Back to School for 2016

This year we've got kids at the public school, parochial school, and a little homeschool.

While my kids in the brick and mortar schools went back in August, Resa Rie didn't begin her PreK4 Homeschool until just last week.

L, Ben, and JF love their school(s). Resa was not impressed. Oh well. Here's the First Day of School pictures.

L is a third grader and still wants to be a mom when she grows up. She loves coloring, being outside, and spaghetti. Ben is in first grade and wants to be a train driver, pilot, taxi driver, and farmer when he grows up.  He'll be busy.

And yes, he's taller than L, but don't talk about it with her.

JF is in Kindergarten and is dual-enrolled at the public and parochial schools. So far it is working really well for him. As you can see he wants to be a pirate when he grows up.

Resa was excited about "all the things" associated with school, which perhaps explains her disappointment. She wants to be a mom when she grows up and she loves coloring, jumping, sliding, and writing her name. :)

Wishing all of you a happy back to school time of year, too.

A Song for Everything: A Little Home-School Pre-School for Resa

This year while my oldest three kids attend brick-and-mortar schools I will be doing a little homeschoolin to get Resa Rie ready for next year, when she will attend Kindergarten.

Now, most real homeschoolers I know don't do preschool, successfully covering pre-k curriculum in the first weeks of Kindergarten or just introducing their children to the concepts through life. When my oldest, L, was 4 we opted to homeschool her, too, but I was pregnant and naps quickly became more important. However, being a girl, the oldest, and the only grandchild meant that she still learned her letters, numbers, the days of the week, and a few other things - and that was mostly from books and conversations, not PBS Kids! When she went straight to Kindergarten she was fine. We knew that Ben would benefit from attending Pre-K4 and we were right - it was a good investment and really helped him do well in Kindergarten. JF, of course has been in preschool for three years, as that was how he received speech therapy.

Resa, though, is in a different place than her siblings before her and so we will do actual homeschool with her. But when I say that please know it will be super casual and laid back. 

She already can identify all the shapes, colors, numbers 1-10, and about 1/4 of the alphabet. She also sorta knows how to write her name and how to say most of her prayers. We'll need to solidify the Hail Mary, Our Father, and Glory Be, though.

My other goals - which we have a whole entire year to accomplish - are to teach Resa:

- the days of the week (we got a song for that)

- the months of the year (we got a song for that one, too)

- how to identify the letters of the alphabet

- how to write the letters of the alphabet

- how to write numbers 1-10

- how to count to 20 on her own, 100 with me

- her address (another song)

- my phone number (yet another song)

- how to writer her first and at least sorta write her last name

Days of the week song: the days of the week sung to O My Darlin'. It works in Spanish, too.

Months of the year song: Singing the months through to the tune of Ten Little Indians with "these are the months of the year. Good job!" at the end. 

The address song is our address to the tune of Ten Little Indians (the second half). So, for example and not my real address:
Two-Fifteen Oak Tree Avenue / Chicago Illinois!

My phone number is sung to Knick-Knack Paddy Whack. Is that what the song even called? Anyways, again not my real phone number:
123-456-7891 with a knick-knack paddy whack give my mom a call / her name is Bonnie.
It works. My older kids don't want to sing it to people but they have used it to remember my number so grown ups can call me. #winning

Other resources - books I'll be using:
Catholic Icing's Preschool Curriculum

Various Usborne Wipe Clean books

This summer we had a pretty good run for going to the library and reading books. I'm hoping to continue that with Resa and spend some time reading classics with her. I think I'll make a list of A-Z books (like A for Alexander and the Horrible...Day - sorta like what Haley did here) and loosely try to follow that through the weeks. We'll see. I call myself a fake homeschooler (unlike the "real" homeschoolers I referenced) because my standards are loose and low and none of it quite feels legit, yaknowwhatI'msayin?

And I have changed up my shelves a bit to make things a bit more schoolish. We'll see how long this lasts but yay for mason jars, toys my kids were given, and Target dollar bins!

