Second Chances Review

Second Chances by Sarah Price is a 304 page novel in the Amish fiction genre.  It is published by Realms Publisher and released on June 2, 2015. To purchase your copy through Amazon, click here or from Barnes & Noble, click here.

second chances

Overview

At twenty-five years of age, Anna Eicher has never married. When she was seventeen, her parents convinced her to break off her courtship with Freman Whittmore, the youngest son in the Whittmore family and her best friend. Afterward, a distraught Freman moved away from Lancaster County.

Eight years later Freman has returned to visit his sister, who is renting the Eichers’ house for the winter. Now the owner of the largest dairy farm in his church district, Freman has neither married—nor forgiven Anna.

Although he begins courting someone else, Anna hopes to convince him that she has never stopped loving him. Will Freman be persuaded to forgive Anna and open his heart again?

My Two Cents

Have you ever wanted to please everyone around you so much that you lost yourself? Have you took their advice to make them happy and found yourself miserable? Have you ever made a decision and immediately knew you would regret that decision forever? These are issues our main character, Anna, was contemplating in Second Chances. I really connected with Anna. I think many people have struggled making others happy at the risk of losing themselves and their own happiness. Anna’s sisters and father took her for granted never stopping to think of her sacrifice nor the love she has shown them.  It was just what was expected of her and she always did met those expectations because she loved them.

What I love about Sarah Price’s writing is there is always something I can apply to my own life after reading her books. Second Chances left me contemplating the fine line between love and sacrifice for your family and letting your family take advantage of you.  There were places where I felt as if Sarah was writing my story. Sarah has a such a way of writing that it draws you in and you can see the world through her characters eyes.

Sarah does a wonderful job retelling Jane Austen’s Persuasion yet stays true to the Amish culture. The themes of love, forgiveness and mercy are beautifully intertwined into this charming story.  I could not put Second Chances down from the time I picked up.  This must be on your summers TBR list.

I give Second Chances 5 out of 5 stars.  This is Sarah at her best.  My favorite book so far!

Thank you to Sarah Price for a free copy of her book. No monetary compensation was received and all views expressed are my own.

About the Author

Sarah Price’s family emigrated from Europe in 1705, settling in Pennsylvania as part of the area’s first wave of Mennonite families. At nineteen, she befriended an Amish family and lived on their farm. Twenty-five years later she splits her time between her family in the New York City metro area and a home that she shares with an Amish woman in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where she retreats to reflect and write. As a masterful storyteller, Sarah Price prides herself on presenting an authentic Amish experience for her readers.

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of my favorite author, Sarah Price’s new book, I am giving away two copies of Second Chances! To enter, click on the words “Entry-Form” below:

This giveaway ends June 30 at 11:59pm PDT.

Homeschool Organization

With the new school year underway, I thought it would be a good time to discuss organization. Homeschooling my three, organization was a challenge.  I was lucky to keep up with dinner, housework and the kids let’s not mention getting things organized! So, today I am going to start with curriculum planning.

I found planning school a month at a time worked well for us.  I planned out the curriculum for the year, dividing it up into 10 months or “learning record” periods.  I did this over the summer when my life wasn’t so hectic. Can you hear my sarcasm? Good.  Denial can be your best friend.  Back to curriculum… This gave me a lot of time to get it all done.  The best part – once I planned my oldest daughter’s curriculum, I was able to tweak it for the other 2 when they got to that grade or subject.

We have the curriculum planned out for the year.  Now what? Well I then broke it down into the monthly plan.  Once you set up your template for the first month, it is easy to tweak it each month after.  I put my form below.  Each day the kids would highlight the assignments they completed….Well, that was the goal anyways.  It worked pretty well.

If this is totally overwhelming to you, I understand.  Really, I do.  Another great resource is a homeschooling planner.  There are several free ones out on the net. If you are looking to purchase a planner, I would recommend www.aplaninplace.net.  The planners are easy to use and..wait for it…double as a yearbook!

What are some of your tips for organizing your curriculum?

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