Flourish: Balance for Homeschool Moms (A TOS Book Review)

   The name "Apologia" brings with it the confidence of quality education and instruction.  So, when I heard that Apologia Educational Ministries had published a book for homeschool moms, I knew it had to be good. 
Flourish: Balance for Homeschool Moms  is a brand new book written by Mary Jo Tate.
   Imagine, if you will, a flower.  It is washed out and a faded with drooping leaves planted in parched and thirsty soil. Now imagine a more vibrant flower--one that is bright red with moist green leaves planted in rich, fertile soil.  Which flower would you choose to be? I think we'd all choose the latter, the flower that is flourishing, much the same way we homeschool moms would rather flourish as we home educate our children than just barely keep our noses above water. That's what this new book, Flourish, is all about.
     What do we need in order to flourish in our homeschools?  No doubt you may have answered, "time!"  Well, Mary Jo Tate gives attention to that in several chapters.  She also covers topics like setting goals, planning, and boundaries.  The second half of the book gets a little more personal and specific.  She talks about attitudes, taking care of "you," training your children, making memories, managing your home, the ins- and-outs of homeschooling.  The books culminates with two very specific chapters: one just for single moms and one for moms who also run a home business.
     I have never read a book quite like Flourish.  There are how-to-homeschool books, how-to-manage your time books and how-to run a home books.  This book is unique in that it shares how to basically manage all of  life as a homeschooling family, not just certain aspects separately.  So much is included in the pages...all based on the fact that you, as mom, home educate your family.  Mary Jo Tate understands from years of experience that homeschooling really does affect most everything else in your life.  All of this advice and encouragement from Mary Jo is also based on God's Word. 
     The first time I sat down to just read "a little bit," and found that I had finished 3 chapters in no time.  Flourish is a very easy read in that it is very easy to follow and is so engaging that you just don't want to stop reading.  My book is full of underlined phrases and stars indicating parts I really, really liked or want to try.  I will definitely be re-visiting this book as a reference book and a source for encouragement to do better and to be better.

 

The Product:

The cost: $15
Paperback, 290 pages

Who would benefit from reading this book?

• Moms thinking about homeschooling
• Moms just getting started homeschooling (Oh, how I wish I had read this 8 years ago!)
• Moms in the midst of homeschooling. (A good "shot in the arm" to get you going again!)
• Single moms home educating their children
• Moms with a home business and homeschooling
• Anyone who loves a homeschooling mom and wants to better understand their needs.

     

Some of my favorite quotes from Flourish:
(I just love a good quote!  This book was FULL of them!)

• "Develop the habit of asking yourself, 'What am I saying no to when I say yes to this choice?  Are there any hidden costs?'"  (I was able to put that into practice this week, saying "no" to something I knew would cost me time away from my family and added stress!)
• "...commit your goals to writing."  (I did this for the first time in a long time...a great exercise for me.)
• "'How do you do it all?'  I don't, and I redefine 'it all.'  Nobody can do it all.  (How freeing!)
• "As you plan your week, be sure to include the important things, not just the urgent things."  (Oh, how easy it is to get caught up in the urgent when the important is so, well...important!)
• "Inspect what you expect.  That's how you add accountability to independence."  

About the Author: 

     It is easy to get to know Mary Jo Tate as you read her book.  She is a long-time homeschool mama of 4 boys and even runs her own at-home business.   She is a radio host, author, international editor and book coach.  Mary Jo even makes time to teach high school literature at a co-op and blog at: http://flourishathome.com/blog/.  What's amazing is that Mary Jo does all of this as a single mom.  She is full of insight and wisdom. 

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TOS Review~~Tunnel of Gold by Susan K. Marlow

     We struck gold when we received Tunnel of Gold by Susan K. Marlow and Kregel Publications to review--perfect timing for summer reading!  If you have big readers in your home like we do, you know the frustration of trying to find decent books for your kids to read, especially during the summer months when they have more free time to choose their own books. 
     Tunnel of Gold proved to be a book we do not have to worry about being on our shelf!  This is definitely a Christian book, not just a book with a "moral".  Scripture and Christian principles are woven throughout, while still maintaining an exciting story.  (In fact, I've recommended this book/author to a church librarian who was in need of good children's books.)
     Tunnel of Gold, by Susan K. Marlow, is from the "Goldtown Adventures" series and is book #2.  (It stood on its own without having to read book #1.)  Book #1 is Badge of Honor.  Book #3, Canyon of Danger will be making an appearance in November of 2013.  Susan K. Marlow has written other series as well: Circle C Adventures and Circle C Beginnings.



     Tunnel of Gold is about a 12-year-old boy, Jem Coulter, and his adventures in a gold mining town in California.  The year is 1864.  He finds himself in a tough situation with no easy answers.  Will he learn to trust God and do the right thing?  (The book has 18 short chapters and is 144 pages long.)

      

 

     My 12-year-old son read Tunnel of Gold as part of his summer reading.  I had a fun time interviewing him about his reading of the book:

An Interview with my son:

1. What did you think about the book?  The introduction was not as exciting as some other books.  But, after 3-4 pages it got much better.  I was not too enthusiastic about reading the book in the beginning, but it got good after that. 

