It’s that time of year–cramming, scrambling, weeping and wailing–we are preparing for AP tests. Among the stress and frustration, my son made me laugh when he shared this innocent observation: “I’ve always imagined the bubble sheet to be a river.” He continued explaining, “I want to try to block the river with the bubble choices and create a wall to stop the water.” He rejoiced in finally meeting his goal with this bubble sheet!

Here are a few books we’ve been enjoying from our local library. When Stars Are Scattered In addition to having a paper copy, we listened to the award-winning audio for this moving graphic novel. What a fantastic collaboration by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed! Highly Recommend. Milloo’s Mind This is a delightful story about the opportunity to attend school. The illustrations were fantastic and the true story very inspiring. Tricking the Tallyman As we’ve been using the Census for our family history studies, my son has been more interested in details about the census.

Witty and clever, I love this book about being a mother within the Jewish faith. Her main theme is that anyone can “adapt Jewish tricks for raising flexible, quick-thinking, literate, open-minded kids.” I love her confidence! Her writing is sprinkled with Yiddish vocabulary, such as vontz: “the kid may become an egocentric little vontz (Yiddish for bedbug, an excellent term for an annoying person).” “Mothers have power." Ingall emphasizes the value of the role, “Women tend to be more religious than men (which is why Judaism, a largely home-based faith, has been not only practiced but also transmitted by women).

While at the orthodontist with my son, I was browsing the December 2022 Northern Virginia Magazine. An article about college admissions caught my eye. I appreciated the theme of the article: consider many options for college and don’t be discouraged if you get rejected. This quote was one I really agreed with: The pressure-packed college admissions process can take away from the joys of high school if students and their parents or guardians get wrapped up in being accepted at a handful of extremely selective schools.

While reviewing a list of Spanish reflexive verbs this morning, my teenage son was curious to learn more about one verb: deshacerse. This verb means “undo” and “get rid of.” We flipped open the “501 Spanish Verbs” to review the conjugation and look at some examples. We were both surprised by the final example: el deshechizo: breaking off a magic spell “Why would they have a word for something that doesn’t even exist?

We recently took an extended trip to México’s Yucatán Peninsula. Here are some of the things that surprised and delighted us.

1. Abundance of Churches The cities we visited were vestiges of Spanish colonization. Each had a main cathedral with a plaza. But there were lots of Catholic churches in each city. We had an Airbnb directly across from the San Roman Cathedral in Campeche. With their doors open during the worship services, we could easily hear the prayers and singing.

One contribution my husband makes to our homeschool is a “personal finance” book group. We read a book individually and discuss it as a group. I appreciate his efforts to instill financial literacy in our children. One of his selections I recently enjoyed was “The Psychology of Money” by Morgan Housel. Not only are Morgan Housel’s ideas good for financial concepts, they also really apply to homeschooling as well!

I’ve met a wide variety of homeschoolers from really relaxed to super structured. Though I definitely fall on the “structured” side of the spectrum, I am not nearly as structured as some. One friend told me she fills up her car every Thursday. “Why would I wait until the car is nearly empty of gas?” She anticipated the need and planned ahead each week. I was astonished. I realized I could do the same.

We have a recipe we enjoy for a dessert that uses Mascarpone. Originally, the recipe was for Tiramisu, but I made some modifications. First of all, we don’t drink coffee, so I eliminated that. We added some orange zest and freshly squeezed orange juice instead. We also don’t use sugar, so we had a substitute. Nor do we eat white flour, so in place of the lady fingers we made a light almond flour cake.

During the holiday season, gift-giving is a big focus for parents. Like you, I search for gifts that communicate my love. Ultimately, one of the gifts I am most proud to have given my children is actually a consistent experience: ninety minutes of daily free time. Without exception, whether weekday, weekend or holiday, this is part of our family routine. Each child has ninety minutes to themselves, in a room alone, completely free of my expectations.