Advent Jesse Tea

 

I had some fantastic girl-time this past Saturday, with some of the sweetest girls in my corner of the world.

 

 

The theme: Salvation History via the ancient symbolism of the Jesse Tree - except, instead of a tree, we used a tea ;)

 

The Goodies

1. "Jesse Tea" - TEA - we had peppermint tea; peppermint/peach tea (YUM!!!); and hot chocolate for the non-tea drinkers, with a touch of peppermint --- peppermint? it's winter, the weather is CRAZY - so... health benefits! (we had some sugar, but mostly healthy items --- yet to be aware of the time of the year and how things DO go around --- and in thanksgiving that the 5 families in attendance have ZERO sick girls right now, let's keep the health going). Plus it helped with breath ;) 

2. "Adam's Apple" (Genesis 3: 6) – APPLE with 1 gummy worm (the girls opted for quartered apples)

3. "Noah's Ark" (Genesis 9: 12-17) – 3 GUMMY WORMS in rainbow

4. Abraham's Stars (Genesis 15: 5) – CUT THE APPLE during the presentation to show the star

5. "Isaac's Bundle of Sticks" (Genesis 22: 6) – 8 PRETZEL STICKS

6. "Jacob's Ladder" (Genesis 28: 12) – Same pretzel sticks, built into a ladder

(isn't it interesting how God can take our weaknesses and turn them into strengths? *HE* can work all things for good.... so we can re-use these same objects to show us something new and better)

7. "Joseph's Coat of Many Colors" (Genesis 37: 3-4) – 4 GUMMY WORMS (2 folded in half for the "body", with one on each side bent at 90 degrees bottom half as part of the body, top half as the arms extending out)

8. "The Burning Bush" (Exodus 3: 2-3) – BROCCOLI AND RANCH (3/4 cup of ranch is dyed with 1/2 tsp turmeric to show the "fire")

9. "Moses' Tablets of the Law" (Exodus 34: 1) - MILANOS (we did raspberry/chocolate - YUM - and least cost per ounce)

10. "The Root of Jesse" (Isaiah 11: 1 and 10) - CARROTS

11. "David's Star Tea Sandwiches" (1 Samuel 17: 12-51) – STAR-SHAPED SANDWICHES - cut into triangles then top half turned to create 6-pointed star. 

12. "Bethlehem, House of Bread" (Matthew 2: 5-6) – DONUT HOLES (could have made scones or small biscuits - short on time and the donut holes were calling my name)

13. "John the Baptist's Honey" (Luke 1: 41; Matthew 3: 3) – HONEY in tea (could have had honey on biscuits/scones if I'd made those)

14. "Angelic Messengers"  (recall various angelic messengers we know about in the Bible) – ANGEL-SHAPED SANDWICHES - cookie cutter

15. "Pure White Cakes for Our Blessed Mother" or "Flowers of Jesse" or both – TOMATO AND CELERY for flowers (thought about doing a white frosting made of cream cheese, powdered sugar, touch of milk, homemade vanilla - spread on graham crackers, but with the donut holes instead of bread, thought against it this time)

 

 Left-overs and bread trimmings? Went to the "boys" (my son; the father and brother of one of the girls at the tea party --- who all went off for a few hours so we girls could just be girly --- in our fancy hats!)

Hm. No picture of me. I had a santa hat because my two fancy hats were on loan. 

 

The Ladies

 

The Ladies again couldn't decide which I liked best :)

Best Jacob's Ladder constructed with pretzel sticks

 

"This sandwich is SO GOOOOOOD!!!!" (apparently so is the white-sprinkled chocolate donut hole ;) )

This young lady is so full of joy - she finds it everywhere - and spreads it everywhere!

AHA! She CAN be serious!

but apparently not for long ;) (she was tipped sideways to sneak into another picture for this one) LOVE her 3rd lip there ;)

 

Enjoying the tea-party

 

So sweet!And such shining eyes :)

 

Trying to avoid her photo being taken.Gotcha anyway!

 

Thank you everyone for coming!

 

Have a wonderful remainder of Advent and a fantastic Christmas season!

 

God bless!

 

Long Hair - What to do!?

 

The other evening, I had lovely young lady visiting who, of late, has developed a rather strong attraction to my hair - wrapping herself up in it, covering her face in it, hiding under it - being silly with my headcovering. She has been growing out her own hair long - she started long before she met me.

 

So the other evening, I am pretending to have an adult conversation with this young lady's father and she is playing with my hair - twisting it into one rope, then multiple ropes, wrapping it around my face, around my head, looped with my glasses - I kept having this image of Princess Leia and Padme on a bad hair day (did either ever have one???). Lots of fun! I truly enjoyed having her play with my hair. As she played with my hair, I realized just how long it is - finally, I can call it "long" (I've been able to sit on it for several months now - but to SEE it stretched out so far from my body or to have it go around my head that many times - yeah, it's long ;) )

My own son loved playing with my hair until somewhere around age 7 - at age 8, he maybe played with it a couple of times - and now, at 9, nothing. I am sad to consider those days might be over. He would take the ends of my braids and flip the ends of my hair around his finger; he would wrap up his hands and arms in my braid; he split the hanging part below the braid to make a "rainbow" as he called it. He always preferred it braided to hanging and rarely did anything involving my face (we have a largely unspoken rule that I do not like things in my face). He loved laying on the floor as a baby and toddler having the edges of my ankle-length skirts or my hair brushed over his face though!

I was thinking of all of this just now when I recalled a small number of ladies (with very short hair) tell me that they have short hair because you can't do anything with long hair. For the record I never asked them or brought up that topic - this was very clearly a defense about something they didn't feel right about - they felt the need to defend their decision to me when I wasn't attacking or even cared!

