Classical Homeschooling.

I just finished The Well-trained Mind, and Designing your Own Classical Curriculum. Next year we will have a second grader, a kindergartener, and a pre-schooler.

This school year was our first "school" year at home. We chose a boxed curriculum from Catholic Heritage Curricula, and did pretty well. Molly had a few bumps in the road, but overall she got what she needed out of the school year.

We are planning on continuing with school through the summer. We have all three kids signed up for the summer reading programs at our local library. Each child has their own class to attend, and Molly is also taking art. We are also attending VBS, which is being taught by the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. We are pretty excited about it.

I have been talking over our plan for next year with Scott, and a few of my Catholic homeschooling friends. I really feel that our children will thrive with a classical education. Challenging them, teaching them how to be thinkers, and to have a lifelong love of learning.

Our second year homeschooling is already looking different than our first school year. We've been getting up early for daily Mass. We've been more active, taking walks, and playing outside. Trips to the library are becoming more frequent. Now that Molly is reading, she is seeing words everywhere we go, and really getting into the characters she is reading about.

Do you homeschool? What type of school are you (classical, eclectic, unschool, montessori, waldorf, unit studies)?

Lately.

I've been reading, Style, Sex and Substance, Beyond The Sling, Designing your own Classical Curriculum, The Shack. All good reads. All good subjects. Catholic life as a woman, attachment parenting, homeschooling, and a fiction novel.

I love reading, for myself, and to my kids. It is my favorite past time. I recently found my copy of The Pistachio Perscription, which was my favorite book growing up. I actually read several of Paula Danziger's books growing up. I kept many of my favorites. Some of them Molly has started to read, which seems so weird!

So, what have you been reading? What was your favorite book growing up? Do you still have it?

Sticker shock {a thrift story}

I've got it, sticker shock. I've reached a place where $15 for one item is about 3x more than I want to pay.

I wasn't always this way. I worked in retail for 10 years. I used to work in a high-end department store and drool over piles of designer items. I used to pay $100 for a pair of jeans! Crazy, I know. But, I also grew up thrifting and even owned a consignment shop with my mom for 3 years. She taught me the art of thrift.

Scott planned an afternoon for us yesterday. He even asked Nana and Papa to babysit the big kids. His plan was to shop at a few local department store clearance racks. My thought was, we won't find a thing, and I was right. So we headed 30 miles north to scope out Spree (the upscale-ish version of Unique Thrift Store).

Spree is lined with color separated racks of clothing, shoes, accessories, housewares, sporting goods, toys and books. Sunday is their sale day, so you get an additional discount on every item!!

We each had a goal in mind. He was looking for t-shirts, jeans, work clothes. I was looking for jeans, dress pants, and summery skirts.

I know what brands I like to find, and look for those first. I have found very expensive clothing and paid a teeny fraction of the retail cost. It's so fun when you score something that costs $100 retail, and you paid $3.

I'm not sure exactly when the sticker shock happened, maybe it's because we've been compacting? I just discovered the Catholic Climate Covenant, and made my pledge. Maybe it's because we've been downsizing? Maybe it's because, like a large majority of American families, we are living on less income.

I used to be embarrassed that I thrifted. I used to care if people saw me going to the thrift store on half-off day. I used to think they could tell that I didn't buy my shirt new. Truth is, very few people care, and those that do, shouldn't.

I'm proud that I am saving money, and at some thrift shops, I'm supporting a mission. I'm proud that I can afford to clothe my family for a fraction of retail. I love the thrill of finding what you were looking for, or finding something nostalgic.

Yesterday, our lists were checked off. I left with 3 pair of dress pants, 2 pair of jeans, 3 t-shirts, a tank top, 2 dressier tops, 2 skirts, a dress, and a pair of sandals. Scott got 3 pair of pants, 3 t-shirts, and a polo. And 3 books. All for $75!!

Do you shop used? Do you scour the thrift shops? Do you use consignment?

in(RL)

So, on this past Saturday, I hosted an in(RL) meetup. I invited about 30 women. Some I knew pretty well, some I didn't. Only five attended, but you know the verse from Matthew 18:20  For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” 


We had snacks, and talked a bit. Then we watched a few segments of the broadcast. It was a nice, non-judgmental, come as you are meet-up.


I'll give you a few tid-bits of what impacted me.

The five of us know each other, a few pretty well. But, you know how we are all guarded. Guard our hearts. I think living in this time of instant gratification, hyped-media, social-media, and status updates that we are even more guarded. Where do we find community? Do we seek it out?  How do we forgive when we have been hurt? This quote from Ann Voskamp spoke to me, "The guards you put up end up being your own prison that keeps you alone." So true! We can't go through life void of hurt, we are not perfect. 


"Joy, being happy, is a choice that you make every day." Dawn, My Home Sweet Home. They shared the story of Sara, Gitzen Girl. Her life touched many, her coice to choose joy. Through illness, and suffering, she chose joy. every. single. day. Could you? Choose to be joyful, even in our suffering? I am always in awe of people who can, even through the toughest of circumstances. 


"Prayer connects us, it's the shortest distance between two or more hearts." Holley, Heart to Heart with Holley.  I think that in this respect, social-media has increased my prayer life. I see a status, or a tweet, and I pray for that person. It brings to the forefront our every day sufferings. Prayer is something that takes practice, and discipline. The more we focus on it, the more we will pray. 


