{SQT} Mother's Day 2019 Edition

1. Weekend Fun

On Friday night, I took Mary to get her ears pierced anew, having had them done at her tenth birthday six months ago and after which followed a terrible mistake in which she took her earrings out (at the six-week mark) for eight hours and the holes closed up. (One must keep earrings in 24/7 for the first year, even if changing the specific pair.)

Mary was very, very happy to have gone through with it again, and was still beaming like this about it the next morning!

That is the face of triumping over one's fears!

Saturday morning marked our neighborhood's annual garage sale, which is always excellent (if you have a bug for "garage saling") and this year featured more than 50 homes participating. We picked up about a half dozen items, all small (like the below new-in-the-box train puzzle) except for John (12) buying his next size up in bike: a like new, seemingly perfect bicycle for $5! We love a good find.

2. Scottish Social Dance

On Saturday evening, we enjoyed attending what we hope is the first annual Scottish Country social dance at our parish. Our parish homeschool community actually hosts probably a half dozen social dances for all ages each year, most of them formal caeli dances with a caller, some of them ballroom dances. We haven't yet gotten on the "dance circuit" because our kids are on the younger end, but we attended this one for the first time because it was hosted by our group of Scottish Dancers with which our children have taken classes for a couple of years.

They had a delightful time!

3. Mother's Day 2019

For Mother's Day the next morning, Chris made us breakfast, which was decorated with flowers from both my husband and mother-in-law and which even included chocolate-covered strawberries from my mother-in-law, too! There was a pile of cards awaiting me, including a little project in which the children had written on slips of paper Things They Love About Mama.

After Mass, they all took me to an early afternoon dinner. . .

. . . and then we made ice cream, as our attempt to bake a cake from scratch the day before had resulted in something not edible, despite our best intentions.

4. Final Exams Week

Now that we have a child finishing sixth grade, this year marked new growth for me as a homeschooling mother. While homeschooling elementary school, it is common--and just fine--to teach school till you want to stop schooling and call it a year. I don't do subject tests in elementary school (although do complete the annual standardized testing that is required). We study math all year and stop, study science all year and stop, study spelling all year and stop.

And then comes along sixth grade and real semester tests and a final exam for which one must learn study skills and actually master the material. We are beyond the stage at which wee ones soak up everything like sponges, and now the material requires work.

So, for the last couple of weeks, I had been teaching John how to study for a final, how to organize notes, memorize, run flash cards, plan daily study time throughout the weeks (and avoid "cramming"). He took his finals for his CCE subjects and we await the grades, but his dad and I are so proud of his efforts nonetheless. He has grown by leaps and bounds in study skills and maturity this year.

John did come home with one result: He earned a Merit certificate and ribbon for outstanding achievement on his first-ever National Latin Exam!

An icon John painted (wrote) in his Sacred Art class this year

John had read "The Hobbit" (repeatedly) years ago and has been wanting to read "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien ever since. As a literature major, it has been a goal of mine that my children don't read it when they can decode the words but think it is merely a fantasy story about magic and dragons. I want them to read it when they have the maturity to understand the deeply Catholic theology behind the story. I plan to have him listen to the CD "Understanding The LOTR as a Catholic Book" from Lighthouse Media and probably also the 8-lecture series "The Hidden Meaning of The Lord of the Rings: The Theological Vision in Tolkien's Fiction."

He's my first kid, so I don't know if 12 is too old or too young, but 12 is when I gave him permission. Then he had to wait till he was done with his school year and would actually have time to read for pleasure! So, on his bed, waiting for him after his last final exam, was LOTR!

John has been carrying the tome around and reading it basically all the time in the days hence.

5. Voting

We voted as a family outing on Tuesday.

Quick governmental lessons by Dad

6. Field Trip of Wing Haven Gardens

We enjoyed the loveliest tour of Wing Haven Gardens on the most soothing of spring days before the heat began!

7. Miscellaneous

Our whole family is delighted with the new CD "Singsong Penny Whistle." Below, David (21 months) had pulled up a stool to stand next to the CD player and listen as close as he could and dance as best as he could.

Chris has been reading the children's treasury of James Herriot to the younger crew of children . . . and usually the older set of children quietly gather around to listen in, too.

We found a fallen fledgling in our yard this week and I was able to convince the children to place it back on the ground and for all of us to go inside in order to give the parent birds a chance to rescue the little fella. Indeed, after about an hour, he was gone and presumably safe!

Thomas (3-3/4) can't read music, obviously, but I love how he acts like he can as he runs his finger along the notes and uses another finger to play just the right key. He did this very studiously for five minutes.

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