Planning Part I

I've been working like a dog (a happy, interested dog) these past few days researching and compiling ideas for how to stay organized and prepared for next school year.

One thing I've completed is my booklist. While there are loads of great children's books out there, the ones on this list are pretty much seasonally specific. Furthermore, there are plenty of seasonal books that are a whole lot of "twaddle"... so consider this list for the discerning parent who enjoys books about the good, noble, beautiful and true things in life. Good art, good message kind of thing. It's not like every book on this list is a treasure... but every book IS BETTER than some of the twaddle-rific books they pass off as literature these days.

I made this list so I can further implement the concept of seasons, liturgical year and rythym in our day to day lives. Generally we like to check out books from the library on pertinent subjects, e.g., Christmas books at Christmas time etc. But apparently we're not the only ones so if you show up at your library a week before Christmas looking for books on it, you'll be out of luck. This list will help me to get a head start on reserving books for seasons and holidays to put in our book basket. I just put a hold on some February and Valentine's Day books for example. Obviously, you won't be able to get every book on your list, but I like to put as many options on there as possible. To give credit where credit is due, I got most of these titles from Dawn's blog (where I've also been gathering monthly theme pages to be posted here later), the 4 Real Learning Forums, MacBeth's Opinion, Michael O'Brien's booklist in this book, my own bookshelf/knowledge, and Amazon.com reviews/recommendations. It is subject to additions in the future, but my eyes are so worn out from working on this, it may be a while!

So without further ado, please use this list yourselves as a great springboard into the wonderful world of picture books! (Note that it starts in August to match up with academic calendars somewhat...)

BOOK BASKET ALL YEAR LONG

Daybook...

Outside my window... is gray, gray, gray. Chimneys puffing on rooftops up and down the road.

I am thinking... about next year's curriculum plans. I've been running through so many books/blogs/forums/magazines for research gathering ideas and pinpointing goals for our family. I feel really good about the plan; I just need to sit down now and spend a few hours on Spreadsheet or somesuch getting them all together. I am so very thankful for the freedom I have as a mother and educator to design our own learning plans.

I am thankful... for my dear children. I love the phrase my friend Erin's sister used: "authentically boyish." How I delight in watching them play and learn and work and grow.

From the kitchen... a fresh carrot cake sits on the counter. I unfortunately tried to wing it on the frosting, using regular sugar since I was out of powdered sugar. I don't recommend this; the taste is fine but the texture is all off.

I am wearing... a long sleeve shirt, a sweater, and a blanket. I can never rid me of the chills it seems.

I am creating... starting to make a couple baby carriers for some mamas.

I am reading... never just one book. I always have something informative, something spiritual and something mind-candy going all at once depending on my mood. The informatives are: The Omnivore's Dilemma, and rereading Real Learning: Education in the Heart of the Home, which I highly, highly recommend. The spiritual is S.C Biela's The Two Pillars. The mind candy is the final installment of the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy: The Cross.

I am hoping... that spring will get here faster than I think it will.

I am hearing... three little boys making sound effects for their cars as they play merrily on the carpet.

Around the house... Christmas decorations are taken down but not entirely packed away yet. A bit of mid-winter organizing needs to take place.

One of my favorite things... is a brand new pair of socks. That's the first thing that came to mind.

A few plans for this week... dinner with a friend tonight, Steve comes home from Mississippi late Wednesday, paying bills on Thursday, Adoration with the Master of the Universe on Friday, curriculum writing, stew simmering, tea kettle whistling, foggy walks in the cold, starting a new chapter book with the boys.

Well, not that people are knocking my door down for business but for what it's worth, I updated my photography website. I thought about getting a professional web designer but I had to remember that my goal isn't to make this a career... it's just a pastime and I have to keep it humble to glorify God. So I used what VERY little design skills I have to make it what it is. I especially wanted to make it clear on the "About" page that I'm just a one-person, part-time lover of photos... not a major professional or anything.

