Happy, Holy Christmas

A Happy Holy Christmas to everyone!

It's just past Midnight. We went to the vigil Mass earlier tonight. I had hopes of going to the Midnight Mass as well, with the kids tucked in bed (the younger ones, anyway). I must be getting old... it's Midnight and I'm fading fast. So it's to bed now, and getting up with the sun (or with the son, who will get up early).

The Creche is set up. The presents are out. There is a Christmas Carol record queued up (religious carols, sung by a choir!).

Good night, and Merry Christmas! Praise to God, who became Man, and came to save us.

The Pink Candle and Christmas Gifts

'Tis the season to be busy, busy, busy! I haven't posted much as I've been running around getting ready for Christmas.

The advent wreath is on the table. I love that custom. I like simple spiritual devotions: they keep the focus where it needs to be, but do not overwhelm. I'm easily overwhelmed and need to keep things very simple to stay on track.

And it's PINK WEEK! I normally am not a pink person (excuse me: It's ROSE as any priest who has to wear Pink on Gaudete Sunday will tell you!:-D). But there is something exciting about lighting that pink candle, and realizing you are more than half way to the Coming of Christ!

Thoughts on that... He's here already, of course. But despite really and truly being here, He's "hidden". He whispers in our hearts, and with our spiritual bad hearing we often misunderstand (which is one reason we have the Church). He is Truly Present in the Eucharist, yet hidden from us.

It's very like Mary, pregnant with Jesus. He was already here. But at Christmas he could be fully seen and experienced. And even though He's really here NOW, when He comes again it will be like that first Christmas... we will SEE Him, unhidden.

Rejoice!

One other note: I received in the mail a nice "Christmas Present." Maureen Wittmann's new book: For the Love of Literature. Looks to be a great reference and help to home schoolers, and reminds me, in a *simple* way, of why I began homeschooling. I need the refreshment! I'll post more on this book later. Meanwhile, get thee over to Amazon and take a look!

-edit- Amazon apparently does not have this book up yet. So get thee here instead:

www.eccehomopress.com
www.maureenwittmann.blogspot.com
www.maureenwittmann.com

Chesterton and Harry Potter

I just received my December Issue of Gilbert Magazine. This issue focuses on Fairy Tale, and contains some of the best comments on the Harry Potter series I've seen.

I've often been troubled by the distortions presented by some who oppose the Harry Potter series. The criticisms are often not based in truth, and that in itself is very troubling to me.

I've found the books have a very deep Truth in them, unlike so much that is on the bookstore shelves these days. They are not books for young children, they are simply stories that deal with good and evil and courage and virtue and flawed people striving, despite their flaws, to do and more so to BE good.

Unlike some of my fellow homeschoolers, I find great value in Fairy Tale and Fantasy. It is through myth, fairy tale, and fantasy that we can sometimes more clearly see and hear Truth. Jesus taught in parables. Why?

Because in the story, in the fiction, we can sometimes see the reality more clearly. It's so with Harry Potter.

No, I do not think the tales are Gospel. Or Holy writ. But the do reflect Christian Truths that are often not put forward in today's world. They show the value of family, of marriage and children, of virtue and love being more important than power. They are decidedly Christian in their view of the body and marriage, which is also very refreshing in today's world, which so often preaches disdain for the body, for the human person, and for the holiness of marriage and family. And I'm amazed and grateful to find such a book these days.

But I'm not amazed to find it was a modern "fairy tale" that gave us these Truths. It's in Fairy Tale so often that we find the higher truths.

I recommend getting a copy of the December Gilbert Magazine, and I recommend all the articles on Fairy Tales in general, and especially Nick Milne's article on Harry Potter (The Secret of Godric's Hollow).

Other bits I especially enjoyed in this month's Gilbert :
A page full of Chesterton Quotes on Fairy Tales
Chesterton's "The Wise Men" wonderfully illustrated
and the Chesterton essay "The Clever Man and Fairy Tales"

I'm sure I'll be editing and adding to that list as I finish the magazine.

You can find information on this publication here: Gilbert Magazine

Traditional Latin Mass

I'm a Novus Ordo girl. The Tridentine Mass was before (most of) my time. And I was fortunate to grow up in a diocese free of Clown Masses (mostly) and excessive Post V-2 Wackiness. I love reverent Novus Ordo Mass.

