And now for something completely different

Nancy C. Brown, thoroughly Catholic mom, has written a new book, soon to be published by Our Sunday Visitor, on the Harry Potter series.

I am really looking forward to reading and reviewing The Mystery of Harry Potter: A Catholic Family Guide. It's sure to be filled with the best of Nancy's rational, intelligent, analytical ways, dissecting and explaining just what's to love (and what's not to fear) about all things Harry.

Nancy's book has already received an endorsement from Sean Dailey, editor of Gilbert magazine, and another from the inimitable Mark Shea.

Ending, Beginning and In Between

Our "school year" is over. Although we tend to be unschoolish in some ways, we still have beginnings and endings, though not entirely (as noted in this post, in which I mention that learning never ends and is always beginning.) But, because we live with a public school teacher, we tend to live more "by the school year calendar" than some homeschooling families.

I arbitrarily declare "We're done!" at some point, then the kids run a victory lap around the house and proclaim that summer has begun.

But, it isn't really over for me. Because I haven't even begun to start planning next year yet.

What about you? Do you plan in the spring, before the school year ends (and then get to proclaim, "I'm done!")?

Or do you plan over the summer?

Or do you school year-round, and thus have various planning times interspersed throughout the year?

I'm known to plan and then discard the plan, so even if I plan over the summer, I end up planning at other times, too.

I'm suddenly quite tired of the word "plan" so I can only imagine how you feel. Must be time to sign off and dive in to what promises to be a busy day.

We've All Done That

Ramona, after choosing the wrong word to express her thought:

"Oh, no! I misplaced myself!"

Do you think she'll be a homeschooling mommy?

Ramona, after being read a bedtime story:

"Mommy?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Let's talk about what we learned tonight."

It's about a whole lot more than 25% off

As Jennifer noted, it's not about the sales.

And, KC points us to this beautiful, heartbreaking personal story of her friend, Dave.

And God bless Scott, who always takes the time to remember each and every fallen soldier. Go here, for a complete and sobering list.

On this Memorial Day, we offer prayers for all the faithful departed.

Eternal rest grant unto them (him, her), O Lord,
And may perpetual light shine upon them.
May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.

Pentecost!

Come, Holy Spirit!

Today is the great feast of Pentecost, the descent of the Holy Spirit. For ideas, see
Catholic Culture, Women for Faith & Family, and the Catholic Encyclopedia.

And, for a short post of mine on the power of the Holy Spirit, see this link from last spring.



Painting: Giotto's Pentecost, c. 1305

Poetry Friday

I finished reading Mike Aquilina's book, Love in the Little Things, Tales of Family Life, the other day. But, between Atticus's surgery and my parents' visit, I've had no time to blog and review.

I will post a complete review soon, but today is not the "soon" of which I speak.

For today, I'll just mention that in one of the loveliest essays in the book, Mike talks about his daughter, Mary Agnes, a poet from her toddler days forward. She reminds me of my little poet, Ramona, who has shared her verse with the world here and here.

Mary Agnes has a poet's soul, to be sure, and her father quotes a few lines from a poem that I absolutely love. I'll expound later on how he uses these lines so effectively in this essay, but for today, I'll simply share the poem with you.

Have a lovely poetry Friday.

(And, if you're wondering just what Poetry Friday is, and how it got started, please visit Susan at Chicken Spaghetti and read her explanation here, which explains how Kelly, at Big A little a, started Poetry Friday.)

And, now ... on to that incredible little poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins:

Spring and Fall
to a young child

Margaret, are you grieving
Over Goldengrove unleaving?
Leaves, like the things of man, you
With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?
Ah! as the heart grows older
It will come to such sights colder
By & by, nor spare a sigh
Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;
And yet you wíll weep & know why.
Now no matter, child, the name:
Sorrow's springs are the same.
Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed
What héart héard of, ghóst guéssed:
It is the blight man was born for,
It is Margaret you mourn for.

Visit A Wrung Sponge for the rest of today's Poetry Friday round-up. She had the brilliant idea of presenting it with a Mr. Linky box, so if you have a post to add, just click on "You're next" and you're in!

