Hobbits to House Elves

The hobbits have been transformed into house elves this week and have been very busy cleaning, baking, decorating and shoveling snow! We went to confession last night so even our insides are ready for the coming of the Christ child. Merry Christmas!

A Christmas Carol by G.K.Chesterton

The Christ-child lay on Mary's lap,
His Hair was like a light.
(O Weary, Weary were the world,
But here is all aright.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary's breast,
His hair was like a star.
(O stern and cunning are the Kings,
But here the true hearts are.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary's heart,
His hair was like a fire.
(O Weary, Weary is the world,
But here the world's desire.)

The Christ-child stood at Mary's knee,
His hair was like a crown,
And all the flowers looked up at Him,
And all the stars looked down.

Our Mr. Chesterton

This post by The Blue Boar reminded me of the first time I read The Ballad of the White Horse. It was a few years ago and the littlest hobbit was only 5. I was multi-tasking, as usual, and while waiting for his older brothers to finish their Tae Kwon Do lesson I was reading the ballad in the hopes of keeping up with my highschooler and having a rousing literary discussion later. Little Hobbit was bored so I started reading outloud to him. He was enthralled! That night at bedtime he asked for the ballad instead of stories. It took a couple of days but we made it through the whole poem and twin hobbits joined us. Baby Chestertonians were born!

Narration

The littlest hobbit is making fine progress in written narration. We have been reading Padraic Collum's Trojan War. Here is his first narration:
Odysseus was king of Ithaca. He was quite content in Ithaca. He got a message from Agamemnon that said,"Help me fight Troy!" Odysseus did not want to fight Troy so he yoked an ass and an ox and plowed a field. The messenger thought he was mad so he put Odysseus's son, Telemachus, in front of the plow. Odysseus steered out of the way proving he was not mad.

Here is the latest one: Menalaus told Telemachus that after the seige of Troy he had been stuck on the island of Pharos for many days. But a nymph came and told them how to catch the old man of the sea. When the sun is at its highest he comes up on the beach and counts the seals that come up to him. If there are one too many or one one not enough he will not go to sleep. If there are just enough, he will go to sleep. You must pick the three of your men that you trust the most and meet me at dawn. So he did what the nymph had said. At dawn the nymph came out of the sea and dug four holes and Menalaus and his three companions lay in the holes and covered themselves with seal skins. The old man of the sea came up and counted all the seals and went to sleep. Menalaus grabbed him and seeing that he could not get away he answered all of Menalus questions.

This was hurriedly finished after a solid 30 minutes of writing and I told him to get a move on. Short lessons, you know? I'm sorry I stopped him now!

Ocular Athletics

A Ruler by Joe

A ruler has 12 inches on one side and 30 centimeters on the other. (If you want to you can use millimeters which are about this long -). centimeters or cm are half an inch long and an inch is about this long -------. I use rulers to draw sword blades which is my hobby, other than getting hurt by my twin brother.

Comparing my Cats by Adam

I should have made cats singular because my family really only owns one cat, Frodo and Mooch came mooching around. Mooch and Frodo do have a cat scuffle every now and then. Mooch is pretty much the exact opposite of Frodo. Mooch is skinny, Frodo is nice and fat. Frodo is orange with tan stripes not unlike a tiger, while Mooch is gray with a black back and stripes on his sides. Frodo was really nice when Mooch wandered in. Now Mooch is as snug as a bug in a rug in Frodo's spot. So naturally, they had a fight. It was hard to say who won because we broke them up, but Mooch has been following Frodo around picking fights. I have thought to the extent of my capability (which is not much) and I can't think of any thing else to write about cats. I don't even seem capable of an ending sentence. So I will end with a plea for more ideas.

Ocular Athletics

A Lego
by Joe

Today I am writing about a lego. There are many types of legos. I am writing about the most common, an eight dot brick. This type of lego has two rows of four dots. It is about one centimeter tall and one and a half inches wide and half an inch thick. On the bottom are three holes big enough for a dot to go into. You use them for building things like towers, spaceships, cars, etc. I like to build spaceships and boats. Right now, I am building a ship.


A Dog
by Adam

A dog is man's best friend as you probably know if you have one. It can be a life saver, a friend to play with, or a guard, although I would not train it to be a guard. A dog needs company, it needs people around. If it is not treated carefully it becomes mean and will bite. So treat a like like a friend you can play with. There are hundreds of different kinds of dogs from the St. Bernard to a poodle. People often say a dog is the mortal enemy of a cat but that is not true. My dog, who is a Golden Retriever and very playful,(although a little lazy because we don't take him out enough)and named Zeus and the cat, Frodo get along very well. In fact, they are the best of chums. I wish I could say that Frodo was our friend too but he seems to have a cold heart for everyone except Zeus. Most dogs are worth having around. Do you have one? If you don't, bring the topic up with your mom or dad. They may want one too. I will see you next time I do a report. I may do cats or maybe something much more complicated. Until then, see you.

