I put in a request, on facebook, for a book suggestion. I trust Jim's opinion so I chose his book, East of Eden (also, because he actually GAVE me a copy to read hahahaha!).
I PURPOSELY didn't read any other reviews before or since reading these books. I hardly ever do, because I find it colors my view of the book while I'm reading it, and that ruins it for me. I know a lot of people like to have a lot of people's opinions before they read a book, so here ya go! If you are NOT one of those people, do not continue to read!
East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
I had to read The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men when I was in school. I really loved those books, so I was excited to read this book (even though I thought I had read it back when, it turns out that I'd only seen the movie a long time ago...didn't even remember what the movie was about). It started out with so much background and family details and history, it was a little hard to get into. I was also only a couple of weeks away from delivery and couldn't find a minute to read. I'd take the lazy way out and read a quick article online or check fb. I brought the book with me to the hospital, though. Because the kids were all sick at home, Butch stayed home with them and Trina stayed in the hospital with me so I got in some good hours of reading time!
There were SO many beautiful and good lines in this book! Despite graphic details about evil, whorehouses, beatings, abuse, and many references to the ugliness of life in the early part of the century, I can still call this great book!
It was mostly a fictionalized version of the details of life for the people who grew and lived in the late 18-early 1900s around the place where the author's family came from. It contained a lot of true parts of his own family tree but included a lot of conjecture based on family stories and rumors. It was kind of historical fiction meets family tree.
I sensed the author put a lot of his own attitudes and feelings into the many different strong characters in this book. One of the most important characters with the most impact on all the surrounding characters was the author's own grandfather. He describes him in such loving detail, almost to the point of repetition, that you can tell the author thought a lot of his grandfather and wished to honor his memory for all time and for the rest of his family's sake.
The only thing I find "wrong" with this novel, is that the author gets kind of unfocused on what he wants to mainly parlay with the story. Is it a family history? Is it a re-telling of the book of Genesis? Is it just a bunch of intertwined stories of people and their lives? I finished the last few chapters with a feeling of disappointment in where the story ended up. I guess, at that point, I was actually expecting a certain amount of drama that never really delivered. It's almost like the author sensed he was over dramatizing a true story and pulled back.
The book is VERY concentrated on the virtue and vice of each character. He seems to want us to truly understand that man has both good and evil inside him that that we have the CHOICE to act upon those characteristics. One or more of the characters seems to be born evil with no chance of redemption, so the theory that we have a choice doesn't follow there. The book is VERY heavy on multiple philosophies (as discussions by many of the characters) so you can tell the author is a deep and heavy thinker who enjoys getting others to think deeply as well (without over dramatizing). I love that kind of writing, so: GOOD JOB, JIM! You nailed it!
The Shack, by William Young
The book The Shack was recommended by a number of people but my neighbor just happened to be finishing it and handed it over just the other day. I finished it in one afternoon. I hadn't really heard anything about it, so I read an article about the author before I read it. It seems the author has MAJOR issues (was raised by missionary parents and was abused by tribespeople, had an affair after having 6 kids...yeah, issues). The book is all about a guy whose daughter is abducted and murdered by a psycho. He gets invited to the shack ( in which she was presumably killed) by God. God appears to him in a trinitarian form of characters. They are all non-white people. I had a lot of issues with this book.
First of all, a lot of the theology in the book is bogus. It's a very imaginative and private view of God, personified by the author. It seemed like his own way of working through the factors of forgiveness while indulging himself in countering years of religious abuse by his idiot parents, who ever thought it would be a good idea to raise a child in a third world country surrounded by heathens. Blech. I already had major issues with parents who choose this kind of life for their children, now I'm convinced it can't lead to any GOOD to bring your healthy child to a backward land to "preach the Word of God". If this author's mind and behaviors are any indication of what could happen to a perfectly innocent child in that circumstance, NO THANK YOU!
It was a quick read and a fair story line, but the author got WAY hung up on his own philosophies and his own brand of theology (all the while denigrating all of the thousands of years of theology of the Church...trapping the reader into thinking "gee, if I don't really believe this author, I must be one of those zombie church-goers and not a real Christian/believer"). If I were a parent who had a child brutalized in this or in a similar way, I'd be horrified and UNcomforted by this man's vision of "heaven" or eternity with God. I also found myself tuning out when he kept stressing that theory that dark is just the absence of light. I get it, already, it's just not TRUE that that's ALL it is. Evil is it's own entity. Evil does exist. The author contradicts himself with this theory by saying that God was with the girl during the evil act. The obvious problem there is that evil still WAS, even in the presence of God. The author had a lot of help writing this book, you can just tell. He's not a very good author and the story sags quite a bit in the middle and end.
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The Great Dane Delivery and a History of St. Michael
I was in my uncle's driveway with some of my kids. There was this giant, black great dane who had a HUGE lump on it's belly. Katrina was playing with it (the dog, not the lump) and was letting the dog walk over her, just because it could. I told her, "Watch out! I think that dog is pregnant!" but my uncle insisted that it was a boy dog and that it maybe had a tumor. I went over to it, did a sex check, and discovered that it had both...parts (thanks, Michelle of GGR...I'm sure this thought was inspired by your cattle confusion of a few posts ago) but I somehow had a feeling that if I just performed an ECV, something interesting would happen AND IT DID! The dog lay down and immediately delivered a HUGE puppy. I wiped it all up (even though it was born wrapped in bandages and baby blankets) and accepted back pats all around for doing such a good job.
Then I woke up.
I didn't get much sleep last night, because I was reading the book Faith, Family & Farming, by Bob Zahler. (Click here for Bob's site) It's all about the first settlers, first church, and history of the area I grew up in and still live in. It was SO fascinating! He did a really good job researching things and making it interesting. I think that, even if you DIDN'T grow up here or know anything about this place, you would even find it as fun to read as I did. There are many highlights such as the giant, castle-like building that was used as a sanatorium for "health" using the "wasserkur" method (some kind of crazy water therapy). Growing up there, I guess I didn't realize how unique our town was. We were the only town in our county to be built up around the church (and named after it). I didn't realize that the area designated as "The Big Woods" was so small and that we were included in it. I knew that the "pioneers" in MN were a hearty bunch, but I guess I didn't really realize just how hard life must have been for the first settlers who battled fierce winters, overly wooded areas to "break" for farming, and HORRENDOUS mosquitoes that they weren't used to in Germany. Some wonderful priest ministered to the mainly Catholics that came here. There was a totally fascinating parish battle with one of the priests, who was there for 14 years and managed to build up the parish but also managed to totally tick off a good portion of the town/parishioners. He wrote this awesome letter to Bishop Ireland (St. Paul) that could have been written today by an exasperated priest (except for the use of the words "saloon rowdies" and "hoodwinked". Heehee. Here's a great line at the end of his letter: "In a few years it's (the parish's) fate will be like the other German communities where the youth will just have learned enough German to be sarcastic; where secret societies steeped abundantly in Kraut, poison the religious life, and where they seek pleasures in organizations of dubious methods under the guise of religion." He was a very angry man. I think this town wrecked him, though. One of our modern priests came from the town that he went to directly after leaving this parish. He recalls how people remember that priest was super shaky and didn't live for very long after he moved there. There was even an attempt on the life of one of the priests BEFORE that priest came here. The people in this town have ALWAYS been snots to the priests, it seems. They were all a bunch of stubborn, German know-it-alls from the get-go (starting in the mid-1800s!).
I guess the apple doesn't fall very far, does it? ;P
(I am one of the descendants of the founders so I am posting this review because I think it's a super cool book and I learned a lot that I didn't know about the town in which I was raised...not because I was paid for this endorsement in any way! I even borrowed the book from Mom and Dad, for pete's sake!)
Then I woke up.
I didn't get much sleep last night, because I was reading the book Faith, Family & Farming, by Bob Zahler. (Click here for Bob's site) It's all about the first settlers, first church, and history of the area I grew up in and still live in. It was SO fascinating! He did a really good job researching things and making it interesting. I think that, even if you DIDN'T grow up here or know anything about this place, you would even find it as fun to read as I did. There are many highlights such as the giant, castle-like building that was used as a sanatorium for "health" using the "wasserkur" method (some kind of crazy water therapy). Growing up there, I guess I didn't realize how unique our town was. We were the only town in our county to be built up around the church (and named after it). I didn't realize that the area designated as "The Big Woods" was so small and that we were included in it. I knew that the "pioneers" in MN were a hearty bunch, but I guess I didn't really realize just how hard life must have been for the first settlers who battled fierce winters, overly wooded areas to "break" for farming, and HORRENDOUS mosquitoes that they weren't used to in Germany. Some wonderful priest ministered to the mainly Catholics that came here. There was a totally fascinating parish battle with one of the priests, who was there for 14 years and managed to build up the parish but also managed to totally tick off a good portion of the town/parishioners. He wrote this awesome letter to Bishop Ireland (St. Paul) that could have been written today by an exasperated priest (except for the use of the words "saloon rowdies" and "hoodwinked". Heehee. Here's a great line at the end of his letter: "In a few years it's (the parish's) fate will be like the other German communities where the youth will just have learned enough German to be sarcastic; where secret societies steeped abundantly in Kraut, poison the religious life, and where they seek pleasures in organizations of dubious methods under the guise of religion." He was a very angry man. I think this town wrecked him, though. One of our modern priests came from the town that he went to directly after leaving this parish. He recalls how people remember that priest was super shaky and didn't live for very long after he moved there. There was even an attempt on the life of one of the priests BEFORE that priest came here. The people in this town have ALWAYS been snots to the priests, it seems. They were all a bunch of stubborn, German know-it-alls from the get-go (starting in the mid-1800s!).
I guess the apple doesn't fall very far, does it? ;P
(I am one of the descendants of the founders so I am posting this review because I think it's a super cool book and I learned a lot that I didn't know about the town in which I was raised...not because I was paid for this endorsement in any way! I even borrowed the book from Mom and Dad, for pete's sake!)
