Salve Regina Homeschool Academy

Our Fall Plans

2010-07-15T07:30:00.006-05:00

Wow. I have put so much thought into this year's curriculum that it's crazy. I truly have had to abandon all thoughts of doing it my way. The curriculum that has worked so well for Therese is just not going to work so well for the rest of my kids. I am happy to say that it's not my vanity talking, thinking that Therese is two grade levels ahead. I got her SAT scores back. That girl is at least two grade levels ahead. I'll just say I am one extremely proud Mama and leave it at that. Nicky's scores prove one of two things: either he is not a test taker, or he just didn't try. I just can't believe that he scores "low" when compared to other 2nd graders in math. Given that I sit next to him every day as he whizzes through 4th grade math, I am just not buying it. I also watch him write story after story, and I teach him spelling. Hence, I'm not buying that he's a poor speller. I *know* what an awesome speller he is. I know where the holes in his curriculum are, and anyone reading this knows that I have *no* problem talking about his shortcomings (ahem!), but academics -- not one of them. It is a very interesting revelation to me about how absolutely meaningless those test results can be, though, for kids who are not strong test takers, or who flat-out don't care to do well. It remains to be seen which one he is. Fact is, he was only six when he took the 2nd grade test. It could be that I was asking too much of him. If he were going to school, then maturity-wise, I would have wanted him to be exiting K at that age. He would have been one of the youngest 1st graders. Sigh.

In any case, here's the breakdown. I have made a tremendous amount of work for myself (but when don't I?).

Therese

Math: Saxon 7/6 (She's about 1/4 of the way through now)
Language Arts - Michael Clay Thompson

Vocabulary - Caesar's English (Latin Roots and Spanish Cognates)
Poetry - Building Poems
Writing - Paragraph Town
Grammar - Grammar Town

3. Latin: First Form Latin (Memoria Press)

4. Greek: A Greek Alphabetarion (Harvey Bluedorn)

5. History: (MODG 7th grade syllabus)

Augustus Caesar's World
Caesar's Gallic War
The Old World and America
Those are the main spines - there are others

6. Religion: (MODG 7th grade syllabus)

The First Christians
The Story of the Church
The Acts of the Apostles

7: Science: Apologia's Anatomy and Physiology

8. Art: Artist study with Salve Regina notebooking pages (link coming)

9. Handwriting: Continuing Cursive Practice

10. Copywork: Salve Regina Scriptorium for Young Ladies (link coming)

Nicholas

Math: Saxon 5/4 (he's 1/2 done)
Language Arts: Michael Clay Thompson

Vocabulary - Building Language (learning concept of Latin roots)
Poetry - Music of the Hemispheres
Writing - Sentence Island
Grammar - Grammar Island

3. Latin: Prima Latina/Latina Christiana (Memoria Press)

4. History: American History for Young Students - Exploration-1800 (Truthquest)

5. Religion: St. Joseph Catechism for First Communion and The Israelites

(History Links)

6. Science: Apologia's Anatomy and Physiology

7. Spelling: All About Spelling Level 3

8. Art: Artist Study with Salve Regina notebooking pages (link coming soon)

9. Handwriting: Writing our Catholic Faith

10. Copywork: Salve Regina Scriptorium for Young Men (link coming soon)

Twins

Math: Saxon 1 (1/2 done)
Language Arts: Language Lessons for Little Ones 3 (Queen Homeschool)
History: American History for Young Students - Exploration-1800 (Truthquest)
Religion: Old Testament Bible Stories and The Israelites (History Links)
Science: Apologia's Anatomy and Physiology
Art: Artist Study with Salve Regina notebooking pages (link coming soon)
Handwriting: Writing our Catholic Faith
Copywork: Salve Regina Scriptorium for Brand-New Writers (link coming soon)
Spelling: All About Spelling Level 2
Phonics: Click-N-Kid

I think that's it. I usually realize I forgot something. I absolutely have to write a schedule this year. Therese will have school all day. Her classes are a mix of 6th and 7th grade. She also has piano and dance. I haven't decided if they are going to try out for the play, which, if they made it, would mean Friday rehearsals 2-5 (at least on some days). We're not going to be in town on the audition day, so that may be a deal breaker anyway.

Well, at least it's all down now. I am just compiling my organizer pages now. We'll start after we get back from vacation. Therese and I want to start now!

Yup - Overconfident

2010-06-23T19:48:00.004-05:00

I didn't get the writing job I thought I had pretty well in the bag. Oh, well. I'm still going to produce the materials on my own. It's a blessing in disguise (or not even in disguise). I have so many things on my plate right now. I finally made the move to create a new, TOS Homeschool Crew friendly blog here: http://myhomeschoolreviews.blogspot.com. I copied over some reviews and a couple of HOTM posts to make it look not quite so naked. I think it will suffice. In a couple of days I'll be able to add a review of The Secret of Zoom, the book I'm doing a lit unit for on edHelper - such a cute kids' book.

No Time for a Title

2010-06-23T16:39:00.003-05:00

Pressure. I don't understand enough about blog rolls, SEOs, blog design, etc. I must confess that what I care about is the writing. Now, though, since becoming a member of TOS's Homeschool Crew (yay!), I am suddenly overwhelmed by things I don't understand - things which have nothing to do with writing reviews. Writing reviews I can do (see below). In fact, right now I have more writing assignments than I can handle (pressure!). I have never been great at daily blog writing, though (okay, or weekly or monthly blog writing), because I am always writing for someone else. That's kind of the whole point of being a writer. I envy people who have beautiful, well thought out, updated blogs. I don't have one. In a few weeks, though, the Crew will get to my blog as they work their way through their blog walk...then I'll be found out for the blog fraud I am. I don't even have the skills to make a shamefaced smiley :-(

Okay. I've got it all out of my system. On other fronts, the kids are rocking their swimming lessons. I'm beyond excited about finalizing their curriculum (and I'm hacked that we have to take June off - can't really be helped with all this swimming). T is going to start Greek. I have almost completely decided to do the Bluedorn's program. It is mega-pricey, which is the only reason I haven't completely decided. I just found out yesterday that Memoria Press has a Greek program in the works. I wish I knew a timetable on that one. I'll do a curriculum update soon.

I've been writing on homeschooling gifted kids at Heart of the Matter Online. It's really helped me better to understand my own kids, especially N. Sadly, understanding does not lead to patience or better parenting. It seems that that is just something I am going to have to continue to pray for. Wait. No. I've learned the hard way: don't pray for patience! God will give you plenty of opportunities to learn it! Pray for the grace to accept what He sends you. Yes - now I just need to remember that...

I have so many other projects on the back burner that really need to come to the front burner. My Kindle book is dying to be written. My other blog has such promise, but it languishes. My website is waiting to be built. I have two projects that I think I could market through CurrClick, but when to create them? I was overconfident about a prospect with another company (a huge, well-known homeschool publisher) a few weeks ago, but I think that might have been a case of pride goeth before a non-starter. That's okay, though, because even if they don't want to publish this work, I still love what I created, and it's one of those that I think would sell on CurrClick. Now all I need are ten more hours in each day!

I think I have to make a decision. I think I may need to keep this blog just for me (and those few discerning readers who occasionally pop by), and, as I've said before, move the reviews and such to a new one for the Crew. Must consider...

Cleaning House

2010-05-20T10:47:00.002-05:00

Figuratively and literally. I've been looking at some blogs written by some amazing Catholic moms, and feeling completely inadequate. Where do they get the time? I hardly have time to glance at anything non-school or work related! In any case, I'm doing some housecleaning. On the literal front, that means I'm cleaning out the school room - not because we take the summer off (are you kidding?), but because it provides something of a transition point. We're also cleaning out the kids' rooms as best we can, and we re-sodded both the front and the back yards (not so impressive - small yards). I'm cleaning out this blog, too. Why? Surely not because I have too many posts! I really like reviewing for The Old Schoolhouse, but those reviews are not well placed here. I'm creating a separate blog just for reviews. I'll then move them there.

When I see what the kids were doing curriculum-wise one year ago, it seems like a lifetime ago. In some ways we've made tons of progress, while in others we have moved very slowly. I have made some curriculum decisions I'm ecstatic about, and T continues to be my easiest child to teach. I love planning what I'll do with her. N is a challenge, simply because of how quickly he picks up on things, and because of how little he likes to sit still. He loves to learn, but he doesn't love to work. I'm so grateful for my opportunity to write for Heart of the Matter, as it has compelled me continually to research the learning styles of gifted kids. Without the constant bombardment of reinforcement that N is not completely insane and abnormal, I would probably go pony express.

In any case, N has finished Math 3 and is halfway through Saxon 5/4. I expect that he will finish it by the end of the summer. Fortunately, T is done with 6/5 and is into 7/6, freeing up 6/5 for N. I keep warning her that he might catch her! She is staying ahead of him for now, though! My biggest find for the year, though, was definitely Michael Clay Thompson's Language Arts curriculum. I should probably cut and paste from an email I wrote to my SIL rather than try to reproduce a coherent review. Better yet, I'll wait until I have peace and quiet (or until I'm dead, which will probably come first) so that I can properly extol the virtues of the amazing curriculum. Although written specifically for gifted kids, I don't see why anyone couldn't use this wonderful program. I have never met (or "met") anyone who loved words the way I that I did until I encountered MCT. He doesn't try to make grammar fun or interesting because he recognizes that grammar *is* fun and interesting. Words are meant to be dissected, understood and, ultimately, to be played with. A sentence cannot properly be understood without an understanding of its component parts - its phrases, its clauses, etc. Even better, from the youngest ages, MCT incorporates a study of poetry: not poetry simply as memorization or "appreciation", but poetry as construction and technique. By understanding these poetic techniques, children can then be equipped to recognize them when they read prose (there is a reason that most great writers also wrote poetry).

Well, suffice it to say that T is thriving with this curriculum, and that N would stop whatever he was doing to listen in.

If T had her choice, she would do religion all day. We kind of two-tracking religion. For our instruction, we use the series I outlined back in June or July (I still love it) in conjunction with Fr. Laux's Chief Truths of the Faith. Fr. Laux quickly moves into a discussion of each of the books in the Bible, and here is where we begin our second track. We have brought in Peter Kreeft's book You Can Understand the Bible in order further to explicate Fr. Laux. Here is my conundrum. Fr. Laux has another book, a wonderful book, which is more in-depth, and focuses exclusively on a discussion of the books of the Bible. Part of me says to wait until T is older to bring this book in. Part of me says that she is old enough or, more importantly, mature enough, to handle it now. We don't have to go fast, and taking a couple of years to move through the Bible, book-by-book, now will give her a huge advantage. She can hear it all again when I do it with the younger set but, even better, she can move on to more sophisticated exegesis. Alternative #2: she can set aside the Kreeft for now, and not pick up the 2nd Laux at all. We can just keep moving through Chief Truths of the Faith, and add Bible History, which was written for 6th-8th graders. The huge advantage for me is that this is written as a textbook (although since it was written in 1931, it is not typical textbook for *our* times; it reads quite nicely, and the questions at the end of the chapter are discussion style - with mapwork!). This gives her another independent subject. Of course, I'll read the book, too, so that we can discuss, but I won't have to read it to her, like I do with Kreeft, so that we can discuss as we go. It will give her more background to do the more in-depth Bible study next year. I think I'm convincing myself; she won't be happy, though.

Religion for the little kids? St. Joseph Catechism, lots of Bible stories, narrations, and drawings. They love to do their drawings! I want N really to work on his narrations this year. He is becoming quite a good writer, and his grammar sometimes amazes even me. M and M-C love to color anything I put in front of them, especially these Rosary coloring pages.

More subjects to discuss next time. History -- oh that history. How can I love it so much, but have so much trouble figuring out how to teach it coherently? I am trying to teach the unified history of the world and everything. It's not going all that smoothly. However, M is drawing Ajax as we speak, and the kids love to reenact the Trojan War, so at least they are in touch with their roots. There's nothing bad about that. T can tell you just about anything you might want to know about the Tudors (including which of Henry VIII's wives escaped the blade!). They all know a thing or two about the Tlingit Indians. They even know that American Indians called themselves "The People." I guess we're doing okay. Now to break out those timelines so that the Tlingit don't end up fighting the Trojans. It hasn't happened so far...

Review of Expedition China DNG Unit Study

2010-04-28T08:06:00.004-05:00

It is getting so that anticipating Amanda Bennett’s Download N Go™ unit studies is becoming one of the highlights of my homeschooling month! While I know that somewhere online I can find out what is coming next from the DNG team, I love the surprise of finding the unit that I next get to review waiting in my inbox. It’s like a double treat: I get the surprise of finding out the subject to be studied, followed by the actual study itself. You see, if you are unfamiliar with Amanda Bennett’s shorter, bite-sized (as I have come to think of them) unit studies, it really doesn’t matter what you are currently studying in your homeschool. You always have time either to take a short break to work on the current Download N Go™ topic or, as is more usually the case, to work the current Download N Go™ topic in to your present course of study. Amanda’s and The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine’s current offering is no exception.

