Etc...

We finished our history read aloud today - in two days actually - we enjoyed it that much! We are in the midst of the Renaissance and dove into The Apprentice (not the Trump one) by Pilar Molina Llorente. It was a very good story about a young boy longing for a painter’s life. I half expected it to be slightly boring, I mean how exciting can a Renaissance apprentice’s life be, right? Mixing paints, sharpening charcoal, eating poor food, slaving for the Maestro, etc. But the best books are those that surprise me and this one did. If you are anywhere near the Renaissance and would like an inside look into that life then I recommend it. Rainbow Resource is where I bought it for a few dollars. It was worth it. I have been trying to meld our Reformation read aloud books with our Renaissance ones and some have been better than others. We read Ink on His Fingers and The Beggars’ Bible, both by Louise A. Vernon, and enjoyed those a lot. We read Thunderstorm in Church and found it rather dry. With that title I thought it would be more exciting than it was. I was wrong! We are heading into The Hawk That Dare Not Hunt by Day and William of Orange soon. I hope they do not disappoint!

I look forward to an entire year of American history next year and the children do too. Having made it this far into the homeschooling realm and only studied it a little bit, I think it is time since we are just about there after the Renaissance/Reformation/Exploration we have been in for a while. I look forward to reading some good books on the founders of our nation. What have you found that you like for US history to read aloud? Any suggestions are welcome and encouraged!

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One more tidbit from our Saturday tea - it is the poem our Pastor's wife read to us. I just really liked its simplicity and its message. I do not know the author.

A Mother’s Prayer

A careful woman I ought to be
A little lady follows me.
I do not dare to go astray,
For fear she’ll go the self same way.

Not once can I escape her eyes;
Whate’er she sees me do she tries.
Like me she says she’s going to be
That little lady who follows me.

I must remember as I go
Through summer sun and winter snow,
I’m molding for years to be-
That little lady who follows me.

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I am getting ready to go to Florida next week and am a bit nervous to fly. Not having done so in almost 15 years makes a person - ME - discombobulated. I don't have that terror of flying that some of my dear friends have, but I am not particularly comfortable with it even though all the stats tell me it is safer than, oh you know, probably going to the bathroom. To make matters even stranger I have been having mild asthma symptoms for no apparent reason. I may or may not take it to the doctor level, and am trying to treat it with over the counter medicines and herbs, but we shall see. I love strange medical issues that come up out of no where!

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I had better make dinner since it is approaching that hour when I start to hear calls of, "Mommy, what is for dinner?" "Food," I answer in a rather snarky tone when I really don't know what I am making yet. Today though, all snarky tones are gone because I am making chicken, rice, and a veggie. Don't we sound all-American apple pie and everything? Grin!

Happy evening,
Kate