Monday, June 08, 2009
Books That Made My Fingers Sore* And a Movie That Made Me Giggle
I read Tears Of God by Fr. Benedict Groeschel
It was one of the books I agreed to review for The Catholic Company. Here's the description from that site:
"Fr. Benedict Groeschel, best-selling author and beloved spiritual teacher, writer, and psychologist, wrote this latest book for all those who have suffered great sorrow or catastrophe in their lives and for those close to such persons, who share their deep suffering. Sorrow comes into the life of every person, but only into the lives of some people comes catastrophe. These are disasters that occur either suddenly or with terrible effects, like the death of a child. They can be natural disasters like hurricanes, or they can be horrific accidents or tragedies caused by people's evil acts. They can also arise from wars and situations of great tension."
I admit, I don't have a huge issue with worrying about "Oh why did this awful thing happen to meeeeeee?" but I know a lot of people who do, so I thought I'd get Fr. Groeschel's take on that whole deal. I liked his simple approach. He doesn't offer a million excuses as he explains how God's mercy works. I thought he might have a few too many teenyweeny, little, political jabs here and there that I didn't exactly agree with (I recognize them when my hackles go up as I'm reading), but I just took those details with a grain, realizing that that's the world he lives in and that's just fine. I turned them around in my mind a little, thinking that maybe I was just being sensitive. Sometimes, you know "the truth hurts"? But, upon further reflection, I don't think so. I just think that he is a religious man with a lot of good insight into the bad things that happen and the good God who helps us through those bad times, no matter how bad. It is a simple message, but sometimes, that is the kind that has the most impact.
I liked it. I do recommend it. I don't read that sort of book very often, you know, the sort of "religious, self-help book" but I could handle this one without getting bored or frustrated with it telling me a bunch of junk I already know. It's a very slim volume with a lot of compassion and truth in it. Check it out.
It also prepared me somewhat for the next book I read:
(which I didn't review specifically for The Catholic Company, but it is available at this link from them. I got it at my mom's house. My aunt had read it and borrowed it to my mom to read.)
I'm probably one of the few women in America who hadn't yet read the book...
Left To Tell
It is a true story.
I finished it in one day.
I don't think I can do justice to her story by telling you how I felt while reading it, but I'll try.
I felt cold and warm, all at the same time, while reading this book. Cold, from thinking about the worst that humanity can do to itself, and warmed by the love of God and the BEST that humanity can find to do for itself. Oh, just read it and you'll see what I mean. I can only say that I never knew anything about the Rwandan Genocide before I read it. I love world history. This thing happened in MY time, and I never knew ANY of it.
Read the book. PLEASE. This kind of thing has happened so many times before and could happen again in the blink of an eye. What will you do when/if it does? Prevent it from happening again. Learn about forgiveness and faith. READ THE BOOK.
Another "Catholic, self-help" book I've read lately (I know! I'm totally on a roll here! You should SEE my gross fingernails!) is called Daughters Forever, Sons Forever by Linda Kracht. I got it from Karen who opened a Catholic book store in the old convent/parish center in St. Michael. She wanted to know what I thought so here goes...
Normally, I am pretty critical of any kind of Theology of the Body stuff but this woman has really done her research. I would recommend this book for anyone, (with special instructions for the non-Catholic parent...being sensitive to the fact that these are universal truths, but that the protestant parent might not know anything about Catholic culture and might shy away from the terminology a bit). I also would like to publicly state, for the record, one of my wishes:
Whomever is in charge of raising our children, should Butch and I die while they are still young...This is the book you should read to understand our philosophy in how we wish them to be raised. It touches on the very sensitive things about being a teenager LONG BEFORE the whole "troubled teens" even take place!
I would love to quote from the book but I find everything so pertinent and good that I am just going to say that you should read this one, too. Not even especially if you have young children! This would be a good one for grandparents and any other person who knows some young person. How are they going to know this stuff unless we TELL them? I know a lot of adults who don't know this stuff, for Pete's sake!
Okeydokey, then. On to the movie review. I already commented on it on facebook but EVERYONE SHOULD SEE THE MOVIE "UP". There, I said it. I laughed very hard and cried a lot too. It had some of my favorite things in it....Old guys, silly little kids, and construction workers. Just trust me on this one and go see it asap. I wouldn't recommend it in 3D. It would take away from the beautiful work of art that I believe this movie is! Maybe save the 3D glasses for the second viewing?
*In case you didn't know, I bite my fingernails while I read. I don't know I'm doing it until I'm done reading and my fingers hurt. It's totally gross, I know...but I found out that not having any nails, and having calluses on my fingertips from years of biting really prepared me for playing the guitar!
It was one of the books I agreed to review for The Catholic Company. Here's the description from that site:
"Fr. Benedict Groeschel, best-selling author and beloved spiritual teacher, writer, and psychologist, wrote this latest book for all those who have suffered great sorrow or catastrophe in their lives and for those close to such persons, who share their deep suffering. Sorrow comes into the life of every person, but only into the lives of some people comes catastrophe. These are disasters that occur either suddenly or with terrible effects, like the death of a child. They can be natural disasters like hurricanes, or they can be horrific accidents or tragedies caused by people's evil acts. They can also arise from wars and situations of great tension."
I admit, I don't have a huge issue with worrying about "Oh why did this awful thing happen to meeeeeee?" but I know a lot of people who do, so I thought I'd get Fr. Groeschel's take on that whole deal. I liked his simple approach. He doesn't offer a million excuses as he explains how God's mercy works. I thought he might have a few too many teenyweeny, little, political jabs here and there that I didn't exactly agree with (I recognize them when my hackles go up as I'm reading), but I just took those details with a grain, realizing that that's the world he lives in and that's just fine. I turned them around in my mind a little, thinking that maybe I was just being sensitive. Sometimes, you know "the truth hurts"? But, upon further reflection, I don't think so. I just think that he is a religious man with a lot of good insight into the bad things that happen and the good God who helps us through those bad times, no matter how bad. It is a simple message, but sometimes, that is the kind that has the most impact.
I liked it. I do recommend it. I don't read that sort of book very often, you know, the sort of "religious, self-help book" but I could handle this one without getting bored or frustrated with it telling me a bunch of junk I already know. It's a very slim volume with a lot of compassion and truth in it. Check it out.
It also prepared me somewhat for the next book I read:
(which I didn't review specifically for The Catholic Company, but it is available at this link from them. I got it at my mom's house. My aunt had read it and borrowed it to my mom to read.)
I'm probably one of the few women in America who hadn't yet read the book...
Left To Tell
It is a true story.
I finished it in one day.
I don't think I can do justice to her story by telling you how I felt while reading it, but I'll try.
I felt cold and warm, all at the same time, while reading this book. Cold, from thinking about the worst that humanity can do to itself, and warmed by the love of God and the BEST that humanity can find to do for itself. Oh, just read it and you'll see what I mean. I can only say that I never knew anything about the Rwandan Genocide before I read it. I love world history. This thing happened in MY time, and I never knew ANY of it.
Read the book. PLEASE. This kind of thing has happened so many times before and could happen again in the blink of an eye. What will you do when/if it does? Prevent it from happening again. Learn about forgiveness and faith. READ THE BOOK.
Another "Catholic, self-help" book I've read lately (I know! I'm totally on a roll here! You should SEE my gross fingernails!) is called Daughters Forever, Sons Forever by Linda Kracht. I got it from Karen who opened a Catholic book store in the old convent/parish center in St. Michael. She wanted to know what I thought so here goes...
Normally, I am pretty critical of any kind of Theology of the Body stuff but this woman has really done her research. I would recommend this book for anyone, (with special instructions for the non-Catholic parent...being sensitive to the fact that these are universal truths, but that the protestant parent might not know anything about Catholic culture and might shy away from the terminology a bit). I also would like to publicly state, for the record, one of my wishes:
Whomever is in charge of raising our children, should Butch and I die while they are still young...This is the book you should read to understand our philosophy in how we wish them to be raised. It touches on the very sensitive things about being a teenager LONG BEFORE the whole "troubled teens" even take place!
I would love to quote from the book but I find everything so pertinent and good that I am just going to say that you should read this one, too. Not even especially if you have young children! This would be a good one for grandparents and any other person who knows some young person. How are they going to know this stuff unless we TELL them? I know a lot of adults who don't know this stuff, for Pete's sake!
Okeydokey, then. On to the movie review. I already commented on it on facebook but EVERYONE SHOULD SEE THE MOVIE "UP". There, I said it. I laughed very hard and cried a lot too. It had some of my favorite things in it....Old guys, silly little kids, and construction workers. Just trust me on this one and go see it asap. I wouldn't recommend it in 3D. It would take away from the beautiful work of art that I believe this movie is! Maybe save the 3D glasses for the second viewing?
*In case you didn't know, I bite my fingernails while I read. I don't know I'm doing it until I'm done reading and my fingers hurt. It's totally gross, I know...but I found out that not having any nails, and having calluses on my fingertips from years of biting really prepared me for playing the guitar!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
A Teaser and Two Reviews
I have two picture posts to share with you. One, is a monster post (again, sorry) about the stuff OUTSIDE the farmhouse. It will be worth the wait. I promise you. The other is a detail of that funny violin I found. Stay tuned for that...bated breath: Optional.
First, I'd like to review two things:
I met an author from MN named Jonathan Friesen. He signed his book for me and I couldn't wait to read it. I normally don't like fiction all that much, but I enjoy young adult stuff that I can let my own kids read. Seeing as how he homeschools his kids and knew Katrina a little, and recommended SHE read it, I figured it would be appropriate.
