Skip to main content

What Are You Reading This December?

Okay, maybe I should rephrase that question! What are you reading this December BESIDES homeschool books?

Many of us celebrate Advent with our families during the month of December, and that often includes family reading. Are there any books you just have to read each year? Or does your book list vary? And do you only read as a family, or do you have something special that you read this month?

When my kids were younger, I found it hard to give myself "permission" to read a book in my spare time (whatever spare time is, haha!). I felt guilty if I wasn't reading the Bible or something homeschool related. Now I see the folly in that type of thinking. There are long, tough seasons of motherhood and often it's during those times that we refuse to allow ourselves a break. But there's nothing wrong with having a book on your nightstand...even if you only manage to read a page or two each week.

My kids are all growing up quickly (the youngest is 12) and those long days of toddler-hood are in the past. They are all readers, and they each have a few books they're juggling at any given time. It's much easier for me to have a book or two that I'm reading just because I want to. I only wish I had figured that out when my kids were young, rather than giving into a legalistic homeschool mentality that only allowed me to read the most pious of books. If it sounds silly, that's because it was a very silly way of thinking.

So, I'll ask you again - What are you reading this December other than homeschool books?

Read as a family ~ maybe The Hobbit or A Christmas Carol or even How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  And read for yourself too. I'd love to hear about the books you're reading this month, so feel free to leave me a comment!

Lord bless you this season of Advent & may you find His grace to be sufficient for all your daily needs!

Day 247 done :)

Jan L. Burt

www.AllThingsHomeschool.blogspot.com

www.SavanasClayCreations.com


Comments

  1. Read? Who has time to read? ;)
    Actually, we are reading Jotham's Journey for advent as a family and loving it!
    Wanted to let you know Ashton comes home on Friday...we made it. Thank you for your prayers. Miss ya on crew!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

A Homeschool Mom's Devotional by award-winning podcaster Jan L. Burt

Colossians 4:17 tells the reader to "be sure to carry out the work the Lord gave you". How can this be applied to the enormously busy lifestyle of a homeschool mom? First of all, we must always remember that the Word of God has the answer for our every need and we can trust fully in God to use His Word to lead us, guide us, correct us, and bless us. Keeping that in mind, let's consider what this verse is saying. We are told to carry out, or complete, the work the Lord has given us. We are wives, mothers, homeschoolers. Those three BIG job descriptions come immediately to mind when I think of homeschooling mothers. Applying God's Word to our life means carrying out our work as wives, as mothers, and as homeschoolers. When I am exhausted from another long day (or long week, long month, long year, etc.) I still must honor the Lord by blessing my husband. Maybe that means having a hot meal on the table when he arrives home from work. Perhaps your husband

I Gotta Let You Know Two Very Important Things (Seriously, They Are Truly Important For You To Know...)

 First, a big --- fat --- hefty dose of encouragement for you, my wonderful homeschooling friend.  As you get ready to roll into the fall of 2020...stop for just one moment and hear what God's Word has to say to you right here, right now, on the brink of the last stretch of what has possibly been the most turn-your-whole-world-upside-down year ever.  Psalm 125:2 - As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people both now and forevermore.   You are surrounded.  Completely & totally, that's exactly how surrounded you are.  Going into the great unknown as, say, a working mom whose children are going to be doing school online at home (or a working mom homeschooling and working from home for just the next several months, but not planning on continuing to home educate after things "normalize" again).  This is God's promise just for you as you embark upon this season of life. I really, truly believe He wants you to know that He has you surrounded

My Preferred Bible Reading Plan

We all know that reading our Bibles is a key part of living a healthy life as a follower of Jesus. But busy homeschool moms may, at times, struggle to know what part of the Bible to read on any given day. Some people read the Bible through, Genesis to Revelation, and when they finish simply start over. Others have reading plans that follow along with the sermons their pastor is currently preaching. And yet others find themselves "stuck in the Psalms", since they're not quite sure what to read. I'm not going to tell you how many chapters a day you should read, or that you need to do exactly what I do. I'm just going to share what has worked for me, and hopefully encourage you to get into the Word using some type of plan ~ because every homeschool mom knows what happens to our plans when we fail to create a plan, right?! I use a prayer and Bible reading guide called "Prayer Point" , published by Samaritan's Purse. About every 8 weeks, I receive a

Schoolhouse Review Crew ~ A Thomas Jefferson Education (This Week in History)

Rachel DeMille, of Thomas Jefferson Education , promotes a fascinating educational philosophy (based on The Seven Keys of Great Teaching ). Her website, www.TJEd.org , provides a thorough explanation of this philosophy. It's also an excellent history resource that I hope my blog readers will consider using in their homeschools. I really love what Rachel is doing! I am not reviewing everything available at the website - trust me, there is quite a bit to be found there! What I am reviewing is " This Week in History ", a resource that covers a wide variety of subjects and topics on a daily basis in an engaging and interesting manner. I have used this as a part of our history curriculum, but it really is so much more than history.  Each week I receive an email with the current week's " This Week in History ". I am also able to access this information at the website, along an archive that covers the current year. And I also receive daily emails, called &q

Do You Homeschool? Then You Need to Read This Article!

Whether you have been homeschooling for a month, a year, or a decade, you've inevitably faced the "questions". Questions about socialization, college, athletics, driver's ed, high-school biology, etc. etc. etc. and so on..... It seems as if homeschoolers are ripe for questions from day one; but the flip side seems to be that there really is no flip side. We are expected to patiently answer any and all questions, smiling politely and pretending we've never heard this line of questioning before. But when we try to ask a few questions about, say, public schools as a whole or the issue of private schools being used as a last-ditch landing spot for students expelled from public school, well...ahem...we're pretty much told to keep quiet. No one wants to hear our questions, and often times no one really wants to hear our answers to their questions. They just kind of want us to....go....away. I'm not planning on going away any time soon. And neither are my fiv