My Home School 101 -- Learning As We Go

2012-01-13T08:06:00.001-05:00

I haven't posted in seventeen THOUSAND days and then this isn't even a post. I'm having problems with blogspot and have tried to migrate to wordpress unsuccessfully twice.

The reason I'm posting is I wanted to share THIS:

2011 Lesson #2 : Don’t Carpe Diem

Organization Tool - Spreadsheets!

2011-08-30T16:32:00.005-04:00

I'm so pleased with this tool. Just using slash marks I can track what we've done and what we need to do at a glance without worrying about rescheduling my lesson plans if we're off a week or two in a subject. Click on the link to see it bigger.

2011-2012 Assignments Example

How I use it: Each row is a week of school. I include a row for vacation / holiday time. In the date column, I'm also tracking what weeks we have Monday co-ops (orange=co-op). Theoretically I have 36 rows. Each column is a subject. "Seton" is this child's grammar book. I decided that I'd like her to do 5 pages per week. So I list the lesson numbers.

As she completes a lesson, I put a slash mark through it (mine are diagonal -- yours can be any direction you like). So, if she/we get the flu and we're off for 2 weeks, I know right where we left off. In a workbook it doesn't seem like I'd need this kind of tracking, but it also keeps me accountable for grading (it's happened that in March I think "it's been a while since I've graded grammar" and I pick up the book to realize I haven't graded since October, so I have no idea what she's learned and what she hasn't. I usually make up for it in the final months of school cramming what she missed *blech*.)

Math-U-See is done at the child's pace, so, as she completes a worksheet, I put a slash through a, b, c, d, e, f (the numbering for the worksheets in that chapter). When she get 100% on a worksheet (a-f) she can move onto the test, so I circle the (T). Once she passes the test, I put a slash through (T) and move onto the next chapter. It doesn't matter which week we're actually in when they get to an assignment. For example, we could be in week 5 by the date, but she could be working on chapter 7 in Math. It's a math curriculum for mastery, so she may stay on one chapter for a month and cruise through others.

I can also see at a glance if we've accidentally skipped spelling for 2 weeks when I thought it had only been a week while we caught up in science. The form itself reminds me that at the beginning of the year I really wanted her to write a paper per week in either history or literature and now that her wrist is healed, 6 weeks later, it's time to get back to it.

With this system I can daily track math and grammar while I only need to test on Vocabulary weekly. When something is strung out over multiple weeks (like history units), I can accommodate that. At the end of the year I can see what we skipped from my original plan and decide that summer fun is more important, or I'm desperate to read that literature book to them.

If I wanted to make it a page longer, I could add blank rows under each week and track grades with this sheet.

I developed this originally for my high schooler, but I keep a copy and give one to each child in 6th grade on up so they can fill out their student planner.

It doesn't seem like brain surgery -- but this has been GREAT for me! I've made them for 2 other families this fall. (it's too fun to keep to yourself!) You might have to make yourself a legend so you remember what your own abbreviations mean, but .... that's O.K.

(Did everyone know about a tool like this all these years and just not TELL me???)

Spouse Questing 101 : Summary

2011-06-30T11:22:00.001-04:00

Some of my children are old enough to start looking around at the world (and their future) and asking questions. Here are some answers to questions they've asked (and haven't asked) about husband hunting, wife wishing, procuring a partner, looking for a life mate, mariting a marriage --- my title in imitation and admiration of The Once and Future King's Pellinore and his Questing Beast --- SPOUSE QUESTING.

Spouse Questing 101 :

Lesson #1 To Thine Own Self Be True

William Shakespeare's proclivity for making the most ridiculous figure in his plays, the jester, reflect or speak the truth, this time in Hamlet.

Lesson #2 Becoming Who You're Meant To Be

Going 'further up and further in' to find the dreams God has placed inside of you is a reference to C.S. Lewis' The Last Battle.
George Washington's Rules of Civility were his model for becoming who God meant him to be. Write yours down.

Lesson #3 Draw me a picture

Lesson #4 Shake the Trees

Lesson #5 Submission to the Divine Will

These life lessons can be applied to many ages and stages in life. The process can be used for Spouse Questing or House Questing, Seeking Employment and Seeking Enjoyment, from Combating Loneliness to Attaining Holiness.

Spouse Questing 101 : Lesson #5 Submission to the Divine Will

2011-06-29T15:20:00.002-04:00

You've learned your lessons well ...
Lesson #1 To Thine Own Self Be True
Lesson #2 Becoming Who You're Meant To Be
Lesson #3 Draw me a picture
Lesson #4 Shake the Trees

You've experienced the patience of Job and it's been an unreasonable time period. I was in year 8 of this process before I hit this stage. I spent 2 years on Lesson 1, and did 2, 3 & 4 simultaneously (thus the slow progress) for another 6 years. When I give warnings, I speak from whence I came.

At year 8 I started playing with fire and considered settling. How long is a healthy American girl supposed to wait??? I was wrong. It was completely wrong for me to throw away my dream. O.K. I learned about that one the hard way. But I'm still stuck, year 9 is approaching and no dream-boat.

It dawned on me. Maybe this wasn't what God wanted from me. I couldn't throw my dream away, but I did have to allow it to die and start the process of birthing a new dream. God!? WHAT DO YOU WANT?? Whatever you want, I'll do -- even if it's not what I want. I just want to be Yours completely.

It wasn't until I hit this place that I finally understood the almost decade long process I'd been through. Understanding myself was important. Becoming who God wanted me to was equally important. Deciding what I wanted from life was important. Making all reasonable efforts toward that end was important. Now, submission to God became the most important thing. I couldn't have submitted all of me if I didn't know who I was. I couldn't have given Him everything if I wasn't willing to be remade in His image. I couldn't give Him every part of my dreams if I didn't know what they were. I would be a less-than-worthy servant if I weren't willing to work for the dreams He'd placed in me. Now I needed to give all that work to Him like burning paper in a fire.
It. Was. So. Hard.
In one way it hurt more than anything had before because it was something I'd done and gained with Him. In another way, He'd given me lots of little practices along the way of submitting my will to His.
O.K. With His help I can do this. I started looking into becoming a missionary -- starting the process over again of seeing who I was in light of not being who I thought I was going to be (a wife, a mother).

It was then, that He gave me my wildest dream and I met my dream-boat. It was better (and harder) than I'd imagined possible. The last lesson in the death of a dream and completely submitting my future to God was part of the process for me. It may be part of your journey, too.

Giving up is bad - it's quitting. Giving in is bad - it's settling. Giving your dreams to God as a gift is sometimes, maybe lots of times, what He asks of us. As He's hanging there on his cross with His arms outstretched, He's asking "Do you love me like I love you?" We have to say 'yes.' He's trustworthy without yes.

Every quest ends in Him.

Spouse Questing 101 : Lesson #4 Shake the Trees

2011-06-28T11:08:00.006-04:00

I had no qualms or misgivings that I WANTED to be married and I was seeking it actively, hungrily, like seeking employment or a place to live or new friends.

When you shake the trees, a coconut or two may fall on your head -- but you may also find the dinner you're looking for.

You've gone through the looooong process and
...you know who you are.
...you've become someone who is in a position to get what you want.
...you know what you want.

Now, you need to make it happen.

This is often a step many people jump to when still unprepared. They want to find someone fantastic, but they haven't done the work on themselves to become someone fantastic or they find someone who's a great fit for themselves, but can't hold on to them because their lack of virtues keeps them from being "marriage material."

This is also a step many people don't quite get to (and it's important). It's like paying for the car and forgetting to drive it off the lot. You and God have done all this hard work on you and you're worth having. Often, people who don't go out to make their dream happen just don't feel like their worth in obtaining it.

There is a third group of people who don't want to go out and make their dreams happen -- they want to stay home and let God bring the right person to them. This type of person is given over to prayer and is completely accepting of God's will. Please make sure you are close enough to God to accept every part of His will, even the death of your dream, with the same joyful acceptance as you would the fulfillment of it. Don't use spirituality as a cover for fear or laziness -- it won't end well. I'm not saying God is obligated to send you your dream-boat. However, you and He have prayerfully worked together toward this end and to not reach for the prize is just silly.

The first thing you should do is pray, pray, pray. Then, look around. Where are you likely to find this dream-boat you dreamed up? At a bar or at church? Should you look in the singles ads online or at CatholicMatch.com? Join a ski club if it's an activity you'd be interested in (it might have the added bonus of your dream-come-true being there).

Continue to put yourself in places and positions where you might find the kind of spouse you want - bible study, try another church within your denomination, help out a soup kitchen, etc. When you have an attitude of openness to meet new people and try new experiences, you're going to have the body language and social skills that enable you to be an approachable person. Don't forget to pray, pray, pray, pray, pray.

At this stage of the game, it's vital that you don't slip into one of the world's lies - that who you and God have helped you become isn't enough. You don't need to dress immodestly or throw yourself at someone. You're not less-than because you haven't found the right person, yet. You don't want to loose your identity and allow your behavior or choices to undermine who you've become. Don't settle for anything less than the complete fulfillment of your dream.

