Plan 59 has gathered pages of original home interior illustrations from the 40's through the 60's. Funny how pictures can take you back.
retro decor gallery
Monthly Archives: June 2009
wow
Dear children,
Consider this my resignation. Henceforth you will be going to school in this breathtakingly gorgeous environment. Please do not bring home pictures to show your father. I may never be able live it down!
Signed,
Your loving, yet far less organized mother
Jennifer if you think a half dozen extra students might be too much, would it be ok if I just came alone to sit in your schoolroom for a while?
Sigh.
It is beyond words. Brava!
Remember Always
1. Do not commit a sin for all there is in the world, or any deliberate venial sin, or any known imperfection.
2. Endeavor to remain always in the presence of God, either real, imaginative, or unitive insofar as is permitted by your works.
3. Neither do anything nor say any notable word that Christ would not have done or said were he in the state I am, as old as I, and with the same kind of health.
4. Strive for the greater honor and glory of God in all things.
5. Do not omit mental prayer for any occupation, for it is the sustenance of your soul.
6. Do not omit examination of conscience because of any of your occupations, and for every fault do some penance.
7. Be deeply sorry for any time that is lost or that passes without your loving God. 8. In all things, both high and low, let God be your goal, for in no other way will you grow in merit and perfection.
9. Never give up prayer, and should you find dryness and difficulty, persevere in it for this very reason. God often desires to see what love your soul has, and love is not tried by ease and satisfaction.
10. In heaven and on earth, always the lowest and last place and office.
11. Never interfere in what you are not ordered to do, or be obstinate about anything, even though you may be right. And if, as the saying goes, they give you an inch, do not take a mile. Some deceive themselves in such matters and think they have an obligation to do that which – if they reflect upon it well – in no way obliges them.
12. Pay no attention to the affairs of others, whether they be good or bad, for besides the danger of sin, this is a cause of distractions and lack of spirit.
13. Strive always to confess your sins with a deep knowledge of your own wretchedness and with clarity and purity.
14. Even though your obligations and duties are difficult and disagreeable to you, you should not become dismayed, for this will not always be so. And God, who proves the soul by a precept under the guise of a trial [Ps.94:20], will after a time accord it the experience of blessing and gain.
15. Remember always that everything that happens to you, whether prosperous or adverse, comes from God, so that you become neither puffed up in prosperity nor discouraged in adversity.
16. Remember always that you came here for no other reason than to be a saint; thus let nothing reign in your soul that does not lead you to sanctity.
17. Always be more disposed toward giving to others than giving to yourself, and thus you will not be envious of or selfish toward your neighbor. This is to be understood from the viewpoint of perfection, for God is angered with those who do not give precedence to his good pleasure over that of humans. – St. John of the Cross
hiking to the reservoir
They are much to be pitied who have not been given a taste for nature early in life. – Jane Austen
There is a great trailhead on the west side of town heading up to small reservoir. The day we ventured up to it was pretty drizzly but that also kept things cool and comfortable. And, hey, when you are a kid a little mud just amps things up a bit.
Unless you are Tess, in which case mud might just wig you out enough to require frequent stops, vocal protests, and occasional piggy back rides to regain composure.
She was eventually convinced that the earth was not going to swallow her up and in fact there was no shortage of fascinating things happening all around here. Like looking down into a puddle and seeing the sky.
As evidenced by the little boys' backsides, they too found the puddles <g>
Abbie has been a trooper. She is an outdoorsy baby for sure. She loves the backpack, though the backpack does not love Allen. We are in the market for a better pack, should you have any suggestions.
Hummingbirds are more plentiful in the foothills. I am not terribly fond of hummingbirds to be honest but it was cool to catch a glimpse of one sitting still. It was actually easier to get a shot of the bird than a shot of the boys….
There's a boy!
I hope you all are so busy outside you have no time to read this! : )
FHC shoot
I was pleased to be able to take some First Holy Communion pics for a good friend's daughter a few weeks ago. It was a fantastic learning experience for me. We fought the sun and learned the value of filters and reflectors – or at least the need for them. She was a very good sport though and looked so pretty in her dress and veil.
down by the riverside
It seems life happens at the twice the speed of blogging anymore. Summer has not been without its challenges but we have been squeezing every bit of joy out of it we can. In June that involved a riverside campsite. Who knew the Arkansas ran so swiftly? Necessitated hyper-vigilant supervision but it was gorgeous.
one hazy morning looking out from the campsite:
We tried our hands at fishing. Fishing, we learned, is not as easy as it seems. The blasted lines kept getting tangled. It just fueled their desire to try again though. Darn homeschool kids – they never give up. <g>
The river was home to this family of geese who were just as pleased to find the children as the children were to find them once they discovered how many crumbs the kids produce at mealtime.
Tess and Brendan watching the river roll by from the camper door. Doesn't get much better than this!
Choosing to Praise
Nancy Campbell shared this story in her mailing recently:
Psalm 71:8 says, "Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honor all the day."
