two firsts

Last Sunday Will served his first Novus Ordo Mass and I received Holy Communion from a lay person for the first time in 12 years. There are so few vocations in the diocese of Maine (only 6 current seminarians) that they have moved to a "cluster" system of staffing parishes. The 6 churches in the greater Bangor area used to be served by 12 priests, but are now covered by 2. They are very good and holy men, but worked to the bone every day, especially on weekends to say Mass at every church. Other parishes in the area are in the same boat, the Bucksport priest travels to Stonington and Castine, each town an hour away from the rectory. He literally has to run out the door after Mass to make it in time for the next one, never able to offer Confession to the outlying parishes. It is a sad state of affairs and I am fervently praying for a new bishop (our old one was transferred to Buffalo) who is orthodox and on fire for the Faith. Orthodoxy in belief and liturgy results in vocations as we can see in both religious orders such as the Nashville Dominicans and the priesthood, as evidenced by FSSP. 

Will has served as an alter server in the Traditional Latin Mass for 7 years now, ever since his FHC at St. Benedict in Virginia. But there is no TLM anywhere near Bangor, and I understand that our priests just can't do one more thing, especially something involving training and taking away another Mass to squeeze it in (they can't legally say more than a certain number of Masses each day). So I made arrangements for him to begin serving, with one non-negotiable; that he not serve with girls. I don't want to go into why I believe that girls reduce the number of boys willing to serve and why this in time dries up the feeder mechanism for future priests, because these arguments are so obvious. So, last week he served with another boy and everything was lovely, both the sacristan and the priest commented positively about his professionalism on the altar. We sat up front after the previous week's debacle, so when it came time for Communion and the priest was distributing Holy Communion to the left hand side of the church, we went up and received in the hand from the lay person. I don't recall if he attempted to bless the little ones, which is not appropriate, but I had to remind myself that while I am a stickler for doing the right thing during the liturgy, others have not had my experience and knowledge. I may be a convert, but I have read and studied the history of the Church and her traditions and know that only a priest or parent is supposed to bless a child. All in all, it was a lovely Mass and I am grateful that the parish is willing to accommodate our "quirks."

This Sunday I thought Will was scheduled to serve Mass, but as I was kneeling in the pew the sacristan asked me to come to the vestibule. He explained that two servers were already scheduled for that Mass, but one of them was a girl. It was up to me if he vested or not. I hesitated for a moment, but said, "He'll just sit with us." He was very gracious about it and promised to talk to the coordinator about having Will serve next week. This has been a big transition for our family and while we knew what we were in for when we left the Auburn area and the TLM every Sunday, it is still hard emotionally. My hope is that our example, as well as the example of other faithful families, combined with the ministry of holy priests, and hopefully a very holy and orthodox new bishop, can, in time lead to a renewal of orthodoxy and more vocations to the priesthood.

too smart by half

Last September the kids and I went to the Bangor Humane Society and brought home 2 kittens. The children and cats played, Julia Ellen dragged them around, and I fed them and cleaned their litter. Today the cats are 1 year old and one of them is not welcome in our house anymore. Star, the girl kitty, loves to lounge around all day and is polite. Night, the boy cat, is huge, muscular, and gets into trouble every day. He gets on the kitchen counters, knocks over vases of flowers, and likes to drink out of the faucet. Fresh water in his bowl every morning is not apparently aerated enough so his latest trick is to turn on the faucet by nudging the handle of the kitchen sink, leaving the water to run for hours. He doesn't merely threaten to let the well go dry, but since the hot water faucet is easier to manipulate, I have woken several mornings to steam rising from the furnace room vent, his having used so much hot water that the tank has refilled and was being heated by expensive propane. I've taken to putting mixing bowls over the handles, but it isn't really a long term solution. 

Several times I've gotten so mad to throw him outside, but all that will do is bring fleas into the house. He can't stay out there because he would be food for the nightly howling coyotes in a matter of days. But since his other trick in the past few weeks is sitting in the mudroom and bolting out the door, I think he really wants to live outside. The only option seems to be to turn Night into a barn cat. He can spend time outside, go into the barn to sleep through a kitty door, and keep the mice under control. Just as the Little Golden book, Four Little Kittens, bases its story around the idea that kittens, like children, have different personalities and vocations, some kittens are just meant to be alley cats, ship cats, barn cats, or house cats and no amount of behavior modification is going to change that.     

I love living in Maine

A few weeks ago I needed some garden product to keep the nasty striped beetles off my pumpkin and cucumber plants. After dropping off big children at some activity I only had Timmy and Julia Ellen in the van. Inevitably the toddler fell asleep just before we pulled into the Hampden Hardware parking lot. I got out and saw one of the young men who works there standing in the entrance to the back barn. "I have a dilemma. The baby is asleep and I don't particularly want to wake her up." After explaining what bug I wanted to keep off my plants, he told me that the product recommended by my gardening book is not legally available in Maine, but that he had some powder to try. While standing next to the van, I examined the product, paid for it, and got change without ever going inside. Obviously this would never happen at a suburban big-box store.


Then yesterday the kids and I finally had enough free time accompanied by beautiful weather to pick blueberries. This year is expected to be a bumper crop and our town's blueberry field certainly was evidence, the berries were so plentiful I could hold the quart basket under a clump, wiggle my fingers and see 20 berries fall in. We filled 5 quart containers and a huge flat bottomed basket in less than 30 minutes. Unfortunately, my sunglasses kept slipping down my nose and I put them in my pocket. Inevitably they fell out and even after wandering around and around we couldn't find them, since all blueberry bushes look alike. After getting home I got dressed to go running and made up a sign to put up at the entrance to the field.     

I finished my 10 mile run and sat on the porch cleaning blueberries and drinking Cocacola for a bit. While I was in the shower, a lady called and left a message saying that she found my sunglasses and left them on the picnic table. After supper I called her back to say thank you and sat on the porch thinking, "There are few finer things than being right here, drinking a tropical adult beverage, watching my kids play among the newly baled hay, and cleaning the last of the blueberries I picked this morning in Maine."

Small town Maine with its friendly people and wonderful scenery truly is "The Way Life Should Be." 

appropriate Mass behavior

On Sunday evening Will was supposed to serve his first Novus Ordo Mass. However, he had been asked a few days before if he could compete in the Red Jacket Regatta in Rockland, a small boat sailing race for youth. Tim drove down to pick him up early so he could get to Mass on time, but when he arrived, due to the lack of wind, Will was all the way across the harbor. While the sacristan was understanding of the circumstances, I hope that next week's Mass will go a little more smoothly. For in addition to Will's absence, Mary asked if we could sit in the back pew and that was a huge mistake. 

