Daybook January 23rd, 2014

Outside my window...
Cold very Cold! I think I saw that it was  6 degrees out.  It is a good time for staying indoors and getting a lot of school done…..plenty of warm blankets and hot chocolate today. 

I am thinking...
about our school year.  It has not gone very well.  I chose to go with the onlinepublic charter school and I am regretting it horribly.  It is just not working.  I thought having all of it packaged in one place with all the teacher help would free me up for concentrating on the Liturgical Year and Religious Formation.  Unfortunately what it has done is to tie me to my desk and computer with online meetings , logging attendance, evaluations, and more.  The kids have been tested to death.  First there are benchmark testing, Aimes Web teacher evaluations and testing, State testing practice test, and State Testing.  All of this is in addition to very rigorous course work.  The online classes with instructors do not consist of lessons from the course work but a preparation for testing.  And I cannot even begin to tell you how unhappy I am with the common core standards!  With all of this the things we enjoyed the most seem to get left off the radar………….like living the liturgical year, read aloud time, tea time, and even family prayer is suffering.  Religious education and memory are always being put on the back-burner.  I have not even posted to my own blog.  The kids are unhappy and I am unhappy!  This has been the worst year I have had in my 18 years of homeschooling.

Last year was so peaceful.  I planned my own as always.  We used these wonderful History Plans and Papal Lap book.   Why on earth did I make this switch?  Now I am faced with do I scrap it all and go back to our own mid-year?  Or do I finish what we started.  I usually finish what I have started, and then change but this is so unbearable.  Please pray for this intention because for once in my life I am not clear on what I should do.  I do know this much…………what we have been doing goes against everything I believe in regarding the education of my children. 
I am thankful... 
my new 12 passenger van.  Oh how we have needed a new vehicle.  Our old vehicle was only 8 passengers and with the possibility of adopting 4 more we really needed a bigger one.  It was literally falling apart as I drove it.  We got such an incredible deal from a good Catholic man who owns a dealer about 30 min from us. 

Our Secular Franciscan Fraternity will be having two new professions on February 2^nd, the Feast of the Presentation.  What a glorious day it will be for them!  Congratulations Jessica and Chick! 

I am creating…

a meditation for this weekend’s pre-profession retreat for Jessica and Chick.  My talk will be  “In Humility and Poverty with Simplicity” .  Hopefully, I will be ready.  J 

Celebrating the liturgical year...
so much coming up.  St. Francis de Sales tomorrow, the Conversion of Saint Paul on Saturday, Saint Angela Merici on Monday, and our dearly loved Saint Thomas Aquinas on Tuesday………..and I have nothing planned.  My husband and I will attend a special evening event at our parish for St. Francis de Sales since he is the parish patron.  I pray I can get something together for Tuesday…….after all St. Thomas Aquinas is one of my children’s patrons. 

On Life Changing Events……. 
we are in the process of a home study with the intent to adopt a sibling group of four.  I cannot say much about this at this time.  Please pray for us.  This was a major decision for us. 

I am hoping... to find another bunk bed by next week.  Eric and I are moving into the smallest room in our house to make room for the children we will be adopting.  Lots of shuffling going on here.  We turned the basement into a family closet and laundry area like the Duggars to make room in the bedrooms.  With no dressers, there is so much more space for beds.  Everyone’s clothes will be in the family closet with the exception of my husband Eric.  His will be in our room.  We’ve had the closet in place for two months now and I honestly love the system.    I am praying... for their birth-mother.  She did not voluntarily give her children away they were taken away.  My heart aches for her.  I pray for healing, peace, and grace.  Please pray for her too. I am reading... 20 Secrets to Success with your Child by Erin Brown Conroy  I bought it after listening to her talk on Homeschool Connections.  They had a wonderful Refresh Conference that I listened to recently.  It was a great reminder of why I am homeschooling.  Unfortunately what I am doing is not achieving the goals I had hoped and seems so far away from my original purpose for doing this………..  I really need to pray.

I am pondering...
Like Mary, may we nurture the light born within us at Christmas. May we carry it everywhere in our daily lives. – Pope Francis

Something I want to Share...  
This one is for you Jessica………… It is a picture of the kids Papal Lapbooks we did last year courtesy off Jessica at Shower of Roses.  We did it as a Coop with another family.  Friday’s were such a joy.  Speaking of Jessica she recommends a new book “Our Holy Father the Pope” in this post.  I ordered it and mine came today…………so beautiful!  
 

For the remainder of my week...

§ Prayers much to pray about!

§ Choir and Strings this afternoon

§ Saturday’s Pre-Profession retreat

Another picture to share…
 

Our parish Seminarian reading to my kids.........
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It's been a while............

Sometimes we get so caught up in the noise that surrounds us that we forget.  

Everything clamors for our attention................

Facebook notifications, emails, urgent text, phone calls, television ads, sports, clubs, fads, trends.....................buzzes, beeps, and whistles so numerous and so loud we are deaf to the silence.  

We can not hear that still small voice pleading..........be still, be still.  

 Its been a long time since I was still.  

The world has had my attention for so long.  My soul longs for silence.  My soul longs for stillness.  

Now is the time.  The ground is frozen.  The air is crisp.  The soft winter wind inviting me once again 

be still..................

contemplate..........

 listen............
slow down...........
be present here and now in this present moment..........

  re-evaluate.........

        begin again............  

    Spring will come again.

Peace and All Good,

Maggie