> by Sally Watson</li><li><i>The Garden</i> by Carol Matas</li><li><i>Exploring the Himalaya</i> by William O. Douglas</li><li><i>These Happy Golden Years</i> by Laura Ingalls Wilder</li><li><i>The Ark </i>by Margot Benary Isbert</li><li><i>The Korean War</i> by Tom McGowen</li><li><i>The Korean War Soldier at Heartbreak Ridge</i> by Carl R. Green</li><li><i>The Man who made Time Travel</i> by Kathryn Lasky</li><li><i>Newton's Rainbow: The Revolutionary Discoveries of a Young Scientist</i> by Kathryn Lasky</li><li><i>The Shoes from Yang Son Valley</i> by Yong-ik Kim</li><li><i>The Year of Impossible Goodbyes</i> by Sook Nyul Choi </li><li><i>Echoes of the White Giraffe</i> by Sook Nyul Choi</li><li><i>Rowan Farm</i> by Margot Benary Isbert</li></ul><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">C. (7 years, 9 months)</h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The King's Beard</i> by Leonard Wibberly </li><li><i>Crossbows and Crucifixes</i> by Henry Garnett</li><li><i>Shakespeare: His Work and His World</i> by Michael Rosen</li></ul><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">E. (5 years, 8 months)</h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Skylark</i> by Patricia Maclachlan</li><li><i>Caleb's Story</i> by Patricia Maclachlan</li><li><i>Ramona the Pest</i> by Beverly Cleary </li><li><i>Betsy-Tacy</i> by Maud Hart Lovelace </li><li><i>Betsy, Tacy, and Tib</i> by Maud Hart Lovelace</li></ul><p></p><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">R. (3 years, 3 months)</h4><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs</i> by Catherine D. Hughes</li><li><i>National Geographic Dinosaur Atlas</i></li><li><i>The Dinosaur Book</i> by John Woodward </li><li><i>Oceanarium </i></li></ul><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">A, (3 years, 3 months)</h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Babybug</i> magazines (old issues)</li><li><i>What Shall We Do with the Boohoo Baby?</i> by Cressida Cowell</li><li><i>Eloise Wilkin Stories</i></li></ul><div><i><br /></i></div><p></p>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-61111235750399945782023-06-18T23:39:00.002-04:002023-06-18T23:39:45.539-04:00Homeschool Update: April/May 2023 <h3 style="text-align: left;">Group Activities</h3><p>The girls worked on learning to pray the Anima Christi. </p><p>Our read-alouds in April were <i>The Turf-Cutter's Donkey</i> by Patricia Lynch, <i>Robinson Crusoe</i> by Daniel Defoe, and <i>Swallows and Amazons</i> by Arthur Ransome. In May, we read <i>...And Now Miguel</i> by Joseph Krumgold, <i>Soup</i> by Robert Newton Peck, and <i>Time at the Top</i> by Edward Ormendroyd. </p><p>Our April poet was William Butler Yeats and our May poet was Walt Whitman. We read the Poetry for Young People volumes for both. </p><p>In the final days before Easter, the girls watched the Witnesses trilogy on Formed.org and M. and C. watched <i>Jesus of Nazareth</i>. For the Easter season, they each colored in a map from Catholic Icing counting the days until Pentecost. </p><p>In early May, C. had her first Confession at our parish and her first Communion at a Latin Mass.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">History </h3><p>M. continued studying World War II and its aftermath. She read a ton of historical fiction: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The U.S. Frogmen of World War II</i> by Wyatt Blassingame</li><li><i>We Were There at The Battle of the Bulge</i> by David Shepard</li><li><i>We Were There at the Opening of the Atomic Age</i> by James Munves</li><li><i>We Were There at the Normandy Invasion</i> by Clayton Knight</li><li><i>We Were There at the Battle of Britain</i> by Clayton Knight</li><li><i>We Were There at the Battle for Bataan</i> by Benjamin Appel</li><li><i>Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes</i> by Eleanor Coerr</li><li><i>The House of 60 Fathers</i> by Meindert Dejong</li><li><i>The Girl from Hard Times Hill</i> by Emma Barnes</li><li><i>Pancakes-Paris</i> by Claire Huchet Bishop</li><li><i>The Treasure Trove of the Sun</i> by Mikhail Mikhailovich Prishvin</li><li><i>Little Girl From the City</i> by L. Voronkova</li><li><i>The Impossible Journey </i>by Gloria Whelan</li><li><i>Burying the Sun</i> by Gloria Whelan</li><li><i>Winston Churchill</i> by Quentin Reynolds</li><li><i>Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot</i> by Margot Theis Raven</li><li><i>To Build a Land</i> by Sally Watson</li><li><i>Teammates</i> by Peter Golenbock</li></ul><p></p><p>She also watched a variety of history documentaries: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A Walk Through the 20th Century</li><li>Berlin Airlift</li><li>Candy Bomber</li><li>Berlin Airlift - 1st Battle</li><li>Days that Shook the World </li></ul><p></p><p>C. studied the Spanish explorers, and the history of the civilizations they discovered, followed by Martin Luther, King Henry VIII, and Queen Elizabeth I. </p><p>In <i>A Picturesque Tale of Progress</i> (the last volume of which we finished), we read: </p><p></p><ul><li>Ancient America (The Peopling of America, The Basket Makers, <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The Cliff Dwellers, The Mound Builders, People of Plain and Forest)</li><li>The Brilliant Civilization of the Mayas</li><li>The Conquest of Mexico (Aztec Conquerors, The Empire of the Aztecs, The Spanish in America, Hernando Cortez Leads the Spaniards to Tenochtitlan, The Conquest of Mexico)</li><li>The Indians of the Southwest (Spanish Exploration, The Pueblo Indians and Their Dances, The Poetry of the Indians, Arts of the Indian, Acoma, the Sky City)</li><li>The Conquest of Peru (Explorations of Central and South America, Ancient Peru, Conclusion)</li></ul><p></p><div>We read about Martin Luther and Henry VIII from the Catholic perspective in <i>The Story of Civilization</i>. We read about Henry VIII and Elizabeth I in<i> Rulers of Britain</i>. We also read Martin Luther by May McNeer and Lynd Ward, which is heavily biased but has beautiful illustrations. </div><div><br /></div><div>On her own, C read:</div><div><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Ancient Maya</i> by Lila Perl </li><li><i>One Day in Aztec Mexico</i> by G. B. Kirtland </li><li><i>Good Queen Bess</i> by Diane Stanley </li><li><i>The Spanish Armada</i> by C. Walter Hodges </li><li><i>The Queen's Progress</i> by Celest Davidson Mannis and Bagram Ibatoulline</li></ul><p></p></div><p>She also watched <i>Armada: Twelve Days to Save England </i>and <i>Macchu Picchu.