Gloria in Excelsis Deo: 7 Quick Takes Friday: Advent Begins

1. Advent

This week Advent began, and you can check out my list of goals, which I had hoped were simple enough for even me to achieve this year (click here).

However, the first week reveals that I still over-plan things. My abilities remain much lower than I would think.

We have had all these unusual happenings right after dinner, so I think we've lit our Advent wreath and sang once or twice after dinner, that's it. We did start our at-home retreat using "My Path to Heaven," and I'm really enjoying that. It's possible I'm the only one who is aware that she has given something up for Advent, although in my case it affects everyone else majorly: I am drastically cutting back on using the television as a babysitter, including when I exercise: an entire day might go by without my allowing the TV on once. The kids are all going through withdrawal and I'm telling them to unite their sufferings to our daily Advent prayer intention.

2. Random Cute Moments

Thomas (16 months) has begun waddling around with the Strider

Thomas carries a stool or pushes a chair most everywhere he goes because where he ultimately wants to go is UP. One afternoon, the kids were playing outside and Thomas yearned with all his being to play with his two big brothers on the front porch, so he pushed the stool over and began rattling at the door handle.

I moved the keyboard into the Bonus Room, where it now provides much entertainment to Thomas while I'm teaching Kindergarten a few feet away.

One night, Margaret (5) was throwing a tantrum while I was tucking in the two littlest boys: She quieted and I wondered what had happened. After I emerged from the bedrooms, I sought her out and found her . . . fast asleep on the floor of the dining room!

I love checking in on my almost four-year-old Big Boy when he is sleeping. This night he was clutching his bean bag football in one hand, his flashlight in the other hand, with beloved Raggedy Andy next to him: three symbols of this age when a boy is moving from babyish toddlerhood to the realm of Big Boy.

3. Imagination

The making of this farm and playing with the animals absorbed our eight-year-old for an entire week. It was delightful! Who needs whiz bang, noisy electronic toys?

Barn adjacent to a meadow and lake

Max the dog eating his dog food

Sheep at the lake

Two stalls in the barn, a clock, and an unconventional fireplace in the barn

The straw where the lambs lay down

4. Scholastic Scenes

We got back to the books after a refreshing week off of academic work: we were busy with the school of life, learning how to cook and host Thanksgiving!

Pushing a rolling chair around, then ascending it to pull stuff off high shelves

With the chilled weather comes a lot of drinking tea and eating homemade muffins while we read our many living history books aloud. This month: The American Revolution!

Bonus Reading: "Homeschooling with Toddlers: Tips from a Mom of 15"

5. Family Books of the Week (in progress or completed)

Read-alouds

"Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints" (Loreto Publications, originally published 1894)

"Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" by Jules Verne (1870)

"My Path to Heaven"--the young person's retreat-at-home we are doing during Advent

Mama

"Divine Intimacy" (1963)--current daily holy reading

"Joan of Arc" by Mark Twain

"Lord of the World" (again)

book about Marian apparitions

For Connecting with History:

"Mr. Revere and I"--an absolutely delightful Loyalist perspective from the point of view of Mr. Revere's horse, formerly of the British army

"The Reb and the Redcoats"

a book about Daniel Boone

"If You Lived at the Time of the American Revolution"

John

"St. John Bosco"

"Manual for Spiritual Warfare"

"Indian in the Cupboard" (again)

Mary

"Young Faces of Holiness"--Mary's daily saint book

"Secrets of Siena"--finished

"The Moffat Museum"

Margaret

"Mrs. Piggle Wiggle" (with Mama alternating)

6. Tour of Government Center

Click here to read about our tour of "City Hall."

7. Meals

I've been taking more care with my coffee ritual lately, using the French press this week instead of the quickie Keurig. It's lovely.

French press coffee by candlelight

Other than that, it seems I used up all my cooking prowess last week during Thanksgiving. This week was a mess!

Saturday

Thanksgiving leftovers

Sunday

Hot dogs over the open fire for the kids, random food for me, and Thanksgiving leftovers for Chris.

Monday

There were numerous meltdowns during the day . . . errors were made . . . so we found ourselves at dinner time with nothing cooked and a Falling-Apart Mama. The kids ended up being served hot dogs (again), while Chris took pity on us adults and got take-out (even though Mama said she'd be happy eating crackers and peanut butter).

Tuesday

Trader Joe's pollo asado, taco night

Wednesday

Leftover pollo asado and I totally forget what else

Thursday

Seriously, more leftover pollo asado, pasta, grilled sandwiches, whatever . . .

Friday

My meal plan for our Kids Cook Real Food class #4 got pumped at the last minute because it turns out Chris and John will be eating dinner at a father-son dodgeball event, so the rest of us will be eating random things out of the pantry.

For some weeks now, the 16-month-old Thomas will only eat with a fork or spoon. If I cause offense by putting bits of food on his booster chair tray, he screams while pointing at my fork on the table until I acknowledge my error and hand him flatware. He's no uncivilized savage.

One morning, I asked him, "Do you want to eat? Do you want yum?" He answered, "Yum!" and toddled to the table. I lifted him into his booster seat, to which I would then affix the tray, and he kept stiffening his legs and fighting me. I'd relax my hold and he'd climb into his brother's identical booster seat that doesn't take a tray and is located at the kitchen table. I put him back to his seat twice more, and he climbed into his brother's booster twice more before I just let him sit in it to see what he would do.