She settles into my arms, her eyes closed and her little body radiating heat. I read stories and teach lessons from the couch, holding her.

“I want Momma!” she protests each time I need to get up.

I hold her as much as I can, in between making meals, doing dishes, cleaning and lessons. She’ll get over the flu just fine if I leave her be, but I still remember the comfort of my mother’s hand on my fevered brow when I was a child.

And so, I spent much of the week holding my sick little girl. And I’m glad I did. She’s only this little right now. Tomorrow, she’ll be another day older, another day closer to the time that she won’t need me anymore.

But right now, it’s still my privilege to care for her. So I will make the most of it.

We’ve had a quiet week here, as I’m sure you can understand. As we turn our attention to Christmas and as we slow down and savour this beautiful season, things have been quieter on The Grace-Filled Life as well.

There are just 10 more days to go.

Here’s wishing you and your family health and happiness during this season.

~Mary-Ann

This Week on TGFL

I’ve published one article this week entitled, Homeschooling Through the Long Winter Months. In it, I share some tips to help you change things up when winter becomes a bit of a struggle.

This Week in the Outdoors

This Week in Books

This post contains affiliate links. Please view our full disclosure policy here.

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

Picture Books and Readers

We’re still working through our library haul, as well as unwrapping our Advent books for Morning Time.

• Sleep Tight, Farm by Eugene Doyle – Such a sweet book! I’ve added it to our list of 100+ Winter and Holiday Themed Storybooks to Read to Your Child.
• This is Christmas by Tom Booth
• Christmas in the Barn by Margaret Wise Brown – This can be found on our list of 100+ Winter and Holiday Themed Storybooks to Read to Your Child.
• Best in Snow by April Pulley Sayre
• The Berenstain Bears’ Old-Fashioned Christmas by Stan and Jan Berenstain –This can be found on our list of 100+ Winter and Holiday Themed Storybooks to Read to Your Child.
• Maple and Willow’s Christmas Tree – This is such a sweet book!
• No Snow for Christmas by Jill Kalz – Honestly? We did not enjoy this book.
• Apple Tree Christmas by Trinka Hakes Noble – One of our favourites! It can be found on our list of 100+ Winter and Holiday Themed Storybooks to Read to Your Child.
• The Berenstain Bears’ Christmas Tree by Jan and Mike Berenstain – This book can be found on our list of 100+ Winter and Holiday Themed Storybooks to Read to Your Child.
• Winter on the Farm by Laura Ingalls Wilder – This book can be found on our list of 100+ Winter and Holiday Themed Storybooks to Read to Your Child.

Chapter Books

I alphabetized the girls’ bookshelf last weekend, sparking a flurry of reading activity. My oldest daughter is a very fast, very avid reader, and she is the reason this list is so long!

• Danny Champion of the World by Roald Dahl – I read this entire book aloud to the girls this week. We enjoyed it immensely.

• The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

• Lunch Money by Andrew Clements

• Mystery at Cranberry Farm by Lynn Manuel (out of print)

• Encyclopedia Brown: Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobol

• Emily’s Runaway Imagination by Beverly Cleary

• Bambi: A Life in the Woods by Felix Salten

• Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
• Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison by Lois Lenski
• School Ship Tobermory by Iain McIntosh

Adult Reads

• Families where Grace is in Place: Building a Home Free of Manipulation, Legalism and Shame by Jeff VanVonderen – This book is absolutely amazing. I came across it after I had read one of the author’s other books, and it has been sitting on my bookshelf for at least a year. I can’t believe I haven’t read it before now!
• The Last Word by N.T. Wright

Homeschool Highlights

We finished up our third week of Jennifer Naraki’s Slow + Sacred Advent. Once again, we didn’t do all of the activities. I love that there’s no pressure to “do it all”. We pick and choose and it’s beautiful. We made leaf crowns from this week’s suggested activities and gingerbread cookies from last week’s list of activities. The girls thoroughly enjoyed both.

In history class, we’re continuing to read In the Days of Queen Victoria by Eva March Tappan. It’s delightful, although it certainly makes the Queen out to be an angel. Other biographies are more balanced. This has sparked some interesting discussions on how subjective history can be.

In geography, we learned about Arctic Canada this week. The girls were incredibly diligent with their independent work, leaving plenty of time for reading and STEM.

Snippets from Around the Web

• When the Everyday Mama Finds Bethlehem
• The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling High School 
• Christian Homeschooling is not a Formula for Success

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