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March & April Titles // 2018

Whelp, March was a  sad reading month!  We were working hard to do a lot of school before Spring Break, Ani competed in the Science Games, had family out of town, and then a girls' trip after that. I chose to listen to about 139 podcasts on my flights rather than read, so there went 8 hours of 'free' reading time. April was a bit better, with some quick titles I'd heard a lot about or books I'd wanted to read for awhile, along with a book club book.

March
*Prayer by Timothy Keller - This was a book I read with my small group of women that I meet with weekly. It's an academic read with excellent points and information I had no past history with. On the whole, however, it just wasn't a book I was ready to read at the time. I highlighted quite a bit of gold nuggets, but I found it quite dry. I've read Keller's books before and know he is an excellent teacher and communicator, this was just wasn't for me at this time.

April
*Reading People by Anne Bo…
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February Titles // 2018

a walk from December in Tsawwassen
Not every month can be a great reading month (like last month!) but I'm in the middle of three good books not listed here, so watch out for March being title-heavy agian. Here's what I got to in the shortest month.
*The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld - It's been a long time since I read a fiction book in 2 days, but this was a total page-turner. It's our March book club pick, and everyone I've chatted with has said the same thing-they read it quickly and really liked it even though the topic is very heavy (yes, child abduction). The premise is that the Child Finder is a lady who has a successful time finding missing children because she herself was a 'lost child'. I'm not giving any more away but it's a shorter book-under 300 pages-and completely worth the read at 4 stars. 
*Full by Asheritah Ciuciu - This was a book I'd seen awhile back and just plopped it onto my amazon wish list so I'd remember it later. W…
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Anikka's 9th Birthday Interview

What is your favorite color? Sparkly purple and Sparkly pink
Who are some of your friends? Isla, Kathryn, Rachel, Nyah, Arnica, Ashlyn, Charlotte, Charlee, Ana, Anna
What do you want to be when you grow up? arist; painter, room designer?  
What makes you happy? Grammy, Oma, you (me, mom)
What makes you sad? being away from Copper


What is your favorite animal?an Alicorn 
What is your favorite book?  a sketchbook
What is your favorite thing to do with Mom? color, draw, hang out
What is your favorite thing to do with Dad? go on the motorbike
What is your favorite thing to do with Lukka? play cats
What do you like to do with your friends?  hang out, talk, color, play Barbies


What do you like to do outside? play with friends
Where do you like to go?  Lincoln
What is your favorite food? rice crackers 

What is your favorite drink? Root Beer What is your favorite restaurant?  Boston Pizza or Big Al's
What is your favorite subject in school?art

What is your favorite thing to watch? School of Rock 
What is …
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New Year, New List // 18 in 2018

looking into Vancouver from Jericho Beach
I first saw this type of list from Sarah VonBargen's blog Yes and Yes, and I immediately understood the practice. I'm pretty sure I've been doing lists in this vein for at least 6 years on the blog, and I love it. Every year I leave a few blank to fill in at later dates, but here's my tentative "18 Things in 2018". What are you really hoping to do in 2018? 
1) Be in More Photos (and all the moms said "preach!")
2) Getaway on the Sunshine Coast
3) Visit the Night Market in Richmond
4) Visit Britannia Mine (completed!)
5) Go to Shop Suite during the Christmas Season (I have yet to find a worthy handmade market up here but I've heard good things about this one!)
6) Buy a better swimsuit (for the love).
7) Visit the Laura Ingalls Wilder Homestead in De Smet with Grammy + kids. (Booked our airbnbs for #7,8!)
8) Take the kids to Ashfall Fossil Beds. Same trip as above, in Western Nebraska; one of my favorite me…
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January Titles // 2018

comfy 'nests' by the fire; perfect reading spots!
I had an excellent reading month, for two reasons: I read a lot of short books (under 300 pages), and finished up two that were nearly completed from December. Eight books in one month is a stretch for me. Although I might have one more 'excellent' reading month in February, March, and on until early June, is where things start to get busy and my reading time will fall significantly. My best reading time is right before bed, from about 8-10PM. The kids are in bed and I get a second wind. If I try reading during the middle of the day break-quiet time-I will fall asleep immediately! I re-read two books this month, too, which is unusual as I'm not normally a re-reader but one was for book club (my choice!) and the other was with a smaller book club (also sort of my choice) because I thought they were excellent and I wanted to share them. You'll see below which those were. Here's what I read:

Watch for the Light …
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17 in 2017 // What Happened? What Didn't?

one of Ani's goals: learning to bake!
This year was a great one--we did SO much as a family and I really think by setting up some 'Things to Do' with the kids in my goal list for 2017, we made them happen rather than thinking we could do them 'someday'. We traveled a lot in 2017; we hit every state on the West Coast including Alaska! We started our 6th year of homeschooling and went a bit rogue in a few subjects like Math. I started and finished a beloved book series with the kids. There were a few things that didn't happen because of circumstances, but almost everything else DID happen, and I'm proud of that! Intentions + action for the win! 

What Happened

*Learn to make pakora and butter chicken (crock pot): This might be cheating but a friend of mine sells Epicure spice blends and they just came out this past year with a pakora packet. It's healthy, fast, gluten-free, and delicious and I'm counting it! I also made the most delicious butter chicken…
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Top 10 Books of 2017

early sunset in Ft Langley 
I love reading all these "Top 10" lists of favorite books read throughout the year, so I'm adding my two cents.  I'm involved in a Book Club that I love with women from our church, a small group that meets every week and goes through a book every few months, my own list, books I'm reading aloud to the kids and  books I'm reading for educational purposes (think professional development). I took a look at all of those combined and this is what I got, in no particular order: 
* The Problem of God by Mark Clark - I loved going through this academic apologetic book with my friends from church. It led us to great discussion, and good food for thought. I listen to Clark's sermons every week and so knew I'd probably love his writing style, too. If you have objections to Christianity, or are feeling confused about what to believe, this is a great primer. 
*You're Smarter Than You Think by Dr. Thomas Armstrong - I loved going th…
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