So How is She Doing?

Ya'll will probably remember that we had to talk about the dreaded "R" word with The Angel last year after 1st grade. After much discussion and tears and debates and teachers' meetings, The Hero and The Angel cried about it. Mama blogged about it and we all prayed about it. In the end we all agreed that it was the right move to retain The Angel in first grade.

So how's she doing?

This mama is glad you asked.

She has 1st grade by the horns and is wrestling it to the ground!

It's like having a different child in the house.

Where before there were frowns and grumps about school, she bounds for the door every morning, is restless waiting for school even on Saturday.

Her scores are off the charts.

Vocabulary is above average.

Reading is through the roof.

Homework that use to take us hours to complete each night, is done now a matter of minutes.

She loves reading so much that she and I even started reading LONG chapter books together at night when The Dinosaur goes to sleep.

I am very new to this parenting thing.

Don't even have 2 years behind me yet, but I can tell you that retention has worked for us.

I am so proud of our baby girl I could burst.

The Angel,

For all that you have accomplished and all that remains to be conquered,

you are one of my heroes in life.

There is no goal you cannot reach and I am

humbled to be your mother.

Book Review: Passport Through Darkness

It is not uncommon for me to read through a book rather quickly.

If I can scrape together enough free time

and ignore the laundry,

I can read quickly.

Not the case with my most recent selection.

The writing was brilliant.

The story was griping, tragic and beautiful.

But the subject matter was difficult.

There were times when I wanted to turn away.

Close the book.

Ignore the pain that was inside of it.

But I couldn't.

Passport through Darkness is Kimberly L. Smith's story of

how she and her family personally experienced and were drawn

into a world of combating human trafficking and

helping protect the planet's most vulnerable victims.

Together with her spouse, Kimberly started

Make Way Partners, a non profit

built to protect those to which other organizations and ministries say

"No Way." "Too expensive." "Not worth the risk."

You cannot read this book without

calling out to God and asking Him

how to break your heart so that your life might make a difference.

I've linked you to the Amazon page so all you have to do is go buy it.

So that we may fight for freedom for everyone,

not just those of us who buy fireworks for a day in July.