Homeschool, Birthday, and Advent Oh MY!

Obviously I've been out of commission...MIA...whichever you prefer. Things were hectic with my brother's wedding and travels all around. We are finally getting back in the swing and Advent is already here!

Here's a brief homeschool photo recap with some of our projects:
St. Michael's Feast and the Archangels Feast...


Christ the King:


Thanksgiving:

My baby is 3!!!!!

Following Him

Okay so not to mean follow "Blue's Clues" of which this is an illustration. I mean that we were trying to stretch our Follow Jesus theme since we had illness run rampant through our home for a week and a half. Some of which was all in my corner. This can limit what is accomplished in a homeschooling environment. So for a little while Blue was teaching the kids in my stead. BUT I have to admit this drawing is pretty cute. I'm glad that she continues art without mommy prompting her!

Here are some pictures from the past 3 weeks:
















Corduroy book and projects...all about "shopping" and "spending" as an add on theme to our counting coins theme for math.




Always there is an interruption or two...


Plus a snack...




For our Gospel(last week's)we went with the "Follow Jesus" theme that day and did a craft of a cross.

We played "follow the leader" with the leader holding the cross and sang "I will follow Jesus wherever he will lead" to the tune of "following the leader". I gave her crepe paper to wave...mainly because we have so much crepe paper at the moment!


Follow Jesus!!! Wherever he leads. Always. Loved and loving Him...today I'm still learning. I hope this finds you learning too...blessings!

Love Lessons

Yet, love, mere love, is beautiful indeed
And worthy of acceptation.



Fire is bright,
Let temple burn, or flax;


an equal light
Leaps in the flame from cedar-plank or weed:

And love is fire. And when I say at need
I love thee . . . mark! . . . I love thee—in thy sight

I stand transfigured, glorified aright,
With conscience of the new rays that proceed
Out of my face toward thine.

There's nothing low
In love, when love the lowest: meanest creatures
Who love God, God accepts while loving so.

And what I feel,


across the inferior features
Of what I am,

doth flash itself, and show
How that great work of Love enhances Nature's.


Sonnet 10 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Beginning Again

Glorious day filled with love, beginnings and sweet endings. Learning to let go, play, and peacefully move forward...we homeschool.

I'm the student most days. I'm the one who needs to learn. I learn more than expected. More than math, reading, religion...I learn to see my child and hear her.

I stop and listen with her and scoop out of myself new visions and life waiting to unfold.

She moves at a pace I have forgotten. I dance with her as we march to Jesus Loves Me...and I remember to be a child at heart. We are thrown together on these days of school and it helps me to be there anew.

To love her anew and learn how to walk again. Thank you Jesus for teaching me today. Thank you Mary for holding my hands when I fear I cannot do this. I remembered today that although I'm never going to have it all perfect I know why I am here doing this schooling in this way. Dancing with my children and rejoicing in their victories.

Thank you that I am here to love them and celebrate each moment; however small to the world.

These are the moments. I am watching them enlarge, stretch and refresh my heart.

R is for Run!

R is for Rules to live by and St. Rose of Lima



R is for rabbit and red rectangle!!!



R is for Ring around the roses and Red Light, Green Light!
R is for raisins on a running gingerbread boy!
We read the Gingerbread Boy book and made an actual gingerbread boy decorated with raisins (just like in the book). The kids had a blast watching him cook and quoting the book while eating him until he was "ALL GONE" just like every other gingerbread boy that every came out of an oven. LOL! Here are some pics of the process...




Here are some of the "R" books (for the 2nd lesson):




I did two lessons on "R". The first lesson we focused on rabbits and the color red. We read books about colors and I had a few from the library that combined the themes. We then painted with red and blue paint and did some color mixing (a review of another theme we used for C is for color). I wanted her to make a basket using the different colored fruits in the book we read about colors (also has a rabbit asking questions all through the book) and she had a different idea so, trying hard to let go of my "plan" I went with it! She made a basket using all of her red rectangles, some triangles, a lacing string and then proceeded to find fruits of different colors from our kitchen to place in the basket. She informed me we made the basket for daddy and needed to leave it for him until he gets home. I was amazed. I mean...here I wanted to make a basket out of construction paper and glue stuff and she had come up with something much more innovative and all using her imagination. I was reminded why I homeschool and why I'm so glad I didn't push to do things a certain way during our lesson. Sometimes things are more structured and sometimes we find a new way of doing our lesson and perhaps that is what I love most about this journey. I'm learning so much.

We did a brief review of who St. Peter is and what it means to be called ROCK in scripture. As I thought given it was the feast of the Chair of St. Peter...and R is for rock too...it worked :)

Lenten Blessings!