Reading Quote

This quote spoke to me today and I wanted to share it.

Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift.
—Kate DiCamillo

The Heart Changer Review

I've mentioned before that Brailey has a deep love for Biblical history and historical fiction. It is especially exciting when those two intermingle. Needless to say, she was ecstatic when we were offered the opportunity to review The Heart Changer by Jarm Del Boccio, Author.

Happy 4th!

Proud Mama Moment

Last night we had our annual track club pasta dinner. Each year this is held right before our state track meet to celebrate the athletes and encourage them for the upcoming competition season.

One of the highlights of the dinner each year is the honoring of one of the club's athletes with the Taylor Elmore Spirit Award. This award was established to honor the memory of one of the club's athletes who was tragically killed in a car accident in high school 10 years ago. This award is given to an athlete who embodies the following characteristics and is voted on by the club's coaches.
      o  Punctuality and attendance for practices and team functions

      o  Listens and respects not only coaches but all they come in contact with

      o  Represents God, Family, City of Florence, and Florence Track Club with pride and honor

      o  Always gives 100% whether in practice or meets

      o  Is always encouraging to others

This year's award winner was Aria! She definitely embodies the characteristics of this award. She's an extremely hard worker and always gives 100%. Last summer she was injured and wasn't able to compete so we didn't sign her up to be a club athlete. Instead of staying home like she could have, she chose to come to all of the practices - 3 nights a week - and helped with the younger athletes. I'm extremely proud that her character has not gone unnoticed by the coaches.

Failure Breeds Success

I want my children to fail. There - I said it. While I hate seeing my children upset, I know that failure is good for them.

Do I mean that I don't ever want them to succeed? Absolutely not! I love watching my children succeed and celebrating those successes with them. But without the failures, those successes don't mean as much.

Gr 7 Lightning Lit Set Review

When I look back on my junior high and high school days, the classes that stand out the most in my mind as the most loved are my literature classes. My English teachers introduced me to classics as well as to books I would probably have never picked up on my own. I feel like it's because of this that I enjoy a variety of genres in my reading life today. It's extremely important to me that my own children get a solid foundation in literature and that I find a curriculum that will help me to accomplish this. I was delighted that Brittany and I have had the opportunity to review the Gr 7 Lightning Lit Set from Hewitt Homeschooling Resources.

The Wars of the Jews set Review

 I've mentioned before how much Brailey enjoys history, especially Biblical history. It amazes me how much she can tell me about the Bible and the events taking place in the world during biblical times. To say she was excited to be able to review The Wars of the Jews set from Memoria Press would be a HUGE understatement. The moment the package arrived at our house, she was ready to dive right in and get started!