I won't go into all the details, because that would be gossip just for the sake of being nasty, but the family sitting in front of us made our family, with the smaller children drawing pictures on their bulletins and Julia Ellen drawing in my tiny notebook through Mass looked angelic in comparison. But I'll just say that there were large quantities of toys, wailing, chatting by the grownups, and Playdough was almost ground into the carpet. The woman who was sitting beside them leaned over at the end of Mass and said, "Are these your children?" "Well, it is a few of them (Timmy went with Tim to pick up Will)." "They are so well behaved and so nice looking." At this point there was a little whispering from behind me because the children knew that I would stop at the store on the way home. I waited a moment until the priest exited the church and then explained,"If they get a compliment then they get doughnuts." 

Now, I've always been one of those middle-of-the-road moms when it comes to little children and Mass, I've brought religious coloring books, bags of Cheerios, sippy cups of water, holy cards to organize in a little picture album to keep them occupied and quiet. I've rarely seen any horror shows depicted on the internet of kids bringing McDonald's Happy Meals into the cry room, screaming fits that go on through the entire homily, or Nintendo games played during the Consecration. But as I told Mary after informing her that it was all her fault for begging me to sit in the back, we will be sitting up front in the future. After 14 years of taking unruly children out of church, spending most Sunday mornings in the cry room, training babies to be quiet for the sake of those around them, I refuse to subject myself to someone else's poor parenting during Mass.  
 

learned my lesson

I've been working on an antique looking lap quilt for some time, the piecing went together quickly, but only because I didn't trim the excess fabric after I added the next row. When I started quilting, the straight lines looked great, but the free motion daisy design just kept looking awful, I had little control over the stitch length, the quilt kept refusing to move. I changed the needle, re-threaded the machine, took it in to the dealer to be cleaned and oiled, attempted to put wax paper/Pam spray on the back for more glide... nothing worked. Will and I spent over a week picking every stupid flower out, because by the time I gave up I had tried to quilt 20 flowers. They looked awful. After letting the quilt sit for a week or so, I gave it another go today. This time I quilted little leaves and spirals in the black open spaces and was successful for the most part. 

Then it hit me, my own laziness in not trimming led to all that extra work. The poor machine was quilting through, not 3 layers, but in some blocks, 5-6 layers of fabric. No wonder it was struggling and skipping stitches and refusing to move over the seams. I can't take it apart, but I will never, never sew another seam on a paper pieced block without trimming to 1/4 " again!

author read aloud

On Tuesday morning sailing was cancelled due to a forecast of thunderstorms that didn't materialize until 4:30pm. However, I had found an interesting activity for us in Stockton Springs at the library to make up for the disappointment. Chris Van Dusen, children's author and illustrator of the Mr. Magee books came to give a fabulous presentation and read aloud of 3 of his books, including one of our favorites, The Circus Ship. 

This story is based on the real 1836 sinking of a circus ship, The Royal Tar, off the coast of Vinalhaven, but with a much happier ending. The children had a wonderful time helping point out the hidden animals, Charlie and Timmy finding the trickiest ones, and have looked at the book again and again in the days since.

People who live in big cities always cite their cultural opportunities, but even in the wilds of Maine we have plays, art galleries, library concerts, and famous authors willing to share.

sick, sick, and car sick

This past two weeks have been a little draining. The week before Will went to Boy Scout camp he had  3 days of fever, diarrhea, and a dripping nose. Luckily he recovered enough by Sunday to enjoy a week of camping, canoeing, and orienteering. Julia Ellen came down with the same odd combination of symptoms this Saturday and we decided that Tim would stay home from Mass with the two little ones, there being only room for 4 children in his new car. The van was still at the shop, getting a new transmission installed. After we arrived at the church 30 minutes early, I let Charlie and Maggie go over to the playground while I called Tim on my cell phone.

"The bad news is that Charlie gets car sick in your car."

"Oh my gosh, not my brand new car!"

I couldn't let him suffer too long, "The good news is that Charlie did not get car sick IN your car. We pulled over at Hollywood Casino and he barfed in the bushes."

However, I had to call Tim back a bit later. Within 15 seconds of climbing on the playground equipment he was stung on the cheek by a wasp and started screaming. I piled everyone back in the car, stopped at McDonald's for some ice to put on his face and gave up on anyone in our family attending Mass this week.  

forced time out

Things have been falling apart at our house this past week. My internet connection was down for 3 days and since Will is at Boy Scout camp, I had no idea how to fix my modem problem (thank you to the nice man on the phone from India who kept repeating, "I apologize for your frustration," when they couldn't find my account. "But I have your satellite dish on my roof and we have had service for a year!")  My van has been in the shop since Tuesday afternoon when the transmission suddenly died. It won't be ready until Monday. And most distressing of all is that I was diagnosed with bursitis and arthritis in my sore hip. I've only run a few times since my last race and start physical therapy on Monday. I took off almost 20 years of running, mostly to have babies, and now I feel like I threw away the gift of that time. If I don't get better, I don't see how I can continue, it isn't fun to run with constant pain. 

But after having my short pity party, I realize how truly blessed I am. My connection to the world was resolved with just tightening a loose connection on my modem. My van is fixable and we can afford to make that repair. My hip seems to be improving a bit and, even if I could never run again, I can always take up swimming to stay in shape. My husband loves me, my children are all well (except for Julia Ellen's minor fever), and I have food in the pantry. There are many people who are caring for sick loved ones, millions of people don't have a job, and many more are worried about how to pay the bills. Today there are almost a hundred families in Colorado standing by a hospital bed or mourning the loss of their loved one. The only thing I can give is to offer up my pain for them, for the survivors to be given peace and have the strength to recover physically and emotionally from this massacre and for the souls of those who have been killed.    

stocking up on school supplies

It is the middle of summer, time for trips to the lake, dropping off kids at camp, swimming lessons, certainly not time to think about backpacks and notebooks, but now is the time to act if I don't want to spend a fortune on school supplies. Our local big box office supply store is Staples and they are running some great loss leaders on all the things I need this fall. When I combine that with my teacher discount card and a 15% off back to school card I bought for $10, the floor of my schoolroom is filling up with bags of gear. The big kid's school apparently does not come out with lists until the first day, by the time all the sales are over, but I can guess what items they will need and buy now. I already bought all their uniform needs at the school consignment sale last month, so all I need left are some cool lunchboxes (Maggie doesn't want to borrow her little sister's pink Hello Kitty one) and a year's worth of mechanical pencils.

curling up with a good mystery

I'd like to think that the folks who work in the Bangor Library's children's department think of our family with fondness. After all, we are likely the family with the most consistent attendance as well as sheer volume of books checked out, but more than that, we return our books within the two week checkout window. Wednesday, when we were standing at the counter I was told that one of my selections was actually on hold by someone else, but it was accidentally put on the shelf. He said that I needed to return it within two weeks, but I assured him that I would do so by Friday at the latest. The murder mystery, Death of a Kingfisher, was one by my favorite authors, M.C. Beaton, and sure enough, I had it finished within several hours of returning home that evening. If you like non-gory mysteries with a share of humor then you will like the Hamish MacBeth series that spans over 20 books and goes back at least that many years. Featuring a local copper in rural Scotland, this series is just the thing to curl up with on a rainy afternoon with a cup of tea and a plate of cookies. 

