This Classical Life

Recent Clips

All Joy & No Fun: Why Parents Hate Parenting. It weaves around but is ultimately a really fascinating read about happiness, purpose and parenting.

I’m a trendsetter, apparently. Why the Next Pop Culture Wave Might Be Libraries. After Haiti: The Chaos of U.S. Adoptions An in-depth look at some of the expedited adoptions post-earthquake that . . . → Read More: Recent Clips

The Hole in Our Gospel

The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In a world with great poverty and despair, what does God expect of his people? If our neighbors are people of relative affluence, what concern should we have for the poor? Grappling with these questions and others, Richard Stearns, president of . . . → Read More: The Hole in Our Gospel

Plan B

I first became aware of Nashville superstar pastor Pete Wilson when he followed me on twitter. I popped over to his blog, and his wife’s, and found him warm and likable. So I followed him back and have been watching him from afar for many months. I was intrigued by the book he . . . → Read More: Plan B

Sit-In (A Mother-Daughter Review)

Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney

My rating: 5 of 5 stars This beautifully illustrated book details the famous sit-in at the Greensboro, NC Woolworth’s counter in 1960. The prose is moving, speckled with quotes that inspired the protesters and good detail. As a picture book ought to . . . → Read More: Sit-In (A Mother-Daughter Review)

Very Chocolate Cheesecake

I’ve made this in both 8 and 10 inch versions and it’s been very well received by cheesecake lovers as well as those who don’t typically delight in cheesecake. This is a great first cheesecake recipe, it’s fairly simple, does not require much hands on work and the very thick layer of ganache on the . . . → Read More: Very Chocolate Cheesecake

Hymnody and Easter

When you think of Easter, what hymn or song pops into your head? It’s sort of an interesting exercise. If you are raised in the church, it might reveal your upbringing or church of origin. If your parents were Jesus people, Keith Green may race into your head with “Hear the bells ringing, . . . → Read More: Hymnody and Easter

Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts, 3rd Edition

When I requested this book from Thomas Nelson, I was excited to have a book of Bible maps to use as a reference. But it ended up being so much more. Photos, charts, and outlines, as well as downloadable PDFs, make this a great first stop for visual information related to the Bible. . . . → Read More: Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts, 3rd Edition

The SlingRider is RECALLED!

This is a great day for babywearing. The Infantino SlingRider is being recalled. That seems strange, but its true. Babywearers want mothers to use slings SAFELY. The SlingRider was impossible to use safely, and they were in every big box store, the most accessible “sling” to the general public. For over . . . → Read More: The SlingRider is RECALLED!

The Streak

This beautiful story from this week’s New York Times is a must-read for parents. Life presented all sorts of complications, but one father and daughter let books bind them together, and kept up a streak of 3,218 nights of reading at least ten minutes, all the way through high school. . . . → Read More: The Streak

Are Slings Dangerous?

You might have seen the CPSC warning about slings last week. As a certified volunteer babywearing educator (through Babywearing International) I wanted to give my two cents. If you’ve ever been to a local meeting here or met up with me in person and talked about slings in the last three years, I’ve mentioned . . . → Read More: Are Slings Dangerous?

Learning to Long Well

Yesterday Kate asked me to read her a “black history story” since she was sad their black history month unit was over. So, we read Martin’s Big Words. Afterward, she asked me some questions about why people hate each other, and why the police didn’t do more to protect Martin. I gave her . . . → Read More: Learning to Long Well

Some Recent Children’s Book Reviews

I have been writing some children’s book reviews here and there, I figured y’all might find them useful, so here are some previews with links to the full review. All of them should be available at your local public library.

The Princess and the Pea by Rachel Isadora (5/5) …the illustrations are truly engaging . . . → Read More: Some Recent Children’s Book Reviews

NY Times Clips

Some of my favorite articles lately:

Freda Rosenfeld is The Breast Whisperer.

God said be fruitful and multiply and Yitta certainly did.

Where the Bar Ought to Be is an opinion piece about education, and how excellent, passionate teachers make the difference. . . . → Read More: NY Times Clips

Gingerbread Pancakes

I know this is a little late for Shrove Tuesday celebrating, but I’ll remind you next year!

GINGERBREAD PANCAKES (inspired by Kerbey Lane in Austin, but it’s been so long since I’ve eaten there, I can’t verify the authenticity)

Cream together: 6 eggs 2/3 cup brown sugar

Add, then mix well: 1 cup buttermilk* 3/4 cup water 1/2 cup coffee (brewed) 2 tsp vanilla

In a seperate . . . → Read More: Gingerbread Pancakes

When Parenting Kills

A must read post by a friend-of-this-blog. This post is sensitive in nature as it mentions an adopted child’s death at the hand of her parents – cardiac arrest brought on by spanking. Please pray for her sister, in critical condition, and for all families struggling with difficult to discipline children that this would . . . → Read More: When Parenting Kills