Boy, was I right! It was tremendous! The author suffers from Tourette's Syndrome and he writes a totally fictional story about a boy with TS also. He draws from his experience of course, but it's an amazing story (in first person...not my favorite format...but here it somehow worked) about a boy on a quest to find out who he really is. It's a struggle for identity (since he's been told from a boy that his real father was an a-hole and his step father even changed his name). I don't want to give anything away so I won't go into it all that much, but I do have some criticisms of it. Some of the dialect he used was true to MN, but some "sounded" to me to be a little more Southern. Other than that, it's a good page turner (read it in three days, even while cooking) and it kind of leaves you wanting some sort of sequel. It could almost be perfectly adapted to the screen, right from the pages of the book.
OKEYDOKEY, THEN:
Now, on to my second review (this one for The Catholic Company).
I chose the book Hear My Voice.
When I saw it on the choice page, I thought it looked familiar and then, when I got it, I remembered where I had seen it before. I think the author (or maybe the publisher?) had found my blog and had asked me to review it before it went out. I saw the sample pages and offered my opinion at the time. The (author?) person who contacted me thanked me for my review but ignored my suggestions (big whoop, what the heck do I know, anyway?) and I guess went on to publish it and now the Catholic Company offered it for review...
Anyway, it's taken me a long time to review this one because it's not REALLY a book at all. It's more like a weekly devotional because it's a two page layout with an illustration on one side, a chldren's interpretation of the Gospel for Sunday on the other, and the true Gospel excerpt from the Lectionary for Mass for Use...in the U.S.A in a little box alongside the children's version.
It's a guide for parents to read to their children before and/or after Mass to help them to understand what the Gospel is about.
Before it begins, there's a preface and a chart that shows the Church calendar. It's a handy little chart that is color co-ordinated and with dates for 2008-2009 which, I assume, means a book like this would/might come out for every year?
I will quote the preface (then offer my opinions):
"The intent of this book is to help parents and educators bring Jesus' message to children in a way that will include them more fully in the weekly Mass. This book does not try to change the gospel stories to be stylish or impose the latest slang onto them...
The illustrations depict children in the time and geography of Jesus Christ's life They portray the gospel readings in a form that invites children to ponder and take a child's time to find meaning..."
You get the idea.
I really like this whole idea. It's also nice that it's a hard cover and not a "missalette"-type of book. It's solid, and well put together. The problem with it is in the children's translations. I had critiqued the author that I believed that some of the language used in the excerpts WAS slang and sounded false to my kid's ears (THEIR opinion, not from me). The kids were also a little bit creeped out by the illustrations. They are quite strange, in my opinion. You'd have to see them to believe them but they look like a bunch of unsmiling, white mini-dress wearing matching sandals, zombied expressions (same eyes, same Mona-Lisa smile). I also had a hard time picking out the "Jesus" character because they all looked the same (with the occasional long hair for a girl). The cover is very confusing because it'd sort of a depiction of the last supper and only 13 people are pictured but it looks like one is maybe Mary? Upon further reflection, it looks like Jesus is the one with the goiter? In every picture, he's got a funny tumor on his neck.
Get this book if you want a little Gospel reflection with your kids. Don't get it if you are allergic to thin sheets of paper pressed between two, press board pieces or slightly robotronic looking cartoons of people wearing mini-togas, or if you don't like phrases like:
"This was a lot for young Mary, and she said, "Look, I am just glad to be God's servant girl. Let this happen just how God wants."
(I had objections to the word "Look" because I (and the kids) thought it sounded petulant or sassy. The author(?) explained to me that it is meant for "behold" but to me, it did sound sassy.)
There ya go! Do with it what you will.
First, I'd like to review two things:
I met an author from MN named Jonathan Friesen. He signed his book for me and I couldn't wait to read it. I normally don't like fiction all that much, but I enjoy young adult stuff that I can let my own kids read. Seeing as how he homeschools his kids and knew Katrina a little, and recommended SHE read it, I figured it would be appropriate.
Boy, was I right! It was tremendous! The author suffers from Tourette's Syndrome and he writes a totally fictional story about a boy with TS also. He draws from his experience of course, but it's an amazing story (in first person...not my favorite format...but here it somehow worked) about a boy on a quest to find out who he really is. It's a struggle for identity (since he's been told from a boy that his real father was an a-hole and his step father even changed his name). I don't want to give anything away so I won't go into it all that much, but I do have some criticisms of it. Some of the dialect he used was true to MN, but some "sounded" to me to be a little more Southern. Other than that, it's a good page turner (read it in three days, even while cooking) and it kind of leaves you wanting some sort of sequel. It could almost be perfectly adapted to the screen, right from the pages of the book.
OKEYDOKEY, THEN:
Now, on to my second review (this one for The Catholic Company).
I chose the book Hear My Voice.
When I saw it on the choice page, I thought it looked familiar and then, when I got it, I remembered where I had seen it before. I think the author (or maybe the publisher?) had found my blog and had asked me to review it before it went out. I saw the sample pages and offered my opinion at the time. The (author?) person who contacted me thanked me for my review but ignored my suggestions (big whoop, what the heck do I know, anyway?) and I guess went on to publish it and now the Catholic Company offered it for review...
Anyway, it's taken me a long time to review this one because it's not REALLY a book at all. It's more like a weekly devotional because it's a two page layout with an illustration on one side, a chldren's interpretation of the Gospel for Sunday on the other, and the true Gospel excerpt from the Lectionary for Mass for Use...in the U.S.A in a little box alongside the children's version.
It's a guide for parents to read to their children before and/or after Mass to help them to understand what the Gospel is about.
Before it begins, there's a preface and a chart that shows the Church calendar. It's a handy little chart that is color co-ordinated and with dates for 2008-2009 which, I assume, means a book like this would/might come out for every year?
I will quote the preface (then offer my opinions):
"The intent of this book is to help parents and educators bring Jesus' message to children in a way that will include them more fully in the weekly Mass. This book does not try to change the gospel stories to be stylish or impose the latest slang onto them...
The illustrations depict children in the time and geography of Jesus Christ's life They portray the gospel readings in a form that invites children to ponder and take a child's time to find meaning..."
You get the idea.
I really like this whole idea. It's also nice that it's a hard cover and not a "missalette"-type of book. It's solid, and well put together. The problem with it is in the children's translations. I had critiqued the author that I believed that some of the language used in the excerpts WAS slang and sounded false to my kid's ears (THEIR opinion, not from me). The kids were also a little bit creeped out by the illustrations. They are quite strange, in my opinion. You'd have to see them to believe them but they look like a bunch of unsmiling, white mini-dress wearing matching sandals, zombied expressions (same eyes, same Mona-Lisa smile). I also had a hard time picking out the "Jesus" character because they all looked the same (with the occasional long hair for a girl). The cover is very confusing because it'd sort of a depiction of the last supper and only 13 people are pictured but it looks like one is maybe Mary? Upon further reflection, it looks like Jesus is the one with the goiter? In every picture, he's got a funny tumor on his neck.
Get this book if you want a little Gospel reflection with your kids. Don't get it if you are allergic to thin sheets of paper pressed between two, press board pieces or slightly robotronic looking cartoons of people wearing mini-togas, or if you don't like phrases like:
"This was a lot for young Mary, and she said, "Look, I am just glad to be God's servant girl. Let this happen just how God wants."
(I had objections to the word "Look" because I (and the kids) thought it sounded petulant or sassy. The author(?) explained to me that it is meant for "behold" but to me, it did sound sassy.)
There ya go! Do with it what you will.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Real Women, Real Saints
NO, it's not a "list of people I know" and "how much I am JUST LIKE THEM"...it's a book review!!!
I normally don't read those "compilation of little stories" books. You know the ones...Chicken Soup for the Color Blind..., 101 Things To Do While You Are Waiting For The Dryer To Stop, coffee table books, "good to read on the toilet" books? This one is that sort of book, but I'm willing to suspend my "normal" book reading genre for a little variety, as long as I think it's worth it!
Since I'm a reviewer for The Catholic Company, I had a choice of several books to review and since Weazy is a HUGE saint junkie, I chose the book Real Women, Real Saints-Friends For Your Spiritual Journey and read it as if it were a book book. Front to back. I think it should NOT be read that way. I enjoyed the little tidbits about each of the saints (and even learned some things I did not know before about some saints) but I should have read it little by little or maybe even "a saint a day" style. I found myself wishing I knew more about fewer saints rather than less about MANY (102 or so) saints.
At the beginning of each little tidbit (and when I say "little", I MEAN "little. On average, I'd say each story is only about 4 paragraphs long), there is a sort of annoying little, kind of "preachy" paragraph that prepares you for the story of that particular saint. I would rather just hear the facts, ma'am than have someones opinion about how this saint or that exemplified a particular virtue that makes her oh-so-understanding of my particular problems. I do understand where the author was going with that format but it just isn't my cup of tea. Here's an example from the book:
(Re: Saint Mary Magdalene De Pazzi 1566-1607 p.20)
"Faith flourishes in the dark. Trials, temptations, spiritual dryness and suffering are all opportunities for our faith to grow stronger. We can, of course, neglect these opportunities to allow our faith to wither and die. But those who praise God in life's difficulties will experience the opposite effect."
See? See what I mean? Maybe you don't and that's okay. It's just that when I read those preachy statements (even when they are true) my eyes kind of glaze over and I get very bored. When the author tries to "spice up" the story with modern references or language (it doesn't happen often, just once in a while), that kind of bugs me too. I'm a horrible writer so I know it would be hard to compile a bunch of historical info, put my own twist on it, and actually make it interesting to read. I'd probably be inconsistent and scattered in my writing but that's why I DON'T write things like this book! I hope I don't turn off someone who might actually LIKE books like this but I have to be honest about how I felt about it (even if that means the author gets all mad at me or that the people who solicited the review say "bye bye" to their new, crabby reviewer!).
