Living Unabridged

We had a fun summer week starting with a Reds game. (We won! And after we had psyched ourselves up just to enjoy the event since we were sure they'd lose. Again.) We took a family vacation day and visited a children's museum about an hour and a half away from our home. We finished that day with a stop at a downtown mall. You can tell our 4 year old hasn't been to many malls. We walked into the food court to eat supper and she asked, "What is this place?" She had never seen so many food options all at once. (For the record, she chose a taco from Taco Bell.)

We've had all the normal stuff too: orthodontist appointments, house repairs, and then we took the Little Man for his first professional pictures.

But enough of all that, on to the links:

Learning

• If you haven't checked out Sarah Mackenzie's  Read-Aloud Revival yet, you might want to start tomorrow for a live online chat with Melissa Wiley.
• What Scout and Atticus Teach Us About Schooling by Emily Olson at The Federalist. I suspect Harper Lee had some Opinions about education in the U.S.
• Keeping the End in Mind by Mystie Winkler at Simply Convivial. Context and perspective are important components to a life well lived.

Living

• This made me laugh: 26 Daily Struggles of Contact Lens Wearers from Buzzfeed. (language warning for this site)
• Loving the Home You Have, Not the One You Pin by Daniele at The Better Mom. "It’s possible to be grateful, focus on hospitality and still dream about and create a home we truly enjoy."
• Possibly related: my friend MacKenzie shares her take on the Kondo question, "Does this spark joy?" with this post: Joy and Imagination. I haven't read the book yet but I appreciated this perspective. (I'll probably have more Thoughts after I have a chance to read the book for myself.)
• Hope for Mourning Parents by Cory Wessman at TGC. I really wanted to highlight this important new ministry.
• From the Trenches of Parenting a Highly Sensitive Child by Anne Bogel at Modern Mrs. Darcy. I knew I was raising at least a couple of HSPs but I didn't realize I am one myself until I read these paragraphs:
  

  The “highly sensitive” label doesn’t mean someone is touchy or overly emotional. The label implies no judgment: it describes the HSP’s nervous system, which is extremely good at registering the subtle nuances in any given situation.

  This means that highly sensitive children startle easily, hate scratchy clothing, and don’t enjoy big surprises. They are extremely sensitive to smells, may seem to read your mind at times, and tend to be perfectionists. They don’t do well with crowds, loud noises, or violent movies or tv shows.

  That last paragraph is my biography, right there. Now to analyze what it's like as a HSP raising other HSPs...

• Time Management and the Power of 1440 by Kevin Kruse at Forbes. (A related book that I recommend is Laura Vanderkam's 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think)

Loving

• What Many Americans Get Wrong About States' Rights by Jared Meyer and Randal Meyer. Clearing up a common misconception.
• The Shalom of Neurochemistry by Krispin Mayfield at The Behemoth. As Spock would say, "Fascinating."
• Anyone else on Twitter notice the backgrounds went away? Theory on this change: Will Twitter's Backgrounds Contain Ads? Ugh.
• Prince George of Cambridge turned two this week. Celebrate by enjoying 37 Cutest Pictures of Prince George. This boy has personality to spare.

We have a lot of big projects we're hoping to get done in the next few weeks. And school starts in earnest as soon as the girls get back from visiting grandparents. (Co-op will start in September.)

Meanwhile, the iBoy and his noble steed wish you all a very happy week!