Weekly Reflections - Week Fourteen...

At Home

Well, we started the week with a nasty stomach bug, which meant someone threw up everyday four days in a row!  We did get a few day break and now the third child is down. On the bright side, hopefully it will all be done before the Christmas gatherings begin. I also spent a day with family at a funeral for my uncle this week. It was good to see everyone, but so unfortunate that we only see some of these people in times of tragedy. All this to say, I didn't get much accomplished this week.

But, take heart!  'Tis the weekend to catch up because yesterday and today is another blizzard. We received approx. 5-6 inches of snow overnight.  It is still snowing now and the wind is ramping up. Temps are expected to be a high of -6 tomorrow, with windchills -40 degrees.  Yes, those are negative signs in front of the numbers.  The kids were supposed to perform in the Christmas play tomorrow at church, but all festivities have been canceled including the church service due to the weather.  So for now, we are hunkering down in these here parts.

In and around the cold snaps, over the past couple of weeks, the kids set up the Christmas tree, strung lights outside, and have been busy making other Christmas preparations.  Riley and Levi made the centerpiece above as well as a couple of wreaths they hung out of doors. I found and made a yummy new recipe for these Loaded Crunchy Brownie Bars...

Throughout the holidays, we will continue with our four day a week academics for the most part. The load has been somewhat lightened and will include a variety of Christmas activities, books, and movies. We don't travel for Christmas as our family is all in the area.  As mentioned, our church activities were canceled for now due to the inclement weather. We are set to Christmas carol around town next week if weather permits. We will bake intermittently as needed. The cards are sent. Most of the shopping is done. We will most likely be watching The Nativity Story over the next week.  I blogged earlier in the week about the stacks of Christmas picture books we have added this season for our reading pleasure. Since the weather outside is frightful this time of year, I enjoy staying indoors, reading and spending leisurely time together for the holidays.

Around the Web

Have you been wondering about Math-U-See and Saxon?  In Why I Love Math-U-See, Mystie Winckler gives a fabulous comparison and overview of how she uses MUS in her home.

Karen at Books and Chocolate posted the categories for the 2017 Back to the Classics Challenge as well as her proposed book list for the year.  I'll be posting my 2016 completed list over the next couple of weeks. I'm still contemplating participation in 2017 as I'm not sure if I would read books from some of the categories. I haven't given a lot of thought to next year's reading yet...but I should get on it since it's only a couple of weeks away, ahem!

On My Reading Table

I currently have a ton of books I want to read and checked out from the library.  The cold weather does that to me ;-)

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens - Our January Middle School Book Club read so I'm beginning to prep.

Hittite Warrior by Joanne Williamson - I'm currently reading this aloud to Ruben as part of his Heart of Dakota Creation to Christ academics.

Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism by Barry Prizant - This book was recommended by Sonya Shafer of Simply Charlotte Mason.  I'm only a couple of chapters in, but it's definitely giving me some insight and perspective on one of our kids.

The Delight Gluten-Free Cookbook: 150 Delicious Recipes by Vanessa Weisbrod - I tried some cookies from this book last weekend and they were actually good.  I've been dabbling in gluten free cooking for a while, but not whole hog yet. 

Cure Tooth Decay: Heal & Prevent Cavities with Nutrition by Ramiel Nagel - This book was recommended by a friend when she found out I had a child with tooth issues.  There is some interesting information here. 

A Landscape with Dragons: The Battle for Your Child's Mind by Michael O'Brien -  This, along with Vigen Guroian's Tending the Heart of Virtue, was recommended by Andrew Pudewa in IEW's Virtual Winter Retreat that I attended last weekend.

The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don’t Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need—and What We Can Do About It by Tony Wagner - I can't remember where I heard about this book.  I picked it up from the library yesterday and haven't gotten a chance to look through it yet. 

How to Tutor by Samuel Blumenfeld - I was intrigued by the math portion of this book. You can read it online free here.

What's on your reading table?