I would recommend this book for a lukewarm Catholic woman friend who may not have time for heavy, theological reading, or maybe a new convert that isn't convinced that the saints actually were human persons who had sinful thoughts, feelings, and/or actions. I would not recommend this book to the Catholic woman who has a lot of books about saints flowing over on her bookshelves and who knows her saintstuff pretty well already (no, I'm not bragging about my saint IQ, I'm just saying that someone who has a lot of saint reference books might be... underwhelmed by this one. That, and it doesn't even have any pretty pictures!).
I'd give it a two star rating out of five.
The Catholic Company has a lot of great books and neato gift items so go check them out asap!
I normally don't read those "compilation of little stories" books. You know the ones...Chicken Soup for the Color Blind..., 101 Things To Do While You Are Waiting For The Dryer To Stop, coffee table books, "good to read on the toilet" books? This one is that sort of book, but I'm willing to suspend my "normal" book reading genre for a little variety, as long as I think it's worth it!
Since I'm a reviewer for The Catholic Company, I had a choice of several books to review and since Weazy is a HUGE saint junkie, I chose the book Real Women, Real Saints-Friends For Your Spiritual Journey and read it as if it were a book book. Front to back. I think it should NOT be read that way. I enjoyed the little tidbits about each of the saints (and even learned some things I did not know before about some saints) but I should have read it little by little or maybe even "a saint a day" style. I found myself wishing I knew more about fewer saints rather than less about MANY (102 or so) saints.
At the beginning of each little tidbit (and when I say "little", I MEAN "little. On average, I'd say each story is only about 4 paragraphs long), there is a sort of annoying little, kind of "preachy" paragraph that prepares you for the story of that particular saint. I would rather just hear the facts, ma'am than have someones opinion about how this saint or that exemplified a particular virtue that makes her oh-so-understanding of my particular problems. I do understand where the author was going with that format but it just isn't my cup of tea. Here's an example from the book:
(Re: Saint Mary Magdalene De Pazzi 1566-1607 p.20)
"Faith flourishes in the dark. Trials, temptations, spiritual dryness and suffering are all opportunities for our faith to grow stronger. We can, of course, neglect these opportunities to allow our faith to wither and die. But those who praise God in life's difficulties will experience the opposite effect."
See? See what I mean? Maybe you don't and that's okay. It's just that when I read those preachy statements (even when they are true) my eyes kind of glaze over and I get very bored. When the author tries to "spice up" the story with modern references or language (it doesn't happen often, just once in a while), that kind of bugs me too. I'm a horrible writer so I know it would be hard to compile a bunch of historical info, put my own twist on it, and actually make it interesting to read. I'd probably be inconsistent and scattered in my writing but that's why I DON'T write things like this book! I hope I don't turn off someone who might actually LIKE books like this but I have to be honest about how I felt about it (even if that means the author gets all mad at me or that the people who solicited the review say "bye bye" to their new, crabby reviewer!).
I would recommend this book for a lukewarm Catholic woman friend who may not have time for heavy, theological reading, or maybe a new convert that isn't convinced that the saints actually were human persons who had sinful thoughts, feelings, and/or actions. I would not recommend this book to the Catholic woman who has a lot of books about saints flowing over on her bookshelves and who knows her saintstuff pretty well already (no, I'm not bragging about my saint IQ, I'm just saying that someone who has a lot of saint reference books might be... underwhelmed by this one. That, and it doesn't even have any pretty pictures!).
I'd give it a two star rating out of five.
The Catholic Company has a lot of great books and neato gift items so go check them out asap!
Friday, November 07, 2008
The Word
"IN the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him: and without him was made nothing that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."
I can't say anything more profound than this, but I want to talk about my love for words and where I think it comes from.
(boring post alert...please feel free to completely ignore the following introspective blather)
I really love words. I love to hear them, see them, read them, write them, say them, touch them (raised letters embossed on things). I've always loved them. I've been told that I always spoke very clearly (the neighbor girls made fun of my super-pronunciation) Before I went to kindergarten, my mom taught me to read and I still remember the first book I read all by myself and understood. It was "The Secret Three" about a club of boys by a lighthouse. I remember the day I actually grasped that the words formed an idea, and that idea made sense, and was a good story! I read it over and over again (even though we had lots of books in the house) because I had such joy in that discovery. I probably ran through the house reading to anyone who would listen. Maybe I even read and re-read it to my baby sister, Katrina? I just was so excited to be a part of the bigger story of man. It was as if I had joined a club that I could never be kicked out of. No matter what happened socially, I was a part of some bigger world that would grow exponentially now that I had the key to decoding mankind and all of its mysteries.
Okeydokey, that's getting a little deep. I was just a four year old and learned how to read a little book. But it was SAWEEEEET!
Fast forward to my school years. I know I've written about this before but it comes back to haunt me that I really don't remember much about grade school. I do remember the smell. I am shocked that the smell of the school hasn't changed (when I go back there for book sales and things). I do remember my teachers and funny things that happened in between classes but I sure don't remember any lessons or anything they taught me. I also remember almost all the words to every song we were ever taught.
White coral bells
Upon a slender stalk;
Lilies of the Valley deck my garden walk.
Oh, how I wish
That I could hear them ring.
That can only happen when the fairies sing!
I had my head buried in a book during every class. If it was impossible to read (teacher sees me!) I would be dreaming about what was coming up next in the current book I was reading or looking out the window, making up some fantastical story about "what would happen if..." and imagining some crazy scenario where one of the students would do something totally out of character and how the teacher would react. Basically, I had plays running in my head all through the lesson. I would do my homework very quickly and roughly so I could get back to my passion, reading (okay, I also watched a fair amount of cartoons when I didn't have a book to read). I would have read all of the teacher's books by the middle of the school year and I had already read everything interesting in the library so I was often bored by winter time.
Looking back, I guess I could have poured some of that energy into actual studying of my subjects. I did love English and reading class, of course. I could have probably found geography, history, science, social studies a little more interesting if there had been stories that illustrated some of those concepts. I just had trouble processing anything on a chart or on the chalkboard...anything NOT in book form! Math just sucked always. There are no good books about math, lets face it.
Now, because I have so little time to read books (although I've been hitting them hard lately and have some good reviews coming up), my word fix is online or the captions on the TV, or listening to talk radio. I can't totally express how much joy it gives me to turn on the radio in the morning. I love the words, the laughs, the funny parody songs. LOVE IT. It's not an addiction, it's a gift. It's a necessity for life for us to have these words and these sources of light in a dark world. I'm probably dramatizing things a little but when I'm at my lowest, a kind word or just the company of words can lift me up again. Total darkness isn't absence of light, it's absence of communication!
Think about it: true hell would be not evil demons torturing you mercilessly and endlessly, THAT would be kind of funny after a while. True hell would be not knowing anything about where you were, where anyone else was, why you were there or why no one would visit you. True hell would be no communication between you and your loved ones or any other person. If we had total ignorance of any word, we would be in a living hell. One saving grace I have in a world of darkness is that voice inside me that can create imagination and stories, songs and praises. I could be locked in an endless cave with total darkness and no stimulation around me but, because of my past with words and how to use them, I have a treasury of beauty inside me that could sustain me indefinitely!
I've been thinking a lot lately about how words have affected my life. I get into trouble a lot for the words I choose to use. I always try to pray before I speak but I'm imperfect and don't always say the right or the most succinct thing. I find it hard to write properly without injecting my voice or way of speaking (onomatopoeia much?). I don't write in the best way or use my writing to further God's glory always. I will always try, but I often fail. I often think, "If you can't say sompthin' nice, don't say nothin' at all!" but then my mouth opens and the words spill out. I wonder sometimes if God has something to do with that? I wonder if he hotwires my brain to circumvent that little, nagging voice that tells me, "HEEEEEYYYY, don't you DARE say THAT! It's gonna make you enemies and cause you all kinds of problems, lady!" just so I can learn my lesson and maybe do a better job of listening the next time? I wonder if He makes me learn from my mistakes so that I have greater patience with people who are a little farther back on the path than I am in any area in life? It's a lot to think about.
I'm obsessed with other languages and accents. I love how all of our words are connected by a very few degrees of separation. I wish I had more time to study all of that (maybe when the kids are grown?)!
Okay, so some questions you can answer (you don't have to answer them, just think about it):
What are some of your favorite words?
Which words make you happy just when you hear them?
What are some made up words that you have in your family?
What is an "old word" that you wish would come back in style?
Do you use "proper words" when you speak in certain situations but not with your friends or family? (for instance, when I'm in public and I bump into/almost bump into people, I say, "pardon me" but not around my family...I usually just say, "get outta the way!" hahaha, just kidding)
I can't say anything more profound than this, but I want to talk about my love for words and where I think it comes from.
(boring post alert...please feel free to completely ignore the following introspective blather)
I really love words. I love to hear them, see them, read them, write them, say them, touch them (raised letters embossed on things). I've always loved them. I've been told that I always spoke very clearly (the neighbor girls made fun of my super-pronunciation) Before I went to kindergarten, my mom taught me to read and I still remember the first book I read all by myself and understood. It was "The Secret Three" about a club of boys by a lighthouse. I remember the day I actually grasped that the words formed an idea, and that idea made sense, and was a good story! I read it over and over again (even though we had lots of books in the house) because I had such joy in that discovery. I probably ran through the house reading to anyone who would listen. Maybe I even read and re-read it to my baby sister, Katrina? I just was so excited to be a part of the bigger story of man. It was as if I had joined a club that I could never be kicked out of. No matter what happened socially, I was a part of some bigger world that would grow exponentially now that I had the key to decoding mankind and all of its mysteries.
Okeydokey, that's getting a little deep. I was just a four year old and learned how to read a little book. But it was SAWEEEEET!
Fast forward to my school years. I know I've written about this before but it comes back to haunt me that I really don't remember much about grade school. I do remember the smell. I am shocked that the smell of the school hasn't changed (when I go back there for book sales and things). I do remember my teachers and funny things that happened in between classes but I sure don't remember any lessons or anything they taught me. I also remember almost all the words to every song we were ever taught.
