Great Books January 4, 2008

Sharing coffee and great conversation with a friend today, I was reminded of how desperate I am for a great book. It seems that most of the books I read are about parenting, homeschooling, adoption, attachment, and other excellent topics that promote self improvement and a deeper walk with God. I love the books I read. And, I am looking for something new to dive into that will bring encouragement to my spirit and stir my creativity! Please send suggestions….

Some time ago, I had the opportunity to read four great books by Francine Rivers. Keep in mind that I do not usually read novels. I have a stack of books by my bed, and they are all non-fiction. However, these books came highly recommended and once I started I could not stop.

The first was Redeeming Love. This book parallels the book of Hosea in the Bible. It is such a beautiful and heart wrenching story about deep wounds in an unredeemed life and how God beautifully orchestrates love, healing, and redemption. I don’t want to say too much, as I would not want to give away the details of this story. It should be noted that this book is not appropriate for children and contains difficult content. The prologue was very hard for me to read, and yet it gave significant information about the life-history of the woman in the story. 

Three other Francine River’s books that I read were from The Mark of the Lion Series. The first being A Voice in the Wind. These were excellent historical fiction novels about life in Rome during the rise of the early church and the persecution of the Jewish and Christian people. I would again suggest that the content in these books is not appropriate for children. The author has amazing insight in character development. As I read I recognized many parallels between our American society and the debauchery in Rome. Beautifully written.

*I no longer have these books in hand, so please forgve me if I have made mistakes in any of the titles. Happy Reading!

Magazine Review – The Old Schoolhouse September 4, 2008

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine – Digital Subscription

Until recently, I had never read a digital magazine before. To be honest – I was hesitant. As a subscriber of The Old Schoolhouse magazine, I have always looked forward to receiving my copy in the mail. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised that the digital version was just as fabulous as the hard copy. I enjoyed the user friendly tools to flip through and skip pages. The color, graphics, ads and articles were just as amazing to read on the computer screen as they are in the magazine itself. If you are looking to control clutter in your home, or to reduce the amount of paper that gets delivered to your door, a digital subscription is a great choice! Best of all this magazine is an excellent source of encouragement and inspiration for homeschoolers!

Book Review – The Schoolhouse Planner September 4, 2008

The Schoolhouse Planner: Making a Plan for School and Home

This planner truly has it all! If you are looking for tools to assist you in organizing your home and school, while keeping all your family’s important information in one, organized, easy-to-use planner, this is the tool for you! This great resource includes every tool imaginable by way of forms and lists, calendars, personal information and the like. Each month offers a month at a glance calendar, along with great recipes, schooling and parenting ideas and articles. The many lists of famous composers, artists and other historical figures are sure to spark ideas for creativity.  I am always looking for ways to reduce clutter, and create systems that work. I am impressed by the types and amounts of forms included in this resource.  This will make record keeping simple, and keep families feeling organized throughout the year.