What's working

I just finished the quarterly report required in New York State and so this seems like a good time to review and see what is working. Surprisingly, quite a lot. There has been significant tweaking done since this post but not as much as some years.
The self propelled Bible study never got off the ground and the twins are working through Bible History by Johnson,Hannan,and Dominica and Ken is reading The New Catholic Picture Bible. The rest of the religion outline is working although we are behind with The Adventure of the Amethyst. The boys love this book and sit rapt every morning as I read aloud the further adventures of the Lovell children. Today the older three were baptized. (the youngest was baptized earlier during an illness). Tomorrow--First Holy Communion. As converts ourselves this book really hits home and also the children ask the real questions of their friend the Bishop that my boys would ask. Is it a sin to spit in your brother's bath water? Are all Christians Catholic? Is there any salvation outside of the Church and what is hell really like? (Tough one). This book is great and we are loving it.
Latin is going well and I have resisted tweaking here. We are on lesson 16 of Latina Christiana (second conjugation!). Lingua Mater didn't make it though. The twins just aren't ready for a composition course yet. Instead we are working through the writing part of Voyages in English 7. Today they gave talks they had written on how to tie knots. For some reason I can't fathom they are not giving me any grief about this. We are also continuing Poetry Monday (copying of poetry into a lesson book, memorization optional)Ocular Athletic Thursday, and narration Friday (they are narrating The Trojan War and Adventures of Odysseus by Padric Collum--even Ken). Spelling is going amazingly well with the Seton workbooks and awhile back the boys declared spelling their favorite subject. I guess that fit I pitched was for nothing.
Math was switched to Saxon 7/6 as less confusing and time consumming. Ken is reviewing 3rd grade math with the new Seton Math 3. He likes that book so much he has been seen to pat it. I think it is the art work but he likes that it only does one thing a day. I didn't realize that the Saxon method of doing several math topics a day was confusing him. String, Staightedge and Shadow is going well and we read from it once a week.
History has completely changed. The Old World and America just didn't cut it here and we are now using The Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer. This is really sticking--Joe aced all the ancient history on Jeapordy a couple of nights ago. Okay, it was teen Jeapardy but still, he's only twelve!
So, thanks mostly to Seton workbooks (I can't believe I'm typing this!)this year is going very well and another benefit has been that after this week's stomach bug everything just fell back into routine. There was a routine to fall back into!

Ocular Athletics

A Sword by Adam

A sword is one of man's deadliest weapons. They all have a blade, most have a sharp point for stabbing. Others have curved blades for slashing. Those are the two basic styles. Other swords are straight with zigzag patterns for cutting. Others, like the Greek sword, are short with curved sides. And finally, the Japanese Kitana:curved blade then straightens to form a stabbing tip. The handle helps you weald the blade accurately and comfortably. Guards across most sword blades creates protection for your hands. All these added together makes man's most deadly weapons. All through the ages mankind has updated the sword with stronger metal and better balance. It takes months to make a sword and much care and a lot of devotion to make a good one. Swords now have been replaced with guns but I will miss swords.

NB: This came with many illustrations of the type of swords discribed.

And for something completely different---

Rosary by Joe

A rosary is a thing to keep track of your prayers. A rosary has 59 beads, 53 Hail Mary beads, 5 Glory Be/Our Father beads, and one just Our Father bead. Rosaries always have one Crucifix and one image of Mary on them, The Crucifix is always on the end of the rosary and the image of Mary is always five beads before the Crucifix. My rosary is black with a cup with a piece of bread in it. The bread has 3 letters--IHS.

Feast of All Saints

The Hobbits and I attended our first All Saints Day party! It was great fun! First we attended Mass and then we had a pot-luck supper followed by saints presentations. Following are the Hobbits' contributions.

Saint Martin

St. Martin was a soldier in the Roman army. He was very kind. He gave everything away. If he had money he gave it away. If he had nice clothes he gave them away, too. He gave pretty much everything he had away and he was well known for it. One day, his friends gave him a warm red cloak. One of them said,"Martin, if you love us you will not give this cloak away." Martin liked the cloak very much and kept his promise.

