Mary Beth's turn

At nine years old, where I'm from:

I am from reams of paper, Little House books, Hanna Andersson to match Katie, and ballet slippers.

I am from the big, brick house that smells like lavender and ginger. I am from warm colors on the walls, a flowered canopy hanging above my bed, and balls in the house even though they’re “not allowed.”

I am from the tulips, the basil, the parsley, the flat backyard with soccer goals.

I am from singing Christmas carols to awaken Mommy and Daddy on Christmas morning and cooking Italian meals. I am from Lisettes and Elizabeths and Michaels and Patricks.

I am from kids who play soccer before they can walk and who love to draw. I’m from tickle jail and butterfly kisses. I’m from sister handshakes and “matching-so cool!”

I’m from “Be ladylike” and from “Have fun.”

I am from being Catholic, bedtime prayers, Tomie de Paola, everybody’s icons, front door crucifixes, holy water fonts, feast days and family rosaries. I’m from a devotion to the Little Flower and John Paul the Great.

I'm from Fairfax, Virginia and Italy and Norway and Scotland and Poland, from basil and garlic and bringing Daddy breakfast-in-bed.

I am from crying when Nicky was a boy and getting roses when Katie was a girl and dancing with Michael in that itchy dress at Jimmy's and Michele’s wedding.

I am from Mommy’s camera and blogging. I’m from the hope chest filled with baptism candles, a ribbon bouquet from Mommy’s wedding rehearsal, broken boards from Tae Kwon Do, old pictures of Mommy wearing a wig to cover her baldness, pictures of babies that all look so much alike it’s hard to know who is who.

I am from playing dolls with my sister, listening to pots and pans being cleaned while I fall asleep, reading chapter books until I can’t keep my eyes open, school baskets, nature study, the Montessori shelves, and watching Katie and Gracie grow.

I am from home.

I am from

Rebecca and Lissa inspired me to try my hand at this.  The template linked at Lissa's blog makes it really simple. I found the exercise of writing it very thought-provoking.  I'm going to have my children give it a try!

I am from...

I am from bicycle helmets long before they were required by law, from Garanimals, and much-coveted Limited jeans.

I am from many different houses, none very far from a Naval base and always on the road to the beach, where we would stop every day at a roadside stand for fresh peaches and “squirty tomatoes.”

I am from the seashore, the rocky Newport cliffs, the cabana at the beach, the sand dollars of South Carolina, the swimming lessons with Grandpa off the coast of Long Island.

I am from pumpkin bread at Thanksgiving and always talking with one’s hands, from four generations of Lizette, Lisette, and Elizabeth, all of them teachers and sticklers for style.

I am from stand up straight, act like a lady, and keep your house clean.

I am from a mother and grandmother who believed in Catholic education and spoke with perfect grammar.

I’m from a Naval hospital in Rhode Island and a frequent childhood visitor to other antiseptic corridors, my head wrapped in bandages.

But I am rooted in Italy, dripping with olive oil and smelling of basil, recognizing much too late the rich heritage of many great aunts, all of whom talk with their hands and smell like tomatoes and basil.

I’m from waving cloth diapers from those rocky cliffs while Daddy’s ship pulled away into the vast sea, from visits with Nanny where I ate blueberry breakfasts in a Clorox-clean kitchen, from playing house—and dreaming dreams-- for hours with my little sister (and only constant childhood friend), if only to keep her from running down the street, wearing nothing but a wig.

I am from a storage room on St. Dennis Drive whose shelves were lined with canned tomatoes and homemade strawberry jam and are now dissembled and dispersed, sending wedding dresses, spelling bee ribbons, and fading pictures of gap-toothed girls at Disney to homes in houses bigger and fuller than those we ever dreamed, homes, that, surprisingly are much too far from the sea.

What type of homeschooler are you?

I took this quiz last year and I was a Swiss Family Robinson  homeschooler. And that was when my garden was pitiful.  This year, better garden, more outside time, definite longing for a treehouse, and I ended up

What Type of Homeschooler Are You?

Abraham Lincoln You have a Bible and a library card what more could you possibly need? You prefer the Charlotte Mason Method of reading living books for everything: historical fiction, biographies, real histories, nature guides, etc. No soon-to-be-outdated textbooks for you. Visit my blog: http://www.GuiltFreeHomeschooling.blogspot.com
Take this quiz!

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I'm out the door!

Literally, I am out the door to a midwife's appointment.  But, figuratively, I am out of doors all the time with my kids.  Nature study is still happening around here, in some form or fashion, every day.  One of my biggest inspirations and greatest mentors in this regard is Theresa  at Lapaz Farm Home Learning.  Please don't miss her post today on the rhythm of nature study. Get a cup of tea before you start and follow all the links; it's better than the best science talk at a homeschooling conference.  Theresa has a gift for living nature's rhythms with her children the same way so many of us live the liturgical year.  And why not do both?  God is so obvious in nature and children who love nature have a beautiful appreciation for the wonder of the Creator! Read it and you, too, will be out the door!

Don't forget!

We're talking about curriculum at The Lilting House!