The other new mystery series I enjoy also has a new title out, Aunt Dimity & the Village Witch, by Nancy Atherton. The heroine is an active mother of twin boys living in a village in England, which has an unusually large number of murders and mysteries considering its diminutive size. The author does make a point of promoting the moral equivalency of paganism and homosexuality, but the overall story is well written and just I ignore those bits.

So, these two novels will go back in the book drop bin this morning after dropping off Charlie on his last day of science day camp.He has been having such a grand time building things, making new friends, and taking things apart that he has said, "Thank you Mommy for signing me up for science camp," every afternoon after I have picked him up. Maggie has also been at camp again this week and was even on the TV news a few days ago (look for the pink hat). I wouldn't have known a thing about it, but the librarian mentioned it and pulled it up on her computer so we could watch her dance and sing, practicing for the big show next weekend.

product endorsement

Up here in Maine we have two seasons: snow season and bug season. The first flying critters out to eat you are black flies, which leave bloody welts on the neck and head. They usually last until about Father's Day, when the deer flies and mosquitoes appear. Deer flies are nasty critters who circle the head in an attempt to drive a person insane and then land on the back of the arm for a nasty bite. The only respite from all these bugs is the first frost in early October. While Maine summers are lovely and much enjoyed, there is one thing to be said for the colder months: there aren't any bugs.  

 A few weeks ago I was at the local hardware store and noticed a product near the register specifically to address this problem called Deer Fly Strips. Made by a local, this super sticky strip of what looks like packing tape has pheromones sprayed on it to attract the pests to come a little closer. Once their wings or feet touch the glue, they are stuck. In just a few hours of wearing my hat in the garden and on the front porch, I had collected 7 deer flies on the back of my hat, all frantically buzzing in an attempt to become free. Since all they wanted to do was take a chunk out of my skin, I felt no pity for the creatures. Perhaps I sound a little callous, but St. Francis never lived in Maine and saw his 3 year old's neck covered in welts from "Brother bug". I've gone back to the house to collect my hat to work in the garden and look forward to wearing it for a trail hike planned later this week. It is a little gruesome seeing out baseball hats in a a row with carcasses stuck all over,but it sure does make going outside in Maine during the summer a lot more pleasant.  

reason # 567

Yesterday I stopped by the fish market to pick up a haddock and scallop casserole for supper followed by the grocery store for dessert. My total at Hannaford came to $17.76.

"How appropriate," I said. 
The cashier, a young woman said, "Huh?"
"The total bill, how appropriate that it is 1776." She still looked at me like I had 2 heads. 
"You know, the Declaration of Independence, the 4th of July," I explained.
"Oh, I never knew the year or anything," was her reply. 
And then it just slipped out, "You went to public school, didn't you?"
"Yeah, Hampden Academy."
"And that is why I homeschool my kids," I replied before I gathered up my bags and walked out. 

Too harsh, I'm sure. But I'll move hell and high water before I send my kids to a school where graduates don't know the date of the birthday of our nation.  
 

Walter Hunt 3K

Up here in Maine, the 4th of July means parades, picnics, trips to the lake, fireworks in the backyard (now that they are legal, thank you Gov. LePage) or in town, and the annual race between Brewer and Bangor just before the parade. I took Mary, Maggie, and Charlie to compete and with my hip still a little sore (I figured out that it was from changing chairs in front of my sewing machine making my body do some weird contortion to step on the foot pedal, a true quilting injury) I wasn't expecting much performance-wise. I ran the first mile in 5:58, finishing in 12:02, 17 seconds faster than last year, but another middle-age lady passed me in the last 10 seconds, so I didn't win my age bracket. The kids didn't do so hot, Charlie even got sick during the last portion of the race. We did get to see the entire parade while walking back to the car. The rest of the afternoon will be spent resting followed by corn and watermelon for dinner and at dusk fireworks in the front yard. 

Bangor Daily News article about race, my finish is at 2:24 on the video. 

gardening fail

To say that I'm disappointed by Fedco seeds is an understatement. I thought I was being efficient by purchasing all my garden plants from the same place, but while I was happy with the quality of their trees, raspberries, potatoes, onions, and asparagus I bought this spring, about half the seeds I bought were defective. Only a few of the flower seeds I started in little pots sprouted and none of their broccoli, sunflower, or corn came up, even after planting new seed after it was evident the first sowing didn't sprout. Many of the pumpkin seeds didn't sprout either and it being the beginning of July, it is too late to buy seed from another source and start again. 

Luckily we do have plenty of carrots, broccoli (Burpee), onions, potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, and lettuce. Instead of being able to eat sweet corn 10 minutes after picking and being able to put bags and bags of pureed pumpkin in my freezer, I'll have to buy both vegetables from the farmer's market. Next winter I will buy some more raspberry plants and fruit trees from Fedco, I'll go back to buying my seed from Johnny's Select Seeds, a Maine company with a sterling reputation.  

you think it is hot?

Try running 10 miles in it. 

I swear, you would think that it never got above 50 degrees in Maine in the summer by listening to people's conversations today. The line in front of Gifford's ice cream shop (some great ice cream, made right here in Skowhegan, Maine) had at least 10 people standing in line all day. 

But little old me, with a hurt hip all week, rose at 5am to drive to Bucksport to run my 2nd Tour de Lac, the 3rd oldest road race in the state. I prepared for the race by overdosing on Motrin and rubbing 5 layers of Icy-Hot on said hip. Luckily there were 5 water stops along the course since I took one gulp at each and dumped the rest right on my head. I almost quit at mile 3, but found my groove and then started slowing down around mile 6, but the last 2 miles I was dragging. Final time: 1:19:31, a 7:58/mile pace. I have never been so glad to finish a race, but the best part was that the outdoor pool opened up early just for us and we could swim in our race clothes (I brought a change of clothes, but no bathing suit) before the awards were announced. The cool water just sucked every degree of heat right out of my muscles, it was just lovely. I won a jar of homemade blackberry jelly for winning my age bracket. 

Next race is the pre-4th of July parade race on Wednesday in Bangor. The 2 mile course has thousands of spectators lining the route, but with no pool to plunge into afterwards, it could be a very sweaty walk back to the car. If Giffords is open on the 4th, I will take the kids there for ice cream afterwards, no matter how long the line.      

quilting up a storm

 After crying this morning in the car after hearing the Supreme Court ruling and listening to Rush Limbaugh's analysis, I decided to take a break and think about something else today. After all, it is my youngest son's birthday today and Mary and I had a blue cake to bake. 