I figure two days a week for 30 minutes will be great. We'll probably start after Labor Day - once the big kids have settled in school and our home is off to its new rhythm. Honestly, I am really glad for this time with Resa. She is so peaceful and sweet, the middle child with no health issues or anything else to call attention to her, and so it's easy to let her be. It'll be good to intentionally sit down with her and work with her. One more year for her to be with me and be my little baby girl.

That got sappy so we'll wrap this up. If you have a favorite book for my list or another resource you'd love to tell me about please share!

Heading back to school and flipping the bird at the Mommy Wars

Back to school is early in Illinois (mid August) but it makes me think Fall thoughts.

After a summer of playing in the sprinkler, eating drippy popcicles on the patio, and watching movies in the cool air conditioning during the heat of the day I am ready for the next season. It's much less sweaty for this pregnant woman.

I'm pretty pumped about autumn and what that means in my part of the country. I can't wait to get the autumn decorations out, but I'm also feeling a little emotional - just like I did when L started school. The same kiddos who went to school last year will be in school again this year, but Ben is now beginning kindergarten with the official school uniform and full school day. There's so much I want for all my kids, but this just about sums it up:

But this is not about me - this is about you and you, L, are about to do some amazing things. School is so much fun. Being a part of a school community is so much fun. You will learn, play, grow, and be loved. I hope you are happy and challenged and encouraged. Please know that your father and I expect you to always show compassion, generosity, and respect. We expect you to always be kind, good, honest, and hard-working. We want you to love and serve and glorify our good God.

As much as I am getting misty-eyed over milestones, I am also remembering that the schedule and rhythm school brings to our home is a huge gift for me - it is freeing for me. That's one of the things I learned in Kindergarten:

More than anything, what I learned in kindergarten, after two years of pathetic attempts at super basic "homeschool" preschool (we're talking letter, shape, and number recognition here along with a little catechism), is that I need structure and I am really bad at giving it to myself. Our days ran so much more smoothly when the school day made us get up, get dressed, and be out the door by a certain time. Our home was immeasurably more peaceful following the school day routine. And perhaps most importantly I thrived with that schedule. Thrived.

Next year may bring something different for us as we make decisions to keep James safe from his dairy allergy, but right now I feel really great about what we're doing right now:

I am " interested in educating and building up [my] children, family, and community through traditional school," and I'm seeing that happen in our family's life now, which is really wonderful.


At this time of year I see a lot of my friends beginning their homeschooling. My good friend Grete is in week 3 because my good friend Grete has got her act together! Sometimes I look at her life and her amazing kiddos and the wonderful things they are able to do and... I am so happy for them while not wanting that life at all. (Which I say with a laugh and confidence that Grete would laugh too. Or at least smile. Perhaps while shaking her head at me.) I've seen how the schooling choices they've made over the years have really blessed their family and I feel like I've watched my friend become a better and more truer version of herself.

It's been really beautiful and totally a flipped birdie to the Mommy Wars that her parenting choice has been so different than mine and yet we are both so happy in our vocations and homes, and we are friends.

Once I wrote about not homeschooling:

Having the desire for be part of a traditional school community, to have time to volunteer in your community, to create or work, and then using the time while your kids are at school to do those things doesn't mean you're selfish or that you care less for your children. God has gifted you with certain talents, convictions, and holy desires - be who He has made you to be and you will set the world on fire.

I 100% believe that is true, and it's been a gift for me to have the hours of the school days to spend more time with my littles, to work on and create things that I love, and to try to serve our parish, friends, and family. But I also want to stress that that's what works for me and you should see Grete and all the things she is able to accomplish.

Back to school time can be such a beautiful testament to the fact that God has made us each unique, that there are seasons in our lives, that we have been gifted with different talents and strengths, that we are all on a path towards holiness, and that when we embrace those things our lives will look splendidly different but equally good.


Today two of my kiddos have their first day of school with another beginning mid-week. I'll be laying low in internetland over the next couple of weeks, tackling various projects and obligations and helping my cranky, hot, tired, hungry kids re-adjust to the school year. By September we will be on a roll so you'll see more of me then. Have fun, keep cool, and be good. ;)



Tangent in question form: Do you think it's okay if I get out the lovely fall decorations for the August 22nd Blessed Brunch I'm hosting? I have a rule (that I usually break) of no fall decorations before September 1st... What do you think?

