Rock on!

C. and G. have been rocking out with the guitars that Santa brought them. They are very good at making up their own songs.

Carmella as Joni Mitchell

And George as serious Elvis.

What is wrong with this picture?

Look at this picture. Please tell me I am not the only one who sees something seriously wrong going on here.

And this one. Look at it closely. There is something seriously amiss. Can Catholic schools have changed that much in the past 15 years?

Do the parents know these girls leave the house dressed like this? Obviously the school does and allows it, even when they are meeting the Archbishop!

I taught in the public schools and honestly, I don't think girls are allowed to wear skirts that short in public schools. I think it is very sad that these girls have noone to guide them in proper attire.

Field Trip - Higgins Armory Museum

The Higgins Armory Museum
Officially, of course, it is school vacation week. But we figure this is still a field trip since we don't go to school! The added bonus was that Ron was able to join us. So off we went to the Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester!

It was very interesting to see all the type of armor and the history of armor around the world, although the majority was European.


















C. and G. loved dressing up as knights and trying on real helmets. They also enjoyed playing with the giant chess set (the pieces were almost as big as G.!) It was a nice way to spend a winter afternoon, especially with free passes from the public library!

The Twelve Days of Christmas

On the 1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

A Partridge in a Pear Tree
The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, whose birthday we celebrate on December 25, the first day of Christmas. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge that feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, recalling the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered you under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but you would not have it so . . . ." (Luke 13:34)

On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Two Turtle Doves
The Old and New Testaments, which together bear witness to God's self-revelation in history and the creation of a people to tell the Story of God to the world.

On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Three French Hens
The Three Theological Virtues: 1) Faith, 2) Hope, and 3) Love (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Merry Christmas!

St. Francis of Assisi Church, Fitchburg MA

With much of the focus on Mary tonight (and deservedly so) I thought I would offer a prayer to St. Joseph, who is often overlooked in the busy Christmas season.

A PRAYER OF ST. JOSEPH
Blessed Joseph, husband of Mary,
be with us this day. You protected
and cherished the Virgin; loving the child Jesus as your son, you rescued him from the danger of death.
Defend the Church, the household of God, purchased by the blood of Christ. Guardian of the Holy Family, be with us in our trials. May your prayers obtain for us the strength to flee from error
and wrestle with the powers of corruption so that in life we may
grow in holiness and in death
rejoice in the crown of victory.
Amen.
Have a Blessed Christmas everyone!

Pizzazz cookies!

What would Christmas be without homemade cookies? This year I cut way back on my baking and ended up with only 3 kinds of cookies, but the kids always enjoy the sugar cookies the best. I made lots of frosting, had lots of sprinkles, and left the rest up to the kids.
Of course, G. promised not to eat to much frosting, so only a few times did he have to lick his fingers.






And then, a few times more....













We created some gorgeous cookies to eat and share and had a lot of fun along the way, although G. did have to be shut off after the third mile-high sprinkled "pizzazz" cookie (G. gave them the name and it stuck). At least nobody was sick afterward - my kids have iron constitutions when it comes to sugar!

Why homeschool?

To be honest, I've gotten little to no negative comments about homeschooling. It's probably because on the surface at least I seem qualified to teach. I have a M.Ed. and am a certified teacher. It certainly makes it easier for people to feel comfortable with the idea.

The truth, however, is that I am qualified simply because I am a parent! Nothing I learned in graduate school or in the classroom helps me. In fact, I have to unlearn quite a bit to be successful with C. at home.

After 4 months of our official "homeschooling" year, this is what I have discovered:

1. C. doesn't need a lot of directed learning. With a bit of guidance and a small amount of "sit down" work, she learns quite a bit on her own. It is better that I have an overall idea of what I want her know (for example, I want her to know the sounds of all the letters and how to put those sounds together) than to have it in my head that we have to get to page 36 in a workbook by such and such a date. This is why it is so important to be aware of the progression of a child's thinking, not the bits and pieces of facts which might be exhibited on a spelling test, for example.

2. I have to be more organized. Once C. and G. start "pretend" playing in the morning, it's all over! It is very hard to coax them into activities with me and frustration ensues. Part of it is because I'm not entirely convinced that their pretend play isn't more valuable than anything I have planned. Creative play is, in my most humble opinion, the single most important activity of childhood. So my goal is to get them in the morning and after lunch allow them to do their own thing as much as possible. Of course, on the days G. has preschool this is my one-on-one time with C. so it isn't an issue.

