I blame it on the Art Museum. I spent thirty hurried minutes in there the other week. Taking frantic pictures and answering my children’s questions, I was also trying to absorb the sights for my own soul.
“Where is ‘my’ painting?” I murmured. I was looking for a very specific painting by Catherine Wiley – one that I remembered from my visit two years ago. They had another Wiley, just as breathtaking, also of a mother with a child outside, but not “my” painting. Continue reading
A few weeks ago, we headed back to our cattail patch for a summer nature study. By “our” I mean a cattail patch about five minutes from our house, where we did our spring cattail nature study.
I printed out the toppers from Handbook of Nature Study – a blog we follow loosely for our nature observations.
I glued the toppers to white paper and divided it into four parts, so they could draw four objects.
While there, I asked the kids to walk around and get as close to the cattails as possible. Continue reading
This summer, my children have really enjoyed listening to an audio drama called “Who Created Everything?” produced by Wizzy Gizmo. In fact, they ask for it every time we get into the car. Sometimes we get back home from our errands and they stay in the car to listen to it to the very end – as if they have not listened to it before. Continue reading
Our eclectic homeschool combines the classical method à la Susan Wise Bauer, some Charlotte Mason ideas, and the Moore Formula.
For the 2014-2015 school year, we follow The Well-Trained Mind suggestions for first grade, add a bit more art and music appreciation, and take a relaxed approach to it all. After all, when the 180 days of official school are over, learning does not stop. We homeschool year round, with lots of breaks. As such, I don’t feel compelled to finish a textbook by a certain date in spring. Continue reading
Last week will go down in history as one of the best weeks of my life. I will not bore you with my happiness. But so many good things happened every day, I was afraid something really terrible was just around the corner. You know how life is… Just when things are going well and you relax, wham! Continue reading
“I would pray, but I don’t know how… Nobody taught me how to pray… Nobody… taught me… how to pray…” says Sandra Bullock’s character in “Gravity” – a recent Hollywood movie which garnered seven Oscars. If that’s not the cry of every adult who grew up without religious guidance from his parents… If that’s not the cry of every young adult who goes off to college, runs into trouble, and does not know what to do.
I know that cry. Nobody taught me how to pray growing up. Continue reading
What if you did not have to pay for college because your child got really high SAT scores? What if I told you all you needed to do is spend 20 minutes of your time every day reading to your child since birth until way into the teen years? By the way, it’s never too late to start. Continue reading
For a couple of months now, the kids and I have been listening to Allons Danser! – a CD with French music for kids, produced by Whistlefritz. It has been such a great tool for my French Play Group, not just for my children. We use the Bonjour, Les Amis song to start the meeting and Au Revoir to close. Continue reading
Two years ago, when I heard about Bringing Up Bébé, I was not interested. The subtitle of the book is, “One American Mother Discovers the Joy and Wisdom of French Parenting.” I knew one thing about French parenting: it’s very hands-off, i.e. they put their babies in crèches (daycare for babies) at three months old and, later, they send them to all-day preschool at three. This is the way I was raised in Romania by my working parents.
Pas pour moi. Continue reading
Still reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. Just when I get lost in her poetic writing and can’t tell what she means anymore, I stumble upon a new pearl. For instance “All Eyes,” – the concept that spiritual life is a striving to become like the cherubim described in Ezechiel, who are covered with eyes. Thus, they can behold God’s glory constantly, from all the angles. Continue reading