I know I’m not supposed to have a favorite child, but when you have a child who makes things like this…
Century Chart
16 Feb
I teach the classes for Form 2 (4-6th grade) at our Charlotte Mason Alveary Co-op. We have been making a century chart to go along with George Washington’s World by Genevieve Foster. The kids do a great job!
Love intersects
14 Feb
In the center of the Venn diagram where the circles of love of art, Olympic figure skating, and violin music meet, you will find Peach Pie painting flowers while listening to a new music love (Rondo and Capriccioso Op. 28 by Camille Saint-Saen’s) discovered because Yuzuru Hanyu skated to it.
Day 50 of Wearing the Wool Dress Everyday
9 Jan
Day 50: I can’t believe it’s been 50 days. What I am noticing is how emotionally comfortable I feel when I go places.
I’m happy, physically comfortable, I feel like “me,” and I feel appropriately dressed wherever I go.
It’s funny, because I used to never feel like I’d chosen the right clothes for the occasion, and I used to think the solution was more clothes. Turns out that the opposite was true.
P.S. These leggings were a gift, and I love them.
P.P.S. I bought these cicada earrings on Etsy, and aren’t they the best?!
Especially for studying the Old Testament this year, am I right??
#wooland100daydresschallenge #woolandmaggie #100daydresschallenge
Exam Week
26 OctMid-week of exams, I question everything and all my life decisions, and feel certain we are all failing at homeschool.
We soldier on through the exams, and somewhere by the end of the week, or over the weekend after, I let go of what I wished their exams looked like, and I let go of feeling bad for the courses that exams reminded me about that I either dropped on purpose, or by accident somewhere in the term.
I remind myself that EVEN the exam doesn’t reflect what my kids have learned. It is more of a check on my teaching than anything else.
During the break week following exams, I pray. I make some new decisions about how to move forward, either to hopefully improve the classes or to drop some or to rearrange the schedule, etc. I go back and look at afternoon occupations and see if I can incorporate them in class time. I ask myself, am I starting every lesson with some version of the question “what did we learn last time?” I think about my children’s strengths and ask myself if I am allowing them to use their strengths to learn. I consider how I can improve the quality of the discussion we have after narration each class time. I consider if I need to us materials from a lower grade level to help my child access the ideas more readily.
And then I move forward, because what else can I do? I profoundly believe that the principles behind a Charlotte Mason education are true. I know that raising children who can recite timeline facts or memorized paragraphs about history/literature is not my goal. I remind myself that my child will not retain everything from their lessons that I have retained because I have the advantage of age and many relationships already formed. I remind myself I am raising a person, not an encyclopedia. I pray for grace and help, and move forward with faith.
❤️
Every Once in awhile I have a great Comeback
23 Oct
As the Man of the House and I were going out tonight to see friends acting in the play Harvey,
Blueberry Pie said, “I never thought my mom would wear a Mohawk and a biker jacket.”
I patted him on the should and said, “Sometiems life turns out better than you imagined it would.” 😉
Stripe the Personal Assistant
3 Oct
“Of course, I can’t go without my personal assistant.”
I’ve been reading PG Wodehouse this month, and so when Skeeter says his assistant’s name is “Stripe,” I’m pretty sure it’s spelled Pstripe.
Marvelous Pigs in Satin 