Favorite Read Alouds from 2020

Our read-aloud time in 2020 was bittersweet. We read so many great books and made so many literary memories together, but we made most of them without my daughter. As a high school senior working at a local ice cream shop and taking dual enrollment credits from an area Christian university, she was rarely ever available to join us during the school day. 

With or without her, we carried on. And as always, we read some really great stories. Here's a list of our top 10 favorites from this past year. 

The 10 Most Popular Posts of 2020

According to a recent poll by Education Week, the number of families who choose to homeschool more than doubled in America this past fall. 

With the pandemic making traditional classroom environments less-than-ideal, it's no wonder that so many parents decided to bring the learning home. Needless to say, books and blogs about homeschooling were trending on all the charts.

The 10 Best Books I Read in 2020

I probably don't need to tell you that 2020 was a weird year. Like the rest of the world, I had to forfeit many plans. My calendar was cleared. My schedule was changed. My days became much quieter. And while Plan Bs often come with their fair share of disappointments, they can also be accompanied by secret gifts. We just have to be willing to look for them.

Isaiah 45:3 puts it this way, "I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who call you by your name." 

2020 had its dark moments, to be sure. But there were also treasures sprinkled in it too! As I reflect on the last 365 days, I prefer to focus on those. 

Two treasures, in particular, stand out to me.

What We're Reading in December 2020

I've hit the reading lottery this month! At the end of November, I chose to start two books written by new-to-me authors--one fiction and one non-fiction. 

I knew that my selections were quite a risk considering I just came off a month of reading so-so titles. 

But since both books came highly recommended by my Instagram community, I decided to be brave and hope for the best. 

I'm so glad I did. They each have been fantastic! Admittedly, I haven't been able to chip away at either one quite as much as I'd like to in these past few weeks because of necessary Christmas prep, but I've kept them close at hand, reading as much as possible in the nooks and crannies of my days.

Christmas-schooling Plans for 2020

Merriam-Webster's word of the year for 2020 is, of course, pandemic. Shocking, I know. The thought of being stuck at home for the tenth month in a row because of that particular word, and during the Christmas season, no less, has wrapped my holiday plans in monochromatic colors. Not to mention the fact that the nation is still shrouded in a blanket of political unrest.