Real History

We did these last week. And yes, after the pyramids were complete, everyone got to eat a sugar cube.

Smell the Birds

Several days ago, Marjorie blogged about the cedar waxwings. I had never seen one before but they looked like cute little guys. We began a bird study in the fall and 'birding' is an ongoing family project. Well, the very next day we were about to pull out of the grocery store parking lot and I glanced over to one of the landscaped islands and saw it was teeming with birds. I drove over to check them out and it was a huge flock of these handsome birds. They were feasting on some juniper berries. We sat in the van and observed them for a long time. We noticed their interesting markings, how they hovered over the berries in a a way reminicent of a hummingbird and how they flew up into the branches of the trees if they were startled, but they quickly came back to the berries. Quite the impromptu nature study, no?

I have, of course, heard the phrase "stop and smell the roses" at least 400 times in my life. The concept of slowing down and enjoying your surroundings, both the people and places, is very appealing to me, but practically I have not 'owned' this idea. One of the reasons we began HS was a yearning to do more of it though.

Reflecting on the cedar waxwing sighting I began to realise that a big hinderence in actually taking time to "stop and smell the roses" is not really knowing much about them! It is undeniable that roses do indeed smell very good. However, I am sure I would be much more likely to stop and take the time to smell and appreciate them if I knew more about them. Perhaps if I knew more about their necessary growing conditions, their particular name and maybe how old they were or who knows what else, it would be some much more fufilling to pause and enjoy their beauty.

I am sure this theory holds true in relationships too as well as nature or any subject actually. The more you know about the lady who sits in the front pew in a hot pink blazer every Friday at daily mass, the more likey you would be to take the time to stop and enjoy her company. Closer to the home front, the more I know how much my child has practiced pumping himself on the swing, the more excited I can be for him when at last he has the independance to swing for the clouds!

I am so thankful I have this opportunity to learn this lesson. I really want, I really and truly desire to feel connected with my environment and with the people around me, both close to home and not. I think this insight will help me so much, not only in our HS adventures, but also in my relationships. I admit it sounds intuitive; the more you know the more you care. Honestly though, I never stopped and took the time to 'smell the roses' and put two and two together!

Go read this!

When They're Older


I still catch myself playing this game, even though I know it is dangerous.

Happenings

1. We are crazy. We are seriously investigating getting a dog. The kids are beginning to turn up the heat in asking for a pet. Laine is leading the crusade. She is now carrying around a little yellow bag that she keeps money in and she puts any change she finds into her 'purse' and she tells everyone it's her puppy money. Aunt Anne listened to Laine explain her money bag and kindly donated a few bucks. Because of Jake's allergies we are looking at poodle mixes. The favorite is a cockapoo, but we are open to advice and suggestions. I have a feeling that whatever dog we get will end up with a Narnian name. (see no.3) The dog in the picture above is a cockapoo.

2. A really wonderful thing happend pertaining to Lee's job, but it's not what you might expect. I am thinking of how to blog about it.

3. We finished up "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" this morning. We all loved another wonderul Narnian adventure. The kids got pretty bummed that Edmund and Lucy will not be returning to Narnia. They felt the same way at the end of "Prince Caspian" about Susan and Peter. It really puts a damper on the end of those otherwise fun tales. Ryan went to far as to say, "This is the worst story I ever heard!" But he didn't really mean it. At least we have two more books to read in the series. I know it will be hard to come to the end of them. We all love them so much. I feel sort of like Lucy reading the story in the magician's book in TVOTDT. At least I can re-read them over and over, unlike poor Lucy.

4. We went to the Silent March for Life stuff down at the capital yesterday. First there was mass with the Archbishop, who is awesome, and then lunch and then we went outside in front of the capital and there were politicians speaking, musicians etc...we missed most of that because we were chatting with friends and checking out the nice police horses. We had to leave before the March began, but next year we are hoping to participate. This was our first time attending any pro-life event and I was really happy to see how peaceful and positive the whole environment was.

5. Jake and Ryan are practicing for their homeschool group Spelling Bee. Jake is very good, Ryan, well, he takes more after me in his spelling abilities. I think he is actually better at it than I ever was/am though. Maybe they will end up in D.C. one year for the National Spelling Bee. Aren't the homeschool kids always winning those?

Lee's Birthday

Today is my husband's birthday.

We are not huge birthday celebrators, but we'll probably have a nice meal for dinner, maybe some cake and cards too. We'll probably talk a bit about Dad as a baby and might even call his mom and dad to say thanks for having such a wonderful son.

Lee truly is my 'other half'. We fit like puzzle pieces with each other. He fills in my personality gaps. He keeps me lighthearted and joyful. I help him stay grounded.

We met a wonderful woman named Joan the other night. Joan's husband Chris died not too long ago but they were married 51 years and it is obvious he is a big part of who she is. Their love and marriage and her friendliness really touched my heart.

I feel that way about Lee. Even if he dies tomorrow and I live many more years on earth without him, he will always be a big part of who I am.

I love his birthday, even without the cake, presents and general hoopla, because it is just another day to remind me how special he is.

Down Memory Lane

Fourteen Bears In Summer and Winter
I had this book as a child and I began to search for it for my own kids a few years ago. It was out of print and copies were going for over one hundred dollars!

I was so excited to see it being published again and I recieved our copy today. After ripping open the box we sat down immediately to read it. It is every bit as wonderful as I remembered. Jake and Ryan really loved it to, probably not as much as me though because 11 our of the twelve bear cubs are girls! They were charmed by the illustrations of the bears in the woods and each individual cub's own tree house which has it's own style. I remember pouring over this book for hours, studying each page carefully and dreaming of how I would decorate my own tree house and how wonderful it would be to live in such a big family in the woods with customized tree houses.