And frankly, I hate listing prices... because I have often done photos for free for families who wouldn't otherwise afford it. And I LOVE doing this and plan on continuing to do this when the opportunity comes up.

But, I have to also remember that I'm performing a service for others and I shouldn't devalue the entire photography business just because I like doing it; it does take time and my family has to to sacrifice to make it happen also. So I threw some numbers up there because from a consumer perspective, I HATE it when businesses say "Call for prices" or the like. I like to know what to expect up front. So there's that.

our rockin' kiddy table

For Christmas the boys received a nice, quality solid wood table (and we bought two additional chairs so we'd have four total). We've had 2 other kiddy tables before that have since fallen to pieces so we did a bunch of research and really wanted to invest in a nice one this time. So, of course, we're going out of our way to take good care of this table. The first thing we wanted to do was put a protective coating on it so that it would be ultra-protected against spills and such. We found a great bar-top epoxy at Home Depot that is equivalent to 60 coats of polyurethane!! Then Steve told me that we could put pictures or trinkets underneath the coating for it to shine through if we wanted to personalize the table. The table had a great 1/4 inch lip all around the edge of the top that really is perfect for this project. After much deliberation I went through the boys' Stare! game and chose our favorite cards (all retro kiddy prints of some sort) to make a fun border and middle design. Then I decoupaged a single card on the back of each chair to tie it all in. The result is pretty fantastic don't ya think?! The boys love it.

in review

I loved Joann's idea about posting a year in review... here's my take on it, a photo a month for 2008. This was a bit tough since some months were very busy and full of pictures (June, August) and others had almost nothing on my files (February, November) but I'll give it a go:

JANUARY: meet Scut Farkus

FEBRUARY: exploring artillery bunkers

MARCH: Berry cobbler

APRIL: this was for a contest (that we didn't win)

MAY: Academy graduates

JUNE: loving my Leo


JULY: goofing with the Pope kids


AUGUST: Bride and nephews


SEPTEMBER: taking advantage of the beach a mile away

OCTOBER: in the park

NOVEMBER: if only they acted saintly too

DECEMBER: Christmastime

Warming up after a bath

This was just too funny...

In the book basket

Aside from the usual melee of picture books we go through each day, we're immersed in a bit of historical fiction from Clyde Robert Bulla, called "Viking Adventure." Being so roguishly boyish, Xavier is of course in love with this book. I always love to find good books that incorporate a bit of history in with a great story.

I also wanted to share a few of our favorite Christmas books. Now we all know there are a million children's books about Christmas, but only a (maybe large) handful are really TREASURES. Some of these titles are pretty common to other literature-loving mamas, but not all of them. We keep our Christmas books packed away with the decorations and such so when we open up the box each year, it's like rediscovering old friends. These are some titles definitely worth owning... or at the very least reading this time of year. There are plenty of other good books for Christmastime out there, these are just some near and dear to our hearts. (A caveat: you won't likely find these at the library now because aggressive book-lovers and homeschoolers have had these titles on hold for months now.)

1. The Miracle of Saint Nicholas- a lovely story that offers a bit of perspective into a time/place where priests were persecuted.
2. B is for Bethlehem- Unfortunately, I don't own this (yet!) but you can't beat illustrations by Elisa Kleven, they are glorious. This is an especially good book for wee ones.
3. The Donkey's Dream- a true gem that is quite meaningful in its imagery. It tells the Christmas story from the donkey's perspective.
4. Why Christmas Trees aren't Perfect- A sweet story about serving others before oneself.
5. The Clown of God- not so overtly seasonal that we pack this one away, but the climax does take place on Christmas Day; it's a gem.
6. The Legend of the Poinsettia- another sweet story that highlights the virtues of a humble heart.
7. The Story of the Three Wise Kings- this is a hard one to get your hands on these days! But it's so difficult to find good Epiphany stories that it's worth keeping an eye out.