9 More Reasons You Should NOT Homeschool

Maybe you saw the post that listed off 9 Reasons You Should NOT Homeschool. It kept popping up in different feeds I follow and so I eventually read it, even though I already know all the reasons we're not homeschooling.

Now, I am 100% sure the author is a lovely, warm, kind woman. But most of her nine reasons really rubbed me the wrong way.  I think that Jen and I would agree on the bottom line on most of her reasons. However, as someone who has very happily chosen traditional school for my kids, I wanted to rephrase her wording to better represent the reasons why my husband and I made the decision we did to not homeschool.

So here goes, nine more, or slightly different reasons you should NOT homeschool:

1. She said: You are bound and determined to recreate school at home.
I say: You know you cannot recreate school at home. Your twelve years in a traditional classroom were wonderful, filled with dynamic teachers, a wide variety of friends and acquaintances, and many opportunities. You know that some of those can be recreated in a homeschooling environment but some of them are very specific and unique to a traditional school setting. You want to offer that same, unique experience to your kids.

2. She said: You aren't willing to step out of your comfort zone.
I say: You know your strengths and your weaknesses; you understand your temperament and you know that, while you like a challenge, homeschooling is not what's best for you, your kids, or your family.

3. She said: You don’t like to learn new things.
I say: You are interested in educating and building up your children, family, and community through traditional school.

4. She said: You don’t want to be an active participant in your children’s education.
I say: As a parent you are obviously the first and primary teacher of your children, especially in the most important things. You want to be an active participant in your children's education but you also don't want to be the only one. You respect teachers, their educations, and the incredibly special skill set, passion, and talent that they possess. You believe that your children benefit from being with such professionals.

5. She said: You don’t like to be in charge.
I say: You know that, in the end, you are always in charge of your children. Others may guide, educate, and discipline your children, and you are happy to work with them to give your child the best. You also understand that if traditional school is not working for your child then, because you are in charge, you will change the situation for the benefit of your child.

6. You are homeschooling to please someone else.
I say: Totally agree with her there!

7. She said: You lack perseverance.
I say: You're in a rough season of life. If you already feel overwhelmed, maxed out, or stretched too thin then this is probably not the best time to add educating all of your children at home to your list of things to do. Sometimes all you can do is survive, not plan chemistry labs and correct handwriting.

8. Homeschooling is an experiment.
Once again, I agree. I have a lot of respect for homeschoolers and I know it takes a lot of work. Giving it a go for kicks and giggles, or because you know other homeschoolers, or because it's the trendy thing to do is not a good idea. Homeschooling should come with a conviction and a desire.

9. You don’t like things to get messy.
I say: Life can be messy, especially with kids. Going back to #2, if you know that you need more order and less clutter and chaos then traditional school is likely a better fit.

She said: Homeschooling is about so much more than math lessons. Homeschooling is when learning and life collide, and that’s a good thing.
I say: Education is about so much more than math lessons. Education is when learning and life collide, and that's a good thing.


Now, to the moms who are considering homeschooling and trying to find the balance, weigh the options, and make the right decision. To you I want to say this:

If you choose to homeschool that is great. Homeschooling is a fantastic option. Good for you for knowing what's best and for making that leap. I support you and I believe in you! You can do this and you will be awesome!

If you choose to not homeschool it's not because you are too lazy, stupid, or stubborn. It's not because you lack the right virtues. It's not because you're not a good enough mom or that you don't enjoy your kids enough.

You are good enough.

You have enough; you do enough; you are enough.

You are more than enough.

If you choose not to homeschool it's because it's the best decision for your family and don't let anyone else make you think otherwise.

If you're new here, stick around! You can follow A Knotted Life on Bloglovin' or Feedly.
Plus, I'd love to connect with you. You can find me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. I hope to "meet" you soon!