3. The biggest reason I homeschool C. is not because I think the public schools are an abysmal failure, but because it is the best scenario for C., and it is also the best way to live out our values. I don't see C. succeeding in public schools, at least not now. (And don't get me started on MCAS!!!!!) The emphasis on tests and scores, and your worth being judged by being constantly compared to your peers is not what I want for her. Grades, report cards - blech.

Those are my ramblings for this morning. Have a great day!

Christmas is almost here!

C. is busy making all sorts of gifts for some very special people. It has been so much fun to think of some small items she can make this year. She is so enthusiastic. It's so wonderful to experience the self-confidence of a 6 year old. She doesn't worry about what people will think or if it is "good enough". She is so proud of everything she makes and is excited to give her gifts.

I should really take a lesson from her. I find I am my own worst critic, constantly feeling like I don't measure up. What a waste of time and energy! And I hope she is always this confident and proud of herself.

And if you are the recipient of one of C.'s gifts - you are very lucky and very loved!

Snowschooling

Physical Education: clearing the snow off Mom's car
Language Arts: s-h-o-v-e-l
Math: How many shovelfuls to clear off Mom's car?
Foreign Language: mucha nieve
Science: when the air is very cold, it snows

Well, I think today is done. Time for a cup of tea.

More pics from the Living Nativity (see below)

Living Nativity

Last night we had the most amazing experience. Our local Lutheran church puts on a "Living Nativity" every year, and we finally were able to go. We truly felt like we had stepped back in time. When you arrive, you have to register your family with the Romans. Then you wander about the town, complete with marketplace and people in costume walking around selling wares and caring for their animals. Everybody was speaking Hebrew (I think, I recognized some words - not just Shalom! I don't think anyone was speaking Aramaic...) and coming up to us talking to us, the kids were completely freaked out! Way in the back was a small humble stable where Mary and Joseph rested with Jesus. It was so realistic it gave me and Ron chills. It felt like we were really experiencing it. The Romans were almost too realistic and gave poor Georgie quite a fright! Here are some pictures - the white spots are snow, it started snowing about an hour before we went, just after we decorated our Christmas tree. A magical night!

Field Trip!

Our first *official* field trip was a huge success! C. had seen a PBS show about an Italian sculptor, Bernini (I think?) and had really wanted to see some sculpture at a "real" art museum. So I took advantage of the free passes at the library and off we went to the Worcester Art Museum.





I was a bit nervous about G. - visions of toppled 1000-year-old statues smashed on the floor and greasy fingerprints smearing a priceless Monet danced in my head - but all for nothing as he was perfectly behaved and enjoyed viewing the sculptures and paintings.

Carmella loved the Roman statues and the replica of the Benedictine monastery. They both loved Alexander Ross's 'Untitled' installation.

We had a lovely "fancy" lunch at the cafe and came home where they both painted their versions of Ross's 'Untitled" which now adorn our classroom.










We now have a long list of field trips on the horizon: The Higgins Armory Museum, The Museum of Science, the Mariposa Museum, The Boston Museum of Fine ARts, and a special request to find a candy factory to visit!

Solo blogging

One thing I have learned during my long absence is that I can't read other people's blogs, especially homeschoolers. It makes me feel completely inadequate. A lazy, bewildered underacheiver.

I think it was the blog of the homeschooling mom who knit all sorts of crafts for her kids, felted all their toys, cooked all their meals from scratch and her kids were doing all sorts of creative activities while mine were watching t.v. that put me over the edge.

I have good intentions, of course, but I always feel I am falling short of the mark. All of these blogs of the perfect homeschooling families always make me feel like crud and feed into my rampant insecurities.

So for now I will be content to just find my way without reading other mamas blogs, but feel free to read mine :) and maybe offer some encouragement as I blindly climb through uncharted territory, trying to be the best me I can be.

Ghosts!

We started decorating our schoolroom for Halloween with some tissue-paper ghosts. The kids had a great time making them. Sometimes the simplest ideas seem to be the ones that are the best.

We had so much fun that the kids wanted to make more when Daddy got home.

