Inspired by Charlotte at Waltzing Matilda, here are some of my lessons from the school year which we are about to finish: Activities: Keep: Skiing: I will treasure the ski season, especially fresh powder on weekday mornings and long sessions reading Heidi in the evenings, I will cherish those months always. That sort of flexibility is one of the major benefits of homeschooling. Trash: Overscheduling: For the past 8 weeks I have had children’s activities outside the house 7 days... Read more
Three kids is the new two, right? And so now the fourth-born is the “extra” one, who lacks love and attention and tags along as the prime three enjoy the limelight. In fact, I think my fourth-born has a pretty sweet life. He’s doted on by his three older siblings of course. But also, he has a mom who is better able to enjoy the toddler years because they pass, and who doesn’t measure herself based on the whims of... Read more
Our family had a lot of reasons to celebrate this past weekend… Proving to me life doesn’t get any better than Christ and His Church, the beautiful Sacraments, and good friends and family. Joy and love all around! Thank you, Lord! Read more
The past few weeks have been very busy. So busy, that we have had little time to spend simply enjoying the beauty in our own backyard. And I almost missed this — And this— But this past week, we had time to enjoy it all, and plant some more. Gianna used her birthday money to purchase some plants and seeds for her new garden, “a little piece of earth” as they call it in The Secret Garden. Her garden isn’t... Read more
For the past several years, the mothers’ group at our church has offered a series of awesome Catholic Bible studies by Jeff Cavins, called “The Great Adventure” series and published by Ascension Press. If a group at your church is searching for a Bible study series, I would highly recommend any of the Jeff Cavins studies! Personally, I have participated in “A Quick Journey Through the Bible,” “Revelation,” and “Acts of the Apostles,” and each has been wonderful. You can... Read more
A picnic… An adventure… And an extra load of laundry! Read more
“When you reach the end of your rope, you will find the hem of His garment.” -author unknown I have the above quote posted on a sticky note stuck to the outside of our sippy cup cabinet. There it hangs, day after day, as I reach past it to fill the billionth cup of juice or milk. There it hangs, reminding me that I am not superhuman, was never meant to be, and that His Power is a lot more... Read more
5 years ago we planted an artichoke plant. Last year, we came within 30 seconds of ripping it out and throwing it away. It had yet to produce fruit and was taking up lots of highly valuable real estate in our garden…all show and no substance. As my husband went to rip it out he yelled, “We’ve finally got one!!” After that discovery last spring we had not just one, but dozens of homegrown, fresh, organic artichokes. So many that... Read more
Are any of our readers having trouble leaving a comment on the blog this week? PLEASE contact me at [email protected] if you are unable to comment on this blog. We need to let our smart tech people at Patheos know if our readers cannot comment. Last week, Patheos updated their system for site comments. We switched to Disqus, and some of the Builders have been having trouble leaving comments and getting into their accounts. I apologize if this was also... Read more
After Mass on Mother’s Day, our family drove over to the cemetery to bring pinwheels to Lucy and Annie’s grave. As we drove into the entrance, a man from the cemetery staff stopped us and handed us a flower. He also asked us if we would like a balloon to release – he said that people were writing the names of their loved ones on the balloons and then releasing them. “The kids really seem to enjoy this,” he said... Read more
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