What I Learned in Kindergarten

In the next three weeks I will have three first days of school. L begins first grade on tomorrow, Monday. The following Monday JF will begin pre-k 3 and the week after that Ben will begin pre-k 4.

"It's the most wonderful time of the year!"

 If you can't tell from my mantel, I am looking forward to it.

Last year I was so nervous, so sentimental. This year I am so tired. But I also understand things now that I didn't a year ago, especially after some recent conversations, one with some friends and one with a priest .

In kindergarten I learned that I am definitely an introvert and often I am shy, even if I sometimes test ENFJ. Even so, I want a strong community of women of all ages and stages - real, Catholic women who celebrate feast days and go to confession and are embracing their crosses or just trying to because it can be so hard sometimes, dangit! I want women who laugh and drink and pray and I want to them to exist as a group which is full of mentors. I want the older moms to teach the younger moms and the younger moms to teach the youngest moms. I also learned in kindergarten that such a group does not exist at my parish and I have no idea what to do about it. I just learned that maybe that's my problem to fix and maybe it's not and I need to pursue that answer with real humility. (Lord, have mercy and help me with that one, please.)

I learned in kindergarten that I'm looking for whole families of fellow parishioners (I don't even care if your kids attend home, public, or the parochial school) who will walk with my family as we embrace our faith which is true, beautiful, sometimes weird, sometimes hard, and often very fun.

Wise owls.

I learned in kindergarten that I am not the only one wanting my children's school to be a place filled with the Holy Spirit, engaging kids academically and spiritually. I also came to understand that there are parents at my children's school who have chosen it because they went to private school, liked it, and want something similar for their kids. I understand that all of us are at different stages of life, grief, holiness... we are all doing the best we can with what we have.

Politically incorrect chalkboard, anyone? Yes, please.

More than anything, what I learned in kindergarten, after two years of pathetic attempts at super basic "homeschool" preschool (we're talking letter, shape, and number recognition here along with a little catechism), is that I need structure and I am really bad at giving it to myself. Our days ran so much more smoothly when the school day made us get up, get dressed, and be out the door by a certain time. Our home was immeasurably more peaceful following the school day routine. And perhaps most importantly I thrived with that schedule. Thrived.

I understand that through the next three weeks my life will be pretty rough. Grumpy kids, tired and worn out from new schedules, learning, playing, and new friends, will come home hungry and ready for a nap. I also understand that after those adjustment weeks we will hit a pace and we will all thrive.

JP's birthday present worked perfectly.

I was reminded recently that God called us to this school. He made it obvious that to me over the course of one weekend that my children should be at the parish school. Kendra told me recently that she thinks "some of us are called to a modified cloistered vocation and some of us are called to a modified missionary vocation within our vocation to motherhood. Both are good." Wow, I could not agree more and I'm so grateful for that perspective. Obviously because God has called us to our parish school there is some aspect of missionary work He wants us to do and to also be the recipients of. That's exciting to me and also a little intimidating but God is good and wants what is best for me.

In kindergarten I saw again and again how blessed we are and how good people are. In kindergarten I saw how wonderful a Catholic education* can be. Looking back at the last school year I can tell you confidently that this really is the most wonderful time of the year: school is starting and there are friends to be made, new learning experiences to be had, a little bit more quiet in my home. ;)


***************************************

About my mantle:

My friend Amanda inspired my mantel with her awesome one:

I was so inspired that I literally pulled up her picture on Facebook and ran around my house, collecting things to use for my own.

I took some objects from other parts of my house - owl candle from the kitchen, books from the living room, chalkboard and alphabet toy from playroom - and put them all together. Not as cute as Amanda's but still pretty cute, if I do say so myself.

*************************************************

* I feel like I should make a disclaimer. I know that Catholic education is not an option for a lot of you. Some Catholic schools are more elitist private schools and they very much lack any sort of orthodoxy and faith. Some Catholic schools are just too expensive, have no scholarships or multiple-children discounts, or are too far away. This post is not to make anyone feel bad about not giving their kids a Catholic education. Public, private, or homeschool: you do NOT have to defend your schooling choice to me! No way! I support you! And salute you! And cheer you on!