White coral bells
Upon a slender stalk;
Lilies of the Valley deck my garden walk.
Oh, how I wish
That I could hear them ring.
That can only happen when the fairies sing!
I had my head buried in a book during every class. If it was impossible to read (teacher sees me!) I would be dreaming about what was coming up next in the current book I was reading or looking out the window, making up some fantastical story about "what would happen if..." and imagining some crazy scenario where one of the students would do something totally out of character and how the teacher would react. Basically, I had plays running in my head all through the lesson. I would do my homework very quickly and roughly so I could get back to my passion, reading (okay, I also watched a fair amount of cartoons when I didn't have a book to read). I would have read all of the teacher's books by the middle of the school year and I had already read everything interesting in the library so I was often bored by winter time.
Looking back, I guess I could have poured some of that energy into actual studying of my subjects. I did love English and reading class, of course. I could have probably found geography, history, science, social studies a little more interesting if there had been stories that illustrated some of those concepts. I just had trouble processing anything on a chart or on the chalkboard...anything NOT in book form! Math just sucked always. There are no good books about math, lets face it.
Now, because I have so little time to read books (although I've been hitting them hard lately and have some good reviews coming up), my word fix is online or the captions on the TV, or listening to talk radio. I can't totally express how much joy it gives me to turn on the radio in the morning. I love the words, the laughs, the funny parody songs. LOVE IT. It's not an addiction, it's a gift. It's a necessity for life for us to have these words and these sources of light in a dark world. I'm probably dramatizing things a little but when I'm at my lowest, a kind word or just the company of words can lift me up again. Total darkness isn't absence of light, it's absence of communication!
Think about it: true hell would be not evil demons torturing you mercilessly and endlessly, THAT would be kind of funny after a while. True hell would be not knowing anything about where you were, where anyone else was, why you were there or why no one would visit you. True hell would be no communication between you and your loved ones or any other person. If we had total ignorance of any word, we would be in a living hell. One saving grace I have in a world of darkness is that voice inside me that can create imagination and stories, songs and praises. I could be locked in an endless cave with total darkness and no stimulation around me but, because of my past with words and how to use them, I have a treasury of beauty inside me that could sustain me indefinitely!
I've been thinking a lot lately about how words have affected my life. I get into trouble a lot for the words I choose to use. I always try to pray before I speak but I'm imperfect and don't always say the right or the most succinct thing. I find it hard to write properly without injecting my voice or way of speaking (onomatopoeia much?). I don't write in the best way or use my writing to further God's glory always. I will always try, but I often fail. I often think, "If you can't say sompthin' nice, don't say nothin' at all!" but then my mouth opens and the words spill out. I wonder sometimes if God has something to do with that? I wonder if he hotwires my brain to circumvent that little, nagging voice that tells me, "HEEEEEYYYY, don't you DARE say THAT! It's gonna make you enemies and cause you all kinds of problems, lady!" just so I can learn my lesson and maybe do a better job of listening the next time? I wonder if He makes me learn from my mistakes so that I have greater patience with people who are a little farther back on the path than I am in any area in life? It's a lot to think about.
I'm obsessed with other languages and accents. I love how all of our words are connected by a very few degrees of separation. I wish I had more time to study all of that (maybe when the kids are grown?)!
Okay, so some questions you can answer (you don't have to answer them, just think about it):
What are some of your favorite words?
Which words make you happy just when you hear them?
What are some made up words that you have in your family?
What is an "old word" that you wish would come back in style?
Do you use "proper words" when you speak in certain situations but not with your friends or family? (for instance, when I'm in public and I bump into/almost bump into people, I say, "pardon me" but not around my family...I usually just say, "get outta the way!" hahaha, just kidding)
Monday, September 03, 2007
It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!
I wrote a while ago that I would post about our homeschool. I don't write often about it because I am living it and it's just so much a part of our everyday lives that I forget sometimes that most people don't even have a clue about what goes on in that kind of lifestyle.
I don't think of myself as the best teacher in the world (or even in the town) or the best example of what to do to teach one's children in the best, possible manner, but the kids are happy, learning, and want to do it for one more year so here we go!
This year I have:
Katrina, 7th grade
Matthew, 5th grade
Analise, 1st grade
Niklaus, Wish I could send him to preschool, but hopefully we can come up with enough things to occupy his time. I did buy a new thing of play-doh the other day, and it will probably be cracked open by 9 am tomorrow! I have lots of ideas to keep him busy and the biggers will have to take breaks to help teach him. I hope they will learn a little patience in this as well.
Mariela, will bother everyone because she never plays with toys, only her brothers and sisters who will be otherwise occupied when we start school tomorrow. She does like the learning to read dvd's and I am going to borrow some of the signing time ones from Trine. Her kids love those and if the stinkin' tv is going to be on at all, they should have something sort of educational to watch, at least!
I am not a naturally organized, list making kind of person so this time of year is hard for my brain. I worked really hard last week to come up with a school plan to make the year run smoothly, but truthfully, it gets harder and harder with each little one we add to the family. I cleared a whole bunch of junk cupboards and desk drawers and even cleared a "curio" cabinet and made it into sort of an art and activity center because the hall closet was getting awfully cluttered and crowded! When I get overwhelmed, I constantly have to remind myself that GOD is in control of our school year, not me.
I just finished (well, not really, we kind of tweak our plans all year long) the final copying that I had to do for this week. We run a four day week and if they get all of their work done and with reasonably good behavior, we do something special on Fridays. The four day week might seem lazy, but we pack a lot in during the week and with five children, we need possible free days for special things like field trips, dr. and dentist visits, various appointments, illness or family emergencies, you get the picture! I have pretty much done this the whole, seven years and it works well.
Here is Analise's desk with her books for the year all lined up, and ready to go! Also, is a closeup of her schedule so you can get an idea of how we order the day (all three biggers have these, I only do one week at a time because our plans can and do change from week to week. Basically, this will be the format for the year.)
I did realize that this week is off by one day because of the holiday, so I'll have to adjust a teeny bit, but we will still attend Mass on Friday morning. We'll come home and get our school done and try to go somewhere fun. The kids haven't decided yet...got any suggestions (Keeping in mind it can't involve the out of doors yet, because Analise is deathly afraid of being stung by a bee. Today she folded multiple loads of laundry with a smile because Butch said if she did that, she wouldn't have to go outside!)?
Here is Katrina's desk and a view of her "corner of the classroom" with her drafting table desk that she inherited from Anna who has graduated college and has no place to put it (we can't wait 'til she comes home from Alaska!). Analise inherited Trina's old desk and Niklaus got Analise's. I love family recycling!
Here is Matthew's desk and his fish, which lives there. I'm surprised that thing is still alive considering Niklaus' easy access to him and the funny things he likes to plop in the tank on occasion. One time, the water was pink. I'm still not sure what caused that anomoly, but I'm pretty sure it involved a certain three-year-old who likes to bug his brother. A LOT. I wonder if the fish is smarter for being so near all of those books and learning?
Here we have the dining room/library. I had to move the bookshelves out of the classroom because of too many desks! We have such a small, broken up house for so many people to fit in, so I can't have a lot of clutter or junk taking up space and need every available nook for useful things. I just love maps, can you tell? I need some more framed maps for my walls. Maybe it's my secret (not anymore!) wish that my kids will absorb good geography skills through some kind of visual osmosis? Oh well, it certainly can't hurt to have lots of maps around!
Okay, if I haven't ho-hum bored you too much by now, you're in it for the long haul so I'll show you two more pictures!
This one is of my corner, kitchen "closet" which used to be a huge, hodgepodge MESS until I cleaned it on Friday. Now, it is a media cabinet/sewing cabinet/toy cabinet. I hope to clean Mari's and Niklaus' toy boxes that we are tripping over in the living room, reduce their toys down to the things that they actually play with, and tuck them into this cabinet and Niklaus' desk drawers. This will free up a lot of space in the living room for wrestling, and fighting, and tickle torture fights.
Back to our school work. I have some extra books that all of the kids will be working on. These are books that I keep on my shelf that we will work on every day, time permitting and that I have to guide them through by reading and asking questions appropriate for age and skills.
The Mad Minute is a math book that acts a little like flash cards and charts their basic skills. I'm excited to do this because they are a little rusty after summer and this challenges them back into the swing with less pressure than a huge math lesson right off the bat. The American history book is one we did two years ago and I think it's so important that they understand how this country was founded that I am doing it again for all of them this year (especially since the trip to D.C. is still fresh in my mind and we can look up so many things that I remember on the internet as extra study). I hope to develop a time line for them that we can post around the classroom or down the hall (or maybe up the stairs?). I think they will think that is fun!
Butch asked the other day, "Hey, when do they learn the periodic table?" so I found this book all about it. It presents the idea in sort of a novel form so I will read it out loud for all of them and post a periodic table for them to learn the symbols. It will be good and relevant for them because they also have a big interest in geology and mining because of all of those Discovery channel shows they watch!
I didn't show it, but I'm starting to teach them Latin this year. I will be learning at the same time, so it will be an adventure, for sure! I hope to get some cds for the van of some Latin church music or repeat-after-me-type ones for reinforcement. I won't start this until next week. I am bringing the lesson book to adoration with me this week so I can make a plan for the year and figure out how it will fit in with their schedules as they are now.
Okeydokey, now you have the story. I do want to add that there are some really, handy things that we like to have around for our schooling:
-Tabbies for marking where we are in our books and notebooks (3m)
-Dymo Letratag labeller for multiple uses. I got this for about 5 bucks last year at Target when they were clearancing their school supplies. I'm hoping to find some clearance re-fills this year!
-3 ring binders (for loose art drawings so they don't take over the house...they are ALL so important, you simply CAN'T throw any of them away, you know!)
