Alan Paton wrote a masterpiece which fed him and his family for the rest of his life. Cry, the Beloved Country is set in 1946 in South Africa. I loved it. It reads fast and easy.
Alan Paton – Cry, the Beloved Country – my copy
The plot moves rapidly, despite repetitions and descriptions. Paton writes well, what can I say? Continue reading
Last week, our children and their Science Olympiad team competed in the Friendship Invitational, on the campus of Friendship Christian School in Lebanon, TN. This year, there were 24 teams competing, from Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and maybe even North Carolina – very strong competition.
Cedar Springs Homeschool Teams A and B
Invitationals are the not-so-secret weapon of strong teams to prepare for Regionals – the event that qualifies a team to State, which is followed by Nationals, if you win State. Continue reading
Possession (affiliate link) by A. S. Byatt is a tour de force in many ways. At almost 600 pages, this book makes it difficult for anybody to finish in one week. Besides, by the time I read 25% of it, I was thoroughly confused.
The cover of Possession on my Kindle
There is so much poetry and there are two timelines going on at the same time: 1990 and Victorian era. Metaphors abound and lots of British words and destinations. A. S. Byatt is, after all, a Britist woman. Continue reading
The Power of a Praying Parent is a book written by Stormie Omartian to help parents pray for their children in a systematic way. If you love your prayer habits, keep doing what you are doing. If you need some help in how to pray for your children, then this book is for you.
The book chapters cover different aspects of a child’s life: faith, friends, future spouse, healthy eating, secrets, relationship with other family members, money, future career, school, entertainment choices etc. Continue reading
I hinted in my post about 2022 in review that we have five more years with the kids before they both go to college. Actually, it is five years with the youngest. The oldest is in ninth grade, which means we only have three more years with him at home. I am not counting the next semester.
Our 2022 Christmas tree with some of the gifts for the kids
When our oldest was eight years old, I wrote a post about having him at home for 10 more years. I re-read it recently and smiled. He is 15 now. Where have the last seven years gone? Continue reading
This year, 2022, has been very difficult and stressful for me. Learning how to parent a teenager pushed me to the limit. It revealed things in my character which are not flattering. Starting high school as a homeschool parent – that was another difficult task. Last but not least, we started a new routine of driving to co-op, orchestra rehearsals, violin and harp lessons. That is a lot of time away from home and traditional academics.
The Tennessean Hotel and the Sunsphere in Knoxville, TN – we spend a lot of time in this city now.
In a way, I feel like saying, “Good riddance, 2022,” but that would miss the point. Instead, I should say, “Good lessons, 2022.” Homeschooling is not only for our children. We, the parents, learn plenty in the process, and not just about history, science, grammar, or math. Continue reading
Last week, our children participated in the Dodgen-Walton Science Olympiad Invitational, together with their team, Cedar Springs Homeschool. This invitational happens at the Walton High School in Marietta, GA. We compete against teams from public schools, private schools, magnet schools, charter schools, and there was another homeschool team, as well.
Cedar Springs Homeschool Team for Science Olympiad
Invitationals are tough competitions which we attend in order to learn. We build on this experience. By the time we go to Regionals, State, and (hopefully) Nationals, we feel prepared. Continue reading
As I watch tennis, my favorite spectator sport, I can’t help but see similarities between tennis and homeschooling. Here are some of the ways in which homeschooling is like tennis:
Our son removing moss from outdoor carpet – another metaphor for homeschooling – a tedious combination of perseverance, effort and skill
We start the new school year next week, which makes this week the last week of summer break. This has been an interesting break. We did not accomplish much from the list of goals we put down on paper. However, we have grown closer as a family by going through growing pains and challenges and by having heart-to-heart, honest conversations.
My teddybear, Tumble, is admiring the Dutch oven bread I made today.
It has become clear beyond the shadow of a doubt that my children are not children anymore. One of them is a teenager, the other one is a tween. Clearly, we have entered adolescence and there is no going back. My husband and I have to grow with them and adapt to this new phase. Continue reading
After 6.5 years of taking piano lessons, our daughter has decided she would like to switch to harp. We said yes because of several reasons.
First harp lesson
Every family is different and every child is different. These are our reasons for accepting her decision and supporting her in her new goal of learning the harp: Continue reading