7 quick takes

1 - I'm doing another choose your song week.  You can have Sufjan Stevens "Holy Holy Holy" or The Civil Wars singing "Billie Jean".  Enjoy!

2 - Waaaay back in November I did a phone interview with Audrey Assad for Ignitum Today.  It was really neat to speak with her - I especially loved the parts where she talked about redemptive suffering and Anna Karenina.  Here's the article if you're interested: An Interview with Singer-Songwriter Audrey Assad.

3 - This week has been a hard one for me emotionally.  I know a lot of you are already praying for Jen, who is in the hospital with blood clots in her lungs, and her unborn son.  I've also been praying for a relative whose father unexpectedly died and some friends who are suffering.  Ora pro nobis.

4 - On a lighter note the Christmas tree came down a little early for our house.  It was so dry that the ornaments were sliding off the branches and there were pine needles everywhere.  It's sitting on our front porch, which is far as I would carry it.  The other Christmas decorations are still out but I must admit, while I miss the lights I'm happy that our home feels open and less cluttered again.

5 - I've done a horrible job at preparing the kids for Epiphany.  Awhile ago Arwen Mosher told me via Twitter that at their home the kids' leave hay or lettuce in their shoes at night and then the Wise Men come, feed the lettuce to their camels, and leave little gifts for the kiddos.  Travis and I really liked that idea and I bought some markers and toothbrushes to leave in the shoes.  But beyond the basic Christmas story and reading one book I haven't done much to build it up for the kids and teach them about the Wise Men, the gifts, etc. 

6 - I've also been slacking at homeschool.  I wanted to start "second semester" with the letter M but we took off too much time before Christmas to get that done.  So yesterday I crammed the letter J and K together in one day (as opposed to each letter getting two days in their own week).  And to make up for my lackluster approach to Epiphany I taught the kids that K stood for Three Kings instead the King of Kings - Jesus Christ.  We made crowns.  They liked it.  It's preschool, for Pete's sake, so I'm not too worried.  Right?

7 - Earlier this week I called my old friend Sr. Marie Noelle.  She was my best friend in college, joined the Nashville Dominicans after graduation, and is now missioned to a school less than two hours away.  She invited me to come up and spend the day with her and I jumped at the chance.  Resa and I arrived just after 10am and we stayed through Vespers.  It was the first time I was able to hang out with her all day long, all by myself since she left for Nashville in over eight years.   I was able to visit with a couple of her sisters, see her classroom, have lunch, and talk about movies.  It really was a wonderful day and I'm so glad we were able to make it happen.

7 quick takes

This quick takes is the pick your song edition:


1 - I'd probably go with this one if I were you.  This is my ultimate "mellow day" song.  It also gives me an incredibly strong desire to bake an apple pie.  So you may need to watch out for that one.


2 - Confession:  I really do love this song and I have for years.  My younger brother went through a phase where he loooooved Dave Brubeck almost ten years ago, which is how I even know who in the heck he is.  So maybe me liking this song is a little bit nerdy, but since several people accused me of being a hipster in my lipstick post I'll claim that it makes me incredibly cool.  ;)


3 - Are you in the mood for pop?  Well then, you're welcome.  L thinks you have good taste.

4 - So Pinterest and I had a good week:

Rice Krispie treat pumpkins and colored dough for fall leaves = Never would have thought of it on my own.

Yarn wreath with felt flowers in Halloween colors = Never would have thought I could do it had I not seen step by step instructions.

5 - Homeschooling and I have been doing well, too.  Twenty minutes two days a week.  We sing a song, practice letters, learn about a saint, maybe do something crafty, say some prayers, the kids practice our address, phone numbers, and full names.  Last week we were on 'F'.and we did this:

This week we're on 'G' (big duh, I know) and so we took a little field trip to the parish I grew up in, St. Mary of Lourdes, and visited the grotto.  We stopped in the church to say "Hello" to Jesus, said a 'Hail Mary' in the grotto, and then the kids played on the slide.  It was a good day.

