What I Read in September -- "Required" Reading

The book club I'm in chose to read  "One Glorious Ambition" by Jane Kirkpatrick for September.  I had never before heard of Dorothea Dix ( a reformer from the 19th century), so I initially enjoyed learning about her. Her mission in life -- what she called her one glorious ambition -- was to bring to light the plight of the mentally ill. She never married, never had a real home, and very little family. She spent her years travelling, visiting the prisons that held the mentally ill alongside criminals --  there was no separate place for them.

In each state, she met with the officials and in many cases, convinced them that a facility for "the least of these" was a necessity. She met with many setbacks along the way and also battled severe illness throughout. I admire her vision and her absolute focus on relieving the suffering of so many.

However, about halfway through the book, I started to lose interest. I don't know how much information there was out there about Dorothea as a woman, but her personality in this book really fell flat. She came across very strong when dealing in the area of her work, but extremely needy and annoying in her personal life.  I am glad I read it, and learned a lot about the subject, but felt it could have been shortened considerably.

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I also read a book along with my daughter, for her literature class. The teacher decided to start them out with something easy -- "Wonder" by R.J. Palacio.  I am not sure if I would have picked it up and read it on my own, but it's become one of my favorite books of the year. I think it should be required reading for every middle schooler. It's about a boy named August Pullman,  who was born with a major facial deformity. He is beginning 5th grade and attending school for the first time in his life.

The book is written primarily from his perspective -- his thoughts and feelings about how people react to his differences. There are also chapters from the other characters points of view:  his older, protective sister, her new boyfriend, and a few of his classmates.

I laughed and I cried and I didn't want it to end. It also led to great discussions with my daughter about how we treat others, based on their appearances. I plan to read it with my 5th grade son next. And my younger three boys when they are old enough.

Highly, highly recommend this one!

Summer - Week 13

August 20 - August 26

I'm still calling this a summer post, although some of our fall activities started up this week. So it was kind of a half and half week.

Aiden had his first Cub Scouts meeting of the year, which was really just a kick-off for popcorn sales. They don't charge dues in his troop, so they make a big push at popcorn time to cover the troop's expenses for the year. Fundraising is NOT my favorite thing to do.

Options orientation was also this week. We are going a different direction with Chase this year -- he will be attending a private homeschool program called FACE. We've been involved there for years, but he hasn't taken classes there for the last 3 years. He is extremely interested in culinary arts and they have a program there through Warren Tech. that he can take his Junior year, so we made the switch now.

And with Conner having graduated, that left Brenna and Aiden in Options this year.BUT...we also have a new Kindergartner. Zane is beyond thrilled and has counted down the days all summer until he could attend.

Declan was NOT thrilled to have Zane going off without him. They've been doing pretty much everything together for almost 4 years now. But we tried to convince him it will be fun to be the big brother at home to Liam.

Aiden is beginning 4th grade

Brenna is in 8th grade this year

We did get to go out and enjoy the summer heat one day, at a park with friends.

This is the ONE smile I got; he does not care for the swing and wanted out immediately after I snapped the picture

I got to get out and have some me-time this week. I had my Bible Study one morning, Book Club one evening and scrapbooking another evening. In my book club, we just discussed "The Zookeeper's Wife" by Diane Ackerman. This was not one of my favorite reads and I had to force myself to finish it. Coming on the heels of "Unbroken", I wasn't really in the mood for another book about World War II. And this one wasn't nearly as well-written and engaging. It was interesting to get another perspective from the war. This book was set

in Poland, from the viewpoint of the wife of a zookeeper. They hit many, many Jews during the war. I learned a lot, but still did not enjoy the writing style.

Next we are moving on to a book set here in Colorado, in the early 1900s, so I'm excited about that.

This was Conner's 1st official week of classes at CSU. He had been waitlisted for one class, so he had to do a little switching around of his schedule. That resulted in scrambling to find another textbook, after he'd already ordered and picked up the books for his other classes. But he figured it out and got it taken care of. Just the first of many things he'll need to start doing on his own. Makes me so proud of him, but also a little sad. I can now understand why some mom feel a bit lost when their last child leaves the house. I still have plenty of people to take care of here at home, but it's a strange feeling to let one go and just sit back and wait until you're called on. I think, with homeschooling, I've gotten so used to being involved

in pretty much every aspect of my kids' lives and in helping them make decisions, that it'll take me awhile to get used to this new normal. Don't get me wrong -- it's all good. It's natural and wonderful for him to go and be on his own and learn and grow. But my momma's heart is still a bit sad at the ending of this stage of life.

