What We are Reading

The ManyMeadows Plus like to read.  Some are reading for school, others for fun and life.   Here's a sampling of what we have going right now.

 Jacob

Brisingr- Christopher Paolini (a homeschooler) ( Book 3) Inheritance Series (fantasy)--This is brand new and I'm just starting it this week. The first 2 books were very exciting to read. Books I would definately recommend for anyone.

Elsewhere - Gabrielle Zevin-- A fictional book about a 2nd life after you die on Earth in a place called Elsewhere. A very interesting, funny book and an easy read. Good for young adults.

Robin

 I just finished The Almost True Story of Ryan Fisher- Rob Stennett.  A quirky, fun  story about a man who decides to start a church....only problem is, he isn't a Christian.

Trading Places by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott - a good look at the idea of putting yourself in your mate's shoes to understand his/her point of view.

Katie

I am reading Medical Surgical Nursing 7th edition by Sharon Lewis and
Mental Health Nursing by Karen Lee Fontaine.  They are really exciting although I don't think I would recommend themfor light reading.   They weigh about 8 lbs each.

Alexander

I am reading: Quantitative Chemical Analysis, 7th Edition by Daniel C. Harris,and Physics Demystified by Stan Gibilisco and Kaplan MCAT 2008-2009.

 I wish I was reading: The Innocent Man by John Grisham, Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church: Understanding a Movement and Its Implications by D.A. Carson, or anything by Ben Witherington III.

Darn school. :)

Ali

I haven't really been reading as much as I would like to right now, but did find time this week to read a chapter out of a book that my friend Nicole loaned me called Passionate Housewives Desperate for God by Chauncey and McDonald.. I just flipped through it and one chapter caught my eye called "Weary Women". I thought,  well that sounds like me so I read it and just reading that small little bit really revived me in a area that I struggle with.

It talks about how we women feel pressured to have an actual quiet time and feel guilty when we don't accomplish this. One part that really jumped out to me was 

"If you have little ones, accept that this is your "noisy season" of life.

It suggests instead of feeling stressed to sit down one time a day and have a quiet time or prayer time, to pray in droplets throughout the day. It's refreshing that we can spend time with God in our own special ways.

Dirk

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki ---a fascinating book that I can't believe I haven't read before about the differences between  working for money as opposed to money working for us.  Recommended by Anna's boyfriend, Cody Light (even more reason to read it!)

Erin

Mozart's Sister by Rita Charbonnier
This is a fiction novel based on the true story of, you guessed it - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's sister.  It is actually a very interesting read that has led me into further research to see how accurate it is in its portrayal of the barely-mentioned Mozart girl.  She did a good job of making the story entertaining while giving a close-to-accurate account (with as little information as there is to draw from) while also teaching a fair amount of historical significance.  It is unfortunately rated "R" for one "scene" in the book.

Love in the House by Chris and Wendy Jeub
This is a non-fiction book about the true story of a christian homeschooling family of 15 kids who were featured on a reality show on TLC about large families.  I can closely relate to this book for obvious reasons, and while there are some things in the book that for now God is not calling our family in, I respect them for being so passionate about the way they believe.  It has given me some things to think about and can help any family large or small.

Abbi

For my Early Childhood Education graduate course, I am currently reading Pianta & Cox's "School Readiness & the Transition to Kindergarten in the Era of Accountability" (sounds fascinating, huh?). Although the style of writing is similar to 'legalese' and often hard to follow, the content is quite interesting (and good for a heated debate!). The book discusses the strict standards and assessments that now face early childhood education in settings such as public schools and Head Start programs. Children as young as 3 are affected by federal mandates requiring testing and assessment, upon which efficacy of school programs is judged and funding is subsequently based. All this talk of governmental requirements makes me wonder: 'What happened to the days when a kid could be a kid?!'

 Anna 

I am currently reading The Shack, and have been trying to finish it for the last four months!

Are you an avid reader? 

What do you have open right now? 

Go See It!

Last week Dirk and I went to the movies! It's a rare occasion for us these days, but we enjoy a good flick now and then.

Dan in Real Life is a great film. We enjoyed the reality, humor, lack of sex and profanity, and the great message about family.

Treat yourself and your spouse to a fun movie this weekend.

You'll be glad you did!

PS - The music is AWESOME -check it out here.

Have any good movies to recommend?

When Crickets Cry

This is absolutely one of the best books I’ve ever read, and I read a LOT! Charles Martin is a master craftsman of words. His descriptions and word choices are nothing less than poetic. Sub-titled “A Novel of the Heart”, the book actually is about the human heart. Martin will pull you into the lives of his characters, and you will learn much about the heart, its physical makeup as well as its emotions.