There are so many ways to make Expedition China relevant to any homeschooling topics of study. Geography is an easy and obvious one, but what about world cultures, ecology, history, biology, and languages? One of my favorite features of Download N Go™ unit studies is their adaptability. Yes, they are specifically designed to lead you through a complete unit in one week’s time; however, you are completely free to use any part of the unit, at any time, in any way that you see fit! More than any other of this series that I have yet seen, Expedition China particularly lends itself to this type of flexibility. Now that it is abundantly clear that I am entranced both by this form of unit study (I think I need either to put Amanda Bennett on my Christmas Card list or friend her on Facebook!) and by the choice of China as a subject for Download N Go™, let’s look at exactly what makes this unit study so compelling.

First, as with all of the studies in this series, the book list alone justifies the price. With so many books for children available on the topic of China, winnowing the list can be a daunting project at best. Recently, I returned from a trip to the library with no less than 13 books – on Marco Polo alone! That list doesn’t even include the older narrative stories that I had already downloaded and marked on my Kindle! Really now…I don’t have a semester just to study Marco Polo. I need someone like Amanda Bennett working for me! Another wonderful part of this unit study is the animal and geographical features of the day. My children couldn’t wait to find out what the animal would be each day. Even better, these animals are tied in to the optional, but included, lapbook component of the unit study! Finally, and in keeping with the winnowing benefit I so love, Expedition China contains several videos featuring aspects of China that my family will only ever see over the computer. Once again, there are thousands of such videos online. Amanda Bennett has done all of my legwork (fingerwork?) for me, and has found examples of the best videos which correlate to the relevant portions of her unit study. All my children and I have to do is sit back and enjoy. Well, the kiddies have to pay attention so that they can answer the questions which follow the videos! Given that this is a Download N Go™ unit study, the clickable links to the videos are right there in the download itself. One quick click, and you’ve downloaded your unit study, and all relevant materials (well, you may have to make a trip to the library, but what homeschooling family doesn’t welcome any excuse for that outing?). You could spend triple what you would spend on this unit study, or more, quite easily, and still not get the concise, quality study of China that you will get when you purchase the Expedition China Download N Go™ unit study. As you wind down your school year, do yourself a favor and take a vacation to the Orient!

You can purchase this unit study here http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=429&products_id=15621

Review of The Old Schoolhouse's 2010 Planner

2010-04-25T21:24:00.005-05:00

Having owned both the 2008 and 2009 TOS planners, it was with great anticipation that I eagerly accepted a copy of this year’s incarnation of the planner in return for my review. The best part of the 2010 planner is that all of its familiar features have returned this year! Once again, it checks in at a whopping 600+ pages – intimidating if you plan to print the whole thing all at once, but why would you? TOS makes it so easy to find and print only the forms you need at the time you need them. Rather, it’s a joy to see all of those pages, because one surely knows that each one contains a valuable, homeschool-enriching treat!

If you’re familiar with this planner, then you already know that TOS has provided a form for virtually every need you can conceive of…and yet somehow, they have managed to come up with more than 25 new forms for the 2010 planner! Trust me when I say, if you can think of something you want to record, this planner has a form for it – and I mean that literally! There is a form for writing down the TV shows you want to remember to record! If, by some small chance, though, you have need of some form that has not been included, you can always jot down your thoughts on the beautiful journaling paper that is included. Once again, as with previous planners, there are numerous short articles on different subjects included in the planner as well. The articles cover a variety of subjects, all of which should be of interest to the vast majority of homeschooling families. Regardless of your homeschooling style or the size of your family, these articles should speak to you as you plan and execute your 2010-2011 homeschooling year.

Along with the articles, I was thrilled to see the return of my favorite feature of the TOS planner – the recipes! If your idea of dinner involves three courses and a wine pairing decision, not only is my homeschooling-mom hat off to you, but these recipes probably won’t make you rejoice the way they did me. If, however, you love finding that next great five-ingredient, 20-minute meal, then you will thrill to this group of recipes. An investment in this planner, then, not only guarantees you the most comprehensive planner you will ever own, but it also buys you inspirational reads each month from moms just like you, a mini-cookbook full of recipes you will actually cook that your family will love, lists and lists of research resources such as famous artists and famous composers, and enough blank forms for you to create anything else that you might need. Even if you were only to use one-third of the offerings in this planner, your money would have been well spent.

Oh, and for those of you who love your smart phones, and who can’t imagine needing any other date book or planner? Don’t think of this as a planner. Think of it as an E-book custom designed just for homeschooling moms, with monthly resources targeted at making your home life easier, and making your homeschooling life more meaningful. This planner truly is a tool for everyone. It gets better and better every year!

Review of March Molly's Digest

2010-04-23T13:12:00.001-05:00

Having received Molly’s Money-Saving Digest for March in exchange for my review, I find myself in an uncomfortable position. I must recant something I said in a previous review. I’ve been fortunate enough to review one of Molly’s Digests before, and in that review, I said that if you have never tried one of Molly’s Digests before, that that Digest was the one to try. I was wrong. As wonderful as that Digest was, the March issue of Molly’s Money-Saving Digest is better. Molly packs more money and time-saving and life-enhancing suggestions into the March Digest than one would believe possible. In its trademark format, with all of the usual category headings included, Molly manages to pack in so many recipes that I’m still not quite convinced that the Digest couldn’t double as a cookbook. The best part is that every single recipe is one that my four children and my husband will enjoy. In fact, I’ve already incorporated two of her recipes into my dinner menus this week!

For those of you unfamiliar with Molly, I have found that one of her finest skills is the ability to pass on information without condescension. Imagine my delight, then, when I discovered that Molly included in this digest step-by-step grilling instructions. As with many families, my husband is the grill master in ours. I don’t question his methods; I merely prepare the food that he carefully cooks on the grill. How lovely, though, to be led incrementally through the entire process of grilling, from lighting the coals (for a charcoal grill), to soaking the wood chips (with a convenient explanation as to why one definitely does not want to skip this step!), to cleaning the grill after use. I feel confident now that I could take over the grill and not make a single error; what a great feeling!

While I love to cook, and look first to the wonderful recipes Molly provides, one of the things I appreciate most about Molly’s March Digest is her frugal decorating/recycling section. In this digest Molly provides nine uses for a common household item which probably usually ends up in your recycling bin. It won’t anymore! You’ll be asking your neighbors to save theirs for you once you read what Molly (and you!) can do with this ubiquitous article!

Finally, although I often describe myself as having a black thumb, Molly’s upbeat style and gentle encouragement have given me the courage to take on one of the many backyard projects presented in this month’s Digest. If I can manage a container herb garden without injuring Rosemary or running out of Thyme, then maybe I’ll have the courage to take on one of the more ambitious projects that Molly makes seem so doable! Whether you love to cook, or prefer to garden; whether you love to repurpose old objects, or just can’t pass up a wonderful directory of Internet links, Molly’s Money-Saving March Digest has something in it for you! Molly just keeps getting better and better!

Progress

2009-10-07T16:52:00.002-05:00

I have found myself doing so much outside writing (I'm not complaining!) that I don't feel like really taking the time to post here, which is sad since the whole intent of this blog was to stay apprised of the kids' progress. I wanted to give myself status updates on the kids. Hmph. The best laid plans of mice and men...

T is 1/4 of the way through Saxon 6/5. She has had no problems thus far, so I'm pleased. I think she's right where she should be. I am changing her Grammar program from Saxon 5 to Classical Writing with Harvey Elementary Grammar, though. I don't think she is getting enough writing instruction with Saxon, and I don't think that Writing with Ease is doing it either. In spite of WwE being a product of WTM, I find it very CM and not as much Classical. I have decided to go completely Classical with the Progymnasmata. I really think that T will enjoy it more. She has such an aptitude for grammar that the repetition of Saxon was getting to her. It is not really what I would consider a 5th grade level - maybe more 3rd grade. Maybe it's just that she was so well prepared with FLL that we have to go more rigorous. In any case, I'm looking forward to beginning Aesop and Homer for the older beginner. CW considers the older beginner to be 8th grade, but when they also recommend starting Aesop at 2nd grade. Considering Aesop should precede Homer, I felt older beginner was the way to go. I'm starting N with FLL 3 as soon as it arrives at the house. He's more than ready.

Speaking of N, he's more than 1/2 through Saxon Math 3. It is still quite easy for him. We rarely have to slow down, and I rarely have to say something twice to tell him how to do it. If I ever do have to actually "teach" him a concept, it is WWIII. He does not like not getting it right away. He has to constantly be fed new challenges. I'll be very curious to see if this math-fury keeps up when he finishes 3. He will be in 5/4 while he's still comfortably six years old. That's on-level 5th grade, advanced 4th grade, math. Remind me to post the article that I just wrote for Heart of the Matter Online on teaching gifted children...

M and M-C are doing quite well with phonics, but it hasn't quite translated to formal reading yet. I'm fine with that. They're four. I still think they'll be reading short books by five, but if they're not, they're not. They love AAS. I love my affiliate checks from AAS. It is so easy to sell a product that sells itself, and that I use unreservedly. The twins are also doing Saxon Math 1. I see the point coming very soon (as in probably next week) where I will have to split them up. M races through his work and wants more, and M-C likes to take her time and be very meticulous. She only wants to do the day's work, and that's fine. By the same token, though, I'm not going to hold M back, just as I've never held the other's back. Teaching four levels of math, though...Thank Heaven T basically teaches herself. I think that next year I will invest in Saxon DIVE. It will be her last year before Pre-Algebra, and I really want to make sure she is completely ready.

Apologia Astronomy is going rather slowly, but they are learning quite thoroughly that which they are learning. I can't ask for more than that.

We are studying American Indians right now, and *that* we are doing very thoroughly. We read a wonderful biography of Sitting Bull, and even M and M-C could retell much of it if pressed. We will place him in his broader context as a Plains Indian, and then move onto other kinds of Indians, geographically speaking. I have to really think about history. I just don't have a program that I love. Maybe I'll look at Connecting with History again. I just have to accept that I am never going to find a program that has everything that I want. I love all of the resources at Mater Amabilis, and that's fine for the youngers, but T needs something more intense. Am I talking myself back into Tapestry of Grace? We had never done history as thoroughly and intensely as when doing TOG...I just don't love the investment...or the Protestantism. It's funny. As I write that, I wonder whether I will cost myself writing jobs. I'm pretty sure that the "Salve Regina" outs me as a Catholic, but I am already pretty sure that there is at least one job that I didn't get because of my answer on the question: What denomination are you? Funny. I think I'll leave that there now.

I have to give kudos to Our Holy Faith. I love this series for Religion. It doesn't have the pretty pictures of Faith and Life (which, for some reason, seems very important to many parents), but it does have so much more. It is chock full, and T is learning so much.

One more brief note. I have just found Lesson Pathways. I would never use it as a full curriculum, but as an organization of Internet links, I'm all over it. I subscribed for $4.95/mo. and consider it money well spent. There is also one free pathway per week, so it's worth looking at just for that.

T's Stories

2009-08-31T08:51:00.003-05:00

I get hit with migraines often. So often, in fact, that I often feel that my life is passing me by while I am abed. T sometimes will come in to keep me company, which she did yesterday. She began telling me stories from "The Meatball Chronicles." Don't ask me why (it's a long story), but our guinea pigs' tushies have been rechristened as "meatballs." In this particular episode, the guinea pig Telemachus was at Mass with his parents (Odysseus and Penelope - Odysseus is one of our actual guinea pigs). The guinea pig priest was named Fr. Yort (that should look vaguely familiar to you if you attend St. John Vianney!) He was a silver guinea pig who drank too much beer at lobster dinners (this is all out of the imagination of the eight year-old T!). In his homily, Fr. Yort began to speak of Jesus (pronounced in Latin, though, so it was "Yay-sus"). Telemachus came out of his somnolent state at the sound of what he thought was a familiar name! He began to chant: "Yay, Zeus! Yay, Zeus!" I guess you can take the guinea pig out of Greece, but you can't take the Ancient Greek gods worship out of the guinea pig...At least Fr. Yort at the good sense to spank his meatballs!

Should I be concerned about T? Just kidding - I love her imagination. I don't know if I'll be able to look at our priest without laughing next week, though!

Fall Schedule

2009-07-27T13:56:00.004-05:00

July 27, 2009

I don't know how well it will work yet (we'll need hands-on time for that), but I have a tentative "what to do when" schedule hammered out, complete with color-coded bullets. The first bullet is for independent student work. The second is for work with me work, and the third is for all together work. Of course, the twins, being four, do not actually have to participate in history, art, and science :) Everything after handwriting, phonics, and math is optional for them!

Sadly, I am a computer illiterate, and I can't post my schedule. Sad, sad day. At least I have one!

Preparing for School Again

2009-07-24T09:58:00.000-05:00

July 24, 2009

I have to confess that I have not loved our mini-vacation. If one cares about the children's grade levels, than I feel that we stopped just short of finishing their prior grades. To a Type A like me, that feels like we're starting in the middle, never mind that we are just taking three weeks off for summer (one more week to go!). Still, I guess it will help me to organize my thoughts as to where we will be picking up. It seems as if I do that quite a bit. So, the kids' curricula will be as follows:

T - turning eight and starting 5th grade
Language Arts - Saxon Grammar and Writing 5 and Writing with Ease
Math - Saxon 6/5
Latin - Latina Christiana (but I'm still awaiting a recommendation from an expert on that)
History - Connecting with History (a Roman Catholic history program) VERY loosely, but
mostly my own devising. We'll spend at least a couple of months in Egypt (more if the kids want to), aided by a WEB interactive unit study by Brandenberg Studies. We'll then spend as much time as we want to in Ancient Greece. If we get to Rome this year, great. If not, we'll continue next year. Along the way, I'll document what we do and what we read, because I still feel very called to write a curriculum.
American History - Joy Hakim's books will be our spine here, but I plan to use many OOP books available on Project Gutenberg (and pray that a Kindle drops into my lap) to really make this a living books, read aloud subject for everyone except T (about whom, ironically, I am writing now). Again, I am going to document how and what I teach as I go.
Science - Exploring Creation with Astronomy. I really think the kids are going to enjoy this one, especially once we get past all of the young earth nonsense.
Religion - Our Holy Faith 5 - Living Like Christ, in Christ. I'm really happy with this series. T likes it, too. It's comprehensive, meaty (but not on Fridays), and highly readable. We'll also continue with Fr. Laux's Chief Truths of the Faith. She *really* likes that book. I'm trying to figure out how I can work in Bible History. Maybe I'll wait a few years until I get get all four together.
Handwriting - cursive practice combined with copywork/catechism on magistra-created worksheets with the aid of Startwrite.
Art - Meet the Masters online edition

I'm really excited about the Saxon Grammar. It starts with Grade 5, which is just right for us. I can tell that much of it will be repitition for us (thanks to the awesome work of FLL), but I can't skip her to 6 because of the writing lessons, which look really good. The format is just right for her learning style, so she's happy about it, too, although she was originally skeptical. I think this year will work really well for us. I bought her an assignment notebook, and every day I will write the assignments that she and I have to do together in one color of pen, and those that she can do alone in another color. That way, she will always know what to do, and she will never have any "dead" time.

N - just turned six and starting second grade
Language Arts - FLL 2 and Writing with Ease
Phonics - Explode the Code 4
Spelling - Spellwell Aa
Math - Saxon 3
Latin - Prima Latina
History/American History/Science - same as above
Religion - listening with T and bible stories
Handwriting - my creations with Startwrite
Art - same as above

M and M-C - four years old and starting K
Phonics - ClickNKids
Math - Saxon 1
Handwriting - Startwrite worksheets
Spelling - All About Spelling One
Religion - Bible stories
Any part of any other subject to which they want to listen.

How do I plan to schedule all of this you ask? Good question - I have actually been doing most of it prior to now. I'll post my schedule in a coming update. I am blessed with independent workers (mainly T, obviously) and all-around great kids.

As for me, I still work for edHelper, and I love what I do for them. I also review materials for The Old Schoolhouse and for Teacher Book Bag. Further, I am rolling around a plan for a business of my own...it's just all about the time! N started coach pitch this year (he sort of had to "try out" for his team, and they've already started practice, even though sign-ups don't even end until the end of September! I can't believe how competitive they are already at this age. M is still in t-ball, so we won't even know his team for at least a month. Thank goodness! I expect to be at the field five days a week this fall! T has dance for 1 1/2 hours, and M-C for an hour. I should get a lot of knitting done once the year begins in earnest :)

Ruminations

2009-07-19T21:09:00.000-05:00

July 19, 2009

Just a brief post. I've just started rolling an idea around in the back of my mind. T and M-C were going to be in Little Flowers this fall, but due to a change in the leader's schedule (a baby!), that seems to be off the plate. I could put them in another group, but more and more I am wondering what they would get out of it. Everything that LF does, we do here at home: saints, virtues, and catechism. My main goal would be for the (ahem) socialization, and that primarily for T. However, at eight, she would be the oldest in the group, and she doesn't really interact much with girls younger than her. She is so darn old. Hence, I am faced with a dilemma, and I must make dilemmonade.

A parallel track of my mind has become increasingly preoccupied with the notion of modesty. I have always been preoccupied with this notion, particularly where my daughters' dress is concerned. Thanks to the influence of my dear friend, P, however, I have become even more conscious of my own modesty (anyone who knows me probably thinks this is kind of funny; I don't even wear shorts). Still, modesty is an inherent part of femininity (such a better term than "Godly womanhood". We Catholic ladies simply must coin our own term here), and it is nothing less than a strict responsibility of all women. It is a lesson that they have to learn as girls. I could write forever on this subject, but I'll cease temporarily. Let's just say that all of my thinking on what it means to be a young lady is tied up in modesty of all kinds. It's not just about dress; modesty of manner is crucial. Boasting and self-aggrandizement are ugly on anyone, but I think that humility can be taught to young ladies in the context of modesty.

Finally, the culmination of all of these seemingly random thoughts is this: a tea club. Rather than Little Flowers (we'll just continue to learn Catholic girlhood at home and by example as we have been for the last eight years of T's life), I'm thinking of starting monthly teas for T, M-C, and maybe other girls as well - T's friend S, for example. At said teas, little girls can practice being young ladies (have I already written on the subject of my girls not being teenagers, but, rather, young ladies? We're skipping the teen years altogether). They can dress up, discuss relevant girlhood issues (determined ahead of time by yours truly), and (at least in the case of my girls) prepare the tea and tasties ahead of time. You may wonder what this has to do with LF - nothing directly. Further, it likely won't introduce my T to girls she doesn't know. Rather, the dissolution of her LF group before it started was the genesis of the idea, or, more correctly, the nudge to get me moving.

As I said, just ruminating right now. Hmmm...thinking about that word...if it relates at all to ruminants, I'm not sure I love the connotation.

Review of E-Book: "I Want to be a...Doctor"

2009-07-05T17:59:00.000-05:00

Within the past several months, The Old Schoolhouse has introduced many new entries into its “WannaBe” E-Book series. Until being presented with the opportunity to review “When I Grow Up, I Want to be a…Doctor”, I had never read one of these books. Now I want to read all of them! While I concede that the editors have found a catchy name in “WannaBe E-Book”, I regret the fact that the name does not truly convey all that these books have to offer a homeschooling (or even an afterschooling) mom.

So much more than just an E-Book, “When I Grow Up, I Want to be a…Doctor” is in fact more of a unit study on the career of medicine. It begins with a biographical sketch of a family that practices medicine, which I rather naively assumed would comprise the majority of the E-Book. I actually would have loved to have read more about the Drs. Atwi, but the editors of this E-Book had so much more in store for me! After reading about the day-to-day doings of the Atwis, the E-Book continues with the all-important salary information for the medical profession, as well as with a reading comprehension style quiz.

Then the real fun begins! The next ten pages of this E-Book consist of optometry-specific information. How do our eyes work? What is a lens? What is color blindness? Activities including vocabulary, a diagram of the eye, and a test to diagnose color blindness are included in this section of the E-Book. While all of the text is written at a level that is easily understood by children, there is much in this book that can benefit parents as well. After all, for many of us, it has probably been several years since we have studied these subjects ourselves!

One of the preeminent features of this E-Book is its versatility. In addition to providing solid information for students who might seriously be considering a career in the field of medicine, the E-Book also contains plenty of material for younger siblings, who might merely be along for the ride on this particular lesson. A hidden pictures activity (a favorite with my preschoolers) and coloring pages are included for the youngest scholars, while a crossword puzzle and a word search are included for slightly older students. Copywork and handwriting practice are incorporated for all age levels. Finally, end-of-unit activities and games round out the student portion of the E-Book. For mom, the E-Book closes with several pages of resources that can be used for further study, including books, videos, and websites.

This E-Book has much to recommend it. I must confess that my favorite part of the book is the story of Dr. Atwi and his family. I think it is this kind of personal narrative that is likely to draw students in, and to make them truly consider what it means to have a career in the field of medicine. Any student who reads this E-Book has, most likely, already expressed an interest in a medical career. Reading about a faith-filled man, who is committed both to God and to his patients, is likely to deepen that interest. The activities that follow can then be used to hone a student’s focus on the “what next” aspect of his possible career path in the kind of fun and hands-on manner to which most homeschoolers are so well accustomed.

As a first time reader of a book in this growing series, I was very pleasantly surprised by how comprehensive and interesting, while still compulsively readable, “When I Grow Up, I Want to be a…Doctor” was. Many elements combine to make this book well worth the nominal monetary investment. My only suggestion would be to create a separate E-Book entirely entitled, “When I Grow Up, I Want to be an… Optometrist”, and separate out the optometry material from this E-Book. In this way, students who are specifically interested in eyes can be directed toward that profession, while students with a general interest in medicine, an extensive field in its own right, can focus exclusively on the broad-spectrum discipline of medicine, exclusive of optometry. Overall, however, this E-Book is a welcome addition to the WannaBe E-Book series from The Old Schoolhouse.

Review of E-Book: "Embracing the E-Book Revolution"

2009-06-26T16:51:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make: like the contributors to the E-Book “Embracing the E-book Revolution”, I, too, am an E-Book junkie. While I would never permanently trade the delicious experience of a “real” book, I recognize the immense value of E-Books – both the financial and educational value. Due to the fact that I consider myself something of an E-Book connoisseur, I was skeptical as to whether I would learn anything from this new 42 page offering from The Old Schoolhouse’s storefront. What a pleasant surprise I had in store for me as I delved into the E-pages!
Once again, as is often the case with offerings from The Old Schoolhouse, about half of the nine chapters are written by names that should be quite familiar to many homeschoolers. All of the chapters end with brief biographies, demonstrating that each author is eminently qualified to comment on the subject of E-Books in particular, and homeschooling in general, which I find to be quite a nice touch. In two separate cases, I found myself navigating to the Internet in order to find out more about these particular, less familiar (at least to me) authors.
One of the best features of this E-Book is that there truly is something for everyone. Whether you, like me, are already a fan and a user of E-Books, or whether, like many of the homeschooling moms I know, you are just slightly intimidated or put-off by the whole idea of electronic media, you will find something helpful in this E-Book. The chapter entitled “E-Books: How am I supposed to Read Them?” is a great primer for someone very new to the genre. If you have never downloaded an E-Book, you might want to start here. Kim Kargbo walks you step-by-step through the process of reading, printing, binding, and storing E-Books.
For someone more familiar with this type of media, though, chapters five and six on the topic of storing E-Books will be particularly delightful. Isabelle Lussier and Michelle Amos have so many great ideas for organizing and storing E-Books. After all, E-Books are useless if, once downloaded, you can’t find them on your computer! Whether you prefer a more micro or macro approach to your organizational technique, both of these chapters include some impressive ideas guaranteed to help you find your E-Books more efficiently.
While all of the information contained in this E-Book is well worth reading, it is the other features of the E-Book that make it truly exceptional. The glossary at the end of the book is a huge a bonus for those people unfamiliar with E-Books, as it defines key terms used throughout the book. Best of all, these terms are hyperlinked in the text. Perhaps you’re reading along, mesmerized by the possibilities of these things called E-Books, when you come to p. 31, and find that your E-Books can be stored on a flash drive. The only problem is, you have never heard of a flash drive. No problem. Merely clicking on the words will take you immediately to a definition of the term at the end of the E-Book. Problem solved, with almost no interruption in your reading.
In addition to the glossary, though, all of the companies mentioned in the E-Book, including many homeschool favorites such as Homeschool in the Woods and The Mystery of History, are hyperlinked as well. Effectively, if you click on the company’s name, you are directed to that company’s website on the Internet. Thus, the E-Book “Embracing the E-Book Revolution” demonstrates one of the very best features of E-Books in general: the ability to navigate the Internet directly from a book! Thus, the activities of reading and research are truly integrated in a unique and amazingly advantageous way! Everything from lesson planning to writing your own E-Book (another topic quite ably covered in this E-Book) is now so much easier than ever!
Finally, since you will now certainly want to delve even further into the universe of E-Books, “Embracing the E-Book Revolution” provides several sites for you to explore. I can personally vouch for the treasure trove of material to be found at all of them. The one thing that this E-Book does not mention is that you can actually be a part of making even more E-Books available to the general public! Both The Baldwin Project and Project Gutenberg, two of the sites mentioned in “Embracing the E-Book Revolution”, rely on volunteer proofreaders to bring even more E-Books to their sites. Anyone can be a volunteer proofreader for these sites (I volunteer for both!). It is one more way to bring more E-Books to more people – an idea that I feel certain the authors responsible for “Embracing the E-Book Revolution” would endorse!

Ambitious Plans and Time Constraints!

2009-06-23T09:12:00.000-05:00

This week I truly feel like I am falling behind my life. Yes - my life is finally getting ahead of me. We made the mistake of starting to clean out the playroom. Now my wonderful friend P is coming to stay the night before we go to an icon writing presentation and Divine Liturgy at my other wonderful friend Pe's Byzantine church, and all of the playroom cleaning has to get "swept" back into the playroom. I hate starting something I can't finish. I hate doing something halfway, or really doing anything that I can't do perfectly. Of course, since my initials aren't JC, I tend to live a very frustrated life. Anyway, I have what I loathe: a busy week. I'm taking T to the library today for a knitting club with her friend S. Tomorrow is AMC movie club for $1 movie. Thursday is Byzantine day. Friday is T-ball party day with the boys. Somewhere in there I have to find the time to finish my work for http://www.edhelper.com (work I really enjoy - I just have to find the time!). I was also fortunate enough to be asked to write another review for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine - an ebook on ebooks! It's right up my alley (look for the review here), but I need time! Time! Time! Tempus fugit...