</i> </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Math </h3><p>M. worked on Khan Algebra Basics and Get Ready for Alegebra I on Khan Academy. She continued working through Life of Fred: Fractions and she drilled multiplication and division facts daily. </p><p>C. worked on 4th grade math on Khan Academy and long division in Singapore 3A. She continued working on Life of Fred: Edgewood and she drilled addiiton and subtraction facts daily. </p><p>E. worked on 4-digit addition on the soroban using rods and she started Early Math on Khan Academy. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Science </h3><p>C. and E. finished the BFSU lessons we planned for this year. </p><p>M. finished the rest of the lessons in Middle School Chemistry. Together we continued reading Story of Science: Newton at the Center by Joy Hakim. </p><p>M. also undertook some research on ravens. </p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">English </h3><p>In addition to reading independently, M. worked on chapter 4 of Rex Barks and C. continued to work on the Treasures grammar curriculum. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">P.E. </h3><p>The girls rode bikes and played on various playgrounds. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Art</h3><p>All three girls created animations using Flip Animation for various occasions including Mother's Day. They also created Mother's Day cards. We continued reading A Child's History of Art. We're in the architecture section. C. and E. also did some drawing videos from Art for Kids Hub. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Music </h3><p>The girls practiced piano and recorder daily. They finished listening to The Twilight of the Gods. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Health </h3><p>M., C., and E. went to the dentist and began a new flossing regimen. C. got a new orthodontic appliance and learned to care for it. M. had her braces removed.</p>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-44362811183927263642023-06-07T15:44:00.001-04:002023-06-07T15:44:03.212-04:00Read-at-Home Mom Report: May 2023 Wrap-Up<h3 style="text-align: left;">May Favorites </h3><p>I read a lot of books this month, but a smaller number of five-star titles than in recent months. These six were my five-star books in May. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjlXaiJo9mS7gxsLyD4hwbfsB_yPOAFo6zNXZmf4QO8fitVgaPklZxHJQhQS5icT6iFuxkZKAdT-6NuPJYGTg0mqAT6Tj4Fcs4NYRAWGCD7VfITIEieXavmNXdoEr-Gpo7BY_PSPcSnvnJcbZ3tOdpsHvnfb-EvcE9HAOu_vjDUMkpzIGm_37K5oJRXbw=w208-h320" width="208" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiv9U4kgaau2zyEVRWcY0JO-nB1C2bokwa1hO8_ywWNxjyFzEj72VGo0MqZBxENwDlSfq2Jjl_A85bZVsDcyqNvi61fRuthFwD774usCfIMc0N5f-eA2_JUM0lrB9F0a20tlNBkseG_yp-zDnWAfds6CcFZDPnpSVVGAOIqGBcgJMl1qoLftlWyjzPZvg=w199-h320" width="199" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj721C8OK5wcJmxxyw8kWNG4eIg7UlL7qVo8OGmgq-Xvw39DUJgm7PDzaWCeb4eEI6soBs46Jb8jtTY84zxbA_a9l0MBccXs5myS7bz0bXCstu08D4dd68To3hUyBlGul2KH-zo1Au3MaJySusLtUfOknf3zMM4g-TBceN5pgT25P-hPHX9z4-OZwEtwg=w212-h320" width="212" /><br /><br /><i>The Habit of Being</i> by Flannery O'Connor<br />This collection of letters is now tied with Brideshead Revisited as my favorite book of all time. I have always liked Flannery, but reading all of these letters made me appreciate her writing talent, her faith, and her sense of humor on a whole new level. I will definitely read this book again and again. </div><p></p><p><i>The Other Mrs.</i> by Mary Kubica <br />I picked up this thriller at random and it was such a twisty rollercoaster ride. I didn't guess at all what was going to happen, and I loved how clever the author was at both hinting at the twist and keeping me in the dark until the reveal. </p><p><i>The Maltese Falcon</i> by Dashiell Hammett<br />My dad always talked about this one, and I know he would be happy that I finally got around to reading it. I was really surprised by the literary quality of the writing. I think this is the only book I've ever read in the noir genre, and I really liked it. I love The Thin Man movies and want to read that book too. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjjhPBNF3m11deCXn9NXLdKTyhxB_qFcNT-gX-rAUR8oYn7rqZcudFWxiOTk2hlIqdXrQTk65aiijCLONJpYVSAZl9-i57K3eiYaVcVTth9vgzwK2yGTrZhC-vkfip7E3JRARXYBR4HfpR98K8uFZ3cGiDxuZvBL6ePedavV_ryXOcfuIivWWv6OLQ_A=w208-h320" width="208" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoRYWVcZQV41xnTVfPFldZZ-3umCiL35obK8kLzTiDolruf80QUcEy0GDf-_eNPEE2mFhf3t5BNuBvvZoBnxo6BjszL_G9TsARFZ3UA7zSuzT2-7KO-OJMGTsdb-roXyYx03U9I_fr4Nw4A-zp_sIYToQm40VbrRaVYn-BSSPIzXTCbhpqUVpNQLjIDg=w207-h320" width="207" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi54KMBPjuKUMjn-6-MhOXWc2A7QKQCKW_PVNYGqjJZfN72AUaCzVCnVUTtHEA0MQLgOV26hcPqOWtB87rGeu6u6Q8_WCzFXglHU_l_nNyBPhUJtVctotMNBOIdCS3VK2rWiGSCNmalmfOkPDg6pTQ9ItZ3uVUoWQoz794Q6QfqksumbbNymyhJ57vJ6Q=w215-h320" width="215" /><br /><br /><i>Yours Truly</i> by Abby Jimenez <br />This author is just such a great writer. I don't always like the vulgar humor in the dialogue and I skip the steamy scenes, but her character development is so spot-on. The male main character in this romance is an introvert who has anxiety and I just found him so relatable. He also makes an unbelievable sacrifice to help the female main character's family that was just so heartwarming. </div><p></p><p><i>Until the Rising</i> by Amber Kirkpatrick <br />My friend Amber wrote this medieval-style fantasy story set in a distant future. It's the coming-of-age story of Tristan, who longs to reconnect with the family he lost as a young boy. I couldn't put this book down, and I just know that if all fantasy books were like this one, I would read many more of them. </p><p><i>...And Now Miguel</i> by Joseph Krumgold<br />This is one of the Newbery winners I had been putting off, and I am kicking myself for waiting so long! This is a great story about a boy from a sheep-herding family in New Mexico who longs to go with his father into the Sangre de Cristo mountains for the summer but has never been deemed mature enough. The most remarkable thing about the writing is the way it infuses English prose with the flavor of the Spanish language. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Stand-Alone Books</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Now That You Mention It</i> by Kristan Higgins (3 stars)</li><li><i>The Blue Bedroom</i> by Rosamunde Pilcher (3 stars)</li><li><i>Commonwealth</i> by Ann Patchett (3 stars)</li><li><i>Almost Everything </i>by Anne Lamott (4 stars)<br />This one's not fully aligned with Catholic teaching, so it's good to be cautious, but I do love her writing.