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Hello, Reader.

Monday was our first day back at homeschool co-op after summer break. After teaching so many children for so many years, it seems strange to be heading off to this weekly co-op with only the youngest of our twelve in tow.

And for a few of those weeks in the fall, I won't even have her, because her volleyball team practices from 8-10 that same morning. But there are still lots of little Flanders children in the hallways, because one of my daughters-in-law attends the same co-op with her four (soon to be five) little ones.

It feels like a real circle-of-life, back-to-the-basics moment whenever I see my sweet grandkids heading off to their preschool and kindergarten classes (or hear their big brother calling my name and waving to me from across the gym), which is exactly what inspired the alphabet printables I'm sharing in this week's link list.

Free resources for you this week:

• ​Bible Memory ABCs - learn a different verse for each letter of the alphabet
• ​ABCs of Homeschooling Success - from a talk I gave to a moms group a few years back
• ​Penmanship Practice - to help your child learn to write his letters
• ​Alphabet Frieze - a hand-drawn border I used to help teach my kids phonics
• ​ABCs of a Happy Marriage - my A-to-Z guide for building a better marriage

What I'm reading this week:

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​Family Unfriendly by Timothy Carney Written by a Catholic father of six, Family Unfriendly describes the myriad ways our culture has made raising kids harder than it has to be (hence, the subtitle of his book). It offers lots of good food for thought, and I found myself nodding in agreement to many – though not all – of his observations and suggested solutions. As birth rates around the globe continue to plummet, many countries are trying to encourage their citizens to procreate in every way they know how– including cash incentives, tax breaks, government-funded maternity and paternity leave, subsidized childcare, etc. But despite their best efforts, such measures have failed to make a significant difference. This author explains why.

This week's reader request:

I received a message this week from a reader named Leah who wanted to know if I had a 24-25 academic calendar with a July start (instead of August).

The answer is yes, although I didn't have an easy way for readers to print off older school calendars in their choice of start dates. But that is no longer the case.

Now you can take your pick between July and August for all the school years I've ever published: past, present, and future.

On the podcast this week:

Loving Life at Home: Episode 94 ​RAISING KIDS WHO DON'T REBEL​ This week I’m answering a question from a listener who’d like to know how to raise kids who won’t resent your family rules or rebel against them. Is that even possible? Listen in on Episode 94 as we discuss what parents can do to reduce the risk of rebellion. ​ Listen Now

Progress on last week's goals:

I finished most of my to-do list last week: I ✅ painted husband's car for our anniversary, ✅ attended three of my daughter's volleyball games, ✅ took my son to get his wisdom teeth out, ✅ presented pitch for our family shark tank challenge (more on that next week), and ✅ recorded two podcasts,

I also (mostly) ✅ finished stitching my friend's baby gift, although I ❌ haven't framed it, nor have I ❌ painted a sample tin box for the craft class I'm teaching at co-op.

Personal goals for this week:

• frame and mail baby gift
• glue and rehang broken plate
• paint rusty vent covers
• memorize/review Proverbs 31:10-31
• finish stitching petit point purse
• empty/put away contents of another packing box

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Thanks so much for all your help! I'll be back next week with more links, reviews, and resources. If you have any special requests, please let me know. 😊