It’s crazy to think that there are less than three weeks until Christmas. We’ve been having a lovely time going on brisk walks and cozying up indoors with hot chocolate and stories. I hope you’ve been enjoying these weeks leading up to Christmas as well!

Below, you’ll find out what’s been happening on The Grace-Filled Life this week, as well as glimpses into our homeschool, a list of books that we’re reading, and snippets from around the web.

Enjoy! And have a wonderful weekend!

~Mary-Ann

This Week on TGFL

Here’s what’s been happening on The Grace-Filled Life this week:

• Homeschool Lessons that Cultivate Attention (Thoughts on Charlotte Mason’s “Home Education” – Part 3) – How do you cultivate attention when teaching? How do you not only capture your students’ attention for the moment, but also develop a long-term ability to focus fully on tasks at hand? Find out the third installment in my series on “Home Education” by Charlotte Mason.
• To the Mom Who Feels Forgotten… – Being a stay-at-home mom can be lonely sometimes. If you’re feeling forgotten this holiday season, this post is for you.

This Week in the Outdoors

Sunshine. How I’ve longed for it! This week, we’ve had a few glorious, sunny days. And oh how we’ve treasured them! Sometimes, a little bit of sunshine is all you need.

This Week in Books

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Between the five of us, here’s what we’ve been reading (click on the titles for purchasing information):

Picture Books and Readers

We had quite the library haul this week. Some books, we loved. Others, we didn’t even bother reading. We also continued unwrapping our Advent books for Morning Time. This week, we read:

• The Joy of Giving by Jan and Mike Berenstain – One of our favourites. This can be found in our list of 100+ Winter and Holiday Themed Storybooks to Read to Your Child.
• Lucy’s Christmas by Donald Hall – We love this book! This can be found in our list of 100+ Winter and Holiday Themed Storybooks to Read to Your Child.
• A New Coat for Anna by Harriet Ziefert and Anita Lobel – This can be found in our list of 100+ Winter and Holiday Themed Storybooks to Read to Your Child and our list of 20 Favourite Picture Books.
• Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner and Christopher Silas Neal – This book sparked some fun, extra research into different mammals and how they live. It can be found in our list of 100+ Winter and Holiday Themed Storybooks to Read to Your Child.

• The Broken Ornament by Tony DiTerlizzi – I didn’t like this book. My girls adored it.

• Oskar and the Eight Blessings by Richard Simon and Tanya Simon – This amazing book tells the fictional story of a little Jewish boy from Germany whose parents put him on a ship to New York to find his aunt. It can be found in our list of 100+ Winter and Holiday Themed Storybooks to Read to Your Child.
• The Snow Knows by Jennifer McGrath – This sweet book is also on our list of 100+ Winter and Holiday Themed Storybooks to Read to Your Child.
• The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado – I adore this book. It can be found in our list of 100+ Winter and Holiday Themed Storybooks to Read to Your Child.

Chapter Books

• Miss Hickory by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey – We finally finished this amazing chapter book. It is definitely one of our favourites ever!

• The Incredible Journey by Sheila A. Burnford – My oldest daughter loves this book about three pets who travel 400 km across Ontario to find their way home.

Adult Reads

I’m reading North or be Eaten by Andrew Peterson this week.

Homeschool Highlights

We finished up our second week of Jennifer Naraki’s Slow + Sacred Advent. Although we didn’t do a couple of the activities, we did make candles to celebrate Jesus, the light, and the One who brings us peace.

In history class, we’re reading In the Days of Queen Victoria by Eva March Tappan. My girls keep asking for more and more. They can’t get enough of this book! They hardly realize that they’re learning.

We received our latest installment of Letters from Afar and learned all about Patagonia. Short of traveling, Letters from Afar truly is the loveliest way to learn about the world.

Snippets from Around the Web

• The Fear of Not Doing Enough – This is one of my favourite bloggers and one of my favourite topics. Do you struggle with feeling like you’re not doing enough as a homeschooling parent? Read this. It’s filled with truth and wisdom.
• Advent Scripture Reading Calendar – This calendar of Bible readings for Advent is an amazing FREE resource!
• Tradition – I love this beautiful reminder to keep life simple and focus on what’s important this season.

Don’t forget to check out The Grace-Filled Life Facebook page. It’s your one-stop place for encouragement, inspiration and laughs throughout the week. You can also find TGFL on Pinterest and Instagram.