</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Guide </h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Half Moon</i> by Mary Beth Keane (4 stars)</li><li><i>Romantic Comedy </i>by Curtis Sittenfeld (4 stars)</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Read-Alouds</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Martin Luther</i> by May McNeer (We had to make sure to balance this one with the Catholic perspective. It was a bit over-the-top in its portrayal of Luther as a hero.)</li><li><i>Time at the Top </i>by Edward Ormondroyd (4 stars)</li><li><i>D'aulaires' Book of Greek Myths</i> (5 stars)</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Series Books </h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Naked in Death</i> (In Death Book 1) by J.D. Robb (4 stars)</li><li><i>Out of the Silent Planet</i> (Space Trilogy Book 1) by C.S. Lewis (3 stars)</li><li><i>Falling For Your Boss</i> (Love Cliches Book 2) by Emma St. Clair</li><li><i>Legends in Exile</i> (Fables Volume 1) by Bill Willingham </li><li><i>Animal Farm</i> (Fables Volume 2) by Bill Willingham </li><li><i>Glory in Death</i> (In Death Book 2) by J.D. Robb (3 stars)</li><li><i>Storybook Love </i>(Fables Volume 3) by Bill Willingham </li><li><i>T is for Trespass</i> (Kinsey Millhone Book 20) by Sue Grafton </li><li><i>The Road to Waterloo</i> (Carey Family Book 13) by Ronald Welch </li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Did Not Finish</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Happy Place</i> by Emily Henry <br />I'm too old for this book. I just couldn't relate to the immaturity of the characters. <br /></li><li><i>Funny Feelings</i> by Tarah Dewitt<br />I couldn't get into this one. </li><li><i>Peg and Rose Solve a Murder </i>by Laurien Berenson <br />This was a DNF because one of the main characters is a former nun who ran off with a priest and I just couldn't put up with it. </li><li><i>The Book Proposal</i> by K.J. Micciche <br />This one had a lot of sexual innuendo and a lot of anti-religious comments. Nope.<br /></li><li><i>Unraveling</i> by Peggy Orenstein<br />I'm not reading books written in 2023 that scold people for not "following the science" in 2020. It's both too late and too soon.</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Family Reading Lists </h3><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">M (girl, 9 years, 6 months)</h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Treasure Trove of the Sun</i> by Mikhail Mikhailovich Prishvin</li><li><i>Little Girl From the City</i> by L. Voronkova</li><li><i>The Impossible Journey</i> by Gloria Whelan</li><li><i>Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators in the Mystery of the Talking Skull</i> by Robert Arthur</li><li><i>Burying the Sun</i> by Gloria Whelan</li><li><i>Winston Churchill </i>by Quentin Reynolds</li><li><i>Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot</i> by Margot Theis Raven</li><li><i>To Build a Land</i> by Sally Watson </li><li><i>Teammates</i> by Peter Golenbock</li><li><i>Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators and the Secret of the Crooked Cat</i> by William Arden</li></ul><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">C (girl, 7 years, 8 months)</h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Doll Shop Downstairs</i> by Yona Zeldis</li><li><i>Cats in the Doll Shop</i> by Yona Zeldis </li><li><i>The Conqueror </i>by Margaret Leighton </li><li><i>Doctor Dolittle's Garden</i> by Hugh Lofting </li><li><i>The Spanish Armada</i> by C. Walter Hodges </li><li><i>Good Queen Bess</i> by Diane Stanley</li></ul><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">E (girl, 5 years, 7 months) </h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Jenny and the Cat Club</i> by Esther Averill</li><li><i>Jenny's Midnight Adventure</i> by Esther Averill </li><li><i>Captains of the City Streets</i> by Esther Averill</li><li><i>Beezus and Ramona</i> by Beverly Cleary </li><li><i>Back to School with Betsy</i> by Carolyn Haywood </li><li><i>The Happy Hollisters and the Ghost Horse Mystery</i> by Jerry West </li><li><i>On the Banks of Plum Creek</i> by Laura Ingalls Wilder</li><li><i>D'aulaires' Book of Greek Myths</i></li></ul><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">R (boy 3 years, 2 months)</h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Three Bears</i> by Byron Barton </li><li><i>Oceanarium</i> by Loveday Trinick</li><li><i>Dragons Love Tacos</i> by Adam Rubin </li><li><i>Where the Wild Things Are</i> by Maurice Sendak</li><li><i>Go Away, Big Green Monster</i> by Ed Emberley</li><li><i>Fire Truck</i> by Peter Sis </li><li><i>I Love You, Little Shark</i> by Jeffrey Burton </li><li><i>Harry the Dirty Dog</i> by Gene Zion</li><li><i>Mama Cat Has Three Kittens</i> by Denise Fleming </li></ul><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">A (girl, 3 years, 2 months)</h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Dragons Love Tacos</i> by Adam Rubin</li><li><i>Eloise Wilkin Treasury</i> </li><li><i>Hope is a Hop </i>by Katrina Moore </li><li><i>Henry's Pizzas</i> by Robert Quackenbush </li><li><i>Henry's Duckling Days</i> by Robert Quackenbush </li><li>Stanley series by William Bee </li><li><i>Lake Life with You</i> by Cindy Jin </li></ul><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">My husband </h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Wolf Wilder</i> by Katherine Rundell </li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Up Next For Me</h3><div>In June, I'll be discussing <i>Perelandra</i> at book club, finishing <i>The Scarlet Letter</i> with Close Reads, and focusing on thrillers for #WorldFullofBooks.