I also wanted to progress onto the next portion of my latest quilting project, Shiloh, a pattern found in Scrap Quilts by Julie Larsen. Here is a photo taken from the book: 

Her very easy method of making pineapple blocks with squares sewn diagonally in the corners instead of triangles made the top go together very quickly. Here is my top finished, the black flannel backing is currently making its way through the dryer. I bought 7 yards of backing, almost double the yardage stated in the directions because flannel shrinks so much. It does make for a much warmer quilt, something that I'm going to appreciate come December. I wish I had made the dark triangles connecting the black squares darker for more contrast, but I guess I can always make another. I haven't decided exactly how to quilt it, but after seeing the dramatic results in heavily free-motion quilting, I think I'm now a convert to the technique.  Speaking of my next project, since I have free time each morning to sew before the children awake, if any sister-in-laws would like a quilt under their tree this year, they better speak up now. (hint, hint)    

 

our pink princess

Julia Ellen's favorite color is pink. She just looooves anything pink, from dresses to a photo of a pink Jeep she spotted in a book. Her favorite footwear right now are pink Hello Kitty rubber boots with white polka dots, which are practical since they keep her feet dry and the slugs away from her feet during the very wet Maine spring and summer we have been having. But she hit the pinnacle of her fervor when we went to Target to pick out some new bathing suits and found a bright pink Hello Kitty suit with a little ruffle round the bottom. She was so proud of her new suit that she wore it playing outside for 2 days before we had a chance to go to the pool. Yesterday she ran with it inside to the front desk and threw it up on the counter in front of Jordan, her favorite staff member whom she flirts with mercilessly, so he could admire it. 

 Sometimes she walks around saying, "I want a pink Jeep, I want a pink car, I want a pink bike." Usually we just go along, but I just had to laugh out loud when we were at the park the other evening and she found a sit on toy, the kind that scoops dirt with hand levers. When it was time to leave she was overly tired and sobbing, before wailing, "I want one. I want a pink steam shovel." 

are homeschooled kids the only ones who still read?

I was listening to Howie Carr the other day, the Boston talk radio host, discuss how hard it is this summer for teens to find summer jobs. One comment he made really stuck with me, "It would be different if these kids were otherwise reading books, but they don't anymore. My girls don't read except for school." I don't know if this is true or not, perhaps it is like saying "All teens are bad drivers," but perhaps it is closer to the truth than it was 20 years ago. 

My children love to go to the library, if I don't let them pick out a stack to take home at least once a week then they mope and complain and I constantly see other homeschool families there (it is pretty obvious when they have kids over the age of 6 with them during the day). Now that the big kids are older I let them have more of a say over what they check out, but I keep a strict eye on the younger ones. Maggie just yesterday pouted when I took off several Goosebumps books and some inner city teen junk novel that was on her pile at the counter. 

It is interesting to see what sorts of things they come up with, occasionally it really lets me see a bit deeper into their psyche. I noticed Mary's bag of books on her bed and snuck a peek inside. It is obvious that she is a bit nervous about entering Catholic school this fall. Her choices include: Exploring Math with books kids love, Writing With Style, Reading Roundups, Spelling K-8, Word Smart, Math Puzzles and Brainteasers Grades 6-8, and Improve Your Spelling and Vocabulary. Her academic weaknesses are spelling and writing, after numerous years of struggle and crying she is just finishing up the 4th grade spelling book and I have had to help her extensively with her book reports every quarter since 2nd grade. She loves to read and she does pretty well in math if she carefully thinks through the problems, so I don't see why she thinks she needs to further study these subjects over the summer. Seeing these books on Mary's bed is a wonderful testament to homeschooling, in that she can see for herself weaknesses in her academic skills and is attempting to overcome them on her own.

feminist war on women

 "I have to admit that when I meet a woman who I know is a graduate of, say, Princeton -- one who has read The Second Sex and therefore ought to know better -- but is still a full-time wife, I feel betrayed. I'm not much of a moralist -- I have absolutely no right to be -- but in the interest of doing what's right both for me personally and for women generally, I have been strict with myself about earning my keep. For the longest time I would not date anyone who would now be called a one-percenter because money and power are such a potent combination, and if I am going to be bossed around, I don't want that to be the reason. When it's come up, I have chosen not to get married. Over and over again, I have opted for my integrity and independence over what was easy or obvious. And I am happy. I don't want everyone to live like me, but I do expect educated and able-bodied women to be holding their own in the world of work." Elizabeth Wurtzel

 This screed from The Atlantic magazine has been discussed much in the blogosphere lately, but as I have been on a Jane Austen spin-off kick lately, it struck me how perfectly perceptive the early 19th century English author was in portraying specific personalities. Ms. Wurtzel wants to define feminists as women who work and are financially self sufficient, not allowing them the choice to stay at home. She is the perfect Miss Bingley, jealous of Elizabeth Bennet's beauty and attention from Mr. Darcy, a 1%er if there ever was one. Since she has no chance of attracting the affections of such a man, Ms. Wurtzel and Miss Bingley both do all they can to disparage those they feel have stolen their rightful place of consequence in the world.   

"All young ladies are accomplished. They sing, they draw, they dance, speak French and German, cover screens and I know not what." (Mr.Bingley)
"But not half a dozen would satisfy my notion of an accomplished woman." (Mr. Darcy)
"Oh, certainly. No woman can be really esteemed accomplished who does not also possess a certain something in her air, in her manner of walking, in the tone of her voice, her address and expressions." (Miss Bingley) (I apologize for a non faithful quote, my copy of P&P seems to be at the other house)

 The best commenter after the article, of which I pasted a portion: 

I think what strikes me as the most ridiculous part of this author's position is that a female is telling other females that they are ruining the feminist movement by choosing to be full time mothers despite being educated and able-bodied. It used to be that men condescended to women who weren't in the business world, now this female author is doing the same thing. Once upon a time, women who worked brought shame to their gender. Now women who don't work bring shame to their gender? Who, again, is waging a war on women? Seems like this author is - more than anyone I've heard from in years. lawdawg97

 The other point that struck me was that if Ms. Wurtzel had her way and all educated women worked and were more like her, then there would be so many hate-filled writers out there that she would likely not be able to get her work published and be out of a job. I feel sorry for Ms. Wurtzel. She doesn't sound like a happy person who is needed and loved and it comes out in her air, in the tone of her voice, her address and expressions.  

fly away little birdies

A week or two ago the little boys pointed out a bird's nest on our farm. A barn swallow mama took advantage of the fact that one of the very last things to finish on our house is the porch ceiling and flew under the eaves to raise her young in our garage. 

