Blogging Through The Alphabet begins 8 April 2021!

Mark your calendars friends, there is a new round of Blogging Through The Alphabet which is begining on Thursday 8th April Australia EST (Wednesday 7 April USA EST).  

Desiree from Our Homeschool Notebook is hosting this round of Blogging Through the Alphabet and has graciously invited me to join her as a co-host.

I attempted to join a Blogging Through the Alphabet in 2014 however due to work and homeschooling commitments I was not able to complete it. However it has remained on my radar as something I really wanted to do.

The challenge is to blog or create a social media post about each letter of the alphabet begining on April the 8th with the letter A. The topic I have chosen is A is for Art Lessons at Home. 

You're Invited to Join in the Fun of Blogging Through the Alphabet

• Blog about what ever the letter for the week is.
• Come link up to the post hosted here or at Our Homeschool Notebook.
• The posts will be scheduled for 7 am Australia EST on Thursdays (that is Wednesday 5 pm USA EST)

Most of all lets have fun together and be creative. 

Here are some ideas to help you get started...

• What would you teach that week in your homeschool with the letter of the week?
• Use the letter for your devotional for the week and share some encouragement.
• Create some word art for your word of the week. Here is an example from Ben and Me V is for Victory.
• Write about your favourite resource for the week
• Create a fun list or round up for the week with that letter
• Choose a theme and tackle it from 26 different angles. Cristi from over at Through the Calm and Throug the Storm did that for round five of blogging through the alphabet and chose to share about Years Ago in her family.  You can see a sample she did for Q here - Q is for Question.
• Take a look at what others have done in the past for inspiration.  Marcy over at Ben and Me hosted five rounds of ABC Blogging.
• Take a photo/s of some thing that starts with that letter of the alphabet and share it on social media and link up.
  

What are some topics you would like to see discussed on homeschooling here on the blog?  I need some ideas from you to add to the list.

Blessings

Chareen 

**Rules for linking up:

1. Your post must be family-friendly. We have the right to remove any posts that are inappropriate. 
2. When linking up you agree to give us permission to share your post or a photo in any future blog posts and social media shares.
3. Please link back to the host or co-hosts blog, and use the image if you want.
4. Please visit another blog in the linky and comment so we can encourage one another.
5. Make sure your posts relate to the alphabet or blogging through the alphabet in some way.
6. The link-up will be available for one week for each letter.
7. If you can’t join for one week, don’t stress. Just join next time, and enjoy!
8. Have Fun, be Creative.
   

Pregnancy is not an April Fools Joke

1 in 8 of your friends Struggle to get pregnant

Some of your friends have lost a baby

1 in 4 Pregnancies is lost in misscarriage 

 

I saw a post on Facebook today that touched me and I wanted to share the words of truth I saw there.  I've made my own graphic because...

I am 1 in 8

I spent more than a decade waiting for two pink lines...

Every four weeks...the reminder of another month of emptyness

A little one who asks... Mommy can we have a baby?

Sadness... Watching a child grow up alone

The guilt... at least you have one

The pain... a heartache that never leaves

Menopause ... the death of hope

I am 1 in 4

One day those lines did appear...

And a few weeks later I joined the statistic...

Words not to say to a grieving mother...  

Don't worry you will have another... I did not.

I watched other mothers go on to have multiple children

Empty arms on a due date ... Mother's Day

Mothers Day ... a birthday missed

The heartache ... that returns uninvited

The grief ... of empty arms

Beverly Cleary her first book - Henry Huggins

I was deeply sadened to hear about the passing of beloved children's book author Beverley Cleary this past weekend.  I first encountered her writing when reading out loud to my children when we first started Sonlight* and were reading Henry Huggins together which is a part of their  Intro to World History Year 1.

Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary

• Format Paperback | 155 pages 
• Dimensions 127 x 190 x 15.24mm | 113g 
• Publisher HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Language English Edition Statement 50th ed. 
• ISBN10 0380709120 
• ISBN13 9780380709120
  

 From Book Depository - "Just as Henry Huggins is complaining that nothing exciting ever happens, a friendly dog sits down beside him and looks pleadingly at his ice-cream cone. From that moment on, the two are inseparable. But when Ribsy's original owner appears, trying to reclaim his dog, Henry's faced with the possibility of losing his new best friend. Has Klickitat Street seen the last of rambunctious Ribsy?"

My Thoughts - From the first page we were hooked.  We loved every moment of being introduced to Henry and Ribsy.  We laughed at his antics we learned from his love of life and together they introduced us to the joys of homeschooling.

 

Henry and Ribsy by Beverly Cleary

• Format Paperback | 208 pages 
• Dimensions 127 x 188 x 15mm | 136g 
• Publisher HarperCollins Publishers Inc 
• anguage English Edition 
• ISBN10 0380709171 
• ISBN13 9780380709175
  

 From Book Depository - "In this humorous and heartfelt novel from Newbery Medal-winning author Beverly Cleary, the bond between a boy and his dog proves strong, as Henry vows to stick up for Ribsy...even if he is a trouble-maker!

From the first moment Henry found Ribsy, the curious mutt was poking his nose into things he shouldn't be. Whether terrorizing the garbage man, chasing cats, or gobbling Ramona Quimby's ice-cream cone, Henry's four-legged pal has walked himself into one problem too many. So when Henry asks his dad if he can go along on the big fishing trip, Mr. Huggins agrees, but on one condition: Ribsy must stay out of mischief for two whole months. Henry is confident in his loyal dog...until Ribsy goes overboard with his appetite for chaos...literally!"

My Thoughts -  This book had us laughing together and bonding as a family.  I loved being snuggled together with my children reading out loud about Ribsy's antics.  I couldn't wait to be reaquainted with the characters for the second round with Nathaniel.   

Here are a few other titles we enjoyed together by Beverley Cleary

• Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective
• The Henry and Ribsy Box Set : Henry Huggins, Henry and Ribsy, Ribsy
• Ralph S.Mouse
• Beezus and Romona - 
• Henry Huggins -
  

About the Author

Beverly Cleary died at age 104 on Sunday 25 March 2021. She shared her Oregon childhood memories through her colourful characters like Ramona and Beezus Quimby and Henry Huggins.

She was born in 1916. She served as a children's librarian. Her first book Henry Huggins was published in 1950 and was the first in a series of fictional chapter books about Henry , his dog Ribsy, his neighborhood friend Beezus and her little sister Ramona.  She based the characters on people living ordinary lives and her own childhood experiences and the neighborhood growing up. 

She has been awarded multiple awards for her writing, there is a statue of Ramona Quimby in Grant Park and the Beverly Cleary School.

She was named a Living Legened in 2000 by the Library of Congress.

"I believe in that 'missionary spirit' among children's librarians. Kids deserve books of literary quality, and librarians are so important in encouraging them to read and selecting books that are appropriate." Beverly Cleary

American writer Beverly Cleary circa 1955.

Supplied: Wikimedia common

 You can read more about her here

• Remembering beloved children's author Beverly Cleary on CNN Entertainment. 
• Children's book author Beverly Cleary, best known for Romona and Henry Huggins characters, dies aged 104 on ABC Net.
• Beverly Cleary author interview on YouTube by HarperCollins Publishers
  

 I'm so grateful for her books on my shelf.  These are books I have recommended time and again to any student or paretn who has spent time in my library looking for books.