My current project is the composition of my own history curriculum. I love Tapestry of Grace, but I have felt quite strongly that Catholic children deserve a Catholic curriculum, especially given that the history of the Western world *was* a Catholic history, prior to the Protestant Revolution (okay, okay, you might know it better as the Reformation). It would be nice if it was presented in an unbiased light (and maybe, someday, someone can do that ;-) ). Seriously, though, there are so many amazing Catholic resources out there that are just not tapped in Protestant curricula. Also, there is a tendency to gloss over, for example, Egypt because "it was pagan, and, therefore, did not have much to contribute to Christianity". That's pretty close to a direct quote from one popular homeschooling curriculum. Egypt may not have contributed much to Christianity, but we're still studying it because of its amazing early insights into farming, medicine, engineering, and other fields. Plus, kids love learning about Egypt. What better way to engage them in history early on in their education? Mummies, pyramids, the Nile, rituals, gods, myths, etc...We're going to start reading G.A. Henty's The Cat of Bubastes as a read-aloud this week, as a matter of fact...

The spine, if you will, of our history program will be Warren Carroll's five volume A History of Christendom (the fifth volume of which is not yet written). It is the only comprehensive Catholic history of civilization of which I am aware. T has studied Old Testament history until she is blue in the face. Both she and I are so ready to stop wandering in the wilderness that we consider ourselves honorary Jews, but the younger kids haven't studied it at all. Hence, although I run the risk of them not understanding the parallel track of history, we will not study OT history right now. With T, though, I will continue Religion, using Fr. Laux primarily, although now supplementing with Peter Kreeft as we start talking about the compilation of the canon. When I start actually to write the history curriculum, I will write in a big section on the compilation of the canon. It's something about which I suspect a lot of Catholic parents don't know much themselves, but which I have studied and enjoy. It is almost mini-apologetics to know why the books in the Bible are there, while others are not. It's also great Church history.

My mind is running so fast that my fingers can't keep up. It's funny. There are two kinds of homeschooling parents (okay, there are many more than two, but there are definitely at least these two): my type is looking every day at curriculum, wondering what is out there, and how I can fit more into our day, or how I can adapt it to what we do.

To be honest, what I am usually thinking is "how can I write something better than this that is ideally suited to Catholic classical homeschoolers?" The other type wants her curriculum simple and uncomplicated. If it works for her, she's happy. She likes her lesson plans to tell her what she needs to accomplish each day, and she likes to know that in May she is done for the summer, and that in September her children will begin a new grade. In no way do I mean to suggest that Mom B is inferior to Mom A. In fact, I sometimes envy her. The fact is, though, that I am the polar opposite of she, and I wonder sometimes if my kids suffer. I can point to their Math and Language/Reading curricula and tell you that 5 year old N (6 in a couple of weeks) will solidly be a 2nd grader by September, and that 7 year old T (8 in a few weeks) will unquestionably be a 5th grader by September, but their Science is somewhat sporadic and informal (they both know a ton of Science, though). Their art instruction has yet to begin (although I can tell you about every single great and not-so-great art curriculum out there, and I own three of them!). They are both way above level readers and are great spellers thanks to a very solid phonics foundation, and they both seek out non-fiction above fiction at least 50% of the time. I have been (usually obliquely) questioned for allowing/encouraging them to get ahead of their grade level, but why on earth not? There is no shortage of knowledge out there, and I plan to homeschool them through high school. You get to a point when you can afford to spend a whole semester studying Shakespeare in high school if that is what you choose to do, right? I digress and I ramble. I cease.

School Updates

2009-06-01T23:11:00.000-05:00

Since I posted a review, I guess I should post an actual school update. The official (read: public) school year is coming to a close this week, and here is where we stand:

T is finishing up Saxon Math 5/4 and will start Saxon Math 6/5 immediately thereafter. We will skip the first 20 or 30 lessons which constitute an insulting review. She's doing quite well in math, so I'm not worried about doing so at all. She is halfway through FLL 4, and I'm probably going to buy Rod and Staff grade 5 for her tomorrow at The Homeschool Store. I wish so much that FLL had a level 5, but no luck. Maybe by the time N is ready. T is doing Latina Christiana now, but that will probably cease when she starts Grammar I through the CLAA (http://www.classicalliberalarts.com), as she will begin learning Latin and Greek almost simultaneously, and I expect that her progress in Latin will begin to pick up. That covers core subjects (aside from History, about which I am kind of ambivalent right now). Her favorite subject is Religion, for which we are using Fr. Laux's 1930s high school course (whose name escapes me at the moment). It's Baltimore based, it's thorough, and it's wonderful!
N is in the middle of Saxon Math 2, and is finding it so easy that I am resisting the urge to skip him to 3. I don't know why I'm resisting the urge when I skipped T...but I am. He is also about 1/3 of the way through FLL 2, and he doesn't really love it. He does just fine, though, and it's funny to hear the twins chant the "be" verbs and the helping verbs along with him. I'm thinking about how to start him on Latin, but given that he is so close in age to the twins, I really may hold him off until they are ready so that I can lessen my work load. We'll see. He'll join us for History in the Fall when we dive in full force again. He does, of course, do copywork (camping phrases right now), and his handwriting is surprisingly good! He is doing Explode the Code 3, but it is so easy that it's kind of silly. ETC 4 should provide a little more challenge.
M-C and M are doing Saxon Math K and http://www.clicknkids.com. It's a really neat and fun approach to Phonics, and so far we like it. At four, they are too young for much else.

All of the kids are about to begin Mark Kistler's http://www.draw3d.com, about which I'm really excited. Commander Mark taught my brother how to draw even better than he already did! I think they'll really enjoy it, and it will make a nice change this summer (as we continue to do school full time). We're doing a couple of unit studies for Science as I decide which Apologia book to do next, so that, too, will be a little change for them.

On a private note, T made her First Holy Communion a couple of weeks ago, and I was so proud of her. She was the only child who looked like she had a clue. She made a beautifully reverent genuflection, and then received on the tongue. It was textbook. I have to say, she is my daughter. It seems that I still struggle with pridefulness.

The 2009 Schoolhouse Planner from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

2009-06-01T09:41:00.000-05:00

I am coming out of hibernation for a worthy cause: to review the 2009 Schoolhouse Planner from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. This year's planner is even bigger than last year's version, while still retaining all of the features that made last year's such a valuable and eye-popping resource. Checking in at 374 pages, it is almost a misnomer to refer to this all-inclusive resource as a planner. It is, in fact, a collection of educational resources, combined with planning forms which can easily replace your current day planner. It is further a cookbook, a reference guide, and a compendium of all of the homeschool forms that you are likely to need, whether you homeschool pre-schoolers or high-schoolers, and whether your style is unit study or unschooling. Best of all, the planner is delivered as a writable .pdf download, meaning that you can begin exploring it and filling in dates on the calendar immediately.

With almost 400 pages, and not a single one wasted, it is literally impossible to discuss each and every feature of this amazing resource, so in an effort to convey the reasons for my excitement, I will instead elaborate upon my favorite features.

First, the Schoolhouse Planner replaces all of your existing planners, both personal and homeschooling. It perfectly merges both of your roles as homeschooling mom (or dad!) and head (or co-head) of household. The search for the perfect system of recordkeeping is over! At first, the sheer number of forms may seem overwhelming, but it need not be! Simply peruse the planner, and make note of the pages that you want to print (if you're the kind of person that needs to see it all in pen and paper, like I am). Print only the forms that you need, and rest assured that the others are there for you if you change your mind. Personal financial inventory? Check. Grocery lists and menu planners? Check. Garden planning? It's there, too. The homeschooling section includes all of the forms that you would expect, from full planners (including twelve year plans!), to library reminders, to an extracurricular activities log. There is even a section for handwriting practice for the little ones! Once you print and organize the forms according to your specific needs, you truly can fit your life into one binder!

Second, for each month of the year, The Schoolhouse Planner focuses on a single topic and covers that topic in depth. Articles by many familiar authors lead off the month, followed both by actual resources included in the planner, and by lists of additional resources available through The Old Schoolhouse Store (as a nice touch, these items are hyperlinked, making purchase temptingly easy!). The month concludes with recipes that are both appealing and practical.

Finally, the section entitled "Miscellaneous Educational Information" is a goldmine of possibilities. Everything from lists of famous composers and artists and their associated works, to lists of inventions, to states and countries and their captials, to various conversion tables is included in this section. While it is true that all of this information is available elsewhere, it is wonderful to have it consolidated in one place: in my planner! I see mini-lessons galore as we wait in doctors' offices, during "adult swim" at the pool, and on those days when school is just not happening the way I want it to. There is more than a year's worth of educational joy just waiting to be explored in these pages!

I generally dislike reviews that don't suggest ways in which the resources could be improved, but I would be disingenuous if I tried merely to "come up"with some suggestions. My only hesitation is that some users might be chagrined by the sheer size/length of The Schoolhouse Planner. 374 pages is a lot of material. To any such user, I would simply urge patience. Spend some time looking through it, and getting to know the forms. Make use of the excellent table of contents, which is linked to the document itself (meaning that if you click on a form in the table of contents, you will be taken there in the document - a HUGE timesaver!). There *is* something in this planner for everyone!

Lent

2009-02-23T15:55:00.000-06:00

Oh, Lent. A good one can make for a joyful and meaningful Easter, and a poor one can make for a PITA Easter, whose main issue is at whose parents' house to convene. I must confess that I absolutely dread Lent this year, primarily because I have determined that this Lent I must be joyful. I must be happy. Anyone who knows me, and knows me well, realizes how almost laughable this goal is, and how it will be more difficult for me than giving up chocolate any day of the week. I don't do joyful. I do dark, brooding, sarcastic, put-upon, and melancholic. It is who I am (no, really, it is! I took a personality test!). Unfortunately, it's not getting me anywhere. My children snap at each other, my husband doesn't think I'm sweet (he called me that once when I was 18; 15 years later, I still remember it with fond amazement), and I have a friend who is so genuinely happy that it radiates from her like sunbeams. I wonder what it would be like to...well, to be like that. Part of me likes my "shtick". It's genuine, but it's also kind of farcical. I haven't quite concluded why people think I'm so funny. Am I the perpetual fat girl making people laugh (regardless of what my weight may be any given year), or is that dark sarcasm that just boils over into every day life? Regardless, on the inside I am grateful, and I am going to use Lent to scrape away some outer layers to let that gratitude shine through. It may very well kill me.

On another note, the ever-odd T has decided to read Shakespeare. Yes, she's 7. There are many, many heavy and dark books lining my bookshelves. She asked if any of them contained the great Bard. I pointed to that one (the Tragedies), and that one (the Comedies), and that other one (misc. works). She pulled out the Tragedies (she is *so* my child) and pulled up some couch. I'm sure she'll get back to me when she's ready. The very next day, I rebuked her for something at lunch. She turned away from me and rolled her eyes Heavenward. I came somewhat unglued, and rebuked her even more sharply for her show of disrespect. She turned to me incredulously. "But, Mommy," she implored, "I was praying to Jesus to help me not to talk back to you!". What will I ever do with this child?? I studied her face for signs of dissembling, but just couldn't tell. I hmmphed, and suggested that in the future, her prayers should probably not included eye rolling when I was already peeved with her, as it might serve only to inflame the situation.

I apply for freelance jobs almost every day, but get no responses. I wonder if it is more indicative of a) the glut in the freelance market b) the economy c) the fact that God wants me to focus on caring for my family. I once told my friend that God would not drop Vin Diesel through the Church roof as a sign to her that she should begin dating (long story), but it would be nice if such overt signs were part of his oeuvre. I think I'll speak to Him about that.

My 25 Random Things from Facebook...I'm an Exhibitionist for Posterity

2009-02-05T09:21:00.000-06:00

1. I am a very traditional Roman Catholic, and my Faith is more important to me than anything. I will take my Eucharist on the tongue, my Mass in Latin, and my Priest facing the altar (if only).

2. I am an Anne without a Diana. While I have had best friends, I have never been anyone's best friend, and this loss perturbs me far more than it should. I have just about given up hope.

3. I am extremely shy in large groups, but can be almost gregarious one on one. This verbosity is largely faked to cover up my discomfort until I know you well.

4. I prefer being home to being anywhere else. Similarly, I prefer the company of my family (read: husband and children) to anyone else's company, save my very own. If I never had to leave my house, I would be quite pleased. I am four children and one husband away from being a crazy cat lady (oh, I would need some cats, too).

5. I gave birth to four children in 40 months, but I cheated and had twins. All births were medicated, and I don't feel like Superwoman. You labor for 23 hours unmedicated, and then we'll talk.

6. I love the English language. I love grammar. I love words. I love writing. I freelance. I make essentially no money, although I fantasize about writing a bestselling novel. Unfortunately, I lack creativity, ideas, time, and inclination.

7. Someone I loved died when he was 23. I dream about him at least once a month.

8. I am the very definition of the Melancholic personality type. Further, I also personify the Introvert.

9. I am gobsmacked by how gratified I am by the friendships that I have encountered on FB. I have created/ renewed friendships with people I never really knew very well, and am able to keep up with people I otherwise wouldn't. I, who scorn social networking...go figure.

10. I am passionate about Classical Homeschooling. My children are all grammar stage learners, and I read to them from the "Good Books" daily. We are currently reading "Alice in Wonderland". My seven-year old probably knows more about Old Testament History than you do.