One such lady stands out. We traveled to Italy together many years ago and shared lodging throughout the trip. She couldn't STAND the fact that I would wake up 5 minutes before we are supposed to be out the door, with a 1 year old boy in tow, and I would still make it to breakfast on time. She was a single woman with no children - so she didn't understand the amount of preparedness that went into assuring those few precious minutes of sleep. As the mother of a child who is still a morning sleeper and a night owl, I had already learned how to catch a few extra winks: bathe/shower in the evening, have the next day's clothes ready and laid out for both of us; fresh diaper and travel toilet rim ready to go; all items needed for the next day in the backpack (snacks, water bottles, camera, diapers, wallet). Mission: sleep when I can; think as little as possible right after waking. Result: Get up, use toilet, have child use toilet while doing own hair, wash hands and face, do hair, get both of us dressed, gather up our things, load into car and meet everyone for breakfast. Come back up just to brush teeth. Good to go. Mission Accomplished.

Yes, waist-length hair, 1 year old boy - it can all be done in a 5 minute morning routine. (keeping in mind that breakfast and tooth-brushing is separate)

 

And how does this relate to hair? 

I didn't have to wash it every morning to get it to stay in place - I wash my hair once or twice a week because it is actually healthier to get all the natural oils into it before washing it with harsh chemicals (I alternate between the least troublesome of the chemicals and natural methods)

I didn't have to blow-dry it - it air-dries without doing too many strange things - probably because of the weight?

I didn't have to curl it - the short sections wave themselves in a natural manner; the longer sections get braided, twisted, roped, tied, looped, banded, pony/pig-tailed - and a thousand varieties on each of those.

One morning, after this woman had been particularly cranky with me for sleeping through her hour-long process of getting herself ready, she told me that my simple braids are proof that I can do nothing with my hair - but look at all SHE can do with HER hair. I just looked at her and quietly said, "You wash it and curl it the same every morning. That is a lot of care, but that is not a lot that can be DONE. You do NOT need to defend yourself to me. It is YOUR hair and YOUR choice." I walked out of the room.

But it was my catty side of the month - and I was still a bit immature at the time. That evening I did a different hairstyle (took me 90 seconds); in the following days I did my hair twice each day - in a completely different hairstyle. Each one took me less than two full minutes - so quick that the process was almost never seen.

 

What CAN'T I do with long hair? In my own hair, I can't expect curling iron curls to stay for more than a few hours - but that is my hair short OR long (I have had hair as short as just under my ears before - in a boy-ish cut - so I do know what can/can't be done with short/long hair).

I definitely can't expect everyone to appreciate the fact that I choose the "traditional" feminine look because it fulfills the truest, deepest core of my nature.

I can't stay in hiding - long hair stands out in the society in which I live.

I can't think that the evil one will leave me alone - or that God will shield me from all attacks as my Faith in Him is tested.

But I don't think that is what people think of when they say, "you can't do anything with long hair".

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300"] On a "do-nothing" day - or perhaps I had just gotten up and was working at home for the morning - since my headcovering isn't on yet. Legoboy secretly took this photo on a spy mission of his.[/caption]

Chocolate treats - FAST!

Glorious chocolate ;)

 

http://healthimpactnews.com/2012/how-to-make-irresistible-coconut-oil-chocolates/

 

Add 3-4 tbsp of honey or maple syrup instead; and at least make sure you have a full tsp of vanilla.

Our final version:

Simple Coconut Oil Chocolate Candies

• 1/2 cup Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil


• 1/4 cup cocoa powder (raw cocoa powder is preferred)


• 3-4 Tbsp raw (preferred), local (if at all possible) honey or maple syrup


• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Melt the coconut oil and add the honey. Whisk and add the cocoa powder. Whisk occasionally while pouring into a silicone ice cube tray or silicone mini muffin tray. Makes 12. Cool for 30 minutes in the fridge or freezer.

Note: Time varies depending on how hot the coconut oil was when you started. If the oil is only just reached its melting stage, these will set in as little as 15 minutes.

These were just the perfect first use of our silicone shaped-trays - perfect for candies, soaps and ice cubes! A young child could melt these over a hot cooking pad, or in a pan of warm water - the coconut oil liquefies at room temperature, so you just need to get it slightly warmer than that (so the other ingredients don't harden it up while stirring and pouring). The quantity is perfect for a child's first recipe!

Delicious! Perfect for Once Upon a Time withdrawal symptoms.... ;)

 

Legoboy spilled some; I spilled some more. No problem! Still delicious!

 

Popped out of the tray - I love these silicone trays!

 

Favorite Lego Sites

In no particular order, courtesy of Legoboy:

• http://moldingmindshomeschool.blogspot.com/2011/06/lego-lesson-plans.html
  


• http://www.walkingbytheway.com/blog/lego-unit-lapbook/


• http://www.homegrownlearners.com/lego-learning/


• http://www.legoeducation.us


• http://pinterest.com/homeschoolshare/lego-school/

:)

 

Tae Kwon Do Blue Belt!!!!

So proud of Legoboy!

 

While he didn't ENTIRELY pass his belt test, they gave him the belt with a white tape on the end; he re-did the last few requirements the following week and had the tape removed; he handled it rather maturely, while obviously visible disappointed in himself that he didn't get a "full" blue belt at the test day itself. He knew he'd not practiced well enough - and the requirements to perfection get stiffer as belt rank increases. It was a very good lesson!

 

The difference between full belt and tape? He can't learn the new stuff for the NEXT belt until he gets the tape off. He's there now and so relieved. The instructor even went out of his way to pick him up and take him to class (and return him) on a day that Legoboy was available to attend but I was not available to drive).

 

The belt test itself:

 

Beforehand - still a purple belt

 

got the new belt - but covered it up ;)

turning to bow to the audience of parents

 

a close-up cuz he just so handsome!!