</div><p></p>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-17533011732646781622023-05-20T19:10:00.003-04:002023-05-20T19:10:59.593-04:00Book Review: And Now Miguel by Joseph Krumgold (1953)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1iuN2jt__MTqzcJFeSbVuns-dVkg6ohX2z6C3FzXsRvSFwE2-LEpic8HHm-XEmVzbSrkPi9FLbp14eagDNHeuPMY2IOHZzE_s51FNkaRjQ-4_3LA1BGfYZ44JOgKCfu4Q0fYUEmywWg6eL2LJzpScyimZqt9Uyl6ZZk8tJox97_VIq67sxXzCguCdCA" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="182" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1iuN2jt__MTqzcJFeSbVuns-dVkg6ohX2z6C3FzXsRvSFwE2-LEpic8HHm-XEmVzbSrkPi9FLbp14eagDNHeuPMY2IOHZzE_s51FNkaRjQ-4_3LA1BGfYZ44JOgKCfu4Q0fYUEmywWg6eL2LJzpScyimZqt9Uyl6ZZk8tJox97_VIq67sxXzCguCdCA" width="158" /></a></div>Miguel Chavez is twelve years old, and he's not little anymore, like his brother Pedro and sister Faustina, but he's also not quite as mature as his older sisters, Tomasina and Leocadia and older brothers, Gabriel and Blasito, who have a big part in helping their father and grandfather with the family's sheep. This year, though, Miguel is determined to join them when they take the sheep to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains for the summer. He does his best to prove himself ready by stepping in to help with delivering new lambs, and he also makes a special prayer to San Ysidro. He doesn't realize, however, that with the privileges of growing up also come some of the heartaches. <p></p><p>This was one of only 19 Newbery-winning books that I hadn't read, and one of the reasons I hadn't read it yet was that I had the idea that it was going to be a boring slog of a story. I could not have been more wrong. I read about half the book before stopping and realizing it was the kind book I really wanted to enjoy with my kids, and we ended up doing it as a read-aloud.</p><p>One of the most notable features of this book is the language. Joseph Krumgold, who wrote the book based on <a href="https://milestonefilms.com/products/and-now-miguel">a film he created for the U.S. government</a>, writes in English in a style that closely mimics Spanish. So even though English speakers are reading the story in English, they pick up the cadence of Miguel's native language and practically hear the story as though he is telling it. I adopted a hint of a Spanish accent when reading it aloud and the text made that fairly easy to maintain. </p><p>I'm also amazed by how beautifully Krumgold writes about sheep. He made even the most mundane of sheep herding tasks interesting, and he uses beautful metaphors to express Miguel's family's religious beliefs and Miguel's own feelings as he comes of age. There are many beautiful passages in this book that I would never have expected to find when I first took it off the shelf. I especially loved a section late in the book where Miguel and his brother Gabriel discuss the role of prayer in their lives and work out for themselves why not every prayer is answered exactly as they wish. </p><p>And Now Miguel has risen heads above the rest as one of my favorites from among all the Newbery winners. Now I'm really excited to read Krumgold's other Newbery winner, <i>Onion John</i>, which is another one I've been putting off for years, and which I will probably wish I had read sooner.</p>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-38731630021705239472023-05-03T20:31:00.001-04:002023-05-03T20:31:06.751-04:00Read-at-Home Mom Report: April 2023 Wrap-Up <h3 style="text-align: left;">April Favorites</h3><p>I read a whopping 36 books this month, and I had a lot of favorites across a wide variety of genres. All of the titles below I rated five stars. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjR8cjZA8qF89JlvIbexydmMKpATy3QFglSjAoQp5bDVhuPA_n_GJVyxYGw9i8hiEXGgICcLDsblpRqJR4GlKXztE9VJGbeg3Ubcj33Wpq7zv6SOcUFNoT7Z-M0a8H8Lqo4dV3YNJ3N4-xjAxt8K4q7RNbmX7pO94fRgJa_U7TCp9LXgZMBAnNQWSTfFQ=w207-h320" width="207" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwKoeAr1x0WXr_H9I8zNPq3x5thorz5_ymn2WuRGpW15SAuhMBPF1xpCHKkWpJZuV8-jtVpBKJYagLAwuADjnCaVlmz1_S3kYuaaanJoC99pJB3sC0WmtA2g5YPN6xFfuELyApr1hKC_wSz9k9YWQDHbD7iceW5kdSXd7GbmCbijSY-0uBQ0d3OvPVmw=w200-h320" width="200" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqI0gtNunehBg9TIIUVIchFdlv38wtJ30hHlE2fYHSKkyVvjdiNz1V43Otc_BhJgAqGfY5geB26y6wO148FYw9zmVVSTUrhltK4YWMucnSpuJnz4emxj91grBLDciR6HiEBrB4KDzDkPQfpPydhKRYhYeDHrfyoR--Uq8ls12xzWML-lUj_P4grkzH6w=w204-h320" width="204" /><br /><i>Diary of a Country Priest</i> by George Bernanos <br />I tried reading this last fall and decided to DNF at that time, but I tried again with Close Reads and ended up loving it. The writing is beautiful, I loved the unique diary format, and there is so much in the story to think about and reflect on. I also really enjoyed the commentary on Close Reads, and it definitely enriched my reading experience.</div><p></p><p><i>The Cross and the Beatitudes</i> by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen<br />My local book club chose this one as our book for April, but then we all got busy and our meeting was canceled. I read it during Holy Week, one chapter per day, and I loved how much Archbishop Sheen crams into his little chapters. There were lots of quotable lines that really get to the heart of Christ's Passion. </p><p><i>Ashes: Visible and Invisible</i> by Catholic Teen Books<br />I read this during Holy Week as well, and it was great, as I expected it to be. These authors always inspire me and give me great ideas for my own writing. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqV4J14vhjc-GYA9wKMMSDpDiF5hw91NDN191kunELcnB_IaOM7WUPwFGRsuAlOok98vSNZcD-3BSyatPKlQZ2nFJbUAxTxsvar4N4wkUuCmFxLIpXfhTjrTYXCciKHxsT3r7COW9ma9qp_nwqczYmtXsZUUkKHilhjOk6Cc_WgFSIZcyHIAvhIvobAg=w210-h320" width="210" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhI3umZiq9Eby2t8kXr-acqlL_e9F8Iq6n3FvFHOQD5nsMBuVKqdvoC4Q7fvzoyHxSZQf9D9D8m70APO9N-IEnShYsbtb4S76VGVZjsI7pPhdH85fEObddWW4cwCVFC8desqy-0cmO5s363_JugHSIisuDxefeg28oQW0OhV3P6C6KMLGGzokwOH5Y3dw=w212-h320" width="212" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjP3WhegTfFl2ozeWtp3pas-d22zgRMrCnZAMPsMy-e_MaWi_ONKGc45ZjJLmjh9cjXgATDpvC85CCyBvf-TfXDEzOZTb0uABTCTeP2s8H7KNVwPFcgZ2bwSpiK9WPc-rPrCbT8mt5AbYl8ID-S6xXMAFQgEV_qUMMDOySevR6q_1FbrBp7oOtANB6s_A=w210-h320" width="210" /><br /><i>Brideshead Revisited</i> by Evelyn Waugh</div>This was my fourth time reading this book, and I'm already looking forward to the next time. There is no book in the world I love more than this one. <p></p><p><i>Nora Goes Off Script </i>by Annabel Monaghan<br />I liked this because it reminded me Evvie Drake Starts Over in that it's a romance that is written with a slightly more literary flavor than others of the genre. The characters were great, and I was completely invested in their relationship the entire time. </p><p><i>It. Goes. So. Fast.: The Year of No Do-Overs</i> by Mary Louise Kelly <br />This memoir of an NPR news host who is also a mom was so well-written and the audiobook narration by the author was wonderful. I enjoyed her insights about motherhood as well as some of the anecdotes she told about reading the news. Reading this made me want to seek out her novels.