thanksgiving book basket

 From Honey for a Child's Heart by Gladys Hunt: "Increasingly the Thanksgiving holiday is becoming the time when the extended family gathers. More than a day of remembrance, it calls for a spirit of thankfulness to be nurtured. Thanksgiving was not, as is sometimes said in schools, the pilgrims thanking the Indians; it was a thanksgiving to God. Our celebration should be more than "turkey day," a day for overeating, with little conversation about the truth of it's history or significance in family life." (Mrs. Hunt lists of 14 books, 3 of which I include here in my list)

The Thanksgiving Story by Alice Dalgliesh - an accurate Thanksgiving picture book that tells the story of a family's first year in Plymouth Colony which ends with the Thanksgiving feast.

In November by Cynthia Rylant - we LOVE this book, LOVE it! You can read my review here.

Thanksgiving on Thursday (Magic Tree House) by Mary Pope Osborne - this was a fun, easy read. We enjoy Jack and Annie and their adventures here. I'd like to take a peak at the Pilgrims Research Guide to go along with this.

Thanksgiving Mice by Bethany Roberts - just for fun, more for the Littles. We read this a few years back, when we still lived in Cincinnati, and I'm hoping to get my hands on it again, to spark some interest in putting on a little play of our own (like that needs a spark)!

*I've already added An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving, Molly's Pilgrim, and Thanksgiving: A Time to Remember.

:: Happy Almost November, Everyone! ::

why simply charlotte mason?

I received an email the other day, I know not from whom, but it simply asked, "Why did you switch from My Father's World to Simply Charlotte Mason?"

First, let me say, we have not been die-hard, faithful MFW users for the entire four years we have been homeschooling. We've used it, and not used it. And used a few other things...Veritas Press, Ambleside Online, Truth Quest, and Simply Charlotte Mason. (I'm speaking mostly of the History parts of these curriculums in this post)

I've tried very hard to stick with MFW and love it. But, for a few reasons, I've just not been able to do it.

...I think it has mostly to do with the fact that MFW has you read bits and pieces of a lot of resources. I prefer to choose A GOOD RESOURCE, and read it to my children. While some folks really appreciate the fact that MFW has done some pre-screening for the teacher-parents, I found it to be very annoying and almost generic feeling.

During Creation to the Greeks (which we all *LOVED*), I learned to overlook this bits and pieces reading...but as the years progressed, it seemed to get a little more tedious.

...I also feel that the further along we got into the chronological history study, the less Charlotte Mason the curriculum became. We did not even do Exploration to 1850, and instead chose to use Adventures, which I felt was still very CM. (I beefed this up for my girls with SCM's Living History Books List and Veritas Press' Yr 5 History Cards).

We did, however, order 1850 to Modern Times, and even used it for the first four or so weeks...but, we soon found ourselves feeling the same way about it.

...And another BIG reason that MFW no longer works for us, is the fact that we feel very strongly, in our large family, that we need to study as much as we can, together. With MFW, you can only use Years 1-5 for your 3rd through 8th graders. I did not have the time, nor did we have the money, to continue to buy two or three programs per year. (and my younger and older children didn't want to be separated from the rest of the family)

So...

Simply Charlotte Mason is working for us right now. We chose our own spines, since SCM hasn't actually completed Lesson Plans for Module 6 yet (Streams of Civilization II for Kylie, and SOTW 4 for Korinne...neither of which we are super pleased with, but you try and find a better Modern Times World History spine...there aren't any out there!), and we are slowly working our way through the Living Books Selections for grades 1-9.

*We are all learning about the same time period, with a Charlotte Mason whole, Living Books approach, and the cost is extremely low. And we like it.

daybook, october 18th

 

Outside my Window... rainy, chilly...October!

What We're Learning... Kylie's at the Library, learning how to Volunteer, both Korinne and Connor had English "tests" today, Korinne's was over the 8 parts of speech, Connor's was over Nouns and Verbs, TJ is learning the difference between to, too and two (s-l-o-w-l-y), we went over 1 Peter 1 this morning, and our History (SOTW 4) is becoming so dry and boring...I'm not sure how we're going to spend 5 more months with this book! If anyone knows of a well-loved Modern Times History-ish book, please share it with me! Please!

