Modest Boys Clothing ?????

Who ever heard of such a thing? Aren't boys' clothes usually modest and just not something to worry about???

Well....

Actually, boys' clothing can be and is fairly immodest. When it is too tight; when it is paid advertising for some company, whether characters or a clothing company; when it is so loose that unnecessary skin is shown; when (ahem) waists of pants hang somewhere mid-thigh (when WILL that fashion go away????? the kids of the kids who were wearing pants like that when I was a kid are doing it now and thinking they thought of something thoughtless from the thoughts of another generation!).

Anyone who could follow that last comment of mine is welcome to a 5% coupon off of total purchase - even modest boys' clothing! at Garden of Francis

Boys clothing is specifically here: Boys Clothing

Actually, our product line is ever-expanding, faster than I can even post photos, but the MIA are coming soon ;)

Our boys' line will also include solid color socks (white for everyday and black for dressy) and items for cooler weather. All items available now are for warmer weather, sun protection and modesty. We're considering a few other garments and will post as we decide.

Our ladies' line is soon to be adding modest scrub tops and long skirts (modest scrub skirts) for medical assistants and nurses.
And a separate area for female underclothing, including feminine products.

Our diaper line is adding a set of contour diapers that can be used stand-alone with pins or other fasteners - or can be covered with a cover of some sort. We are also tweaking the training pants pattern before posting it as available - training pants for young children with snaps on the sides for those *messy* accidents. Reusable pull-ups! What could be better?

As always, homeschool Montessori materials are in the works. We'll take **special requests** for anything that someone needs in the near future. Current turn-around time on Montessori materials is less than a week. And the person who requests the Montessori (or other homeschool) material receives a coupon for 75% off that product.
Homeschool/Educational
Montessori

Last but not least is our homemaking section. We have aprons for children, an upcoming fasting cookbook (pre-orders being taken now!), cotton and mesh produce bags, and pure soap.

Gift Certificates are always available too! (no discounts on these, but you can use them to buy discounted items!)

So what is that code? It will work one time per customer: stblogmodest5

Happy Shopping!

Is it a Mess? Or an Animal Shop?

Or a happy little boy hard at work....

The joys of homeschooling - still getting all the schoolwork done, yet unlimited time to work on this going-on-two-week-project that hasn't stagnated yet.







Wow. Good thing I'm not cleaning it up! ;)

Swagbucks, anyone?

I get referral points if anyone uses my link to get there... And then I get Amazon gift cards (homeschooling books!). ;)

Cosmic Education

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Cosmic Education

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Cosmic education is that education which opens up for the child a vision of all that the world was meant to be, through collaboration of man’s efforts with God’s. “This is what cosmic education for the child entails: the image of God as He functions in the cosmos to create the earth and of man, who from his beginnings in nature evolved to create the supranature in which we live today… to bring about the spiritual union of a humanity that materially is already one.” To the child is revealed a united vision of sometimes seemingly disparate parts, of disciplines, life efforts, ways of life; indeed nothing happens in isolation – all things come together for some purpose. True cosmic education can only come about when “education is understood as a help to life and development.” Even “more than education, gratitude to God and Man should form part of Man's psychic formation. It should accompany him from birth to death.”

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The child’s work in the casa is built upon, expanded and crystallized in the elementary environment where the child receives the Great Stories; the child delves into various aspects of each story, uniting himself with the work of 4,000 year old man and the man of tomorrow into whom the child is constructing himself.

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Mario Montessori discusses the interconnectedness of the corals, the forests, the insects who pollinate, and others. What is interesting is the loss of the coral reefs due to various conditions which prevent them from doing their tasks, and the ensuing consequences to the earth. What Mr. Montessori wrote about is happening right here and now – the balance has been upset. The children of today will be the ones to solve the issue or to face its consequences. Balance will be restored – the question is how and when?

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Man has been endowed with specific gifts which place him above nature; he is still part of nature, but is a steward over it. Man has the capability to build up and to destroy, sometimes in the same deed. Man has the capability to take nature and make it something greater than it is in and of itself: this is man’s cosmic task – to work as co-creators, with God and with mankind, to develop relationships, establish and strengthen connections, sharing with the present and future generations, by building upon the gifts given us by previous generations. The key premise: real work.

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Real work ensures that the experience of each child provides for the greatest exploration of mankind’s current knowledge and power such that each child’s potential is maximized; his contributions, in conjunction with others, will continue to be built upon and expanded upon, until such a time as the work is complete.

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But as each child is pursuing his own efforts, should he always be mindful of the contributions he is making for others? Not necessarily. Just as the wind, the corals, the insects, the plants, all carry out their seemingly selfish pursuits for their own preservation, they are unconsciously serving a greater purpose. As man takes these components of nature and utilizes them in a way that brings about further benefit to other inhabitants of the universe, each component becomes greater than its own nature. While mankind, beginning with the child, strives for that connection with others, it is sometimes in the seemingly selfish pursuits of self-construction of the young child and pursuit of personal interests of the elementary child in which lay the foundation for the discovery of the adolescent’s and adult’s personal cosmic task. “Each takes something from the environment, but each gives much more than it takes.” But the child is different from the rest of creation – he is aware of a greater purpose beyond his own self and he yearns to make a connection with that purpose, wondering what is his place within the cosmos; even as he cannot make out all the details, he is aware of something outside of himself, greater than himself. It is through real work and proper guidance that the child grows in his understanding and appreciation.

