999 Reading Challenge

Last year Cellista posted about the 888 challenge (read 8 books in 8 categories in 2008). It looked like just the thing for me, so I decided to take the challenge. I was just browsing her blog today and noticed she has a list for the 999 challenge now (same idea as above, just add one to each of the numbers). I realized that it has been a while since I updated my 888 list, and since 2008 has been over for a month and a half, it would be a good idea to take an inventory of how I did. The final tally was 33 books read. That doesn't count all the ones I read that didn't fit into any of the categories I had chosen, or that I just forgot to record. . . I definitely could have done better, especially in my history and spirituality categories, but it was honestly more than I expected. I have felt like my reading has really taken a back seat to all of the craziness in my life this past year. I miss reading ravenously, but I realize that there is a time and season for everything in life. Acknowledging that I only met 1/3 of this years challenge last time, I am going to give the 999 challenge a try. It helps to have some focus to my reading and a goal to help me reach a little farther and stretch my self in areas I don't naturally gravitate to but know I should pay more attention to.

So here's the official rules: "9 books in 9 categories in 2009, 9 can overlap, 72 books total" We'll see how I do. . . .
Books in blue are ones I am currently reading, books with an * are the "overlapping" books, and the books with a √ are the ones I have completed.

My current choices are:

I. Government/History (We'll give it a try again. I really need to do better in this area)

1. 1776 * √
2. The 5000 Year Leap: A Miracle That Changed the World √
3. The Making of America: The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution
4. An Enemy Hath Done This
5. The Federalist Papers
6. Democracy in America
7. The Law
8.
9. 

II. Education

1. Revealed Educational Principles & the Public Schools: A look at principle-centered education through the prophets and LDS educational history √
2. The Underground History of American Education: A School Teacher's Intimate Investigation Into the Problem of Modern Schooling
3. The One Minute Teacher: How to Teach Others to Teach Themselves
4. When Children Love to Learn: A Practical Application of Charlotte Mason's Philosophy for Today
5. Righteous Influence: What Every Leader Should Know About Drawing on the Powers of Heaven
6. Home Education: Volume I of Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschooling Series
7. In My Father's House: The Years Before the Hiding Place
8. The Latin-Centered Curriculum √
9. Pajama School-Stories from the Life of a Homeschool Graduate √

III. Motherhood

1. Created for Work: Practical Insights for Young Men
2. The Parenting Breakthrough: Real-Life Plan to Teach Kids to Work, Save Money, and Be Truly Independent √
3. So You Want to Raise a Boy? √
4. Raising Your Spirited Child Rev Ed: A Guide for Parents Whose Child Is More Intense, Sensitive, Perceptive, Persistent, and Energetic
5. The Organized Homeschooler
6.
7.
8.
9.

IV. Spirituality

1. The Book of Mormon √
2. The Doctrine and Covenants √
3. Each Ensign from cover to cover this year
4. Holy Temple
5. Hearing the Voice of the Lord
6. The Temple: Where Heaven Meets Earth
7.
8.
9.

V. Book Club Books

1. A Tale of Two Cities *√
2. 1776 * √
3. The Last Lecture √ (My review)
4. I Am David √
5. And Then There Were None √
6. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich *√
7. These is My Words √
8. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency √
9. The School of Essential Ingredients √

VI. Family Read Alouds

1. The Wheel on the School √ (Read the review)
2. A Little Princess √
3. The Secret Garden √
4. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow √
5. The Little Prince √
6. By the Shores of Silver Lake √
7. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
8. A Christmas Carol √
9.

VII. Poetry

1. Now We Are Six √ (If you haven't read A.A. Milne with your kids or just for yourself, you don't know what you're missing. . . )
2. When We Were Very Young √
3. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Selected Poems
4. John Greenleaf Whittier: Selected Poems
5. The Collected Poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar
6. Rhymes and Verses: Collected Poems for Young People
7.
8.
9.

VIII. Classics

1. Persuasion √
2. Les Misérables (I've also read this one before, but it's been at least 15 years and after reading A Tale of Two Cities I had a desire to read this again.)
3. North and South √
4. The Keeper of the Bees
5. The Scarlet Pimpernel √
6. A Tale of Two Cities * √
7. The Taming of the Shrew *
8. A Midsummer Night's Dream *
9. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich *√


IX. Other (I decided to leave this category open so I had somewhere to put all the miscellaneous books I pick up and read on a whim. . . )

1. Honey for a Child's Heart √ (Read the review)
2. Honey for a Woman's Heart √ (Read the review)
3. Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary √
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Joy in the Journey

I was sitting in church today, struggling with our extremely active Little C.  As the sacrament was being passed I thought about how I used to enjoy reflecting on my week during this time, thinking about what went well, and what I could improve upon.  It was always such a peaceful and spiritually renewing part of my week.  Now, in order to keep the peace, I am usually searching for numerous ways to keep Little C. distracted and happy so that I can at least stay in the chapel.  As I was longing for the time to rerturn when I could focus more on my spiritual growth, I was struck with the thought that this was my mission right now.  Loving and enjoying this prescious child of God is most important for me right now, and will ultimately bring me the most spiritual growth.  It seems simple and obvious, but I love it when the Spirit brings things into focus for us when our expectations get a little off the mark.  Motherhood is the greatest sacrifice, the most difficult challenge, and the most sweetly rewarding endeavor we could ever undertake in this life.  In many ways, the work we do as mothers, as we lovingly and submissively give our lives (through our time, energy, sleep, pursuits, and hearts) for our children, we come closer to emulating the life of our Savior than through anything else we could do.  The Savior spent time studying the scriptures, but the bulk of his life and ministry was spent teaching, loving and serving the people.  It was a sweet experience today to be reminded of this fact and rather than feel guilty that I couldn't sit quietly and focus completely on the speakers or ponder the feelings and thoughts of the spirit, I held my baby and thanked Heavenly Father for the opportunity to be a mother and be taught a little more about what it means to loose myself in the service of others.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Catch-Up #36

It always seems like I am playing catch-up with my Outdoor Hour Challenges, but this time I really got them done on time, I just haven't been able to post them because I couldn't get my pictures off my camera!  Little C.  sucked on the cable that attaches my camera to the computer and it stopped working, so I haven't been able to download any pictures for about a month.  It has been driving me crazy.  I was so upset about not being able to post about these Challenges too, because we were just getting into the swing of things and making some really great connections with our studies.  Well, I finally picked up a new cable so I can post about our challenges now.  Better late than never, right?

Challenge # 36 was a seasonal tree study.  We were supposed to pick a tree back in the summer time and study it in each of the four seasons.  Well, we never picked our tree this summer.  We had an awful year for trees.  My four favorite trees in our yard died this year (two peaches and two redbuds. . .), and I was too depressed about it to pick anything this summer, but fall was the perfect time to begin our tree study.  We surveyed the neighborhood looking for just the right tree to study.  We finally settled on this tree.  

I still haven't figured out what type of tree it is, but it was so interesting that the vote was unanimous.  

We especially loved the leaves.  They look kind of like needles, but were softer than needles.  We loved how they were an orangy-red, with the little bits of green.

When we came home all of the boys actually made entries in their nature-journal!  

I was thrilled.  

They had all gathered a couple of leaves and did leaf rubbings when we got home.

They also drew their own interpretations of the tree.  

They're not Rembrandts yet, but they're on their way. . . .

I will post challenge #37 in a separate entry, but we have really loved this tree focus!