Spouse Questing 101 : Lesson #3 Draw me a picture

2011-06-27T07:47:00.005-04:00

I read Should I Marry Him? and thought it was an excellent article on the topic.
When I was looking for a husband I had a picture in my mind of what sort of man he needed to be. It was a list of what I wanted/needed in a man. I was looking for an overall well balanced human being and I had the list divided into categories that deal with his whole person : mind, spirit, physical & future - this is a random order. Even while I was dating, the priorities on this list sort of jockeyed back and forth for top position -- none on the list was expendable:

Spiritual

Fidelity - he had to be someone that wouldn't go out on me and cheat. I didn't want to be ANYONE's sloppy seconds. I was worth more than that.

Character Virtues - like honesty, integrity, etc. It's nothing you can train a man to have -- either he comes to you with a solid character or he's not worth having. His parents either did a good job in this area or they didn't.

Have a relationship with Christ - This was really important and often showed itself by having the above virtues. I looked for fruit of this in their lives like compassion, maturity, and balance in their reactions to stressful situations. As I personally grew in my Catholic faith, this evolved into wanting a Christ-centered Catholic husband. After dating some very nice men from different denominations, I knew the world-view differences could tear us apart and I needed someone who at the minimum would be willing to convert.

Mind

Intelligent - I really wanted someone who was smart enough to look up to. What was inside his mind was as attractive to me, if not more attractive, than how he looked. He didn't have to be 'book-smart', he could be fabulous with fixing things or a math-whiz, but an area he'd tilled the soil of his mind to become someone who excelled.

Common Sense -- I wanted to be secure in relying on his judgment, particularly in areas that I'm weaker.

Secure Self-Identity -- I wanted a man who knew who he was. It's hard to respect someone who doesn't have a good self-identity (you can feel sorry for them, but not respect them). I also wanted someone who was confident enough in himself, to allow me to be myself. If I decided to start a business, go back to school, take up para-sailing or painting, I didn't want a husband who was too insecure to allow me to follow my dreams -- even the ones I hadn't started to dream yet. Plus, I have a VERY strong personality and I wanted someone who could hold their own with me. I didn't want a puppet, but a man.

Physical

Be madly into ME -- I didn't want someone who was in love with love -or- didn't respect my boundaries -or- just wanted to talk about himself...but someone who thought the sun rose and set on ME and wanted to make ME happy more than he wanted to please himself.

Treat me like a Princess - I wanted a knight who valued my dignity and treated me with kid gloves. I knew that, as a helpmate & a nurturer, it's easy for a woman to be taken for granted. Even while that's bound to happen, I wanted a man who would be looking out for my best interest - looking for my better-self, not just use me. Using isn't relegated to the physical, but things like watching what I wanted on TV or deferring to my wishes in multiple situations. *ALSO* this category was vital to the safety of myself and my future daughters. A man, no matter his stature, is stronger than a woman. An angry man is really, really, really strong. They are potentially very dangerous. I wanted a man who could keep his anger in check, no matter how mad I made him.

Hard Worker - I explain this under "Looking to the Future".

Perfect kissing height - I'm 5'6", so to stand with feet firmly planted (not on tip toe) and have to tip my head back in a comfortable position, he needed to be about 5'10. [at the time I didn't realize how much our kissing would be when one of us is sitting down and the other is leaving the room]

Looking to the Future

Hard Worker - Even if we didn't accumulate financially, (which would be nice but wasn't top on my list), I wanted someone who wasn't lazy. I'd seen fun, lazy dads who allowed their children to suffer from want of something and who didn't go get a second job, go back to school, or do whatever it took to care for their family. I wanted a dad who would provide for his family.

Nurturing - I was NOT just looking for a husband. I was choosing a father for the 5 or 6 kids I wanted to have. The example of a dad for a boy who will eventually become a man is immeasurable - he needs a model to know HOW to become a man. The gentleness and attention a girl needs from her daddy to become confident and secure can not be replaced by anything else.

I studied a prospective mate like I was going to have to take a test on him. I am/was a child of divorce and knew the devastating consequences of failing this test. I wasn't willing to put any sweet baby God gave me through the pain of being ripped limb from limb that divorce brings with it.

I didn't go into this process thinking I could change a man. A man is a man, and is often an immovable object. They will change, as will you, but not in ways that can be foreseen or manipulated, even by the best of intentions. I'd seen very very sorrowful women try to change the men in their lives and it left them with regret.

After you've made your list - read this article by Elizabeth Foss. Balance and competing advice from another loving Catholic mom all help you mature and see the world in all its complexity.

#1 Job - Pray. Know yourself well enough to know what you want. Pray.

#2 Job - Pray. Draw a picture of what your ideal spouse would look like. Put it on paper. Read it over. Look for those same characteristics in your dad, uncle, best guy friend. Pray. If you find a characteristic you want in your husband, add it to the list. Tape to your bedroom wall. Pray.

Spouse Questing 101 : Lesson #2 Becoming Who You're Meant To Be

2011-06-24T11:07:00.006-04:00

If you want to marry someone worth having, you have to become a person worth having by someone who is that spectacular. Do you have healthy habits that contribute to becoming a wonderful person or that hinder the process?

After a spending a year or two learning Lesson #1 To Thine Own Self Be True, I found that making myself happy wasn't the end of the road. In dreaming my own dreams, I discovered that who I was in the present wasn't living up to who I wanted to be.

My question changed from 'what will make my parents/teachers happy' past through 'what will make me happy?' and transformed into 'How would the person I want to become handle this?'

To even begin to answer the last question, I had to go further up and further in, do some more deep sea diving and soul searching to find out who it was I wanted to become. Explore who you might become. Do things you haven't tried before. Don't do anything illegal or immoral or stupid, but something exciting and different. What would that be?

Is there a movie or book character you admire? What do you like about him : courage? lack of fear? perseverance? joy? confidence? What about someone from history or someone in your own life -- who do you admire and why? Are you a person with those attributes and virtues?

If you don't like what you see in yourself, change it. Our world tells lies, like 'people can't change'. George Washington took a good look at himself and the people around him, wrote down all the attributes he'd like to have - and became them. He's now known as the Father of our Country.

Do you want the good news or the bad news first? The bad news : This leg of the journey can be painful. To let go of childish ways and live as a mature adult in Christ with all the virtues and balance associated with it requires self-control and pounds and pounds of grace. The good news : Christ has an ocean of grace just waiting for us to ask for it. Also, self-discipline/self-control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit -- just living in a relationship with God (talking to Him, asking His advice, taking His advice, sharing our hurts with Him) opens our soul to bear the fruits of God.

If you think you need it, go to a good Christian Counselor (look for a counselor who comes highly recommended by someone who you think has it all together).

This lesson is more than just a psychological state of mind. If you are a man wanting a wife, you need to be prepared to support the family that comes with the 'fun' parts of marriage. You can't rely on the ability to finish school later or that your family or parents will get you through tough times. To prove yourself able to be marriage material is making a living before you start looking for a wife. By the same token, to look for a husband before you know how to cook a meal, take care of yourself, or are emotionally & spiritually willing and able to set your wants and needs aside for every other person in your family is irresponsible. I'm not saying younger marriages are wrong, that it's impossible for parents to help their married children, or that you have to be accomplished in every area of life before getting married. But part of being a mature Christian is bearing up under the weight of responsibility of your choices. Marriage is a big decision and shouldn't be made quickly or lightly before you've assessed if you're ready.

Becoming who God made you to be is worth the effort. He has a beautiful plan for you and He can be trusted.

Don't believe the lies.

I could never get someone that great
No one decent would want to care for me
People don't change
I could never become that kind of a person (successful, wise, holy)

Believe in the God who thought you into existence, knit you in your mother's womb, and has a divine plan for your life.

I am worth loving.
God wants me to embrace His plan for me. [He planned it and He placed it in my heart. Who am I to reject the Creator of the Universe?]
No one will treat me better than I treat myself. [This isn't about indulging yourself, but taking good care of yourself.]
Even if it looks impossible, God will help me. [This process can take years. Don't be daunted. The years will slip by no matter what. It would be a shame if you still didn't know yourself.]
This task is hard -- but hard work never hurt anyone.

I spent years praying for God to reveal who was the person He meant for me to be. I begged Him to show me how get there. I spent years failing in my task to become. Even if I wanted to give up on myself, God's patience is inexhaustible. I continued to ask the questions and ask for His help. In answer to the question 'How would the person I want to become handle this?' I behaved as if I were already that person and in doing so... and God gave me the grace to become the person I wished I were.

Spouse Questing 101 : Lesson #1 To Thine Own Self Be True

2011-06-23T09:20:00.007-04:00

Some of my children are old enough to start looking around at the world (and their future) and asking questions. Here are some answers to questions they've asked (and haven't asked).

Lesson #1 - Know yourself well enough to know what you want. If you don't know who you are, you're bound to make massive mistakes in choosing a spouse.

Learn about yourself. Write letters to yourself -- what do you want to say? Is your self-talk negative? Are you the person you wish you were? Who is the person you wish you were? Talk to healthy friends and ask them what you're like - have them describe you in phrases or single words. Are you really that person they think you are? What would your enemies or people who don't like you say? Are you really that person they think you are?

Do you feel free to dream your own dreams of yourself? If not, why not? What is standing in your way? What are the dreams? Don't worry if they're attainable, worry if you throw them away without trying for them. Is that everything you want to be? God has a plan for you, are you fulfilling it?

