Each week, I sit down to prepare this newsletter and I find myself in a different space every time. It’s a routine–sometimes a hurried one, sometimes a thing at the last minute that I can barely fit in, sometimes it’s relaxed. I hope you have those routines. There are weeks they feel like a chore, but other weeks they’re an anchor in the whirlwind.

Around the Web

I Need a Father

At Risen Motherhood, Emily reminds us God is our Father.

• Most of you don’t buy your veggies from a man on a motorbike who drives through your neighborhood every morning. The language you speak with your neighbors is probably different than the one I fumble through with mine. Your kids probably aren’t accustomed to bowing their forehead to the hand of the older person they greet in order to show honor. But, though our circumstances may look vastly different, knowing God as Father can anchor our souls through every season and trial in motherhood.
  Read more

Get Hooked on a New Science Fiction Chapter Book

I love science fiction. Do you? If you or your young reader need some suggestions, Melissa Taylor has a list for us.

• Read about alternate worlds, aliens and spaceships, and science-fiction inventions! You’ll get all that and more in the new 2019 science fiction chapter books I’m sharing with you today.
  Read more

That One Piece: A Vignette Sparking the Magic of Childhood Nostalgia

This lovely piece reminds us of the memories that shaped us.

• When I was little, some of the most magical trips I took were the ones where we packed up the car and drove six hours south through Indiana to my grandparents’ house. Everything about their home entranced me and made me feel warmth, curiosity, and joy.
  It was a menagerie of unique sights for me, my siblings and my cousins. In the living room, floral upholstery mixed with stained glass lamps, old books, and dainty ceramic treasures tucked thoughtfully behind the glass doors of a china cabinet. 
  Read more

The Best Silent Movies to Watch with Your Kids

Erica, at What Do We Do All Day, gives some new suggestions for screen time.

• When your kids ask for screen time, exactly how much begging can you take before you give in? 2 minutes? 10? Do you hold your ground despite their determination to wear you down? I’ve developed a thick skin during my career as “the mean mom who limits screen time,” so my kids know I mean business but that doesn’t stop them, especially my 10 year old, from trying.
  Read more

Around the Warren

Adult Amnesia

Carolyn Leiloglou writes of self-diagnosing with adult amnesia.

• I’ve self-diagnosed myself with adult amnesia. Maybe I made that term up, but I think it’s a real problem. I have trouble remembering what it’s like to be a kid. Do you?
  Actually, I do remember much of what it’s like. The problem is I have trouble remembering to remember.
  When I was a kid, I loved animals—you might say I was obsessed with them—and had a long succession of pets.
  Read more

Noah Green: Pet-Loving Wonder for Young Readers

Glenn McCarty reviews a new book for young readers by Carolyn Leiloglou.

• For as long as there have been children and an interest in pets, there have been requests for pet-ownership. In my house, negotiations are ongoing for a turtle to take up permanent residence in my son’s bedroom. We’ve compromised on a handful of lively – but admittedly, not as personable – fish. Suffice it to say, kids love pets. And, kids also love reading about pets. Whether it’s Fern and Wilbur or Opal and Winn-Dixie, there’s something about the bond between child and animal that makes for memorable reading. It’s my pleasure to introduce you to Noah Green, a juvenile pet-owner with a heart for animals and spunk and charm to spare.
  Read more

Something to Do with Your Kids

You may already have your favorite family Easter traditions, both sacred and secular. But if you’re looking for some new Easter activities, here’s a great list.

Something to Watch

There’s seven hours of drone footage from some of the most gorgeous spots on earth here. Have fun!

Thanks for reading. We’re on your side.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Carolyn Clare Givens

Carolyn Clare Givens is displaced Northerner exploring the foreign ways of the South. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her two literary cats, Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane. She's the author of The King's Messenger and Rosefire and in her free time helps run Bandersnatch Books.

You can find her at carolyncgivens.com or on Facebook or Instagram at @carolyncgivens.

Latest posts by Carolyn Clare Givens (see all)

• The Warren & The World Vol 11, Issue 30 - September 16, 2023
• The Warren & The World Vol 11, Issue 29 - September 2, 2023
• The Warren & The World Vol 11, Issue 28 - August 19, 2023