Caroline and I have many things in common. One is that neither one of us is a fan of getting our picture taken. However, this was a sweet picture we took on Sunday morning that I wanted to share. You can really see Caroline’s shorter hair here after she had it cut and donated it.

In My Life This Month

Right now I’m reading two books for a review coming up later this month! I thought I would mention them since I know people are always on the lookout for good reading material (which is why I wrote my 100 Wholesome Books for Girls and Tweens). My review is due the last week of November so look for that coming up. (Updated: Review is here – Vintage Adventure Books from Aunt Claire Presents.)

The Automobile Girls at Newport: or, Watching the Summer Parade (Aunt Claire Presents)Grace Harlowe’s Freshman Year at High School (Aunt Claire Presents)

In Our Homeschool This Month

Caroline expressed an interest in learning to play the piano so in June I ordered a beginner’s book for her. It sat on the piano until last week when Caroline was READY. She asked me to start giving her lessons and she wants a lesson every day now. She even said she would like to play in church which, if you know our struggles with church the past several years, was a rather monumental statement. I’m excited to see what she will do with this new interest!

Alfred’s Basic Piano Library Lesson Book, Bk 1A: Book & CD

Caroline’s goldfish with swim bladder disease (see October journal) is still alive and going strong. The frozen peas seem to be the magic elixir so I’m thankful. Marshmello is still a bit tipsy, but seems to be doing completely fine and definitely isn’t getting any worse so we’re very thankful!

Caroline and “My Little Pony”

Caroline is not a big reader when it comes to chapter books. She reads all the time online and enjoys graphic novels. We’ve been trying to find books that she will enjoy to help her get accustomed to reading regular books.

Right now she’s very much into My Little Pony everything. Actually, she has been for a long time. (Fluttershy and Princess Luna are her favorites.) There are quite a few My Little Pony books out now and these are some that she’s especially enjoying.

My Little Pony: Daring Do and the Marked Thief of MaraporeMy Little Pony: Daring Do and the Eternal FlowerMy Little Pony: Daring Do and the Forbidden City of CloudsMy Little Pony: The Journal of the Two Sisters: The Official Chronicles of Princesses Celestia and LunaThe Elements of Harmony: Friendship is Magic

What’s Working for Us

Caroline is really enjoying playing with these. She has a nice fidget spinner, but has said these little magnetic balls are so far superior in terms of how enjoyable they are to play with and use when she needs something for fidgeting.

The ones we have are silver like the picture above, but they also come a bit larger and in other pretty colors. These would make a great stocking stuffer for any child (or adult!) who needs something fun and creative to fidget with!

My Favorite Thing This Month

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time of year and it is my favorite thing this month. If you are still looking for some quick and easy to implement Thanksgiving ideas, don’t miss these posts.

(In case you didn’t know, I’m not a slave to complicated Pinterest-driven activities. We keep things pretty simple around here.)

• Simple Thanksgiving Activities for Children
• Simple Thanksgiving Traditions for Families
• Simple Thanksgiving Meal Planning

If you are looking for some last minute printables to download, check out the Thanksgiving section of my shop!

And for holidays in general, don’t miss these posts.

• 4 Tips To Simplify Christmas Gift Giving
• The Reality Of Holiday Overwhelm For Highly Sensitive Children
• Saying “No” To Holiday Pressures 
• 290+ Stocking Stuffer Ideas for All Ages {Free Printable Shopping Lists}

On My Website In Case You Missed It

Did you see all these posts since I last did a monthly homeschool journal? I especially enjoyed compiling the 100 ridiculous things said to homeschoolers. Amazing! LOL!

• 100 Ridiculous Things Said To Homeschoolers
• Caroline’s Experience with the Pantene Hair Donation Program
• Adventures in Odyssey From Focus on the Family

Happy (what’s left of) November!