My Summer Reading List

12 books, 12 weeks of summer

goal - read 1 book a week

- Needs Your Child Must Have Met at Home by Ron Hutchcraft

- Different Children, Different Needs by Charles F. Boyd

- How to Talk So Your Kids Will Listen & How To Listen So Your Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish

- A Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levison

- The Potentially Sane Mother's Guide to Raising Young Children by Tamara A. Fackrell

- The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman & Ross Campbell

- For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay

- A Heart Like His by Virginia H. Pearce

- Standing For Something by Gordon B. Hinckley

- The Anatomy of Peace by The Arbinger Institute

- A Joyful Mother of Children by Linda J. Eyre

- A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe by Michael S. Scheider

What are you reading this summer? I love a good book recommendation!

If You Want To Find Treasure, Sometimes You've Got To Dig

We have a thrift shop in town that I always drop off my donations at, but never go in to look. I am not a digger by nature. My mom on the other hand, can go into a shop like this and search out great finds.

One Saturday I decided to go in! I found a great bed for Noelle that I bought and have yet to transform (its been added to my list). I also spotted an old wooden door that I knew would be perfect for our office (which is also in the process of change) as a chalkboard. I didn't buy it though. I thought about it for a couple of weeks and then decided to go back and see if it was still there.... It was - so for a few dollars I took the old door home with me and wondered what I was going to tell Darren. He surprised me by not thinking it was weird at all. He lovingly sanded it down for me and I painted the inside panel with chalkboard paint. I love the way it turned out. Now I have a place to write down Darren's messages for him to see at the end of the day and I think it adds character to our pretty plain office.

before

during

after

Tate practicing his T's

Summer

Summer is here and I am going to be spending part of mine preparing for next September -while the kids play, explore, create, get dirty and just be kids. First on the agenda is to finish the school room we started over 2 years ago and then, once and for all, organize it! I am even more excited about this coming year! I feel like I have learned so much last year that will help me this time around.