 

 

all that color!

 

the gentleman who tested him

 

the instructor - the "master" (interesting placement of weapons in the back there....)

 

the master who likes to have fun ;) (not knowing the weapons already did it, hahaha!)

 

 

 

 

 

Leading a portion of a class afterward; and helping with a transfer student who is also a blue belt (not all schools have precisely the same requirements for each colored belt - black belts are all the same though; so Legoboy was asked to transition the boy into the requirements at this school).

 

helping the new blue belt (transferring in)

 

leading the kicking portion of basics

 

note that the other blue belt is quite a bit older ;)

 



 



 



 

 

Catholic Bible Studies

 

Legoboy has been fascinated with the Bible his entire life. Yay!

 

At age 8, he began an in-depth study of the Book of Revelation. And he's getting it! He has many questions and I started again on a search for an appropriate resource to use with one little boy at home.... Which only led to frustration.

We're Catholic! Why should we be frustrated looking for a Bible study at an adolescent level? Protestants have this covered!

 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="262"] working in the atrium - is he working? or is this a joyful moment? ;)[/caption]

 

First, how did we - as a family - get to this point? 

• We have only ever read from the full Bible. No little-kid version, though I had a few on-hand from pre-motherhood days when I thought they were a good idea - cartoony images; snippets of stories with little to no cohesion between them. I had CGS level 1 formation when Legoboy was not quite 1, and I'd already been reading from the full Bible aloud when he was in the womb. He knew the Word of God.


• He has been in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium at home, at parishes and in schools since he was 1; the Bible holds a place of reverence - equal to that of the Liturgy. Also see Seeking the Plan of God.


• We attend Easter Vigil, Midnight Mass and other long celebrations - since infancy. I missed Easter Vigil the evening my son was born - since then, both he and I have held dear this greatest of liturgical celebrations when Salvation History is proclaimed in beautiful chant and prayer and song.


• Before age 6, based on Montessori principles and observation of all children around me, we laid a strong foundation of reality. Throughout this time, we read from the Bible, lived out the liturgy, celebrated the liturgical year at home - and emphasized the TRUTH in it all. Thus when he did begin to read truly fictional (fantasy) stories at 4 3/4 (much sooner than he really should have), he GOT it. He knew what was truth and what was a really cool imagining.


• As a boy, he loves battles! As a Catholic, CGS, Montessori, truly thinking child, he has always loved symbolism, figuring out who Aslan represents before he turned 5.


• One summer, we did an introductory study of the book of Psalms (using a resource from a Mennonite company (706 is their Book of Psalms), because it was solid in its theology, corresponded with Catholic teaching and all other Psalms studies available from a Catholic stance were either low-quality, cheesy (his word!), far too academic for a then 6-year-old boy, or far too expensive for his mother). That study prompted a deeper study of the entire book of Psalms; from there he has delved into various books and for 2 years now has been latched onto Revelations. We also have their study on the Book of Proverbs (807), but we've not yet done it because there has yet to be a natural lull in our rabbit-trail study of the Bible ;)

 

And how did we - as a church - get to this point? Where Bible study resources are of questionable quality, boring, over-priced, inappropriate matches for the intended audience, or are of questionable theology? Where most Catholics don't even know what the Church teaches about Creation? 

• Historically, Catholics were taught from the Bible, but because Bibles were few and far between, being hand-copied over the process of MANY long months, the people may not have realized that what they were learning at Church was truly from the Bible.


• The Protestant Reformation, around the time of the printing press, when Bibles were more readily available to the populace, twisted the truth and made people believe that Catholics had never really learned from the Bible.


• Individual interpretations sprang up (which is allowable by the Catholic Church, within the framework of the few interpretations we know to be 100% solid. All of which led to further break-down.


• Centuries pass. Mis-information is spread. Long story here.


• Then we reach my generation and the one before - we had the worst Catechism in the history of the Church. Some days I am astounded there are devout Catholics remaining at all!


• Finally, we have people putting together authentic Catholic studies, but for particular audiences - adults, faith formation groups (who can ostensibly afford $200-$300 for one study), some (very few) for children. And those ones for children - are cheap, leave out far too much, and do not trust the spiritual depth of the child's baptismal pre-age-of-reason soul. Seriously, folks who make these Bible studies! If Protestant children can handle the Bible, so can OURS! Especially can ours!

 

As Legoboy and I started a year-long reading of the entire Bible this year, we'd read a passage and wonder "what does the Church teach about this passage, if anything?" I have a degree in Catholic Theology; I know that most of the Bible is open to interpretation, but I do know the Church has provided a good amount of guidance in this area and there are a few passages with a very specific interpretation, known as Dogma, that to be a Catholic one must profess as faith.

And yet, I am struggling to find appropriate and affordable resources, without spending hours of my time researching for one passage.

My son is a homeschooled boy with no siblings - he just wants to LOVE and LEARN and SOAK UP the Bible.

What does this have to be SO HARD in the days of Google!
And yet, there are indeed a plethora of new and perhaps good resources. Let's explore what I have found of late; I've put off the final decision, but now I have sort of invited another boy and his family to join us, so I guess it's time to make a decision whether they join us or not. Summer is just about there after all.

 

Here are the resources we have found specifically for the Book of Revelation with their prices where appropriate - I have only listed the ones I would consider as they are a few more that are not even a consideration:

• New Testament Study Bibles: For his birthday, a dear family friend purchases two New Testament resources for Legoboy. Not specifically Revelation, but still useful. Very useful.


• T3 Revelation: The Lion and the Lamb - 64.95 (DVDs) or 49.95 (CDs) - each set includes one student workbook and one leader guide - for 4 30-minute lessons it seems pricey, but solid. How deep does it go in less than 2 hours?


