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)