Daybook a Day Late
/It is bright and beautiful and promises to be a glorious spring day.
Nicky and Stephen and Katie and Mary Beth discussing the state of their NCAA brackets, following the weekend. Nicholas is ahead of some pretty big names in the ESPN Washington office pool. Not sure what that means about his education, but I'm thinking it might be heavily weighted in the sports stats department.
***
We are going to be focused on First Holy Communion notebooks from now until Easter. Katie (who has decided to be called her given name--Kirsten) will receive her first holy Communion on Easter. Nicky never finished his book in all the hubbub of last fall. It's so incredibly hard to do scrapbook style narration with a babe in arms. This is going to take a good deal of effort.
I'm
feeling the need to be ever more silent as the second half of Lent
begins. I reviewed my resolutions and I recognize that I will need to
be more dependent and obedient in order to bring those good things to
our Lord.
***
To Breathe Deeply...
I think we'll go outside a good bit this week. It's so hard to stay indoors when the spring beckons.
good test results following a serious medical concern for one of my children. I'm so relieved. And so very, very grateful.
***
The focus will be on fruits and veggies that sing "spring": strawberries and cream for breakfast, asparagus instead of green beans in the dinner menus, artichokes with melted butter for dipping.
new sunglasses. Well, not right now--but I will be later today:-).
On my iPod...
George Winston Gulf Coast Blues.
***
Towards a real education ...
I've got some thoughts on celebrating van Gogh's birthday;some plans for a spring nature walk; some ideas my children had for some game boards after they read the first few books on the Native American reading list.
Here's a fun basketball-themed math drill game.
***
I think I'll just go back to this thought, from October, when I truly could not move about my house at all. Right now, my hands are so full, literally, that I need to remind myself of this pretty much all day, every day:
Ever notice how beautiful a house becomes when Mama smiles? I have and I'm endeavoring to make my house so beautiful much, much more often.
Genuine Friendship
and
The Gift of Faith, recommended on Faith and Family Live! This book very well may be the best book on faith I've ever read (I'm not finished yet).It's written simply enough to be readable even in translation. It incorporates Scripture,sacrament, Tradition, and the wisdom of the saints to offer a fresh perspective on the spiritual life. I started it during Advent and then lost the book. It "just appeared" on the theology shelf in my library closet yesterday when I was looking for something else. Perfect timing for Lent!
one of my children is being protected by his guardian angel and will be comforted by his Savior.
I'm going to keep on keeping on, trying to create and maintain a peaceful, ordered, pleasant place for us all to grow. I think sometimes that I expect that my house will look the way it did when I was growing up. But we were a family of four, with two little girls. We were all gone all day and a cleaning lady came in often enough to make things pretty darn near perfect. Homeschooling a big family is God's way of curing me of perfectionism.I'm a stubborn patient. He, thankfully, is the Great Physician.
***
One of my favorite things ...
Watching my big girl snuggle my baby girl. Mary Beth is growing into a lovely young woman and it's a privilege and a joy to watch it happen.
Baseball season starts tomorrow.There's soccer all weekend long. Mary Beth is dancing at a local church. Mike begins his soccer travel. My dad is going to come up to help me be everywhere at the same time.