6 - Congratulations to Cynthia for achieving one of my goals in life:  being linked to in one of Grace's Clickable posts!  It was well worth it, old roomie of mine!

7 - Brandon Vogt has a great video of him interviewing Msgr. Soseman, a priest for the Diocese of Peoria who is working in Rome on the Sheen cause.  Go check it out if you're interested in what's going on with Venerable Sheen's beatification process.

7 quick takes

1 - Um, I love the following things about this song:
 a) how clean it sounds, not the lyrics of course but the singing, guitar, and air... if that makes any sense at all
 b) her red lipstick.  Probably when I'm 65 I'll have enough gumption and "I don't give a damn" about me to actually wear red lipstick.  And in the meantime I'll just wish I could pull it off now.
 c) the lyric about wiping the counters. way to my heart, I guess.  sigh.
 d) autumn.  Autumn is in the clothes they're wearing and the leaves.  I want autumn now, please.

2 - So the show that I'm making my way through right now is the fabulous White Collar.  You're probably already watching it, but if you're not let me fill you in:  The show is about a con-man on a sort of work release program with an FBI agent who deals with white collar crimes.  You can watch it instantly on Netflix.  Travis and I are both fans and probably my favorite part about it is there is no swearing, violence, or sex scenes.  Really.  Truly.  It's also very cleverly written.  Oh, and I like Mozzie.  Watch the show just for Mozzie.  He's the best.

3 - If you're looking for some new meals to try we had a successful week.  I highly recommend:
- Pioneer Woman's Simple Hearty White Chili
- Tyler Florence's Chicken Enchiladas
- Burgers, cooked on the grill, topped with tomatoes from our garden and seasoned with Excalibur Ultimate Steak and Roast Rub.  They're not paying me to say this (though they could by sending us free samples!) but their stuff is the. best. Period.
Rachael Ray's Mexican Lasagna (except I don't cut up the tortillas, I just bake it in my round Corning Ware dish.

4 - Here's some adorable pictures of my kids.

Ben got sent to time out.  When I went in to talk with him about it he was asleep.   He'd literally cried himself to sleep.  

A-dor-a-ble!

They're so big!  And sassy.

Princess Resa, dressed up by her big sister, Princess L.

5 - I got nothin'.

6 - If you need something sweet and heart-warming to read, go read this article: The Business Nine Women Kept a Secret for Three Decades.  But be warned, it'll make you want to buy a pound cake!

7 - After Labor Day weekend I'm going to begin homeschool and official chores.  I'm wondering if I should have some kind of chore chart and daily schedule for the kids.  They can't read but it may help keep me accountable and if I use pictures and words it may be helpful for them.  Do any of you have any opinions on this matter?  I'd love to hear them if you do!

7 quick takes

1 - You may not like country music. Sorry, this week's song is not for you. 


2 - This is what happened in my kitchen last night:

Me - Whoa!  Jeff Cavins is following me on Twitter!  That's crazy!  Why would he do that?  (Feeling all kinds of pressure to be holy, funny, intelligent in my forthcoming tweets, especially since in my head I was thinking, "oh shit!".)

Travis - What?!  I bet it's because of JF and Sheen.

Me - Maybe.  I'm gonna check into this...  Oh.  He's following over 6,500 people.  I'm not that special after all.  He doesn't know me or JF or anything about us.  Well, that changes things!  (feeling of sweet relief mingled with a touch of humility)

3 - I am a product of public schools.  I am a fabulously lousy pre-school homeschooling mom.  But I totally loved this video.  He brings up a lot of great examples of why I'm a little jealous of my friends who do homeschool. 



4 - Watching the Republican debate.   I didn't even begin to follow this stuff until the candidates are more "manageable".  Four is manageable.  I can research their voting records, go over their websites, etc now that there's four.  In recent history Mikhail Gorbachev said that what Ronald Reagan was able to accomplish with the Cold War Obama never would have been able to do because of Reagan's character:  strong, but a gentleman.  I think Gorbachev would say the same thing about Newt that he said about Obama, and I think that matters. 

