I am hoping to keep better track of what I read in 2019. I need to write down the title of the book I read after I finish reading it. My sister got me a book journal a few years ago but I ended up using it for read-alouds with the kids. Anyway, for the last couple of days I have been trying to remember all of the books I read this year and writing them down so that I can recommend any that I really enjoyed. I think that I read 28 books in 2018. I won't list all of them here. Eight of those books were read aloud to the kids for homeschooling or fun, and a couple of those were read more than once because I needed to read it first to myself before reading aloud to the kids and I'm not counting short books read to Hulk or Bug. Fourteen of the total were fiction, and six of those fourteen were purely entertainment, the other fiction books were classics or for spiritual or cultural education of myself. The rest of the fourteen books were non-fiction. So here are my favorites and what I most recommend! 1. The Bible! (many authors, divinely directed by God) Duh, right?! But this year I read the Bible chronologically and I really benefitted from it and enjoyed it immensely! I will be doing the same 2019 but I may take longer than the one year plan because I hope to make a closer study and highlight common problems we face color coded to make it easier to reference. 2. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott I read this one aloud to the kids but it was my first time reading it too. A great classic and me and the girls really like it. I know that it is one that they will read a few more times over the years and understand more of it each time they read it! 3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte I read this book for the fourth time this year. It may be my all time favorite book. That is all. 4. Spiritual Depression by Martyn Lloyd Jones We read this (most of it) with our small group this year. Robert has read it a few times, this was my first time. This book is so foundational for believers. I could go on and on but I will just say that it is entirely practical for daily walking out this hard life! AND it is written from a sermon series so you can listen to the chapters as sermons or read it! 5. Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling I read this aloud to the three littlest kiddos this year. The first time I read it in 2015 to the three oldest. Kipling's use of words is art. These are simple, short, imaginative, funny origin stories that are perfect for challenging and entertaining younger children but mama or daddy will love them too! My fifteen year old would want to pause her Biology school work to listen in! I look forward to reading them again! 6. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs Unbelievable! I don't know how this story hasn't been made into a movie. Which they would ruin but it would still get the book more attention! It is amazing. In the last couple of years I have gotten really into reading slave narratives. These books(pamphlets, at the time) were first written during our country's abolition movement in an effort for the truth about slavery, from the mouth's of slaves themselves, to be heard by white people(mainly in the north) who had only been lied to by southern slave owners. I read Freddrick Douglass's this year also. Douglass is really smart and I recommend his narrative too. Honestly, I gotta stop because I will type for too long just on these. I read Douglass's narrative aloud to the kids and Harriet Jacob's will be required reading for them in high school as long as I'm homeschooling. But even if we send them to traditional school, I will make them read it to supplement their history education. I'm gonna stop there for fear that I really will list all of the books! : ) Happy New Year!
2 Comments
On December 7th, 2018 Robert graduated with his Masters of Divinity after 3.5 years of work. Totaling 11.5 years (23 semesters) of full-time student life. Counting his internship and residency in 2010 and 2011, which didn't require class work but is still technically a part of his education, it's 13.5 years of full-time student life. He has his bachelors in Psychology, a doctorate in Clinical Psychology, and the most recently attained masters of divinity. We have every reason to believe and very high hopes that we will never live the full-time student life again!! Every now and then Robert asks me if I would like to go back to school but I have no longing to do anything official. I'm quite content with auditing classes and learning what I feel like learning. I'm very proud of my husband. This season has been hard and rewarding. Robert is relieved and feels like a free man! He is looking for a temporary full-time job in Louisville area while we wait to see where the Lord has in store for full-time ministry. The idea of him working 40 hours a week without the extra burden of class assignments and reading and studying is like a vacation! Meanwhile, we are very content and blessed by ministering in our free time at our local church and small group in whatever ways the Lord provides! We got a new puppy!