Technorati tags: Poetry Friday

The 73rd Carnival of Homeschooling

I may be a day late linking to it, but it's never too late to start reading this great carnival, hosted by one of my most fav-o-rite people and Blogger Extraordinaire, Melissa Wiley, at The Lilting House.

The carnival is here.

Be forewarned: settle in with a mega cup of coffee.

There's a whole lot of reading to be done.

Ramona's Ode to Mommy

I recently read Ramona one of her favorite bedtime books, Wonderful You by Kate Gleeson.

In it, the mommy tells her child:

You're the colors in my rainbow,
you're the honey in my tea
You're butterflies and lullabies
You're everything to me.

Ramona delights in this simple little book, and decided to compose her own ode to me:

You're the yummy in my cheese,
You're the healthiness in my bread,
You're the fun in my playing and
You're the beautiful in my song.

That's how much I love you!

You just don't know what love is until you've been compared to the yumminess of cheese.

Ramona, on growing out her hair

(which she wants to do for Locks of Love):

"Mommy, I like having my hair growing longer. It gives me a satisfied feeling."

Top Five Signs that the Grandparents are Visiting

#5: Your children have been given more loose change for their piggy banks in the last three days than they've had all year.

#4: Your child was overheard telling a friend at the soccer game, "And today, we get to go out for ice cream again!"

#3: Your computer is in better shape than it's been for a long time, because Grandpa knows the importance of the phrase, "back-up."

#2: Your children skip gleefully from the bookstore, new book-and-dvd-stash in hand, instead of slumping out with your voice grating in their ears as you admonish, "Well, then, you'll just have to save your money for that movie, won't you, missy?"

And, the #1 sign that the grandparents are visiting:

We're all on vacation from real life.

(So, please excuse any big chunks of silence from my blog. I'm too busy eating ice cream.)

Calling All Moms Who Blog

Did you join the Moms Who Blog discussion group?

If you did, you know that we've recently discussed location, location, location.

We've moved, and can now be found here, at Google Groups.

And, don't forget to visit us at the Moms Who Blog blog, too.

Helpful Hints for Making a Great Cup of Coffee

Here's a tip:

Put.
Water.
In.
The.
Pot.

(This will also prevent your coffeepot from making that thoroughly irritating gurgle which makes you think, "What now? Do I need to clean that thing?")

Today's helpful hint is brought to you by a tired blogger.

Sell great magazines, keep the change

Thanks to Danielle Bean for pointing out a great opportunity for individuals or for groups who are doing some fundraising: Check out this link to Circle Media.

You can sign up to sell subscriptions to The National Catholic Register, or to Faith and Family. For each subscription you sell, there's a commission.

All the info you need is right here.

All quiet on the blog front

My blog has been quiet because my life has been noisy.

Busy. Crazy.

But, I'm taking a few quiet moments this morning, to turn this post into a brief respite, a small taste of an exquisite exhibit of Impressionist paintings that we were recently privileged to see.

Joslyn Art Museum had a special exhibit of some Impressionist paintings, courtesy of The Clark. It was lovely. There's nothing like spending a Saturday morning wandering around a museum in the midst of such beauty. It truly takes my breath away to see, in person, a painting that I have previously seen only in print.

The kids' favorites from the exhibit:

Renoir, At the Concert

Manet, Moss Roses in a Vase

Renoir, A Girl with a Fan

Pisarro, Piette's House at Montfoucault

Renoir, A Girl Crocheting

I feel so blessed to have the Joslyn so close to us. They have an impressive permanent collection that one might be surprised to find in Nebraska. Just a short distance from my home, I can go see this one by Renoir anytime:

Young Girls at the Piano

Or this, The Knitting Girl, by Bouguereau

Or Breton's The Weeders:

Well ... you get the idea.

I wanted to post these, because I want to remember that in the middle of a busy, crazy, overscheduled month, we got to rest in this kind of beauty.

Her lips are sealed

Atticus was passing by Betsy and Ramona the other day, and noticed that Ramona had a bit of a scowl on her face.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"She won't tell you," replied Betsy in an irritated voice.

"What do you mean?" asked Atticus.

"Well," said Betsy, "when she gets that look on her face, I try to help, and I ask her what's wrong, but all she'll say to me is: 'You have your secrets, and I have mine.'"