One stormy, snowy, windy, and very cold night Martin was riding on his horse when he saw an old man in ragged clothes sitting by a tree. Martin stopped his horse and looked at him. He had nothing to give the old man but his cloak and he did not want to offend his friends. Then he had an idea. He drew his sword and cut his cloak in half. He kept on half for himself and gave the other to the old man, then rode away.

When Martin was sleeping, the old man appeared to him in the half-cloak then he turned into our Lord, Jesus Christ. Jesus said to Martin,"I am the poor beggar man you helped. Your cloak is keeping me warm. What you do to others, you do to me."

Saint Juan Diego

When Juan Diego was 13 years old he witnessed the Night of Darkness when 80,000 Aztec Indians were killed in human sacrifice. Juan Diego wished there was another way to live but he did not know another way. Around 15 years later the Catholic Faith arrived in Mexico and he learned another way.

One day when he was about 50 years old Juan Diego was going to Mass when there, on top of a hill, was a bright light, then there was a beautiful lady instead. The Lady told Juan Diego to go to the bishop and ask him to build a church where they were standing and she would bless Mexico. Two time Juan Diego asked the bishop to build a church on the hill yet the bishop did not believe.

Juan Diego left the bishop for the second time and went back to the Lady. The Lady said," Go home and then meet me here in the morning." When Juan Diego went home he saw his uncle dying. The next morning Juan Diego's uncle was worse. Juan Diego went to get a priest, being sure to go another way so as not to disappoint the Lady. The Lady found him anyway and said,"Juan Diego, why are you going this way? I told you to meet me on the hill, yet you avoided me."

Juan Diego said,"I go to get a priest . My uncle is dying."

The Lady said,"Go to that hill and pick all the flowers you can find. Then bring them here to me in your tilma." Juan Diego did as he was told even though he doubted that there where going to be any flowers this late in the year. When Juan Diego got there, to his amazement he saw hundreds of roses. He gathered all the roses up and brought them to the Lady who arranged them in his tilma. Then Juan Diego went to the bishop and showed him his tilma with the roses i nit. The bishop gasped and dropped to his knees and started praying. Juan Diego asked what was the matter. The bishop pointed to the tilma. Juan Diego saw the image of Mary. The church was built and the uncle healed. Juan Diego and his uncle lived happily ever after.

Saint Joseph

Joseph was a carpenter and the foster father of Jesus. One day Mary got pregnant and a few days later the emperor Caesar said that everyone had to go to their hometown so that they could count the people. Joseph's hometown was Bethlehem and it was a long way away. But they had to go, so they went.

When they got there, there was no place to sleep. Finally, they met a boy that said there was a cave up on the hill that you could sleep in. When they got there Joseph made a bed out of straw so Mary could lie down. Then the cave was filled with light and when it was gone a little baby was sitting on the straw. They named him Jesus.

Hobbits hiking the bluff

Another shelf or two

Moving down the bookcase we have the poetry books--Favorite Poems Old and New compiled by Helen Farris is probably the most used but you will also find a beautiful copy of A Child's Garden of Verses illustrated by Jesse Wilcox Smith, 101 Best Loved Poems, A Child's Book of Beasts (alas illustrated by B.T.B. not G.K.C.), a few of those Poetry for Young People series of books, The World of Christopher Robin, Leaves of Grass and a collection by Robert Browning. The hobbits are fans of poetry and a few books are missing--The Harp and the Laurel Wreath, A Child's Anthology of Poetry and A Treasury of Playtime Poems are about the house somewhere. Also on this shelf are stray CD's for the computer--100 years of back issues of National Geographic, two editions of the World Book encyclopedia, various educational programs like Typing Tutor and Spell It and A Quarter Mile (never used, any of them!) A CD version of Butler's Lives of the Saints is here too and occasionally gets dusted off and placed in the computer, usually in November. The next shelf has my collection of What Your 1st through 6th Grader Needs to Know. These books were published roughly at the same time my oldest was in the corresponding grades and I have them all (I have the updated ones for some too). I never used these much passed the 3rd grade however except for science. The history just gets too confusing. I see Plutarch's Lives is on this shelf as well as Grimm's Fairy Tales, Bulfinch's Mythology, American Indian Myths and Legends and a couple of Shakespeare stories for kids (Nesbit and Garfield, we have Lamb too but it is obviously mishelved). Also on this shelf is six well thumbed volumes of Charlotte Mason, and four volumes of Our Quest for Happiness-a pre Vatican II high school religious course which I haven't read but my oldest hobbit liked alot.

