Primii Pasi in Sah (The First Steps in Chess) by Elisabeta Polihroniade would help any Romanian child learn how to play chess. We used to own this book and I remember reading the first few chapters.
My copy of “Primii Pasi in Sah”
When my sister came to visit a few months ago, I asked her to procure a copy from a used book store, if at all possible. Well, she found it and a couple other titles by Polihroniade, the best woman chess player of Romania. Continue reading
The Battle in Gatlinburg by Bill Morris is a very small booklet about a Civil War skirmish which happened in Gatlinburg, about Light #3 and Anakeesta. The Cherokee Confederates were having breakfast one morning when two columns of Union soldiers surprised them.
The Roaring Fork River at Zoder’s Inn and Suites in Gatlinburg
Leaving their corncakes in the skillet over the fire, the Cherokees retreated into the forest. The Union soldiers ate the corncakes and then pursued the Cherokees up the hill, in a tree-by-tree skirmish. Eventually, the Cherokees ran away and disappeared into the Smoky Mountains. Continue reading
Paul et Virginie by Bernardin de Saint-Pierre is a classic French novel of the 18th century. I bought my copy a long time ago, in 1992, in Romania, but never read it.
My copy of “Paul et Virginie”
The story fits the century in which de Saint-Pierre lived. On Mauritius, a French colony at the time, two single mothers (one widowed and the other never wed) raise a daughter and a son almost as siblings. When puberty kicks in and the platonic feelings turn to romantic, Paul and Virginie face some choices. Continue reading
Learn Chess by John Nunn gave me great insight into the game of chess. Written for absolute beginners, the book provides the rules and all the strategies needed to become proficient in chess and go to the next level.
This book will take you from absolute beginner to worthy opponent
I thought I knew how to play chess and taught my children the way the pieces moved when they were very little. My father had taught me how to play when I was a child. We even had a book about it (Primii Pasi in Sah by Elisabeta Polihroniade). I never finished that book as a child though. Continue reading
Lettres de Mon Moulin by Alphonse Daudet (Letters from My Windmill) is a book I had bought for myself a long time ago, when I was a dreamy high school senior in Romania, hoping to become a French and English student at the University of Bucharest. We are talking 1992, folks.
My copy of Lettres de mon moulin
It sat in my parents’ home for decades until 2016 when I brought it to my home in the States. What a journey! Continue reading
We will study US History next year, so I was trying to get a head start in the reading material. Therefore, I read Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington to the kids out loud. What an informative, entertaining book!
One of the best books I have read so far this year.
From the first chapter, Booker wants everybody to know he is not bitter and does not hate his father, although they never met. Born into slavery, Booker framed slavery for what it was: a system which caught everybody in its snares. Continue reading
Homeschool mamas do not pack lunches, right? We are at home with our children and teach them in the morning while our instant pot or slow cooker prepares lunch for us, right? Or we cook with our children, thus checking two boxes: home ec and lunch prep, right? Wrong.
Our new bread box
These days, homeschool moms find themselves on the road with their children. A lot. Co-op, music lessons, orchestra, errands… All of a sudden, you have to pack a lunch because you do not want to have another fast food meal. Ever. You are done with that folly. Continue reading
As I said in this post about our 2022 electronic fast, our son planned to receive baptism this month. Well, it just happened. My husband and I are thankful to God for calling our son and for our son’s willingness to respond to the Holy Spirit.
Our son got baptized at Cohutta Springs Youth Camp on July 15, 2023.
Last summer, our son responded to an appeal in church. We encouraged him to contact the pastor to start studying the Bible in preparation for baptism. Knowing what the Bible says on key issues specific to our faith plays a huge role in grounding a new believer in Christ. Continue reading
Our daughter has been taking harp lessons for 11 months and her teacher decided she was ready to move from a lever to a pedal harp. In harp playing, there is something called “overpulling.” When the student has developed the muscles and technique of plucking the strings really well, it is time to go to a bigger harp.
Our daughter playing a pedal harp; you can see the lever harp in the background.
Of course, lever harps are different from pedal harps in a fundamental way, not just size. Lever harps have small levers on top of the strings to produce flats and sharps. Pedal harps have pedals at the base of the harp, which the player activates with the foot in order to produce flats and sharps. Continue reading
Exactly one year ago, I turned off all the screens in the home for three weeks. Dr. Victoria Dunckley wrote “Reset Your Child’s Brain” for parents whose children exhibit symptoms of Electronic Screen Syndrome (ESS).
These symptoms range from ADHD, ADD, OCD, to emotional meltdowns, to anxiety and depression, to sleep disruptions, to hating math (after loving it in younger elementary age) etc. The book details exactly what to do for the three weeks of the fast and the preceding week, when you prepare for it. It also informs you what to expect week by week.
Our son cubing while waiting for orchestra practice
My son did not like it one bit, but it changed his life. Ten days into it, he started cleaning his room (which the book predicted). By the end of the fast, he had learned how to solve Rubik’s cube in less than a minute. One month later, he asked our pastor for Bible studies so that he may prepare for baptism. Continue reading