How did your January go? We had snowed in days and days where it felt like spring. We had a few lazy stretches and a few days where we weren't sure how we'd fit everything in. (Spoiler: we managed.)
And we celebrated my husband's birthday. No big party this year. We had cupcakes with the kids. And last night we went to a new to us restaurant and to a special art exhibit. (Which is how you know we were celebrating his birthday and not mine. I would choose an antique mall or thrift store.)
Anyway, good times! And I hope your January has been the same.
Learning
- How to Take Control of Your Children's Education by Jessica Burke for The Federalist. This is basically a review of Susan Wise Bauer's latest book, which I cannot wait to read (of course).
- About Those Gaps in Learning by Purva Brown. I don't think this can be said too often.
Living
- We Are All Making Choices with Our Money. A reminder about frugal living by Kristen (The Frugal Girl).
- My Life as Mom to 8 Kids. By Dawn McCormick as told to Kate Morgan at The Cut. I enjoyed this down to earth mom. Almost made me want two more kids. {wink}
- Sometimes I joke that Proverbs 14:4 is my life verse (and it's definitely the mission statement of church's children's ministries!) so I also appreciated this post: Mothers, Embrace the Mess by Caroline Albanese at TGC.
- Christians so easily get the "calling" concept twisted up so I appreciated this challenge: Why I Left the Cult of "Calling" (And You Should Too) by Leslie Verner at Relevant.
- Parents, Take Note of the Spiritual Practices Common to Kids Who Flourish as Adults by Trevin Wax. Another great post by Trevin: A Brief Defense of the Christian Subculture.
Loving
- Spring Break? 8 Unexpectedly Affordable Vacations to Take in 2018. Don't mind me, just doing a little dreaming. (London is on this list!)
- I'm seeing these DNA tests all over my social media these days. Which meant this longform post definitely caught my eye: How DNA Testing Botched My Family's Heritage, And Probably Yours, Too by Kristen V. Brown.
- Speaking of stuff in social media feeds, the essential oil trend is still going strong. I'm not 100% opposed, but I do have concerns. Some of which are reflected in these two posts: Why Essential Oils Aren't "Natural" and House of Cards: The Toxic Combination of Essential Oils and Multi-Level Marketing by Dani Stringer (The Kid Nurse).
- I don't "love" this, in fact, I hate it, but it's a must read: The U.S. Gymnastics System Wanted More Medals and Created a Culture of Abuse to Get Them by Dvora Meyers for Deadspin.
- Palate cleanser: This is the Coolest Homemade Lego Millenium Falcon of All Time.
From Living Unabridged
This month: Reading Isn't Just for the Rich
One year ago: INTJ - Knowledge Collecting
Two years ago: Teaching Ancient History
Three years ago: 15 Tips for Keeping Warm This Winter
What We've Watched This Month
Of the two, I highly recommend Shetland. But you may want to watch with subtitles because those Scottish accents can be tricky. My husband and I watch a LOT of British shows but we both asked each other at least once an episode, "What did he / she just say?!"
What caught your eye this month?