Fun in the Sun

The hobbits and I have been working real hard on those second declensions: servus,servi, servo.....and the weather has been just fabulous of late so we took yesterday off and went to the beach!

Lepanto or why this is the month of the Rosary

It's Battle of Lepanto week at the Hobbit Homeschool! Today, we studied maps of the Mediterranean circa:1571. And we read the entry for the battle in Great Moments in Catholic History (The Neumann Press) and we read the poem by Chesterton out loud. We also started the day with a decade of the rosary (as usual) and read Lovely Lady Dressed in Blue by Bell, Brindle and Lademan. That lead to an emotional discussion on abortion,the presidential election, what a Knight of Our Lady can do to fight the good fight today, Saint Dominic, the power of Eucharistic devotion (when an abortion clinic attempted to open locally, a group of Catholics started an Adoration Chapel nearby, wherein the abortion clinic had no end of trouble getting staff, proper certifications and whatnot to open and eventual gave up, hurrah!). Tomorrow we will re-read the poem with explanations line by line using the excellent annotations by Dale Ahlquist in the Ignatius Press edition.

I was planning Lepanto week anyway but it seemed especially needed after reading this from the Church er..Faith Community bulletin--October is the Month of the Rosary but did you know it was also National PIZZA Month? --well, no I didn't, but I know why it is the Month of the Rosary...St. Michael's on his Mountain in the sea-roads of the north. (Don John of Austria is girt and going forth.)

Spelling Revisited

It's been a couple of weeks since I had my spelling meltdown. In that time we have been using Seton spelling workbooks. One hobbit in grade 7 one in grade 4 and one in grade 3. Yesterday, hobbit-7 asked,"Mom, what do you think of these workbooks?" I replied, cautiously,"I don't know. What do YOU think?" "I like them," he said. "Yeah, me too." "I do, too," was heard from the others. Whew.

Next Shelf

Next to the computer desk is a wall/bookcase my husband made when the books threatened to over-run the house. It has four shelves and the top one holds my homeschooling books. They show my evolution as a homeschooling mom. The oldest are the John Holt books-What Do I Do Monday? and (wow, I only have one actual John Holt book! I expected three at least!) books by his disciple Nancy Wallace--Better Than School (a classic!) and Child's Work.and a few others of the unschool type. John Taylor Gatto is here as are the Colfaxs. Next are the Charlotte Mason type books (not her actual books, for those you have to wait for shelf #3) For the Children's Sake, Charlotte Mason Companion, A Pocketful of Pinecones. There are books by and about Maria Montessori, Rudolf Steiner and Waldorf schools, Classical education, Catholic education, books about books like Cay Gibson's Literature Alive, Thomas Jefferson education, Real Learning, education by osmosis (okay, I made that up) but all in all a ridiculous amount of books about "school".

Shh...he's reading!

The littlest hobbit is reading a chapter book voluntarily! His usual reading diet consists of Calvin and Hobbes, TinTin and Asterix the Gaul but a new series of books by Rick Riordan has captured the hobbits attentions and they are all racing through them (four available so far).
They center around a modern boy named Percy Jackson who discovers he's a demi-god, fathered by Poisidon. I myself am in the middle of book 3 and they are a refreshing break from presidential politics and imminent financial ruin. In each book there is a quest based on myth or the Odyssey, boon companions, magical weapons, and a climax involving great courage and dumb luck. Yes, they are very similar to Harry Potter but on a much easier reading level. The usage of myth is pretty clever though and relatively authentic. The hobbits are absorbing how the ancient Greeks thought the gods interacted with each other and humans. All in all, entertaining.

Bookshelves

Melissa at Here in the Bonny Glen and The Bookworm are going through their bookshelves one by one and I thought I'd join in. Bookshelves are one thing I have a lot of. Three here in the dining room alone. So, to start at the top...we have a shelf running across the top of the wall, above the computer, that hold the serious texts we aren't using at the moment and don't need to be handy for reference. The Algebra, Geometry, advanced sciences ( is Physics a math or a science? Science, says Sam) the foreign language tapes, CD's, videos, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azcaban in French (unread) and all the Voyages in English texts I bought and never used but can't get rid of. This is the dusty shelf.

Happy Birthday...

here
Bilbo and Frodo!!! Yesterday was the birthday of our favorite hobbits and although we did not declare a school holiday we did celebrate! We had a picnic in the garden (too few picnics this Summer!), the hobbits decorated the table. Followed by a grape catching contest.. and of course, ending with fireworks. Thanks, Gandolf!