We have been watching the baby's growth via binoculars, which is interesting, but Tim was grossed out by the sheer volume of bird poop 5 birds make on our garage floor. He scrubbed it out with the hose, but after only 24 hours the floor was a mess again. 

The only solutions were to take down the nest, killing the babies, or just wait it out until they learn to fly and leave the nest. Since he is such a softy the birds stayed and will likely be gone before the ceiling is installed in about 2 weeks, blocking their egress. 

The other critter problem didn't end well. When I went over to the garage apartment last week to take some boxes upstairs I found water dripping from the second floor. Turns out after 2 trips from the plumber and 1 from the builder than we had mice living between the floors during the winter and they had eaten a hole in the hot water line. The pipes and the drywall will be replaced soon, but something permanent will have to be done about invading critters. It is almost humorous to be discussing how best to discourage/kill the mice in our buildings at the same time we tempt Butter and Cream, Mary's pet mice, with special treats for their enjoyment. 

Looking at aerial photos from the early 1900's and today it is worth noting that 100 years ago 85% of our area was cleared for farms and today only 15% is still open space.  Between our little animal control issues and trying to keep the edges of the fields free of tree seedlings, I understand the old farmers who say that living in the country is a battle to keep what we have created from turning back to its natural state.  

overbooked?

This past week Tim was on vacation up at the farm, doing what he loves best, mowing grass and moving stuff around with his big John Deere tractor. He and Will left yesterday to drop Will off at his Boy Scout ordeal weekend. The yard looks pristine with everything trimmed, the wood stacked just so all ready for winter, and the trampoline set up after a year hiatus. When my husband is here things tend to run with a military precision, but once his truck is out of sight, meals are a little more haphazard, the dishwasher doesn't get run until it is full, and the laundry doesn't get folded right away. After all, I'm running the household ship by myself and it is my summer vacation.

We didn't have many things on our agenda this past week, but that is going to change next week and the following week as our summer activities really crank into gear. Somehow I have signed up all the children for swimming lessons, 4 for piano lessons, 3 for riding lessons, 3 are going away to camp, Maggie is going to theater day camp for 3 weeks, and Charlie is going to day science camp for a week. And I don't even know if sailing is going to happen this year. I guess this is practice for this fall when I will have to get everyone out of bed and drive the big kids to school every day, homeschool the boys, keep the house tidy, organize every one's activities and appointments, and pick them up in the afternoon before making dinner and supervising homework and baths. I sure do hope that the next few months won't be all chauffeuring and life guarding duty, after all, it is my summer vacation too. 

swift feet

Between the 5 members of our family who ran in the Garelick Milk Run 1 mile we cleaned up with two gift certificates totaling $40 and a cooler full of dairy products. I wanted to beat last year's time and did so by 15 seconds for a time of 6:04. Charlie came in 2nd in the 12 and under age bracket with a time of 7:26( 10 seconds faster than last year), Maggie was the next family member with a time of 7:54 and Timmy ran his first mile race (in Crocs no less) with an impressive time for a 5 year old of 8:04. Mary ran with her friend and didn't really attempt a decent time, finishing in 9:15.

I've been going to the track workouts on Wednesday evenings, Charlie and Maggie have participated and been invited to return, perhaps that was what gave us all an extra boost on Saturday. Next race is the Tour de Lac, a 10 miler in Bucksport in 2 weeks. I'm hoping to repeat last year's performance with 1:15, but the weather has to cooperate, a lovely cool 55F morning would be perfect.

a few stones strewn in my path

Since many of my vegetable seeds are in the ground, the fruit trees thriving, and the onions growing taller, I was at a loss of something to do outside. Apparently keeping the place from looking like we are hosting a yard sale with all the bikes, toys, and other assorted debris that appears each and every day isn't enough. I can't mow the grass because something broke on the riding mower and it is out of commission until our neighbor fixes it. So, with nothing better to do, I tackled my ongoing project to make the farm look like a home and no longer a construction site. Officially it still is since the porch has no classic pale blue ceiling or light fixtures yet, but we are closing in on the completion of the house. Last fall I dumped several truckloads of wood chips on the area in front of the front porch to kill the grass where I eventually wanted a flower bed. Since the porch is fairly low and doesn't have a railing, the plants there must be short so as to not impede the view. 

Last Saturday I hit a local nursery, buying some shade loving perennials, wildflowers such as white bleeding heart, columbine, and bloodroot, and a small Amur maple tree. Since then, between massive rainstorms, I have been digging out bucket after bucket of rocks and hauling them to the treeline. I have felt much in common this week with the early settlers of our town who cleared the woods and hauled so many rocks that they created stone walls at the edge of all our fields. 

Yesterday I finished digging and hopefully today after a trip to get some blue hydrangeas I will get the last plants put in the ground. I already have some future planting ideas, but this will do for now until I find myself again with "nothing to do." 

I'm an author!

If you happen to be a subscriber to Spider Magazine, then check out the May/June edition, my article about beachcombing that I submitted 4 years ago was finally published. I hope it doesn't take another 4 years for them to pay me.

school choice

Louisiana has passed legislation that I had hoped would happen in Maine this year, but our teacher's unions were too powerful to allow true school choice. All Americans at one time were homeschooled or went to private schools in one of their neighbor's home and it seems that more were literate at that time then they are today. Hurricane Katrina was a horrible, deadly disaster, but it seems that it blew away more than homes and trees, it blew out some of the entrenched liberalism and brought reform of the government and the educational system. Despite the doom and gloom predictions of the biased reporter in this Reuters story, the opportunities of Louisiana's schoolchildren seem to have gotten considerably brighter. I do wonder if some of the accredited homeschool programs like Abeka and Seton are included? If so, then homeschooling might just be the next wave in the Bayou State.  

Louisiana is embarking on the nation's boldest experiment in privatizing public education, with the state preparing to shift tens of millions in tax dollars out of the public schools to pay private industry, businesses owners and church pastors to educate children.
Starting this fall, thousands of poor and middle-class kids will get vouchers covering the full cost of tuition at more than 120 private schools across Louisiana, including small, Bible-based church schools.
"We are changing the way we deliver education," said Governor Bobby Jindal, a Republican who muscled the plan through the legislature this spring over fierce objections from Democrats and teachers unions. "We are letting parents decide what's best for their children, not government."

summer project finished before summer?

About 6 weeks ago I took two machine quilting classes taught by machine quilter extraordinaire Teri Lucas. After listening to her advice as to how to proceed, I took on a huge project that had been sitting on my shelf for about 2 years, a king-size double 9 patch in red/white. After basting it on the quilt frame, I have been using every spare moment to work on it, especially those quiet early, early morning hours before any children arise. 

