What I read:
This week I have been reading Heartless by Marissa Meyer, Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, and the Discovery of Witches (books 2 and 3).
Heartless is a retelling of how the Queen of Hearts became who she was (it was a fun read that gives you a sympathetic view point on how our life can shape us for the good or bad) This is my second reading of the book. I love the subplot of Jack the Pumpkin eater and his wife!
Just Mercy is a heart wrenching book. I am going to buy my own copy and then highlight a ton of facts that will help me to explain things to some people in my life as to why the justice system is broken in America. I live in Alabama and the majority of the cases mentioned occurred in my own home state AND within the past 30 years! **Soap Box moment: I have not voted Republican (or mainstream Democrat) in the past four elections for a reason. If a party prides itself on being “pro-life” then it cannot proudly support the death penalty….period….Do you know how many people have been executed that had mental problems or retardation? Do you know how many people were INNOCENT and have been executed? Do you know how many people have been railroaded or tricked into confessing for a crime they did not do? Do you know how many people are killed before they know that Jesus loves them and that He died for them? Do you know how many women have been put on death row because they delivered a still born baby at home (because they could not afford healthcare) and then buried the body (because they could not afford a funeral)? I am 100% prolife. No to abortion, no to the death penalty, yes to universal Medicare. And we will not even discuss how many spontaneous abortions are caused by chemicals in our groundwater (poor environmental policies are another way that the Republican Party has failed the pro-life movement in my opinion) Who am I voting for? In the past I have voted for the Green Party, Libertarian Party, or just wrote in someone who I feel represents my views. This year, I am voting for John Bel Edwards from Louisiana. He is a pro-life Democrat governor (one of the rare ones) and he happens to be a Catholic who stands by his beliefs and morals, refusing to kowtow to the mainstream Democratic agenda. Is he on the official ballot? No. But he can be when I write his name on mine:)
A Discovery of Witches is just a fun read all around. All three books are good, but my favorites are #1 and #2. **It is kind of like a grown up version of the Twilight series in my opinion. Also, it does have some steamy moments so beware if that bothers you.
Ben (age 8) has been enjoying Stink Moody and the Zombie Walk, Rush Revere, and My Side of the Mountain.
What I watched: We have been watching The Blacklist, Rocky 4 (with Ben), and past episodes of King of the Hill.
Things I am loving lately:
The weather – It has been delightfully cold for the past few days after Hurricane Zeta blew through.
Falling leaves – We are making a leaf collection in homeschool, so we have been collecting multiple specimens to dry in our flower press.
The Read Aloud Revival podcast
I found wonderful art appreciation books at the library this week and I am so excited to do some of the activities with my kids!
Something I accomplished this week:
-I added 2,000 words to my novel, now just 13,000 to go
-I put out numerous fires at home and did some prescribed burning in my family’s schedule. (I am not talking about real fire!) I always equate mothering to being a firefighter. The small fires are everyday problems or emotions that I have to calm down or fix. The planning for the upcoming week and all the life lessons I have to help my kids with are the prescribed burning part of motherhood that prevent future fires from happening.
Something I learned:
That Sonya (our cat) wants to live in our fridge. Every time I open the fridge, she runs and jumps inside. If I try to close the door, she scoots even further inside and grabs on to anything she can if I try to pull her out.
Best things I saw on social media:
Happy Halloween!
The Thrifty Educator 