• The End - A Study on the Book of Revelation - Dr. Scott Hahn - 66.95 (14.95 without the CDs, just the study guide) - seems good, but perhaps too adult/scholarly?


• Ignatius Catholic Study Bible - Letters to St. John & Revelation to St. John - available individually for 11.95 or as part of the complete New Testament study: Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (part of the photo in the first link of this list - price ranges on format 24.95-44.95) -- this one is almost ideal - the full book does not contain the described study questions that are in the individual books (UPDATED!) This link will take you to a .zip file of the study questions for each of the individuals - it is a free file I got from the Ignatius website itself.


• Coming Soon - Unlocking the Book of Revelation - 15.95 - could this be THE one!? It is verse-by-verse (perfect for our CGS style meditations on the Scriptures), connects with the Mass, study questions for each chapter, but  the description doesn't seem to emphasize the connections with the Old Testament; although it does seem to emphasize not only Revelation in the present moment of our lives, but also looking forward to the Parousia. The one review it has right now says it DOES indeed cover typology, emphasizing the necessity of knowing the Old Testament to understand the New.... So just maybe....


• Come and See - Ezekiel, Hebrews, Revelation - Catholic Bible Study for Adults - 19.95 - This series also has children's work with which I have experience. I find the children's work to be superfluous and relatively silly. Having worked with very young children in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium, just shows me how deep children's souls are! My 4 year old had NO interest in these; and at age 9 says "no" to even sampling them. Anyway, it has me wondering about the adult version - if it's deep enough, then perhaps it would be appropriate for my 9 year old? It certainly intends to connect the Old and New Testaments, which is a bonus with our CGS work on typology.


• Unveiling the Apocalypse - the End Times According to the Bible - from Catholic Courses - 50-70 depending on place of purchase -- this one seems to directly address some of the most pertinent practical (apologetic) questions we have.


• Free Online Resource - if not very pretty, it seems to have good information.


• Adventures in Revelation 10 Week Bible Study - 179.95 - seems to be specifically for adults and is likely more scholarly than what we need. I am open to reviews, but the price is SO steep.


• The Book of Revelation - Catholic Scripture Studies International - 129.95

 

Any others you know of??

 

By the by, the Mennonite studies on Psalms and Proverbs? $3.30 each. Mm-hm. Accessible, rich, and affordable.

Compared to With Psalms: The School of Prayer at 24.95 just for the study guide (89.95 or 179.95 for CDs or DVDs). Perhaps more intense, but the 3.30 workbook provided us with a year's worth of follow-up work that was quite intense by itself!

 

 

Happy Birthday LegoBoy!

Happy Birthday my darling boy!!!!!

 



 

 

 



[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="448"] Ben-Hur - to go along with Ten Commandments; Once Upon a Time Season 1 (ok, not so Biblical there!), and Troy (also not so Biblical, but total BOY fun!)[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="448"] Excellent resources to go along with our 1-year reading of the Bible as we study what the Church teaches about various passages.[/caption]

Homeschooling and Personality

Interesting experience several months back. Tae-kwon-do tournament - Legoboy was testing for the next belt up; the instructor had separated out the white and yellow stripes to a different test day, so Legoboy only had one other person testing below him; everyone else was above him. The other girl was testing for green belt and entrance onto STORM team (Special Team of Role Models - intended for students up to age 18, with higher expectations of behavior and well, being a role model ;) - the standards are HIGH). Legoboy was already on the STORM team and testing for the next higher belt.

There were a few white belts and yellow stripes at the test just to watch. They look up to these higher belts.

This post has two parts - they are inter-related. Bear with me for a moment ;)

All was going well, for the most part. Those two youngest-children-lowest-belts-testing both have some "attitude" issues to work out, hopefully during their childhoods so they don't have to deal with it as adults. The instructor/master got after them both, publicly; because they are now role models and it needed to be made clear 1) where the bar is placed if you're going to be on STORM team; 2) those lower belts are watching and need to know what behavior is acceptable to copy; and 3) their display of negative behavior was public and at least once for each of them directly affected the test results of someone else.

Before anyone gets riled up about a public chewing out - please note these facts:

• the TKD master has been at this for 20-or-so years. The combined years of all instructors present was well over 100 years. They have turned around children with SEVERE behavior issues (far beyond anything displayed on that test day); and even had a child with severe ADHD and allergic to all medications for it. They KNOW what they are doing. They are NOT ripping these kids apart.


• The higher belts - they messed up too. And they got their own chewing outs, as well as the push-ups. In front of everyone. You mess up in front of everyone, you're doing push-ups. Period.


• It's not like "everyone look over here while I give this kid push-ups and everyone stare at him until he does them all" - NO! It's in a very busy place, with a LOT going on. A FEW people might be watching at any moment; but we all know those lower belts eyes were everywhere taking everything in.

During this particular test, a lady came in a bit late and sat with a friend of hers in the "audience". They chatted a bit, then I heard the new lady say, "Wow, there are a lot of homeschoolers here." The lady who had already been there said, "Really!? How do you know?"

"Oh, I can spot them a mile away!"

(inwardly I'm groaning - this is going to be one of those "homeschoolers have no social skills, are social recluses, thus they stand out like a sore thumb" and I started to slide away (I was sitting on the floor videotaping key moments of the test for various people) - but I couldn't get away fast enough before hearing more - I'm glad I got stuck ;) ).

She started to identify each and every homeschooler present at the test (I know several homeschooling students weren't there as they weren't testing that day). Every. Single. One. Including the ones with "perfect behavior and social skills."

Wow. I stuck around to hear more.

She explained that there is a confidence about those who homeschool - an inner peace that exudes outward, even through their particular personalities which can't be affected by the type of schooling they have (HER words! not mine! Wish they were mine!).

