Books I Read in 2018

I have a pretty eclectic taste when it comes to reading, but this past year seemed to be more eclectic than usual. There were parenting books, self-help books, memoirs, dystopian novels, young-adult literature, and plenty of classics that I aloud read to the kids. And that doesn't even include the hundreds of picture books I read with the kids throughout the year (some of our favorites are listed at the very bottom). I managed to finish 41 books in 2018 (15 of which were read aloud to the kids). It's not a bad list, even if it is a bit eclectic.

January

1) Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

February

2) The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (bedtime read aloud to the kids)

3) The House on Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne (read for homeschool, then saw the play at the local Children's Theater)

March

4) The Frog & Toad Treasury by Arnold Lobel (Jack read aloud to me for homeschool, then saw the play at the local Children's Theater)

April

5) For The Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macauley

6) James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (homeschool read aloud to the kids)

7) Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

8) Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

9) How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell (homeschool read aloud to the kids)

10) The Importance of Being Little by Erika Christakis

May

11) Follow the River by James Alexander Thom

12) Wonder by R.J. Palacio

13) Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

June

14) The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile

15) Talking to Your Kids About God by Natasha Crain

16) The Daring Escape by Tricia Goyer

17) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

July

18) Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely by Lysa Terkeurst

19) The Fates Divide by Veronica Roth

August

20) Hands Free Mama: A Guide to Putting Down the Phone, Burning the To-Do List, and Letting Go of Perfection to Grasp What Really Matters! by Rachel Macy Stafford

21) Clean Cuisine: An 8-Week Anti-Inflammatory Diet by Ivy and Andrew Larson 

22) Ollie's Odyssey by William Joyce (homeschool read aloud to the kids, one of my all-time favorite stories)

23) Skunked by Jennifer L. Meyer (bedtime read aloud to the kids)

24) The Minpins by Roald Dahl (homeschool read aloud to the kids)

September

25) Rocket Boys by Homer H. Hickam Jr.

October

26) Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac 

27) Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

28) Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (homeschool read aloud to the kids > Jack really loved this) 

November

29) Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn

30) The Whole-Brained Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind, Survive Everyday Parenting Struggles, and Help Your Family Thrive by Daniel J. Siegl and Tina Payne Bryson

31) Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

32) The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place and The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood (homeschool read aloud to the kids)

33) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum (homeschool audiobook)

34) Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (bedtime read aloud to the kids)

35) Four: A Divergent Story Collection by Veronica Roth

December

36) Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys (this was probably my favorite book I read in 2018)

37) Little Pilgrim's Progress: From John Bunyan's Classic by Helen L. Taylor (homeschool audiobook > Jack really loved)

38) The Gratitude Diaries: How a Year Looking on the Bright Side Can Transform Your Life by Janice Kaplan

39) Book of Swindles: Selections from a Late Ming Collection (Translations from the Asian Classics)

by Yingyu Zhang, Christopher G. Rea (Translator), Bruce Rusk (Translator)

40) How to be a Pirate by Cressida Cowell (bedtime read aloud to the kids)

41) The Ology: Ancient Truths Ever New by Marty Machowski (read throughout the year as a part of homeschool)

Favorite picture books: 

Robot Zot!, If I Built a Car, Blueberries for Sal, My No No No Day!, Little Blue Truck, Herbert's First Halloween, Tacky and the Winter Games, Richard Scarry's: A Day at the Fire Station, Bumble-Ardy, What Do People Do All Day?, My Lucky Day, Jack and the Beanstalk, Gobble-Gobble Crash, This is the House that Jack Built, Our King Has Horns!, Not Your Typical Dragon, Fox in Socks, Bugtown Boogie, and Roar of a Snore.

We are in the process of wrapping up The One and Only Ivan, The Vanderbeekers at 141st Street, 50 Ways to Be Happy, Words That Built a Nation, Never Too Young, I Robot, Teaching From Rest, and several others.

Books I've read over the years: 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017

Mohaus Schoolhouse Week 17

Highlights of last week include building things from the Smithsonian Maker Lab book, including a weighted paper airplane, speakers for a phone, and a plane powered by an inflated balloon.

We read great stories from some great books. We started The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street, are still working our way through The One and Only Ivan, and also enjoyed lots of Christmas short stories.

Jack decided to make green eggs for lunch one day, so of course we read Green Eggs & Ham.

We are continuing through our Slow + Sacred Advent study. Week one covered the seed of advent, while last week we focused on the star of advent. We made gingerbread cookies to hang on the tree, including stars (making homemade gingerbread ornaments for our live Christmas tree is a yearly tradition of ours).

On Wednesday, we had a library visit and a cold afternoon at the park with friends to burn off energy.

Thursday both boys had Christmas parties (Isaac at preschool and Jack at his Y program). I wasn't going to be able to make either program while also picking them up on time, so I skipped and went and bought stocking stuffers for them instead.

However, I found myself in a bit of a conundrum when a friend texted to say Jack's program finished early and he was the last kid there. Thank goodness she called and offered to meet me with him halfway! We agreed to meet at Hobby Lobby and I let the boys pick out their ornaments for this year (normally I pick them out and stick them in their stockings).

That night, we visited a local live Nativity as a family. We enjoyed singing the Christmas hyms and the kids were able to make star ornaments to add to our tree.

In juxtaposition to our Slow + Sacred Advent, there were a lot of dance parties happening last week. We are introducing the kids to a variety of music, from Neil Diamond to the Beastie Boys. We want them to be as well rounded as possible.

Jack had me cracking up with his "letter to an artist" as part of his Art Study with Narration. I don't think he quite gets the point yet (or doesn't care).

We ended the week with our first play of the year, A Charlie Brown Christmas at the Chattanooga Children's Theatre. It wasn't our favorite play, but it was sweet and we are always happy to spend time with friends.

To cap off our Friend Friday, we grabbed lunch at Good Dog and the kids had a chance to write letters to Santa. Jack's only wish was that it would snow this year.

Saturday was our Christmas Party with our small group. The boys helped me make bon bons for the party (another tradition I have had since I was a kid).

Then on Sunday we attempted to see Santa at Bass Pro (but made the mistake of showing up without getting passes ahead of time). We will try again this week.

I had originally planned to do some school this week (including our annual Homeschool Cookie Decorating party), but Daniel and I both came down with a stomach bug sometime Sunday (also our 16th Anniversary), and have spent the better part of the last two days in bed while the kids fended for themselves.

So, I think we are just done for this year. We will still work on our Slow + Sacred Advent material, but I that is it. I hope you have a blessed Christmas and holiday season!