What about the relationships in your life -- are you truly happy (or just settling for what comes) with the way people treat you? You know you have to teach people how to treat you. What about the way you treat them? What goes around comes around (meaning you can't expect to have good friends until you ARE a good friend.)

When I was a teenager, Hamlet was required reading for English class. Even though the guy giving the advice wasn't worthy of respect, his advice was.

This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.

I read it. I let it become part of me. I recited it to myself during trying & unsure times. God made me with His plan for my life and He holds me with a dignity that I have to imitate in the way I treat myself.

My questions changed from 'what will make my parents/teachers happy' to 'what will make me happy?' Not the indulgence eating-a-pound-of-chocolate happy, but the healthy eating-a-balanced-diet-and-training-for-a-marathon-and-winning kind of happy. I was looking for the deep down genuinely proud-of-myself-for-accomplishing-what-I-wasn't-sure-I-could happy. The I-can-look-myself-in-the-mirror kind of happy. The I'd-be-thrilled-to-include-my-younger-siblings-and-grandparents-in-my-behavior kind of happy.

You may have to do some deep sea diving - literally and figuratively. Literally, if the person you want to be lives on the ocean and you live in the land-locked Midwest, do things to start to explore that part of yourself and see if that's who you really are. Figuratively, you may have to do some exploring inside of yourself to see who you really are. Dream some dreams for yourself an then act on a few to explore a side of you that even you didn't know about. Do you love to look at artwork? Pick up a brush and paint and see if that's who you are. Do you thrill at the way a horse runs through a field? Call several stables and see if they'll exchange your free labor for riding lessons. Do you miss the way the wind used to blow past your face when you were little on the swing set? Take up running and see if you're not more capable than you expected.

Once you find you have a knack, don't let someone else define what you're capable of doing with it. You can ask for healthy advice, but this is about your dreams for yourself. *AND* be careful with your dreams. Protect them. This is an application for the bible verse about not throwing your pearls before swine. If there is a dream killer in your life (or several), nurture your dreams within yourself and explore them a bit on your own so they've taken root and are healthy & growing inside your mind, before you share them with someone who may be a dream killer. Some of your dreams are just fanciful wishes. But some are dreams that God has dreamed just for you and placed in your mind. Nurture them and protect them before you expose them to the elements.

This activity of knowing yourself and exploring who God made you to be can take some time. I spent 1-2 years actively learning how to apply 'To Thine Own Self Be True" in many situations so I could lovingly "not then be false to any man." Stay here a while. Who are you? What are your dreams? Are you happy with the relationships & experiences in your life?

If you're not sure of the answer to any of the many questions above; ask Him -- He knows you better than you know yourself. And you're worth knowing. So get to know yourself -- well.

Dante in Translation & Beowulf, too

2011-06-21T16:30:00.000-04:00

Since we can't read Italian, next year we'll be reading Dante in English. Oh, which translator to choose... On my many travels looking for which to choose (I found last year that the translation make a world of difference)

I had to take into account how well the work "flows" in English
-compared with- it's literal meaning
- compared with- it's poetic form
-compared with- getting a "feel" for Dante
-compared with- enjoying the literature...(whew)
I'll choose Mandelbaum for myself. For a less poetic, more understandable version, I'd suggest Esolen or Musa.

I found this post on The Well-Trained Mind message boards very helpful if you want to do your own research.

***********************************

For Beowulf there's no options : Seamus Heaney is easiest hands down. However, Kennedy doesn't (consciously or unconsciously) edit out the subtle Christian elements of Beowulf. Kennedy, too, has a poetic beauty to it -- it is not easier, though.

If you're looking for a younger age than high school there are lots of options. Ds#3 LOVES Beowulf: A Tale of Blood, Heat, and Ashes by Raven -- the pictures are a little...graphic and scary to me, but he loooooves the book. It's not an excellent retelling, but fine for a first exposure to Beowulf.

Life Skills for Teens

2011-06-16T13:53:00.003-04:00

I had my chore list for up to 13, but I was floundering for non-academic things I needed to teach them after 13. A friend asked me for my list with this title. (That meant I had to make one!) This will change for each kid and I'll hopefully add many resources, but here's my start....

Social Skills

€ telephone answering & taking a message
€ initiating a conversation & small talk
€ eye contact & confident body language
€ conversation skills : listening, responding, not interrupting, appropriate volume & content for situation
€ Manners - Table and otherwise
€ How not to be quite so devastatingly honest
€ How to say no without losing friends.

Academic Skills

€ Public speaking
€ being able to write a solid paper
€ being able to manage a project himself
€ read maps
€ plan routes
€ Computer : typing & familiarity with Word, Excel, Powerpoint & Publisher
€ Organizational skills for that child's learning style : planning, time management, prioritizing, follow-through
€ cooperative learning skills

Personal Skills

€ independent cooking
€ Laundry - how to wash/iron/mend clothes
€ cleaning
€ basic home repair
€ gardening/lawn work
€ run a household for a week: including meals, housekeeping, and caring for small children
€ Plan and pack for an overnight or a four week trip
€ first aid
€ How to mail packages.
€ How to renew a passport.
€ Personal safety, Self-defense 27min

Auto Skills

€ Change oil, a flat
€ Check tire pressure, radiator fluid
€ How to pump gas, jump a battery
€ What do do in case of an accident
€ Snow Driving

Financial Skills

€ Manage Finances - set & live with a budget
€ how to use a credit card BEFORE going away to college
€ understand : mortgages, car payments, investing, common mistakes
€ Shopping - online, at the store, with a budget and goal in mind

College Skills

€ To look assess one's work and ask for help if needed -involves reading a syllabus, figuring out percentages (so you know how much a particular assignment is going to affect a final grade), and tracking grades -Ability to analyze a test and figure out which bits are understood and which bits need more work -know about office hours
€ Tying stuff on the roof of a car
€ How to take a tray through a cafeteria line
€ Putting your name and phone number on the inside of all your books and notebooks and anything else you want returned to you if you leave it laying around
€ How to get home, if need be (train, bus, plane)
€ How to take a taxi if the designated driver didn't stay designated
€ How to limit your electronic social life and game playing so it doesn't interfere with your ability to open your laptop and do your work
€ How to play foozeball or pingpong or hackysack or some of the other games that tend to lurk in the bottom of dorms
€ How to ski or rockclimb or whatever other pastime one's friends in college are likely to want to go do that might possibly lead to a broken leg when first tried in the presence of new friends

Co-op

2011-05-13T16:12:00.004-04:00

This year's theme was biology for science and Ancients for History and Scripture overview (the big picture).

8:30am Mass
9:30am abortion clinic decade
10am at my house for a quick breakfast (20 min)
10:30 am High School Lit - I assigned the books and taught the class (1 1/2 - 2 hrs)
10:30 am Middle School & Jr. High biology taught by another mom (1hr)
11:30 am play break for younger kids
12:00 pm lunch for all
1:00pm Biology labs for High school kids taught by another mom(2hrs)
1:00pm History for middle & elem taught by me(1hr)
2:00pm Bible for middle & elem taught by another mom(1/2 hr)

Co-op video from my blog and a few pictures from my blog -- we were pretty busy teaching and didn't have time to take many pictures - bummer!

Hist - I used RC history and another friend bought books based on the time period.
Sci - For the Middle school & elementary crowd we used 1 semester of RS4K + Ellen McHenry activities and 1 semester of Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology

Mainly, I used RC History with my kids and we did the co-op on topics I chose from RC History. RC was like our outline for the co-op, but my friend had her middle schooler enrolled in the online history class through Homeschool Connections.

I chose topics for the week in history (ex: Alexander the Great or The Fall of the temple or certain emperors of Rome). I might ask a few discussion questions to start and decide on an activity.

* Sometimes I'd read from a book I knew my friend hadn't bought and I hadn't exposed my kids to, yet.
* I added quite a few group games & activities that weren't in the lesson plans (make your own laws like Hammurabi -or- update Hamurabi's
laws for today -or- Roman Empire Jeopardy, What Star Wars characters correspond to which historical Roman figure, etc.)
* Often we'd have lunch together based on history (Greek salad -or- a Roman banquet, etc.)
* Sometimes we'd just do discussion or just do an activity, but usually it was a mix of the two.

It worked out fantastic!! My friend taught 1hr of biology & 30 min of Bible to the elementary & middle school kids while I taught a 2 hr high school literature class, we'd break for a combined lunch and they we switched and the high schoolers did biology while I taught history & some deeper theology. Everyone learned ALOT and had a blast. The kids are all sad that it's ending.

Jenn

The plan is to do it again for the Middle Ages & Chemistry next year.

Dried Beans

2011-04-28T13:00:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to use more dried beans in recipes (it meets my criterea of cheap & healthy) and my family liked this recipe with bbq sauce added to it - Bramble Beans

I also make my own Refried Black Beans -- I love filling my freezer with just about the same amount as I'd spend on one meal!

I also made Sante Fe Burritos that everyone ate well (except my picky Ds#3, but we let him go hungry alot). I fuged the recipe alot and it still came out great! (I used a little hot sauce and a regular can of tomatoes, I used a mixed bag of dried beans cooked up and just measured out 10 cups, salsa instead of picante sauce, and I used the reserved chicken from the Chicken & Dumplings recipe I gave you a few days ago.