11. I am working on humility. It's a lifelong struggle.

12. Latin est in villa.

13. I have an 80 gb iPod, which is 100% full. It has no songs on it. It is full of old-time radio shows and audiobooks, both of which I am addicted to (never end a sentence with a preposition, unless *not* doing so makes the sentence unreadably awkward). I have over 75,000 old-time radio shows, and have been collecting them since I was 11. Thank God for MP3s.

14. I am an auto-didact. I have most recently taught my daughter and myself to knit and crochet via YouTube. I am now knitting an afghan, my first knitting project, since everything in my world is "the bigger the better".

15. Related to #14, I crave longer books. I read very quickly and voraciously; hence, a longer book is a huge bonus.

16. A semi-colon, properly used, is a thing of beauty.

17. Unlike my sister, I re-read books frequently. A wonderful book is like a true friend, and deserves to be revisited often.

18. Almost nothing is more important to me than fostering the relationship between my children. The sibling relationship is the one that will endure the longest for most people; thus, it is one of the most crucial. I want my children to understand that friends are never more important than siblings, and that family sticks together, no matter what.

19. I detest the discipline in which I hold my Ph.D. From the very first day of graduate school, the 7 1/2 years that I spent earning my Doctorate were sheer hell. I loathe statistics, I resent quantitative methods, and I don't like Political Science. However, I love American Government, I am prouder than anything that I am Dr. Laura D, and I have a degree that less than 1% of the population has.

20. As seen from #19, I am tenacious. My husband likens me to a bulldog with a steak. That tenacity definitely cuts both ways.

21. I would like to be a far better mother.

22. My favorite group is Gene Loves Jezebel, followed closely by Marillion.

23. My hair was just about red before I had children. Now it is largely brown.

24. I have an undiagnosed facial flushing condition. If I flush when I am talking to you, I am not embarrassed, but the redder my face gets, the more embarrassed I will become. What a vicious circle.

25. I have had migraine headaches since I was 6 or 7. I have been offering up the pain for the poor souls in Purgatory since that time. I sometimes wonder if anyone has made it out because of my headaches.

25.1 I met my husband when I was 18. He was 24. He was helping a friend to deejay my freshman orientation dance at UST. He was my college sweetheart, but I was not his (he graduated UST before I started). We got married the day after I turned 21; I was a junior in college. Because of his support, it was a no-brainer that I finished college and grad school, and am now a SAHM. Marriage is the hardest thing I have ever done, but definitely the most worthwhile. After all, we're going to get each other to Heaven!

Too Long Have We Been Separated...

2009-02-03T11:38:00.000-06:00

Why is it so hard to find time to write? I write in my head all day long! Or maybe that's just my talking to myself...

School wise, T has finished First Language Lessons 3 and had moved on to Level 4. They literally published it just in time! Unfortunately, she is CHARGING through it, and I don't know how quickly they are working on Level 5. We may have to move to Rod and Staff after this level, and I'm not sure if I will be able to place her correctly. She will be at least Junior High level. She's 7. Sigh. When a kid loves to diagram and loves to read, what are you going to do? On a similar note, Writing with Ease has turned out to be the perfect complement to our Language program. N's narrations have improved, and all of my kids have become intensely interested in The Good Books. We are reading Alice in Wonderland now, and they can't wait to finish so that we can move on to Doctor Dolittle, Pinocchio, and others. God Bless Wise and Buffington for making it so easy.

N is 28 lessons away from Math 2. Again, I see no reason to artificially slow him down simply because he is 5. He is doing well, and demonstrating mastery of the material. He makes high As on all of his tests. Hence, we move forward. When he needs to slow down, we will. This summer, I fully anticipate spending more time on Tapestry of Grace, and somewhat less on the core subjects. That way, we can really immerse ourselves in History and Geography, giving those subjects the consecutive hours that they deserve. As always, we'll play it by ear.

A Holy Family Mom is starting a Little Flowers Girls' Club in the Fall, about which I am so excited! I have always opposed Girl Scouts, and I refuse to support them by putting my daughters in Brownies, much less in a higher level. However, I would love for them to have a girls' group to which to belong. Now they will. A Catholic Girl Scout troop is still a Girl Scout troop. I don't understand why other Catholic moms don't understand that point! Little Flowers is Catholic through and through - and, of course, it is named in honor of my beloved St. Therese!

My twinners are just being twinners. M loves school much more than M-C. That's okay. More and more, I truly think that she will make her way on the stage. She loves dance, she loves to sing, and she is an actress through and through. I am going to look into drama for the girls, at least, this summer. I know there's a program near here...now to find it.

As for me, I seem to suffer from a terminal lack of ambition. Apart from teaching myself how to knit and crochet (can you say hard-core addict), I can't seem to motivate myself to do anything. I know that I must have a gift of some kind that God wants me to share, but I can't find it. I try not to let that get me down. The ol' "but you have a PhD" with which I console myself is wearing kinda thin these days. I have lost the desire to post at the Melting Pot, and only do so when I fear getting fired. Something about the thought of getting fired AGAIN is rather spirit-breaking (disclaimer: Principal says that none of the other times that I have been fired have been my fault; in fact, edHelper says that I am very good at what I do, and it would welcome submissions from me. Unfortunately, there's that lack of motivation issue).

In any case, we're chugging along in school. We are supplementing All About Spelling, which I still absolutely love, and believe is crucial as a first step in spelling, with Spelling Power, mainly because I like the alphabetizing and proofreading skills. It also gives T one more independent thing to work on while I work with N. Wow - I've totally fallen into "homeschooling busywork" trap. It's not busywork, though. Not really.

I'm feeling so incredibly unmotivated that I think I'll go knit my afghan. At least I have something to show for myself when I do that. Seriously, could I be any more negative? Only the knowledge that no one reads this allows me to be so real!

Loose Lips

2008-12-04T09:51:00.000-06:00

I have neglected my personal blogs since taking a job here http://www.meltingpotproject.com. There is only so much time in the day. M and M-C are four years old today, which is not bittersweet for me - it's really just bitter. I miss them being babies. I miss all of them being babies. I miss babies in general. I feel as if I know how to parent babies competently.

I can certainly present my older children with plenty of lessons in virtue drawn from my own life. I am struggling with something now that I did probably five or more years ago, but whose repercussions will not stop...repercussing. I said something, completely in innocence and without malice (actually Principal tells me that I never even said this thing - I am just so used to people attributing it to me that I have assumed that I said something like it. He was there - he should know). In any case, like the childrens' game of telephone, this thing was repeated and made ugly and vile and "got back" to the person about whom I supposedly said this thing. As a result, I am essentially persona non grata on one side of my family. At worst, I repeated an item of gossip in what I thought was a private conversation. At best, I didn't say anything at all, and something someone else said was repeated and attributed to me. I have suffered such angst over this whole thing that I am no longer even sure about anything. All I know is that I did not say what is attributed to me. I also know that for all of these years, not one person has questioned whether or not I could even be capable of such ugliness. Everyone has just assumed that it is true. That is what hurts the most.

My point is simply this: I should have guarded my tongue in the original conversation so many years ago. Words always have the potential to hurt. Just because you think you are having a private conversation doesn't mean that you are, and it really doesn't matter, because you should never say anything unkind regardless. In my own defense, in this particular conversation, I said nothing unkind, but I certainly have in other conversations. God gave me a clever wit and a sharp tongue, and I don't always use them for the powers of good. I ought to, because the consequences can be long-lasting. God's gifts should be used to honor Him, and *that* is the lesson that I try to instill in my children.

A study of virtue can really aid in this endeavor. Saints can be marvelous examples. St. Lawrence had a quick wit, if legend is to be believed. As my patron saint, I often ask him to guard my tongue. He really needs to step up his efforts! ;) I will do my children such a favor if I can keep them from being like me. With this post, I am officially putting this ugly incident to bed. I am an N family pariah, and that's how it is. I can't waste any more time mourning the situation. It is what it is, and I can't fix it.

Back In Action

2008-11-18T09:10:00.000-06:00

After a two week vacation, the Academy is back in session. I took the first week off because my house really needed some TLC. I could not go out of town, and then face coming back to my house the way it was. Make no mistake: it still looks like a bomb went off. The collateral damage is just slightly more tolerable. On Friday of that first week, we all got up at 3:30 a.m. and left for Walt Disney World in Orlando. Along the way, we spent a day or so in St. Augustine, FL to soak up some history (it's the site of Ponce de Leon's landing in the U.S., and his supposed founding of the Fountain of the Youth, in addition to the location of the oldest Church in the U.S.). The kids did wonderfully at Disney. There was almost no complaining at all. They asked for nothing (no food, drinks, souveneirs, etc.). We had a suite at our hotel, so we ate nothing in the parks. We breakfasted in our hotel room, brought lunch into the park, and then ate dinner again in our hotel room. I know the kids must have drooled a little at the site of all those hamburgers and french fries (to say nothing of the Mickey ears ice cream), but they never asked. I was very proud of them.

I have am of two minds on Disney World. The obvious, rampant, and unrelenting commercialism disturbs me. The "buy, buy, buy" coming at you from all sides is exhausting. The kids love it so much, though, and it really is magical. The characters never break, well, character, which is special for the kids. They really think they're meeting Snow White. The "cast members" (there are no employees at Disney!) are all courteous and helpful, and everything is clean and nice. You really can disconnect there. You see two types of kids and families. There are the kids who are obvious spoiled pains who are getting everything that they want, and then you see the kids for whom this is a dream come true. There are plenty of adults with no kids, too. That was me when I was 19, when Principal took me for the first time. In any case, the kids road tripped amazingly well, and we plan many camping trips in the near future.

Academy-wise, N is reading so well! He's not sounding things out nearly as much - he's just reading. He's within a day of finishing "Explode the Code Volume 1" and we have Volume 2 all ready to break out. He loves "Writing with Ease", as the selections that he is copying and narrating are so relevant to him. The first week was all "Little House in the Big Woods", and this week is "Pinocchio", which he loved, having just "met" Pinocchio in person! It is sparking his interest to read the originals, which, after all, is part of the plan.

Since I have gone back to teaching T math, we are having somewhat fewer problems, although some problems still persist. When Principal can teach her, she seems to enjoy it more. He has the kind of mind that can make lots of connections that I just don't. I pretty much go by the book. We really complement each other well, but, of course, he can't teach her every day, and she just has to get used to the fact that I am her teacher. For some reason, I still don't think she really likes that sometimes. If we're doing anything in the Humanities, she's fine, but math, not so. Maybe in some unconscious way, I'm telegraphing something to her, even though I am trying so hard not to. Ah, who knows?

As for the Magistra: my last freelance job has ended, and I am actively seeking more work. I have a phone interview with a neat political site today. I don't know if I agree with everything that the site promotes, but that's part of the interesting aspect of it. They are looking for a more right-leaning author, and I fit that bill. I think it would be a worthwhile project in which to participate, and it is very educational, particularly for younger people who are willing to plow through it. I really appreciate that. We'll see how it goes. It would be truly wonderful if it actually pays decently.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

2008-10-30T11:06:00.000-05:00

T thought that she was ready to recite her poem "A Slash of Blue" by Dickinson today without any advance recitation from me. I, rigid rule-adherer that I am, wanted to go through with the triple reading, since she has only had the poem for one day! I did the triple reading while tears streamed down her face. When it was her turn, she began to recite through clenched teeth. I gently reminded her that she had forgotten the title and author. She made an attempt at the title: "A Sweep of Blue by Emily Dickinson". I, again gently, suggested that maybe she didn't yet know the poem as well as she thought she did. Trembling with anger, and then laughter, she said, "I'm sorry, Mommy, but right now all I can think of is "A Smack of Blue by Emily Dickinson". This is truly my child...

Rapproachment

2008-10-28T10:54:00.000-05:00

Finally a small breakthrough with T. I have gone back to teaching her math, rather than having her read the lesson herself. Technichally, with Saxon 5/4, the student is able to read the lesson herself, and then do the problems. I have to remind myself, though, that although T is at the level of 5/4, she is younger, agewise. Hence, although it wreaks absolute havoc with my schedule, a deadly sin in Magistra-world, I have gone back to "teaching" her math. Maybe we can once again experience peace in the Academy.

A wonderful book that I cannot recommend enough to all of my friends (hmmm...that presents a problem - let's just say a wonderful book that I would recommend to anyone!): The Temperament God Gave You by Art and Laraine Bennett. I have always known that I am Melancholic. I did all of my Science Fair projects in school on temperament, in addition to taking a wonderful History of Science class in College, which discussed in depth the theory of "humors" in medicine. I have never heard such a wonderful explication of my temperament, though, as I read in this book. Even better the Bennetts go into depth about spousal temperament, marital temperament combinations, and, most beneficial for parents (I think particularly for homeschooling parents), your children's temperaments. How does a melancholic parent a sanguine? I know that I will find out as M-C continues to grow up. In any case, it was very nice to read aloud to Principal so many of the things that irk him about my personality as being classically "Melancholic". I never thought that I would conform exactly to anything, but (and there must be a lesson in humility in here somewhere), apparently I am not so very unique after all! Give the book a try in your marriage or in your book group. Alternatively, do yourself a favor and read it just for yourself. Melancholics are the best - the perfectionists - those with such high standards that anything short of Heaven is just not good enough - the poets and the philosophers (and also the depressives) - but go ahead and discover your temperament. Better yet, discover how you can help your spouse work with your temperament...oh, and I was kidding about Melancholics being the best. Sort of. Where was that lesson in humility again?

