The End of The School Year is Finally Here!

We are pretty excited to have hit the end of our school year!   We are ready to move on into summer and do some lighter subjects and enjoy some summer camps, sleeping in, playing outside and just relaxing!  I tell myself every year that I am NOT going to take the summer off....yet, somehow, by the time summer rolls around we get to thinking that we just NEED a break.  The weather is too nice and pretty.  The turtles, butterflies and hummingbirds are just too distracting!  

So...  As of Monday, May 14th we are in full summer mode!   Bring it on!

Miss Wilton's Waltz {Book Review}

A new novel from Josi S. Kilpack!?  Yes Please!  

Miss Wilton's Waltz picks up where Josi Kilpack's previous novel, The Vicar's Daughter, left off and follows the story of Cassie's older sister Lenora.  At the end of The Vicar's Daughter, we were left wondering what would happen to poor Lenora after her sister Cassie and Evan fell in love!  

Would she find ever happiness?

Lenora Wilton has spent her life hiding behind the keys of her beloved pianoforte and the vibrancy of her younger sister, Cassie. But Lenora is ready for a change and travels to Bath to live with her Aunt Gwen and teach music at an all-girls boarding school. She is different in Bath more comfortable with herself and enjoys the freedom and independence of her new life there. 

When Lenora meets Aiden Asher, she finds herself attracted to him, but her unexpected feelings become more complicated when she learns that Catherine, Lenora's newest and most troublesome student in the school, is Mr. Asher's niece. Catherine is a difficult student, and Lenora works hard to make progress with the girl. 

When the chemistry between Lenora and Aiden increases, they share a passionate kiss by the River Avon, and Lenora feels it is the beginning of a new forever until she learns that Aiden has withheld an important detail about his life that changes everything.  (from the book cover)

To give a bit of background... In the Vicar's Daughter, Lenora's younger sister Cassie is frustrated because she cannot have her "coming out" until older sister Lenora finds a suitable husband.  In the hopes of helping to hurry things along, Cassie begins writing to Evan, a gentleman in her fathers employ, in Lenora's name.  She was hoping that she could convince this fellow to fall in love with her sister.  But, they ended up falling in love with each other...  leaving Lenora still without a suitable husband.

Fast forward to the beginning of Miss Wilton's Waltz we find Cassie and Evan happily engaged.  But, now Lenora has plans of her own.  Plans that she has decided do NOT involve marriage.  Making arrangements with her Aunt Gwen she plans to live with her in Bath through part of the year and for the remainder of the year she will live and work at an all-girls school teaching music.  She is ecstatic for the opportunity to be herself and she loves how different she feels in Bath.  She feels confident and secure.

She loves teaching until the day that young Catherine arrives.  She is rude, belligerent, and troublesome, and apparently has been kicked out of several finishing schools.  Her shocking behavior leaves Lenora reeling and shaken.  When Catherine's guardian, Aiden Asher, finds Lenora in a less-than-favorablel situation, he promises to keep her secret IF she will help Catherine stay in school.   Feeling a bit blackmailed she agrees to help Catherine.  And as Lenora and Aiden begin to fall for each other, they share a kiss...  

Oh dear, what has Lenora gotten herself into?

I was thrilled with the opportunity to review another Proper Romance from Shadow Mountain!  You cannot go wrong with these wonderful, clean, reads!  I enjoyed this one just as much as I have enjoyed the ones before!  

You can purchase Miss Wilton's Waltz from your favorite retailer!

Thank you so much for Swinging By!

Disclaimer:  I received an advanced reader copy of Miss Wilton's Waltz free of charge in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions expressed here are my very own.

Homeschool Safety Week {Field Trip!}

We decided to take some time off last week to enjoy a Homeschool Safety Week!  We had a great time...  We used The Good & The Beautiful Safety Unit as a jumping off point and discussed the importance of everything from Internet Safety to Stranger Danger and Fire/Evacuation, etc. 

The Jenny Phillips units have been great for all ages and the .pdf download is only $10! 

Thanks to Papa for being instrumental in the Fire Safety day!  

(No children were harmed in these activities...LOL)

After intense lecture we went out "into the field" to test our skills.

Each girl needed to feel confident about getting their window open, screen removed, and escaping from their room.  Kayley is on a 2nd floor so this was a little tough, but once she was out the window, she kicked off successfully and landed quite comfortable on the ground.  We really felt that, in the event of a true emergency, she would know with certainty that she COULD do it. . 

Maggie's was a bit easier but still exciting to give it a try... 

They also had to escape the house blindfolded (smoke) and get to the front door.   

We also discussed propane and natural gas and had them give it a sticky whiff so they would know what they were smelling. 

We finished out our week with a trip to Springfield's Annual Safe Kids Day expo...

We learned about putting babies "back to sleep" with Mercy. 

Identifying chemicals and drugs from candy and juice.  

It was tougher than you would think!

We goofed off with the highway patrol... 

Learned about electrical line safety... 

And toured an ambulance.   

Learned basic CPR.

I didn't get nearly enough pictures, but we had a great time and enjoyed a week of learning about the importance of being safe!

Thanks for Swinging By!

