Impressions in Wax

     Aristotle describes learning in this way: our minds are like soft wax, being impressed by a form that leaves a shape.
     It is so strange to see one child have very "soft wax," receiving impressions easily, while seeing another child have "hard wax," having to receive the new information over and over and over, and still not receiving the impression.
     I reviewed this data with my sweet Clare over and over again, and the poor girl just could not get it:

"Nektonic animals: swim.
 Benthic animals: scoot or walk.
 Sessile animals: do not move.
 Plankton: drift."

   I drew pictures; I wrote memory devises; I acted it out; I used different voice tones for each one.

   But I have seen it before, and hope to see it again: hard wax softens over time, with consistent and loving labor.  Eventually, a child will become facile with what was once impossible.
   I know I am that way too, with intellectual and spiritual matters: some things are just too hard at first, but eventually, the mind and heart become impressionable, and finally take on the form God desires.
   Old dogs really can learn new tricks!

(Note: As I was writing the above post, I was FORGETTING to pick my daughter up from co-op.  I had it in my head that the pick up time was "12:45," but it was really 12:30.  I had looked at the sheet with the time on it repeatedly!  Ah, the irony!)

Learning to Homeschool--Reinventing the Wheel!

     I am having to learn all over again how to homeschool!  There has been a mushrooming of lessons to teach--there is not enough time in the day!  It is taking some kind of superhuman intelligence to figure out a new schedule!  What I am trying now:

     7:30 exercise and breakfast
     8:30 family prayer and memory work
     8:45 I begin Math with each child in turn;
             --other children do independent work and take turns with Annie as she needs it
            [THIS IS TAKING ME ALL MORNING!!!!!!!!  YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!]
     12 pm Lunch and Laundry; then Mary puts Annie down for a nap.
     1 pm  All Language Arts subjects with Clare and Leigh
     3 pm  Review Co-op work and other subjects with Jacob and Mary

     School is finished around 4 pm, sometimes later!

   

A New Way to Love for Catholic Couples

          Here is the link to A New Way to Love for Catholic Couples, by Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt, with Kathryn Rombs and Ron Rombs.

http://newwaytolove.com/catholic/

     It has been such a delight to produce.  As Ron and I say in the Preface, It has felt like a project--much more limited in scope--but similar in spirit to the sort of undertaking that Thomas Aquinas or Augustine made, finding something truthful and right in a secular format, and bringing it into a Catholic paradigm.

    The most wonderful part for me has been the joy of working with Mom and Dad.  "Partners in Crime," we call ourselves! :)

Manuscript is Printing!

    As we speak, my first manuscript is printing on my desk!  It is called Captivated by Family, and is a testimony about how I came to see family life as a significant life calling, and how I came to choose that vocation as my primary life's work.
     It is written in short, blog post length stories, with different themes interwoven.
     It is 108 pages.
     I am not sure what to do with it!  I am giving it to my mom and a friend today, to see what they think.  
     It is such a good feeling to have gotten it written.  I never planned to write it: I just found it all on the tip of my tongue, and so I wrote it out--I wrote most of it in a 4 day period.
     It makes me think of Isaiah Chapter 1: God placed a burning coal on Isaiah's tongue, and suddenly, he was able to speak.
     Similarly, I have had so much to say for so long, and could not quite speak the first word.  But in an instant, God opened my lips, and out came a story of praise of how God showed me the path He wanted for me.  It is a delightful experience.  
     

A Godly Game of Scrabble

    Tonight we had game night, with our delightful Aunt June as the guest of honor.  Aunt June is a Christian writer, radio personality and speaker, singly focused on spreading the Good News in every way possible. 
     Well tonight, she joined us for game night and we played Scrabble.  At one point during the game, here is a picture of the board:

          At the top, as you can see, is the word, "Godly," which was my play.  I got 12 points for it. 
     Then Aunt June played, "Fag," which you can also see at the top.  She got 21 points for that word! 
     The eldest, age 10, said: "What does 'Fag' mean?"
     Oh, the conversation that ensued. . . it went on and on, from a basic explanation of the meaning of the word, to plumbing the depths of the upcoming elections. 
     A Scrabble Board: $15.  A night with Aunt June: priceless! 

Quilting

    It's time to trade toddler beds out for 4 bunk beds in the girls' room.  