Too Many Ideas...

2008-10-21T11:17:00.000-05:00

October 21, 2008
There are too many things flying around in my head. I guess I should stick primarily with Academy updates. T is almost finished with FLL 3, so we have 4 on the way (thank you Wise and Buffington). The teacher edition isn't even published yet, but I'm grateful to continue with the same series. We'll switch to Rod&Staff when we run out of FLL - heavy on the diagramming and the rote repitition of grammar. We will also be starting Writing with Ease, the WTM writing program, very recently published, and designed to work in tandem with FLL. Both T and N will be doing the writing program, so we will be trying to cram yet more into our already too full days. Principal will be the first to attest to the fact that balance is not a skill that I know.

T is still giving me fits. She is intelligent, but she is also incredibly moody. She has developed an attitude that I don't care for at all. I feel as if I am pulling teeth on a daily basis (dangerous considering the fact that she is currently missing 3, and 2 more are loose), and I don't know what to do about it. Patience is not a virtue with which the Good Lord blessed me, and Heaven knows that I don't want to pray for it (more opportunities to acquire it, you know - better to pray for the grace to accept what comes). It used to be that T was my rock. When the younger three were breaking down, at least I could count on one that was steady. Not so much now, at least at school. When school ends, the rock is back, though, so I suppose that I ought to focus on that, and assume that, yes, this too is a phase that will pass. It has to, because I don't think that we're going to make it otherwise! I keep holding on to the fact that St. Therese was also very moody and sensitive and would cry at the drop of a hat. One day, and she pinpoints the exact day, God gave her the grace to get over it. I pray that she will intercede for the same grace for T. Maybe she can throw in a good word for the Magistra, too!

I have started a new blog to help vent some of my political frustration. I used to enjoy political reparte, but I have gotten to the point where I am just plain defensive and mad. When did the decent people become the strange ones? When did valuing morals, standards, personal accountability, and the traditions which made our country great become something at which to sneer? I am so tired of being odd man out (yes - I said man. I have absolutely no problem with referring to myself in that way, you PC-crazy nuts. I am secure. I know that I am a woman. I have given birth 3 times - there's little doubt (oh, no wait - there was that pregnant man. Just give it time and we can throw that standard out the window, too, God help us). PC writing is awkward writing, and I refuse to bow to it). To that end, I now explicate and vent here: http://livinginobamerica.blogspot.com. Feel free to come by.

Sadly, More Editing...

2008-10-14T10:36:00.000-05:00

October 14, 2008
I refuse to remain undefined (a reference to where I think the date should be)! I thought the row over the editing was resolved, but apparently not exactly. The editor sent a memo, by way of my employer, justifying her changes. That's all fine and good, except she introduced errors into my piece where errors didn't previously exist! I pointed that fact out. We'll see if that was to my detriment or not. I feel as if I am walking a very fine line here. As Miss Farrell says to Miss Hannigan in "Annie", "It's an awful time to be out of work"...

Anyone who knows me knows that flexibility is not my strong suit. I am the original Hem (or Haw - I'm not particular). Please don't move my cheese. I suppose that I will eventually go find it, but I will be darn near death's doorstep before doing so. Said inflexibility probably explains why I am almost nervous that my children are not in school right now. They are sick. Well, the youngest three are. I have my doubts about T (reference earlier posts), but it is hard for her to resist the siren call of the TV (on during the day!), combined with the gray day and the pouring rain (she shares my penchant for the melancholy). I guess everyone is getting off with a bye (debate term again). I am very uneasy about it, but I need to get over it. It is October, and T is 2/3 of the way through her Language Book, and 1/3 of the way through Math. N is 1/2 way through Math. I would guess that we'll finish on time. On time for what I'm not sure. Armageddon? Only if Obama is elected - ha ha - a little political humor to lighten my day. Seriously, I guess that's why I believe in year round homeschooling - so a little going off schedule doesn't throw me into a tizzy. Except it does. I wonder what it feels like to relax. Principal says that I am this way because it works for me. Thank you, Dr. Phil. Seriously, though, since he's right about almost everything (Principal, not Dr. Phil), he's probably right about me, too. I must work best when I'm wound up. My primary concern is how it will affect my children. I grew up with someone who was very wound up. He always speculated that he would die of a heart attack. Ironically, he has mellowed to the point that I hardly recognize him, while I sort of wonder if I will make it to 40. How unfair that we as parents create our children in our image, and then we alter ourselves so that they can't even identify with us anymore. Parenting is such a great responsibility that I wonder daily how God ever entrusted me with it!

Magnificat

2008-10-13T18:50:00.000-05:00

What a wonderful aid to my spiritual life. I will readily admit that I am more of a formulaic pray-er than a "talking and listening" to God pray-er (yes, I know that there are technical terms, but for once I'm not in the mood for them), and Magnificat (http://www.magnificat.com/english/index.asp) caters to that side of me marvelously. By offering new prayers each day, it keeps my prayer life from becoming *too* formulaic, and by providing the daily Mass readings, along with bios of lesser knowns saints and daily meditations, there is just the right amount of material. Now do I read everything every day? Sadly, no, but since T also utilizes it as a Mass aid, I feel as if we're getting our money's worth.

I have always felt the urge to write, and actually always *have* written, but for the first time I feel that I have a plausible novel idea (in fact, a novel idea that is novel -- why, oh why do I write parenthetically so much? I will clobber my children if they do this in compositions!). Now if only I could find the two books that I need for the most preliminary of research. They are hiding in my study under mounds of other books. The fact that I can't bring myself to dig in and look for them is probably somewhat telling, but I'll get there. I have to outline first anyway. I am choosing not to focus on the fact that without an agent, the chances of even getting a book in front of a publisher are slim and non-existent. Oh, and there are no vampires in it, so I may as well hang it up right now. Even I don't want to read a book without Edward in it.

My father told me recently not to worry because 90% of what we worry about doesn't come to pass, and the other 10% didn't end up being as bad as we worried it would be. Well, without worry my life would be meaningless (acutally, I think that sentence should more properly say "without Christ my life would be meaningless", but in my case, worry is what drives me. Well, worry and coffee drive me). Apart from that, though, he was right in this case. I was beyond vexed because the postings that I have been submitting to edHelperBaby have been receiving the most...creative editing known to writing. The editing resulted in my postings bearing no resemblance to my actual writing. I thought that I had given the matter due consideration when I emailed my boss (whom I have never met) telling him that the situation was not acceptable to me. Immediately afterward I was terrified that I would be fired. I *like* having a job, especially a freelance writing job related to children, a subject about which I know a thing or two. In any case, I practically made myself sick for a week, after which point my boss emailed back thanking me from bringing the situation to his attention. I am not sure what resolution that brings, but for now, I'll definitely take it. Maybe I should start listening to Principal when he tells me stop worrying. Something about my control issues is tied into all that worrying, though...when things start to spin out of control, I start to panic. I really think I need to read The Temperament God Gave You (http://www.amazon.com/Temperament-God-Gave-You-Yourself/dp/1933184027) and start coming to terms with a few aspects of my personality. More importantly, I need to come to terms with a few aspects of *Principal's* personality!

Salve Regina!

2008-10-07T22:22:00.000-05:00

October is the month of the Rosary, so we are especially happy to honor our Holy Mother here at our Academy, named in her honor. I was beyond thrilled on Sunday when we sang not only the Salve Regina, but also Tantum Ergo - in Latin! Two Latin songs in one Mass. I have surely died and gone to pre-Vatican II Heaven. I did get the idea, however, that we should begin learning traditional Latin hymns here at the Academy, so our morning routine now consists of the Pledge, the Morning Offering (currently being offered for my brother's intention, one which I can only pray will be resolved according the will of God - it's hugely important for our family), the singing of My Country 'Tis of Thee, America, Grand Old Flag (shout out to George M. Cohan, great American composer, great American, and sharer of N's birthday!), and Tantum Ergo. It makes for a very interesting routine. Of course, it's followed up by calendar, so we also have to sing "Today is Monday, today is Monday all day long - all day long..". Fun times...

I am dealing with motivation problems with T, and I am struggling with how to resolve them. She is bright. She is working above grade level in all subjects (2 grades above in Math). She is not overworked and I have done my best to craft an interesting curriculum that allows her to focus on things she enjoys (diagramming sentences! History! Creative Writing! Latin - not so much these days, but some things are non-negotiable), but getting her to the school room table, much less getting productive work out of her is becoming increasingly difficult these days. She dawdles. She complains. She cries. This is the child who was the star of her school. Her entire school (K-8). She was looked upon as a model student, and it was routinely speculated that she was headed for a convent at an early age. Granted, I realize that her school persona would not be her home persona, but come now - such a vast difference! Does she really need to know, and have demonstrated 50 times a day, that she is superior to everyone else in her class in order to be properly motivated? Hey, I was the smart kid, too (well, at least until Math started getting the better of me in 8th grade - but I was always the English star!), and I know the joy of everyone's adulation, but how can I teach her the joy of self-satisfaction and self-motivation, skills that I honestly thought that she had already begun to master, at least in part? Frustration is at an all-time high here right now. Maybe it's just a bit of growing pain. Perhaps she's at a difficult age (ah, yes, the favorite excuse of mothers everywhere!). I think it's helpful that we're preparing for First Confession (yes, I know we're supposed to emphasize the Reconciliation aspect, but I'm old school) as it gives us plenty of opportunities to talk about ways that we can please Jesus, and things that we do that disappoint him (I'd go into the ways that I disappointed him today, but I'm sure that Blogger has a space limit, and I would surely exceed it!). We study the Saints, and discuss good habits, and I'm sure that we'll overcome this phase. At least, there's a 50% chance that we will. Either we will or we won't, anyway, so I won't spend too much time worrying about it!

Just one quick link to a company that I just love. If I come into money, I am going to buy all of the back issues of this magazine: http://www.girlhoodhomecompanion.com/ I have one issue, and I can't wait to share it with T. There is so much in it for a little girl to love. I sort of think of it as a young girl's Victoria http://www.victoriamag.com/ but with so much more about what it means to be a young lady who loves the Lord (it is so not in your face, though. The tone is just perfect). Anyway, in my list of "lottery winning must-haves" the collection of back issues has gone straight to the top.

On a personal note, which does not break my "no boring personal anecdotes" rule, because the mother/daughter relationship is very important in any home, my own relationship with my mother is bringing me great joy as of late. The Dear Lord has gifted me with patience beyond that which I usually possess, and my Mom is bringing me into her world of paper crafting (most definitively *not* scrapbooking - no photos involved!). She is so very talented (and loaded with supplies!), and I am able to play with paper and stamps, and, much more importantly, to share some time with her. I am so grateful.

Signposting

2008-09-29T08:54:00.000-05:00

September 29, 2008

An old debate term - since my writing time seems so ephemeral (I'm not sure that I quite like the way that word is nuanced in this sentence, but oh well), I have to at least get down my ideas so I know what I want to write when I find the time. I don't remember who said it (I'll look it up), but I really like the quote "comparison is the death of contentment". Unfortunately, it is so much easier said than lived. Since I was a child, I have had a huge problem comparing myself to everyone and finding myself severely wanting. It's funny, I guess for some people, that quotation would not resonate at all: some people derive great satisfaction from comparing themselves to others - they always come out on top, whether because they are genuinely superior in some fashion, or because they have delusions of grandeur! In any case, Principal has no problem living this quotation, and I have no problem teaching it to my children. In my own life, however, it has been a constant struggle. Help came from the most unlikely quarter this last week!

In game theory (http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/Asc/GAME_THEOR.html), there is a principal tenet that one cannot make interpersonal comparisons of utility. Without getting into the ins and outs of social choice theory (because, yes, I know that Harsanyi and Sen both argue that some limited ICUs are allowable), for my purposes as a homeschooling housewife, this realization has been remarkably helpful. Essentially, this tenet states that what Person A values can't be compared to what Person B values because the degree to what each values it is different (the utility each assigns the thing in question is different).

For example, Housewife A ranks the following objective "goods" in this order:

High level of education (for herself)
Happy children (operationalized as allowed to play freely, make messes, and yell)
Lots of time for family (i.e., less scheduled activity time in the family)
Time for her own hobbies
Clean home

Housewife B ranks the same objective "goods" as follows (notice that the operationalizations are different:

Clean home
Happy children (operationalized as clean home, many activities, quiet and mannerly)
Lots of time for family (i.e., scheduled activities, classes, "experiences", playdates)
Time for own hobbies
High level of education (for herself)

The preceding example shows why Housewife A could never compare herself to Housewife B. They are not even playing the same game by the same rules! They both value happy children, but they don't measure happy children by the same metric! They both value time for the family, but A considers that objective met when there are few scheduled activities and lots of time for free, creative play. B considers family time well met when her children have lots of schedules activities, and when they have many extracurricular activities so that they can experience all that life has to offer. A derives a great deal of her sense of self worth from the fact that she is highly educated, while B derives self satisfaction from her clean house. Obviously, it is completely futile for either of these two to compare herself to the other. To do so is to make an interpersonal comparison of utility - to assume that each places the same value on each "good". It is clear that such is not the case. I have to admit that I never thought that I would derive such a personal breakthrough from social choice theory!

