The No-Cash Allowance:  A Practical Guide for Teaching Your Child How to Manage Money

When I first saw the title of this book, I thought someone had found a magical way to pay children an allowance without using any money.  That’s not quite it.  The book talks about how money has changed over the years, and how kids need to learn not only how to deal with cash, but how to deal with various money accounts via the computer, how debit and credit cards actually work, and how to handle money in a no-cash society.  The author then shows practical ways for giving kids many years of experience in managing money before they grow up, leave the house and are thrust into the “real world.”  She shares the methods she and her husband used with their two daughters, who are now grown.  In a nutshell, this involves the parents budgeting certain amounts to be spent on certain things for their kids (areas where the parents would be spending that money anyway), and then gradually handing over the reigns of that amount in that category to the child.  Example categories would be: school supplies, gifts, clothing, communication, personal care, etc…  These categories can increase in number and responsibility as the child grows older.  Keeping track of deposits and withdrawals from various accounts all happens on paper (or on the computer), even though real cash may not be changing hands.  I really enjoyed the practical advice in this book and will consider purchasing it as a resource as we hope to equip our son with good money management skills.  I think it pairs nicely with some of the techniques we’re already trying to use from Dave Ramsey‘s Financial Peace Jr.

Band of Brothers

As Seth and I had recently watched the Band of Brothers miniseries again (recorded from TV), it was easy to pick up this book as the history and people were fresh in my mind.  As the cover of the book states, it follows “E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne – from Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest.”  What these men, and all of those who fought for freedom in WWII, accomplished, sacrificed and endured boggles my comprehension.  I must admit, seeing them first portrayed so vividly on screen enabled me to sink into the words on the pages, probably deeper than I would have otherwise.  The movie is much more violent and fast moving than the reading, which is to be expected.  But I think the screen version helped me have an inkling of what the situations may have looked like for these soldiers.  Even though I have a good imagination and the writing is detailed, I don’t think I could come close to conceiving what their circumstances actually looked like.  I was fascinated, awed, grateful, perplexed, and filled with respect for this group of young men that came together from various places and walks of life and made history.  The kind of stresses they endured bonded them together for life.  It is strange and sad to think that there are only a few of these men still alive today.  May we never forget.

The Help

I read of this book on another blog (and now I’m not sure which one!), and when I looked it up on Amazon and saw it had over 1400 reviews and 4 1/2 stars, I thought I should give it a try (from the library).  I was not disappointed.  It grabbed hold of me right from the start and pulled me through all the way to the finish.   The story takes place in 1960′s Mississippi, and three main characters are the voices:  two black maids and one white woman who just graduated from college.  The characters became so real, and I felt the full range of emotions while taking a glimpse into their lives and what it must have been like to live in Mississippi during the Civil Rights Movement.  I haven’t been drawn into a work of fiction like this in a long time.  (The book does contain some bad language, so if you read the book on my recommendation…consider yourself forewarned).

Children Who Do Too Little

The subtitle of this book is, “why your kids need to work around the house (and how to get them to do it).”  As a mother of an only child, I have many concerns, one of which is that I will neglect to teach my son how to do work because it’s easier to do it myself.  I know this wouldn’t be good for either of us, but it’s a worry I have.  Along with discussing the history of children and work, as well as the reasons for children learning to do good work as part of a family team, the book has lists of age-appropriate tasks and skills that I know I’ll be referring to often.  The author also addresses the how: how to start, how to teach skills rather than chores, how to deal with rebels, how to teach by consequences, how to deal with your own frustration and impatience, etc…  I felt both convicted and encouraged by this book.  I’ll probably re-read parts of it often.

The Bible

I honestly don’t know if I’ve read the Bible in its entirety, over many years, and I wish that weren’t the case.  Besides, reading it just once isn’t exactly my goal.  This year, I’m keeping track with this chart my husband made for me.  (Feel free to print the PDF for yourself, if you like.)  I am well on track to finishing this year, but if not, at least I’ll know what I’ve done and what I have left to do.  I’m reading the English Standard Version, after using the NIV for years.  I really like the ESV, and while I’m reading the pretty, thinline Bible pictured here, I may want to get a larger study Bible in this version at some point.  I have been blessed by the discipline of simply being in the Word.

Books finished:  Genesis, Matthew, Proverbs

Books in progress:  Exodus (1-12), Psalms (1-31), Mark (1-6)

I picked this up for Ethan for Christmas, trying to see if the graphic novel format would entice his reading appetite a bit more. I ended up reading it to him, although I got him to read a few pages.  As we’re studying America this year, it was an appropriate subject.  While all the pictures were fun and Ethan did enjoy it, and it did reinforce some of the history we’ve already learned, I hoped for a better story.  I won’t be rushing out to get the next ones in the series.

Sarah Whitcher’s Story

This is a sweet story about a little girl who gets lost in the woods near her New England-pioneer home.  I liked the writing style and the simplicity of the story, as well as a couple important surprises.  I think I may have enjoyed it a bit more than Ethan did, but the subject was a little girl, after all.  I think it’s a keeper.

George Washington

Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire have written and beautifully illustrated a number of short history books that are a delight to read and look at.  This is a simple biography of Washington, which fit into our current studies.  I look forward to reading and collecting more of the D’Aulaire’s books.

For me, this book is about the charming illustrations.  Really, the words are almost unnecessary!  It’s a short and sweet story that ends with this line, “So, you never can tell what will happen when you learn to play the harmonica.”  Well, there you have it. 

Little Pear

This is a simple, little story about a young Chinese boy and his daily-life adventures.  It has charming illustrations and nearly stand alone chapters, making it an easy read.  Ethan should have been able to handle most of this one himself, but he’s still in the stage of needing to be convinced that he can indeed read.  This one had nothing to do with what we are studying at the moment.  It was just one we had on our shelves and I wanted to read it.