Busy life means slow blogging

These past two weeks have been strangely busy.  Not going many places, but just lots of stuff going on.  It is good to be busy, I guess.

So, no blogging, but I did take some pictures...

One of our church friends, Mrs. J, came to do an art lesson with us.

The kids painted watercolors and then cut out a piece to make cards.

Mrs. J taught us that art is never wasted, even the mess ups. 

Baby L joined in the action, too.

It was a lovely morning and we look forward to our next lesson!

Daybook - March 14th

outside my window . . .  daylight savings means I'm back to waking up in the dark.  It will take a few days to get used to that, but the good news is it won't last too long.

I am listening to . . .  my girls playing "doggy"

I am wearing . . . grey sweater, bright blue top.

I am so grateful for . . . Saturday morning coffee with a dear friend!

I'm pondering . . . earthquakes, seismographs, etc.

I am reading . . . Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, The Wives of Henry VIII, Dante's Purgatory for Lent.

on my iPod . . . we are going to listen to some classic fairy tales this week.

around the house . . .  just about time to put some cheerful, welcoming spring flowers out on our front porch.

from the kitchen . . . a delicious apple pie to break our fast on Sunday and to celebrate Hubby's birthday

real education in our home . . . birthday cards for family, multiplication facts, 

the church year in our home . . . the first week of our family fast went well.  Everyone enjoyed the respite from the fast on Sunday.  

the week ahead . . . 

:-: Monday - Hubby and eldest are out to see a friend and youth pastor speak tonight.

:-: Tuesday - My MOM's birthday!

:-: Thursday - Saint Patrick's Day!  We'll have a festive (but fast-friendly) dinner and then head out to our weekly book study, "And Then I Had Teenagers", maybe a trip to the hairdresser for me.

:-: Friday - Mother-in-Law arrives to celebrate hubby's birthday (from last week).

:-: Saturday - Off to Biltmore House!

picture thought . . .

Beloved.

{this moment} -- March 11th

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. 

A single photo capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. 

A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Visit SouleMama for more.

Not a technically beautiful photo, but captured a truly remarkable moment: Baby L trusting (and enjoying) a new friend!

(You'll notice I've changed the rules - I cannot help but put a caption on my photos!)

Shrove Tuesday 2011

Welcome to Shrove Tuesday, also known as Mardi Gras!  

We have a big, festive church pot luck tonight so who knows what we'll be enjoying for dinner....but it will be good!  We are getting ready for Lent in our home by spending some time the past few days discussing what we'll fast from for Lent.  Hubby and I both have some other Lenten plans.  For me just some focused reading and additional prayer time.

Here are some links to help you along this Lent:

:-: Starting off Lent with a Good Confession.  A great guide to self-examination (with or without a priest or spiritual mentor).  This makes for a good Ash Wednesday meditation or something to work on through out Lent.

:-: Reading through Lent with the Church Fathers - this is what I'll be reading through this Lent.  (Updated to add: Jessica has asked for anyone interested in reading through Dante's "Purgatory" for Lent.  I may ditch the Church Fathers, saving those for Easter or Pentecost - wouldn't that be appropriate, and join her in this.  I've been trying to read it on my own for a while now and got derailed with our move.  In addition there is a blog devoted entirely to this exact pursuit: Daily Dante.  They are looking for some lady bloggers to join them.  I'm a little intimidated to officially join them, but I will be reading and maybe commenting.)

:-: Family Fasting in Lent

:-: Focus, Spirit, Discipline: A Lenten Series

:-: Lots of great reading from the 2008 Anglican Lenten carnival: An Anglican Family Lent

:-: Jessica also has a link post up for Lent.  You can always count on great links from her!

:-: and one of my new favorite blogs, Like Mother, Like Daughter has a truly wonderful and encouraging post up for those of us , especially those with many children, needing some simple and gentle Lent guidance.  Lenten Preparations.


I pray you each have a blessed Shrove Tuesday and entry into Lent tomorrow on Ash Wednesday.

Daybook - March 7th

outside my window . . .  the grass is starting to poke out from under the landscaper's straw.  I feel hopeful that we might actually have a yard of grass rather than mud one day.

I am listening to . . . my oven's creaks and whooshes as it heats up.

I am wearing . . . brown sweater, medium blue top, jeans, fluffed-but-unwashed hair.

I am reading . . . The Wives of Henry the VIII (A Fraser) and Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

I am thinking . . . about how tired I am and that it might be tired to start taking melatonin again!  It really does help me sleep better.

on my iPod . . .  catching up on a few podcasts today while I do my baking.

around the house . . .  oh, the weekend has put our house is a bit of disarray.  At some point today I sure hope to get it straightened up.  Little E's room needs some SERIOUS attention this week.

from the kitchen . . . batches and batches of sweet treats today for an open house (eldest son's school).

real education in our home . . . tomorrow a friend is coming to give a lesson in water colors.

rhythm and beauty in our home . . . I am trying to determine how to cozy up our kitchen eating area.  The area is large and open and has lots of windows and light.  I love that, but it lacks something cozy and anchoring.  

the church year in our home . . . Ash Wednesday is this week, and of course that means the beginning of Lent.  Trying to decide where to place our family altar.  I moved during the holidays to make room for some special decorations and never put it back in its original location.  I like where it is now, but it isn't a place we can gather as a family, so I'm considering a change to that.

one of my favorite things . . .  fancily painted fingernails on cute little girls.

the week ahead. . .

:-: Today: open house for eldest son's school

:-: Tuesday : water color lesson, and Shrove Tuesday pot luck at church

:-: Wednesday: Ash Wednesday services

:-: Thursday: a special birthday!

a picture thought . . .