Interestingly enough, my son and the other girl noted above have some similar issues; and they both had "addresses" during the testing. Yet, my son stood out as the homeschooler and the girl stood out as the public schooler.

INTERESTING SIDE NOTE: She did not, at that time, see any of these children interact with their parents. All parents were in the "audience" and it was not clear who belonged to who. The students interacted amongst themselves and with the instructors present.

During a break in filming, I approached her and asked if she could give me specific points about each child that made her say "homeschool" or "traditional school" (she didn't differentiate between private or public schooling). She admitted to me that the only time she got the homeschool label wrong was if a child attended very good private schools that use multi-age grouping in its various forms (Montessori, Waldorf, etc.). Otherwise she couldn't really pinpoint just too much as much as just read her instinct.

She reiterated the inner confidence that is a very different confidence from those who attend most public schools. She mentioned a particular type of innocence that can't seem to be breached no matter what goes on in life.

She said that there is something about the conversation style, mannerisms during interactions, that are very different between the two groups.

And, not knowing which child was mine, she quickly pointed out she was not judging either group - just had this innate ability to separate them out from one another.
So I did ask about the two youngest. "How do you know? They are so similar."

The girl is hard, she said. Layers of hardness. There is a bitterness in her, but she wants to be loved - she knows she is loved, but her needs are so great that she is protecting herself. She probably has to protect herself at school because she has low real confidence in herself, thus she has become hard. It seems this tae-kwon-do program will be good for her and she will likely pull out of her current state, in time, with lots of support and maintenance of standards such as I see here. She has trouble with authority except when its getting after her. She probably has a mom and a dad at home or at least both are a consistent part of her life, but she doesn't spend as much time with them.

The boy is crusty. He has been hurt and is in need. I presume he has no father at home because of the way he looks to all the older boys and the adult men with such focus; he has other signs of paternal abandonment. I see him discerning which men to look to and which he ignores. This tells me he does have a strong man in his life and he is seeking those characteristics in others. Yet, he has that sense of innocence and that sense of confidence I mentioned that go hand in hand with one another - a confidence in his own value, thus a maintenance of innocence.

(she didn't know that Legoboy has several strong men in his life, but close enough!)

She also said something about each one responded to being reprimanded - their styles and mannerisms; but now, several months later, I can't quite re-capture the same words she used. My own observations: the girl pouts and stops trying until an attempt is insisted upon; Legoboy argues insisting he is right even after proven wrong, then does it the right way and keeps quiet, only later apologizing but never in the moment.

So. I asked her about socialization. What she thought about it. She said the important thing is to have true self-confidence in one's own value, not pumped up, not artificial, not over-protected, but a balanced and real life. She saw that all the TKD students present that day had a proper self-confidence - regardless of their schooling; but there was always something different about how each group interacted with each other and respected their authorities.

So do homeschoolers need more or different socialization, I asked. Is there anyone here who homeschools, who stands out as needing a change of scenery or are being inappropriately schooled?

All of them here have got it right, she responded.

Morning Fatigue

It is rare these days for me to wake up fatigued and stumbling, waiting some burst of energy to wake me up after I'm woken up.

I remember those days in elementary school, middle school, high school, college, my son's early infancy.

Then we lived in Central Time Zone for a year - and something clicked. I was actually WAKING up, withOUT an alarm clock, every morning and still getting to my son's school on time to work the mornings then to my training center in the afternoons. Something about that time zone was so helpful. Or maybe it is was because we were so far north - the days and nights were much more extreme. I don't know, but it was nice.

So I decided to go without alarm clocks.

I can't explain it but for the most part I can wake up timely, not rush around but BE awake.

I don't need make-up to hide the bags under the eyes and I am mostly well-refreshed.

If I have to be up by a particular time that I don't think I'll manage, I set the alarm on my phone. Thus, alarms happen rare enough I actually wake to them (I stopped waking to them for a LONG time).

Well, a couple of Saturdays back I'd been up too late the night before working and had to be up early. For tae-kwon-do tournament no less - all the noise, all the driving in the early morning winter air. Sigh. I said to myself, "I don't have to do this again for a while."

So last night I stayed up late - got a second and third wind and really slammed through some intense, detailed projects. I am SO RELIEVED to have these projects out of the way! I have SO MUCH ELSE to catch up on! I thought for sure i'd sleep until 10:30 since I was going to bed at 4:30 after having been awake all day and most of the night.

I woke up at 7:30 and could NOT get back to sleep.

I am awake. But I am unproductive. I am bleary-eyed. I have bags under my eyes. I can't function, yet I can't go to sleep.

So I pray. I pray for sleep to overtake me. As I feel that familiar wave of energy seep into me that I remember so well from my school days. I hated it then. I hate it now. This being SO tired and waking up after waking up. It's not proper.

But neither is staying up until 4:30! Which will be a repeat tonight, if I don't fall asleep in the middle: THE HOBBIT comes out tonight and my son has been saving up money for a year. So despite our current financial straits, we are treating his godfather to a midnight showing.

I sense an afternoon nap coming on!

Yum - Pancakes and eggs

Made by the most beautiful boy alive!



Yummy eggs (once cooked fully ;) ). Our griddle requires a lid to be held over the eggs to cook the tops without cooking the centers - not a big deal, if not what I expected.



2 years ago I bought this HUGE bottle of syrup. Despite the fact that we use a LOT of syrup, we've not gone through it. Now, we still had 3 or 4 glass bottles (see left) to use up before we got started on the large bottle. Now I just wash out that glass bottle, transfer as needed from the large jug; and the large jug can be stored in the back of fridge out of harm's way. I have read about concerns about the age of the syrup - but if you keep it air- and moisture-tight, nothing has a chance to grow on it because of the relatively low water content. AND if something does grow on it, you can scoop it off and the rest is untouched. I've not had to do that with this syrup - but with other things in that past I didn't care for properly ;)

These pancakes turned out a bit thicker than usual. Probably because of the powdered milk rather than liquid (and usually raw) milk we usually use - but he added a bit more liquid, so I don't know.