Ashes on the Moor {Proper Romance}

I just adore every Proper Romance that Shadow Mountain has published!  And, I have really enjoyed author Sarah M. Eden...  I tend to start reading her book and then just can't put it down.  I'm excited to share that her newest book is no exception!   

Ashes on the Moor is another just-can't-put-it-down read!

In Ashes on the Moor, Evangeline Blake and her sister are all that remains of their strong, loving family.  As her aunt and uncle arrive to charge of the girls they discover, to their horror, that her sister will be sent to live with their domineering and angry grandfather, while Evangeline must earn her own way by becoming a school teacher in the impoverished town.  

Devastated at being separated from her sister, hurt by being thrown into the working class, Evangeline arrives at the town school discovering that the building is completely inhabitable.  Having been raised as a genteel lady, Evangeline is anxious and overwhelmed.  She doesn't have the first idea how to cook.  She doesn't have any food to cook.  She can't fix the things wrong with the building.  Not that it mattered, she has no tools.  She has no cleaning supplies.  Not even a bed to sleep on...or blankets to cover herself.

  But she MUST succeed.  

To succeed brings the hope that she can bring her sister there to live with her.

Not giving in to defeat, Evangeline turns to the one person who can help her:  Grumpy and quiet Dermot McCormick.  Even though he seems terribly inconvenienced by helping her...help her he does and very slowly a tentative friendship begins to grow.  Evangeline's heart is tugged by Dermot's quiet little boy and she is anxious to help him...  If only she knew how.  

I can't tell you much more without starting to give away spoilers, so you will just have to read the book to find out what happens to Evangeline and Dermot!   

You can purchase Ashes on the Moor from your favorite retailer.

I know I have gushed over and over in previous reviews about Sarah Eden!  She is one of my top favorites!  You can find out all about her books by visiting her website:

https://www.sarahmeden.com

And keep up with the latest Sarah M. Eden news by following Sarah on Facebook!

And stay on top of all things clean and romantic by following Shadow Mountain's Proper Romance on Facebook too!

Disclaimer:  Thank you so much for the chance to review Ashes on the Moor.  I was given the advanced reader edition free of charge in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions expressed here are my very own.  :)

Why we switched from BiblioPlan to Heart of Dakota (again!)

As many of you know, I have been an avid curriculum jumper for quite some time.  We have really struggled to find something that just "fit" in the area of history & science.  We have always fallen back on BiblioPlan again...and again...and again...  We really LOVE BiblioPlan.  (Remember the burning of London and the Rice Crispie Castle?  Thanks BiblioPlan!)  But, in the last couple of years we have struggled with getting it done.

(the girls lowering their conestogas down the cliff - 

Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory)

Having Kayley in middle school and Maggie in early elementary the girls were just far enough apart in age that it was getting to where, doing things together, meant that someone was either not challenged enough...or it was above someone's head.

To make matters even more complicated it was to the point where the girls felt like I was "inventing" things for them to do...just to keep them busy.  So, one unnamed daughter, often felt that what I assigned was "optional" since it wasn't technically written down anywhere other than where I assigned it in our handwritten assignment books...

(Making a glider - Resurrection to Reformation)

I have never really wanted to use a boxed curriculum, but the more I got to thinking about it, the more I realized that maybe the box was the way to go?  After all, I would no longer be "the bad guy" who was inventing and writing down work just to make my kids miserable.  I thought we might give it a try...  Somehow I thought that the girls would hate it and be SO glad to go back to BiblioPlan...

Well, I was right & wrong.  So, in 2016 we did a 6 week trial of Heart of Dakota.  (We also did a 6 week trial of Ambleside Online and some of The Good & The Beautiful but they deserve their own blog post).  First, I was right in that we didn't like it...at first.  We very much missed doing our history and science together among several other things....  So, we went back to BiblioPlan.

(Art - Beyond Little Hearts)

We did BiblioPlan for a few more months and I soon realized that I (Mom) was doing all the work.  So, of course they liked it better.  I was spoon-feeding them what they needed to know.  I read aloud the history.  I read aloud the questions...  I helped with maps.  Unfortunately I was failing them...  They needed to be independent and I realized that Heart of Dakota was working in that respect.

Then one day, out of the blue, Kayley told me.  "I really liked Heart of Dakota.  Can we try it again?" So, we did.  And many of the worries I had about it were gone...  Looking back I think I didn't have Kayley placed well in her guide.  I think we would've been a bit more successful if we had made more of an effort to place her accurately.

(Science - Res to Ref)

So, for the last 5 months we have been using Heart of Dakota almost exclusively.  Even down to the writing (which Kayley originally hated).  Both girls are thriving!  Kayley just finished up Resurrection to Reformation.  Maggie is 4 weeks shy of finishing up Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory.  I adore not being "the bad guy."

Don't get me wrong.  There are a LOT of things I miss.  I miss lesson planning a little, but I have found a way around this by enjoying planning out "the riches" that we never seemed to have time for before but do now.  I miss learning history & science together, but we still have plenty of time for our Joy Basket and a read-aloud, which are usually history or science!  We also do Drawn Into the Heart of Reading together which has been surprisingly fun and easy to implement...

I look forward to sharing more about our homeschool journey using Heart of Dakota!
Thanks for swinging by!