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUQTuNtg77ZTZRYXN47qWR2lW3w0gy5uTLWplI0I-5N6FSuS6hlI60NsU-X5AhJv8HFRTj6dlmuoTfrTUV3he55q9czx4R-4_x5VVjHQw_NKGEilY5bt3nF8mi-PRibKc1vHYG-MI2xgrsIsQNouMWP3LpJlNQ9-Hgb-_mf605NJV9D-Ycd-apbWAXfA=w210-h320" width="210" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaDV1ESoYiyNTP2VQeRo6aUdDVIF2dQk-uFsvFN-qgYFB5rKBtpCLX7QgSOV3S2oUlo3Fo1UiwctyNlBaQ5cEhZmArcfxwtP8dOp8Y6_1SYVq07NELprdyWwdIbixOWKq9fRsDwssGIPuQbJmZuPR_EwoIFmsr3JEH0HvZc5QfnPGd9TMCkQo8aw-wyw=w211-h320" width="211" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaZpLsuXQF_5e7D3e4A4-S4q5VMt71xUIzRAiatH9C2OI5t95gZDwcrOMzWuLGCOIEvC09VWIsCDzRvb_r9k5z7NNKpY0r5USsCL3kGiHGKdcE4HXAhHW_kmdYp0hH26c-2vYqzlSVTTrAQ4rDaI1u1bbG5B488hUn-KDUV-u_t8BkMG_9ZGXeS7Nkng=w219-h320" width="219" /><br /><i>Wither and Bloom</i> by Anne J. Hill, et. al. (including me)<br />I finally read this anthology that I and a bunch of my friends are in. I loved the variety of pieces and styles that were represented, and it was fun to see how my stories fit in with the rest.</div><p><i>These Precious Days</i> by Ann Patchett<br />I don't have much in common with Ann Patchett in terms of values, but her essay about the onset of the Covid pandemic that gives this book its title is one of the best and most emotional pieces of nonfiction I've ever read. She also writes beautifully, so that I can enjoy her prose even when she's using it to express points of view with which I disagree.</p><p><i>Squished</i> by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter <br />This graphic novel portrays a large, loving family where main character Avery sometimes feels a bit squished. I loved the overall positive outlook on big families, and the way the mom calls the kids to her by saying, "Every last Lee!" (It reminds me of the way I say, "Fitzgerald five!")</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTV7xuf7BSFqdDiYwZp4Y352ENNKcXzKv3kwfCVfVS7KIwnGKkvZlUdE2Bvpv81s-EQbjhhUjfaaEAIe7ekfLaAMzBUvFTEBOHax-WAyQ0IzfTrfEAlhljBvmLGjALR5B7YZPLlgekrZxhLe0IR8Rj4KrRanUPjdBMcbhH02sI-R9SHpLET_tvCR6jTA=w215-h320" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjOR8lrjz5smjWK1VslGwGZH8-UKSjnIr5Vpp7IG55dbdtxyim7bDA1feKLrsOzG05bYsbD6y4grwpU9WynFrJv1v6dt27BoJtKvhfZZRVlNhGC1VXZ6c-hpO8Jx1xEC9oD5bncfxrmuqWZYSLZUJqrC61JhqvRZ-l9D_QxoL_tSLYEERUPMZ_maOvQQ=w211-h320" width="211" /><br /><i>Georgie, All Along</i> by Kate Clayborn<br />I could have done without the steamy parts, but they were skippable, and these characters stole my heart. I loved the small-town setting, the redemption arc for the male protagonist and Georgie's own journey toward figuring out her life's trajectory. </div><p><i>The Optimist's Daughter</i> by Eudora Welty <br />I read this with Close Reads, and it was so good. It reminded me a little bit of the things I love about Flannery O'Connor and other Southern writers, and I really admire the author's talent. I want to read more Welty now. </p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Shorts </h3>I read more shorter works than normal in April, some with #ShortFormClassics and some just at random. <p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Congratulations, by the Way: Some Thoughts on Kindness</i> by George Saunders (4 stars)<br />I listened to this graduation speech because Mary Louise Kelly recommended it in her memoir. I didn't think it was as earth-shatteringly great as she did, but it reminded me that I need to read A Swim in the Pond in the Rain. </li><li><i>Better Than the Prom</i> (Better Than the Movies 1.5) by Lynn Painter (4 stars)<br />This was a free read from the publisher's website. I've been wanting to try a romance by this YA author, and this gave me a decent taste of her writing. I'll probably give a full-length novel a try sometime soon. </li><li><i>Silver Blaze</i> by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (4 stars)</li><li><i>The Final Problem</i> by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (5 stars)<br />I read these with #ShortFormClassics and enjoyed both. Somehome Sherlock Holmes stories don't seem as intimidating to me as they once did. </li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Stand-Alone Books</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Daisy Darker</i> by Alice Feeney (4 stars)</li><li><i>The Dig</i> by John Preston (4 stars)</li><li><i>The Golden Spoon</i> by Jessa Maxwell (3 stars)</li><li><i>Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall</i> by Alexandra Lange (4 stars)</li><li><i>A Thousand Moments</i> (ARC) by Kelly Moran (4 stars)</li><li><i>Picture Perfect Boyfriend</i> (ARC) by Becky Dean (3 stars)</li><li><i>Something in the Heir</i> (ARC) by Suzanne Enoch (4 stars)</li><li><i>Famous for a Living</i> (ARC) by Melissa Ferguson (4 stars)</li><li><i>Heart Shaped II</i> by Sheila M. Cronin (4 stars)</li><li><i>The Golden Ticket: A Life in College Admissions Essays</i> (ARC) by Irena Smith (4 stars)</li><li><i>Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love, and Writing</i> by Jennifer Weiner (3 stars)</li><li><i>Kismet</i> by Becky Chalsen (4 stars)</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Read-Alouds </h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The Turf-Cutter's Donkey: An Irish Story of Mystery and Adventure</i> by Patricia Lynch (4 stars)</li><li><i>The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way</i> by Joy Hakim (3 stars)<br />(Catholic homeschoolers, beware of this author. We had to skip some things and correct some other things.)</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Series Books</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Big Shot</i> (Country Club Murders Book 15) by Julie Mulhern (4 stars)</li><li><i>Chaos</i> (Kay Scarpetta Book 24) by Patricia Cornwell (4 stars)</li><li><i>Autopsy</i> (Kay Scarpetta Book 25) by Patricia Cornwell (4 stars)</li><li><i>A Spoonful of Murder</i> (Murder Most Unladylike Book 6) by Robin Stevens (4 stars) </li><li><i>To Swoon and To Spar</i> (Regency Vows Book 4) by Martha Waters (3 stars)</li><li><i>The Day We Met </i>(The Men of Engine 17 Book 1) by Ash Keller (4 stars)</li><li><i>The Family Upstairs</i> (The Family Upstairs Book 1) by Lisa Jewell (4 stars)</li></ul><p></p><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Did Not Finish </h3><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>House Mate</i> by Leah Brunner</li><li><i>Ellie is Cool Now</i> by Victoria Fulton & Faith McClaren</li><li><i>The Book of Delights</i> by Ross Gay</li><li><i>In the Orchard</i> by Eliza Minot </li><li><i>Spring, Summer, Autumn, Us</i> by Fiona Collins</li></ul></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Family Reading Lists</h3><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">M. (girl, 9 years, 5 months)</h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The U.S. Frogmen of World