There went April...

Whew! That was fast. Just before I flipped the calendar page to May, I took one last look at April. This was a month in which Mom was in high demand. For every notation, a child had to be somewhere and they needed someone (me, usually)  to get them there and they needed someone (me, usually) to be there with them. They also needed someone to wash the clothes they wore while they were there, to feed them before and after they went, and to care for their siblings at the same time. Oh, and they all had a full day of "schooling" (by me usually) before they left home. What isn't noted on the calendar are Mike's daily visits to the doctor for his back. And what is noted, but very understated, is that every "@" notation (there are 5 outside DC and two more in DC) represents an out-of-town business trip, a three day production trip. It's understated because he left the day before and returned the day after the @ notation. I've taken to noting only the day of production so that I don't hyperventilate when I see his absences all spelled out:-). When I look at the black and white facts--or the lavender and white, as the case may be--I understand better the priorities of my life. A little calendar study offers me much food for thought about the way I spend my days. More on that later, though.

This is all my ambling way of apologizing if you are one of the 792 people who have sent me an email which I have filed in my "to reply" file. I promise you I read it. I promise you I appreciated it. I can longer promise you I'll answer it. I'm a poor email manager. I read them and then I tell myself I'll write back just as soon as I get time to sit and think and compose. Sometimes, these are even emails from good friends. It's not like I have any sort of triage system. I read on the fly, get interrupted by someone, walk away from the computer. Nope, nothing scientific at all. Then, I get a few more emails, and the first one slips down the page, until it finally slips off the page. It makes me feel terribly guilty. It literally keeps me up at night sometimes. I thought about declaring email bankruptcy and just deleting them all. But I won't do that. Because they matter to me. And I will try to answer them. One day. I hope.

And no, I have no plans to buy any sort of handheld device that would allow me to answer emails from a soccer game. I don't multi-task. I don't even try. Life is too short not to be fully present in the given moment.

Small Successes~15

1

I enjoyed a lovely tea party on the Feast of St. Catherine, complete with sunflower cupcakes.

   
2

I repurposed seven boat and tote bags that were serving as individual book bags. They have just become pool bags. Then I repurposed these baskets to hold each child's books. Remember "clean out your desk day" in school? We just had the homeschool equivalent.

3

These pants are now clean. I found them on the bottom of a laundry basket yesterday. Apparently the child who wore them on this day didn't get the memo about what to do with the muddy clothes. They are blue jeans and when I found them the were stiff and dry and khaki. And now, they are blue again. Good for me.
 
 

What are your successes this week? This is a great exercise in holding ourselves accountable and patting ourselves on the back. Mothering and homemaking don't have built in performance reviews and bonuses. The  internet can be a source of support and encouragement. Let's encourage one another in our small successes.I'm very late to the party, but you can still share too at Faith and Family Live!

Sarah's First Tea Party

Karoline arranged this tea party on the living room floor unprompted the other day. She's taken to going into the china cabinet and setting a party spread whenever she pleases. I'm not particularly encouraging this as I really do like my china, but I've never been one to lock cabinets and such. So, I've made sure she knows that her tea set is in there. She set this up with great care and then demanded that Sarah come for tea. We found the blue baby seat (oh, Mommy, I saw a pink one and a purple one at Target yesterday; we really should get those for Sarah Annie...) and Sarah was initiated into the sisterhood of magical play.

What's That Song?

I've gotten more emails than I can count asking about the song playing on my blog right now. The song is actually linked into this slideshow, so once that slideshow slips off the front page, I think the song goes, too. I'm not ignoring the mail; I actually have a BIG post in my head about this song. For now, though, to answer your question, it's The Best Day from Taylor Swift's Fearless album.

My Heart's at Home Daybook~The Last Week of April

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Outside My Window ...
it was an incredibly hot weekend. I do hope that spring wasn't all too brief, leaving a hot Washington steam bath in its wake early this year.
 