Jack, our boxer, died two years ago this Christmas. We have been very sad and longing for another dog for a long time now. We are a dog-kinda-family and we felt the void. For the last several months we had been praying for a new affordable bloodhound puppy. Robert and I's limitations were $$$ (we could not afford a puppy from a breeder) and the puppy had to be young so that they can be acclimated to a house full of kids. So we prayed, and waited, and prayed, and watched craigslist. Two weeks ago within an hour of posting, Robert found a 7 week old AKC full blood bloodhound puppy. She had been bought from a breeder by a family with small children and the children were scared to death of her so it wasn't working. We got her for about half of what they paid, including her large crate, leashes, collars, food, toys, and treats! We drove 2.5 hours one way to get her. We name our pets after literary figures and since we just finished and loved Little Women we have named her Marmee. Our family is so happy and enjoying her very much! We got a new-to-us truck! Robert's truck seats two people besides the driver. So for a while we have been wanting to get a four door truck so that Robert is able to take more children when he takes his vehicle. The Lord provided a great 2008 Ford F-150 a week ago at a very affordable price! The kids are really excited about having such a cool big truck! This week will be pretty easy breezy. Next week is Thanksgiving! We will be celebrating by inviting a couple dozen friends over who are from China and are here studying at the seminary. We are looking forward to it, especially Tender, who has been studying Mandarine for going on 3 years and will get to practice a lot conversationally! The following week will be Tender's 15th birthday and a couple from our small group's wedding. That will be a full week doing preparation for the wedding and celebrating Tender. The next week is Robert's graduation week and The Boy's 10th birthday! There will be a few events surrounding the graduation on the 7th that we need to attend and my parents are coming into town for the graduation. We are looking forward to that and hoping more family is able to make it. Robert has been sending his resumes out to churches for a few weeks now. We are excited and prayerful about what is next for our family and trusting that the Lord will provide all of our needs. You can be praying with us for the church family that the Lord has already been preparing for us to minister with and praying that we would trust him fully for all the expenses and trials that come with moving again. Also, pray for the children's hearts when it comes time to leave their friends here. We have never lived in a home after a baby was born there for longer than 18 months. Bug was born here and he just turned 3! Him and Hulk only know this home and the older kids and us have worked hard to bury our roots deep here because we don't know how long the Lord will have us here. What I mean is, we have never acted like we were here temporarily, we made it home and invested emotionally. We believe that this is faithful to the Lord but it does make leaving harder. If it's the Lord's will for us to leave. He could have a church 20 minutes away for us! Only He knows! I know, its been forever. I am sorry, again! I need to work on updating every Friday again like I did several years ago. Anyway, what you missed: -There was a youth retreat for Tender. -Robert got to visit China. -We went to the zoo. (First time for the two littlest boys) -We traveled to see family: Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma. -Seminary started back (Robert is taking 4 classes this semester and graduating in December) -We started homeschooling back, slowly in August and then full on in September. -Bug started potty training. (No daytime diapers for the first time since August 2011) March:
-Three round trips to St. Louis (4 hour drive). First to meet my parents to give them the two girls for 10 days. Second to meet my parents to get the girls back and send the three older boys to spend a week with them. Third to get the boys back. -Painting the boys’ room and setting up a second bunk bed. -A weekend hosting a friend. -An outreach for the neighborhood around our church for Easter. -Good Friday service at our church. -A wedding -A baby born to a friend -Host three meals with other families. -Several meetings with friends for discipleship and fellowship. -Two small groups in our home. -One youth group function. -Four co-op meetings -Nine speech therapies April: -Celebrate our Savior's resurrection -One baby shower -Hosting a Kids’ Baking Competition. -See seven friends from out of town -Together For the Gospel -A Women's function at church -Host three meals with other families -Several meetings with friends for discipleship and fellowship. -Two doctor appointments (one to remove a foreign object from a nostril) -Two Small groups in our home. -Robert teaching Sunday School. -Lindsey turned 36. -One baby born to a friend, a meal delivered. -Four co-op meetings -Eight speech therapies May so far: -Last day of our homeschool co-op followed by the end of term program. -One youth group function. -End of seminary classes. -One family staying with us we haven't seen in three years. -One small group in our home. -All six kids dentist cleaning (one small cavity). -Several meetings with friends for discipleship and fellowship. -Four speech therapies. Now that you are up to date, here are SOME pictures. Not all because, yeah, that would be a lot. I'm continually hearing this reminder from my Savior. Here is the context: Martha had Jesus into her home to show hospitality and love for Him and His disciples. This is an important and necessary ministry, having people into our homes and serving them well within those walls. Her sister(Mary) was there as well and she was sitting at Jesus' feet listening to what He had to say while Martha worked to serve those in her home. Martha tries to entreat Jesus to rebuke Mary for her seeming selfish laziness, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand." Jesus responds with, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her." "One thing is necessary..." In that situation the one thing that was necessary was listening to the Lord speak while they still could. He would be gone soon. Moving on for His ministry and then eventually dead, raised, and gone Home to sit down from His work with God the Father! What a unique opportunity to sit and listen for such a short time. My mind is filled with thoughts on this but I just wanna share specifically how this applies to our lives, personally. What is necessary? Every moment this could change. Obviously, the overreaching most necessary thing is the Lord but we live in this world right now and we have ministries at hand that pull at our attention. It would be foolish, indeed, for me to sit and read my bible 12 hours a day and ignore my family, so this isn't what this passage is teaching. Placing the Lord in His rightful place in our lives does not mean that we sit and study all the time, it means that we do the work that He has put in front of us to do. Take this blog for instance. I haven't posted in over a month! My girls have been reminding me, "Mom! You need to post on the blog!" I value keeping documentation of what is going on with us and hoping that family and friends enjoy seeing up to date pictures, but it's not necessary. So when my plate is full with necessary things like homeschooling, hanging