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Hello Reader,

April is here, and it's definitely bringing showers to our neck of the woods. The azaleas are in full bloom now and looking lovely. I hope you're enjoying a beautiful spring, as well.

This month promises to be a busy one for our family, with lots to celebrate. This week's link list offers resources for observing just a few of the fun & quirky holidays this month holds. Enjoy!

Free resources for you this month:

• April 6 - Army Day – teach your kids the Army Anthem or read the poem, The Boy Enlists​
• April 10 - National Siblings Day – try these ideas for cultivating friendship among siblings​
• April 15 - National Laundry Day – click here for a free printable stain removal guide​
• April 21 - British National Tea Day – celebrate by taking our Tea Time Trivia Test​
• April 25 - National Crayola Day – color some of our free Christian coloring pages​
• April 30 - National Honesty Day – try these ideas to help your children tell the truth​

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What I'm reading this week:

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I finished listening to Persuasion by Jane Austen this week after getting the audiobook for free with my Audible membership. Anne Elliot's story is profoundly sad. It is a study, as it were, in the importance of keeping good counselors. Anne thought she has such a wise and trustworthy mentor in the Lady Russell, but she lived to regret acting on the advice this friend and neighbor gave. Of course, there is no way for Anne to take back her lamentable decision, but now, eight years later, might she finally be given an opportunity to reconsider?

What we're eating this week:

My daughters made Joy the Baker's Quiche Lorraine for Easter brunch this year, and it was so scrumptious, we're thinking of making this meal an annual tradition. The only change my girls made was substituting turkey bacon for pork.

On the podcast this week:

Loving Life at Home: Episode 38 ​YOUR CHILD'S LEARNING STYLE​ Modern lists of learning styles are much lengthier than the one I learned in school. And after raising 12 children, I can think of a few learning styles I’ve never seen on any chart. But how should learning styles affect the way we parent? Listen Now

Progress on last week's goals:

I ❌ didn't get my pantry organized as planned, but my oldest daughter paid us a surprise visit last Saturday, which was a much more enjoyable way to spend the weekend, so I'm happy!

Meanwhile, here are the chores I did mark off last week's to do list: ✅ framed family photos for our new bedroom shelves, ✅ finished painting my bandbox, ✅ recorded a guest podcast with my friend, ✅ attended our church's Good Friday service, ✅ cracked our way through 24 Resurrection Eggs with a few of my grandchildren, and ✅ completed four more pages in my Easter journal.

Personal goals for next week:

• go to the Planetarium
• visit the Dallas Arboretum
• send monthly April Bible memory challenge to kids & grandkids
• admire solar eclipse (Tyler is in the path of totality)
• visit extended family in Dallas and from San Antonio
• do/ review a T-Rex puzzle with my dino-loving grandson
• paint another section of the garden mural in my backyard