I am so sad now that the school year is starting and I don't have anyone to homeschool anymore.  I am going to be super busy.  I am going to start watching our resident 3 year old in a week. And I'll be nannying my new grandson come October.  I mean I am going to be BUSY!   Still, feeling nostalgic, I went back to my old blog posts.  I remember those days, after it taking so long for reading to finally click, when my kids would lose themselves in a book.  Must be one of greatest joys to witness. So here ya go.  Top Ten First Chapter Books My Late Bloomers Enjoyed

My family usually tries to go to the beach for a week in August.  We don't do this quite every summer.  We've sometimes gone to other places, but mostly the beach.  This summer we went over the July 4th week because we are expecting our grandchild sometime around August 8th!  That's the due date.  Even if you live far from the sea and maybe visit other bodies of water (pond, lakes, rivers) I'll include some of things we've read and done over the years. Family Read Alouds: Treasure Island Kidnapped Island of the Blue Dolphin Call It Courage Sailing Alone Around the World Kon Tiki - this is one I wish we had done, but never got to.  I loved reading it in high school. Swiss Family Robinson Seabird Paddle to the Sea Water Sky Great Horned Spoon - mostly for the part about sailing around Cape of Horn Swallows and Amazons - our middle son absolutely adored these books.  And now works at a sailing marina! Teens: Life of Pi (mature teen - lots of religio