 

2. What was your favorite part?  I liked the fighting parts.  The ending was pretty cool, I liked that.

 

3. Who was your favorite character?  Either Jim or Chad.

 

4. Who do you think would enjoy this book?  A boy about 10 years old who likes cowboys.

 

5. Was it easy to read?  Definitely.

 

6. Tell me about the pictures in the book.  There were just a few.  The pictures were not very big. I wish they had been more detailed.

 

7. Did you learn anything about history by reading this book?  Most of the history part I already knew, but I learned a lot about mining for gold.   I learned that there are 3 ways to get gold: panning for gold, mining for gold and crawling through "coyote holes" to get to the gold. 

 

8. Talk about the Christian aspects of this book.  This was a Christian book, but not "in your face" Christian.  It had a lot of Bible verses and stuff like that.  I thought that was good. 

 

9. What were the Christian principles emphasized in the book?  To obey your parents, God is always with you and forgiveness.

A few notes from "Mom": 
I really like that there is a "Historical Note" at the end of the book.  I love to wrap up a historical fiction with this information.  Not all historical fiction books include this, so I appreciate the added effort on the part of the author.

I think if the cover of the book had been a little more realistic and showed some of the action/adventure from the story, my son woud have been more inclined to want to read it.  As it turned out, he enjoyed the book anyway--but a better cover could have helped to make it more enticing.

 

 

Cost of Product: $7.99 for one book, or $13.95 for books #1 and #2.

 

Also Available: A very impressive Enrichment/Study Guide (free download)that would make a great unit study!

 

Age Range: The Goldtown Adventures book series is recommended for ages 9-13.

     

 

 

 

 

 



My Latest Read: Do Hard Things

     This has happened to me more than once--- more like 50 times.  It started back when my boys were still in preschool.  Often parents of teenagers would say to me, "Just wait.  Enjoy them now, because when they're teenagers they'll hate you." OR....When people ask how old my kids are, and then say (as they roll they're eyes), "Oh, you're in for it now, with a teenager in the house.  We all have to go through it." 

     I decided years ago that I would never say to myself: Okay, my boys are teenagers.  They are going to be rebellious, impossible and think I'm dumb.  These things could happen---hormones and growing up are a fact of life--but I just wasn't going to EXPECT it to happen.  What I wanted to expect was the opposite.  I anticipated a growing relationship with my boys and a time when they matured and deepened their lives by serving others and growing closer to the Lord. 

     In fact, on the day our oldest turned 13, my husband and I put our hands on his shoulders, looked him in the eyes and told him that today, he was a teenager. We explained that to much of the world this meant a time of being carefree, rebellious and irresponsible. (We also told him "teenager"was a term that has existed less than 100 years, but that's a rabbit I'll not chase here.)  We told him that what we saw ahead for him in his teen years was a time of maturity, responsibility and having a Christian testimony.  That was a year and a half ago.  We know we still have a long way before the "dreaded" teen years are over...but so far, we are loving having a teenager in the house!   (And plan to keep on loving this stage!)

 



     I say all this to lead up to what I really want to share.  I just finished reading Do Hard Things  by Alex and Brett Harris.  I was soooo excited when my oldest son won this book a while back for answering a question in youth group. (He read the first part of the book, then he told me I'd love it...I'm just now getting it back to him!) I had seen it advertised and had really been interested in the premise of the book---rebellion against low expectations for teenagers.  I HIGHLY recommend this book for all teenagers and their parents.  (It inspired me as an adult to "do hard things" as well!)  The Harris brothers say: "The teen years are not a vacation from responsibility...they are the training ground of future leaders who dare to be responsible now."  Can I get an AMEN? 

     My oldest son and I have a bit of an inside joke when it comes to "Do Hard Things".  Just the other night at church, when the youth were helping clean up after a meal, he came to me and said, "Mom, give me something easy to do." 

     I said, "Oh, no, son.  Remember, we 'Do Hard Things'."  We have fun joking around, but he gets it.  :)

 

 

Check out The Rebelution Blog by the Harris brothers for more information and inspiration on how you and your teenager can "Do Hard Things".

Reading my Book in the Orthodontist's Office

     Yesterday I took along the book, Radical by David Platt to read while waiting for my son at the orthodontist's office.  (I get such great reading done during appointments!)  I noticed a lady kept looking at me as I was reading, and smiling a bit.  As we were getting ready to leave, she asked if I liked the book.  She said she had heard it was good---but that she was scared to read it.  I said, "Don't be scared."  But then I thought about that for a few seconds. With tongue in cheek, I said, "Well, maybe you should be a little scared." I told her it was a very convicting and challenging book---but one I highly recommended.  I told her (and others) that this is a book you cannot just sit down and take in one sitting.  (Maybe some people can, but not me.)  It takes time to digest and to contemplate. 

     Many times I cannot help but to just verbally respond to what I'm reading...even if I'm in a waiting room full of people.  Yesterday, as I read page159, I just couldn't help but gasp a little.  Platt was sharing about a friend of his who had been on mission to reach villagers in remote areas of Southeast Asia.  They knew nothing of the gospel.  The people there were very friendly, they even invited the man to share a drink with them.  And get this....one of the men went into his little shop and came out with a classic red Coke can.  "A soft drink company in Atlanta has done a better job getting brown sugar water to these people than the church of Jesus Christ has done in getting the gospel to them."   Yikes.

    

justpitchingmytent,

(in a world that’s not my home)

Letha