Pink thread on red fabric sounds dreadful, but it allows the teardrop stitches to be visible (I tried red thread at first and realized you couldn't see any of my lovely quilting!), but not garishly so, had I used white thread. The cream/white pathways are quilted in a red variegated thread with freehand leaves and vines. The dense stitching of the red pathways really makes the fabric visually recede and the variation in all the fabrics I chose appear more uniform. 

I've got to finish that last red border and the outer border, but I figure at this rate I'll have used up 7 spools of thread in a matter of a month. My finished winter bed quilt will certainly before the snow flies, and quite possibly before it gets hot enough to not need a blanket on the bed.  

get me to the church on time

Our family will not be heading to the beach this Memorial Day weekend, but to the Cathedral in Portland, where Charlie will be making his First Holy Communion and Confirmation (he went to first penance last Sunday) and the older girls will receive Confirmation. With no Catholics in either of our families and not knowing anyone in the Latin Mass community well, Will is going to be the sponsor for all three of his siblings. Afterwards I think we will celebrate with a gastronomic trip down memory lane with a late lunch/early dinner at the only Cracker Barrel in the state of Maine. We used to go there after Mass once in a while when we had to travel an hour to Mass in North Carolina and I just love their meatloaf. Yes, there are a lot of nice restaurants in Portland, but I would prefer to go somewhere familiar and family-friendly. 

Today I have to clean the whole house, pack enough for 4 days, remember everyone's church clothes and shoes, make sure my favorite church hat stays into the car (apparently last week it blew out of the van and Julia Ellen found it Monday in the woods and emerged with it smashed onto her head), and drive 2 hours to the other house. Our house down there is already for sale so I'll have to make sure that one is pristine as well. Living in one house will be a breeze after this summer, it seems that all I do is clean bathrooms, mop floors, and mow the grass.

a little botanical time travel

Last summer when we came up to the farm I happened to notice some very distinct leaves at the edge of the woods. The flowers were nothing but tatters, but I was sure that I recognized what it was. So yesterday I took another walk down in that direction and amazingly found not one, but six red flowered trillium specimens, Trillium erectum, all blooming. At supper I told the children about my high school AP Biology wildflower project and how it had a huge impact on my education. Our class had 6 months (spring starts early in VA) to find, identify, and collect (either by photograph or pressing) as many wildflowers as we could. We could work in pairs or by ourselves and our grade was determined by the number of points we amassed. Each flower was given a different point value based on its commonality/rarity. Most flowers were given a value of 1 point, only a few were given more than a value of 10 points. My score, if I can recall (it was over 20 years ago) was around 730 points. 

The only student to get a higher total was Albert Lin, a brilliant student who scored a perfect 1600 on the SATs and ended up on the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions. (it turns out, after a quick google search, to find that he is now a professor of law at UC Davis.) He took every assignment seriously and I think had some in with the faculty at W&M to get some of the most rare specimens. I certainly don't hold his besting of me against him. But it was clear that I was the one student who was immersed in the project, traveling to various locales around the state, always on the hunt for a flower I didn't yet possess a picture of yet. It was a project that helped shape who I am; a lover of order and collections, a person who loves to be around plants, and someone who notices the details of her surroundings. I still have my 2 massive albums, filled with little more than dust and neatly printed labels and in the front is a blown up picture of my 16 year old self in a hysterically childish yellow slicker and hat on a collecting trip at a local park. 

After supper last night Charlie wanted to see this 50 point flower so I showed him a picture in my Peterson Field Guide, but he said, "I want to see the actual flower!" So, the three little kids and I left the dirty dishes on the counter and tromped around the rapidly growing hay fields to see this:     

It might not mean much to anyone else, but just seeing this flower brought back a flood of memories. This is the kind of experience that I want my children to have by homeschooling, the opportunity to find some subject of study that sparks something inside them that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

gardening is hard on the hands

Last year we didn't get up to Maine for the summer until Memorial Day weekend and I didn't start planting my garden until the first week of June, so already I'm ahead of the game. But I though I would be farther ahead in my planting by now. We stopped in Waterville at the end of April on tree pickup day and by the end of that afternoon, neglecting all the suitcases that needed to be unpacked, I had planted 8 apple, cherry, and peach trees, planted 20 raspberry canes, and was starting to dig the 18" deep trench for my asparagus crowns. Since then I have planted 3 pounds of onion sets (note for next year that 1 pound will certainly be enough), 20 pounds of potatoes, 25  octopus-looking asparagus roots, tomato and pepper seedlings, and replanted the broccoli and carrot seeds that apparently rotted before they could sprout. My poor hands, with which I already have dry skin issues, look like a 70 year old's due to all the digging, raking, and yanking out of rocks. I own a great pair of gardening gloves, but they constantly are missing or are up in the barn and I don't bother fetching them.  

Out of my four 80 foot long garden beds, I have planted one with 2 rapidly being overtaken by weeds,despite vast quantities of soiled bedding that a local hobby farmer delivered all winter. The old timers say you should plant your corn when the oak leaves are the size of a squirrel's ear, but in the past week the tree's leaves have gone from microscopic to huge and I'm not even close to being ready to plant. I should have taken Tim up on his offer to till those beds with the huge tiller, but now I'm stuck since I can't put on the huge attachment on the back of the tractor by myself and he isn't going to be up here for another two weeks. 

Somehow I'll get my seeds in the ground as well as start all the flower seeds in egg cartons, but our lives are chaotic right now with going back and forth to the other house for Confirmation/First Holy Communion and dropping off/picking up Will for various Boy Scout camping activities. But before I know it the traveling will cease, we will be able to purchase farm animals, and my fruit trees will bear. It is such a relief to know that our transient life of being on the farm for half the year and somewhere else for the other half, never settling in either is coming to an end and I can plan accordingly.   

this is not acceptable

Not for my children, and it shouldn't be for any American citizen's children. What are public schools doing with children for 6 hours a day, 180 days a year, for 12 years, at $10,000 a year if not teaching them how to READ?

Nearly half of Florida high school students failed the reading portion of the state's new toughened standardized test, education officials said on Friday.
Results this year from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test showed 52 percent of freshman students and 50 percent of sophomores scored at their grade levels.
The results came days after the Florida State Board of Education voted to lower the standards needed to pass the writing part of the test, known as FCAT.
The board took the action in an emergency meeting when preliminary results indicated only about one-third of Florida students would have passed this year.
"We are asking more from our students and teachers than we ever have, and I am proud of their hard work," Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson said in a statement.

Does the Education Commissioner know that 50% is a failing grade? Does he know that these are children who, unless they have fabulous parents who tutor their children at home to relearn the material, are doomed to be trapped for a lifetime in illiteracy and poverty? Does he care? 