In any case, breakfast was QUITE delicious! All I had to do was keep things cleaned up so our kitchen can stay consistently tidy. And he still made it to class on time that morning ;)

Yay!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

[caption id="attachment_973" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Thanksgiving Prayer Table"][/caption]

We woke this morning to a simple morning prayer, introductory prayers to the Rosary, long Scripture readings and a prayer to keep us humble and meek. Especially as we go into a season of the gimmes and gottahaves and justgottagetsforsomeoneelses. Gift giving is wonderful, except when it encourages pride in the best gift given - my own temptation every year, thus every year I force myself to give simple gifts. Serious pride issues.

FlyLady and Catholic Hearts

Well... several years later, I have some updates....

First, several years ago, I tell in love with FlyLady. I knew there were areas we couldn't agree - and gray areas as well. But I worked it out. Instead of 5 areas of the house, I have 4 (I hve a much smaller home - and I look forward to those 4 weeks each year that are the "fifth week of the month" ;) Freebies!

The shoes thing.... It has always irked me. To no end. I couldn't just disagree and call it good. I think it is a rotten idea!

http://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/fly-faq/#shoes

Based on her reasoning, the only reason I as a stay at home mom would want to keep my shoes OFF is because "only the kids will see me".

(please note when reading this list, when I first found FlyLady I was doing an in-home daycare)

Well..... I keep my shoes OFF at home for the following reasons:

• so I can feel like I am at HOME.


• so no gunk is being tracked in for babies to crawl through


• so I can BE on the floor with the children


• so the children can spread out a blanket and nap on the floor


• so my overnight children can roll off their mats onto the floor and be on clean carpet


• so I can keep my carpets cleaner - less time and money spent on cleaning (isn't this why I was doing FlyLady to begin with !?)

Ok, indoor shoes might work - then change to outdoor shoes.

Or not:

• baby fingers on the floor - crawling - playing


• with no shoes on at all, I can feel the carpet, I can feel the small items that fall and might choke a child, I will feel a baby's finger before stepping on it just too hard (yes, I should see the baby as well, but there ARE fast babies - and if I am carrying one across the room in a hurry (leaking diaper, vomiting baby), well, there just ARE situations where you see the baby but not the fingers.


• I am a calmer, more relaxed person without shoes on. I am at home. I am WITH the PEOPLE.

She also uses the reasoning about being a professional. Professional swimmers don't wear shoes when doing their jobs ;) Jokes aside, I am a mom, not a professional. I am ok with dressing neatly, brushing the hair (I don't wear make-up, even in truly professional situations, so I won't do it at home), always being ready to greet someone at the door - those things I am good with.

But I don't want shoes in my home. And for those people who stop by just for a few minutes so don't want to take shoes off? Well, it's those first few minutes when the most gunk falls off your shoes onto my carpeting and flooring - and I have the most cleaning up to do when you leave.

That is not me being mean or rude or obnoxious or controlling. That is me being realistic and asking for a little respect in my own home. I have only ever had issues with four people: a firemen who had to do a safety inspection for daycare purposes and the daycare inspection lady (both of whom put plastic bags over their shoes while walking ; my son's godmother (go figure - we love you anyway!); and the man I was courting for a year and a half (he was so used to wearing his shoes non-stop in his own home because of having a cat that vomited and pooped EVERYwhere) - and while he tried SO hard to be mindful of my requests, habits over-ride. And stuff was brought INto my home FROM his home via everyone's shoes that I won't even describe here. Ew.

Sorry FlyLady. No shoes in this home!

(and yes, when I can get away with it - no shoes OUTside either! ;) Easier to clean off feet before coming in, than it is shoes)

October Devotions

October is so rich in devotions. The Month of the Rosary, but even before October starts we have the feast of St. Michael, the Feast of the Guardian Angels - the we have St. Therese, St. Francis, name feast days of so many people I know....

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="359" caption="Crocheted Rosary on our Lent prayer table from 2 years ago (and last year)"][/caption]

And I intended to write about some of our devotionals this year. 10 months have quickly come to a close and this past month has been worse than any of the previous months - even morehan writing about them - DOING them.

For those of you following me online, respectfully or otherwise, you will notice there have been several blog posts - almost all of these were scheduled well in advance of their publication date. This one I write today and have re-scheduled today's for sometime next month.

In September, I spent 2 weeks prepping for a semi-last minute trip I didn't know for sure I was signed up for and thought it was a month later than it was. Garden of Francis orders were already tight, what with shipping delays, shipping damage, missing e-mails. My son's homeschooling was behind; I hadn't (and still haven't started our co-op this year yet. I spent so much pulling together childcare details and figuring out where the money was going to come from (they charged me more than I was anticipating). Then gone for a week - a WONDERFUL week mind you, but the stress before and after... well. I won't complain. Just state the facts.

I spent the last 2 days of that week with an extreme sore throat - not strep (thank goodness), but nasty nonetheless. It tasted like something rotting in my mouth most of the time.

By the time I drove the 8 hours home and reunited with my son, I was whipped. Over the course of the last month, I, who never get sick except for the monthly stuff, have been laid low with what feels like everything. (feels like it, not really everything).  And the only meds I could take for anything had high fructose corn syrup in them (a poison to my body) - taking away one symptom and giving me 10 others.

I have had the fortunate blessing of particular friends to be of fantastic assistance, taking over areas that I have been weak in. I have been blessed to not have had to miss an atrium session yet this month - yay! But that is all I have been consistent with.