Land of the free, home of the brave

So Al Gore wins the Nobel Peace prize, eh? I feel somehow...vindicated...secretly smug and sticking my tongue out at every person who supported George Bush and wrote Gore off as an overweight has-been crying in his spilled milk. Feh!!

I don't think I've ever been so angry as when the bought & sold Supreme Court elected George Bush as Commander in Chief. I lost all faith in our country, in our system of government that I truly had believed was superior than any other. Checks and balances would prevent any branch from having too much power and usurping the federal government, or so I thought. But what do you know, some very power hungry, smart, rich men propped up an idiot and wrapped him in the flag and forever changed our world.

And what has our country gotten for its effort? A steady erosion of the rights that made our country so unique in the world, the cost of living increasing steadily, young soldiers being blown to bits in another Vietnam, hate, hate, and more hate.

Sometimes I despair of raising my children in this country. I can't honestly talk about the "land of the brave, home of the free" because we are no longer free in this country. The government is so corrupted that all of those values I held so dear no longer exist. Separation of church and state? Nope. Freedom from instrusive searches? Negative. Balance of powers? Sorry.

I think about my grandfather, who sacrificed everything to come to this country and worked so hard to give his children a better life. His son, my dad, is a PhD and raised 4 daughters successfully, all college educated American citizens. But what does this country think about immigrants today under this race-baiting administration? The racism and xenophobia is palpable. Immigrants are portrayed as lazy, selfish, greedy people who only want to take and don't contribute anything to society. How very sad.

Okay, rant over. But seriously, what does it mean to be an American? I guess I have to mull that over before my kids ask me....

Mellow Mornings

I just realized this morning how lucky we are to have such freedom in the morning. This morning we all woke up around 8:00 (about an hour later than usual) we hung around in bed for awhile, got up, the kids played in their pajamas while I had some coffee. We ate breakfast together around 9:00 (hearty oatmeal!) and were dressed around 9:30.

I can't imagine having to get the kids dressed, fed, organized and out the door by 8:00 or earlier!

Nature's Bounty

Here's an example of how homeschooling doesn't have to be expensive. Three days ago we went on a nature walk and collected 149 acorns. How do I know it was 149? We counted them!

First we divided them into three piles: acorns with caps, caps, and "bald" acorns. We then counted each pile and added them together. Then we subtracted the caps and "baldies" from the acorns with caps to see if we were correct. Cha-ching! Free math lesson!

Yesterday I put little pieces of paper with numbers on them in the bottom portion of an egg carton. C. had to put the correct number of acorns in each one. Then I switched the papers and she had to change the original number to the new number, either adding or subtracting the correct number of acorns. Each time we wrote out the equation on a piece of paper. Free math lesson #2! Thank you Mother Nature!

What to call it?

So we haven't come up with a name for the room yet, but C. and G. get very excited everytime we do something there! They really enjoy the "special" space that we are creating together. We finished the walls and painted a large blackboard on one wall that C. "christened" with a self-portrait.

So what do we call it? Schoolroom isn't appropriate because we aren't at school, and I certainly am not trying to replicate it at home. Learning Center sounds too stuffy and formal, and classroom seems sort of silly. So I am stuck trying to decide what to call it, and I guess it doesn't really matter anyway. I just want the kids to enjoy being there.

Classroom? Learning Center? What is it?

I wasn't able to get the pictures up because I was out of batteries for my camera but here are some pics of us turning "mantown" into "schooltown"!

The kids had a lot of fun painting - C. even painted some interesting pictures on the wall!

My goal is to turn the room into a peaceful place, a place where we can relax, learn some fun things, paint, do crafts, and display seasonal items. I want it to have a "homey" feel.

What's this all about anyway?

Why homeschool?

In a word, freedom! Freedom from and freedom for! Freedom from arbitrarily imposed standards, freedom from a life based on comparisons to other children and the pressure to conform intellectually, physically, and spirituality. No thanks! I envision my children living a life free from such constraints. Homeschool is the gift of freedom - freedom to have a life where knowledge is truly experienced as individuals without timetables or restrictions.

Homeschooling for us is not an activity that takes place from 8:30 until 3:00 in the afternoon. It is all day, every day, every season. Learning is not something to be found in a workbook, but something to live and breathe. This is only our first official year of homeschooling, because 6 is the age of mandated reporting in Massachusetts, but really we've been at this for 6 years already. Let the rest of our journey begin!