I stumbled into a Traditional Latin Mass today, offered at my parish according to Benedict's 7-7-07 Motu Proprio.

I still love the Novus Ordo, celebrated with reverence. But... but... I have to say... as much as I didn't really understand much of what was going on in the Traditional Latin Mass.. other than the obvious (the Sacrifice of Calvary made present)... there was "something" about the Mass. There was a sense of awe and worship. Despite the length of the Mass, even the little kids were fairly quiet and well behaved. They could "tell" too. Something BIG was happening here.

It was indeed "awe-some"

Gratitude

Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving, everyone.

For us Catholics, it's always Thanksgiving, isn't it? The Mass is a Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving to God.

We have much to be grateful for. In a darker time in my past, I hated hearing that, for I always turned it to "and so much to be ungrateful for". We ought to be grateful we have enough to eat? What about those who do not? I always looked at the dark side.

I'm learning now that Gratitude is vital to the life of our souls. I'm not sure why, anymore than I'm sure why I have abundance this Thanksgiving, and others do not. I just know God knows what He's doing, and He calls me to take part in His Plan.

And that we all, despite the darker times, have things to be Grateful for.

I refuse to be blinded to those things by the darkness that once clouded my sight. Time to live in Reality.

I'll close with a little story:

A woman was on the beach, watching her grandson play at the shoreline. He had little yellow shorts, a blue bucket, a toy shovel, and a little white hat. He giggled as the waves tickled him. She watched him, smiling, when suddenly a HUGE wave game up and pulled him out to sea. She was frantic... she couldn't see him anywhere. She prayed:
"Lord, return my grandson to me and I'll never be ungrateful for anything again!"

Just then another huge wave came up, depositing the little guy, unhurt, back on the sand. He was laughing due to the excitement of the ride in the waves. She ran down and picked him up, hugging him tight. Then she looked at him more closely. He stood there, dripping, in his little yellow swim trunks, with his toy shovel grasped tightly in his fist, and his little bucket at his feet.

The woman looked back up to heaven and snapped "He had a HAT, you, know!"

Homeschooling- Things I've Learned (part 4)

In previous posts I told my history and philosophy of homeschooling, more or less. A little bit of formal basics, and lots of free time (to dig pits and such).

It always helped me when folks mentioned the actual STUFF they used in homeschooling, so I'll mention a few things I like here.

My youngest is on about the second grade level (though we don't really do "levels" or "grades" here). Over the years, I've wandered about the Phonics Product World, never really finding a reading/phonics program that I was happy with.

Early on, I was at a huge curriculum fair in Pennsylvania (CHAP in Harrisburg), and I met the woman who designed Sing, Spell, Read and Write. I also heard speaker Debra Bell laud this program. I also saw the dang thing cost nearly $200. And I'm cheap. I had spent $400 on a full service curriculum the year before, but heck, I got a lot of books and "subjects" for that price! $200 just for Phonics and Reading? Bah.

Well, sometimes cheap is expensive, if you follow me.

With my youngest I got Sing, Spell, Read and Write. It's clearly the BEST program for Language Arts in the early years. Because of the songs, games, and books, even a squirmy child can get into this one. And they LEARN it.

By the time I got to this last child, I knew how to adapt a lesson plan... they give you a very clear structured daily plan with this program. However since I'm usually unclear and unstructured, I adapted it to the "chaos model" of homeschooling, and it still worked fine.

I wish I'd used this with my now college aged eldest daughter, when she was young! She struggled with reading, but I think this would have worked really well.

And I ended up spending far more than $200 over the years on programs for all of them.
For homeschoolers with kids just learning to read, I'd strongly recommend this program.
I'd also recommend keeping in mind kids learn to read at different ages, so keep it fun, let them progress at their own pace, and they'll 'get' it.

The only addition I'd add to this Language Arts program is some good books read ALOUD to the child, separate from reading "classes". Reading aloud to my kids did wonders as far as getting them interested in reading (if you are not a read aloud person, books on tape are good too).

Eventually the phonics lessons, and love of books they learn from the read-alouds, will click together (PLEASE don't read aloud and then give them tests and worksheets! Nothing worse to kill a love of books... just ... read. For fun).

... to be continued....

Pits for Peace

My youngest son dug a pit in the backyard. A big pit. If he stands in it just his head sticks out, and he's tall for his age.

He and his older sister (my youngest girl) fight like cats and dogs.