Happy Mother's Day!

Have a magical day.

And, I hope it includes a nap.

Canticle Magazine needs you

Do you enjoy Canticle magazine?

Do you think you would enjoy Canticle magazine?

Do you ever subscribe to magazines in order, not only to be edified, but to support a vital and worthy apostolate? (Sometimes that can justify what might not otherwise be in the budget....)

If the answer to any of the above is yes, please take a look at Heidi's post here. Heidi is the editor of Canticle, and she writes:

I believe that Canticle is an important evangelism tool, by its mission to draw readers to a deeper understanding of both the Catholic faith and their calling as women. And so, believing that God wants the magazine in as many hands as possible ... I've asked Him to bring in 100 new subscribers in the next month. That is my prayer ... and I ask that you make it yours, too.

Will you help me with this intention? You can do this three ways:

1. Pray with me. Ask God to move people's hearts and open wide their purses.

2. Promote with me. If you've been blessed by Canticle, either as a reader or as a contributer, please join me in spreading the good news about this one-of-a-kind Catholic women's magazine. Need ideas? Check this out! Thank you, Donna!

3. Pledge with me. If you have thought about getting a subscription for yourself ... or know another woman who would benefit, please see this as your opportunity to ACT. A subscription makes a great Mother's Day gift! All you have to do is click here. Please mention code SC07 to let them know you are subscribing as a result of this post.

(Code SC07 also offers $1 off each subscription ordered before June 10th.)

Canticle magazine has been a blessing in my life in many ways, and I pray that it will bless you, too.

My Daily Visitor

My meditations for the month of June are in the May/June issue of My Daily Visitor, available through OSV.

Registering at the OSV site is free, and once you are logged in, daily meditations can be read right at the site.

Meditations for the month of May were written by Barry Michaels, with whom it is a privilege to share the pages of MDV.

Betsy and Ramona

At our house, I often preview books my kids want to read (if I know nothing about the book.) Holes has been around forever, and I should know more about it, but I don't. (And I'm offering no excuses. I just don't.)

Betsy has been wanting to read it, and she recently got impatient with me. I found this on my bed the other night:

Betsy's little sister is not one to outdone, and wanted a preview of her own. So, next I found this, courtesy of Ramona:


Hmmm ... I think I'll give the Seuss an automatic thumbs up, and I'm looking forward to Holes.

On another subject entirely, for my birthday, recently celebrated, I found this (also from Ramona):

And, here's a shot of Ramona hard at work creating a masterpiece:

I never meant for this to happen

You know how dads can be.

They introduce your sweet, darling, feminine little girls to Daddy Humor. And from that time on, your life as a mother is never quite the same. Oh, it's just as good, your life is. And in many ways, it's so much better with each passing year. Marriage gets better, mothering gets better ... everything really does get better.

There's just one, teeny, tiny thorn in your side. Such a little thing, really, hardly worth mentioning. You don't like to pick on Daddy Humor, because it seems to be such a bonding thing between Daddy and the kids. But, ummm ... well, you would never have chosen to watch that particular show with the kids, would you? Or to make a joke about that?

You may fill in your own blanks regarding just how Daddy the humor is, but here's a recent example from our house.

I sat down at the computer and found this on the desktop:


Ramona approached, and said, "Who's that?"

I said, "I don't know. Daddy did it. I think it's a Stooge. "

At this point, Betsy showed up behind me, took one quick glance and said:

"Yup. That's Curly."

Just like that.

"That's Curly."

A mother labors and labors to shield her children from certain horrid realities of this world, but when Daddy Humor raises its powerful, snickering head, there's only so much that a helpless mom can do.

Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.

Visit Jennifer and her Loveliness of Gardens fair

I, of course, did not contribute because I tend to kill off anything that is green and trying to live in my house. I have the proverbial black thumb, and there doesn't seem to be anything I can do about it. Atticus is the gardener here.

Jennifer, on the other hand, has not only a green thumb, but, I think, a green hand, a green arm, and perhaps a green brain. Proof of that, and of her ability to put together an amazing blog fair, is here, at The Loveliness of Gardens.

Drink in the beauty, and try to squash that Garden Envy, would you (she said sharply to herself)?