And as October draws to a close, I realize that our spiritual lives this month, if not for atrium, are just BLECK. My son asks to pray the rosary and I am falling asleep before the end of the introductory prayers... We sit down to read the Bible together and I am sick to my stomach and head and have to lay down.

I appreciate everyone 's prayers through this ordeal and I look forward to things looking up for a while. Please keep the prayers coming!

Drying Mint

We are trying to be good stewards of the earth, while not letting the earth get in the way of the most important gift of human beings: relationship.

It is even better when the two are the same thing :)

In this case, we are growing mint in our living room. As it grows long, we trim it, hang it to dry, grind it up and make tea... and more... While it is drying (upside down so the oils flow back into the leaves, maximizing their potential), we have a beautiful decoration that makes our home, truly homey. Comforting. And there is a natural inclination towards being with one another in a cozy, homey home ;)

Once it is fully dried, we spend time together pulling the leaves off into a large bowl (easier to collect everything then, transfer in small quantities to the mortar and pestle). I bought a set of 3 of these on Amazon years back (affiliate link there) that have been simply fantastic!

The mint leaves are stored in a jar to use for making tea, or to add to our homemade toothpaste or anywhere else we need some mint flavoring.

That leaves the stems - which are fine for adding to the composting, but well, we have an interesting set up with our apartment management and mouse-traps get pricey when management does little to alleviate the issue. But fresh mint keeps them away.

My mother will cringe when she reads that I tuck these stems in all the places where the mice have been spotted. Despite her cringing, I can confidently report success (so far!) - ice-free and my home smells so nice! We freshen them up when we harvest new mint and THEN we compost the stems. There may be other purposes for them, but that is what we do for now :)

mint, dried, laying on the stove because our counters were full at the time.

grinding mint leaves with mortar and pestle

Once a Month Cooking - October

I have been serving as test cook for http://onceamonthmom.com - and we LOVE so many of the foods.

I like having the recipes all laid out for me, with instructions and a complete shopping list.

As a user of the site, I can just follow along and at the end of the day, I have more than a months' worth of food in my freezer and fridge (we make 4 servings, thus doubling up - 1 month of cooking usually lasts us 3 months, with our typical fill ins of peanut butter and jelly, other favorite foods, visiting elsewhere, and our other favorites).

As a test cook every few months, I get to make sure all amounts and instructions are correct for YOU the end-user.

I never do take as many photos as I intend to. The cooking is pretty intense - and so satisfying when it is done!

[caption id="attachment_923" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="breakfast cooking - these sausages were SO YUMMY! Definitely a "do 'em again, Mom!""][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_925" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="MMMMMMM........ (ok not so mmmm when raw; but they turned out fantastic!)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_924" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="In-progress"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_926" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Peanut Butter Hummus - my son pointed out the layers, just like the layers of the earth and the density of liquids - so we had to take a photo!"][/caption]

Mean Mommy ;)

Yep. I'm a mean mommy.

If by "mean mommy", one uses the definition: a mother who holds true to her personal principles and strives to raise a child into an independent adult.

Note that this definition does not pass judgment on any other mother, or father for that matter, in any way, shape or form. This definition simply says that in this fallen world of imperfect human beings, each parent strives to their best job raising the child(ren) entrusted to said parent, in the best way that they can.

I personally would not want to raise a child based on principles I don't believe in. And I would RARELY judge another parent for choosing to raise a child according to their own principles, which may be wildly different from mine. The exceptions: physical and emotional safety. If you're going to beat your child and lock him in a closet for days on end - yeah, I'll judge. I can be totally honest about that.

If you raise your child eating ice cream for breakfast - I'll buy the ice cream on my way to your house for a morning play date! Because that is YOUR choice as a parent! (ok, in that case, it happens to be mine too - Saturday morning ice cream is something of a tradition around here - but let's see... if you choose to raise your child in a home where all the children have the same first name (Foreman family comes to mind) or the same first initial (Duggars) - that's up to you!  I won't be going there, because that's not my place.

You want to send your child to a particular school, or not, or unschool or not, or homeschool or not - or do some funky combination of all sorts of schooling. Have at it!

But I am a mean mommy. Why? Because of an arrangement my son and I agreed upon. I shared this agreement on Facebook and received some borderline hate mail. All private thus far, but really!? Why!?

It comes down to finances. On principle, I do not believe in a free-ride in life, despite anything a particular extended family member might have to say about me. I do believe in love/charity and making oneself a gift to others - but a gift to others does not equal a doormat, and when children are involved, the best time to learn responsibility is from a young age. That does NOT mean slave labor, folks! It does not mean "no fun!"

It means that I provide all the necessities (true necessities!) of life, plus a lot of the "wants" (some Americans consider these "wants" as "necessities" and that is where the "mean mommy" syndrome comes in):

Necessities:

• routine healthy meals, appropriate clothing to the season and age, suitable shelter


• education and educational supplies for core subjects, which includes basic art

Wants/Extras:

• enrollment in "electives" - extra educational options that are directly related to the core subjects or ones that I deem as "required" in our household - more art is included here


• lots and lots of books - reading material for the fun of it, as well as educational options


• Netflix and similar services - both for fun and for education


• daily desserts and treats that are not so healthy ;)


• transportation to/from scheduled events (tae-kwon-do class 2-4 times a week, speech class, tournaments, belt tests, playdates, museum trips, lego store monthly builds, home depot kids workshop monthly - just to name a very scant few)


• use of digital camera and video camera


• use of the computer to play a browser-based history game

So the rest of the mean mommy???? My son and I have agreed that HE has to pay for the following:

• any and all treats above and beyond what I would ordinarily provide - we do a lot of food-related mystery shopping and I like my treats too - so it's not like he is deprived in *any* way of routine junk food!