Santa Fe Beans Burrito Recipe brought by my friend Lisa when I had a baby.

Cooked & chopped chicken 3 C.
Canned corn, drained 15 oz.
Black beans, drained/rinsed 15 oz.
Black-eyed peas, drained 15 oz.
Pinto beans, drained 15 oz.
Ro-Tel tomatoes* 12 oz.
Picante sauce 15 oz.
Chili powder 1 T.
Cumin 2 t.
Shredded cheddar cheese 1 C.
**Buy: tortillas (2pkgs), sour cream and shred cheese to serve with
*Ro-Tel is a brand of canned tomatoes with chopped chili peppers added.

Assembly Directions:
In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, corn, black beans, black-eyed peas, pinto beans, tomatoes and picante sauce. Add the chili powder and cumin, stirring until evenly mixed.
Freezing Directions:
Put mixture in a one-gallon freezer bag. Put the shredded cheddar in a quart freezer bag. Seal, label and freeze both bags.

Serving Directions:
Thaw both bags. Pour the bag of chicken mixture into a spray-treated 9”x13” pan. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, or until heated through. Remove foil. Top with shredded cheese. Bake an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Lisa told me: after I thaw and cook it, I like to wrap it in tortillas and serve with shredded cheese and sour cream, instead of melting cheese over the top and serving as a casserole (which we did try, I prefer the burrito version). This is how I make it.

What yummy way do you use dried beans??

Refried Black Beans

2011-04-28T12:11:00.002-04:00

Refried Black Beans

Once the beans are soaked, fry & boil down 3 times for a total of about 1 ½ hours
1 lb Uncooked Black Beans
2 C Beef Broth
1 ½ TBSP Garlic
1 Onion, minced
Olive Oil

Clean (sort out bad beans and rocks, if any) and wash beans. Soak overnight (I turn the crockpot on low for this soak something like 10pm to 8am). Dump, Rinse and cover with water and half of garlic. Cook until soft (6-8 hrs in crock pot on low). Puree 2/3 of beans & a little bean "juice" in food processor (or mash with potato masher (they slipped right through a mixer)) and leave 1/3 beans whole. Put beans (whole & mashed) in skillet. Add onion & garlic. Boil down using extra bean “juice”. When it's a little drier than you want bean dip to be (like penut butter consistency add broth 1 cup at a time, stir in, and boil down again. If the beans get too wet, it boils hard and splatters more. After broth boils down, add oil to "fry beans" (stir the oil in). You have to stir a lot, about every 10-15 minutes to keep them from sticking. As they get drier, they stick more. When they fry down to about the right consistency, or a little moister than is quite perfect, turn them off and let them cool enough to put them in quart freezer bags. The longer they cook, the sweeter they taste (if using fresh onion). It’s good for a cleaning day – when you’re home, but mostly occupied (so you don’t resent the time stirring – I HATE STIRRING!) and so you pass by your burning beans, just in time to stir them again. This is the way I cook them. I make a double batch in my 5qt crock-pot. I serve them with any mexican dish.

VARIATION : In a stoneware dish, toss in every Mexican ingredient you can cook – cheese, sour cream, salsa, olives?, cooked chicken in taco seasoning?, taco beef? Whatever you have left – and a couple of cups of these refried beans. Then bake them for 30-60 minutes. Serve with chips.

This is my beloved and this is my friend. – Song of Solomon

Have a beautiful BLESSING-filled Easter!!!!

2011-04-23T18:57:00.002-04:00

And tomorrow I can get on facebook, again...among other things.

Cooking cheap and healthy...

2011-04-23T18:35:00.004-04:00

"Back to the way my grandma cooked" is the result of my research on how to eat healthy. Eating potatoes, cooked various ways, rather than buying fries or hashbrowns or flakes at the store is how I'm going to accomplish this.
It means more work and less money.

While we planted seeds and got about half our garden in today...

Kate cut up, cooked & deboned a whole chicken for the first time today. She did a fantastic job! BOY, is that a lot of work! She boiled the chicken, then deboned it. We used half the chicken for my grandma's chicken & dumplings -- IT WAS FABULOUS!

We reserved the other half of the chicken meat for another meal. While the chicken broth was cooking down for the second 45 minutes, we took the skin & bones and boiled them again to get more broth out of it. So, out of 1 chicken ($5 on sale) and some flour, salt & pepper, we got 1 meal of chicken & dumplings, 4 cups of extra chicken broth & another chicken meal. We sopped up the broth in our bowls with homemade bread.

Chicken & Noodles, the old fashioned-way 2 hours

Jenn’s Grandma

1	Chicken, cut up	Water
1 T	Butter	Salt & Pepper
1 pkg	Noodles, home-made

Brown chicken in butter. Fill large pan 2/3 full of water & bring to boil. Simmer chicken for 45 minutes, until meat is falling off the bones. Strain gook out of water, keeping water. Remove chicken & cool. Put water back in original pan, & add 1 additional cup of water. Boil noodles to package directions. De-skin, de-bone & break chicken into pieces. Add chicken to boiling noodles and simmer another 45 minutes. Heavily salt & pepper to taste.

This is extremely hardy.

Silence is a sword in the spiritual struggle.
–St. Faustina, Divine Mercy Diary

Dumplings (instead of Chicken & Noodles)

2 cups flour

1 cup milk or water (water = lighter dumpling)

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Drop by small forkfuls into boiling broth 10 minutes before you eat.

When we yield to discouragement it is usually because we give too much thought to the past and to the future.

-St. Therese of Lisieux

2011-04-13T06:16:00.001-04:00

Graceful Rosaries are having a give-a-way! Enter at their blog to win a lovely Rosary Bracelet. The deadline for entry is noon on Sunday, April 17. While you’re there, be sure to check out the handiwork of the Etsy Rosary Guild Team – they have some beautiful items! Click here to enter.

Quote of the day

2011-03-29T11:46:00.005-04:00

after Ds#4 had been trying to cuddle and kiss his baby brother, Ds#5 -- we heard
Ds#5 from the other room yell...

Don't kiss ME! I'm a boy and you're not my SISTER!!

Of course, Ds#5 is happy to cuddle and kiss his new baby boy cousin...

Kudos to Congressman Mike Pence for his work to defund Planned Parenthood

2011-03-05T13:21:00.002-05:00

(Dave's letter to the Editor)

Dear Editor,

Kudos to Congressman Mike Pence for his work to defund Planned Parenthood. The American people have spoken and according to a CNN poll, reject taxpayer funded abortion 61% to 37%. ¹

Contrary to claims made in the puff piece submitted by board chair Deborah Simon, Planned Parenthood is a substandard health care center for women. Just ask former Planned Parenthood Director Abby Johnson. Ms. Johnson has stated, "Planned Parenthood is an organization that does not provide quality health care. Our tax money should go to organizations that provide comprehensive care to women, men, and children. There are better uses of our money. Planned Parenthood provides shabby, limited health care. Why would we want women to get some health care when they can go to a different clinic, other than Planned Parenthood, and receive total health care? "²

We hear over and over that without Planned Parenthood to provide birth control, more women will get pregnant and have more abortions. Such claims are tiresome and simply untrue. Lack of knowledge and the lack of available contraception are not the main reasons women get abortions. In January 2011, the pro-abortion rights Guttmacher Institute reported that only 8 percent of women who have abortions never used birth control. Further, they found that 54 percent of women who had abortions had used contraception in the month they got pregnant.³ Part of Planned Parenthood's stated mission is "to prevent unplanned pregnancy." Clearly they are failing in this regard by their own standard. Does it make sense to reward such incompetence with continued funding? Am I the only one who finds it sick and demented that they get paid between $350 and $950⁴ to provide what they call the "solution"?

Like 61% of Americans I'm pro-choice on taxpayer-funded abortion. I choose not to pay for it and believe others should have that right as well. Who is Planned Parenthood to stand between a taxpayer and their wallet?

Congressman Pence is right. Taxpayers should not be forced to fund abortion.

Respectfully submitted,

Sources:

¹CNN Poll (18 November 2009) http://articles.cnn.com/2009-11-18/politics/abortion.poll_1_public-option-abortion-issue-health-insurance?_s=PM:POLITICS

²Abby Johnson interview by Kathryn Jean Lopez (http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/259954/deadly-domino-effect-kathryn-jean-lopez)

³ Guttmacher Institute: "Facts on Induced Abortion in the United States" (http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html)

⁴Planned Parenthood: "What Happens During an Abortion" (http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/abortion/in-clinic-abortion-procedures-4359.asp)

Ancient Rome - and the winner is....

2011-03-04T17:40:00.004-05:00

As we're wrapping up the Republic of Ancient Rome before we move onto Empire, I asked the kids for representations of the Roman Government. We gave out prizes (candy).

The award for the longest representation....
The award for the most creative representation....(legos)

Our award winners....

After discussing whether Julius Ceasar is a hero or a tragic figure in history, we ended with a comparison of what Star Wars episode coorelated to which time in Rome's history and which Star Wars character related to which historical figure from ancient Rome. I left the room as the kids jointly fell into Saga Begins. All-in-all a good homeschool co-op day.

Quote of the day

2011-03-01T17:44:00.004-05:00

Kate

"Mama, do these kinds of things happen in OTHER families?"