War II </i>by Wyatt Blassingame</li><li><i>We Were There at The Battle of the Bulge</i> by David Shepard</li><li><i>We Were There at the Opening of the Atomic Age</i> by James Munves</li><li><i>We Were There at the Normandy Invasion</i> by Clayton Knight</li><li><i>We Were There at the Battle of Britain</i> by Clayton Knight</li><li><i>We Were There at the Battle for Bataan</i> by Benjamin Appel</li><li><i>Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes</i> by Eleanor Coerr</li><li><i>The House of Sixty Fathers</i> by Meindert deJong </li><li><i>The Girl from Hard Times Hill</i> by Emma Barnes</li><li><i>Pancakes-Paris</i> by Claire Huchet Bishop</li></ul></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">C. (girl, 7 years, 7 months)</h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Mattimeo</i> by Brian Jacques </li><li><i>The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles</i> by Julie Andrews Edwards </li></ul></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">E. (girl, 5 years, 6 months)</h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Babe The Gallant Pig</i> by Dick King-Smith</li><li><i>Twig </i>by Elizabeth Orton Jones </li><li><i>Sarah, Plain and Tall</i> by Patricia Maclachlan </li></ul></div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">R. (boy, 3 years, 1 month)</h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>In the Forest</i> by Marie Hall Ets</li><li><i>Truckery Rhymes</i> by Jon Scieszka </li><li>Stanley series by William Bee </li><li><i>Mama Cat Has Three Kittens</i> by Denise Fleming </li><li><i>Little Excavator</i> by Anna Dewdney</li><li><i>Fabulous Fishes</i> by Susan Stockdale </li><li>All About series by Jim Arnosky </li></ul></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">A. (girl, 3 years, 1 month) </h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>St. Joseph Picture Books </li><li>Stanley series by Wiliam Bee </li><li><i>Nini Lost and Found</i> by Anita Lobel </li><li><i>One Lighthouse, One Moon</i> by Anita Lobel </li><li><i>A Piglet Called Mercy</i> by Kate DiCamillo </li></ul></div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">My husband </h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Hakon of Rogen's Saga</i> by Erik Christian Haugaard</li><li><i>A Slave's Tale</i> by Erik Christian Haugaard</li><li><i>The Little Fishes</i> by Erik Christian Haugaard </li><li><i>The Children of the Cave: A Tale of Israel and Rome</i> by Zvi Livne Lieberman</li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Up Next For Me</h3></div><div>I'm reading <i>Out of the Silent Planet</i> for book club, <i>The Scarlet Letter </i>with Close Reads, and <i>The Habit of Being </i>and <i>The Maltese Falcon</i> from my TBR. </div>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-18315707683613339132023-04-21T20:08:00.000-04:002023-04-21T20:08:59.400-04:00Homeschool Update: March 2023 <h3 style="text-align: left;">Group Activities</h3><p>The girls finished memorizing Psalm 133 in Latin and we recorded a video of them reciting it. Then they started memorizing Anima Christi. </p><p>Our read-alouds were: <i>Where the Mountain Meets the Moon</i> by Grace Lin (audiobook), <i>Understood Betsy</i> by Dorothy Canfield Fisher, and <i>The Hundred Dresses</i> by Eleanor Estes. We also finished listening to <i>Alice's Adventures in Wonderland</i> in the car.</p><p>We continued reading about sculpture in <i>A Child's History of Art</i> and watched related SmartHistory videos.</p><div>We finished reading the rest of the volumes of <i>The Catholic Children's Treasure Box.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Our March poet was Emily Dickinson and we read the Poetry for Young People book about her. </div><div><br /></div><div>We read daily Scripture readings throughout Lent, and the girls colored in squares on a chart counting down to Easter. M. and C. started watching <i>Jesus of Nazareth. </i> </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Religion</h3><div>C. continued working on memorizing the questions and answers <i>The New Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism</i>. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">History </h3><div>M. continued to study World War II, still with <i>The Story of World War II </i>by Robert Leckie as her spine. She also read <i>World War II for Kids: A History</i> with 21 Activities by Richard Panchyk, <i>The Story of D-Day</i> by Bruce Bliven Jr., <i>From Pearl Harbor to Okinawa</i> by Bruce Bliven Jr., <i>The Flying Tigers</i> by John Toland, and <i>The Battle of the Bulge</i> by John Toland. </div><div><br /></div><div>She also watched The Longest Day and Battle of the Bulge as well as several episodes of The World at War and Victory at Sea. </div><div><br /></div><div>C. continued learning about ancient Eastern cultures with <i>Ancient China</i> by Virginia Schomp and <i>Ancient India</i> by Virginia Schomp. She watched an episode of <i>The Museum </i>about the Terra Cotta Warriors. She also read <i>Ancient India </i>(Myths of the World) by Virginia Schomp, <i>Seasons of Splendour: Tales, Myths, and Legends of India</i>, <i>Hanuman</i> by Erik Jendresen, <i>Rama and Sita</i> by by David Weitzman, <i>Columbus</i> by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire, <i>The Columbus Story</i> by Alice Dalgliesh, <i>The Log of Christopher Columbus</i>, <i>Lost Worlds</i> by Anne Terry White (first half only) </div><div><br /></div><div>E. finished watching Liberty's Kids, and we started reading D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Math </h3><div>M. watched <i>Magic Numbers: Hannah Fry's Mysterious World of Maths</i>. In Khan Academy, she finished 6th grade with 87% on the course challenge. She is now working on Getting Ready for Algebra I and Algebra Basics. She also continued working in Challenging Word Problems 3 and <i>Life of Fred: Fractions</i>, and she drilled multiplication and divisions facts on Math-Drills.com. </div><div><br /></div><div>C. continued working on Singapore 2B, 3rd Grade Math on Khan Academy, and <i>Life of Fred Edgewood. </i> She drilled addition and subtractions facts on Math-Drills.com.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">English </h3><div>In addition to history reading, M. read <i>Across The Puddingstone Dam</i> by Melissa Wiley. E. read <i>Runaway Ralph</i> by Beverly Cleary and <i>Little House on the Prairie</i> by Laura Ingalls Wilder. </div><div> </div><div>M. and C. worked on their Treasures grammar books. M. continued working on exercises in Rex Barks. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Science </h3><div><div>In Middle School Chemistry, M. and I completed these lessons: </div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Why Does Water Dissolve Salt?</li><li>Why Does Water Dissolve Sugar?</li><li>Using Dissolving to Identify an Unknown</li><li>Does Temperature Affect Dissolving?</li></ul><div>In BFSU, C. and E. covered these topics: <br /></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>How is a Candle Burning Like Living Things Using Energy?</li><li>Evaporation and Condensation </li><li>The Water Cycle</li></ul><div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Physical Education</h3></div><div>The girls rode bikes on nicer days and played on the playground.</div><div><br /></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Art </h3></div><div>We finished reading about sculpture in <i>A Child's History of Art</i>. C and E. created animations using Flip Animation. (M. gave it up for Lent). </div></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Health</h3><div>M. had her well check at the pediatrician. </div><div><br /></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Music </h3><div>The girls continued listening to <i>The Ring of the Nibelung</i> and they each practiced piano and recorder daily. We did some evening sing-alongs on Fridays after dinner. </div></div>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2184042514430758440.post-58771377160803250132023-04-05T21:25:00.001-04:002023-04-05T21:25:08.304-04:00 Read-at-Home Mom Report: March 2023 Wrap-Up<p>In both reading and writing, March started out strong and fizzled out as the month went on. It was Middle Grade March, and I did get to listen to a lot of middle grade books, but the other books I picked up were largely poor choices, either because the books weren't well-written, or because I wasn't in the right mood for them. Reading books I didn't love made it impossible for me to get inspired to write, and the month ended on a sour note all around. But there were some great books in the beginning and middle part of the month, and I have seven favorites.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">March Favorites</h3><p>All of these books received a five-star rating from me on Goodreads. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhuY2RUYQY4Tso57NQ_mcu8d-UsNaXKyXpZqpuhcbGUjo9mwT4Gi8FOzKbsyI24g5qy_dAYgU1oO8kHq9rng9bvfaNFJ2WalpB0QjFH2wlbX3kCr2Cp44DWRhl-7QOf-9HsAt63cd7Y7mieXuzemucb3AAYDnruwS3qiCnnnnsUMf78jw1tOpScyz8q5g=w129-h200" width="129" /><img height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1gC_6X3Fg4Xy8Ey8bv-_lCXp4dHIJi_PU7qRO3GhBSu6t3t7AF3vrvtlVdBCmF1O-fmGHsWYftzs4R18NFSWxJERaWTQZAjqV8gLFJxtavLBQV59GXpncZcQnmbVigwMFyQ5ALIupu2Rxfxpg_66lz61vGp_xXQnz6REpnxfY-Q5w3hKAf1X0uPGlmA=w133-h200" width="133" /><img height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJZJKenRS7ocCI4bu2E23XZnF6GLiVvLaNZdr6J6zVx7e50Z0Y875MX6N41HaxVhReN-As_jD29CZ6xgjmn3wt1VMLa4huAnDKn3_NjFaVIBIpSlKQ1jfGaV_04MbAJkSezxkAfBzV77Qy7iiq0qdILKnaJTujm2pgs5knyliBBMySIiMHpy9LoK7oYw=w126-h200" width="126" /><img height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoPhk5HEjvs2xPpjjhx1X8mJqO7WEe8gRQ63E47x9uXPZdNowcY8ZLrieo5I0m2rJqW8rR_idyQzSR2XRekXJ6a3NQU7ZvxcgJWGZFEZu6hZeqR9pptA8fFM3-cA2_bH2LbugDn1WWeu1IkG2BE5I9hkScGbJodIu-vKyEP3H3l_cxipvb7vaXBm3SRQ=w132-h200" width="132" /><br /><br /><i>Feathers</i> by Jacqueline Woodson</div>I listened to this because it was short and there were no holds. My senses were on high alert for heretical content the whole time, as this is a book in which a new student's classmates believe he might be Jesus, but it honestly remained very respectful, not to mention beautifully written, throughout. This was only my first or second time reading Woodson, and I understand why her writing is so beloved. <p></p><p><i>Stick with Me</i> by Jennifer Blecher <br />I discovered this audiobook on Scribd, and it was everything I want a middle school friendship story to be. The writing was excellent, and the characters' thoughts and experiences felt very true to life. Jennifer Blecher is an author we should hear more about! </p><p><i>What Hearts</i> by Bruce Brooks<br />We have this on our shelves, but the audiobook is read by John McDonough, so naturally I decided to listen to it. This is basically a work of literary fiction for kids. The writing is excellent, and the subject matter is very introspective. It's a coming of age story involving a boy's relationship with his stepfather. The stepdad character is kind of an uncomfortable presence, but the way the author writes about him is impeccable. I really enjoyed this and I think I would also have liked it as a kid. </p><p><i>Seven Percent of Ro Devereux </i>by Ellen O'Clover <br />This YA novel involves an app based on the childhood game of MASH and a slow-burn romance between main character Ro and an old friend. I thought this was a great look at the perils of fame and notoriety, especially for a young person, and it also explores the process for deciding what to do after high school. I need this author to write more books! This was also really good on audio. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhrnCAc2ssLoGADQzmjiRPmNcQceC2Pbxa0QRMSjzD8c9NKaYX7IpA-lsNThc1_EdGMXA9ovRloMRFFfOk_rcgBDiUZ10O_a584R_wGslewjxNf4V_DHsGtvFMnNR8xDaZ4ZGJXA0dhdYOdDJqtuzuGHl2D6AGaEiNjMj9hJcTZNzoREp2BDEfmW4ckcA=w141-h200" width="141" /><img height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhgO3juJrzRJIEJZu1WK1AXTY5Yxcmqn8uod5aH86akQM7iexUg7IfND_nQaPAgQUWenQimLSF_-0FVjvu7bwGLvhatH8g79CutPKB6Dx4OD7QT6ySk6qbFdHACkwWLIu3WQelWQOK1cCQpK46kkDROIUsyxgIUVLdj277-o4hoJFO_IgyhtinNSBxKdw=w129-h200" width="129" /><img height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtKdvfI6g29WXnGT-njmlYaD4ztnwk40YgIWyxYAMYbqk2_0qbUpI1oT0ZVlJjEc9ncb7OLUseGk3bHTzKjfDW5xUJ73nPg6PuRRJ7XNK-vWE8F5kZLrJdpmr2NCM-beucApRZ0t74LgygzOX8iMX1XRXx_c9jCYuzSyDtVcBJZCzwkck1iVyTkL086A=w131-h200" width="131" /><br /><br /></div><i>Welcome Back, Maple Mehta-Cohen</i> by Kate McGovern<br />I picked up this audiobook based on the positive comments made by my friend Kris on Instagram. It's the story of a girl who is told she will repeat fifth grade after it is discovered that a learning disability has prevented her from learning to read. Maple is a very well-developed and believable character and I could not tear myself away from her story. I would love more contemporary middle grade books like this one. <p></p><p><i>Alice's Adventures in Wonderland</i> by Lewis Carroll <br />We listened to this in the car driving to and from Mass for several weeks. My kids didn't understand why I was laughing so hard. I did read this as a kid, but I definitely appreciated it much more as an adult. It is very clever. </p><p><i>A Novel Proposal</i> by Denise Hunter <br />This is the only book on my favorites list that I read with my eyes. I had an ARC from Edelweiss+. It was such a sweet, feel-good romance. It was sometimes a little bit predictable, but in a very comforting and cozy way, and I loved the way it incorporated a little bit of a mystery as well as a Little Free Library. This is my favorite of the books I've read by Denise Hunter.