I just looked out the window. They are happily working together in the back yard, deepening the pit.

No fights, no arguments, just digging. That's good!

I just have to make sure both come back IN again.

Winter Burnout

It's coming early this year! Normally February is my 'down time' when I'm in desparate need of a curriculum fair, when I contemplate flagging down the yellow bus and throwing them on.

But it's only November and I'm having trouble focusing. Any suggestions?
(Other than a nice bath and a hot cuppa tea.... actually, that sounds good... I think I'll at least get the tea now!)

Funny, it was easier when I had LOADS of kids at home. My little guy is nine... my eldest ones are in college and my others are teens, and relatively self sufficient. I almost feel like I'm homeschooling an only child. Which is more difficult than homeschooling a batch of battling siblings.

Perhaps we'll have a side of Poetry with the tea. Poetry is great for focus.

Odilo of Cluny

This guy is one of my favs.
We owe All Souls Day to him (for which I'm sure MANY are grateful).

He's pictured as a Benedictine abbott with a skull and crossbones at his feet.... which is kinda cool.:)

Read more about it at Saint Odilo

He was kind and gentle to others, and for his liberality he was sometimes criticized.
A saying attributed to him is "I would rather be condemned for showing too much mercy, than for showing too much justice"

It's a message we can all use.

Praise God for His Mercy

Embryonic Stem Cell Research in NJ

"whew!"

A campaign for 40 days of prayer. Rosaries. Offering Mass. And a State I'd never have expected to vote down any expenditure of money, especially one disguised as a "good thing".. VOTED DOWN tax money to fund stem cell research.

They voted FOR using tax dollars to preserve Open Space.

Political Experts are left scratching their heads. Why would voters vote down stem cell (including embryonic stem cell) tax funded research? But vote FOR taxes to be used to preserve open space?

Maybe, ladies and gentlemen of the press, it's because NJ residents value and respect life more than was realized.

I'm willing to bet a similar motion, asking for funds for NON-EMBRYONIC research would have passed overwhelmingly.

Folks have had enough of science experiments on the weakest.

Praise God!

Nancy Brown and Father Brown

We received our copy of "The Father Brown Reader" today. My nine year old was delighted. We read aloud the first story, The Blue Cross, and he gives it a solid two thumbs up. He'd give more thumbs, but he only has two.

I was quite impressed by the adaptation. This is not a "dumbed down" book, even though Mrs. Brown adapted it for younger, contemporary readers. It is recommended on some sites for ages 8-10, but unless your 8-10 year old is a very solid reader, I'd push it up bit for solo reading (10 and up). But as a read aloud, it can go younger.

You can read more about it and order it at FlyingStars

Homeschooling: things I've learned part 3

Below I spoke of trying to find a balance between the duplication of the classroom at home (aka School-in-a-box or full service loads o' texts curriculum), and the learn-from-life-around-you "unschooling" style of homeschooling.

I've found both work, blended.

For the younger children, we needed some formal education, in reading, writing, phonics, and math. That was it. Keeping it simple was the key.

AND blending it all in with what the child was interested in, being alert for those "teachable moments", and leaving lots of time to learn from life itself. If we held off learning from the world around us, because the lesson planner said we had to do page 57 of the History Book, it was a mistake. The child was unlikely to remember what was in the history book, and the lesson they'd remember- perhaps the hummingbirds in the backyard, or measuring ingredients for cookies, was lost.

But those reading and math lessons are important! So what, after years of homeschooling, do I find works?

A bit of time, maybe on the porch in good weather, or in the yard, or around the kitchen table, with the reader, phonics book, or math book (Some children need to avoid distractions, so a regular desk just for school probably is helpful in that case)... Just as much time as was needed to cover a simple lesson for the day, and making sure that time was provided each day (at least as a norm)... But also making sure the time was not excessive. Keep it Simple, keep at it, and don't do too much.

Then read: good books, good poetry that is fun and age appropriate. And take walks. And visit museums. And play with Legos. And dig in mud and collect worms and don't be afraid to get dirty. Talk talk talk with each other. Be alert for the teachable moments. Don't leave your child to be raised by the TV ... be there, be a part of it, model learning yourself, look things up together if someone Wonders.

Blending those two things... a dash of formal education, in limited but consistent amounts, and lots of exploration of truth and beauty... and you've got it.