As the offering plate neared our pew, she became more and more nervous - my seven-year-old searching for her coin-purse.  I found it as the plate passed to the row behind us, and we fumbled with the zipper.  I asked her, "How much do you want?" and she said, "all of it".  The coins tumbled out of their case, and she ran to the back of the church to find the offering plate.  In the background, a young woman plays the piano keys beautifully, and artfully sings the words to that famed … [Read more...]

Our little Ryan turned three and oh, what a joy it has been to have him for three years!  He is such a crack-up!  He loves anything Fireman and so it only seemed appropriate to give him a Fireman party!  I love the way his cake turned out, and he loved it so much, he said, "Momma, you make me another one?" Uh, sorry kid - just one crazy cake per year!  :)  What a joy it was to share his celebration with friends and family.  We rented out a local pool so the kids could swim in February - quite a … [Read more...]

We made a trip to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.  About six hours of marine-lovin' fun!  We had never been there before, and i was delighted to see a whole wing devoted to the Great Lakes - just another way to tie into Classical Conversations!  Becca loved the dolphins - also my favorite at her age.  We got to sit in a theater that offered a "real" look at life as a penguin - the kids loved it when they got sprayed with water, cold air, and poked in the back at surprising times to make the video … [Read more...]

  I lean over the wood floors on hands and knees, scrubbing hard to make sure everything is clean. These old wood floors creak beneath.  They are in good condition, and I just thought they needed a good scrubbing. I remember, "polish doesn't adhere to the dirt" - it's hard to reflect light in rubble.  Once I knew they were completely clean - corners and crevices and deep in the hidden spaces, I rubbed the polish onto the boards.  The clean boards were brought to life as the polish … [Read more...]

A few years ago, some friends of ours moved from rural America to the Big Island of Hawaii.  We parted ways with tears, and vowed to come see them.  Many months later, we talked some gracious friends into watching the three tornadoes we had at the time, and embarked on an adventure, just The Farmer and me.  Our friends graciously opened their home to us, and we spent many of those nights together on their back porch, which over-looked the ocean, and the Blue Whales that were surfacing off the … [Read more...]

Monday was a normal homeschooling day, but illustrates why our family is loving homeschooling..... We started the day with our regular routine of Phonics, Piano, Math, Spanish, and Memory work.  I had to help the baby with something, and found Becca trying to teach Ryan his letters and the sounds they make.  Too cute!  This "atmosphere" of learning is one part I love - the kids are eager to learn, and to help others learn something new! After those studies and lunch, we had some friends over … [Read more...]

When I tell people we homeschool, one of the main comments that come up is this concept of "socialization".  I usually respond that we are involved in all sorts of activities, who my children have ample opportunity to "socialize", but really - where did we get this notion that sticking kids with a large group of kids their own age is the best way to "socialize"?  And while we are on the subject, what is "socialization" anyway?  If it means to conform your child to behave like the world, it only … [Read more...]