Wondering what Mommy Homework is???
Each week you will have an “assignment” here to share in our comments here on this site. You will love this-both sharing AND enjoying answers by others. Some of them, I compile into an ebook (contributors can resell as a product of their own–be sure to submit your email and full name when you register so I can credit you appropriately!).
The result is AWESOME! 
We get to know each other…we are encouraged in our journey…and we glean super ideas from other great moms!
Ready for this week’s MH? This is going to be a FUN topic!
Our topic this week is “Mommy, Read to Me!”
This Mommy Homework is good for TWO things:
1. Mommy Homework Credit
2. A Copy of Cindy’s eBook (soon to be released), Language Arts the Easy Way. (Yep, here is another chance!)
Your submission will be included in the bonus goody with that book (that you will also receive in eBook format). 
Our Discussion This Week…
Here is what we need here:
Share your Top Ten Family Read Alouds (share any details you want to share about them)
Also, a bonus question: Share your Tips for Building a Family Library on a Shoestring Budget (share any details you want to share about how you are making room for books in your home, how you are investing in books, how do you choose books, and any tips for building a family library. I can’t wait to read these!)
This is going to be GOOD! Dig in! Take some time to dig on this one and it will do a work in your heart AND prepare you for our message this week. It is going to be good….
Oh! And, your Mommy Homework entries make you eligible for Mommy Homework Credit. You will be able to use your MHC on future studies, past studies, online audios, ebooks from our ministry. We DO grade on the curve…so, give it all you have got! 
Ready? Dig in!
Love,
Cindy
PS! Please remember to use your real name if you want credit for your Mommy Homework Credit.
PPS! You CAN just share and not participate in Mommy Homework, BUT I would LOVE for you to get some goodies along the way!
PPSS! Want to check your credit? Here is the newest update: http://www.talk-a-latte.com/ebooks/MommyHomeworkCredits.pdf
PPPSS! If you are new, all you do to share your MH is first register (see the link on the bottom of the page–scroll all the way to the very bottom), then log in with your name and password that you select. Share away!
PPPSSS! Want to redeem your credit? Read our instructions here:http://www.cindysdesktop.com/?cat=81
Deadline–Friday at midnight CST.
Compiling our Top Ten Family Read Alouds list wasn’t easy! I listed my favorites and talked to the kids and was thrilled to hear them listing off titles that are my favorites too! In no particular order as they are all sweet, sweet friends….
1. Little House on the Prairie Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
2. The Mitchels: Five For Victory and The Cottage at Bantry Bay both by Hilda Van Stockum (Endearing stories of family life. Oh how I can relate to the mother!)
3. The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien (My husband reads this one aloud and does all the voices!)
4. The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne (I read this one to all my little ones when they are about 3-5 years old and would have to say this is my absolute favorite! I do all the voices for this one.)
5. Beatrix Potter The Complete Tales
6. The Betsy-Tacy Series by Maud Hart Lovelace
7. Pollyanna by Eleanor Hodgman Porter (The darling girl is so well written that I laugh and cry all the way through the book!)
8. Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey (We love all of this author’s books!)
9. Highdays and Holidays by Florence Adams and Elizabeth McCarrick (I believe this book is out of print but very well worth the effort and resources if you can find it. Its a wonderful collection of poetry for children covering holidays and other special days of the year. It contains especially well written patriotic poetry!)
10. The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney (I read this twice as a girl and enjoy reading it to my children now. We first read it aloud when I had just given birth to my fifth baby.)
When it comes to building a family library on a shoestring budget here are my best tips:
1. Shop library book sales.
2. Keep a running wish list of books handy for when you’re shopping in thrift stores or its garage sale season. This list also helps if gift suggestions are needed for b-days.
3. Home school book sales are often times a good place to find classics, out of prints, etc.
4. Frequent your nearest second hand book vendors.
5. Try websites that are geared towards resale of books.
6. Let friend and family know which books you’re hunting for in case they come across them.
7. Remember patience is a virtue and sometimes you have to “treasure hunt” before you find that highly desired book at a great price! 🙂
We keep our books in tall shelving along one wall of our dining room/home school room. The little children’s books are kept on the bottom shelves and the most precious, out of print books are kept at the very top away from tiny hands. We teach our children to handle books carefully and which ones they are allowed access to at all times and which ones they should ask permission for before reading. Books are like dear friends to us and its been a special gift to see my children enjoying books that I’ve loved for so many years!
Jotham’s Journey, Arnold Ytreeide
Diary of a Worm, Doreen Cronin
The Return of the Golden Dagger, Ed Dunlop
The God King, Joanne Williamson
The Isle of Dragons, Ed Dunlop
Amos’ Adventure, Arnold Ytreeide
The Screwtape Letters (dramatized version by Focus on the Family)
Goodnight I-Pad, Ann Droid – I laughed until I cried
The Kingdom Series, Chuck Black
Family Albums – not publicly published, but they love reading the personal stories of our family
On of the best of books we read together were the books “Little House on the Prairie” set, they are great for all ages if you ask me.