Down at the creek a few weeks ago.  Still some icy bits to crunch through.

{this moment} -- March 3rd

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. 

A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. 

A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Visit SouleMama for more.

My little E with the big pink back pack - the rest friends from other families.

Daybook - February 28th

Eve of St. David's Feast

outside my window . . . 60degrees already and it is not quite 8am!  What a strange warm way to end February.

I am listening to . . . NPR - Groupon is moving into China, the world's largest internet market.

I am wearing . . .  something that I think is much too warm for the day's weather.

I am so grateful for . . . my mom making it through surgery safely.

I am thinking . . . about blog names for my kids.  I get so tired of "Middle son", etc.  Just lacks personality!

around the house . . . making laundry soap today.  It helps to have laundry soap when you have the entire household's wardrobes to wash.    

real education in our home . . . We finally finished Adam and His Kin and now begin a trilogy of Gilgamesh picture books.  

rhythm and beauty in our home . . . made a simple dining room centerpiece from pale green candles set in various sizes of glass jars.  The whole thing cost me less than $30.  

the church year in our home . . . have just about finalized our Lent meals

one of my favorite things . . . two old typesetter drawers that we hang on the wall and fill with little bits of nature we find.

recent milestones . . .  Toddler L has really made some huge leaps in the vocabulary department.  She is doing much better at imitating the words we ask her to say.  

the week ahead. . . 
:-: Monday bible study this afternoon
:-: Tuesday is St. David's day - forgot to get my daffodils planted in order to force them.  Need to plan a small celebration.
:-: Wednesday - a possible trip to a local skate park.
:-: Thursday - couples' book study: And Then I Had Teenagers (great book!)
:-: Saturday - youth event and a birthday party for one of little E's best friends.

picture thoughts . . .

This is from my school table - truly this is exactly how it looked last week.

   

{this moment} -- February 25th

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. 

A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. 

A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Visit SouleMama for more.

School so far this morning...

After yesterday's post, I thought you might enjoy seeing just what school is like around here right now.

This morning I woke much too late after not sleeping well last night.  Hubby and I flopped out of bed and down the stairs around 8am just in time to get the youngest one off to school (and I stayed home to check email and get my day going).  Baby and a grouchy and tired middle son was up around 9.  His mood, brought on by sleeping most of the night on the couch before moving up to his bed at 4am, was Not Sunny.  His dad helped brighten the mood a bit and then I fixed breakfast while the coffee brewed.  While warming sausage, I drilled middle son on a few math facts.

Little girl was down by 9:30 and, while happy, was also very tired seeming.  Everyone ate and got chores done.

I'd had a thought that middle son could work on his math facts by using legos to "make" the math facts.  We hauled down the lego box from the third floor only to realize very quickly that my idea wasn't going to work.  So, we decided instead (or maybe middle son had the idea) to have him make a clay-mation video of his math facts. This is his current favorite past-time.  (Yes, I'll post it later if we can get it uploaded to YouTube.)

The girls decided the legos looked interesting, so I let them play and middle son work while I read the last two chapters of Adam and His Kin.  I'm not sure they caught every word of the story, but I think they got the "gist" of it.

I'm now finished reading, but the girls are still playing and middle son is still in the middle of making his video.  It may take another hour until he's done.  I need to do math with middle daughter, but I'm not entirely sure when that will happen.  She is hard to corral today it seems.

The girls have gone upstairs to dress and I'm going to try to get middle daughter to sit and do her math with me when she comes down.

Middle son: math video, history reading, some grammar practice (adverbs) and maybe writing (IEW)
Middle daughter: lego building, history reading, math lesson, and I'll have her read me a Dr Seuss book (to practice her reading) - then Ballet and Tap this afternoon.

That's school around here today.   Do I make you feel better?  :)

Where is the reset button?

Through tears I asked my middle son, "Well, what have we done right?  What is the most important thing for you in homeschooling?  What is the main reason you want to continue?"

He tearfully replied, "Because I like being with my family.  I don't want to go elsewhere because I like being with you all."  On a day when I was feeling very defeated about continuing to educate him in particular, but the whole family in general, this was a very welcome reply.  His response was like a reset button reminding me of the reason we set out on this home education journey in the first place.

Somewhere way back in my homeschool career, I remember someone saying that you should make sure you know why you are homeschooling - make sure it is a worthy reason, because it is what your children will remember and value.  I am so thankful that developing strong family bonds was one of our main reasons for home educating our children.  It has proven a very worthy cornerstone.  And I am thankful that despite their normal bickering, our children have learned to enjoy each other's company and value being together as a family.

In a recent email discussion with a group of like-minded home educators we were discussing the late-winter blahs.  Our bright summer-inspired plans are now gathering dust, literally, and we've all seen way too much of the inside of the house.  This is the time of year that I often find myself feeling discouraged and enervated.  I am so thankful to be reminded of the simple reason that we began homeschooling:  being a family.   Thank you, Lord, for that reset!

Are you feeling the need to hit the "reset" button?  It is so tempting to ditch all those plans and start over.  At least for me it is - if something isn't working, start over.  But sometimes it isn't the plans that need resetting, it is the heart.   I think Sandy really hit on something important in her post, "Unthinkable Luxury" (please read her whole post and the one she's linked to).

In that word "reset" is a word we are so quick to miss: REST.  We need to stop being so busy planning and just REST in Him.  Before you begin to re-organize, re-plan, re-work your homeschool, take a moment and rest.  Spend some time contemplating why you began this journey.

My plans don't need to change, I just need to change.  I needed to be reminded of the cornerstone of our homeschool.  And I needed the true deep encouragement that can only come from Him (in this case it came through a little him).

How are you doing in this late-winter season?