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Middle Grade March</h3><div>These are the rest of the titles I read for Middle Grade March: </div><p></p><ul><li><i>The Wretched Waterpark</i> by Kiersten White (3 stars)</li><li><i>M.C. Higgins the Great</i> by Virginia Hamilton (3 stars)</li><li><i>Al Capone Does My Shirts</i> by Gennifer Choldenko (4 stars)</li><li><i>Understood Betsy</i> by Dorothy Canfield Fisher (re-read/read-aloud) (5 stars)</li><li><i>Odder</i> by Katherine Applegate (4 stars)</li><li><i>The Last Cuentista</i> by Donna Barba Higuera (4 stars)</li><li><i>What Happened to Rachel Riley?</i> by Claire Swinarski (4 stars) </li><li><i>Camp Famous</i> by Jennifer Blecher (4 stars) </li><li><i>Keep It Together, Keiko Carter</i> by Debbi Michiko Florence (4 stars) </li><li><i>Just Be Cool, Jenna Sakai</i> by Debbi Michiko Florence (4 stars)</li><li><i>The Hundred Dresses</i> by Eleanor Estes (re-read/read-aloud) (5 stars)</li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Stand-Alone Books</h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"></h3><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Pygmalion</i> by George Bernard Shaw (4 stars)</li><li><i>The Silence of Mary</i> by Ignacio Larrañaga (4 stars)</li><li><i>I Love You S'more</i> by Wendy Dalrymple (4 stars)</li><li><i>A Thousand Mornings: Poems</i> by Mary Oliver (3 stars)</li><li><i>My Mechanical Romance</i> by Alexene Farol Follmuth (4 stars)</li><li><i>The Lions of Fifth Avenue</i> by Fiona Davis (2 stars)</li><li><i>Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing</i> by Allison Winn Scotch (3 stars) </li><li><i>Flipped</i> by Wendy Dalrymple (3 stars)</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Series Books</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Depraved Heart</i> by Patricia Cornwell (Scarpetta Series Book 23) (2 stars)</li><li><i>How to Kiss Your Best Friend </i>by Jenny Proctor (Hawthorne Brothers Series Book 1) (3 stars)</li><li><i>The Real Macaw</i> by Donna Andrews (Meg Langslow Mystery Book 13) (3 stars)</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Did Not Finish </h3><p>I think I'm at 19 DNFs for the year... </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Secrecy</i> by Belva Plain</li><li><i>The Plus One</i> by Mazey Eddings</li><li><i>Anatomy of a Meet Cute</i> by Addie Woolridge</li><li><i>House Mate</i> by Leah Brunner </li></ul><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Family Reading Lists </h3><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">M. (girl, 9 years, 4 months)</h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>World War II for Kids: A History with 21 Activities</i> by Richard Panchyk</li><li><i>The Story of D-Day</i> by Bruce Bliven Jr.</li><li><i>From Pearl Harbor to Okinawa</i> by Bruce Bliven Jr.</li><li><i>The Flying Tigers</i> by John Toland </li><li><i>The Battle of the Bulge</i> by John Toland</li><li><i>Across The Puddingstone Dam</i> by Melissa Wiley </li></ul></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">C. (girl, 7 years, 6 months)</h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Myths of the World: Ancient India</i> by Virginia Schomp </li><li><i>Seasons of Splendor</i> by Madhur Jaffrey</li><li><i>Columbus</i> by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire</li><li><i>The Columbus Story</i> by Alice Dalgliesh</li><li><i>The Log of Christopher Columbus</i></li><li><i>Lost Worlds</i> by Anne Terry White (first half only)</li></ul></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">E. (girl, 5 years, 5 months)</h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Runaway Ralph</i> by Beverly Cleary </li><li><i>Little House on the Prairie</i> by Laura Ingalls Wilder </li><li><i>Eric Loves Animals (Just Like You)</i> by Eric Carle </li></ul></div><div><br /></div><div><h4 style="text-align: left;">R. (boy, 3 years)</h4><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Stanley series by William Bee</li><li><i>Owl Babies</i> by Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson </li><li><i>Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site</i> by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld</li><li><i>Little Gorilla</i> by Ruth Bornstein</li><li><i>Oceanarium</i> by Loveday Trinick, illustrated by Teagan White</li><li><i>In the Forest</i> by Marie Hall Ets</li><li><i>Where the Wild Things Are</i> by Maurice Sendak</li><li><i>There's a Nightmare in my Closet</i> by Mercer Mayer </li></ul></div><p></p><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">A. (girl, 3 years)</h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Stanley series by William Bee</li><li><i>Owl Babies</i> by Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson </li><li><i>I Want That! </i>by Hannah Eliot </li><li><i>A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: The Poetry of Mr. Rogers</i> by Luke Flowers</li><li><i>Picture My World</i> by Severine Cordie and Cynthia LaCroix</li><li><i>Mister Seahorse</i> by Eric Carle </li></ul><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">My husband </h4></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Red Falcons of Tremoine</i> by Hendry Peart</li><li><i>Shadows in Flight</i> by Orson Scott Card</li><li><i>Dido and Pa</i> by Joan Aiken</li><li><i>Alice's Adventures in Wonderland</i> by Lewis Carroll</li></ul></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Up Next For Me</h3><div><br /></div><div>For Holy Week, I'm reading the Catholic Teen Books anthology, <i>Ashes: Visible and Invisible</i> and <i>The Cross and the Beatitudes</i> by Archbishop Fulton Sheen. After that, I'm hoping to knock out a few more series books on audio, and a few of my digital ARCs. </div><div><br /></div><div><div>I'm adding this post to the link-up for <a href="https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/an-open-book-april-2023">An Open Book </a>at CatholicMom.com. </div></div><p></p>Katie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580221549732983068noreply@blogger.com0