Christmas Octave Day Four

The Monday after Christmas means I start getting us a wee bit back into routine: getting sleep routines closer to normal and introducing "mini school" in the mornings: doing our holy reading, doing our CCE memory work and music theory study, resuming music practice, and writing a couple of thank you notes each day. It's my goal anyway, so we'll see how it goes!

Writing and decorating thank you notes

It was a day of errands, including Mama getting a long-needed haircut with Mary in tow as my babysitter. What does it say that this was the second hairdresser who didn't know me who asked, "So, do you homeschool?"

Instead of feeling dejected that I must come across as really square, this is a good time to read this encouraging piece called "The Dior Woman and True Freedom."

Babysitting

For our Christmas octave festivity of the day, the two oldest children sat with us to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" for the first time--what a treasure of a Christmas movie! I wasn't sure if our 7- and 9-year-olds could appreciate an old black-and-white movie, but they were held with rapt interest and asked good questions. At the end, John exclaimed, "That movie was great!" and Mary (reading the credits) gasped, "That James Stewart is a very good actor!"

Eight Days of Books

"The Little Grey Rabbit" Treasury by Allison Uttley is a beautifully illustrated set of four books about the dear lives of little rabbits and their friends, such as a speckledy hen, a mole, a badger, and an owl.

From Amazon: Alison Uttley (1884-1976) said of her characters, "Why do children love them? Because I believe in them." She grew up at Castle Top Farm in Derbyshire, and her passion for the countryside comes across vividly in her timeless Little Grey Rabbit stories.

The first in this series of books was published in 1929, with continued publication after that and, apparently, even a television show produced (which I have not watched). This title is out of print but is available to purchase used.

Reading Little Grey Rabbit before Quiet Time

They pile atop me

Not comfortable for Mama, but what sweet memories