Ocular Athletics

After a week off we are back with more ocular athletics! J.C. seems to have spent more time trying to sound like Chesterton than describing his crayon but that's okay. A.M. added great pictures of the stages of butterfly development which, alas, I can't share.

Butterfly by A.M.

A butterfly ( and I have no idea why it is called that) is simply the most pretty insect I know of. It has a long body and four wings, two on each side. The bottom wing is bigger and more round then the wing on top. Instead of a mouth it has a long tube and when he is done with it he will curl it up and store it in a hole in the bottom of his head. When the butterfly is old enough it will lay an egg on some milkweed. The egg will hatch in a few weeks. It is just a caterpillar. The caterpillar will eat all the milkweed to grow big and fat, then it will flop upside down in a J shape. Then it's head will fall off of it. It will chrysalises itself into a cocoon. In twelve days it will hatch into a butterfly.

A Block Crayon by J.C.

Today, dear reader, I am writing about a block crayon as you probably guessed from the title. This block crayon has not been used much so its corners are still sharp. There is not much to write about a block crayon but I'll do my best. A block crayon, as you probablu know. is a block but I will discribe it for you. A block crayon is a rectangular block with six sides. The one I am discribing for you is orange. Block crayons are usualyy used for rubbings.

We hates it! Spellingses!!

One of the hobbits is an amazing speller, aces his spelling tests,is unfazed by any word configuration. The other two....aren't. They come by this naturally as you would know if you read any of my posts before spell check is applied. So, here is my Gollum like rant...I HATE SSSSPELLING!!!! I hate spelling listssss!!!! I hate drilling sssspelling wordsssss!!! We hates it!! We hatesss it!!!!!

Ocular Athletics

Yes, it's the first Ocular Athletic Thursday of the new school year!! Here are today's offerings...

A Book

Books are an endless source of entertainment, and they are good for your reading skills. I do not know how writers get all the patience to write a book, I mean, they all have to write page after page of long words and when you finish one page it's off to the next page. A book can be big or small, thick or thin, fact or fiction. (Man, that did run on like a song.) I like books about myth and legend, but I like best of all books about dragons.

P.Took

A Key by Samwise Gamgee

Today,dear reader, I am writing about a key. Just a small aluminum key. There is no design on it. It is about one inch long and about one centimeter wide with a rectangular hole in the middle. It unlocks a Viking treasure chest!

Ave Maris Stella

We've been trying to learn this song this month:

Ave Maris Stella, Maria!
Hail, bright star of ocean, Maria!
Dei Mater alma, Maria!
God's own Mother, holy, Maria!
Atque semper Virgo,
Ever sinless Virgen,
Felix caeli porta,Maria,Maria!
Heaven's blessed portal, Maria, Maria!

And we also made a variant of Alice Gunther's craft idea featured in the July issue of mater et magistra. She used a wooden lighthouse--we improvised with legos. Ignore the pirate poster.

Monarchs

The boys came home from the tennis courts with two monarch caterpillars a couple of weeks ago. After a few days of milkweed they chrysalized and hatched out right on schedule. This was a big relief to me as our last attempt at this resulted in a dead chrysalis. A Daddy-long-legs chewed through the casing and sucked it dry. I was shocked! I didn't think they could do that! We made a point of meticulous vacuuming around the aquarium this time. Death to Spiders!!! At least in the house.

The Subjects

To begin at the beginning, here are the proposed subjects for the coming school year:

Bible-the hobbits are fairly ignorant of most of the bible, in spite of my having read a couple of children's bible books to them. This year we are going right to the source and I will read the bible and they will (hopefully) narrate. I'll also use You Can Understand the Bible by Peter Kreeft as a parent resource. For Catechism, I found this gem-An Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism by Rev. Thomas Kinkead in a box of books to be thrown out at our Parish so I snagged it! It is a very living explanation of the catechism. I also have monthly themes planned, August is Ave Maris Stella, September is for reading aloud Adventures of the Amethyst, October is for the Rosary and the battle of Lepanto (and Chesterton!), November is of course for saints, etc.

We will stick to Latina Christiana for Latin and I hope to review what we covered last year in book one and also get a hefty chunk of book two into our heads.

English will be Lingua Mater--hopefully the whole book but we'll see. The youngest hobbit will use Intermediate Language Lessons and Ocular Athletics will return. I also bought spelling workbooks from Seton. I have tried over the years to get the hobbits to spell correctly and have spent an inordinate amount of time devising programs and spelling lists. Enough! This is where the rubber hits the road and they will pass those weekly spelling tests or else!!!