Donna's "Prayerfully Expecting"

Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle is prayerfully expecting the imminent publication of her new book, Prayerfully Expecting: A Nine-Month Novena for Mothers-to-be.

I recently had the privilege of a sneak peek at this book, and it is beautiful!

When I was pregnant with each of my daughters, I kept a pregnancy calendar/journal, but those were of a secular nature. To transform the records of development, first-times and precious memories into a lived and recorded novena is an inspiration. I cannot wait to buy copies of this book -- three of them, one for each of my daughters -- and tuck them away for that special someday when I'll present my girls with this prayerful companion for their first pregnancies.

You can read about the illustrations, beautifully rendered by Donna's daughter, Chaldea Emerson, here.

An Update on Gabriel

Heidi updated her last post on Gabriel Sullivan and has included an address so that Gabriel can start receiving cards.

Heidi notes:

Write to them at: 13031 Canton Ave, Hudson FL 34669. If you can, please also remember Michael's confirmation and Joshua's First Communion, both being celebrated this weekend. Tom and Carol had to cancel the party ... but I'm sure the kids would appreciate knowing their special day was remembered!

Prayers for this sweet little boy

Please pray for three-year-old Gabriel Sullivan. He's just been diagnosed with leukemia, and he and his family need our prayers as they begin the long journey of chemo.

Thanks to Heidi Hess-Saxton, of Canticle, for alerting us. Gabriel's father is Tom Sullivan, who works miracles with Canticle layout, design and technology. May God grant miracles to Gabriel and his family, and give them strength, comfort and courage as they carry this cross.

Heidi's original post is here.

Today's update is here.

Attention: Bargain-loving Moms Who Homeschool

Go visit Maureen Wittman for details on a great deal. She's offering her Catholic Homeschool Companion at a discount. And, for every book she sells between now and May 31st, she'll donate another $5 of the purchase to 4-H (details at her site.)

I love this book -- it's so packed with ideas, resources and support that it was already a bargain. But at $5 off, you can't beat the price.

If you don't own a copy yet, it's time to scoop yours up.

Attention, Moms Who Blog

That'd be most of my readers, eh?

Melissa Wiley started a great discussion group for Mom Bloggers. You can find it here.

And, we'll be sharing ideas, tips and resources here, at Moms Who Blog.

Gathering in the Good Learning Days

I'm bumping this up, in order to gather the posts on "What Makes a Good Day of Learning" into one streamlined post. I'll add more as I find them:

Theresa at Lapaz Farm Home Learning, here
My reaction here and here.
Willa chimed in here.
Lissa, on Waldorf methods and adding to this discussion here.
Melanie Bettinelli
Suzanne Temple here.
JoVe chimes in
Melanie again
And Willa again
from Ana Braga-Henebry
Back to Willa
My quick reaction
Nutmeg

Ramona, on the Theology of the Body

By George, I think she's got it!

If you've read John Paul the Great's work on the "Theology of the Body," you know that one of his starting points is that the body and soul are integrated in a supernatural way that precludes anything being "purely physical." The integration is so complete that, although we could speak of the body in objective terms, to do so is to greatly diminish its worth, because the body is the man, the man is the body. Nothing is "merely" physical ... our bodies are too intertwined in our eternal reality to speak of them as "merely" anything.

JPII wrote (emphasis mine):

Certainly, it is possible to describe the human body, to express its truth with the objectivity characteristic of the natural sciences. But such a description with all its precision cannot be adequate (that is, commensurable with its object). It is not just a question of the body (intended as an organism, in the somatic sense) but of man, who expresses himself through that body and in this sense is, I would say, that body. So that thread of evaluation, seeing that it is a question of man as a person, is indispensable in describing the human body. Furthermore, it is necessary to say how right this evaluation is. This is one of the tasks and one of the perennial themes of the whole of culture: of literature, sculpture, painting, and also of dancing, of theatrical works, and finally of the culture of everyday life, private or social.

~~ St. Paul's Description of the Body and Teaching on Purity,
General Audience of Wednesday, February 4, 1981

With this in mind, I share with you this sweet exchange with Ramona, who, like most four-year-olds, intuits Truth when she lives it.