One of my favorite quotes is from Mother Teresa, "God has not called me to be successful, He has called me to be faithful." yet, all of us fall away from this. Our faith will waver our entire life, we will sin, and hurt, and screw up. "Countless second changes we've been given at the cross." Rend Collective Experiment, I find myself repeating these lyrics often. Life is not about perfection, it's about striving to be more Christ-like every day.  None of us will ever reach perfection, that is why we needed the Savior. 

These are the ladies of  (in)courage. They all played a role in making (in)RL a reality for us. Read about them here, and check out their personal blogs.

Rediscovering {my} Catholicism

I recently finished Matthew Kelly's  "Rediscovering Catholicism" which was given to me after Easter Vigil Mass. I know it's not a super new book, but the message is so relevant to many young (and maybe older) Catholics.

I am a child of the 80's, you know, after Vatican II. I grew up learning to love Jesus, but not really learning a love of the Church. I, personally, have always had a great respect for the Eucharist, but only recently learned about the practice of Adoration (I kinda thought only old pious ladies did that). You may be thinking, (gasp!) how an you be raised Catholic and not know?! Let me tell you. I come from, what I think of as, a pretty Catholic family. My dad went to Catholic school, my mother converted before marriage. My paternal grandparents were very involved in the Church, and local service (a local group home for the handicapped is named after my grandfather). My aunt has helped countless people become Catholic, and learn their faith teaching RCIA, and RE. We went to Mass every week, we attended Religious Ed., we received the Sacrements, we prayed the rosary as a family, we said Novenas for the sick. We were taught about His sacrifice. We were (myself and my siblings) Confirmed in the faith. We just grew up in a time when we never got to experience the traditions in their fullness. I haven't attended a Latin Mass, I've been to Adoration once. I only go to confession on the "required" day. Holy Days of Obligation seemed, well, optional.

But last year, after many years of feeling blah, something awakened in me. After reading, Ann Voskamp's "One Thousand Gifts", and really making Mass a priority, I was looking {at life}with a new set of eyes. I started reading "One Thousand Gifts" while Maisy was in the hospital with RSV. Ann's words pierced me. We all have a longing. We all have a story. We all trip up, and fall, and are wounded. But through Him, through Jesus, we are made whole. So, if it's through the counting of our daily "gifts", or offering our daily work to the Lord, we are drawing in, drawing closer to the Savior.

Matthew Kelly draws out a way of life that is authentically Catholic. Pointing us to our spiritual north star. Doing things like keeping a Mass journal, reading and reflecting on the readings before Mass, spending 10 minutes in quiet reflection. Experiencing the Mass, Eucharist, Reconciliation, and Adoration, and the Rosary on a regular basis. Learning about the Saints, their lives, their suffering, their undying faith. Sharing this all with our families, through daily prayers.

God has recently plopped a few {Catholic} moms into my life. Women that bring a freshness, and new perspective. I am so grateful for their friendship, and for the timing. Thanks be to God!

I get so hung up on timing, sometimes. Then I start in on the "why ?!", I spent several years stuck in the cycle of why. I almost walked away. I was hanging by a thread, but something told me, "go to Mass". Maybe it was the St. Gerard medal, my mother presented me with? I know I asked for his intercession in our trial. That was when I was pregnant with Molly, Scott had just lost two friends in a car accident, our unborn baby wasn't "perfect". I felt cheated. But, I have seen Jesus in the most unlikely of places.

My aunt Karen used to tell me when I was little, "You never know when you might meet Jesus", and I think she's right. He might have been in the words of, now retired, Pastor White at St. Daniel the Prophet. He might be in your child, or that person you encounter on the street. He might be in the streaks of sunlight, bursting through the clouds. I know this, we have to be on the ready. Life will pass you by, if you let it.

I will always be rediscovering my Catholicism, because there are endless things to learn. What have you learned about faith, and timing? What gifts were you blessed with today? Where have you encountered Jesus?

pulled.

i'm feeling pulled. in a whole lot of directions. here, or there. near or far. the home we've known or put down roots elsewhere. stability and familiarity, or giant leap. close to work, or close to family. i pray for clarity and i get fog. i pray for an answer i get dizzy. i pray for a break, i get wildly busy. i pray for patience...wait, i stopped praying for that ;) i wish i knew what the right thing to do is.

anyone else's life feel like a crazy messy crap chute sometimes? it can't just be us.

T.V. Free, for good.

I wrote about going tv free a while back. You can read my post here. It lasted several months. It was good. Christmas came, and we got a Wii (not my idea). We found out that we are not a family of gamers, I don't think we've played any games since December 26th. We did find that we are a family of Netflix on Wii watchers. So, the tv crept back in.
It's been happening slowly. The not listening to mom, the smart remarks, the misbehaving at church. The not playing nicely with siblings, time-outs, etc.
Last night, Holy Thursday, a very somber day on the Liturgical Calendar. One of the Holiest days of the year, and Milo, jumping over the pews, running around, spitting, hitting, name calling. TOTALLY NOT LIKE MY BOY! We attend Mass weekly, and there is always lots of activity. But never this. It's probably partially my fault, I did let him have 2 cookies right before.
We made a decision on the way home. Less screen time, lots less. And sugar. reduce the sugar! It wasn't just the behavior at Mass that did it. But it was the last straw.
Our life is pretty hectic, and with an upcoming move, even more so. Hopefully, this will bring about some positive change. Plus, the weather is wonderful. We should be outside!

If you are considering going tv free visit these sites.
here, here and here.

Are you already tv free? How has it changed your life? Would you consider it for a week, a month?
I had a friend tell me last night, "Best decision we ever made for our family, Hands Down!"