-Staplers, mechanical pencils (I hate sharpening and hearing, "I can't find a pencil...I can't find a sharpener!" so I buy them in bulk), multi-subject notebooks, folders, rulers, manymanymany pairs of scissors (they always seem to disappear), copier/printer paper (we use it for everything, it's so cheap that I don't mind wasting a little).
Bigger things that I find invaluable are:
-paper shredder
-Copy/printer/scanner (an absolute necessity!)
-High speed internet
-laminator (just bought one super cheap from Walmart, about 26 dollars and about 7 for the sheets)
-LOTS of easy to prepare/healthy groceries for breakfast, lunch, and snacks (3pm tea/snack time will be new this year, I hope it goes well)
These are the rules for the school year:
-set our our clothes the night before/shower or bathe either the night before or before going down to breakfast in the morning.
-mom sets alarm for 7am every morning and we try to start school no later than 8:30
-we get dressed, eat breakfast, do morning cleanup, pray, then start school!
-1 hour of TV only per day
-NO Nintendo DS before chores or school are finished for the day and behavior was good.
-We end the school day with prayer and snack time (at the same time) and then find out if our friends can play or talk about what we will do with the rest of our day (or finish things we missed earlier).
One, more thing! Every morning, the kids will wake to find a little surprise on their desks. Tomorrow morning (oops, today!) they will find two chocolate kisses. I stocked up on chocolate for just this purpose! Sometimes it will be something non-chocolate, but I love surprising them. I'll be sure to blog about their reactions!
I don't think of myself as the best teacher in the world (or even in the town) or the best example of what to do to teach one's children in the best, possible manner, but the kids are happy, learning, and want to do it for one more year so here we go!
This year I have:
Katrina, 7th grade
Matthew, 5th grade
Analise, 1st grade
Niklaus, Wish I could send him to preschool, but hopefully we can come up with enough things to occupy his time. I did buy a new thing of play-doh the other day, and it will probably be cracked open by 9 am tomorrow! I have lots of ideas to keep him busy and the biggers will have to take breaks to help teach him. I hope they will learn a little patience in this as well.
Mariela, will bother everyone because she never plays with toys, only her brothers and sisters who will be otherwise occupied when we start school tomorrow. She does like the learning to read dvd's and I am going to borrow some of the signing time ones from Trine. Her kids love those and if the stinkin' tv is going to be on at all, they should have something sort of educational to watch, at least!
I am not a naturally organized, list making kind of person so this time of year is hard for my brain. I worked really hard last week to come up with a school plan to make the year run smoothly, but truthfully, it gets harder and harder with each little one we add to the family. I cleared a whole bunch of junk cupboards and desk drawers and even cleared a "curio" cabinet and made it into sort of an art and activity center because the hall closet was getting awfully cluttered and crowded! When I get overwhelmed, I constantly have to remind myself that GOD is in control of our school year, not me.
I just finished (well, not really, we kind of tweak our plans all year long) the final copying that I had to do for this week. We run a four day week and if they get all of their work done and with reasonably good behavior, we do something special on Fridays. The four day week might seem lazy, but we pack a lot in during the week and with five children, we need possible free days for special things like field trips, dr. and dentist visits, various appointments, illness or family emergencies, you get the picture! I have pretty much done this the whole, seven years and it works well.
Here is Analise's desk with her books for the year all lined up, and ready to go! Also, is a closeup of her schedule so you can get an idea of how we order the day (all three biggers have these, I only do one week at a time because our plans can and do change from week to week. Basically, this will be the format for the year.)
I did realize that this week is off by one day because of the holiday, so I'll have to adjust a teeny bit, but we will still attend Mass on Friday morning. We'll come home and get our school done and try to go somewhere fun. The kids haven't decided yet...got any suggestions (Keeping in mind it can't involve the out of doors yet, because Analise is deathly afraid of being stung by a bee. Today she folded multiple loads of laundry with a smile because Butch said if she did that, she wouldn't have to go outside!)?
Here is Katrina's desk and a view of her "corner of the classroom" with her drafting table desk that she inherited from Anna who has graduated college and has no place to put it (we can't wait 'til she comes home from Alaska!). Analise inherited Trina's old desk and Niklaus got Analise's. I love family recycling!
Here is Matthew's desk and his fish, which lives there. I'm surprised that thing is still alive considering Niklaus' easy access to him and the funny things he likes to plop in the tank on occasion. One time, the water was pink. I'm still not sure what caused that anomoly, but I'm pretty sure it involved a certain three-year-old who likes to bug his brother. A LOT. I wonder if the fish is smarter for being so near all of those books and learning?
Here we have the dining room/library. I had to move the bookshelves out of the classroom because of too many desks! We have such a small, broken up house for so many people to fit in, so I can't have a lot of clutter or junk taking up space and need every available nook for useful things. I just love maps, can you tell? I need some more framed maps for my walls. Maybe it's my secret (not anymore!) wish that my kids will absorb good geography skills through some kind of visual osmosis? Oh well, it certainly can't hurt to have lots of maps around!
Okay, if I haven't ho-hum bored you too much by now, you're in it for the long haul so I'll show you two more pictures!
This one is of my corner, kitchen "closet" which used to be a huge, hodgepodge MESS until I cleaned it on Friday. Now, it is a media cabinet/sewing cabinet/toy cabinet. I hope to clean Mari's and Niklaus' toy boxes that we are tripping over in the living room, reduce their toys down to the things that they actually play with, and tuck them into this cabinet and Niklaus' desk drawers. This will free up a lot of space in the living room for wrestling, and fighting, and tickle torture fights.
Back to our school work. I have some extra books that all of the kids will be working on. These are books that I keep on my shelf that we will work on every day, time permitting and that I have to guide them through by reading and asking questions appropriate for age and skills.
The Mad Minute is a math book that acts a little like flash cards and charts their basic skills. I'm excited to do this because they are a little rusty after summer and this challenges them back into the swing with less pressure than a huge math lesson right off the bat. The American history book is one we did two years ago and I think it's so important that they understand how this country was founded that I am doing it again for all of them this year (especially since the trip to D.C. is still fresh in my mind and we can look up so many things that I remember on the internet as extra study). I hope to develop a time line for them that we can post around the classroom or down the hall (or maybe up the stairs?). I think they will think that is fun!
Butch asked the other day, "Hey, when do they learn the periodic table?" so I found this book all about it. It presents the idea in sort of a novel form so I will read it out loud for all of them and post a periodic table for them to learn the symbols. It will be good and relevant for them because they also have a big interest in geology and mining because of all of those Discovery channel shows they watch!
I didn't show it, but I'm starting to teach them Latin this year. I will be learning at the same time, so it will be an adventure, for sure! I hope to get some cds for the van of some Latin church music or repeat-after-me-type ones for reinforcement. I won't start this until next week. I am bringing the lesson book to adoration with me this week so I can make a plan for the year and figure out how it will fit in with their schedules as they are now.
Okeydokey, now you have the story. I do want to add that there are some really, handy things that we like to have around for our schooling:
-Tabbies for marking where we are in our books and notebooks (3m)
-Dymo Letratag labeller for multiple uses. I got this for about 5 bucks last year at Target when they were clearancing their school supplies. I'm hoping to find some clearance re-fills this year!
-3 ring binders (for loose art drawings so they don't take over the house...they are ALL so important, you simply CAN'T throw any of them away, you know!)
-Staplers, mechanical pencils (I hate sharpening and hearing, "I can't find a pencil...I can't find a sharpener!" so I buy them in bulk), multi-subject notebooks, folders, rulers, manymanymany pairs of scissors (they always seem to disappear), copier/printer paper (we use it for everything, it's so cheap that I don't mind wasting a little).
Bigger things that I find invaluable are:
-paper shredder
-Copy/printer/scanner (an absolute necessity!)
-High speed internet
-laminator (just bought one super cheap from Walmart, about 26 dollars and about 7 for the sheets)
-LOTS of easy to prepare/healthy groceries for breakfast, lunch, and snacks (3pm tea/snack time will be new this year, I hope it goes well)
These are the rules for the school year:
-set our our clothes the night before/shower or bathe either the night before or before going down to breakfast in the morning.
-mom sets alarm for 7am every morning and we try to start school no later than 8:30
-we get dressed, eat breakfast, do morning cleanup, pray, then start school!
-1 hour of TV only per day
-NO Nintendo DS before chores or school are finished for the day and behavior was good.
-We end the school day with prayer and snack time (at the same time) and then find out if our friends can play or talk about what we will do with the rest of our day (or finish things we missed earlier).
One, more thing! Every morning, the kids will wake to find a little surprise on their desks. Tomorrow morning (oops, today!) they will find two chocolate kisses. I stocked up on chocolate for just this purpose! Sometimes it will be something non-chocolate, but I love surprising them. I'll be sure to blog about their reactions!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Irght No, Rm. Hesa!
Ok, this is the last time I'll talk about this (I think), but you really have to read this article, it's not long and it's got the topic NAILED! Especially the part where he writes:
"And so I defend Harry. Then, when I'm done defending him, I have to defend myself from questions like, "You seem to really be invested in these books. Don't you think they have too much of a hold on you? Why are you so obsessed with them? Don't you think you should be reading the Bible and not Harry Potter?"
Argh."
"And so I defend Harry. Then, when I'm done defending him, I have to defend myself from questions like, "You seem to really be invested in these books. Don't you think they have too much of a hold on you? Why are you so obsessed with them? Don't you think you should be reading the Bible and not Harry Potter?"
Argh."
Monday, July 02, 2007
Harry Potter and Pokemon...It's Da Deh-boh! *
Every time someone comes with some idea that some modern fad or pop culture idea is somehow "evil" without any real knowledge or discussion on the subject, I hear Kathy Bates' voice in my head from "Waterboy". No, I don't think that people who don't have time to really investigate whether things like that are objectively bad for their children are ignorant, but I do think that it's not right to spread lies or rumors about things which you really don't know anything about.
