The Reading Mother

       The Reading Mother
       By Strickland Gililan

I had a mother who read to me
Sagas of pirates who scoured the sea,
Cutlasses clenched in their yellow teeth,
"Blackbirds" stowed in the hold beneath.

I had a Mother who read me lays
Of ancient and gallant and golden days;
Stories of Marmion and Ivanhoe,
Which every boy has a right to know.

I had a Mother who read me tales
Of Gelert the hound of the hills of Wales,
True to his trust till his tragic death,
Faithfulness blent with his final breath.

I had a Mother who read me the things
That wholesome life to the boy heart brings--
Stories that stir with an upward touch,
Oh, that each mother of boys were such!

You may have tangible wealth untold;
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be--
I had a Mother who read to me.

I am proud to be a “reading mother.” I am feeding my children’s minds with  imagination and adventure. I would have loved to meet the author and his mother!

I came across this poem and wanted to share it. I had not heard it in it’s entirety before…only the last few lines. 

When I read this poem, it reminded me of the positive things I do offer my children. One of them is reading to them. It is a simple activity. It doesn't cost money. It does take time and I have time to offer.

This summer we are reading Pagoo, The Burgess Seashore Book and Christian Liberty Nature Readers. My hubby is reading aloud Man of the Family - the second of the books in the "Little Britches" series by Ralph Moody.

I am grateful for our homeschool journey.



The Splurge: A New Bookcase

So if you've been reading my blog, you know I recently was questioning - a new bookcase vs. decluttering the current bookcases. I received a few new books for my birthday and decided to also get a bookcase.

This one is a little different. It's lighter and more airy; it also folds. You can see it here:

http://www.target.com/p/Mission-Folding-Bookcase-Natural/-/A-608713

My other ones are the standard closed models with 5 shelves. I also have 3 cubicle type storage units - they mostly hold books and a few fabric drawer of toys.

I'm thrilled with the new bookcase. It is light and folds so it can easily be moved. However when it arrived, my son assumed it was for his Legos!

Still working on the Lego display idea....

Bookshelves Are For Books, Or Are They?

I am a homeschooling Mama and a book lover! I think many of us homeschoolers are also book lovers. So here's my predicament - my bookshelves are full! My first thought is: I need another bookcase....maybe a few more. Now I am not saying that I necessarily have room for several bookcases. I do know I could make room for one more at this point.

I recently had this conversation with another homeschool Mom and we both asked - do we need another bookcase or is it time (please say it isn't so!!) to declutter our books?

How many books do you own? How many books are too many?

I went to a conference in the fall and the presenter stated she has 1200 books. Now I have no idea how many books I actually have. I've never counted or attempted to. I wonder if that includes the children's books too - you know, the thin paperback books? I keep many of them in a basket and not actually on a bookshelf.

In all fairness, some of the bookshelf space has been invaded by.....Legos! I've allowed 2 shelves of a bookcase to be donated to displaying my son's Legos. He's thrilled and so am I. However I'd like to give him at least another shelf. He has been building a lot recently.

This leads me to several questions:
What do you keep on your bookshelf?
If you have a Lego lover, how you display his or her creations?