This was said while I was digging a half a roll of toilet paper out of the downstairs toilet and plunging trying to stop the toilet as it overflowed.

Our first indication something was amiss was the sound of splash*splash*splash*SPLAT*scream while I was reading history to the kids. It turned out there was water in 2 rooms and pouring over the step into the carpeted familyroom and seeping into the kitchen on the other side.

As we dried up the flood, Kate wondered...is it just us that has these things happen???

SUPPORT IHOP - who is locally supporting Crisis Pregnancy Centers!

2011-02-23T15:41:00.006-05:00

Participating IHOP restaurants will offer a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes to customers from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday (March 1) as part of National Pancake Day. Donations for Crisis Pregnancy Centers are requested.

http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20110223/FEAT0111/302239951/1011/FEAT

Looks like nationally they’re supporting “Children’s Miracle Network and other local charities”. I just spoke with Mike who is the manager at the Lima Road location. He confirmed contributions are being encouraged for A Hope Center (Crisis Pregnancy Center). Mike confirmed this is for all three locations here in Fort Wayne:

IHOP #5465
15335 W. Washington Ctr. Rd.
Fort Wayne, IN 46825-4144
260-490-4467

Restaurant Website

IHOP #1245
4403 Coldwater Road
FORT WAYNE, IN 46825-5522
260-483 8435
Restaurant Website

IHOP #318
6839 West Jefferson Blvd.
FORT WANE, IN 46804-6211
260-432-9040

Sun - Thu 6am - 10pm / Fri & Sat 24 hrs

Restaurant Website

Please spread the word and be sure to thank them for supporting life!

This boy needs an e-mail penpal

2011-02-23T12:31:00.003-05:00

I don't think Ds#4 is lonely, he just wants to send e-mails :

e-mail #1

Dear me,

hello me I just adore you.

Love your

best friend

me.

-------------------

e-mail #2

I don't know you,me

Love your

best friend

Would your kids like to be in a play?

2011-02-12T15:46:00.001-05:00

Who is invited : Homeschool kids Preschool – High school

The musical is called Ultimate Superstar.

The cost will be $20/family. That will cover the cost of the copyright on the play, copies, 1 CD per family and hopefully cover the church's cost of the lights while we're using them. We don't want ANY children to not participate due to financial difficulties. So, if you can't afford the cost, please see Jenn.

Parent participation is required. If you'd rather not sing and dance we'll still find things for you to do. We sure don't want anyone burned out or burdened from this (especially not ME), and many hands make light work. We'll just grab moms and ask for help as the need arises, but expect to be tapped.

Rehearsals are from 10:30am - 11:30 am Mondays, February 14 - May 9, 2011 at Christ Church of Georgetown. The week of the performance, we'll have extra rehearsals : Tuesday May 10th 10:30-12:30 and a dress rehearsal will be Friday, May 13th 10:30-12:30. The performance will be that evening, Friday 13th. This year we will also be performing the play at 2 nursing homes following the performance. The children will have worked hard and can bless others with their talents.

We will have auditions for key parts. If your child would like to audition, GREAT! If they would like to be in the chorus, TERRIFIC! If some of your kids would like to participate and some don't, that's fine, too. Since we'll have such a limited time each week, we'll need to keep the distractions to a minimum, so bringing school for the kids who aren't participating might be a good way to go.

For those who participate in Discovery Clubs co-op, don't forget to pack a lunch so your kids can eat before going to co-op.

Let us know if there are any questions or concerns,
To sign up, please contact Jenn. You can leave comments on the my blog, post on my facebook or e-mail me directly.

Facebook Issues - can't see your friends' feeds?

2011-02-11T14:26:00.005-05:00

This post may mean NOTHING to many of you. Ignore it and move to your next favorite blog to read. I'm putting the information HERE on my blog, which feeds into my facebook account, because the facebook powers have been REMOVING posts about this issue. http://myhomeschool101.blogspot.com/2011/02/facebook-issues-cant-see-your-friends.html

They've made changes to facebook so that the default of your account is set so you can only view the people you've interacted with the few weeks before they made the change. You have to SELECT to see all your friends, groups, etc. in your feeds.

Scroll down your homepage (where all the "feeds" are). At the bottom on the right side is EDIT OPTIONS.

Once you click this you can SHOW POSTS FROM :
1 - FRIENDS AND PEOPLE YOU INTERACT WITH MOST
2 - ALL FRIENDS AND PAGES

Select ALL FRIENDS if you want that option -- it's not the default option, so you have to select it.
So, if you've been missing posts from friends tell them this information.
WARNING : all my original posts about this on FB were deleted within 8 hrs as were all my friends posts that shared this. Which is why I'm posting this outside FB.

Night time prayers

2011-02-10T20:42:00.004-05:00

Ds#5's intentions :

...and help Jesus' ouchies not to hurt...

...and help me grow up to be a superhero...

...nd help me kill the naughty guys...

...and help me be a good boy...

...and help Baby Henry not to hurt...

...and help me put money in my piggy bank...

...and help me get to ride a motorcycle to church...

...and help me get to watch a movie...

...and help Jesus make the devil into a good devil...

-------------------
Mama :

What is the agony in the garden?

Ds#5:

Jesus had a bad day and prayed

Daily Questions

2011-02-08T14:39:00.003-05:00

These are the questions Ds#3 who is 8yrs old asks on a daily (sometimes hourly basis) ...and I ask...what's a mother to do?

So, an umbilical cord is like someone who is being fed with a tube in the hospital?

How tall is the tallest man in town?

If you could make one thing ginormous, what would it be? I'd make a raemen noodle really huge and then jump on it. What would you make ginormous?

If you're a teenager and you have to get married and you only had 2 choices, would you rather marry a 52 year old or a 5 year old?

What's the difference between a partner & an employer?

If you were a boy, would you rather be a priest or a monk?

If you lived on another planet that was only made of candy, what would you use to build your house?

Dave's response to the Journal Gazette abortion editorial

2011-02-04T12:43:00.003-05:00

Bishop Rhoades responded in the Journal Gazette to a recent editorial about abortion. http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20110204/EDIT05/302049994/1021/EDIT

Dave responded to the same editorial below :

Dear Editor,

Your January 26 editorial, “A back-alley reminder,” made the common assertion, “[w]hen safe, legal abortions are no longer available, the horrific back-alley abortions that preceded Roe v. Wade will return.” The editorial staff appears to have fallen prey to and, perhaps unintentionally, perpetuates the lies of the early abortion movement, specifically the myths regarding back-alley abortions.

The co-founder of NARAL, Dr. Bernard Nathanson, now freely confesses that his group’s members lied to gain media attention. “We simply fabricated the results of fictional polls” he stated. “We announced to the media that we had taken polls and that 60 percent of Americans were in favor of permissive abortion…We aroused enough sympathy to sell our program of permissive abortion by fabricating the number of illegal abortions done annually in the U.S. The actual figure was approaching 100,000 but the figure we gave to the media repeatedly was 1,000,000.”

Dr. Nathanson has acknowledged that leaders of the early movement grossly exaggerated claims about women dying in back-alley abortions, that the vast majority of abortions performed prior to 1973 were not done with coat hangers in back alleys, as abortion activists frequently insist. Rather, they were done by unscrupulous doctors who couldn’t make a legitimate living. Nevertheless, NARAL's lies continued. He explained,

"Repeating the big lie often enough convinces the public. [Prior to Roe v. Wade] the number of women dying from illegal abortions was around 200-250 annually. The figure we constantly fed to the media was 10,000. These false figures took root in the consciousness of Americans, convincing many that we needed to crack the abortion law. "

The abortion debate has suffered with enough hyperbole. We must insist that both sides back up emotionally charged statements with facts. Future generations deserve no less.

Sources:

Confession of Bernard Nathanson, MD - http://www.aboutabortions.com/Confess.html
Wikipedia - Bernard Nathanson - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Nathanson
NARAL & Dr. Bernard Nathanson - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-FpJMq_gAY

Respectfully submitted,

David A. MacDonald

Church Cleaning plus

2011-01-28T19:52:00.006-05:00

We helped 4 other families and the Franciscan Brothers clean Our Lady of the Angels' Oratory after (and sort of during) renovations. It was sooo good to make such a positive contribution to a church. All the kids helped. Well, ds#5 didn't exactly help, he was mostly running away and needed chased after. So we made him the official photographer!

FREE Download of Pro-Life Song

2011-01-25T09:58:00.004-05:00

This download is absolutely free through Saturday, January 29th. Please share with your family and friends. This issue will be won at the grassroots level as hearts and minds are moved toward life. We're happy to give away hundreds, even thousands of free copies to save even one life.

**Marking the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, get a FREE Download of "You Are There" through 1/29/2011. **

FREE Pro-Life Song Download - "You Are There"
"One night I woke up suddenly because of a gruesome dream about abortion. A few weeks later, I woke up singing the tune that is now "You Are There." I was inspired around the end of the 40 Days For Life 2008 Prayer Campaign. In Spring, 2009, I submitted my song to Susan B. Anthony List's Lia's Challenge, a pro-life youth contest. I was so excited to be a finalist. When I didn't win I thought that was the end of my career as a songwriter and warrior for life. I didn't know it was really just the beginning." - Debut of 12-year-old artist, Emma MacDonald, her signature pro-life song, "You Are There."

