Serving the Lord with Gladness

It was an old post that I sought out, scrubbing back through the archives of a thoughtful woman of God to a lesson that she learned.

And I learned…

or perhaps I remembered…

That motherhood is servanthood. It is one way that I serve the Lord.

When I was twenty-two and only ten months married, the God of the Creation decided that I could best serve him by becoming a mother. When I was just twenty-four and six weeks pregnant with my second child, He decided I would serve him best by mourning the loss of that baby. Then, He gave me my James, and thought that I would serve him best as a mother of two living children. And so I remain.

Maybe one day, I will become a mother of more. Maybe not. But, in all things, I will serve Lord, give thanks, and bless His name.

A Day at the Zoo

It’s been awhile since I have shared any photos of my adorable (at least I think so!) children. Well, a sunny (at last!) summer morning and the invitation of our lovely downstairs neighbors finally provided the perfect photo op: a day at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle.

We begin with an odd bird:

There’s one in every family.

Technically, this one is a swan, and he’s not so much a part of the flamingo family, but he was actually stationed to live there with them. There were some rather charming ducks in residence, as well.

Below, we have Sophia and James being marvelously curious. I mean, what provokes curiosity more than a bunch of strange looking animals? Bring on the questions! (Note to self: a trip to the zoo is really fantastic inspiration to get pumped for the start of a new school year.)

James’ favorite exhibit by far was the Humboldt penguins. Penguins are his favorite animal. He sleeps with no less than five—count ‘em five—stuffed ones in his crib, and one of them is nearly as big as he is! When you consider that my two children boast only about twenty-five stuffed animals total between them, that is a pretty big stash of penguins.

James calls them all his “penguies", and they are named accordingly from “Little Penguie” (the smallest) to “Giant Penguie" (the largest). His favorite book is Busy Penguins, which we read at least twice daily. He can, of course, recite the entire thing by heart without my assistance, but it only “counts” if Mama reads it in the reading chair in the nursery.

But, when he saw the penguins at the zoo, he was in such a state of joyous adoration that I thought my heart would burst right out of my chest for watching.

While James’ attention was rapt on his heart’s desire, Sophia was keeping us on track. She took the map right out of my bag, found the picture of the lions on it and said, “That’s where we need to be. Now, where are the penguins?”

And, if you were curious, that is my sweater that she is wearing, since she insisted that she would not need one. In her defense, it was very warm. It’s just a very shady zoo. (Thank you, Woodland Park landscapers!)

All in all, it was a marvelous day.

Just ask James.

Learning Basket Links

Below, I have provided some links to the learning basket themes and booklists I am using this year in my homeschool. These are my personal documents and so are tailored to my own child and personal teaching style. If what you see appeals to you, feel free to print and use what you find. Or, you may choose to use these resources and guidelines in creating your own tailor-made approach to creative learning in your home. In any case, you are welcome to take or leave them as you see fit. I hope they will be a blessing to you and yours.

A YEAR OF LEARNING BASKETS
I have already shared with you all my weekly learning basket themes for this homeschool year. Now, I want to provide you with an easy-to-download document that you can print out and slip into your homeschool binder. 

You can use these themes for a variety of ages, preschool through early elementary. When your children are not yet of the age (or you are not of the persuasion) to be focusing on quarter or semester cross-disciplinary units (American history, for example), these weekly themes can help center your homeschool day and energize your young students. Sticking with a theme for one week is a great way to invigorate and inspire young children without burning them out or boring them.

LEARNING BASKET BOOK LISTS
Here are my book lists for the various themes. Authors and illustrators are listed with the titles. I have pre-screened each of the books that is listed for age appropriateness, subject matter, and literary merit. Please be advised, though, that every parent and every student is different. You may like to read these books for yourself before you decide they are right for your homeschool. Your local library should have many of them available.

September Learning Baskets
October Learning Baskets
November Learning Baskets
December Learning Baskets
January Learning Baskets
February Learning Baskets
March Learning Baskets
April Learning Baskets
May Learning Baskets

Next week, I will try to get some of my actual core curriculum planning up to share. In the meantime, I’m lifting prayers for all my fellow homeschoolers. May you find God’s vision and peace in your planning.

How to Succeed in All Things

I am constantly reminded of a simple and startling fact: I can do nothing, and yet I can do all things.

I cannot add one hour to my life. But, I can move the mountains.

These truths are not contradictory. They are reality. They are freedom, and they are comforting boundary. They are held together by one thing: faith. This is the sustaining, permeating glue that binds it all together and makes everything out of impossibility.

But, it doesn’t happen blindly.

Real, life-shaking, life-holding, life-giving faith is not a positive thought or a hope on a string. Faith is sure and strong and solid—and it is centered. It is centered in Christ.

I look forward to another year of schooling, of homemaking, of budgeting and writing and living and I confess myself completely overwhelmed at the thought that I am responsible for so much. I know—I know I cannot make it on my own steam. But, joy, I know—I know that I don’t need to. I am not meant to.

He will carry me.

And so I pray. I swim in words that breathe new life. I marvel in worship, and my knees hit the ground, and my palms open—asking, pleading, blessing, giving thanks for all. These are my exercises for flourishing. But, it is He who will make me flourish.

