Reality

The "M" post isn't going to happen this week. When we began Serendipity, we invited y'all to come along with us as we presented in Real Time what was happening in our learning rooms in Real Life. We warned that the kids came first and you'd get the overflow. We also knew that we'd tweak along the way and honestly, I considered that to be an important part of the endeavor. This way, you can really see how it works over time, in real life. For years, I've gotten mail asking about the nitty-gritty. What if curriculum choices aren't working for you? What if you're sick? What if the children are sick? What if? What if? What if?

It hasn't been smooth sailing. One of us decided that none of Serendipity was really working for her. That left me to tinker a bit on my own. I heard from several of you who were enthused and we've been working hard to re-write the stories to better suit our families, to update the PDFs, to add more art, more music(coming later), and geography. I've written new grammar lessons. I've learned from Rebecca's botany lessons. We've done the tweaking thing and now we're good to go.

Except now, my baby is sick and I know this February thing well enough to know that this virus is unlikely to stop here. So, what happens when someone is sick? Depends. This time, I'm going reap the benefits of the hours and hours I've spent over the last couple of weeks revising lesson plans on the Alphabet Path.I'm going to go back to letters A-L and print out the new stories and review them with my early readers. I'm going to gather all the books recommended in the Faith sections of all those weeks and focus on reading those this week. I'm going to go back to the A-L read alouds lists and re-read those. People who are well enough will narrate.People who are well enough will do some new grammar lessons. People who are well enough will organize existing geography narrations alphabetically and consult the master list to see what comes next. And there are always those workbooks, should I need them. There is plenty here that is useful and educational and worthy. Designing one's own real books curriculum does not leave you empty-handed during the "what if" times as long as you are able to bend and stretch as necessary.

And, I'm going to perfect the art of making orange ice with one hand, while balancing a toddler on my hip.I'm going to spend hours and hours rocking sweet Karoline while reading aloud to her siblings. Chances are good I'm going to watch a whole lot of Signing Time and Little Einsteins.  Real Life Homeschool. We're blessed indeed.

I sure would appreciate a prayer or two offered for the gang of us.

Thirty Days Prayer to St. Joseph

It is thirty days before the Feast of St. Joseph--a good time to begin this devotion. Many thanks to Diane for sharing this prayer with me.

Ever blessed and glorious Joseph, kind and loving father, and helpful friend of all in sorrow!  You are the good father and protector of orphans, the defender of the defenseless, the patron of those in need and sorrow.  Look kindly on my request. My sins have drawn down on me the just displeasure of my God, and so I am surrounded with unhappiness. To you, loving guardian of the Family of Nazareth, do I go for help and protection.

Listen, then, I beg you, with fatherly concern, to my

I ask it by the infinite mercy of the eternal Son of God, which moved Him to take our nature and to be born into this world of sorrow.

I ask it by the weariness and suffering you endured when you found no shelter at the inn of Bethlehem for the holy Virgin, nor a house where the Son of God could be born. Then, being everywhere refused, you had to allow the Queen of Heaven to give birth to the world's Redeemer in a cave.

I ask it by that painful torture you felt at the prophecy of holy Simeon, which declared the Child Jesus and His holy Mother future victims of our sins and of their great love for us.

I ask it through your sorrow and pain of soul when the angel declared to you that the life of the Child Jesus was sought by His enemies. From their evil plan you had to flee with Him and His Blessed Mother to Egypt. I ask it by all the suffering, weariness, and labors of that long and dangerous journey.

I ask it by all your care to protect the Sacred Child and His Immaculate Mother during your second journey, when you were ordered to return to your own country. I ask it by your peaceful life in Nazareth where you met with so many joys and sorrows.

I ask it by your great distress when the adorable Child was lost to you and His Mother for three days. I ask it by your joy at finding Him in the Temple, and by the comfort you found at Nazareth, while living in the company of the Child Jesus.I ask it by the wonderful submission He showed in His obedience to you.

I ask it by the perfect love and conformity you showed in accepting the Divine order to depart from this life, and from the company of Jesus and Mary.I ask it by the joy which filled your soul, when the Redeemer of the world, triumphant over death and hell, entered into the possession of His kingdom and led you into it with special honors.

I ask it through Mary's glorious Assumption, and through that endless happiness you have with her in the presence of God.

O good father! I beg you, by all your sufferings, sorrows, and joys, to hear me and obtain for me what I ask.

(make your request)

Obtain for all those who have asked my prayers everything that is useful to them in the plan of God. Finally, my dear patron and father, be with me and all who are dear to me in our last moments, that we may eternally sing the praises of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Pass the Kleenex

I'm sitting here with my baby girl at 5 AM, mindlessly clicking and marveling at all the creativity out there in blogland. Sigh. All those great ideas, none of which I'll get to...Karoline is sick, not just a sniffly sick, but an I'm-so-sick-I-can't-stand-or-eat sick (but she can nurse--incessantly). She will not let me put her down-- not to brush my teeth, not to go to the bathroom, not to get dressed. I'm typing one-handed. She's given new meaning to "long weekend." I'm overtired. My throat hurts.So, I was primed to shed big tears when I stumbled upon this--Beth Moore's letter to her daughter just before the wedding.
Hold on to  me all day, Baby-mine. Hold on real tight.

New Column

It’s refrigerator cleaning day today. Every Wednesday, I go through this ritual of cleaning it out, reorganizing, wiping it down. And every Wednesday I find a “surprise,” some food worth saving whenwe first put it in here, but now well past its usefulness and/or its appeal. And I pitch it. And then, I feel guilty. Read the rest at Catholicherald.com

L is for...

It's "L" week at Serendipity. Isn't that lovely? Today, "L" is for love.
The love of my life isn't in town, so it's not quite the day I'd like. But...
We'll have dinner with friends whom I love dearly.

There are cookies and a good book to read before getting the children to bed.

Then, "L" is for lavender ironing spray (the height of romance, huh?). Bear with me here.

I'll light a lavender candle and tackle this particular load of laundry while I listen to this CD and pray for my Valentine. It's not roses and bon-bons, but "L" is for Lent, too, and honestly, this is not a bad way to suffer at all.