Tying that back to the Academy, then, how nifty that I will be able to help my children avoid that nasty pitfall and no-win situation of comparing themselves fruitlessly to others, while at the same time teaching them some basic social choice and game theory! And to Housewife B, wherever you are, stop feeling superior to me! You are violating a basic tenet of game theory, and I will no longer be a partner to this crime!

So Pretty...

2008-09-23T11:48:00.000-05:00

...my new layout, that is. If only I could figure out how to iron out the few kinks. Alas, I am not that savvy. Either that, or I am not willing to take the time, particularly given that I am practically the only person who reads my musings! Things are bumpy here right now. N would be a challenge to any teacher, but is doubly so to me. I know that what we are doing is easy for him, but he needs the fundamentals. I am very sensitive to the needs of a boy, and I don't make him sit still for long periods of time, but we have to do math and phonics and language every day. His reading is coming along wonderfully, and I am amazed at how nice his handwriting is (thank you, Zaner-Bloser! Funny aside - the kids have created a fictional super hero called Zaner-Bloser; I guess it is a funny name). In any case, on a personal note, I have been reflecting on something Fr. Troy said Saturday night, "depression is anger turned inward." I have never heard it phrased quite that way before, but given my family (nuclear, that is), it is something worth pondering. So off I go to ponder.

Clara voce cogito

2008-09-16T13:50:00.000-05:00

Okay, now *this* is actually a real time post. All of the others are imported from my previous blog. I have switched blogs because I have the option of more features here, such as greater sidebar freedom. I apparently crave sidebar freedom. Who knew? Ironically, in spite of the fact that we endured a category 2 hurricane (about which I will only say that I would not choose to go through the experience again, although a downed fence and a 56 hour loss of power is all we suffered, in marked contrast to so many others), we did not lose any school days. It was so considerate of Ike to come through on the weekend. Leave it to the Republican hurricanes.

I think that we are *finally* moving past the first mini unit of Tapestry of Grace. I don't feel bad about taking so long in Egypt, simply because we love studying Egypt. It will be interesting to move into Mesopotamia, though, since T has never even heard of that part of the world, much less studied it. One of the wonderful things about TOG is that she gets to read a version of the Epic of Gilgamesh, something most children don't even hear about until high school. (I normally don't digress into personal matters, but I have to mention that I am sitting beside an open window. In Houston. In September. Only Houstonians can truly appreciate what that means. For all those who are still without power after Ike, or without homes, for that matter, God truly is good to send such unseasonably gorgeous weather).

I have spent so much time transferring blog information (badly, too; I hate it when formatting gets lost) that I was not able to write about that which I truly intended: teenagers. I would maintain that "teenagers" as an official growth step on the way from childhood to adulthood is an artificial designation, one invented by (gasp of surprise) advertisers, to the detriment of society at large. I think that Principal may have a problem with my decision (I'll break it to him gently), but I have already decided that our children (I'll admit that I haven't thought beyond T) are not going to be teenagers. T will go from being a little girl to a young lady to a woman. I have to confess in retrospect that I can't think of much good that came from my being a teenager. I am always grateful for the fact that I essentially went from my father's house to my husband's house. I am often amused by articles in magazines that caution against such haste - after all, we wouldn't want to cheat ourselves out of life's experiences! As I muse reflectively, I wonder just what these experiences might be. Since I met my husband and got married, I have finished college, obtained a Master's degree and a Ph.D., held jobs, given birth to four children, and am currently homeschooling and freelance writing. Just what experiences have I missed? Men? I have the only one I want - the one that I know that God intended for me. Drinks with the girls? Marriage doesn't rule out friends or libations. Well, I begin to digress. I realize that some people are not ready to get married at a younger age, but I find the argument that one will somehow "miss out" if one gets married young spurious. I now return you to your regularly scheduled school day.

Our New School Year Begins

2008-09-16T13:48:00.002-05:00

May 31, 2008
It seems that our school year has started early here at the Salve Regina Homeschool Academy...as in it started the day after the last school year ended! My client homeschoolers went on to wherever there next steps take them, but my children dragged me away from my news and coffee the very next school day begging me to do school. I had always suspected that we would not "do" summer vacation here at SRHSA, and it seems that, for now at least, I am right. I think that we finished out Old Testament History and American History just fine, but T still has 20 lessons to go in Saxon Math 3, so we need to finish those up before we begin Saxon 5/4. I get confused as to whether to describe her as a 2nd grader (what she'd be if she was in "real school", or as a 4th grader (what she'll be in a matter of weeks, according to her math and english curricula). I guess it doesn't really matter. It's too freakish to have a 6 year old 4th grader anyway - even for me. The 4 year old kindergartener is a tad unusual, but not nearly as much. I have been wanting for some time to lay out their entire curricula for the coming year (which we actually began last week!), so here we go. I have provided links where I have them. I really think that it is the best classical curriculum that I could have compiled, and I am quite pleased with it. As is characteristic with me, if there were two options, and one was easier, that was the one that I eschewed. I have had multiple people tell me that SOW (Story of the World) is difficult to manage with multiple children at different stages, but we're going for it. Even more people have told me that you just can't do WTM (Well Trained Mind) science the way that Wise and Bauer lay it out, but, again, I believe that we can. I dislike the text book approach to science. It pretty much killed my interest in science from a young age, and I didn't notice it lighting my third graders on fire at CN (the school at which I taught that ignominously closed midyear), nor did I notice it doing much for my first graders that I client homeschooled. It is far too rote, and requires far too little of them at the grammar stage of their development. T (6 yodd, the 2nd/4th grader) could do the textbook assignments while asleep at the beginning of first grade at CN, and was begging for something resembling a nature study or notebooking. Further, it is certainly true that as soon as they become truly interested in a subject, they are turning the page to start a new chapter, and leaving that subject behind until the next year. To that end, we are going the WTM route, and immersing ourselves in one scientific discipline each year of the grammar years. Knowing my kids as I do, though, they will dabble in other subjects, both in what they watch on the History and Discovery Channels, and in what they read. I suspect that they will come out ahead in the end. I think that the actual curricula outlines will have to wait, as real life calls. I always knew that I wanted to wallow in the halls of academia forever...

Animis opibusque parati...

2008-09-16T13:48:00.001-05:00

June 3, 2008
...I wish. In any case, I went to the Homeschool Store today, and for the first time felt well enough organized and on my path that I did not want everything in sight. Usually I go limp at the sight of so much grammar and history. I want it. All of it. Today, however, I find that I am very content with what we have lined up. We are covering both ancient and Old Testament history nicely (and, yes, I know that Old Testament history is ancient), and between First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind and Writing Tales, I really think that T is getting a very rigorous grammar and writing curriculum. I was going to switch her to Rod and Staff when she finished FLL, but I just found out that there will be a Level 4 by the time she needs it, so I'll probably keep her with that. I am hoping that the difficulty level picks up a little, especially with the diagramming, but I inadvertently throw in so much of my own stuff anyway on a daily basis (in one day last week she learned "mendacious, pugilistic, segue", and one more word that temporarily escapes me), that she'll be fine. Also, when we're done with Writing Tales, we'll be transitioning to Classical Writing Homer, so she'll have plenty on her plate.

Optimus Magister Bonus Liber

2008-09-16T13:47:00.000-05:00

June 3, 2008
There are some books that I absolutely forbid T to read on her own. I simply must read them to her. Unfortunately, that list is ever growing, and my brain cells are ever shrinking. To that end, this entry will serve as a continually updated list of the books that I will read to T. We have already read some of them (i.e., Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). Jim Dale is doing the honors with all of the Harry Potter books (we're halfway through Book 6). A Little Princess - Frances Hodgeson Burnett (in progress) The Princess Bride - William Goldman Anne of Green Gables - L(ucy) M(aud) Montgomery A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens The Wolves of Wiloughby Chase - Joan Aiken The Iliad - HomerMore will come - I have a whole shelf of them. The problem is making them wonderful enough for her to want to hear them, but not so wonderful that she reads them on her own, or that she reads ahead. Some I have had to keep in my room in the past...

Malum consilium quod mutari non potest

2008-09-16T13:46:00.000-05:00

June 6, 2008
...although I'm not changing anything exactly, it's more of a clarification. I know that I can't teach SOW I with Earth Science. That makes no sense. The entire idea is to make the history consonant with the science in order to create a picture of a cohesive whole. Quite. Which means that I need to do SOW I this summer, in its entirety, in order to start SOW II in the fall, along with Earth Science. I can thank T's kindergarten teacher (for the millinonth time) for doing such a great job with Life Science. She knows enough about Life Science that I'll feel comfortable leaving it formally for the duration of the grammar stage. What I need to do, then, is formalize our summer curriculum. That shouldn't be too hard. Famous last words... T's SummerSOW IFinish Saxon Math 3 (by end of June)LatinFLL for the WTM N's SummerSaxon Math 1Phonics PathwaysAll About Spelling M and M-C's SummerRevel in their 3 year old existenceI was debating enrolling T in drama this summer, since she spends so much time writing and directing herself and M-C in plays, but I think that I may wait until next summer. I guess that I am keeping this summer activity-free. I may come to regret that, but I may not. We'll see. The actual age limit is 7, but I was assuming that I could make a case for her, since she turns 7 soon and has 4 years of dance behind her now. I'll probably just wait. I would say maybe this fall, but in the fall we'll have T-ball, 2 dance classes, and maybe soccer tots, so we'll have to see. I do so love being home. http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200303/rauch.
Now I have to go to Amazon and buy SOW II and accompanying materials. Actually, I contemplated Veritas' program for quite awhile. I really like it, and will probably use it alot as the kids get older, especially their Omnibus program. For now, though, SOW is a great introduction to history on a grand scale. I thank God daily that His plan included providing me with just the right education for providing my kids with *their* education. I still don't know what the point of the Ph.D. in Political Science was (so I can teach them advanced stats someday??), but my undergraduate education was tailor made for giving them a Catholic, classical education of the first order, and I am thankful.Edited to add: I just noticed that Live Journal is telling me "You've only made "0" friends". Heh - story of my life ;) Like I needed my journal telling me that! Also, why is it, with all of the preset moods, they never have the one that I want??

Summer Summary

2008-09-16T13:45:00.000-05:00

July 29, 2008
We had a great summer. We schooled, on average, four days a week, skipping Henry's flex day unless he was working from home. I managed to score a job with edHelperBaby.com, which was wonderful. It is my first consistent writing job, so I am thrilled. Now I am chomping at the bit for more work from them! Therese is well into Saxon Math 5/4, and is doing very well. She is chafing just a little bit at the review, but it's good for her. Nicholas is loving All About Spelling. He is learning spelling rules that I don't remember learning until late in elementary school. The twins are just happy if they have a craft!We are headed to Galveston for a few days, and we will begin the year in earnest on Tuesday, a week from today. The kids are excited, mostly, as am I. I have made a change regarding science and history, as we did not progress adequately through SOW I this summer, and I really want them to love and marinate in history, as nothing else. To that end, we will be doing SOW I and Life Science, rather than SOW II and Earth Science. Since we school year round, I am still confident that Therese will finish SOW by the end of her grammar years. Nicholas should actually finish early, leaving him extra time to study Greece, Rome, and Egypt, although not in that order, obviously. We're still going to be using Apologia science, as I have found that it grabs younger children as does no other program. It is more labor intensive for me, but that really is the point of homeschooling young children, after all. Why would I put a science book in front of them, tell them to read the chapter and answer the questions? They can get that in public school...or private.Therese's vegetables consist of Anne of Green Gables. She can't get enough, and I fall in love with Anne all over again. I long for a Diana, just as I did when I was a girl. Well, Therese is a kindred spirit, if ever there was one!

First Day Fall '08 at the Salve Regina Homeschool Academy

2008-09-16T13:44:00.000-05:00

August 6, 2008
Our first day of the new semester has gone very well (with the slight exception of N rebelling and not wanting to sort his letter tiles when MC messed them up). I think that even with her heavy course load, I will be able to finish with T before lunch, and that makes me happy. I have also decided that it is most correct to refer to her as a 3rd grader and to N as a 1st grader. That is where their school work averages (her math is higher, and the rest of her work would definitely be considered advanced for a 3rd grader, but it's not unheard of to have a 7 year old 3rd grader, so that's what I'm calling it). N is doing Math 1, which is perfect for a Kindergartner, and he's also doing First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind 1st Grade, which is also perfect for a Kindergartner. It works well with his spelling and phonics, and I know that he is going to want the writing skills once he sees the notebooks that T is going to be keeping, so I think it best to give him the skills ASAP. Wise even says that the goal at this level (her 1st grade book) is exposure, not mastery, so I see no reason to wait. When he starts to rebel and get antsy, I always let him go. He is making real progress, though.At the moment I am loving Cindy Rushton (http://www.cindyrushton.com). Yes, she's a tad Fundamentalist for my taste, and yes, she's heavy on the teddy bear graphics, but she does hit a chord that I need to hear, and she does have some great organizing materials on her site. It's a great way for a massive introvert like me to connect without having to connect. Speaking of which, my good friend Pam is starting a book club with the old CN crowd (whom I dearly miss), and I am so excited. First up is Mere Christianity. I have to find it and dust it off and prepare to discuss it with some very intelligent ladies!Finally, my first official post is up at http://www.edhelperbaby.com here http://www.edhelperbaby.com/weekly/week_6_A_6_week_old_At_A_Glance.htm. It may not be much (I've written more, but it has not been posted yet), but I'm happy (and we all know what a rare event that is).