For instance:
Let's say there was a new lip product from Revlon that you really liked. It was your favorite and you bought three at a time because you liked it so much. Now, you recommended it to a friend because you thought she would look pretty in that color and your friend said, "Whoa, I heard one time that that color/brand was owned by someone who worships satan and sacrifices small animals in the making of the lipstick, that's where they got the color from...animal blood!!!" (I know this is a dramatic example, but it's really not that far off!).
You could be charitable to your friend and say something like, "Well, I don't know about that so I'll have to do some research and when I find out the truth, I'll give you a call!". Another response could be just to do nothing at all, don't say anything bad or good about the subject until you have the time to check it out for yourself. The response I like least is to just believe the friend and tell everyone you know when the subject comes up, what others have told you as a warning to them. You know how some people (a lot of people I know included) just buy the line that sounds more dramatic and go with their "feelings" and the onslaught of rumor or scandal that well-meaning people perpetuate in the name of rooting all of the evil out of their lives.
I never thought it was fair that fundamentalist/evangelical (not all) Christians started a campaign against Harry Potter (which leaked over to us Catholics), many of them never having read the books. I really sat there after reading the first book wondering what all the fuss was about. I had article after article shoved in my face (from those well-intentioned friends) about how HP was EVIL, the author was a satan worshiper, if you let your kids read HP, they will start to follow the devil, etc. etc.. I Just couldn't see it, then or now. I was reading the The Chronicles of Narnia again, recently and wondered how much hubub that series must have caused at the time among Christians? I never researched it or anything, but it would be interesting to see if there was controversy.
I have to say that I think that series is excellent but there are many more references to magic and evil, violence and revenge, disobedience against adults etc. (you know, all the things that people are against HP for) and I just can't square it at all. I won't expose the children to things they aren't ready for or don't understand, (i.e. I won't bring the little ones to the new HP movie or read HP3rd book to the ones under 7) but I will let them read all the books if they want when they are of proper age.
I discussed this a little on this blog post of a review of a new book by a VERY devout, Catholic, homeschooling mother.
Holly Pierlot, a homeschooling mother who wrote a book that I read about home organization called, A Mother's Rule of Life (which was very good), wrote a comment that pretty much sums up what most of the mothers in my homeschool group and friend network go with every time HP is brought up... (not a direct quote:)"The POPE says it's bad, we shouldn't read it!" (that has been proven to be an incorrect assessment of a private letter turned public for dubious reasons). Anyway, I think I've made my point about HP so on to Pokemon...
I've never heard any anti-christian stuff about Pokemon and only objected to the cards because it seemed an expensive and wasteful hobby/game and it bugged me that it was such a "fad" and I hate it when my kids go with the flow and do what ever everyone else does (my rebellious nature, I admit). Also, I hated the dumb Japanese cartoons where the mouths don't match the words and the songs and voices are LAME. A long time ago (before the kids were born) we lived in an apartment and one day I saw these two, little boys in an upstairs stairwell concentrating on two decks of cards with strange things on them. When I asked them what they were doing, they told me all about the game and cards and what the goals were and how to trade them. I didn't have any children, but I loved children and thought it was so cute that they were so serious about a game.
It made me think back to how serious a simple game of tag could become when I was little and how much things changed when we became mature, jaded adults! Fast forward to about January of this year. The neighbor kids had old Pokemon cards and were casually involved in the fad and my kids started asking for cards and card holding books (I still can't stand the cartoons, but that's just a matter of taste and not content!). So I did it. I gave in and let them use their allowance and extra money on Pokemon cards and they have really done well with it. They started this thing where they draw their own "Pokemon guys" and use their imaginations so well! They use colored pencils to draw Pokemon from the cards and Katrina has gotten quite good at it:
(on a side note, did you notice the closeup one is called "plusle" and is covered in plus signs, seriously, what could be more positive? Well, there's also "minun" who has minus signs but he's really cute, too!).
Well, bigotry has reared it's ugly head yet again. The kids heard from a friend that Pokemon was developed by a person who worships the devil. Now, that might not be what that parent believes but that's how their child read it and that's now what they believe that their good friends are involved in. I would be horrified if my children went to a friend's house and the parents let them watch rated R movies without my permission because they "didn't think it was so bad" for their own children...but I KNOW that rated R movies are objectively inappropriate for my children. It's common sense and I've actually seen what Hollywood deems too inappropriate for children. I understand where parents are coming from when they don't allow their children to play at friend's houses who don't agree with their morals for their children. I would never push HP or Pokemon or any other thing like that on my children's friends but I hate that my own children are made to feel like lepers because I refuse to be duped by the anti-everything lobby who won't/can't check things out for themselves.
If my friend preferred no TV while their child was here, or no viewing of a certain movie, I would totally respect that. I think and believe all the same things about the Church that they do but for some reason, we can't have a rational discussion about this stuff (well, to be fair, it's not really on topic most times and we all have lots of kids to attend to all the time!) I hope that my friends know that I love their children with all my heart and treat them as if they were my own and would never expose them to anything immoral any more than I would my own. We really are trying to raise saints here. We are all in this together and I hope someday we can agree on what's truly important and what's just passing through and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. I really believe that HP or Pokemon don't have power or influence over our lives any more than the refrigerator or the carpeting does and that the Lord is in this house and protecting us from all evil.
*more about actual themes from HP here
For instance:
Let's say there was a new lip product from Revlon that you really liked. It was your favorite and you bought three at a time because you liked it so much. Now, you recommended it to a friend because you thought she would look pretty in that color and your friend said, "Whoa, I heard one time that that color/brand was owned by someone who worships satan and sacrifices small animals in the making of the lipstick, that's where they got the color from...animal blood!!!" (I know this is a dramatic example, but it's really not that far off!).
You could be charitable to your friend and say something like, "Well, I don't know about that so I'll have to do some research and when I find out the truth, I'll give you a call!". Another response could be just to do nothing at all, don't say anything bad or good about the subject until you have the time to check it out for yourself. The response I like least is to just believe the friend and tell everyone you know when the subject comes up, what others have told you as a warning to them. You know how some people (a lot of people I know included) just buy the line that sounds more dramatic and go with their "feelings" and the onslaught of rumor or scandal that well-meaning people perpetuate in the name of rooting all of the evil out of their lives.
I never thought it was fair that fundamentalist/evangelical (not all) Christians started a campaign against Harry Potter (which leaked over to us Catholics), many of them never having read the books. I really sat there after reading the first book wondering what all the fuss was about. I had article after article shoved in my face (from those well-intentioned friends) about how HP was EVIL, the author was a satan worshiper, if you let your kids read HP, they will start to follow the devil, etc. etc.. I Just couldn't see it, then or now. I was reading the The Chronicles of Narnia again, recently and wondered how much hubub that series must have caused at the time among Christians? I never researched it or anything, but it would be interesting to see if there was controversy.
I have to say that I think that series is excellent but there are many more references to magic and evil, violence and revenge, disobedience against adults etc. (you know, all the things that people are against HP for) and I just can't square it at all. I won't expose the children to things they aren't ready for or don't understand, (i.e. I won't bring the little ones to the new HP movie or read HP3rd book to the ones under 7) but I will let them read all the books if they want when they are of proper age.
I discussed this a little on this blog post of a review of a new book by a VERY devout, Catholic, homeschooling mother.
Holly Pierlot, a homeschooling mother who wrote a book that I read about home organization called, A Mother's Rule of Life (which was very good), wrote a comment that pretty much sums up what most of the mothers in my homeschool group and friend network go with every time HP is brought up... (not a direct quote:)"The POPE says it's bad, we shouldn't read it!" (that has been proven to be an incorrect assessment of a private letter turned public for dubious reasons). Anyway, I think I've made my point about HP so on to Pokemon...
I've never heard any anti-christian stuff about Pokemon and only objected to the cards because it seemed an expensive and wasteful hobby/game and it bugged me that it was such a "fad" and I hate it when my kids go with the flow and do what ever everyone else does (my rebellious nature, I admit). Also, I hated the dumb Japanese cartoons where the mouths don't match the words and the songs and voices are LAME. A long time ago (before the kids were born) we lived in an apartment and one day I saw these two, little boys in an upstairs stairwell concentrating on two decks of cards with strange things on them. When I asked them what they were doing, they told me all about the game and cards and what the goals were and how to trade them. I didn't have any children, but I loved children and thought it was so cute that they were so serious about a game.
It made me think back to how serious a simple game of tag could become when I was little and how much things changed when we became mature, jaded adults! Fast forward to about January of this year. The neighbor kids had old Pokemon cards and were casually involved in the fad and my kids started asking for cards and card holding books (I still can't stand the cartoons, but that's just a matter of taste and not content!). So I did it. I gave in and let them use their allowance and extra money on Pokemon cards and they have really done well with it. They started this thing where they draw their own "Pokemon guys" and use their imaginations so well! They use colored pencils to draw Pokemon from the cards and Katrina has gotten quite good at it:
(on a side note, did you notice the closeup one is called "plusle" and is covered in plus signs, seriously, what could be more positive? Well, there's also "minun" who has minus signs but he's really cute, too!).
Well, bigotry has reared it's ugly head yet again. The kids heard from a friend that Pokemon was developed by a person who worships the devil. Now, that might not be what that parent believes but that's how their child read it and that's now what they believe that their good friends are involved in. I would be horrified if my children went to a friend's house and the parents let them watch rated R movies without my permission because they "didn't think it was so bad" for their own children...but I KNOW that rated R movies are objectively inappropriate for my children. It's common sense and I've actually seen what Hollywood deems too inappropriate for children. I understand where parents are coming from when they don't allow their children to play at friend's houses who don't agree with their morals for their children. I would never push HP or Pokemon or any other thing like that on my children's friends but I hate that my own children are made to feel like lepers because I refuse to be duped by the anti-everything lobby who won't/can't check things out for themselves.