For math I want to use Making Math Meaningful by Jamie York. This is a Waldorf book but pretty thorough and includes alot of math tricks like how to multiply by 11's and casting out nines to check multiplication. We also will use String, Straightedge and Shadow by Julia Diggins to get us started in Geometry. Little Hobbit will learn his math facts...or else!

We will meander through New York State history this year and also use The Natrual History of New York by Stan Freeman and Mike Nasuti as a spine for nature study. And because I can only stand United States history for so long I will also read aloud The Old World and America and add some appropriate historical fiction. The Dark Ages aren't so dark in this text!

Art and music study will follow the sequence in What Your 4th (and 7th) Grader Needs to Know. Not bad selections really. I will post on these as they come up.

The Hobbit twins will also study Chemistry and Earth Science this year. We will start with The Mystery of the Periodic Table by Benjamin D. Wiker. After reading the first couple of chapters I think this will be a good book for narration. I haven't decided what to use for Earth Science yet. They will also read The Complete Book of Marvels by Richard Halliburton for geography.

Well, this is the rough outline and is subject to change at any time or as my father always said, "That's the plan now let's see what happens!"

Treasure Island

This book is way too scary for bedtime! The muppet version (And A Child's Garden of Verses) made me forget just how creepy Robert Louis Stevenson can be. I don't know why since The Master of Ballentrae gave me nightmares when I read it in my early 20's. We had just finished Secret Water by Arthur Ransome and as are all of his books it was a fairly in depth study. This one covered mapping and surveying and I thought Treasure Island would be a good follow-up and get us started in our Chesterton studies for the year. I'm anxiously awaiting his essay on Stevenson to arrive from the American Chesterton Society.In the mean time I am keeping a weather eye for blind, piratical, beggars bearing black spots....

Planning, again

I've been planning and planning until my head is spinning and history is yet again trying to take over the curriculum....so I just let it all go. What we are doing at present is slowly reading through the Core Knowledge sequence of books (yes, starting with What your Kindergartner Needs to Know! You should hear the groans, but everyone listens avidly and are oh so proud of knowing all the answers!) and creatively strewing books about on the topic of the day.
In September I plan to start a serious study of Latin again using Latina Christiana, reviewing book I first and hopefully moving on to book II before the year is out. This was the surprise winner from last year which I started mostly because I had bought the video lessons and figured I better use them. The discipline of this type of Latin instruction trickled down to all our other activities. I, of course tried to tweak this and added too much other stuff (Minimus, Our Roman Roots, and those new workbooks from CHC). I will try very hard not to do that again.
Other than that, I want the boys to be familiar with Kipling, Dickens, and Stevenson so they will know what GKC is talking about when they read his thought on these authors when they are older (high school?)and have a good idea of the flow of history. That's it. Those are the goals. Now we will see what happens!

Planning...

Despite the lack of activity here, I have been planning. Really. It's just that the weather has been so beautiful and things have been hectic and ....well, you get the picture. But still, I have been mulling things over and have some idea of what I want to do next year. Mostly, I want to instill a Catholic conscience in my boys and in myself. It has been an awakening to discover that Catholics have a viewpoint very much at odds with the World's. I know this should be obvious but it wasn't. The more I read of Chesterton the more amazed I am by his Catholic conscienceness. As a convert he didn't develop this as a child in the usual way,through careful training in the Faith, like St. Therese of Lisieux for example. But this way of seeing things as they are in relation to Christ as opposed to man is truly his great gift. So I am trying to be very careful about the books I am choosing. Not totally Catholic but sharing that viewpoint. For instance, Parables from Nature by Mrs. Alfred Gatty (already not pc as she identifies herself as her husband's wife). Is this book too protestant? Too babyish perhaps for the hobbits? No and no as it turns out. I've read a couple stories and while they have a fairy tale quality they also are full of thoughtful insight on nature. And they are free of the personification of critters so prevalent in the Christian Liberty nature readers. Not that I disapprove of the personification of critters, I love Beatrix Potter after all but I find it annoying in a story about the life cycle of crabs or spiders. Also, I was impressed by Mrs. Gatty's use of Dante quotes as chapter headers. She mostly uses Bible verses but Dante is there too. I read in the brief bio of her that she was home-educated by her father (a chaplain on the Victory with Nelson) and had translated Dante at the age of 17. What better way to form a Catholic conscience? So Parables from Nature is a keeper.

These are the thoughts that have been occupying me lately. And I do have a tentative schedule worked up. Now, if I can resist the temptation to keep adding just one more wonderful ....book...subject...what if they never learn that... (never mind that I never knew that--what ever that is--)....

Feast of Saint Anthony

I'd like to write about all the wonderful activities, crafts, special meals, not to mention masses we have planned to celebrate this feast day but I can't. We read the entry for Saint Anthony from 50 Saints for Boys by Joan Windham and I am making a dessert.(Abbot's Trifle from the Redwall Cookbook) But today is the second game in double elimination play-offs and is a must win for the Fire-Foxes! Baseball fever is running high and the field must be groomed and the equipment sorted and....what if we get those thunderstorms that are predicted???? So for today, sports rule. Go Fire-Fox!!!

Novena to Saint Anthony Day Nine

Saint Anthony, servant of Mary, glory of the Church, pray for our Holy Father, our bishops, our priests, our Religious Orders, that, through their pious and apostolic labors, all may be united in faith and give greater glory to God. St. Anthony, helper of all who invoke you, pray for me and intercede for me before the throne of Almighty God that I be granted the favor I so earnestly seek in this novena (state your intention).

One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of Saint Anthony.

Saint Anthony, pray for us!

May the divine assistance remain always with us. Amen

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

O God, may the votive commemoration of blessed Anthony, your confessor, be a source of joy to Your Church, that she may always be fortified with spiritual assistance, and deserve to enjoy eternal rewards. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Novena to Saint Anthony Day Eight

O holy St. Anthony, you have shown yourself so powerful in your intercession, so tender and so compassionate towards those who honor you and invoke you in suffering and distress. I beseech you most humbly and earnestly to take me under your protection in my present necessities and to obtain for me the favor I desire (state your intention). Recommend my request to the merciful Queen of Heaven, that she may plead my cause with you before the throne of her Divine Son.

One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of St. Anthony.

Saint Anthony, pray for us!

Novena to Saint Anthony Day Seven

O renowned champion of the faith of Christ, most holy St. Anthony, glorious for your many miracles, obtain for me from the bounty of my Lord and God the grace which I ardently seek in this novena (state your intention). O holy St. Anthony, ever attentive to those who invoke you, grant me that aid of your powerful intercession.

One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of Saint Anthony.

Saint Anthony, pray for us!

Novena to Saint Anthony Day Six

O glorious St. Anthony, chosen by God to preach His Word, you received from Him the gift of tongues and the power of working the most extraordinary miracles. O good St. Anthony, pray that I may fulfill the will of God in all things so that I may love Him, with you, for all eternity. O kind St. Anthony, I beseech you, obtain for me the grace that I desire, the favor I seek in this novena (state your intention).

One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of Saint Anthony.

Saint Anthony, pray for us!

Novena to Saint Anthony Day Five

I salute you, St. Anthony, lily of purity, ornament and glory of Christianity. I salute you, great Saint, cherub of wisdom and seraph of divine love. I rejoice at the favors our Lord has so liberally bestowed upon you. In humility and confidence I entreat you to help me, for I know that God has given you charity and pity, as well as power. I ask you by the love you did feel toward the Infant Jesus as you held him in your arms to tell Him now of the favor I seek through your intercession in this novena (state your intention).

One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father in honor of Saint Anthony.

Saint Anthony, pray for us!

Novena to Saint Anthony Day Four

I salute and honor you, O powerful helper, St. Anthony. The Christian world confidently turns to you and experiences your tender compassion and powerful assistance in so many necessities and sufferings that I am encouraged in my need to seek your help in obtaining a favorable answer to my request for the favor I seek in this novena (state your intention). O holy St. Anthony, I beseech you, obtain for me the grace that I desire.

One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of Saint Anthony.

Saint Anthony, pray for us!

Novena to Saint Anthony Day Three

O purest St. Anthony, who through your angelic virtue was made worthy to be caressed by the Divine Child Jesus, to hold him in your arms and press him to your heart. I entreat you to cast a benevolent glance upon me. O glorious St. Anthony, born under the protection of Mary Immaculate, on the Feast of her Assumption into Heaven, and consecrated to her and now so powerful an intercessor in Heaven, I beseech you to obtain for me the favor I ask in this novena (state your intention). O great wonder-worker, intercede for me that God may grant my request.

One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of Saint Anthony.

Saint Anthony, pray for us!

Novena to St. Anthony Day Two

O miracle-working St. Anthony, remember that it never has been heard that you left without help or relief anyone who in his need had recourse to you. Animated now with the most lively confidence, even with full conviction of not being refused, I fly for refuge to thee, O most favored friend of the Infant Jesus. O eloquent preacher of the divine mercy, despise not my supplications but , bringing them before the throne of God, strengthen them by your intercession and obtain for me the favor I seek in this novena (state your intention).