out with my husband, disciplining children, and sleep I can push the blog to the side for a time without "worrying or being upset". In church when I want to just sit and listen to the sermon unencumbered but my child is being disruptive, I have to weigh what is necessary right then. And then I leave with the child, because teaching that child how to behave in that moment is more important than ignoring his behavior and listening to the sermon. (I can easily listen to the podcast later!) It was so pretty outside a few days ago and the kids were all playing outside so I took my Romans bible study out there thinking I would work on it while I watched them play. I got one question done before I realized playing soccer for a while with them was going to minister to them better. Or at 5:45am when I would really like to sleep I weigh what is necessary and get up because reading my bible and praying for the day that is about to start is far more necessary than sleep right then. For this season, the only time I can get in the Word well is before my kids rise. When we have people over for dinner, we put dishes in the sink and then sit and talk with them because doing all after dinner chores can wait until after they leave. Or when we have friends staying with us from out of town, my bedtime of 9:30 is going to be pushed back because staying up late and talking to them is more necessary for that one night. Those are just the momentary decisions, we are also reevaluating a couple times a year and asking ourselves bigger questions about what is necessary. Should we homeschool this child another year? Do we have time to do a co-op this fall? Can I make this class work this semester? We seriously considered and prayed about myself getting a part-time job recently. On the whole, so that our family is not "worried and upset about many things" we keep things really simple. First, what is necessary, and then a few things that we value, nothing more. If I have too much on my plate then the really important things like energy to speak to a child about their heart toward their brother or teaching Bible or having free time for the kids to play outside gets pushed to the side. When something we prefer starts to cause worry or stress, I hear those words, "Martha, Martha..." and I reevaluate. With some Christmas money we spent a day at a local attraction place as a family. The place was empty and we had so much fun and it was cheap because we went during a week day while school was in. The kids wanted to be surprised by where we were going so they covered their eyes. Tender did go, but she is always the last to get in the van. Ok, so here are some pictures from around Christmas. We hosted a neighborhood party in the desire to get to know our neighbors better. It was great and a lot of fun work for the kids and I. Bug has had a couple of sick episodes since the New Year. He's recovering now.
The girls both took their first standardized test. It went fine and we know what to work on what areas they are doing really well in. Reading Comprehension was a really strong point for both of them. Which leads me to sharing what we read in 2017. What I read by myself: -What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty This was recommended to me by my sister. Its a really good book, very thought provoking. But also, secular. -How to Act Right When Your Spouse Acts Wrong by Leslie Vernick I skimmed this book. It was really good. I wish I had it earlier in marriage. We all need to know how to love one another through each other's sin. -Spiritual Depression by Martyn Lloyd-Jones Our small group is working through this right now. It is really good. Lloyd-Jones is Robert's all time favorite. -Side by Side by Ed Welch I borrowed this from a friend and it was a good basic book on how to develop and nurture deeper relationships. -Spritual Depression by Don Whitney This was necessary reading for my SWI class. Its basics on how to practice disciplines that encourage a healthy walk with the Lord. -Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte I read this for the third time. It is one of my all time favorites! I hope to read it a dozen more times before I die! -The Bible For the first time in my life (for shame)I read through the whole bible in one year and it was great! Doing it again in 2018 but with a different plan. -Narrative of Sojourner Truth by Sojourner Truth This is the story of Sojourner Truth's life told by herself. She was an emancipated slave and an activist for freeing slaves and giving women the right to vote. It is amazing! I wish I had known of her long ago. -Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand I read this for the second time. I highly recommend it. Its the story of Louis Zamparini's life and service in War World II and his salvation afterward. It is unreal! -The Dynamic Heart in Daily Life by Jeremy Pierre This was for a class I audited and one of the elders at our church wrote it. It's about biblical counseling and was very good. I've been surprised at how much all of my reading on Biblical Counseling has positively influenced my parenting. Just knowing the right questions to ask in a heated moment is so valuable. -A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'engle Amazing classic! The girls read it after I did and The Boy listened to the audio book to prepare for the movie coming out this year! I also was able to buy the whole set but haven't gotten around to reading the rest in the series. -All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr I read this for a book club at our church. It was a good story but I didn't care for it. There wasn't enough redemption for me. -The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer (4 books) Another book series recommended by my librarian sister! : ) The whole series was good and entertaining. It didn't require a whole lot of thought. What I read aloud to the kids: -Vincent Van Gogh: Portrait of an Artist by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan -Sounder by William H Armstrong I can not recommend this book more! It is so beautiful and educational. It opened our eyes to the life of a share cropper family in such an innocent unassuming way. I think it may be my all time favorite book I have read with the kids. -The Golden Goblet by McGraw This is Hurricane's favorite book that we have ever read! Its a historical fiction book about ancient Egypt. -A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens -Comedy of Errors by Shakespear The girls read this without me at co-op. -Tales of Ancient Egypt by Roger Lancelyn Green These are all the mythical gods' stories. -Pilgrim Stories by Margeret Pumphreys True historical stories from the Pilgrims settlement. -Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis (6 books) We are just 3 chapters from finishing the whole series. Its amazing, as everyone knows. My poor children have had to deal with me sobbing while reading a lot! When Reepicheep went to Aslan's Country I cried so hard The Boy suggested that Tender should take over. : ) These are just the chapter books we read together. There were several other random poems and shorter books. And I can't find my records, so these are just the ones I can remember. Its amazing how much you are able to read when you just read a chapter or so a day. Our reading aloud time is typically just 30-40 minutes a week day from 2-3 different books. |
LindseyI'm the mama and wife. Updating you on our life! Archives
January 2022
Categories
All
|