'Joy in life is like oil in a lamp. When the oil gets low the wick is consumed, emitting a black vapor, and sending forth only a lurid glow, which does not give light. A life without joy passes away unprofitably, shedding around it only gloom and sorrow. If every morning in a simple prayer-in those fifteen minutes' meditation (which only seem hard when we do not practice it), we opened our hearts to God, as we open our windows to the sun and air, God would fill it with that calm, sweet joy which elevates the soul, prevents it feeling the weight of troubles, and makes it overflow with benevolence. But joy does not mean levity, witty sayings, or repartee...it is habitual serenity.' ~ (Gold Dust, edited by Charlotte Yonge and published in 1897)

 HT: Cay

A Good Day

We had a productive school day.  One that was filled with different subjects and no one was stuck in a slow boring rut.   Math for Edison (finally received his pre-Algebra materials from Teaching Textbooks -- review to come).  Lots of different reading today we are reading Tales of Troy: Ulysses Sacker of Cities by Andrew Lang together very slowly over the year.  There is a lot in each paragraph and many characters to keep track of so we go slow and I have them narrate after each paragraph or two.  They remember it pretty well (sometimes better than I do).

Edison was reading Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright.  He was on chapter 6 and he still didn't like the book.  It wasn't a book that I thought added any real value to his education in the long run so I let him ditch it.  I am now having him read stories from Harold Bloom's Stories and Poems for Extremely Intelligent Children of all Ages.  He read half of Hans Christian Andersen's "Red Shoes" .  A much more appropriate story for his age and I think it has much more depth to it too.

Alaska is still working on his cursive writing and doing quite well.  I managed to get Danny Boy to have his own reading time.  This is something that slipped out of our schedule over the past year, but I'm going to make it a priority again.  There are some fundamental information that I drill the kids on so they know it and we were able to remember to do this. 


We even managed to say the rosary with Mother Angelica at 11:30.  It was a little wild with Danny Boy not wanting to do this and Button climbing all over the place.  At one point both were fighting for space on my lap and climbing all over me -- not very peaceful -- but the rosary was said and in the end showing up is what counts sometimes.  At times I wonder what they all get out of this, but ultimately that probably isn't something I will know until much later if at all.

Even Button received a lot of attention from his brothers and me today.  I like it when it all balances out.  When everyone feels they received their fair amount, and I don't feel particularly harried today. 


Oh yeah, I even know what I'm having for dinner tonight.  Truly a good day!

Fulfilling New Year's Resolutions

For the new year one of my resolutions was to hold myself more accountable.  One of the areas I need accountability in is my children's school work.  So I am going to dazzle you with all the wonderfully fascinating things we did today.  Both Edison and Alaska received their spelling words.  Both reviewed some phonics via Montessori Pink and Blue set (I use these materials as I need not as intended, I am not a Montessori authority of any kind).  Alaska practiced his cursive writing.  Edison looked up words in the dictionary and wrote them down.  Alaska went over the months of the year.  We read two greek myths: Apollo and Daphne; Theseus and the Minotaur ( read these from Geraldine McCaughrean's book on greek myths).  Alaska reviewed his times tables (I'm waiting for Edison's pre-Algebra material to come in the mail from teaching textbooks so he didn't have any math today -- I expect it to come in tomorrow). They both read their books they are reading (I forget the titles) and for fun we listened to the second book in the 29 Clues series during lunch.

Ok, I hear the stifled yawn -- it wasn't one of our most exciting days.  But things began again -- it is the new year and I am trying to make sure I get to the things they need to know.

So that is it.  Our school day. 

Oh yeah, they both managed to play an hour of video games (I'm not sure how that happened).

Discerning my Vocation -- Another impossible task

Every few weeks it seems like I sit back and think what is my vocation? Am I fulfilling it to the best of my ability or am I doing too many other things that drag me away from the core of it?

I've been reading this book I think it is called A Time for Writing which I don't have on hand right now and couldn't locate on Amazon -- but anyhoo, and have been thinking how I can include writing into my day and not completely startle the natives, a.k.a. the family, and deciding that getting up early in the morning would probably be best. Then I woke up this morning (same time as usual I'm not starting this until after the holidays)and was sure that writing is not part of my vocation and that I should just shelve the idea and concentrate on home and hearth. Fine... went most of the morning thinking that this is what the Good Lord put me on earth for exclusively. Great. Then by this afternoon I email a friend and I have that old feeling again -- running through story ideas, thinking of characters, you know the usual suspects when it comes to fiction writing. It begins to creep up on me again. Maybe it is just a need to impress people with my credentials or the need to think that beneath the surface I'm more complicated than I appear. An ego thing or a pride thing or a lack of faith in God's plan thing. Uggh! I wish I understood all of this.

Maybe just wanting to concentrate on family takes the pressure off having to do more outside my comfort zone. Maybe though, and this is possible, concentrating on home is actually very difficult and thinking about being a writer is a fantasy that takes the heat off the present moment.

Maybe I'll make this my request during the Advent Season to discern my vocation. Here is a St. Andrew's Feast Day Christmas Novena
I'll leave it to Anne from Under Her Starry Mantle
to help you out with all the details. I'm learning right along with you.

And I understand the irony of writing about not writing. Yeah, I get that too.