Tomorrow, I’ll share with you some things I learned about the heart!

Just Do It

Here are some other cleaning and organizing sites with ideas that may work for you:

http://www.thebratfactor.com/wtbl.php If your house is a mess; if meal prep mostly refers to drive-thru; if you’re always running late; if you procrastinate and if you can’t get the car in the garage ‘cause it’s crammed with junk—then you have an inner brat who has been running the show. If you are an adult who understands and are willing to admit you have an inner brat who needs taming, you (and your brat) are invited to play here at Bratland.

http://www.flylady.net/pages/FLYingLessons.asp
Flylady has been around for several years. She has some great ideas including putting your shoes on FIRST thing in the morning, keeping your kitchen sink shined, and my favorite – the 27- fling Boogie for throwing away 27 things every day!

http://organizedhome.com/content-36.html
The Organized Home has many suggestions for every area in your home. The Household Notebook is something we incorporated into our home for many years and aptly named it "Mom's Brain". I still have it around and refer to it often. I’ll share more in detail about it another time.

One great help for us has been our "Ten Minute Cleanup". When we've been busy doing schoolwork, or things have just gotten out of hand, I set the timer for 10 minutes and announce "Ten Minute Cleanup" and everyone puts things away for only 10 minutes. It's amazing how much better the house looks in that short amount of time!

The important thing about home chores and organization is that we JUST DO IT! Its never easy, sometimes we're completely overwhelmed with how badly our homes get out of order and then we just want to give up. Thankfully, His mercies are new every morning! Find what works for you and then implement it. Get your kids on board. Even a two or three-year old can begin helping with light chores: folding wash cloths, picking up toys, dusting, shaking out small rugs, putting away silverware from the dishwasher. Keep them with you and train them as you go. They’ll even enjoy it!

What method works for you? Or do you need a new direction? Share your thoughts.

It Still Works for Me

The year was 1981. Yeah, I know, you probably weren’t even born, or at least you were very young. But I was a young mom with two children, ages 3 and 1. And I was staying home with them 24/7. A first for me. I had always been extremely active (outside the home) and had worked until my first daughter was born. And then I found myself being responsible for something I didn’t know much about: the cleaning and care of my home and the cleaning and care of my children! Like I told you, I’m not a natural organizer. But I set out on a mission to learn. I’m a huge reader/researcher. So, I looked to a book. I came across a newly written one, The Side-tracked Home Executives: From Playpen to Paradise,by sisters Pam Young and Peggy Jones.

This hilariously written book actually made me feel better about my own cleaning skills! And what it offered me is something I still use today—an index card system of cleaning, organizing, and reminders.

I always dreaded cleaning the house, because I felt like I needed a large period of time to get it all done. These girls suggest you actually time yourself for each chore you do. You know what? Most of those things don’t take nearly the amount of time that we anticipate. So, after timing myself, and dividing up my chores into daily, weekly, and monthly cards, I began to get my home clean and in order.

I also remembered to take my library books back—on time. Remembered to water my plants. And had a reminder to clip my children’s fingernails! I also learned that the top of the refrigerator needs to be cleaned (I couldn’t see it, so it didn’t need it, right?) and that light fixtures should occasionally be cleaned.

I’ve used this system for 26 years now! It has gone through various revamps, but has worked for all my children. I would make a stack of chore cards for each child and they knew they were responsible to get them done, usually before noon. Before they were able to read, I even drew picture cards of simple chores so even the youngest could join in.

Is my house spotless? Never any clutter? Of course not! But years of being trained with this system have taught me how and when to get the job done. This book has been reprinted and updated several times and is one of many ways to clean and organize your home. There are many other plans and ideas beside this one. I’ll talk about a few others in a later post.

Revitalizing, Renewing

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Besides preparing for a new academic season I try to always have something I’m reading to keep my relationships fresh and my mind renewed.

Currently, I’m reading The One Year Bible (NLT), a great translation if you’ve never tried it. It has been a good discipline for me to read through the Bible from cover to cover again.

Another book I have recently read is Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul by John and Stasi Eldredge.

If you’ve already experienced reading this one, you’ll agree: this is one of those read-every-year books. While some ideas may be a lot to wrap your mind around, I still found the book to be challenging and thought provoking.

Another book that my soon-to-be-married daughter and her fiancée are reading is What Every Man Wants in a Woman/ What Every Woman Wants in a Man by John and Diana Hagee.

Some of my favorite thoughts come from the “What Every Man Wants” side of the book.

· How to put love first to make love last
· Your attitude is contagious
· Happiness is a choice
· Feel great about yourself
· The love you refuse to give you lose



What books are you reading to challenge and awaken your relationships?