It helped that Scott had some work in Ft. Collins on Saturday, so he was able to pick Conner up for a late lunch. I made him send me a picture ;)

Thank goodness for Facebook, so we've been able to keep up a little with Conner's life at CSU. He and some other students from his floor dressed in morphsuits in the school's colors and attended a volleyball game. Looks like they had fun.

Conner is the front green guy with yellow hat

Brenna is getting back into her drawing, which I love. She is so talented and I'm excited that her advanced art class is 2 periods long this year, to give her more time to draw. I've been looking for additional outside classes for her to take, but haven't had any luck yet.

Both Brenna and Chase helped with the church's food drive on Sunday morning.

On Sunday afternoon, we attended a BBQ for some of the church youth leaders. Scott has worked in the 2nd/3rd grade room for 4 or 5 years now. The hosts had an extremely large yard, with a pool and trampoline so the kids had a great time.

Summer 2012 - Week 10

July 30 - August5

This week it was Aiden and Zane's turn to spend in Walden with Granny and Grandpa. Having two of the kids gone -- especially two energetic boys -- really makes a difference around here. The week started a bit rough with Declan. He didn't seem to know what to do with himself without his older brothers. But as the week went on, his sweet self emerged and I think he really enjoyed getting more one-on-one time with Mommy and Daddy.

One day we went with friends to a local mall that has a great sand area in front. We played for a couple hours until the heat chased us home.

Later in the week, we went with other friends to Discovery Park in Wheat Ridge. My younger kids love the sand and water features at this park.

Brenna and I got to cuddle with little Sarai

The rest of the week included a date night for me and Scott -- we tried a new place, Jack 'n Grill. I really liked their salsa and it was happy hour so the margaritas were 2 for 1. But I thought their entrees were only so-so.

I also went to a meeting for my MOPS book club. We just finished reading "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand. I am glad I read this book. It was slow-going for me in the beginning, but once it picked up I was fascinated. It's a true story about Louis Zamperini and his experiences in World War II. The things he endured and overcame are truly astonishing. And I learned many things about the war, especially Japan's involvement, that I'd never realized before.

Conner worked and spent time with friends. Counting down until college -- less than 2 weeks. I think I'm still in denial about it. He and Brenna also attended the youth group carnival and lock-in at our church. They had a lot of fun, but Brenna came dragging in the house the next morning and went straight to bed for several hours. Poor Conner had to go directly to work. He came home from there and went straight to bed. ;)

We continued watching and enjoying the Olympics. A tradition around here is to color the flags of some of the participating countries. This year it was Aiden, Zane and Declan's turn. They did a great job.

Love & War by John & Stasi Eldredge

What the Eldredge bestsellers Wild at Heart did for men, and Captivating did for women, LOVE & WAR will do for married couples everywhere. John and Stasi Eldredge have contributed the quintessential works on Christian spirituality through the experience of men and the experience of women and now they turn their focus to the incredible dynamic between those two forces.

With refreshing openness that will grab readers from the first page, the Eldredges candidly discuss their own marriage and the insights they’ve gained from the challenges they faced. Each talks independently to the reader about what they’ve learned, giving their guidance personal immediacy and a balance between the male and female perspectives that has been absent from all previous books on this topic. They begin LOVE & WAR with an obvious but necessary acknowledgement: Marriage is fabulously hard. They advise that the sooner we get the shame and confusion off our backs, the sooner we'll find our way through.

LOVE & WAR shows couples how to fight for their love and happiness, calling men and women to step into the great adventure God has waiting for them together. Walking alongside John and Stasi Eldredge, every couple can discover how their individual journeys are growing into a story of meaning much greater than anything they could do or be on their own.

If you would like to read this book, please visit http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385529808


(This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah)