This has been such a helpful thread for me. Thank you! I have been trying to figure out how to plan the whole year. In the past I have always mentally planned but now that I will have students in Gr. 10, 8 and 6, I can't do it all in my head anymore. I knew that I wanted to do it online but didn't know how to do that. Then this thread came up and has answered all of my questions! I played around with OneNote on the weekend and have arranged my teaching notebook for each subject so I can have all of my notes in one place. Next, I will plan my two older's subjects so they can carry on on their own. Then I will organized our daily schedule and see if I can squeeze all of these plans into one school day. :huh:

Jane! Thank you so much for that recipe. You can never have too many rhubarb recipes. I have never heard of grunt before. As a matter of fact, I just took out a package of rhubarb from the freezer this morning to make muffins but maybe I will make rhubarb grunt instead. My kids will get a kick just out of the name itself.

Oooooh! Avocado dip? Can I come, too? We have been having lots of virtual parties here lately. How fun! Praying, Jane.

I would like to join as well. I'm having a major problem with my weight. I keep gaining and gaining. :glare: I now weigh more than I did when I was pregnant. This is craziness! I want to lose at least 20 lbs. But for the month of July I just want to focus on lifestyle changes. My goals for July: eating healthier: more veggies, protein and drinking more, much more, water. exercise: 6 days a week -- 4 days strength training, 2 days yoga. I would also like to hike a few days a week with the kids.

I love this book! I think this is now my favourite CM book. There were two things that stood out to me. 1) it is all about the process not the end result. That was huge for me. I think that can be applied to most things even in Classical Education. 2) Notebooking is done to improve attention, to hone concentration. My children, especially my ds, has major difficulties in paying attention and I have been trying to figure out for years how to help him--this is part of my answer. I have taken some of the ideas in the book and implemented them into our Circle Time. As it stands now we keep a poetry notebook, a book of firsts, a calendar of events, a commonplace book and a Book of Centuries. I would like to start a nature notebook but I'm not sure if that will become a reality.

I do not like the fantasy genre either but I am still not at the point where I can accept it. I keep trying to read these books in the hopes that maybe a miracle will occur and I will start to like them. :huh: I am always on the lookout for suitable books for dd (15) to read. I have heard about these books but haven't put them on my radar for dd. Will suggest them to her when she gets back from camp. Giraffe, :grouphug: I am sorry that you have had so much to deal with in the last little while. I'm glad that you are back. I finished Bloom by Kelle Hampton. I liked it but I was taken more with the photographs. She is a talented photographer. I am still reading The Raphael Affair by Iain Pears--this is slow going. I am starting to wonder if I am missing something or if the story is just slow to start. I am also reading Birding with Yeats, a memoir by Lynn Thomson recounting the bonding that takes place with her son as they spend time birdwatching together.

During the school year I wake up at 5:30. I go on the computer cause that wakes me up and then I exercise for half an hour. If I have time left over before the kids wake up then I will read. At about 7:45 I make breakfast, the kids wake up and while we are eating, we start school. During the summer, though, the rhythm is different. I wake up around 6:30, go on the computer and then read until 9:00. The kids are awake then. We eat breakfast while I read to them.

An aside: I got Oh She Glows, A Vegan Cookbook from the library yesterday. I am not a vegan nor a vegetarian but I am loving this book! I think I am going to buy it. We made pita chips and kale chips this morning (so yummy!) and had planned to make overnight oatmeal for tomorrow's breakfast but the power is off (for the gazillionth time this year--one of the downsides of living in no-man's land) so it will have to wait until Sat. Anyway, most of these recipes are doable, even for those who live in a rural area, like myself. I think I am giving up on Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. It just isn't my cup of tea. I am reading Bloom by Kelle Hampton right now. It is a memoir of a mother whose second child has Down's Syndrome. I am liking this. And with all the past talk about Iain Pears' books, I am going to be starting The Raphael Affair.

Oh dear, I am only familiar with one book on the Flavorwire list and that would be the Helen Oyemi book. That's what happens when you read too much fluff: you become disconnected with the literary world. :laugh: I am having problems with even reading fluff now. I can't seem to get attached to any kind of book. I folded on The Likeness by Tana French and it would appear that the same fate awaits Rule of Civility by Amor Towles. I am only on pg. 32 so I am determined to keep slogging until at least pg. 50 but this is going to be a difficult feat unless some literary miracle occurs. I just got the vegan cookbook, Oh She Glows by Angela Liddon, from the library. I am not a vegan nor do I have any inclination to become one but I am loving these recipes! What a great book! I am thinking that I might even buy this. I am going to go to town today armed with a list and I am going to attempt to make some of these dishes. Then I will make the decision on whether to buy or not.

I have been ordering from RR for 12 years now--2 or 3 times a year--and I have only had a backordered item once. I live in Canada and I have had much better service from RR than I have ever had from Canadian suppliers.

I have been thinking about getting Audible, too. I'm not big on audio books but we have been listening to the free offerings from SYNC audio for the last month and I am now hooked. Reading how everyone likes it, I think I will look into Audible a bit deeper now.

Another one is Wisdom and Eloquence but I can't remember the authors' names. Stratford Caldecott wrote another book, "Beauty for Truth's Sake" It is very good as well. Poetic Knowledge by James Taylor isn't about classical education per se but it was helpful to me to understand CE.

I am enjoying reading everyone's lists. I have gotten some more books to put on my TBR list. Thanks! Summer to me means more work--gardening, yard work, school planning--summer foods, like potato salad, ice cream and rhubarb crisp and fluff books. But this year, I have been reading fluff all year long so it doesn't mean any difference in my reading. Here is my list, so far, for 2014: 1) The Aviator's Wife--Melanie Benjamin 2) Mr. Churchill's Secretary--Susan Elia MacNeal 3) Loving Frank--Nancy Horan 4)The Ocean at the End of the Lane--Neil Gaiman 5) The Signature of All Things--Elizabeth Gilbert 6) Under A Wing--Reeve Lindbergh 7) The Interestings--Meg Wollitzer 8) Howards End is on the Landing--Susan Hill 9) Flora and Ulysses--Kate DiCamillo (children's book) 10) The Remains of the Day--Kazuo Ishiguro 11) The is the Story of a Happy Marriage--Ann Patchett 12) Perfect--Rachel Joyce 13)The Circle--Dave Eggers 14)Goldfinch--Donna Tartt 15) The Husband's Secret-- Leanne Moriarty 16) The Dead in their Vaulted Arches--Alan Bradley 17) Wildwood--Colin Meloy (children's book) 18) The Living Page--Laurie Bestvater 19) Medea--Euripedes 20) The Luminaries--Eleanor Catton 21) Lost Lake--Sarah Addison Allen 22) Longbourne--Jo Baker 23) Her Princess Elizabeth's Spy--Susan Elia MacNeal 24) Coden Name Verity--Elizabeth Weins 25) Till We Have Faces--C.S.Lewis 26) Her Majesty's Hope--Susan Elia MacNeal 27) The Cuckoo's Calling--Robert Galbraith 28) Missing You--Harlan Coben 29) The Mysterious Howling--Maryrose Wood (children's book) 30) Radical Hospitality by Fr. Daniel Homan and Lonnie Pratt 31) A Lantern in her Hand--Bess Streeter Aldrich 32) The Cocktail Party--T.S.Eliot 33) Cruel Beauty--Rosamund Hodges 34) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone--J.K.Rowling (re-read) 35) Holy is the Day--Carolyn Weber 36) Murder at the Vicarage--Agatha Christie (audio book)

Wow! I just about missed this. Happy, Happy Birthday, Stacia! May you have the joyous of days full of cake, chocolate, books, wine and anything else that makes you happy.

Wahoo! This is great news!

Paradise Valley--John Mayer The Blessed Unrest by Sara Bareilles Shine On--Sarah McLachlan Loved Me Back to Life by Celine Dion Everything Almost --Jann Arden

Oh, this is horrible! I am so sorry. Yes, you definitely need chocolate, wine, tea, cheese, full body massage--the whole works.

Oooooh! That sounds/looks so lovely. I am on my way!