Follow along with the lyrics - at Redeemer Radio's AM1450 fb link.

abortion song - abortion songs - pro life songs - pro life song - anti abortion song - prolife music - prolife song - prolife songs - song about abortion

She writes the words of my heart with her life-how does she reveal me like that?

2011-01-24T04:03:00.000-05:00

Arlington Catholic Herald - Filling time with gratitude and grace - catholicherald.com

A Benefit for local HERO Scott Schroeder

2011-01-14T09:21:00.001-05:00

Thank you for taking the time to read about local Fort Wayne HERO, Scott Schroeder. Scott has spent 24 years of his life doing what he loved, fighting for his country as a Special Services soldier. Scott Schroeder was severely wounded in Afghanistan on December 9th, 2010. The vehicle Scott was traveling in was hit by an IED and Scott sustained life threatening injuries.

Immediately in the field, Scott had to have both leg amputated above the knee. It was still unclear how much damage had taken place to his arm and other areas due to extensive blood loss.

Download Schroeder_flyer1

Next, Scott was put in a medically induced coma and on a ventilator before being transported to Germany where they performed further evaluation and found that he was stable enough for the flight back to the states. Scott was flown to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C. They say this could be Scott’s new home for at least the next year while he heals and goes through a tough rehabilitation process.

Scott is married to his wife Laura and they have a teenage son, Zach. his parents are Jim and Susan Schroeder and has two brothers, Shawn and Shane, here in Ft. Wayne. Scott and his brothers attended St. Jude’s Catholic School and graduated from Northside High School. The Army has been great in financially supporting travels for Scott’s wife and son, but there are many expenses for Scott and his family not covered.

We are having a benefit for Scott on january 30th at Fort Wayne Turners. Any item that you may be able to donate for the auction or monetary donations would be greatly appreciated. With the hustle and bustle of life, many people forget about the sacrifices being made by our troops. if you wish to donate a monetary gift, please feel free to donate to the Scott Schroeder Fund at Three Rivers Federal Credit Union. if you are able to donate any item for the auction, or questions about the event, please contact Michelle Schmidt at (260) 414-4695 or (260) 485-8616 or email at michelle@maximumsports.com.

Peek into an online class - for FREE!

2011-01-03T07:58:00.007-05:00

I've been asked what are the classes at Homeschool Connectons like? The answer is ...experience it for yourself!

We're signed up for Dd#1's Latin class and they have a new feature. A recording of a live interactive class!

Click here: Latin 1, Class 12 A recording of the class will begin shortly. This is just a peek. In a live class, there is also the ability to chat with the instructor and fellow students.

Spring classes begin THIS WEEK - here's a look at the live class offerings.

For subscribers of recorded classes, they also get all of the reading materials, tests, and more!

When we subscribe to the recorded classes, we'll get access to over 250 hours of classes plus all of the supporting materials (quizzes, answer keys, free texts, etc.). As an added bonus, we can access Aquinas Connections (adult) classes. [Anyone up for a virtual mom's bible study or philosophy class? We can listen to the class at our leisure (ha ha ha ha) and then have an MNO once a month or a skype discussion around it. Of course, we'll have to have snacks. ...Now I've gotten myself excited about something new! Who's interested???]

So anyway...back to the topic. You can Subscribe for only $1 for the first 7 days and then $30 per month. You subscribe for as long or as little as you need with no long term commitment.

This is a great opportunity for families looking for a firm understanding on subjects from Latin to Apologetics to Philosophy and so much more. Classes are taught by faithful Catholic professors and working professionals.

To subscribe, please click on the link to Homeschool Connections below.

Pictures I found on my iphone

2010-12-28T15:52:00.006-05:00

Ear piercing angst

2010-12-15T10:55:00.003-05:00

Em got her ears pierced for her 13th birthday. She's been begging for this for years. She's not supposed to change out of her studs for 6 weeks. At Christmas it will have been 4 1/2 weeks. She's, now, beggging to wear Christmas earings to her parties the 2 days of Christmas. Should I let her?

Quote of the Day

2010-12-14T11:03:00.001-05:00

Ds#5

Why are we taking Daddy to work?

Mama

Because his car had to go to the mechanic, a car doctor?

Ds#5, saddly

Does his car need stiches?

Capuchin Fever

2010-12-14T09:46:00.001-05:00

Capuchin Fever :

A condition where you are eager to spend as much time assisting the Franciscan Brothers in their vocation and ministry.
A condition that forces you to spend much of your free time with the Franciscan Brothers.

You know you have Capuchin Fever when...

A brown malaise comes over you.
Your kids whine & weep when they can't go to morning Mass
You catch yourself making a meal and think 'how could I stretch this for 15 or 20 men?'
Brown is the new black.
Shivering, getting into your car you think about men with a thin wool cloak and thank God for your warmth.
The knees of your jeans start to wear through (AND YOU'RE AN ADULT!) it's from kneeling on wood floors
Every time you see the snow you think of men walking in open-toed sandals and socks.
Saturday night youth group is as much of a social time for you as a parent as it is for your kids.
You're struggling and striving and WORKING to develop more of a relationship with Mary before and after the consecration.

How do you know you have Capuchin Fever?

My favorite part of the morning

2010-12-13T10:45:00.000-05:00

OK, after Mass with the Franciscan Brothers Minor, my favorite part of the morning in my favorite cup -

Coffee
I love the color (beige -- it goes with any mood) and the texture (not at all rough, but not completely smooth) and the weight of this cup. I love the prayer ("Oro et laboro" = "Pray and work" by St. Benedict). That's to say nothing of the steaming, strengthening liquid inside! I LOOOOOVE coffee mugs!! I used to buy myself a new one every school year. It made me too sad when the kids broke them, so I quit buying cool mugs. This was a gift from my friend, Ursula!

Guest Blogger - Celebrating the Christmas Season

2010-11-29T10:13:00.000-05:00

Celebrating the Christmas Season

We have instituted some new traditions in our household over the last few years in regards to Advent and Christmas that I'd like to share with you.

First, we have changed our thinking about Advent. It used to be a fun time preparing for Christmas with parties, gift buying and wrapping, cookie and goodie making, decorating the house, etc. Now we look upon Advent as a time of preparation for the coming of Christ. In some respects, this is a rather solemn time for us. We don't party or do any of the things mentioned above. We don't sing Christmas carols (though we do sing Advent hymns). No decorating the house, except for an Advent calendar and wreath (and some lights). Each day we try to do some simple, yet out-of-the-ordinary special spiritual preparation as a family (usually connected with Advent wreath lightings or readings or our Advent calendar). I have all the "Christmas" shopping (and wrapping) done well before Advent. We (most of our family) do not go into stores from Thanksgiving on to avoid the secular thrust of Christmas. We have Dad or one of the oldest kids (who can drive) do grocery shopping and/or stop and pick up anything else we might need, and we try to limit those trips to as few as possible. During Advent we tend to stay home much more. We keep meals quite simple and plain (except Sundays).

Our Advent calendar consists of a felt banner about 6' long with glued on felt houses for days Dec. 1 through Dec. 23. These houses follow (line) a winding path towards the church for Dec. 24th. Each family member (including babies in utero) are represented by a felt person; and each day the family is moved up a house closer. (The babies we have lost through miscarriage are represented by stars up by the church- i.e. with Jesus. The family members who have moved out and/or are married are also represented. So was the dog one year!)

We decorate the house with dozens of strings of light, on St.Lucia Day, Dec. 13. (Traditionally, the eldest daughter in the house serves coffee cake made early that morning in bed to her family whilst wearing a braided wreath made of bread dough and studded with lighted candles on her head! Needless to say, we adapt this a bit and use a wreath of bread with candles -on the table- and have that and coffee cake - a once a year treat in our house- for breakfast.) St. Lucia is the patron saint of light.

We have a tradition of making "Advent Stars". Each child gets a large plain heavy cardboard star (12"?- you can buy these at stores) of a different color. Each day during Advent, they can earn "decorations" to adorn their starts with as a gift to Jesus on Christmas Eve. Points are listed on a chart -so many points for each act of charity (the longer and harder the act of charity, the more points it is worth), for doing your job or schoolwork well, for extra prayers said and so forth. Points are kept track of on a clipboard for each child (sometimes Mom records them, sometimes the kids are on the honor system). Every other day or so, a big production is made out of redeeming your points for the decorations. These include glitter, colored ribbons, stars, stickers, bells, pipe cleaners, all sorts of craft things. The "nicer" the "decoration" the more points it costs. The children decorate their starts, aiming for a beautiful gift for Baby Jesus. This really motivates them to do those things. Though this may take some effort the first year, after that it is easy. I have a small box with all the decorations for their stars in it, so that takes but 5 minutes every other night to "sell". The glue, etc. is also all right there. We even use the same starts two years in a row (other side). These are hung up in the house during Advent to remind everyone to prepare yourself (your star) now. Adults can do this also. We make a little ceremony about presenting these to Jesus Christmas Eve- they are placed over the manger at this time.
Anticipation builds as we head towards Christmas Eve.