I am thankful for... Tylenol 3

From the kitchen... cereal for breakfast, PB&J for lunch, chicken tacos (made by the girls) for dinner

I am wearing... navy yoga pants, Army long-sleeve tee, navy socks, ponytail

 

I am reading... the new Vision Forum catalog came in the mail yesterday, does that count

I am praying... for Judah. He's 4.5 days into his antibiotic, and has started running a fever again. The nurse wants me to bring him back to the office.

 

I am creating... we're going to go buy orange yarn and green and brown pipe cleaners to make Yarn Pumpkins (like over on Elise's pretty, Autumn table)

 

I am hearing... Judah fuss, Rinny trying to make him happy, the rain dripping from the gutters, and The Incredibles on TV (we take it easy when Kylie goes to work, so she doesn't miss much 'school')

 

I am remembering... that I need to be better about keeping my own appointments, doctor and dentist..

On my mind... fever. for 4 weeks now. I'm exhausted

 

Noticing that... once you start creating, you want to keep creating

 

One of my favorite things... seeing my children do well on English "tests"

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... Judah back to pediatrician tonight, knitting class for Korinne tomorrow, I think we'll finally make it to the grocery tomorrow too, Thursday morning I'm having 2 teeth extracted and a bone graft at my dentist, Brian will be taking the day off to help (YAY!), Friday we have no plans except Family Movie Night, Saturday we're hoping to paint the Dining Room (Golden Honey), and Sunday we hope to get out to Church.

how a mom takes a nice, hot bath

In the following few paragraphs, I'm going to give you (A Mom) instructions on how to take a nice, hot bath:

. The first step is to have dinner prepared & cleaned up early. (it helps if your hubby brings home pizza after work...YES! Brian worked today. YES! We know it's Sunday. It's the Army that tends to forget.) I did not plan this step, it just happened. YAY! for early dinners.

. Step #2, have dessert enjoyed & cleaned up early. (NO! we do not have dessert every night, but Korinne made a special treat for everyone. She actually served it, and cleaned it up...which helped with my 'early' theme.)

. Next, OK your plans to take a nice, hot bath with hubby. YES! He will most likely say, "GO! Enjoy your bath." But you want to be sure he knows that he's looking after the kids for a while. Otherwise, he will think you've certainly got it handled...even if you are NOWHERE! in sight.

The fourth step is to lock the door to the bathroom. This is tricky for me. The door leading to our master bath locks from the outside. YES! You can unlock it from the inside as well, but it allows Little Ones to be able to unlock it from the outside too! BUT! It does give hubby an extra ten seconds to catch the Little One who is trying to enter the bathroom where Mommy is trying to take her nice, hot bath. And he will stop the culprit before they can emerge victorious. Hopefully.

. Step #5 is to turn the exhaust fan ON! NO! You are not taking a steaming shower. You are taking a nice, hot bath. BUT! The exhaust fan will drowned out any small-ish noise that may alarm you (A Mom) and cause you to cut your nice, hot bath short.

. The next step is to clean the bathtub of tubby toys and dirt. YES! Every mom of Littles has tubby toys. No big deal. NO! Not every mom has to clean dirt out of her bathtub to take a bath. And I really can't believe I'm telling the world that I do! BUT! It's true. I have FIVE Rowdy Boys, and they get dirty. Like, actually DIRTY everyday. Like, there's dirt in the bathtub each night after they've had their bath. (I will NEVER understand how a mom of boys could ever not have to give them a bath every. single. day. *And, in the hot, summer months...I have to give my boys TWO. One when we come in for lunch and naps, and one we come in for dinner and our night time routine.)

