to take a picture of my bookclubbers, but at the last moment with only 8 of us left, I remembered. Sorry for the poor quality photo and sorry to all you bookies who left too soon! We had a marvelous time discussing Pride and Predjudice (which we actually did discuss) and we enjoyed some good food and coffee and fun fellowship. This is phase one of my “Keeping My Sanity” strategy while I’m homeschooling. I am one of those types of people who is energized by the company of others, by cooking and seeing lots of people enter my home. Next months’ read is Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. I’m on chapter 3 and love it already. I’ll leave you with this quote from the book about Aunt Chloe that seems to be my mantra in life, “The arrival of company at the house, the arranging of dinners and suppers “in style,” awoke all the energies of her soul; and no sight was more welcome to her than a pile of travelling trunks launched on the verandah, for then she foresaw fresh efforts and fresh triumphs”.
Archives for August 2008
Introducing new segment: Friday’s Favorite Fotos
Meet my new cleaning ladies….that’s Elea on your left….fresh from a fantastic job of swiffering and dusting. Then there’s Emme on the right (cute aprons, huh?) who has become an veritable expert at all things vacuuming. They do pretty solid work, considering what we pay!
Meet Kit and Emily. Our favorite American Girl dolls sporting their newly hand knitted items. Elea made the orange “throw” for Emily and Emme the red apron for Kit. Great job girls, and thanks to grandma for all those lessons.
Meet our slightly less than absolutely neurotic dog Scooter, with his new red polo. He’s looking a little inquisitive. Maybe he’s wondering why he has a shirt on? Perhaps he’s discerning the flavor palette of the latest dog treat choices? Are we having burgers for dinner? Do I even look good in red? Do these people realize I haven’t been to the spa in 5 weeks?
Meet my “To Do” list! Which is empty! On Labor Day Weekend! Life is Bliss! And I love these chalkboard walls, but I may be forced to redo them in black. I’ve seen way too many cute ones in black. My cousin Jamie, who has renamed herself Jamie Knoxville, did hers in black. %$@#@. I just called her a name…she won’t mind…..she’ll call me one back.
And last but certainly not least, meet Mantle, who despite his very manly name, has been badly feminized. So goes the destiny of most spots in my house. I L-O-V-E the mommy and baby zebras. (TJ Maxx of course). So there you have it—a few Friday fotos to recap the week.
Egyptian Pyramids, Fantasy Football, and Battle of the Bands, part 2
What, you say, do these three things have in common? Well, me , at the moment. Today the girls and I made these lovely Egyptian pyramids to aid us in our study of the ancient Egypt. We used sugar cubes, white glue, and paint and had a messy but fun time. This is part of our Story of the World classical history curriculum and I am so impressed with it so far. I think the girls would agree with me that history is our favorite subject. Monday, we are supposed to mummify chickens. Eeek! Wish me luck.
Then there’s the infamous Fantasy Football draft that took place today. Has this man-game hit your family yet? I would complain except that I love it too. I couldn’t wait to get home last night and find out who “we” drafted. You see, this has a profound effect on which and how many football games we will watch every week. All this compounded by the fact that Marcus now lives with us and is a confessing sports addict as well. I will be the most well informed female about all things football. And in case you’re wondering, we got Carson Palmer, Ladian Tomlinson, Tory Holt…….blah blah blah. Who am I kidding? All ten of my faithful readers are girly girls.
How we begin our days at our "homeschool"…
My Bookclub debuts this week….
I came across this book this summer when I was tirelessly searching and reading in preparation for homeschooling. The same author wrote “The Well-Trained Mind” which we are using to give our kids a comprehensive classical education. This is her answer to, “How do I give my children the classical education which I never had?”. Besides being a great start on ‘books every educated person should have read’ , this is an excellent tutorial on how to properly read a book. Since I’m a “bookie” of sorts, reading this book made my heart flutter and gave me a renewed sense of structure and purpose to my own reading. Of course, I then wanted to share my new enthusiasm with everyone, so I started a book club, using this book as a guide for how and what to read. A few upcoming titles on our list are “Pride and Predjudice” , which we will discuss this week, “Madame Bovary” , “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, “One Hundred Years of Solitude” just to name a few. I couldn’t be more excited; reading with a purpose, friends and coffee, laughing and visiting. I am also determined that this will be a “real” bookclub where people actually read the book. So far, I’m encouraged. Of the 17 people who have RSVP’d yes, they’ve all mentioned how hard it has been to get through the 19th century language of Jane Austen. Because I’m a C.S. Lewis buff, I’ve had a little practice in reading the style and vocabulary of well-educated English writers. It’s like any other exercise….very hard at first but the practice pays off. It’s not the book I’m worried getting through at this point; it’s trying to come up with discussion questions that don’t bore me and everyone to tears. Any suggestions? The first question on my list, “Are you a Jane or a Lizzie?” and “Are you married to a Mr. Darcy or Mr. Bingley?”
Oooooh, look at those faces…..
I love this picture. In all likelihood, it was taken 4 years ago but since I’m notoriously, predictably unpredictable about how I handle my photos….we’re left to guess. That would make Stevie 41 and Elea 2. This is one of those pictures that reminds me of the playfulness and loyalty and affection that this wonderful guy shows to me and to our children. We are not left to wonder how much he loves us. We played a new game today called “Apples to Apples” with the girls (thank you Sue for the suggestion) and he’s just so fun. He gets excited with them and really laughs…..out loud. They so enjoy his company and I sit in awe at the ease with which he parents. It makes me grateful……for a man who will be a man…..who will step up and accept his role as a father and husband and leader…..who will make plenty of mistakes but who will say “I’m sorry, please forgive me”. I am thankful that I have been fortunate enough to share this life with a man such as this.