Dad and some of the kids go out on Christmas Eve Day (sometimes the 23rd) to get our tree. (More than once we got it for nothing, as they sometimes have an abundance of surplus trees, some very nice. One year he came home with about a dozen trees we propped up all over the yard!) We set up the tree and decorate it. We have a very primitive, non-rehearsed Nativity play. Jesus is placed in the manger. We have a simple humble evening meal, and end with Midnight Mass. No presents that day or evening. No extended family gatherings. Just our family trying to reflect and celebrate the awesome mystery of Christ's birth.

And then Christmas Morning! Some fancy, but prepared ahead breakfast, like frozen mini-quiches that can be popped into the oven quickly and easily. This is the beginning of the glorious Twelve Days of Christmas. I have previously picked out one present for each family member that is a "nice" one, particularly enjoyable. These are opened Christmas morning. All other presents (from relatives, family members, etc.) have been wrapped and numbered. I have throughout the year purchased many close-out items at a significant discount or other inexpensive gifts (yet not junk) like coloring books, crayons, markers; the Sorrel boots I picked up on clearance for $25 last spring, the Mickey Mouse underwear that was $2 for a three-pack; balls, etc. Anything big or small has been wrapped and numbered. We end up with a BIG pile of presents (hidden way up high in a closet). Remember, though, many of these items are inexpensive or clothing or other necessary items we would have gotten throughout the year anyhow- we just save them all up for Christmas. Or grocery items I don't usually buy like "Crunch and Munch" or Pop-tarts. We divide the number of presents by 11 (except the Christmas Day presents because that's one of the 12 days,) and then put numbered slips into a jar. Each day we open that many presents. For example, if we have 45 presents (not counting the Christmas Day ones) we'll open 4 a day and 5 on the last day. These are randomly drawn from the jar. One person may not get a present for 2-3 days in a row. Many of the gifts are family gifts. Each morning, everyone is eager to rise, eat breakfast, pray, and pick the presents. The whole twelve days is time of rejoicing. The house has been cleaned and spruced up during our preparation period of Advent, so for the next 12 days, housework is minimal. No schoolwork. Every day we have a very special meal or treat. Often we make ethnic foods. Dad tries to take a bit of extra time off. We just spend this time celebrating and enjoying each other. Often we have friends over (like every other day sometimes). We invite a family over and each person decorates a small gingerbread house and we have a village of houses (usually including a church). We invite another family over and make popcorn balls, another and the girls make fancy h'or dourves.

Our celebration generally begins to wind down with an Epiphany party on Epiphany Sunday, to which we invite all the Catholic families we know who would like it (this means LOTS of people and children and LOTS of fun and LOTS of good food). Sometimes we go a few days longer until the actual historical Epiphany, and we keep Christmas in mind until Candlemas Day (Feb. 2). So, while everyone else (except the church) is long done with Christmas, we are still pondering the Christmas mysteries.

Anyway, these ideas help us to keep Christ in Christmas and to remove ourselves somewhat from the secular aspects of it that seem so prevalent in our world today.

May God bless you and your family,

Yours in Christ,Kathy

GTH & BYB: Get to Heaven and bring your Brother

Gratitude

2010-11-25T07:16:00.003-05:00

Meditating on who God is asking me to become, I reflect on motherhood. Christ's mother is my example and from her this is what I am grateful for...

The Annunciation

When the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she had been chosen -Luke 1:28
I am thankful for all the people who have helped me become this person God has molded me into today ... my sister, Sara Arnold / my sister Laura Arnold / my mom / my dad / my step-dad / my grandparents / my aunts and uncles / my cousins like Amy Gaerte / my husband / my children and all the people who helped along the path

The Visitation

When Mary rushed to help Elizabeth and was helped by her in return
I am thankful for all my friends who are sisters in Christ to me. These are women I would pour out my heart to. They are Mary to my Elizabeth and I pray that I would be such a blessing to them, in return. There are too many to mention, but I pray for God's blessings on Kerri / Cari/ Katie Elder / Stacy Gill / Patrice / Nancy Bequette / Kathy Fean / Ursula Rost / Tomara Kern /and many others

Our Savior's Birth

Through her body and willing soul we received the Gift of our Savior, himself, in the flesh, the Incarnation. Her willing spirit gave birth to HIM. -Luke 1:41-42
I am thankful for everyone who has served me ... my priests, The Franciscan Brothers Minor, Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist, the checkout lady, the lady at Tom's Doughnuts, the man at the gas station, the person who lets me go ahead in line, my librarians, the workers who are out in the weather so I can have what I need. Most importantly my husband, Dave MacDonald, whose gift of service requires tremendous patience and whom I suffer a consistent lack of gratitude about.

The Presentation of Christ in the Temple

Obedience to religious authorities who didn't recognize holiness in their midst and obedience to civil authorities who could be cruel and unjust, Mary exhibited obedience above all. -Luke 2:22-23
I am thankful for all the soldiers who have died for our beautiful country. I am thankful for all the civil servants who try their best to serve with good will and the common good in mind. May God grant them His wisdom. May God bless me with obedience -- even though that feels yucky, sometimes.

Finding Jesus in the Temple

Mary's joy was mixed with torture as she lost, and found, her son.-Luke 2:46
I sorrowfully pray for those who are in the midst of torture that the Holy Spirit would comfort them; people whose family members are dying, parents who have lost their children to drugs, evil, abduction, death; children who have lost their parents to selfishness, war, death; those who are in the middle of violent situations like war, domestic abuse, gangs or abortion. I am thankful of all those who try to keep me from torture; policemen, firemen, medics, doctors, nurses, safety inspectors.

Thank you, thank you, thank you God, for giving me Christ's mother as my own at the cross (John 19: 25-27) and I pray to inherit her spirit of gratitude to You, Lord, for what You do and who You are to me.

Quote of the Day

2010-11-12T16:54:00.003-05:00

Ds#5 (running in excitedly to my chair during a school lesson)

MAMA!!!!!

What??

Ds#5

I just made Daddy's fish tank BLUE!

Running into the family room, I found the 55 gal. tank full of bright blue water. It looked like the blue of toilet water. I called Dave who rushed home from work to do a 50% water change. 2 days later, the fish are still living.

Daddy was quite less excited than his 3 year old son.

Happy Birthday to our big 3 year old!

2010-11-07T18:50:00.002-05:00

An incredibly proud mom-moment

2010-11-06T17:09:00.001-04:00

My oldest son's first time serving at Mass. My beautiful blond boy looked sooooo cute serving at Mass on Saturday, I couldn't even pay attention to the Mass. My eyes were FIXED on how ADORABLE he was and how WONDERERFUL it all was to have him so reverent and do such a good job. I almost cried!

THANK YOU, Brother Leo and Brother Lawrence for all your time and effort in teaching them!

Quote of the Day

2010-11-05T18:23:00.000-04:00

This is a quote from me. It belongs under the category of "Things a person should never HAVE to say."

Me (on the phone)

Hold on, I think I hear the sound of pretzels being thrown against the chandelier.

My friend who has 1 girl and 1 infant boy (on the phone)

WAIT! You KNOW what the sound of pretzels being thrown against the chandelier sounds like?

You will, too, someday.

Open Invitation to my friends

2010-10-29T02:47:00.000-04:00

This is for Advent preparations -The way we did a Jesse Tree swap a few years ago, I'd like to do an O Antiphons Swap.

I'm slowly replacing my more cultural Christmas decorations with religious ones. I'd like to have these ornaments on a lighted garland on my stairway railing, so I'd like them all to "coordinate."

I honestly don't care what material each person decides to make theirs of : glitter gold, glitter silver, glitter any color, white, muted colors, hues of blue and purple, fabric, wood-looking...whatever.

I think the shape can be ovals for the O's. Hobby Lobby online has 3x5 wood oval plaques for 50 cents each and a bag of screw eye hangers for $1.50 (it's 36/bag).

Let me know by Nov. 5, 2010 if you're interested. We'll swap them at the MNO at my house Nov 29th -- that should give you about 3 weeks to work on them.

Background information on the O Antiphons

printable coloring pages
meanings, verses & music of O Antiphons
a series of podcasts with reflections on each of the O Antiphons

PDF of O Antiphons Booklet Advent O Antiphons.pdf- if you tell your printer ("Print" "Properties" "Finishing") to print on both sides of the paper (click the box "print on both sides manually") then it will print in booklet form.

Other options you can do for your own family :

rectangle shapes (from whatever materials) like cards.
I've also seen blocks and you can make houses for the blocks.
Just for fun, here's one made into a wreath.
Another of bottle caps.

Nursery Rhyme Baby Shower

2010-10-25T08:15:00.002-04:00

Theme

I was really excited to throw my sister, Sara's baby shower. I decided among other ideas (rubber ducky party, ) that I'd throw a "Nursery Rhyme" theme party. I searched for Mother Goose Books. I ended up buying The Real Mother Goose because it had sooo many nursery rhymes in it. The pictures, however quaint, weren't inspiring. I bought the Golden Book of Fairy Tales. It had seriously great pictures, but no nursery rhymes -- all fairy tales.

THEN...I found Ruth Sanderson's Mother Goose and Friends. The front cover doesn't do the book justice. The entire book is a work of art!! You can go to her website to see the artwork from several of her books including this one. It was just the inspiration I needed.

Invitations

For invitations, I called around & Office Depot had the best price. They turned out beautiful!
I went with the non-creative, but standard wording...