Say What?

Direction for the new term

Over our break, I really have taken more time to follow up my interest in Charlotte Mason's educational philosophy.

Ambleside Online has a great index of CM's writings and I decided to start reading through them. For some reason I began with volume 3. My first experiences with CM have been through the Real Learning forums, other blogs (see sidebar) and Elizabeth Foss's book . I figured it was time to go to the source.

We are already incorporating much CM style in our homeschool, but reading her original writings definitely inspire me to keep pushing on. Overall, the concept that resonates the most is the discipline of narration. Narration is simply the child retelling what he has learned. The form can be quite in depth, detailed and written or more like a casual, conversational rundown.

I have a difficult time explaining how this deeply this concept of narration motivates me. I see endless benefits in training a child how to listen, absorb and integrate ideas AND THEN communicate them effectively. This is not just an educational skill, this is a life skill.

ETA: ok I re-read this and I am tickled at the irony of me not being able to explain clearly why I think narration is so exciting. I needed more CM training as a child apparently, lol!

10 things I love that begin with 'Y'

I am late (as usual) to this alphabet party and almost all of the other letters are taken. However, I am in luck! 'Y' is still left and there are several things I like that being with 'Y':

Yellow: a very good color. Yellow is a happy color, an association that most people make and I am sure it has nothing at all to do with the ubiquitous yellow smiley faces.

Yarn: I am not a knitter, but I sure appreciate the fruits of loving knitters such as my Nana, who has knit several wonderful things for me and my family over the years, including these awesome Christmas stockings:



Yes: I am thinking specifically of Mary and her "Yes" to God. May I follow in her example...

You: I love my blog readers!

Years: My birthday is just days away (the 9th...) and I am happy to have been here almost 32 years. When I think about it, I mean really, really think about it, I can say honestly that I am more happy and content every year of my life and I appreciate every moment more and more.

Yesterday: means more wonderful memories to reflect on over the years

Youngster: We have 5 and totally love them!

Yogurt: specifically I like the Yoplait whips. Key Lime, Raspberry Chocolate...so good.

Whew...2 more? Hmmm........

Yard: I am looking forward to spring and maybe some new plants and flowers. We are completely renovating our yard and it is a loooong process, but we are already enjoying the lawn for soccer and tag.

Yawn: You know, a big yawn feels really good sometimes, like as you are climbing into bed with clean sheets and a soft new nightgown, or right now even!

I hope you have enjoyed our fun journey with the letter "Y". See it wasn't so bad! Let's all remember to give this noble letter a bit more respect in the future, ok?

A New Year

Obviously, I have been neglecting my blog.

But, as I am preparing to start the new school term, my bloggy juices are stirring again.

You may have noticed yet another new look! We recently bought a new computer and also some new photo editing software. We have Corel Paint Shop Pro and I have been practicing with it for several weeks.

I began to scrapbook back when my first son was born, but with each new baby I spent less and less time working on it and eventually just gave up. It was a mess to drag the stuff out and it took me forever to make just one page because I agonized over cutting photos and paper etc...I read somewhere that behind every procrastinator is a perfectionist and while I still claim (blindly?) that I am not a perfectionist, I certainly see an element of myself in that statement.

Back to the scrapbooking....about a year ago I discovered the world of digital scrapbooking and messed around a bit with it, but our computer was way to slow and you need tons of memory to do this stuff.

Now with my fancy new computer though, I am finding all sorts of neat things to do with our photos. I am sure there is someway to incorporate all that I am learning into our homeschool stuff, but I haven't truly pursued it yet. Anyway, that is one reason why this blog keeps changing it's look!

I Went In, I Knew Not Where

I Went In, I Knew Not Where

I went in, I knew not where
and stayed, not knowing, but going
past the boundaries of knowing.

I knew not the place around me,
how I came there or where from,
but seeing where then I found me,
I sensed great things, and grew dumb—
since no words for them would come—
lacking all knowledge, but going
past the boundaries of knowing.

Of piety and of peace
I had perfect comprehension;
solitude without surcease
showed the straight way, whose intention—
too secret for me to mention—
left me stammering, but going
past the boundaries of knowing.

So wholly rapt, so astonished
was I, from myself divided,
that my very senses vanished
and left me there unprovided
with knowledge, my spirit guided
by learning unlearned, and going
past the boundaries of knowing.

He who reaches that place truly
wills himself from self to perish;
all he lately knew, seen newly,
seems trifles unfit to cherish;
his new knowledge grows to flourish
so that he lingers there, going
past the boundaries of knowing.

The higher up one is lifted,
the less one perceives by sight
how the darkest cloud has drifted
to elucidate the night;
He who knows the dark aright
endures forever, by going
past the boundaries of knowing.

This wisdom, wise by unknowing,
wields a power so complete
that the learnèd wise men throwing
wisdom against it compete
with a force none can defeat,
since their wisdom makes no showing
past the boundaries of knowing.

There is virtue so commanding
in this high knowledge that wit,
human skill and understanding
cannot hope to rival it
in one who knows how to pit
against self his selfless going
past the boundaries of knowing.

And if you should care to learn
what this mode of being wise is,
it is yearnings that discern
the Divine in all its guises,
whose merciful gift and prize is
to confound all knowledge, going
past the boundaries of knowing.


(Coplas: “Entreme donde no supe,” St. John of the Cross,
Spain, 1542-1591; tr. Rhina P. Espaillat)