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I am listening to...
a very noisy dryer. As long as it still gets the clothes dry while it's making all that noise, it's o.k.,, right?
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To Live the Liturgy...
I learned something interesting when I was making plans for living liturgy this week. As I have shared before, I tend to struggle with post traumatic stress, particularly during the last week in April, when the blooming tulips remind me of a hospital . The Feast of St. Catherine of Siena is April 29th. That day tends to loom large for me, as it was the day I was diagnosed with cancer. She is the patron of sickness, sick people, bodily ills, nurses, and even miscarriage. I'll think we'll stop to celebrate her on Wednesday.
And then, it's St. Joseph's feast again on May 1st. I've been praying this novena with Kristen. I think that prayer to St. Joseph is going to be part of our daily repertoire. If I keep devotional prayers to saints to as part of daily prayers at the current rate, we're going to need to add another prayer hour to the day;-)
 
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To Fit and Happy...
Lots more "real life" walking and carrying this week! I feel like I'm fully back into regular range of movements, though certainly my body still looks like a woman had a ninth baby at 42 and is still baby's sole source of nutrition;-). I carried that baby to three different soccer fields, a baseball game and a basketball court last weekend and spent a whole lot of time walking around playing fields with her in a sling. At one point, while pushing baby in stroller, I lifted Karoline onto my shoulders. This was not the wisest thing to do, but I could do it--so there's that.

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I am thankful for ...
tulips in April. (But I am looking forward to peonies in May.)

 
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From the kitchen ...
This heat wave is inspiring some menus that are heavily influenced by vegetable and salad inspiration.

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I am wearing ...
 I'm a pajama blogger right now, but I'm certain to get dressed before baseball tonight;-).I'm thinking of doing a little shopping here to celebrate the heat wave.

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I am creating ...
lesson plans. Everyone at Serendipity is pretty excited about the progress we've made.Truth be told, I'm holding up the publications--I've promised to get the Civil War notes up to round out our American History for this year before we start posting next year's plans. My computer time has been so scarce that I haven't finished that yet. But soon. Soon.

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  On my iPod...
Taylor Swift
 
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Towards a real education ...
I'm having some interesting conversations with my daughter. At twelve, she's becoming quite the Montessori purist. I love Montessori, but I'm not a purist. I have a degree in Early Childhood Education and shelves of books both from my time in school and since. I am passionate about Early Childhood Education. I'm passionate about literature-based education. In my mind, Montessori isn't literary enough. For all its good, there is a need for more living books--lots more living books.Pure Montessori--Montessori as Maria Montessori wrote it--doesn't benefit from the explosion in children's printing since the 19th century. Dr. Montessori didn't have the treasure of beautiful, full color picture books that we do. I wonder what she would have done, if she'd had access to those books yet to be written and illustrated.
Mary Beth is hooked on Montessori books and blogs. I suggested she read some other books; say Real Learning perhaps?:-) Nope, she's found educational perfection. Suddenly, there are two teachers in the learning room and one of them is very idealistic;-). On the other hand, she's bringing a breath of fresh air to this "school" that's been in the business of educating little people more than twenty years.
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Bringing beauty to my home ...
this time of year always makes me want to redecorate. I want to paint all the walls a soft wash (Waldorfs walls, anyone?) and replace all the fabrics with Heather Bailey pinks.
This year the urge is irresistible. I will redo a room around these beautiful photos of my favorite people in my favorite place. Mike and I are actually working on a plan for this. And Michael has opinions, as he always does when the discussion focuses on art and photography. Good rabbit trail, this one.

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I am reading  ...
I just finished the Anne of Green Gables series, pre-reading as a I plan for Mary Beth for the next two years. Now, it's on to Pride and Prejudice.

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I am hoping and praying ...
that Mike's MRI goes well today and that we gain some insight into the extent of his injury. With knowledge, comes power right? He could sure use some powerful healing.

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On Keeping Home ...
It's time do some weeding and then some planting. The girls are poring over rose catalogs. We're going to extend our rose garden all along the side of the house. I'm looking at wave petunias for the front beds. And I'm eagerly anticipating a visit to our neighbors, the DeBaggio herb farmers.
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One of my favorite things ...
Babies. It's nearly impossible to imagine life without a baby in it.

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A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:
Four days of concentrated study in the learning room. Nature study on Friday.

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Picture thoughts
Mary Beth was in a total panic when she came to find me the other night. It was bedtime and she could not find Katie anywhere.I'm still not sure why I thought to look in the linen closet. There she was, sound asleep.

Be sure to visit Peggy for links to more daybooks.

While I appreciate the beauty, the materials and some of the methods of Waldorf education, I am not a follower of Rudolf Steiner, his educational philosophy, or his religion. I am a practicing Catholic who is very clear in teaching the faith to her children. Please see this post for any further explanation of incorporating methods or materials that might also appear in Waldorf schools into your home. Take inspiration from what is good and what in in harmony with the true faith and leave the rest. If you can't discern, then leave it all alone.