     That means it's time for new bedding.  

     I simply could not stand the thought of buying comforters or quilts, when I used to love quilting, and dreamed of having children for whom to make quilts!

     The sad reality is that, now that I have five children, I have no time to make them.  

     I almost broke down and bought some.  But I got the inspiration, swerved the car to change directions, and headed for the quilt store.  An entire afternoon later, all five children had picked out their fabrics.  I set to work right away, and have one top completed.  Goodness knows, Math and Science will simply have to wait!  

Ron Making Wine

     A new hobby!

     Lucky me!

     Inspired by the vineyard and winery in Rome, Ron is looking to produce his own "Cote Du Rombs!"

Fr. Apostoli and Me!

     Here I am with Fr. Apostoli, CFR!  What an inspiration. 

     I have written a book, almost despite myself.  It just came out while I was on silent retreat.  I did not go, expecting to write a single word that I did write--it took me by surprise. 
     Ron found a Catholic Writers' Convention and I reluctantly went.  I simply hate the idea of self-promotion. 
    But at the first talk I attended, led by Fr. Andrew, this inspired monk talked about our responsibility to present what we have to say, responding to John Paul II and Benedict XVI's call for a New Evangelism.  The whole three days of the conference were loaded with guidance and formation: how to avoid hubris and ego, while promoting the message God has given us. 
    That was a new message for me to wrap my head around, and it seems like the message God wanted me to receive.  I feel at peace about it in a way I never have!    

Kids in the Kitchen

     The wonderful book, A Homeschool Mother's Rule, was so inspiring, but when I read it, I could not implement it because my children were so much younger than hers.
     But that has changed!
     All four older kids can do kitchen work now.  So now, we have 4 jobs, and they rotate the jobs every week.
1) washing the dishes
2) drying and putting away the dishes
3) clearing the counter and table of remaining items
4) spraying the kitchen table and counter

     They have stopped complaining about a job, since it is for a week; a group attitude has taken root, in which they accept whatever the job is, since it is not theirs for long.

     So I no longer clean up after any meal, on a good day!  Sometimes I'll help wash dishes if it is intense, but then 2 people dry and put them away, and it all goes very quickly.

     I cook in the morning, enough for 2 sit down meals at lunch and dinner.  Huge pot of stew with rice, 2 casseroles, 2 ovens' worth of roasted chicken and a huge salad.  I simply cannot believe the volume with which I am cooking now.  But if I put it together in the morning and let it cook before lunch, then I am done cooking and cleaning the kitchen for the rest of the day!  I LOVE IT!!

    I learned that from the monks at Christ in the Desert monastery.  I am SO grateful for their example!

Something Different Around Here

     On my silent retreat last month, I "heard" silence for the first time in ten years.  It was a beautiful sound!  I heard my heart and God's more clearly.
     In evaluating what needs to change and what should remain the same in my life, I discerned that only one main thing should change: NO MULTI-TASKING.  It is killing my joy, which is trying so hard to be strong and plentiful!
    
     So I have re-arranged my homeschool day:
-an hour for prayer and exercise
-an hour for housework, including putting dinner together
-three hours for homeschooling
-50 minutes for lunch (eaten together in silence, listening to classical music)
-10 minutes for closing my eyes and doing NOTHING
-three more hours for homeschooling
-10 minutes for closing my eyes and doing NOTHING
-50 minutes for business, phone calls and email
-one hour for housework
-one hour for dinner and clean up
-on hour for family music lessons and reading together in the library
-family prayers
-bedtime

Sundays, NO Cleaning, NO Cooking, NO Computer

     My favorite part about having implemented this plan is how much I have to deny myself!  I get so tickled that I "cannot" rotate the laundry while I am teaching math to someone, or that I "cannot" check my email until after school.  It is a strange feeling, to break the double-tasking experience, and I feel intense relief that I am just going to be where I am, when I am there!

     I LOVE IT!!

Feast of Rose of Lima

     Happy Feast Day, Rose of Lima!  She was a woman who transformed the face of South America because of her love for Jesus.  So inspiring!

     We cut ROSES in honor of St. Rose!

I love my husband!

So thoughtful; so good to me.  

Such a good dad. 

I am SO BLESSED!!