Public school and any bureaucracy's fatal flaw is the lack of accountability. Homeschooling is the opposite, parents are completely responsible for their children's education, there is no passing the blame if a child does not master the times tables or learn to read. I am very proud that my children not only know how to read, they love to read and they do it fast. Mary's best friend was amazed that Will and Mary had each read The Hunger Games  in one day, "That would take me at least 2 weeks!" Not only that, but they begged and pleaded and then demanded that I get the next two books in the series. Only after I read the book did I understand their anticipation. It might be dicey as to who gets first dibs, but since I have to drive the car home, my bet is that Mary will get hold of it first.

shortened work day for some

Since Tim had to travel for work a few days this week, I had to pack up the kids and animals to go down to the other house and take Will to school. We also came down for 1st Holy Communion/Confirmation practice and Charlie's 1st penance on Sunday at the Cathedral in Portland on Sunday. I didn't want to haul a bunch of stuff like schoolbooks down so I could stuff as much stuff in the van on the return trip (the more I move now the less I have to pay someones else to move later). 

Each child has 2 subjects and piano to work on; Mary: book report and math, Maggie: math and spelling, Charlie: math and reading, Timmy: phonics and math. They have had many hours of free time the past two days to sleep in, play with the neighbors, and run around outside. I, on the other hand, have been getting up at 5:30am to get Will to school, clean the house, and meet with the realtor. My bribery plan seems to be working, if she keeps working hard for another day Mary will have earned a manicure (the piano teacher demanded that she cut her nails short and after I chopped them off I promised her that when she finished the dreaded book report on St. John Masias she could get her nails "done"). Maggie and Charlie aren't too far behind.  I am looking forward to call Miss Lisa and starting riding lessons for the 3 of them both because it means we will have finished school for the year and so I can talk shop with another serious runner.

Knowing that both girls will be joining their brother at Catholic school in the fall has given me a sense of relief at having my days more free as well as dread that I will have to get up every morning as early as I did today to get them all up and out the door by 7:30. Homeschooling gets harder as the children get older because of the amount of material and the sheer number of children to manage and part of me thinks that I'm somehow "cheating" by sending the oldest away to school. I'll still be teaching the two boys and continuing to introduce a preschooler to letters and numbers so I certainly won't be sitting around doing nothing. Tim keeps telling me how this will be a big change in my life, but one in which I think will be beneficial to us all. I just think I'll have to remind myself of that fact over and over on cold dark Maine winter mornings driving the kids to school.

carnival of homeschooling

This week is my 3rd time hosting the carnival of homeschooling and it also happens to be the 333rd carnival, started over 6 years ago. If I think about what I was doing on that very first day the Cate family published this weekly collaborative resource, it was, of course, homeschooling. My two oldest children were just learning how to read and write the most simple of book reports and I was also coping with a toddler and expecting baby #4. 

Today we have our oldest child in Catholic school, are homeschooling four of the others and still have a toddler underfoot. But it won't always be like this, in another 6 years I will have graduated two children and the youngest will be finishing 3rd grade. 

But we must focus on what today asks of us and so...

A Net in Time shares a fun and educational day in Science, math and more...

Let's Play Math gives us some instruction on how to teach place value in PUFM 1.2 Place Value.

Three Girls and a Minivan shares a trip to the Daniel Boone Homestead and some fun nature study in Lesson Ideas and Activities.

Simply Convivial gives some pointers as to how to improve memory work in Memory Work Binders.   

As for My House shares with us a day of learning up high, doing school in the treehouse in Wherever School. 

MomSCHOOL gives us some pointers about overcoming writer's block in The Fear of Writing.  

Homeschool Programs gives some ideas as to how to not miss sports or the SATs in Can You Homeschool Without Missing Out on Important Moments?

Escape is Possible shares some fascinating pictures and information about a field trip along the shore in Seattle in Tidepools, Bridges, and Locks. 

Mindy at Den School shares all the holidays between now and the end of May and links of resources to use to learn and celebrate in Holidays May 13-May 19.

A Child's Garden has an absolutely wonderful, informative post that all homeschoolers should read about literacy entitled You, too, Can Teach Literacy!

Boys and a Dog share some ideas on how to stay cool in Countdown to Summer Tips.

Juggling Paynes wonders aloud about how some of our children share our interests and some don't in Learning Their Way, Not Mine. I can so relate to her comments about the computer, Will came to the farm for the weekend and set up my new computer just the way I wanted it, though it is humbling knowing that my child is smarter than I am.

Dewey's Treehouse gives an enthusiastic book recommendation in The Big WHAT NOW Book of Learning Styles. 

Our Curious Home gives us a glimpse into an afternoon of fun and earning medals in Jr F.I.R.S.T. Lego League Expo a week ago Saturday.

A Guide to Raising Great Kids shares her ways to keep the kids entertained in Summer Plans, Again.

Time for Learning gives us some tips on planning a homeschool prom in Dashing Another Homeschool Myth.

Barbara Frank Online shares part #4 of how to organize and shop smart after getting home in Keys to a Successful Homeschool Convention Experience. 

Learning at Home gives us some tips to help get our children back on track after play time in Spring Fever- The Cure. 

Why Homeschool shares with us Homeschooling Will Change for Us This Fall. Since our youngest won't start kindergarten until 2015, the year our oldest will be in 11th grade,  I can relate.

Homeschooling Unscripted shares some reasons teens need to shut off the lights so they can focus on their studies in Teens and Sleep.   

Thank you for participating and stopping by the Carnival of Homeschooling this week. Some of us homeschool year-round and some are wrapping up our official academic year. Let us strive to focus on what is important in our daily lives, so that years from now we can look back and feel proud of what we have accomplished in educating our children. 

preparation for life

Every homeschooling family is different, each has their own educational philosophy, but I have always assumed that any mother who takes upon herself the hard task of teaching her children at home has academic excellence as her goal. Yes, not having to rouse children from their beds at 6am to catch the bus is a side benefit, but laziness can not and should not be one's motivator for homeschooling. Ginny Seuffert's latest column in the Seton newsletter reemphasized this to me so much yesterday that I called their counseling department to tell them how much I appreciated her article. It is about tailoring a curriculum and one portion begins,

"Things that are worth doing are often difficult...if a task is difficult and a student rebels against doing the work, the parent can give in because of the complaining. But then the children miss out on some very important lessons. They don't learn to respect and obey their parents, as commanded by God. They don't learn to apply themselves diligently to accomplish a difficult or frustrating task. They develop an incomplete view of the world where they can dictate the terms. Allowing students to direct educational methods can deny them an opportunity to build character."