• he pays for almost all lego purchases from his own money (he also receives gifts from me and from others on birthdays and christmases) - this "gift" and "earn" mentality has led to him being quite generous with gift-giving. He saves his money and initiates conversations with people - "So if you could have anything for Christmas, what would it be?" and he does what he can to make it happen! You should see his gift-giving list just for this year alone! It is HUGE. Much longer than what he is asking for!


• Desired purchases that do not fit our household budget. His first big purchase? Lord of the Rings Extended Edition DVDs. At $75, we couldn't afford them, when we had a perfectly good set of widescreen editions. So he saved up his money; and bought them. When we went to order them online, the price had dropped to $49 - so he had an extra $26 to put towards his next purchase: Kingdom Lego sets. That was 2 years ago. Those are still valued items for him and he has set up longer and longer term goals for himself.


• Tae-kwon-do tournaments. Half the tae-kwon-do belt test fees. Keep in mind, I pay for a uniform each year (all he needs, although this year joining STORM team, means an extra uniform due to the change in color); I drive him to every event; I provide services for the fundraisers and make sure all is in place for his continued practice and growth. I pay for his YMCA membership and his godfather covered the tae-kwon-do class fee itself. So the extra fees are not all bad for a young man to cover.

And we still have a house full of STUFF. Yick. So he's not lacking in good old American consumerism! Despite my mad attempts to the contrary!

He takes on odd jobs with family and neighbors; he works on projects for me; he receives birthday and Christmas money; he helps to sell items that are useful to someone else but not needed here.

He just seems to be growing into a strong spirit of working hard and sharing the fruits of his work with others - because he CAN; because the work and therefore the fruits are truly HIS to *truly* give to others. Yes, he comes to me for guidance (he IS 8 years old after all!), but for the most part, he is free to share his fruits - instead of hording it all for himself because mommy gave it to HIM and him alone; or because "I know I can get more, so I don't care if I give it away." He gives because he has true ownership. He only asks for something from others when he hopes to have something to give in return. He is empowered to know he CAN work, that his work is valuable, and that he can take care of business.

If I am waffling on a purchase for his schooling or for fun and saying "well, I'd be willing to pay x-amount, but the price is y-amount", he calculates the difference himself and if he wants whatever the item is, he brings me the difference and covers it. I never ask for that!  Most recently, that happened with a museum center membership. Turns out, I got an educator discount so I returned the money he offered me, but he was still wanting to let me keep it anyway, towards the membership, just to be of help to me. I did give it back anyway, and he re-distributed the money back into other goals.

I did not teach him those things. I take no credit. I do take credit for working WITH him.

Yep. Mean Mommy. If that is defined as all of the above, OK, you've caught me ;)

STORM team!

My son can make me so proud sometimes :)

As a green belt, he is allowed to join STORM team (Special Team of Role Models). All members of the STORM team must adhere to strict codes of behavior both in class and outside of it, both in uniform and in plain clothes, even to and with people who do not even know they are in tae-kwon-do.

Since they are not used to having children of such a young age, but have several coming up who are 8 and 9, they created a Junior STORM team for the younger ones until they are age 12. The children will participate like the older members, but have fewer requirements. At age 12, they can join the regular STORM team. I am not sure how that will work when these other kids will be 12 before my son will be 12, yet he will not only have his black belt before then, but will have been on Junior STORM team longer than the others... but we'll cross that bridge when we get there ;) I guess, too that if he really wants to ask for an exception as time gets closer, he'll have to get over the effects that are typical in boys when girls are present on equal footing in areas that boys and girls are really best separated (physical activities such as tae-kwon-do being just one small example).

The STORM team uniform is a sleeveless black top with a red t-shirt and black pants. Junior STORM team members wear a blue t-shirt. He had his t-shirt but not the rest of the uniform his first night of STORM team practice.

Even my brand new nifty camera couldn't catch all the motion - I think the setting was wrong, but it means I can post more photos on the blog ;)

All photos are while in formation.

[caption id="attachment_907" align="aligncenter" width="135" caption="Marching"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_908" align="aligncenter" width="119" caption="Marching back to original position"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_906" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Doing a form while in formation"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_905" align="aligncenter" width="123" caption="Probably marching :) "][/caption]

In Full Bloom: Our Balcony Garden

Ok, two things are in bloom!

But it's ALL so beautiful!

(note to Grandma: please click on each image to see it full-size - the settings here cut down the photos) :)

[gallery order="DESC" link="file" columns="2" ids="834,835,836,837,838,839,840,841,842,843,844,845,846,847,848,849,850,851,852,853,854,855,856,857,858,859,860,861"]

"Childhood Before TV"

So my son and are in the car one evening, driving to tae-kwon-do.

Somehow we started talking about my early childhood and I mentioned not watching tv.

He says to me in an incredulous voice, "What did you DO all day!?"

I proceeded to tell him some of the things I remember doing: building with blocks and other materials, playing grandma's organ, reading lots of good books, creating drawings, playing in the sandbox.... then I said, "WAIT a minute! All the things that YOU do all day!"

Why on earth did my son ask me that question, in THAT tone of voice!? He doesn't watch tv all day either! We don't have a tv signal! We watch a movie once a week, if that; and we do have a couple of DVDs for things like art instruction or other educational videos (all things Ancient Egypt, anyone!?), but we're talking less than 5 hours screen time a week. And these things are on the computer - not the tv. We do have videos for use on the tv we do own; which is used about once every 3 months. Maybe.

And he asks me what I did in my childhood without tv!?

Well, he got a good laugh out of tricking me into thinking he was thinking something he wasn't!

The little jokester.

Woke up this morning...

and went into my son's room to check on the plants.

I found this:



I told him to put this cross somewhere nice. It has a whole in the back for hanging on hooks and such. Apparently that hole is the same size as the cable line coming in right there. After 4 years of being in this home, he found a use for the cable connection. (since why would we use it for cable ? ;) ).