Ramona has never latched on to a blankie, or a "snuggly" of any kind. I'm her blankie, and always have been (how many of you can relate?) In particular, she's attached to a certain spot on my arm, which she lovingly rubs when she's stressed or tired.

The other day, as I was typing something, she approached me and rubbed my arm. I stopped what I was doing, turned and looked at her with a face that no doubt was bursting with love for this sweet girl.

I said, "You really like my arm, don't you?"

"Ye-e-e-es," she replied with a sly smile.

Still beaming, I said, "Why do you like my arm so much?"

Her expression switched to one of amazement and confusion. She couldn't believe her mother would ask such a ridiculous question, and she replied, quite sensibly:

"Because ... it's you. Your arm is you, Mommy. That's why I love you."

Ah, the wisdom of four-year-olds.

Now, the challenge in parenting? To keep the Truth alive.

This post also appears on the blogging page of Catholic Exchange.

No one can do it all

My computer time is up for this morning (are you sad for me?)

No, I don't have a timer ticking a few inches from flying fingers as I desperately click on the keyboard, trying to finish a post.

No, this morning, I've been trying to catch up on a little blog reading, leaving some comments, connecting with the incredible, wonderful community of support, ideas and camaraderie that is the blogosphere.

And so, I don't have time for a post. I don't have time to do all the linky stuff it takes to link to all the great posts I just read (I have got to get going on that Google Shared Items thing ....) Today, I had time for reading.

Because no one can do it all.

Well, let me amend that.

You can't do it all on the same day.

Light a candle

Alice had the beautiful idea that we share and pass this image of a candle, as we all pray today for Heather.

Jesus, we trust in Thee!

A Daddy's Take on Love

Go visit Scott here, and read about the nitty-gritty of love.

Try not to cry. Just try. I dare you.

Still praying for Heather

I know you all remember Heather, at Especially Heather, who was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Her surgery is tomorrow, May 3rd. We'll be praying for you here in Nebraska, Heather.

Prayer coverage is talked about here, where Heather's friend, Kelli, has coordinated efforts to be sure Heather is bathed in prayer throughout the day.

A friend of Heather's has posted an update on donations. If you would still like to make a donation, click here for more information.

We've All Done That

Ramona, the other day, after catching herself saying something she didn't mean to say:

"I misplaced myself!"

Adding to the "learning days" discussion

The ever-eloquent-thinking-blogger Willa has another perfect post about why I struggle to define "learning" and all that the word encompasses. And so, on this morning when I'm not feeling at all eloquent, I will say:

"Yes! Ditto! What she said! That's it!"

This is one of my favorite parts of the post:

But if you thought that was really what the sewing and music were about, you would be missing the point. There is so much more here -- a memory, a way of living life, a connection with the community, aspirations and dreams. More still. To put it into formal educational terms would thin it out. There have been times in the past, to be truthful, when I have spoiled the richness of one of the childrens' endeavours by too quickly casting it in "educational" terms.

It is one of the minor sadnesses to me in homeschooling that I have to pay attention to these things, and it is ironic that the more I am trying to unschool, the more pressure I feel to assign educational value to rich, organic experiences and projects.

Yes, ditto, what she said ... that's it. It is a sadness to me as well that I have to justify so much, whether to the state (the one in which I live, literally, geographically) or the state of our culture and its narrowly defined visions of value, learning and being, or even to myself and my own state of mind.

Be sure to read Willa's related posts, too.

Off to add links to the "Loads of Good Learning Days" post.

The voices of C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton !!

I rarely use multiple exclamation points. Really, I don't. But, I just did it in my comment box.

I had to thank Kathryn, at The Bookworm, for picking up where I left off in my last post about poetry readings online. She proceeded to find the voices of C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton.

Check out her post here.

Thank you, Kathryn !!!! (and I mean those multiple exclamation points with all my heart.)

A poetry treasure

Nancy, in the comments on Poetry Friday, sent me to this site, the Internet Poetry Archive, at which you can listen to Richard Wilbur read "The Writer", among other poems.

You can also hear Seamus Heaney ... gorgeous.

Who knew?

Thank you, Nancy, thank you.

Oh, how I love what the internet can offer ... poetry, and blogs, and people who comment and share such riches.