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Through the child’s work in the elementary environment, provided in a manner which fulfills his psychological characteristics of imagination, wonder and awe, intellectual thirst, and sense of justice, he comes to a sense of gratitude: “Not by preaching, said Dr. Montessori, but by fitting them into the various expressions of activity peculiar to their tendencies of the children of this age, experience to help imagination, possibility of research of concentration, of active assimilation. They will arrive then, by themselves, to the realization of the contribution of God and Man and gradually develop not only appreciation but gratitude.”

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It is through this gratitude that the child will be encouraged, invited, enticed to continue the work of mankind through the ages, uniting his efforts to all those who have come before, all those who are here with us now, and all those who are yet to come – until such a time as the work of mankind reaches its final perfection: peace among men.

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Garden of Francis

My website is finally up and running!

I have several items in progress, but the ones visible are all available right now. Next week, I'll have the clothing posted (modest long skirts and other *girls* clothing (boys clothes will come soon)) and a few Montessori materials; more added all the time ;)

From the main page:

We strive to provide the items that are so hard for our own family to find: modest clothing, educational materials, homemaking resources, Montessori materials - for a reasonable price.

Free shipping on orders over $200. All books ship free all the time.

We take special orders on homeschool and Montessori items as well - right now, items are added as they are used in our home or as other circumstances allow or dictate, but if a request is made, materials will be created :)

Come on over and take a look (and come back later to see what I've added) :)

Here it is! Garden of Francis

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Musings

I am both happy and sad to see this final CGS weekend come up - happy because I LOVE the training (always have!) and this is the last of the last.


There is talk of an atrium for the younger ones, but I’ve had my son in the 3-6 year old atrium since he was 1, and have had other 1-2 year olds join us, so I’ve seen those modifications – I’ve made them! I’ll be interested in learning others’ experiences and insights, but the training itself, if ever offered, I likely will not take.


And for older kids, if they have gone through the entire atrium, they know how to study Scripture and church teaching at a much deeper level than the norm and each parish and each class have to make their own adjustments from there. There will likely never be an adolescent training.


So this is it. I'm sad to see it end in a way. This is the one thing for which I have routinely sacrificed my child with very few qualms. I am a mom above all else and it has been difficult to give up that role for a day or for a weekend. But the fruits reveal the root – and the fruits of this work are beautiful.


I can't say I've learned too much MORE while in this training (I have a degree in theology, studying at two well-to-do, reputable Catholic universities), though I have certainly learned some new things; I have been able to go much deeper with it; study teachings with children (and adults); importance of so many key aspects that so many people think are frivolous to a child's upbringing, but are actually so essential.


Obviously, I'm still not a purist, but the lovely thing with CGS is that I don't have to be - CGS is not meant to be a "complete" religious ed program, meaning that when parents come and ask, "well when do they learn these particular prayers?" we can say, "You're doing those at home right?" Because while all prayers are used in potentiality, only particular ones are lifted up for meditation on specific lines, exploration of origin, etc.


And there is plenty of room for doing the Baltimore Catechism or other religious ed programs outside of the atrium. It's not part of it, but it's not exclusive either. They complement one another – one with a heart experience that leads to words and the other with a more or less strictly intellectual experiments that feeds the longing of the heart to understand.


I look forward to being a trainer, so I know this is not the last training for me; it’s simply the last one on which I’ll be a participant only. In many ways, being a trainer will help me to continue to grow in this work, always learning from one another, addressing questions, exploring Scriptures and church teachings in another light.


I am happy because I get another weekend of CGS training! I am sad because this is the last of the trainings. I am happy because this starts a new chapter in my CGS experience and my walk with God, but sad and a touch scared (nervous anticipation???) at the same time. It’s new territory. I am sad because I will be leaving my son, but I am satisfied that he will be in the care of cherished loved ones. I am both happy and sad that the full-effort album page writing and material making is coming to and end (I still have materials to make though!), but I know that in an effort towards ever-increasing simplicity, these things will continue on some level – and now I can be there to help others on their first steps.


Pray for me, please.

Who needs a sandbox anyway…

...when you have THIS much snow!

[caption id="attachment_76" align="alignright" width="300" caption="This had already been partially cleared and this was on our *covered* balcony!"][/caption]

He’d already swept most of our balcony clear and had started to clear out the wagon (with the dump truck no less) while watching the plows clear our parking lot, when he realized that he was doing just what he did with sand box before all the sand was lost over the sides of the balcony! So he played in snow-sand for a while.

Of course, momentarily that excitement was nothing compared to the thrill of standing on the wagon, holding onto the railing and pulling himself along, to clear all snow from the top of the railing. That was to collect more snow, which was much more efficiently brought up from groundlevel via buckets.

What fun we find when we don’t have a decent play area. ;)