It is not enough to praise the Lord now and then when things are going great. Praise should fill our mouths so that it spills over in every circumstance. Even the frustrating ones!
I was recently reading a book about a missionary in Belize. Someone who was mad at her came and destroyed her beautiful flower beds–they ripped out all the plants, broke the rose bushes and threw them on the path. When she found this mess, instead of getting mad, she started saying, "Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord…"
I was recently reading a book about a missionary in Belize. Someone who was mad at her came and destroyed her beautiful flower beds–they ripped out all the plants, broke the rose bushes and threw them on the path. When she found this mess, instead of getting mad, she started saying, "Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord…"
"What are you doing?" a friend asked. She explained that she had read about saying "Praise the Lord" ten times before you say anything else when something traumatic happens or upsets you.
"Does it help?" the friend asked.
"At least it gives me time to reflect that for some reason God allowed this to happen to me," She replied.
This might be something you could try too.
"At least it gives me time to reflect that for some reason God allowed this to happen to me," She replied.
This might be something you could try too.
PRAYER: "Fill Thou my life, O Lord my God,
In every part with praise,
That my whole being may proclaim
Thy being and Thy ways." AFFIRMATION:
I am choosing to praise instead of grumble!
Preserve Your Soul in Forgetfulness
I read a small book about the counsels of St John of the Cross on the way to Ohio this spring. He wrote under the orders of his superiors. The work therefore is sincere, direct, but not self-indulgent. Though originally written to religious in the sixteenth century his words ring true today. My hope is that they will become something of rule of life for me. The third precaution addresses our tendency to become disquieted by the actions of those around us:
The third precaution is very necessary so you may know how to guard yourself in the community against all harm that may arise in regard to the religious.
Many, by not observing it, not only have lost the peace and good of their souls but have fallen and ordinarily continue to fall into many evils and sins.
It is that you very carefully guard yourself against thinking about what happens in the community, and even more against speaking of it, of anything in the past or present concerning a particular religious: nothing about his or her character or conduct or deeds no matter how serious any of this seems. Do not say anything under the color of zeal or of correcting a wrong, unless at the proper time to whomever by right you ought to tell. Never be scandalized or astonished at anything you happen to see or learn of, endeavoring to preserve your soul in forgetfulness of all that.
For, should you desire to pay heed to things, many will seem wrong, even were you to live among angels, because of your not understanding the substance of them. Take Lot's wife as an example: Because she was troubled at the destruction of the Sodomites and turned her head to watch what was happening, God punished her by converting her into a pillar of salt [Gn. 19:26]. You are thus to understand God's will: that even were you to live among devils you should not turn the head of your thoughts to their affairs, but forget these things entirely and strive to keep your soul occupied purely and entirely in God, and not let the thought of this thing or that hinder you from so doing.
Preserve yourself in forgetfulness.
Plato, Aristotle, Montessori, and Waldorf
Seems an unlikely bunch doesn't it? Yet an article in The Classical Teacher illustrated quite well the basic difference between the two very popular educational methods. Homeschoolers often begin with materials or programs and work backwards into a philosophy. It is helpful, in fact often critical, to determine the ideology behind one's materials. The ideology does not dictate the materials' use in your home but it can help to sort through the authors and companies competing for your attention and your wallet. It can help you avoid unnecessary and undesirable rabbit trailing.
In his article, Martin Cothran compares and contrasts the most basic positions of two ancient philosophers. Plato, he says, emphasized the spiritual realm and felt that physical objects were reflections of that spirit world. Aristotle believed the essence of things resided IN the things themselves. They were real physical forms inhabited by spirit. Why does this matter to a busy homeschool mom? Lets put it in practical terms. We choose to teach either from the concrete to the abstract or vice versa. It is important to know how you feel about this and choose materials and methods accordingly.
Montessori moves from the concrete to the abstract, hence the emphasis on physical manipulation early on. She believed that small children relate best to what they can see, smell, hear and touch. They begin with the physical world and move into the spiritual or abstract. From things to ideas.
Waldorf does things the other way around. The belief in reincarnation is largely responsible for this inverse order. Steiner believed that people were essentially spirits who occasionally reincarnated into the physical world. Children, believed to be newly arrived from this spiritual realm, were more familiar with ideas and images and had to be slowly acclimated to physical life. Hence the reluctance to introduce text and data at an early age.
Both methods intend to move from the known to the unknown. They simply have a different position on what constitutes "known" for a small child. Consequently the methods, while they enjoy some overlap, are essentially the inverse of one another. While materials for both methods are now widely available and often exceptionally attractive they do offer completely contrasting approaches. This article may help you make choices among them and determine very practical things such as whether you will proceed from the whole to the parts or the parts to the whole. In the end, most curricula can be divided into one of those two camps.
whitewater
The highlight of our trip to the Arkansas River this month was a rafting excursion for the big kids. I am so pleased they were able to do this!
Starry Sky Journal 