I wanted to reply to some posts last night but we started having a lightning storm so I thought it would be best to close up shop before I posted. And now I don't have time to go find the posts that I wanted to reply to so I will just go by memory. Stacia, I am sorry that you are still not feeling better. Go slow today. Be kind to yourself and if you have interest, read, read, read. :grouphug: to you, my friend. About choosing books, I do usually choose a book based on what I have read about it online. So going in, I have a vague idea about what it is going to be about. I don't like going into a book blind. That's like free-fall. Onceuponatime, I bought Dodger for my dd's 15th birthday this past weekend. Your post reminded me that I forgot to give it to her. :laugh: So thanks for the reminder. It has been raining since yesterday. We live out in no-man's land on gravel road. When it rains for long periods of time, the roads are like soup and traveling is not advised. Also, I had a nasty confrontation with an extended family member yesterday so I am going to stay home today and nurse my bruises with reading and watching the first season of Orphan Black. The only chocolate I have in the house is M&Ms. This will suffice.

I am now moving on to The Illusion of Separateness of Simon Van Booy. I don't know anything about this book other than it was on one of the Best of 2013 lists that was linked to here at BaW. I'm always nervous about reading books that I know little about. I am also reading Notes From A Blue Bike by Tsh Oxenreider--a book about living intentionally, something I always need to read about. Stacia, how are you feeling this morning?

Ooooh! Galbraith's next book is out this week? I will have to pre-order it from the library. I am looking forward to this one. I finished Cruel Beauty last night. I'm not too sure what to make of it. I loved the writing, I loved the story but it became very confusing towards the end. I'm not really sure what exactly happened. I hate books that leave me with more questions than answers so I am a bit ambivalent about this book. I am hoping to finish Holy Day by Carolyn Weber in the next few days and I am also starting the next book in the Incorrigible Children at Ashton Place series, The Hidden Gallery.

Stacia, I'm sorry that you are still feeling icky. I hope that you start feeling better this week. There is only one thing worse than being sick and that is not wanting to read when you are sick. I love Crunchy bars. I didn't like them much when I was a kid but they are the ones I always swipe first from my kids' Hallowe'en bags. I am a suck-er too, btw. Crstarlette, I didn't know that he was the dad from Veronica Mars. I know him from Flashpoint. I am still reading Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodges. I am liking this book so far. I am a bit confused by her waffling between the two male characters so I'm not sure if this will be cleared up at the end or not.

Can I third (or fourth) the Flavia series? She is delightful. Yes, they are mysteries but she is still delightful. Here are a few more that come to mind: Atonement by Ian McEwan (he has written others but I didn't like them as much.) Every Last One by Anna Quindlen Still Alice by Lisa Genova Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson The Secret Diary of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James Astray by Emma Donogue (short stories) while We Were Watching Downton Abbey by Wendy Wax (pure fluff) What Alice Forgot by Leanne Moriarty (she has another one, The Husband's Secret, but I didn't like that one as much, even fluffier than this one.) I don't read Christian fiction but I do read non-fiction. The ones that have stuck with me through the past year are: A Million Little Ways by Emily Freeman WonderStruck by Margaret Feinberg Holy is the Day by Carolyn Weber Surprised at Oxford by Carolyn Weber Hoping/praying that your surgery is successful and that your recovery is quicker than you think and that it is book-drenched.

Oh dear! I guess this is where I come out of the closet and admit that I am a book smeller, too! But this is not a good thing. If a book smells musty or has an old book smell I will not read it cause I just can't get past the smell. I know, pathetic. My in-laws do this. I always like the atmosphere that this evokes--calm, cozy, peaceful. I have always wanted to do this in my own home but, in answer to Stacia's question, I am not a puzzle-put-ter- together-er. I do not have the persistent gene it takes to put puzzles together. I always give up at the first sign of difficulty. The only atmposphere a puzzle table would bring in my home would be frustration and stress. :glare: I am now reading a YA book, Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodges. I'm not sure if I am going to like it but it has a great opening sentence: "I was raised to marry a monster."

I didn't know that Airman was a steampunk novel. Hmmm. I think I will put it on my TBR list.