. The seventh step is to fill the tub up with hot water and a little bath oil. YES! The water should be almost too hot. BUT! You take a 5 minute, lukewarm shower most other days of your life, so this one too-hot shower will not ruin your skin. And YES! The leftover Skin So Soft that you had on to combat the attack of the Arkansas Mosquitoes counts as a little bath oil (not that that's what I did, ahem.).

. Step #8 is to put a hot washrag over your face and soak. Continue with this until you hear the sound of little, running feet OVER the exhaust fan (Step #5), then the sound of one of your toddlers wailing in distress (which will take about 3 minutes).

. The next step is to stop soaking and bathe already. If you planned on shaving, go ahead, BUT! only from the knees down. That way, if you wear capri pants or a skirt tomorrow, no one will know the better. And you can explain to poor hubby, that you had full intentions of REALLY shaving your legs...until you heard the wailing toddler. He will then understand.

. The tenth step is to get out of your nice, hot bath and moisturize. UNLESS! A Little Person has broken past the locked door leading to the bathroom (Step #4), and is standing there hollering, "CAN I COME IN?!" Then you will have to forget the body lotion (until you see your knees in the morning).

. Step #11 is to put on clean jammies and smile. Because you are clean. Which you (A Mom) cannot say all the time.

:: Happy Nice, Hot Bathing! ::

daybook, october 10th

Outside my Window... warm darkness

What We're Learning... I'm not sure yet. We took the day 'off' learning, since Brian was home, and I haven't taken a peek at our book readings for the week

I am thankful for... the Army giving days like Columbus Day to their Soldiers, to spend time at home with their families

From the kitchen... the girls made banana bread, chocolate chip cookies, and goulash this afternoon for dinner, we had lunch meat sandwiches and cheese & crackers for lunch, and I made yummy cinnamon toast for breakfast

I am wearing... gray yoga pants, and my Old Navy flag tee from this summer's Independence Day

I am reading... Halls of Fame (Volume 12) and In Your Hands: A Parent's Guide Book (Index) that go with our new-to-us 1951 Edition of My Book House, the Autumn sections of A Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections On The Gentle Art of Learning and Lessons at Blackberry Inn, Jim Trelease's The Read ~ Aloud Handbook, and Loving The Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches (for the THIRD! time)

I am praying...

that ALL my boys' health returns soon. We've been s-l-o-w-l-y moving through a stuffy, coughing, feverish, runny nose, sickly eyes virus. Exactly THREE! weeks of it, tomorrow!

I am creating... a home that says Welcome Autumn. We have fall leaves, pumpkins, scarecrows, apple & caramel candles, Autumn Book Basket, pumpkin moon shines, and plans for a few neat, little fall crafts (Autumn Wreath, Jar Pumpkin Moon Shines, Caramel Apple Cupcakes ...). The girls and I also picked out paint colors for every room in the house this past weekend. Now, to just get Mrs. Landlord's approval

I am hearing... Brian's pen clicking in the dining room, the water running upstairs, and night sounds coming in through the sun porch door

I am remembering... the fun we had on our Family Nature Walk this morning. The treasure bags full of nature's goodness, the duck feeding, the flower picking, the 'baby' fish, the 2 year old with his walking stick, Brian stopping to show everyone a spider... Amanda was right, we needed to get outdoors

On my mind... the fevers. I hate, hate, hate when the children have fevers. It consumes me. Worry. So many meds. Worry. Little eyes that beg me to make them feel better. Worry.

Noticing that... I'm not as tired in the evenings as I was a few weeks ago. Energy. Just in time for the Holidays

One of my favorite things... Mimi, our kitty. I really do love her. She hangs out on the window sills of our sun porch and looks so homely and kitty-ish. She also loves us, which is, in my opinion, a unique quality in a kitty

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... Brian goes back to work tomorrow, we go back to learning and routine. Korinne has knitting class Wednesday. Kylie volunteers at the Library on Thursday morning. The girls and I have Irish Dance Class Thursday afternoon. Friday is grocery day, pizza night, and Family Movie Night, Brian has Drill this weekend, I hope to do some more decorating Saturday (outside with mums and pumpkins), and Sunday, we will REST