The area that your children are interested in at the time is great because they will learn so much from books, with stories that are of interest to them. You can get extra education when reading for fun.
The library is a great place to get books if you can not afford to buy a lot of then or if you do not have room to keep a lot of books.
Lawn sales are a great place to buy books, around here you can get children’s books for $.25 or $.50.
If you have an Ollie’s in your area they have books at a pretty good price.
Nancy Lewis
Black Beauty, Summer/Autumn/Winter/Spring with the Moody’s (Sarah Maxwell)
The Famous Five Series – Enid Blyton, Seaman- the Dog that Travelled with Lewis and Clark,
The Wheel on the School, Mr Popper’s Penguins, Coon Tree Summer and Ice Slide Winter,
The Truth Seekers Mystery Series, Andrea Carter Series – Susan Marlow (author),
The Railway Children, Good and Evil Comic Bible.
Around the World in 80 Days, A Lion to Guard Us, The Secret Garden,
The Toothpaste Millionaire, Nate the Great Mysteries, Charlotte’s Web,
The Sword in the Tree, The Children who Stayed Home Alone, The Saturdays/ the Four Story Mistake/ Then There were Five/ Spiderweb for Two.
I purchase a lot of books second hand, library sales, homeschool resale online and sometimes EBay. Some of the series I buy new as we read them over and over.
Julie K
waltjuliek@sbcglobal.net
Top Ten Family Read Alouds (share any details you want to share about them):
1. Egermeier’s Bible Story Book by Elsie Egermeier (avilable from http://www.christianbook.com). This is a great Bible story book that is full of beautiful pictures that the kids love. This book was used by my parents when we were growing up as kids and all of my family are using it with our children.
2. The Picture Bible by Iva Hoth (available from http://www.christianbook.com) This is an awesome Bible story book that we have also used to get our children to enjoy reading more because it is in comic form.
3. Dr. Sues books
4. Winnie the Pooh books (some are available from http://www.christianbook.com)
5. Thomas the Tank Engine books (available from http://www.christianbook.com)
6. The Bernstain Bear books (some are available from http://www.christianbook.com)
7. The Hive of Busy Bees and Another Hive of Busy Bees by Beverly Soderholm (available from http://www.graceandtruthbooks.com). Stories that help build character.
8. The Bible
9. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (available from http://christianbook.com). These are not only wonderful books to read but I have been priveleged to know the author through one of her closest friends in later years my great aunt.
10. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (available from http://christianbook.com).
11. All books by Louise May Allcott (these can also be found in ebook form)
12. Truth Seeker Mystery Series by Felice Gerwitz & Christina Gerwitz (available at http://www.mediaangels.com
13. Patricia St. John books (available from http://christianbook.com)
14. Bernard Palmer books (available on ebay)
15. Mandie series by Lois Gladys Leppard (available from http://christianbook.com)
16. Christmas Carol Kauffman’s books (available on ebay).
17. In His Steps by Charles Sheldon (available from http://christianbook.com)
18. Peggy Series by Dorothy Martin (available on ebay).
19. Sugar Creek Gang by Paul Hutchens (available on ebay).
20. Bobbsey Twins by Laura Lee Hope (available on ebay).
21. Hilda Stahl books (available on ebay)
22. The Circle C Adventure Series by Susan K. Marlow (http://www.circlecadventures.com)
Of course there are so many more that I could list!!! 🙂
Tips for Building a Family Library on a Shoestring Budget:
1. Buy books of ebay they usually have excellent prices.
2. Watch for the local libarary to have sells on their books. A lot of them to bag sells.
3. Buy ebooks.
4. Download FREE ebooks from webistes and either put them on the computer, ereaders or bind them into reading books with binders or with Gorilla Glue.
5. Great places to download ebooks from are:
1. http://www.free-ebooks.net
2. http://www.gutenberg.org
3. http://www.manybooks.net
4. http://www.christianbooks.com
5. http://www.librivox.org
6. You can get great audio’s and books in ebook form from http://www.myaudioschool.com. There is a small cost for membership but it is worth it.
7. Garage sales are great places to get books from for good prices.
8. Freecycle.com is a great place to ask for books that aren’t being used any longer.
Again this is just a short list. I’m looking forward to reading what others have.
Thanks Cindy for an awesome opportunity to share!!!
Orilla Crider
Another great place to get books for your library is from http://www.oldfashionededucation.com. Not sure how I missed this one!!!
Orilla Crider
I’ve been reading to James since he was about one month old and reading is still one of the few things we agree on.
