Yes or No?

I really like this post by Selkie. I definitely started out a yes mom, but as more kids came along I have slipped more and more often into a no-mom default. Takes conscious effort and force of will to remember that Yes is where I want to be. This is why I am constantly reading Charlotte Mason, Louisa May Alcott, L. M. Montgomery, Maud Hart Lovelace, Elizabeth Foss, Karen Edmisten, Madeleine L’Engle, and certain other authors (not to mention regular early-morning phone calls to Alice): to keep that Yes spirit fresh in my mind.

He Keeps Waking Up Early

Wonderboy, that is. He has ‘surped my morning blog time, but that’s quite all right, because he only has a week or two left to be the baby of this family, and the extra cuddle time is a treat for both of us.

Commencing the cuddles at 5 a.m. is perhaps the teeniest bit excessive…(yawn)…

Anyway, he’s been in my lap for over an hour, and the other kids will be down any minute. I’ll post later, but for now, here are some links that caught my eye—

Anastasia Suen reports on trends in children’s books.

Astronomy picture of the day. (HT: Daryl.)

Florida is considering a move to require high-school freshman to declare a major, a notion that many of us find ludicrous.

Chicken Spaghetti profiles dragon books.

Book Moot has some thoughts about a San Antonio school superintendent’s decision to disallow a school-wide reading of The Handmaid’s Tale.

Becky features books about grammar. (UPDATE: broken link fixed!) Karen Edmisten has thoughts of her own about the benefits of modeling proper grammar. (Love that Ramona!)

While you’re at Karen’s site, don’t miss her posts on how you are what you read.

And Wednesday Means…

…it’s Carnival of Education time over at one of my daily must-read sites, The Education Wonks.

Plenty to Read

Slept late this morning and Wonderboy has PT soon, so just a quickie for now. More later; until then, there is loads of good stuff to read at this week’s Carnivals. There’s Homeschooling, hosted by Palmtree Pundit, and Education, hosted by Mathandtext. And if you haven’t yet made it over to Chicken Spaghetti to see the second edition of the Carnival of Children’s Literature, you’re missing out!

Speaking of the latter, we have hosts lined up for the April and May editions. If you’re interested in hosting a future edition, just drop me a note.

PSA for Sonlight Forum Users

Recent abrupt and bizarrely executed changes at the Sonlight forum have left a great many longtime forum users stranded and cut off from communicating with one another. An open-access alternative temporarily named “Sonlight Refugees” has been created by the kindhearted Bryce. Just doing my bit to pass the word along.

Of course, the Real Learning message boards are another warm and wonderful place to find homeschooling encouragement, ideas, and advice!

Prayers for Missey

This morning I learned the terrible news of the death of a homeschooling mom after an emergency c-section yesterday. Missey was a member of the Ambleside Online list, where I have been a lurker for years. She also maintained a lovely blog called Heartschooling. Her last post was just yesterday, a cheery account of taking her son to the doctor.

Please keep Missey’s family in your prayers. She leaves behind a devastated husband and five children ages 11 to newborn.

UPDATE: The following was posted by Loa on Missey’s “BasicallyBeechik” list yesterday:

I have spoken to Missey’s family and they are touched by the outpouring of love and support from everyone. They are devastated by the loss but dealing with it as best they can.

For those who want to make financial donations, it would be greatly appreciated by the family. We have set up a memorial fund at Paypal. (Click here to contribute.) They did not have life insurance for Missey and I know this would be a blessing to help cover the funeral and other expenses. Krystal is a long time friend of Missey’s and mine and I can assure you that each and every penny will reach the Gray family.

Last Call!

The deadline for submissions to the second Carnival of Children’s Literature, hosted by Susan of Chicken Spaghetti, is fast approaching—get your submissions in by Friday. I can’t wait to see what Susan has in store for us!

No Fast for the Brain

Mardi Gras is over, but Carnival isn’t: the Education Wonks bring you a new edition of the Carnival of Education today. Enjoy!