Last Major Change (but the best by far!)

2008-09-16T13:42:00.000-05:00

August 10, 2008
I have made one last change to our curriculum for this year. After visiting this website (http://www.tapestryofgrace.com) repeatedly over the course of the last few months, I felt very called to utilize it with my kids, and now that we are officially beginning it tomorrow, I am so excited. Best of all, T is really excited too. N is not very excited about much of anything that takes time away from his legos, but I think he's definitely going to benefit as well. Tapestry of Grace embodies everything about why I am homeschooling my kids. It encapsulates the very best of classical education, incorporating plenty of Charlotte Mason's philosophy as well. I have read plenty of rave reviews of Tapestry of Grace that suggest that it is simply too much money to justify spending it on younger (grammar stage) children, but, at least in the case of my own children, I have to disagree. Immersing my children in the time period they are studying is exactly what I want to do. T is super excited about going to Egypt for a three-week minimum. If we feel that three weeks are not enough, we'll stay longer: the beauty of homeschooling - especially year-round! In my usual over-the-top manner, I went to the library and got not only the required and supplementary books for the first unit, but a whole bunch more as well. I just can't resist, especially when I know they will end up being couch reading for us, and that both my older kids retain so much of what they read and hear. That old sponge philosophy, coupled with my own of "throw it out there and see if it will stick"; what possible harm could it do.N is really excited because after only two days of exposure, he already has a few lines of his first poetry memorization down. Now if he could only say "Christina G. Rossetti" instead of "Chrustina G. Nostelery". Sigh. I am 98% sure he is doing it on purpose to vex me, but I can't be certain.T has in her repertoire now "The Land of Nod" by R.L. Stevenson and "A Tragic Story" by Wm. Makepeace Thackery. Next up for her is "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by Wordsworth. I am proud that she has retained her first selection through the memorization of her second. For our first Holy Family open mic night I think I would like her to do Lovely Lady Dressed in Blue. I think it's lovely to hear a child recite that poem/prayer.

Ipsa Scientia Potestas Est

2008-09-16T13:41:00.000-05:00

Aug. 18th, 2008 at 2:08 PM
There is unbelievable frustration as I write this, since I originally scripted it on Saturday night, only to accidentally navigate away from the post and have it eaten by cyberspace. Needless to say, this iteration will be more brief. Sigh. I think that I have finally winnowed out the chaff and have settled in on the final curriculum for this year (08-09 traditional school year). Hmmm. That is actually a poor word choice, because nothing that I could choose for my children to study could technically be chaff, but massively Type-A, hoarding, collecting mentality that I am, there is definitely a propensity to overdo. Hence, let us instead say that I have whittled down and arrived at the cream of the crop. This word choice allows us to stay with the farming imagery :)I digress. In essence, T will be studying the following: Math: Saxon 5/4 Language: First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind Level 3 Spelling: All About Spelling Level 2 (way too easy for her, but I want her to be very well grounded in the rules) Handwriting: Zaner-Bloser Level 2C Science: Apologia Zoology 1 - Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day Latin: Prima Latina Humanities: Tapestry of Grace Year 1 (Upper Grammar)N: Math: Saxon 1 Language: First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind Level 1 and Phonics Pathways Spelling: All About Spelling Level 1 Handwriting: Zaner-Bloser Level K Humanities: Tapestry of Grace Year 1 (Lower Grammar)Twins: Math: Numbers and Counting Language: Letters, Sounds, and Phonics Pathways Handwriting: Handwriting without TearsIf you have not yet checked out Tapestry of Grace, I would really encourage you to do so. It is by far the most amazing program that I have found, and I honestly think that I looked at all of them. It allows for ultimate flexibility. You can do as much or as little as you want. You can incorporate all of the humanities, or only a fraction. You can focus more on the reading and writing, or more on the crafting. You can incorporate lots of notebooking and lapbooking (yay!). In essence, you absolutely can customize it to your family. For my purposes, it will give my children the best classical education, with the best Charlotte Mason and Thomas Jefferson techniques incorporated throughout (although, that's sort of redundant, since I believe that classical education actually incorporates those techniques from the start. I suppose that is one reason that it bothers me so much when people try to tell me that I am homeschooling my children "eclectically". Not true. Everything that I do comes from a position of classical technique. I just choose not to it from a box).The other big thing going on in our house right now is organization. Anyone who knows me knows that this is not my strong suit. Clutter is my undoing. In my academic life I have always been very organized. My Ph.D. materials are still, to this day, quite organized. I want my homeschool life to be so organized, and I am working on putting together the planner to end all planners in order to achieve such an organizational standard. It will also incorporate household chores and schedules. Our family has to have a schedule. There are just too many of us. When I finally have this masterpiece compiled (I am shooting for one week from today), it will be bound by my new best friend - the GBC C110 Combbinder. I just got this on Saturday (long story short - I asked Principal for a Pro-Click P50 for Christmas. It can be had for under $50, and seems to be the preferred binder of choice among the TOG Loose Thread moms, but Principal, being Principal, made the point that if we plan to use this bad boy for the next 15 or so years, we may as well get one that can take the heat, rather than one that is likely to crack under pressure. Hence, I now own something 10 times the size of the Pro-Click and am wondering where to store it. On the plus size, I can knock an intruder senseless -- and then bind his court papers for him!). I have already used it to make alphabet coloring books for the twins, T's TOG SAP book, and N's All About Me book (he's in strange limbo-land between K and 1st grade. He does 1st grade academics, but K level activities, like All About Me and calendar. When people ask what grade he's in, neither he nor I know what to say...).I guess that's it from the Salve Regina Homeschool Academy. We're still finding our groove. We did work all summer, but we're hitting a new stride since we started our Fall semester. I feel very blessed to be doing what I am doing!

Compesce Mentem

2008-09-16T13:40:00.000-05:00

Aug. 19th, 2008 at 1:30 PM
Words to live by. Unfortunately, I fail far more often than I succeed. I liken myself to an alcoholic and I count the number of days (okay, hours...okay minutes) that I can stay on the wagon. The numbers are not encouraging. Still, as I point out to my kids, there has only been one perfect person, and my initials are not JC. A temper is a terrible cross, though, especially because it leaves a long legacy. I veer dangerously close to personal drivel, which I have sworn off in blog-world. My real point is this: I have had the question posed to me numerous times, "how do you homeschool when your children are so young? How do you teach all of them at the same time when they are studying different things, and none of them is a completely independent learner?" Quite simply, in the following manner:The Schedule: We convene in the schoolroom (it was once a dining room but is completely unrecognizable as such now) and begin with the Pledge of Allegiance, the Morning Offering, a patriotic song (currently My Country 'Tis of Thee), and Calendar Time (I do have 3 very young ones!). Afterward, T and N immediately begin to work on handwriting, an independent activity. I set Twins up with their activity of the day (it doesn't take much effort - my philosophy on preschool has not changed just because I'm homeschooling: they're 3 - they don't have to go to school. They can do it if it's fun, but it's strictly optional for them at this point). N and T finish handwriting and both move to Math. T is fairly independent with Math at this point, as by level 5/4, Saxon is unscripted, and is directed toward the student. I am completely at her disposal if she has questions, but this early in the year, it is still review. I work with N on Math (which Twins pay avid attention to and often yell out answers (sometimes correct, often hilarious)). While T is still on Math, N and I move to Spelling. As N and I are finishing Spelling, T is working on Latin, again something she can do mostly herself, after we have gone over initial pronounciations (it is her 3rd year of Latin). When N is done with Spelling, we do Language, a very short lesson designed for exposure, rather than mastery (it's proving very effective thus far, though! More kudos to Jessie Wise and the Well Trained Mind!). Once freed from captivity, N makes a run for it. Twins have long since bolted. Elapsed time since the Pledge, usually about 1 hour and 45 minutes or so.Now it's T time. She is finishing Latin. If she needs assistance, we work on it. If not, it's her turn for Spelling. The materials are still out from N's turn (as previously indicated, they're on different levels, but the materials used are the same), so this makes sense. Spelling is very quick and easy because we're still at a point where she is basically learning rules for spelling words that she already knows how to spell. Did you know that there are no less than four separate functions of silent "e"? After spelling, we do T's Language, which she absolutely loves. That girl could diagram all day. Terms like direct object and predicate nominative bring just as big a smile to her face as to Mom's. God was good to give me T for a daughter. After Language, we have options. Today she worked on her Geography definitions for her TOG lapbook for Unit 1, and then we read Science and worked on that lapbook some. Break for lunch and rest.Chores.TOG reading and activity (lapbook or craft - later this week we'll be making a cookie dough map of Egypt)N's PhonicsTwins reading (just for fun)Outside (if it's not so hot that the sun burns on contact) or TV time while Mom cooks dinnerPrincipal comes homeThat's pretty much a standard day at our house. Very little varies, and I love it when very little varies. I thrive on consistency. The only change will be in a couple of weeks when ballet and T-ball start. The evenings will become slightly consumed, which *I* don't love, but the kids do, and that's much more important.

magna est vis consuetudinis

2008-09-16T13:35:00.000-05:00

...but we're still working on it! I love Tapestry of Grace, but it is so time and labor intensive, maybe even more so because T is only 7. I have her doing UG, because I consider her 3rd grade, but I have to keep reminding myself that she has the maturity of a 2nd grader. We are definitely not doing the full TOG program, but we're still getting so much out of it. I am confident that we will continue to get even more mileage out of it as we progress. I love how it merges OT history with Egyptian history with geography and literature. If only there was a Catholic program that did such a great job. If only I had nothing else to do, I would create one. Sometimes I wonder if that's the reason that I got a Ph.D. - to give such ventures the necessary credibility.MC and M started working on Getting Ready for the Code again today, and this time they were prepared for it. I think it was probably January when I started them on the series, and they just weren't ready. Now, though, they are definitely ready, and they loved it. They usually like to work for about 45 minutes in the morning when we first begin school, and the Code, either with or with HWOT and scissor practice, is just about right.Today we begin after school activities again, and I have to admit that I'm not really looking forward to them. T is taking jazz for the first time, which means that her dance classes are now 1 1/2 hours long, which is a long time to entertain 3 younger children. We can do phonics during dance, but it only occupies a short portion of the time. They will bring some of the activity books that I have made for them, and we'll see how that goes. MC starts dance tomorrow morning, and T has choir practice after that. The boys will start T-ball in a few weeks. Things are starting to hum. I don't know where the time goes.I am using the Homeschool Tracker to keep track of what we do each day (a method that I use instead of formal lesson planning - at this age I find it so much easier. We do essentially the same things every day; I don't actually need to write down what we're going to do, as I pretty much know. What I do need to write down is what actually got done each day, mostly for my own record keeping purposes). I just love this wonderful free software, which can be found here: http://www.homeschooltracker.com/default.aspx What this software does is just amazing. I don't have need of the features in the "plus" version right now, but as my kids get older, I may very well upgrade. Organization remains my biggest challenge in my homeschool life, as in my personal life. Some people would be amazed at my level of organization, but for a person with CDO (OCD, but with the letters in alphabetical order as they should be), things are never as they should be, and so I continue to struggle. I use the Homeschool Tracker for homeschool things, and I would be lost without http://www.cozi.com to schedule our family life, but I remain at heart a Luddite, and so I need a pencil and paper organizer as well. Cobbling together that behemoth is a task that I hope to finish this week. My dear friend the comb binder will bind it so that I can add and remove pages at will, which will no doubt happen on a routine basis.One more quick kudo to a site that I love: http://www.schoolexpress.com/ has many nifty workbooks that are terrific for my twinners. Again, the old binding machine turns them into bona fide workbooks, which makes the twins feel special, and which frees me to teach the older two. Because of all of the printing that I do (to justify the purchase of the binding machine, of course, in my backwardly logical mind), we bought a printer just for my schoolroom computer - a $30 HP inkjet that can really crank out the pages and doesn't suck up the ink the way my multi-function Epson (on the study computer) does. It sits at my feet and is so quiet that I can have it working the whole time that I am teaching. Did I say that I was a Luddite? Hmmm....I may have to reevaluate that one. I am not proud of my attachment to things. Granted, it really only extends to things related to school (well, and crossword puzzle books, but I can make the connection if you press me!), but it is still not very holy.Speaking of holy, one last note. I have been seeking a Bible study for some time. Introverted loner that I am (and, okay, time constraints play a role), I wanted one that I could do by myself, and I found one on the internet (http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/) that I think fits the bill. It is Catholic (obviously), and seems to be exactly what I was seeking. I don't really want to start from ground zero, because I have a very good foundation, with a minor in Theology, but I think that this will work. I am waiting on my Douay-Rheims Bible, and then I'll start. I wish that I could get the original DR Bible, but I don't have that kind of money. I realize that I am essentially getting a Catholic KJR, but I have to stay as close to the original word choice as possible in order for word study to be in any way meaningful. My goal is to go through this study, and then to focus on certain books with Scott Hahn's studies.Time to head off to T's dance. I have to pack that activity bag nice and full...