Hey, diddle, diddle!
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laughed
to see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.

Hey, diddle, diddle!
We can tell by Sara’s middle,
Baby Henry is coming soon;
You can bring them gifts
and celebrate,
At the shower, an hour after noon.

Food

We made a tent card with the nursery rhyme that goes with each dish

Sandwiches : Roast Beef Roll-ups w/ toothpicks - This Little Piggy
Salad : Em's Casa Salad - Contrary Mary's Garden
Cheesy Potato Soup - The Winds
Hot Beef Dip & Crackers - Over the Water
Veggie Tray - Peter Rabbit's Garden
Fruit Tray - Curly-Locks
Chocolate Covered Strawberries - Curly-Locks
Emma's Cookie Basket - A Tisket A Tasket
Pumpkin Pound Cake - Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater
Kate's Cake was based on this cake - Twinkle Twinkle
Em's Cake was based on this cake - Mother Goose
Apple Cider - An Apple A Day
Tea - Polly Put the Kettle On
Coffee - Coffee and Tea
lots of fresh spring water in a decorated bucket from Jack and Jill
cheese tray that also has cheese curds for Little Miss Muffet's Curds and Whey or 3 blind Mice

Other ideas we didn't use :

deviled eggs Humpty Dumpty
Pat-a-cakes cupcakes
Little Boy Blueberry muffins
muffins for the Muffin Man
Low fat trifle for Georgie Porgie’s pudding
Little Gingerbread Men
Avacado Boats - put sails in them and make guacamole

An apple a day Sends the doctor away Apple in the morning Doctor's warning Roast apple at night Starves the doctor outright Eat an apple going to bed Knock the doctor on the head Three each day, seven days a week Ruddy apple, ruddy cheek
Nuts - I Had a Little Nut Tree
Hot beef dip = Over The Water
Ice Cream, a Penny a Lump
Ice cream, a penny a lump! The more you eat, the more you jump. Eeper, Weeper, Chimney sweeper, Married a wife and could not keep her. Married another, Did not love her, Up the chimney he did shove her!
Coffee = Cross Patch, Draw The Latch -Cross Patch, draw the latch, Sit by the fire and spin; Take up a cup, and drink it up, Then call the neighbors in.

Décor

figurines : little boy -- Little Boy Blue / Girl - Mary Contrary / bath toys puppy, cat, cow - Hey diddle, diddle / pigs -- boys need to build a house of sticks / sheep --
popsicle stick house & fence w/ paper pigs
hanging from chandelier: cow jumping over the moon paper - bath toys cat w/ paper fiddle taped on / plastic spoon & construction paper dish holding hands (chenille sticks) / dog
Create a Hickory Dickory Dock centerpiece using a clock and a toy mouse
Use children's books opened to various nursery rhymes to decorate tables around the party space & Bear reading - http://baby.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Storybook_Baby_Shower have all books w/stuffed animals

(we didn't end up using these...but some ideas on the theme I collected)

chocolates
Peter Rabbit
pic
Put prints into cheap frames and spread around room or tape onto walls
Create a 'goose nest' for guests to deposit baby shower gifts
decorate your shower venue with nursery decorations.
One table could have a black sheep (for Ba Ba Black Sheep)
If you or someone you know has one of those big, white, garden geese statues handy, tie a bonnet or a large hat to the statue's head to create your very own Mother Goose
Wooly Sheep ornaments, then use as party favors
pic

Music

http://www.mothergooserocks.com/

Games

Name The Nursery Rhyme – We list 20 short phrases included in popular nursery rhymes. You may think it’s easy to fill in the rest of the rhyme along with the title, but we’ve found a few that are pretty challenging. Don’t worry, we also provide an ans wer key!
Nursery Rhyme Jeopardy
Mad Libs story about the guest of honor I wrote based on this one.
Meanings of Rhymes

Party Favors
(we didn't end up using these...but some ideas on the theme I collected)

star-themed book marks (twinkle, twinkle / star light, star bright / when you wish upon a)
$20/4 Nursery glassware
Individually wrap hot cross buns or muffins in pastel cellophane and tie with a contrasting ribbon. Attach a computer generated thank you note bearing an image of Mo ther Goose. Write the name of the nursery rhyme that the favor represents on the card and a thank you for the Mom to Be. Let her hand out the favors when the party is over.
bulbs or plants from Contrary Mary’s garden
miniature pie from Sing a Song of Sixpence
beeswax candle – Jack Be Nimble
copy a quote from your favorite nursery rhyme and have it printed on coffee mugs, or potholders for everyone
Personalized candles in baby food jars
"Polly Put the Kettle On" tea bags or “I’m a Little Teapot”

Presents
I just HAVE to show what my friend, Jackie, made for my sister.
jaclyn at simplyelegantfw.com

I was so glad she had the gumption (and skill) I didn't so i could give my sister some beautiful things all from Jackie's hands. Everything was soo well made! I absolutely LOVED the blanket and the wipes cover that matches her diaper bag was so sweet!

Great Education for Less Money

2010-10-08T21:19:00.007-04:00

Homeschool Connections Online has recorded courses. (Click on the link and at the top of the page click the tab "Courses", then scan down to "Subscription to Online Catholic Courses". Scroll down past the paypal buttons to read the FAQs, How To, & available courses.)

I knew they were a great resource -- many are taught by college professors and Ph.D.s -- especially once we tried their 7 days for $1 deal. (Follow the instructions above and click on the paypal "Subscribe" button.) During our 7 day trial, Dd#1 chose a literature class on Tolkein and did the week's worth of homework and all the recorded class each day for the week. I gave her a quarter's worth of high school credit for her intensive week and we were HOOKED! Once you subscribe to their recorded courses, you have access to any and all courses that were previously taught live through Homeschool Connections Online.

Her live teacher through Homeschool Connections Online, Alicia Rollings, has been sooo patient with Dd#1 and genuinely encouraging. Maureen Whitman, who started Homeschool Connections Online has been helpful when I messed up our computer and had to find a substitute. Everyone's been great to work with. When I was looking to put Dd#1 in a Latin class this year, it was $500 - $650 for classes in town and those online. Homeschool Connections has been GREAT for the cost (~$360/year) and the learning that's going on has been excellent.

It's $30 per month for their recorded courses. So for the cost of one course, we can have access for a year's worth of unlimited learning. ($30/month * 10 months = $300)

We've already chosen all our classes for her 9th grade year, so I was looking for next year. Since we knew the recorded courses were excellent learning opportunities and a great cost, I just had to figure out how we'd use them. I made the spreadsheet below to help me sort it all out in my brain. (Am I the only mom out there who thinks better with a spreadsheet??) It's hard to see online, but if you download or print it, you can see what recorded classes I think would fit with our school plan for Dd#1. There's not a grade level on the recorded classes (just "high school" or "middle school"), so your child may do them in a completely different order than we will. The grey classes are live classes this year, 2010-2011, so they'll be available as recorded classes at the end of 1st or 2nd semester this school year. I'm not sure how many we'll end up using -- but I KNOW we'll do some (many?) of the recorded classes.

Homeschool Connections recorded classes allow me to teach as much or little as I deem prudent while giving her the well-rounded education we're striving for. It's also REALLY reassuring to know we've got a resource that will be academically challenging, interesting, is easy for all of us AND is SUPER INEXPENSIVE!!

Home School Connections

My Home School 101 -- Learning As We Go

2011 Lesson #2 : Don’t Carpe Diem

Organization Tool - Spreadsheets!

Spouse Questing 101 : Summary

Spouse Questing 101 : Lesson #5 Submission to the Divine Will

Spouse Questing 101 : Lesson #4 Shake the Trees

Spouse Questing 101 : Lesson #3 Draw me a picture

Spouse Questing 101 : Lesson #2 Becoming Who You're Meant To Be

Spouse Questing 101 : Lesson #1 To Thine Own Self Be True

Dante in Translation & Beowulf, too

Life Skills for Teens

Co-op

Dried Beans

Refried Black Beans

Have a beautiful BLESSING-filled Easter!!!!

Cooking cheap and healthy...

Quote of the day

Kudos to Congressman Mike Pence for his work to defund Planned Parenthood

Ancient Rome - and the winner is....

Quote of the day

SUPPORT IHOP - who is locally supporting Crisis Pregnancy Centers!

This boy needs an e-mail penpal

Would your kids like to be in a play?

Facebook Issues - can't see your friends' feeds?

Night time prayers

Daily Questions

Dave's response to the Journal Gazette abortion editorial

Church Cleaning plus

FREE Download of Pro-Life Song

She writes the words of my heart with her life-how does she reveal me like that?

A Benefit for local HERO Scott Schroeder

Peek into an online class - for FREE!

Pictures I found on my iphone

Ear piercing angst

Quote of the Day

Capuchin Fever

My favorite part of the morning

Guest Blogger - Celebrating the Christmas Season

Gratitude

Quote of the Day

Happy Birthday to our big 3 year old!

An incredibly proud mom-moment

Quote of the Day

Open Invitation to my friends

Nursery Rhyme Baby Shower

Coffee = Cross Patch, Draw The Latch -Cross Patch, draw the latch, Sit by the fire and spin; Take up a cup, and drink it up, Then call the neighbors in.

Great Education for Less Money