1. Disappointments
This is one of those weeks when I'm not sure how to blog because our lives aren't just lived for Pinterest or Instagram (neither of which I'm on, actually), yet sometimes the deeply meaningful happenings aren't public fodder. We live in a thriving homeschool community, with forty homeschooling families at my tiny parish alone, and many local moms, and now some teenagers and older children, read this blog, so I have to be prudent about posting anything "negative."
Yet, our lives are real, containing struggles and hard disappointments. Our children are real souls, each on their own paths, each struggling with their own temperaments and sins. We parents are trying to get our own souls and each other to heaven, while trying to guide the young souls entrusted to us to heaven. We confer many times per week on this ongoing sin with this child, and that vice with that child, and what our plan is to try to help each and every one. It's a lot and it takes us to our knees in prayer (as well as reading books, asking advice of godparents and holy, experienced parents, sometimes calling up a priest).
 |
| Source of image |
Someday maybe I'll write a "grandmother's blog" like Auntie Leila--I can only dream!--and give out sage parenting advice based on long experience, referring anonymously to "I had a child with this struggle," but right now my readers can always keep in mind that life isn't all roses and sunshine. God didn't promise us that!
2. Pretty Music
Nor did God promise us all beautiful background music, but our family sure does get to enjoy much of it.
On Saturday last, our family appreciated attending a fundraising concert of Rachmaninoff's music by two missionary brother friends of ours. Even the youngest of youngsters got to listen and move around their wiggly bodies at the back of the room. Afterwards we had some delightful fellowship with friends.
One day this week, I heard Mary playing her violin concerto beautifully, but as I passed through the dining room while doing chores, I discovered she was actually playing on automatic, so to speak, while reading "Little Women"! Silly girl!
She's also a girl who likes to figure out piano or violin pieces by ear. One day this week, I heard her playing Kyrie Eleison on piano, which she just sat down and played for the first time, two handed and with chords, so I videotaped her second time playing it. I love God's gift of music.
With excellent and years-long musical and theory training, one can learn to recognize notes in songs, know the mathematical patterns that are common, and have memorized which chords go beautifully with which notes, and that's--in large, but not entirety--how Mary can hear a simple song like the Kyrie that she's never been taught and sit down to play it.
3. David Is On the Move
Barely turned eight months old and this little fellow is crawling everywhere with speed, climbing up the stairs, and cruising along furniture. He also began pulling all my homeschooling books off the shelves, so he's ushered in that "year of fun." He's also cutting teeth 3 and 4, and sleeping terribly again, not willing to eat any solids yet, and the pediatrician suggested I might want to try taking myself off all dairy to see if that explains David's nighttime/nap time (horizontal time) reflux-like cough he's had for months.It's a good thing he is so cute and sweet as I like my sleep, my books on my shelves, and my cheese in my mouth!
David made it three-quarters up the stairs one day (with my having caught him and following on his heels) before he fatigued.
4. School Continues
School continues during this springtime, always a time of great change as programs and classes end one by one, books are completed, we are on the cusp of new things, we're preparing for annual standardized testing next week, and we're spending a lot more time outdoors.
Miss Margaret (newly 7) is now at the novel-per-week stage, so is fast upon the heels of Mary (9) who reads several novels per week. (Although don't take the pic as a recommendation of "The Indian in the Cupboard"--I actually dislike enough aspects of it that I think I'm going to disappear it from our library.)
Meanwhile, Mary was struck with an idea for a story this week, such that she gave up listening to Mama read aloud one night so she could start feverishly writing her vision on scraps of paper until her dictated bedtime. She set her alarm for 6:00 a.m. to write until breakfast, then as soon as she was released from school at noon, she skipped lunch to write for two more hours . . . and it continues as such, with her researching subjects online to make her story more historically accurate. I'm so excited for her!
5. Outdoor Time
We are spending increasing time outdoors in this gorgeous spring weather. I simply love when the weather is warm enough and the sun rises soon enough that I can resume taking walks in the mornings--and maybe I will start to shed some of this baby weight? If I simultaneously starve myself and give up everything that tastes good?
This week, I got in several walks at 7:00 a.m. with whichever children were lucky enough to be awake, and we still managed to start school between 8:30 and 9:00, which is basically miraculous.
 |
| Thomas (2) up a tree saying, "Save me, Mama!" |
Margaret has founded a Birders' Club with her siblings and is spending time outdoors with her binoculars and Sibley's Birding Basics.
 |
| Lunch on the deck |
6. Preparing for First Holy Communion
We are in final preparations for Margaret's First Holy Communion. We've studied through The New St. Joseph First Holy Communion Catechism, Faith and Life 1, The Mass Explained for Children by Maria Montessori, and several saint's biographies this academic year. Dress and veil ready, holy cards purchased, menu planned, hair cut scheduled. Margaret is practicing the physical action of how to receive: chin up, eyes down, hands clasped, sign of the cross!
The littler boys want to practice too.
7. Ever My Helpers
Idle hands are the devil's playground, so, if I'm going to try to keep the television off while I cook dinner, it's best if I invite the youngest of the young to help me cook, while wearing the baby on my back.
No comments:
Post a Comment