Our list:
The Secret Garden (we also read The Little Princess by the same author, but the Garden is better for boys) We have an unwritten rule that books have to be read before seeing any movie that may be made based on them. That includes things like Because of Winn Dixie, Mr. Poppers’ Penguins, Bridge to Teribithia, and Charlotte’s Web (though I must admit I prefer the animated version that is from when I was a kid with Debbie Reynolds as the voice of Charlotte).
The Little House series, but especially Farmer Boy – James loved reading how that boy would eat!
the Little Britches series
The Series of Unfortunate Events (though for reading aloud, in book the Second the bad guy says an inappropriate word and even though the author explains that only a rude and ignorant person would use such a word, you’ll just want to skip it). Don’t even waste time with the movie after.
E.B. White books, especially the Trumpet of the Swan. We also had this as an audio book read by the author, complete with trumpeting after Louis gets his trumpet – great for car trips. James loved this so much that the first time he saw a swan in a zoo, he shouted “Look Mom – it’s Louis!” (He was about 3; the other kids were saying look at the bird).
Peter and the Starcatchers and the rest of the series. These were recommended by our Librarian. The books are the answer to the authors’ children asking them what happened before Peter Pan met Wendy and before Captain Hook needed his hook. (Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson)
the Hank Zipzer series by Henry Winkler (yes, the Fonz) James got me on to these books. I would hear him laughing and he would read snippets to me.
the 39 Clues series – we are in the middle of these now (if you liked the Series of Unfortunate events, you’ll like these; they are less gloomy and quicker reads for independant readers)
FRINDLE and anything else by Andrew Clements. I discovered this book at the Scholastic Warehouse sale (if you have one of these within an hours drive go; look online to see if there is one near you). We loved it. Read Frindle first, then anything else; most are not series but Things Not Seen, Things Hoped For, and Things That Are go together, also excellent). The boy in Frindle learns (in school) that people make language and conducts his own experiment, renaming ‘pen’ to ‘frindle’. Even though all of his books are set in public school, I like that he almost always uses a boy and girl character as leads, there is always a lesson to be learned, and the parents in the stories aren’t made to look stupid, and people have consequences. These books are frequently reread in our home.
Henry Reed Inc and the rest of the series, and The Toothpaste Millionaire – start building the Entrepreneur mindset early :o) (You can add Lunch Money by Andrew Clements to this section too).
Theodore Boone – a new children’s book series by John Grisham.
Encyclopedia Brown series, the Miss Pickerel series, and Beverly Cleary books. Books I loved as a child and now get to share.
Dr. Seuss books – James still loves the Butter Battle. The Little Critter books – good for when you don’t want to read a lot or don’t have time because they are quick. Kids love the pictures.
Down in the Dumps. I recommend this with hesitation because I really can’t stand it from James reading it so much when he was 4. He even knew exactly were to find it on the library shelf. He would have signed it out every trip if he could. It has a rhythm to the words, but to me it wasn’t as good or fun as Dr. Seuss. This is definitely a fluff book for early readers.
Heidi. I have an early edition where Clara’s grandmother taught Heidi about God and how to pray. Most versions now have omitted that part.
Okay I did more than top ten – what can I say, we love books!
I always budget for books. Besides the Scholastic Warehouse sale (50% off), when I lived back East the University of Delaware Female Alumni group had a book sale once a year in a local mall. Best thing, on the last day of the sale it was all of the books you could stuff in a bag for a couple dollars. (and I know how to pack a bag) I also get books from the discount table in bookstores, and for me I have the BOMC2.com reading club; all books are 9.99 and free shipping and you can quit any time. And there is always Amazon. Check out the free books for Kindle; there are a lot of classics in there like the Anne of Avonlea series (which I love) and some modern things like the Star Wars books (which my son loves), not for everyone, but you can (and I have) use the struggle of good and evil to talk about God.
I’m making myself stop now ;o)
Davette Brown
I mentioned this in the chat but putting it here as a reminder –
for those with little kids or newborns, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library gives them one book a month, mailed to your house, from birth to age 5 or 6 (check the website).
Also, for those that love Usborne books, having a show is a good way to get books, or becoming a ‘book lady’ (you can use the discount for yourself whether you pursue the business or not). You can also host a fair for your homeschool group.
Check your local library too. Ours has a family reading night sponsored by the Literacy Council. After they read the book for the night, every one gets a copy of the book free (one per family) and depending on how many people show up and how many books she brings, you may get more. The Literacy council is always at fairs during the summer and they let you help yourself to books; mostly they are extra generous because they don’t want to load them all back up again at the end :o) I got a brand new Nicholas Spark book (good choice for Mommies) one time.
Chik-fil-a sometimes gives books with their kids meals.
Davette Brown