{SQT} First Week of Advent

1. Family Visit Concludes

We had such a blessed week of my aunt and cousin visiting! On Saturday, everyone raced to do their morning chores and music practice in order to be ready for our afternoon family movie ("The Fighting Sullivans"--highly recommended for ages zero to 100+, bring Kleenex) with popcorn. We played war board games, and the children climbed trees outdoors and then measured their progress using my landscaping measuring tape ("Hey, Mama, I beat so-and-so's record by climbing 40 feet high!").

After dinner, we drove to look at Christmas lights and prayed our family rosary on the drive to Dairy Queen to celebrate Mary's baptismal anniversary. Such a fun, simple outing!

2. Advent Decorations

To my mom friends in the early years . . . just keep doing your traditions and trust that the tremendous effort you are putting in (with no big helpers yet) is so well worth it. Now that I have 11- and 13-year-olds, I can say, "Honey, please go up to the attic and get the Advent box. Then set everything up. You know how I do it."

And they love doing it! (Also, my decorations have become very simplified over the years.)

3. Scottish Ceilidh for the Feast of St. Andrew

Our Charlotte Latin Mass Community sponsored a Scottish ceilidh dance to celebrate the feast of St. Andrew. It was a delight to see all ages dancing together!

Mary got to wear a vintage crocheted blouse that was her grandmother's when she was a girl, making this darling piece about 80 years old!

4. John's 13th Birthday

We have our first teenager in the house!

5. Feast of St. Nicholas

My 11-year-old baked gingerbread cookies last Saturday and froze them for the following Friday because I don't have time to bake during the school week.

While it may look like I then allowed my four-year-old to decorate said cookies--what are they? happy ghosts and rocket ships?--I have to take all the credit.

I also ruined the entire batch of fun pancakes on the morning of St. Nicholas (with unblended and too much baking powder, causing numerous of us almost to vomit), such that I had to throw the batch away and have everyone eat cold cereal.

Morning fire and discovery of shoes

6. Zeppelin the Bird

On Wednesday, John noticed throughout the afternoon a tiny bird hopping around our yard and remarked several times that there was a bird who could not fly. So, when he showed up with a bird in his hand, we were not entirely surprised.

Indeed, the bird's right wing was injured, so we kept it safe in a little bird house we made for three days while trying to figure out how to help it.

Identifying the bird

Contacting two wildlife rehabilitation centers and awaiting slow responses, we finally learned that we were to drive it to safety at the rehab location in Indian Land.

Returning Zeppelin

Returning Zeppelin

7. Miscellaneous Moments

Alternative to 6:00 a.m. cartoons to allow Mama some time to drink coffee and do morning chores in peace: allow the little boys to tie butcher's string all over like a spider web! They had so much fun.

I love this age of almost 7 when the child begs to be allowed to do the weekly chores independently just like the big siblings. It will be a while yet before the seemingly inevitable collapsing with 'broken legs' and whining about chores begins, and then my tactics will have to change. For now, I celebrate!

When I asked David (28 months) which stuffed animals he wanted to sleep with at naptime, he filled his arms with all five, staggering into the bed while exclaiming, "Dee-Dee's favorites!"

Thomas (4): "I'm not tired, Mama! I'm going to stay awake and build Lincoln Logs during Quiet Time!"

Little guy didn't even last long enough to build one cabin . . . and we'll always wonder how that one Lincoln Log landed on his face.

An eight-year-old lovely girl knitting with her doll while snuggled under quilts on a chilly winter day.

We made the Bill of Rights lapbook for TAN's Story of Civilization this week, but I simplified the instructions even more than for a true lapbook.

On the night I had to stay up late and place my grocery order, I was falling fast asleep by eight o'clock, so I asked the two girls if they wanted to keep me company and help me do the meal planning. They were thrilled and said, "Just wait here and take a nap for ten minutes! Then we will come get you!" I came downstairs to hot tea waiting for me and decorations of Our Lady's statue surrounded by candles in the shape of a rosary. That was a pick-me-up!

For more 7 Quick Takes Friday, check out This Ain't the Lyceum.

{SQT} Last Week of School 2018-19

1. Relic of St. John Vianney

On Saturday, we hosted for dinner friends who are moving away and then we all headed to the cathedral to venerate the incorrupt heart of St. John Vianney.

Padre Pio's relics are coming next!

Sweet David (21 months) kept saying, "Mary!" urgently when he saw this statue. He raced barefoot down the path, climbed up the steps, and then insisted through noises that I lift him up so he could kiss her face. Then he said, "hand!" and he held the statue's hand for some long seconds.

This whole procedure he repeated twice more. Melt my heart!

Look at his skinny legs!

2. Music Appreciation Lunch

On Sunday, Mary was privileged to attend a music appreciation lunch with her girls' choir.

3. Memorial Day

On Memorial Day, Chris took five of the children to the cemetery, as is our tradition. There was patriotic music and food, and my family always goes around the cemetery, kneeling in prayer, saying the Catholic prayers for the dead. Meanwhile, I had stayed home because the baby wasn't feeling well.

It turns out that the cemetery owner and some families who were watching presumed that Chris was a widower with his five children--probably a widower of a female soldier--and the family was here praying for their dearly departed ME!

At the end, Chris and the cemetery owner fell to talking and the misunderstanding was revealed. They were so relieved that Chris was not a widower! We've certainly never had such a funny Memorial Day story before!

NOT a widower

4. The Jars Are Breeding in There

Cleaning out my refrigerator this week revealed that family members are not searching hard enough for already-open jars before obtaining new jars from the pantry. Then the problem compounds--fast!

Open containers I found were . . .

3 large jars of applesauce,

2 jars of marinara sauce, 

3 jars of Alfredo sauce, 

2 bottles of soy sauce, 

3 bottles of barbeque sauce, 

2 bottles of Worcestershire sauce

2 jars of grated Parmesan cheese,

2 32-ounce bags of shredded mozzarella,

3 packages of American cheese, 

. . . among others I'm sure I've forgotten already.

No wonder the refrigerator was a wreck!

5. Stick and Puck

6. Scottish Dance End-of-Year Recital

The children did not get to play as usual after dance because most of the class was rushing off to the Ascension Thursday Mass that night.

7. End-of-Year Party

On Thursday, we held our end-of-year retrospective, presentation of certificates, and the Eating of Cake: click here to read about our annual tradition.

Then on Friday we hosted an end-of-year party in beautiful weather at our home with lots of outdoor play, sports equipment, kickball, loads of food--and a lot of happy kids.


For more 7 Quick Takes Friday, check out This Ain't the Lyceum.

First Day of Scottish Dance 2016-2017

We are very excited to have started Scottish dance lessons today!

We've had our eye on these lessons for a couple of years, knowing some of our dear church friends participate, but we were waiting until we had two kids old enough to join (8 and above).

The classes are held once weekly at a Protestant church in a bucolic setting a long drive from our home (45 to 60 minutes). While John and Mary danced, I visited with a friend and our children played in the old-fashioned church cemetery, adjacent meadow, and communed with the cows on the other side of the fence.

 

After the 90-minute beginners' class, the children spent time socializing outdoors, including the boys playing football. Margaret (5), who was too young to dance at all, told me, "That was the best first day of Scottish dance class EVER!" (with accompanying enthusiastic hand motions).