One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of St. Anthony.

Saint Anthony, pray for us!

Novena to St. Anthony Day One

It seems fitting to start this new plan with a novena....
ht:ewtn/devotions

O wonderful St. Anthony, glorious on account of the fame of your miracles, and through the condescension of Jesus in coming in the form of a little child to rest in your arms, obtain for me of His bounty the grace which I ardently desire from the depths of my heart. (State your intention---mine is guidance in raising and educating my boys) You who were so compassionate toward miserable sinners, regard not the unworthiness of those who pray to you, but the glory of God that it may once again be magnified by the granting of the particular request (state your intention) which I now ask for with persevering earnestness. Amen.

Pray one Our Father,
one Hail Mary, and
Glory Be to the Father, in honor of St. Anthony.

Saint Anthony, pray for us!

DAY ONE

O holy St. Anthony, gentlest of saints, your love for God and charity for his creatures made you worthy while on earth to possess miraculous powers. Miracles waited your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in trouble or anxiety. Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to obtain for me the favor I seek in this novena (state your intention). The answer to my prayer may require a miracle; even so, you are the saint of miracles. O gentle and loving Saint Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms, and the gratitude of my heart will always be yours.

One Our Father, one Hail Mary and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of Saint Anthony.

Saint Anthony, pray for us!

What I'm reading...

I've been reading alot of articles from the ChesterBelloc Mandate blog to help me form my own Catholic conscience which is sadly warped by a life lived in modern day USA and not say....Merry Olde England of Chaucer's day. I admit I'm fussed with things at my local "faith community". We use to have a parish but no more. Our priest announced at mass that we had set the record in the diocese and possibly the whole Unites States for the most mass schedule changes in two years. Wow, I'm so proud. He would also like to start a liturgical dance troupe. Can you imagine St. Thomas Becket asking King Henry II if his daughters would like to join the new liturgical dance troupe at Canterbury Cathedral?? Me neither.
Here are some of the articles I've been reading How to Form a Catholic Mind
The Home as Spiritual Defense
Seven Keys to a Christian Home
Chesterton, Belloc and the Academy

WWCT?

What would Chesterton think? Of the times? Of today's Church? I only wish he were here to say. But I'll assume he would tell me now to read Belloc for history and economics and himself for entertainment. I will read Belloc but I'll read GK for guidance as well and first up is The Napoleon of Notting Hill. I read this book on a camping trip recently and was delighted with it. I think it perfectly sums up the two side of GKC-- the slightly cynical, mostly jovial King and the idealistic, myopic young "Napoleon" who wants to re-instate the Middle ages. I would like to, also. I believe civilization peaked in the 13th century give or take a few decades. I can't replicate a scholastic education, I haven't the know-how for one thing and these times call for something different. What that something is for my family I am trying to develop. That it will center around Latin, the liturgical year and Medieval history is my beginning premise. I've run these ideas past my son, Sam, who just finished his first year of college. I wanted his input on whether this was just hiding our collective heads in the sand and I would be making my boys incapable of moving on to the "real" world. He said he didn't think so. "Keep them innocent as long as you can, Mom." I want them to know that once the world had morals even if it always had sinners, to have an idea of what we lost so that we at least know how disordered things are now and aren't like the frog on the stove becoming inured to hot water and slowly boiling to death.

It's June...

so it must be time to start planning for next school year! I've started this blog to organize my thoughts and keep a journal of our homeschooling. I've been reading a lot of Chesterton lately and I want my boys to have, not an education like Chesterton's exactly, but an education where they are prepared to read Chesterton and be able to assimilate his insights, commonsense, and absolute love for the Catholic faith. I don't know what kind of education Chesterton would have wanted for his children if he had had any but I assume his wife, Francis, would have had something very Charlotte Mason-y in mind. My own school is going to center around Latin studies because looking back over the past year Latin is the subject that really stands out as a success and in ways I never anticipated. I started it because my oldest daughter told me that Latin and unit multipliers were the only two things she learned in school that were useful in college (she's a nurse) and I had the DVDs for Latina Christiana and thought I might as well use them. But the discipline that a serious study of Latin required carried over into all the other subjects and even into the running of our home which was becoming overrun with boy clutter and dust. It's still cluttered and dusty just not soooo very bad as before! Anyway, this is going to be my musing space and this post from the Bookworm is going to be my guide.