If my friend preferred no TV while their child was here, or no viewing of a certain movie, I would totally respect that. I think and believe all the same things about the Church that they do but for some reason, we can't have a rational discussion about this stuff (well, to be fair, it's not really on topic most times and we all have lots of kids to attend to all the time!) I hope that my friends know that I love their children with all my heart and treat them as if they were my own and would never expose them to anything immoral any more than I would my own. We really are trying to raise saints here. We are all in this together and I hope someday we can agree on what's truly important and what's just passing through and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. I really believe that HP or Pokemon don't have power or influence over our lives any more than the refrigerator or the carpeting does and that the Lord is in this house and protecting us from all evil.
*more about actual themes from HP here
Monday, December 11, 2006
My Favorite Books
I have been posting a lot, and reading a lot, and THINKING a lot about books lately!
Anyway, some of my favorite books are Usborne books. I discovered them when I was first considering homeschooling Katrina about 8 years ago or so. A good friend of mine started selling them (they are available in book stores and libraries, too but I liked buying them from a friend) and I decided to become a consultant (mostly to buy them for myself and family) and I'm not planning on making selling books a profitable thing or anything but I am having ONE party tonight and will order for whomever wants these great books any time from now on!
Here is a copy of the reminder email I sent to the people on my invitation list and the reason I'm posting it on my blog is if anyone "out there" is interested, or any of my friends or relatives who read my blog are interested, they can follow the link to my site and click on the "Laura's Kickoff Party" link or call me to order (saves on shipping). I can't wait to try out the "Your Baby Can Read" program. If nothing else, it would be funny at family get-togethers to show off the tricks they might learn!
Hey Ladies! I just wanted to remind you that my party is tonight (wine, women, and song...well...maybe not "song", but I'll sing if you get enough wine in me!) and even if you can't attend, you can go to my website and order by Thursday (or call me with your order to save shipping) so you can get your books before Christmas. A lot of people forget about books for Christmas presents, but they can make a very lasting and wonderful impression on the children and adults on your list. I hardly ever throw away books unless they are falling apart or get wet! I still cringe when I think about how I threw out or gave away my favorites from when I was little or in school and how I could use them now for the kids! I'm trying to build up my library again but I'm very picky now on the books I choose as I don't like clutter. Dusty books are clutter! That's why I choose Usborne books a lot, because they get read and referenced often and don't get time to get dusty (yay for no extra cleaning!).
Alright, have I convinced you (winking and pointing my "shooter" fingers at you like a cheesy salesman)? If I have, come to my house tonight at 7 and bring a pal, or call or order from my website by Sunday, December 17th (or anytime you want when you are looking for good books from now on!).
Okeydokey, hope to see you soon!
Laura
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anyway, some of my favorite books are Usborne books. I discovered them when I was first considering homeschooling Katrina about 8 years ago or so. A good friend of mine started selling them (they are available in book stores and libraries, too but I liked buying them from a friend) and I decided to become a consultant (mostly to buy them for myself and family) and I'm not planning on making selling books a profitable thing or anything but I am having ONE party tonight and will order for whomever wants these great books any time from now on!
Here is a copy of the reminder email I sent to the people on my invitation list and the reason I'm posting it on my blog is if anyone "out there" is interested, or any of my friends or relatives who read my blog are interested, they can follow the link to my site and click on the "Laura's Kickoff Party" link or call me to order (saves on shipping). I can't wait to try out the "Your Baby Can Read" program. If nothing else, it would be funny at family get-togethers to show off the tricks they might learn!
Hey Ladies! I just wanted to remind you that my party is tonight (wine, women, and song...well...maybe not "song", but I'll sing if you get enough wine in me!) and even if you can't attend, you can go to my website and order by Thursday (or call me with your order to save shipping) so you can get your books before Christmas. A lot of people forget about books for Christmas presents, but they can make a very lasting and wonderful impression on the children and adults on your list. I hardly ever throw away books unless they are falling apart or get wet! I still cringe when I think about how I threw out or gave away my favorites from when I was little or in school and how I could use them now for the kids! I'm trying to build up my library again but I'm very picky now on the books I choose as I don't like clutter. Dusty books are clutter! That's why I choose Usborne books a lot, because they get read and referenced often and don't get time to get dusty (yay for no extra cleaning!).
Alright, have I convinced you (winking and pointing my "shooter" fingers at you like a cheesy salesman)? If I have, come to my house tonight at 7 and bring a pal, or call or order from my website by Sunday, December 17th (or anytime you want when you are looking for good books from now on!).
Okeydokey, hope to see you soon!
Laura
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
The Worst Book Ever
I was just tagged by the Smart Girl and I had to think really hard about this one because I've read SO MANY FLIPPIN BOOKS! I can't ever NOT finish a book because I'm an optimist and if it starts out bad, I always have hope that maybe, just MAYBE it will get better before the last sentence. Most of them do but some don't. I honestly don't remember the last time I didn't finish a book but I do remember throwing one of the "Left Behind" books across the room unfinished after it became evil in my hands and I never ever read another one of those terrible things again I tell you! I did just read "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter". We read it in high school but I didn't understand some of the themes back then because I SURELY wouldn't have re-read it if I had! It was pretty much a crappy, depressing book that makes you think that life is not worth living in any way and that families with lots of children are depraved and that the only way to salvation is to be a communist. Now, you might not think that if you read it and you might just be mildly bored by it and think, "what the heck was laura TALKING about?" but trust me, it was between the lines and I oughta sue my old English teacher for trying to indoctrinate me at such a tender age...oh that's right, that is the public school teacher's JOB...to turn me into a mindless/liberal/bitter/hater with a penchant for Marxism and no sense of historical accuracy. Moving on...anything by Nicholas Sparks bites big time. BORING and stupid waste of time to read that nonsense. Ugh, the movie was unbearable...what was that thing called, oh yeah "The Notebook". Double Yuck.
Monday, August 07, 2006
The Famous Book Meme
1. ONE BOOK THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE: The Art of Natural Family Planning. It gave me a whole new view of NFP. When I read it, I finally signed up for a class to actually learn the correct method. It's worked ever since! Also, it gave me the strength to teach it to other people and change their lives and hearts as well.
2. ONE BOOK THAT YOU'VE READ MORE THAN ONCE: Searching For Shona. It's an oldie but I read it over and over when I was a pre-teen and I found it on Amazon for Trina. She liked it too.
3. ONE BOOK YOU'D WANT ON A DESERT ISLAND: The Gather hymnal...eeeeheeheeheeeeeee! Probably a big one, 'cause who knows how long I'd be there...sooooo maybe a collection like the collected works of of one the Church doctors or something really meaty like that.
4. ONE BOOK THAT MADE YOU LAUGH: ANY Ann Coulter book, I seriously laugh out loud and people look at me funny.
5. ONE BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY: I can't decide which is the worst tear-jerker...The Hiding Place, Our Only May Amelia (pre-teen novel that I read to Trina and blubbered through the whole time), or I Love You Forever. NO parent can read that one to their kids without tearing up at least a teeny bit.
6. ONE BOOK THAT YOU WISH HAD BEEN WRITTEN: The Foolproof Guide to Making Your Children Act Like They Are Really Well Behaved All of the Time: Church, The Store, and Other Public Places. By Perfecta Parentine
7. ONE BOOK THAT YOU WISH HAD NEVER BEEN WRITTEN: The Left Behind series. I actually got physically ill while reading the third in the series and threw it across the room vowing to never touch one of those horrible books again.
8. ONE BOOK YOU'RE CURRENTLY READING: The Church of Apostles and Martyrs Volume I by Henri Daniel-Rops (sounds like a snoozer, but it actually keeps me awake in adoration!)
9. ONE BOOK YOU'VE BEEN MEANING TO READ: Godless: The Church of Liberalism by Ann Coulter
10. TAG FIVE PEOPLE: Trine, Janene,
Anna, Sue, The Crazy Catholic Laura from Kansas (don't know her blog address).
2. ONE BOOK THAT YOU'VE READ MORE THAN ONCE: Searching For Shona. It's an oldie but I read it over and over when I was a pre-teen and I found it on Amazon for Trina. She liked it too.
3. ONE BOOK YOU'D WANT ON A DESERT ISLAND: The Gather hymnal...eeeeheeheeheeeeeee! Probably a big one, 'cause who knows how long I'd be there...sooooo maybe a collection like the collected works of of one the Church doctors or something really meaty like that.
4. ONE BOOK THAT MADE YOU LAUGH: ANY Ann Coulter book, I seriously laugh out loud and people look at me funny.
5. ONE BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY: I can't decide which is the worst tear-jerker...The Hiding Place, Our Only May Amelia (pre-teen novel that I read to Trina and blubbered through the whole time), or I Love You Forever. NO parent can read that one to their kids without tearing up at least a teeny bit.
6. ONE BOOK THAT YOU WISH HAD BEEN WRITTEN: The Foolproof Guide to Making Your Children Act Like They Are Really Well Behaved All of the Time: Church, The Store, and Other Public Places. By Perfecta Parentine
7. ONE BOOK THAT YOU WISH HAD NEVER BEEN WRITTEN: The Left Behind series. I actually got physically ill while reading the third in the series and threw it across the room vowing to never touch one of those horrible books again.
8. ONE BOOK YOU'RE CURRENTLY READING: The Church of Apostles and Martyrs Volume I by Henri Daniel-Rops (sounds like a snoozer, but it actually keeps me awake in adoration!)
9. ONE BOOK YOU'VE BEEN MEANING TO READ: Godless: The Church of Liberalism by Ann Coulter
10. TAG FIVE PEOPLE: Trine, Janene,
Anna, Sue, The Crazy Catholic Laura from Kansas (don't know her blog address).
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