The Line

About this time last year, my husband and I started talking seriously about having a third child. Not that we were ever closed to the idea, but I’d had some struggles with getting my health back in shape after James’ birth, so we’d been effectively using NFP to space pregnancies a bit in order to give my body a chance to heal. But, after a year, things were back in order, and I was ready to try again.

God and my body, it seems, had other plans.

There are months when I know for certain I’m not going to be pregnant, but some months, I find myself wondering. And then there are the bittersweet months when I really think I might be…only to find that single pink line on the pregnancy test. I am put in mind of Anne Shirley who loved to “soar on the wings of anticipation.” She thought, and I tend to agree, that it “almost pays for the thud” that often follows.

Hope is like that. We soar. We thud. But, if we are Christian—and I think Anne would agree here—we also trust.

Can I trust God as much with my infertility as I did with my fertility?

I am walking a fine line between keeping an eye on my health (most 27-year-old women who have had two children in close succession do not find themselves suddenly irrevocably infertile) and keeping faith. There is blood work to be run, and there are vitamins I may take, but there is also a bevy of options that I must sadly turn aside from. Could I take matters into my own hands and virtually guarantee myself a third baby? With today’s technology, it’s likely. But, it’s a line I’m not willing to cross.

And so I wait and soar on wings of hope.

For two pink lines.

A Year of Learning Baskets

SEPTEMBER

Harvest
Native Americans
Apples
Autumn

OCTOBER

Squirrels
Corn
Leaves
Pumpkins
Halloween

NOVEMBER

Turkeys
Pilgrims
Thanksgiving
Bread

DECEMBER

St. Nicholas
St. Lucia

JANUARY

The Year
Snow
Soup
Maple Sugar

FEBRUARY

Chocolate
St. Valentine
Bears
Penguins

MARCH

Owls
Ireland/St. Patrick
Hats
Rain

APRIL

Kites
Eggs
Sheep

MAY

Gardens
Mary
Mothers
America

Preparing for Kindergarten at the Cider Mill Schoolhouse

The other day, I was meeting with our parish youth minister, who also happens to be a dear friend of mine. She clenched her jaw in that eek, just wait until you hear what I have to tell you way we all do sometimes, and smiled guiltily.

“See this?” she said, holding up the palm of her empty hand. “That’s what I’ve got to show you for curriculum right about now.”

I grinned back, held up my own empty hand and said, “Well, here’s what my homeschool curriculum looks like, too.”

Since that day, I’ve buckled down to business, and slowly but surely, a kindergarten curriculum is being designed for my ambitious daughter, one that will in many ways also serve to captivate my curious, toddling son. I’m continuing to incorporate the concept of a weekly learning basket that will serve as a supplement to our core curriculum. Our CORE subjects will include

• Religion
• Reading
• Writing (new this year!)
• Math - more focused and regularly implemented than it was in our preschool
• Social Studies - As with last year, we’ll draw heavily on materials from the learning basket
• Science (ditto social studies)
• Spanish – very informal (Let’s see how much mama remembers, shall we?)
• Art and Music (focusing on exposure, appreciation, and creative expression)
• Dance

The four-day-a-week schedule really served our family well last year, and we’ll be using a similar format this year, leaving Fridays open for monthly field trips, daily Mass, and running errands that somehow didn’t manage to get done earlier in the week. Friday is also our housecleaning day.

I had many requests for sharing my homeschooling methods and curriculum last year, and though I did share snippets from time to time, I really didn’t feel able or qualified to give much guidance or advice since I was such a novice myself! I’m still learning the ropes, and I know there are countless resources out there that have such excellent inspiration for homeschoolers that I’m hesitant, again, to put my oar in. Yet, at the continued onslaught of requests, I will endeavor (tentatively) to do so.

So, keep your eyes peeled for postings on this year’s Cider Mill Schoolhouse! Hopefully, they will serve to inspire and inform you in your own educational pursuits.

The Key to Wonderful Dining

“The pace and clutter of our long, tightly scheduled days draw us away from the full satisfaction we should derive from the important daily ritual of dining with loved ones. There is nothing more beautiful than people sitting down around the table in an alchemy of spirit and companionship. Good food is pleasing, but the reality is that when we sit down with family and friends for a meal, food is not the most important element, nor is the physical space. The key to wonderful dining is the chemistry of the company. In the right frame of mind, we are more receptive to all the sensual pleasures that a meal provides.”

- Alexandra Stoddard, Creating a Beautiful Home

Of course, the food can do a great deal to elevate the mood.

Marinated Tuna Fish (from this month’s Martha Stewart Living), Roasted Red Peppers, and homemade baguette

A Bowl of Cherries

We have been blessed for the past three weeks with our annual summer visit from my mom. To celebrate her last night in town, I cooked a special dinner, and ended it with a scrumptious cherry clafouti topped with cherry chocolate chunk gelato.

A mother who is also a best friend.

A grandmother who is so loved.

Time.

Sometimes, you find yourself savoring a life that truly seems a bowl of cherries.