Favorite Reads of 2020

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We're a month into 2021, but here in Oregon we’re still living amid the societal confinements that arrived last year, including schools that remain closed by our governor’s order since last March, ongoing Antifa-led violence in downtown Portland, and my friends’ small businesses struggling or shuttered. It’s quite likely the situation is similar where you are, though I hope it’s better. Frankly, I think the past year has paved the way for a concerning new normal, and it's not necessarily the future that I would wish for the world. I'm thinking particularly of the continuing travel restrictions, possible vaccine mandates, the French ban on homeschooling (now slated for 2022), and continued political fracturing. Nonetheless, I’m so grateful for the greatest blessing my family received at the end of 2020 when our fifth child (our fourth boy!) was born. I haven't been able to read as much with a newborn in my arms, bien sûr, but I'm happy to reminisce and recommend my favorite books that I read in 2020. Les voilà:

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Inspiration for Bilingual Parenting: Adam Beck's Thoughtful Guidebook

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Early in my quest to raise a bilingual child, I frequently read non-fiction books on bilingualism to help me grasp the requirements ahead. Eight years later, however, I'm now a homeschooling parent of three children, and my reading on the topic has slowed quite a bit. Since late last fall, however, I've been slowly savoring each little chapter of Adam Beck's indie-published book, Maximize your Child's Bilingual Ability. His book is neither a daunting tome of scientific research nor a fluffy anecdotal jaunt through his own parenting experience, but instead, it's the ideal guidebook for parents who are sure of their commitment to bilingual parenting but in need of ideas and ongoing inspiration. That covers every bilingual parent, including me!

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5 Books that Changed my Parenting: Book 1 (Book Giveaway!)

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In my opinion, there are far too many parenting books: Amazon lists over 43,000 available. I've read a scant two or three dozen of them; about five of those have truly impacted the way that I parent my children. Over the next few weeks I'll profile each of those five books. Read on for more details about today's book and the giveaway.

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