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed and discouraged by the amount of schoolwork my children are expected to accomplish each year. I also have to ride them to practice the piano every day so they can develop their musical skills. Homeschooling is a sacrifice for mothers who could take the easy way out and put their children on the yellow bus, relax with a cup of coffee before tackling the household chores and some free time with their friends. But most of us who choose to hold our children up to a higher standard of excellence realize what Thomas Alva Edison famously said, "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." One cannot become a concert pianist without thousands of hours of practice. One cannot invent a product that is still used all over the world over 100 years later without a well-trained mind. One cannot become a veterinarian, like Mary hopes to become, without a strong foundation in science and mathematics. We have seen what the low standards in our public schools produce, I want my children to have a world full of opportunity and strong academics is the path to that bright future.  

for better or worse

Tim has accepted a job offer that will allow us to live on our farm full time. It will be a long commute for him and I will be having to set the alarm clock for the first time in many years to get 3 children to Catholic school, but I think for the long-term interest of our family it is the best thing to do. This was a very difficult decision, leaving a job that Tim really enjoyed after only 1 year, leaving behind the only opportunity to attend the Traditional Latin Mass, leaving a vibrant Scout program, and leaving a house we only bought last summer. But once the guilt begins to fade a bit I think we will be able to look forward with optimism about the future. For so many years we have been living here for 2 years, there for 1 year, never in any place long enough to make lasting ties. For our friends and relatives this seems to be the moment to pick up the Sharpie marker and write our information permanently in your address book, no more of this writing lightly in pencil stuff because you know it will just be erased and changed shortly. I love our farm, our piece of Maine and I think and pray that we will finally enjoy settling in and making our house our permanent home. 

10 points

You could say that I'm a little competitive. Okay, you could say that I'm really competitive, but not so much that I'm desperately trying to get pregnant so this Michelle or this Michelle doesn't beat me in the "most kids under the age of 14" category. I'll just stick with wanting to win the Sub5 track club 2012 series in the middle-age ladies bracket.

Saturday was the 3rd race for the year and I was in 2nd place until the 5 mile point at which I was passed by two women. I looked at their thighs to see if they were firm or starting to wrinkle, but no matter which, I just couldn't keep up, despite Belinda Carlisle from the GoGos blasting in my ear, "Get up and GO!" I finished with a new PR in the 10K: 45:23 and was pleased that all 3 women who beat me were in their 20's and 30's. As of now I am solidly in 1st place for my age bracket and in the 2nd place for women overall. 

Charlie came in 3rd in the mile run with Maggie and Mary close behind. For being the first boy to finish he won a sombrero pinata. However, their behavior at Mass on Sunday was so awful that we have not yet celebrated his win. Perhaps by next Sunday afternoon the dreadful rain will stop and they will be good enough to deserve the 5 bags of candy it took to fill the paper hat.

Next race: Garelick Milk Run, a one mile downhill course that will be Timmy's first road race. Lots of great prizes and free chocolate milk at the finish. My goal is to beat last year's time of 6:19.  

decision time

I have to make a very important choice in the next few weeks. I feel like I'm on top of the high dive at the pool with 3 options facing me: nailing a perfect pike, hitting my head on the board on the dismount, or climbing back down the ladder. I would appreciate a prayer for discernment.

back in the blogging groove

My old computer that I was having blackout issues with for the past year finally bit the dust completely the day Tim dropped us off at the farm. Four days with no access to news other than the radio made me so crazy that Tim scrounged up enough money to buy me a new fancy-schmancy laptop that will NOT have children's games/Minecraft/13 year old boys downloading illicit copies of Windows 7... and I think that means it will last longer than the old one that had its inside fried. Just in time because Henry Cate emailed me this morning asking me to host the Carnival of Homeschooling next week.

So, if you have a post relating in ANY way to homeschooling, such as a funny event, a field trip, a craft you taught the kids, a new book or curriculum you bought, please email it to: CarnivalOfHomeschooling@gmail.com by 6:00 PM next Monday evening. It will be greatly appreciated if the submissions come in earlier. Please send the following information:

Title of Post
URL of Post
Name of Blog
URL of Blog
Brief summary of the post
(With "carnival" or "submission" in the subject field of the email.)

However, since I have no access to my 13 year old computer expert, I am having trouble figuring out if my Ipod music list is on an account somewhere or lost inside my old laptop. If you know, please let me know.  

free time

Now that we are up at the farm with a diminishing schoolwork load and no electronic/media devices, the children must come up with their own entertainment. On Thursday the girls were gone all afternoon, having ridden their bikes 5 miles to the town library (to sit at the computer, but at least they got some exercise before and after) and Julia Ellen was asleep on the couch for several hours.

 Charlie just loves building models and found in our extensive book collection a paper model book of boats. Most of the pieces had already been taken out, but he traced the outline of each piece onto typing paper and constructed rather crude models of a submarine and viking longboats, complete with oars. For upwards of 3 hours Timmy and Charlie quietly constructed their boats out of paper and copious amounts of scotch tape and recreated scenes from Homer's The Odyssey which we watched for movie night a few weeks back.

I was able to spend a long drizzly afternoon sewing quilt blocks in absolute peace. Yes, there was a background noise of shooting and bad guys dying violent deaths, but it was a total respite from bickering, fighting,  tattling, and complaining. I'm thinking that our next movie night selection when we go back to the other house in a few weeks is The Hunt for Red October, Charlie already has his submarines at the ready to play Sean Connery and Alex Baldwin fighting it out.

4 children reading under the covers

I can admit now that I have been very worried about Charlie. He is almost 8 years old, in 2nd grade, and has mightily struggled with reading. I was concerned that he would never catch on. We went through the 1st grade readers last year, story by painful story, sometimes tripping on every word. In September we started the 2nd grade set, only to return to the pre-primer after a month to start all over again. This time around he did better and we are now more than halfway through this year's books. Every story is still a challenge, but the other morning I came upstairs from sewing to overhear Charlie reading (not flawlessly, but giving it his best) a picture book about farm animals to his little brother.

My philosophy has always been to surround the children with books, creating a "print-rich environment" as the experts call it. The result is 10 bookcases of children's books, encompassing everything from board books to Latin for Dummies, a huge collection of classics, and Landmark books, as well as a large selection of non-fiction. We also make frequent trips to many libraries in Maine, owning 5 library cards in various towns. My job of organizing and returning books is worth the exposure to new material. The kids are free to read in bed with flashlights, free to curl up on the sofa reading on rainy afternoons, free to play "library" by stacking books all over my living room on occasion. I don't require a certain amount of  reading time each day, I just tempt them with dramatic read-alouds, filling my tote bag with recommendations from enthusiastic children's librarians, and stocking the coffee table with colorful storybooks.

My goal is to have children who love to read, who understand the power of a great story, and benefit academically and emotionally from voracious reading. If I can keep these children playing outdoors daily, reading each day, and praying every evening then no matter what else happens I'm sure they will turn out all right.