5 - Kate Wicker has a guest post up at the Behold blog called "Glorify God in Your Body".  It's great and will give you a little glimpse of what Kate will be talking about at the Behold Conference.  Check it out!

6 - I'm so tired.  So go read Dwija at House Unseen instead.  She's funny and hospitable - what a great combination.

7 - Congrats to all of us for making to the weekend.

Review of Catholic Icing's Catholic ABC's preschool curriculum

Lacy Rabideau of Catholic Icing has answered the prayers of many a Catholic mom - or at least this one's - with her Catholic ABC's preschool curriculum book. 

I've had my copy of the book for a couple weeks now and I've spent a lot of time reading through it, familiarizing myself with the content, and revving up for homeschooling L.  We have now officially begun homeschooling preschool (she's 3) with Catholic ABC's and we are both in love with the book.

For starters, I appreciate that Lacy writes out an entire script that parents or preschool teachers (for those in co-ops, CCD classrooms, etc) to read.  As a parent I am L's first and most natural teacher, but I am not a "natural" teacher and have never home schooled before.  I appreciate that Lacy has created a common-sense flow for the day and provided all the transitions to get from one part to the next.  It helps me feel less awkward and also allows for a framework that I can use to interact with L.

The other thing I appreciate about the book is how much freedom there is.  The established structure actually helped me feel free to deviate a little bit because I can always quickly and easily pick up the script again as soon as I need to move on.  Lacy offers so many tips and fun ideas to help kids learn using sight, movement, songs, and so on that she inspired me to alter things a little bit so L would really enjoy the lesson and get the most out of it, and I would be 100% comfortable.  For example, for the Creation Unit L and I began by using Google Maps to find our home, our town, our state, our country, and our planet.  That was how we began discussing the world God created.  Then, instead of using the recommended symbols (a flashlight for light) I made up hand gestures to accompany the song about Creation.  When I do this with Ben next year I'm pretty sure I'll need the symbols, but for L the "dancing" is more meaningful.  But I want to be clear, while I altered Lacy's lesson plan a bit it is not because it isn't good.  In fact, without Catholic ABC's I'm not sure I would have been confident teaching L about creation.

I also appreciate the letter lessons.  L knows her alphabet, but Lacy's book uses the letters to introduce important parts of our faith.  So each week we are learning about a new saint, opening our Bible to read a verse, and discussing a new vocab word (like "angel" or "grotto" or "monstrance"). 

When it comes to the crafts that correspond with each lesson, I have to confess that about 1/3 of them probably won't be made unless L's godmother shows up.  There's two reasons for this.  First, crafts can stress me out, which makes me not want to do some of the more elaborate ones.  Some examples are the super cute nativity set and the brilliant Last Supper made from an egg carton.  I love the idea of them and how they look but I'm pretty sure attempting them will only bring about yelling, cursing, and tears.  Secondly, we don't own all the supplies, such as feathers, beads, and felt.  I know that all those supplies are easily found at Wal-Mart and dollar stores but if we go back to the whole stress factor you can maybe understand why I don't want feathers and beads around the house and easily in the hands of little boys who like to throw and eat things.  It should be pretty simple to find other ways of doing such crafts, and Lacy even offers ideas (like a rosary made of MnM's and mini marshmallows instead of beads) so in the end I may have no excuse except laziness. 

So really the crafts and the book have no fault - it's just me.

The back of the book is filled with templates and coloring pages that go the lessons and units.  Because my printer has a built-in copier this is very helpful for me - no more searching the website as it's right there!  A friend without a copier wishes the book came with a cd of the pages, which might be a good suggestion for when Lacy's book is picked up by a publisher. 

The last thing I want to point out is that Lacy has some great ideas for how to teach kids basics of our faith.  Every part of every lesson has all kinds of useful tips that I thought were brilliant. 

In all I strongly recommend the book.  Even if you send your child to preschool I think that there are projects, songs, lessons, and tips in Catholic ABC's that will help reinforce the lessons they'll be learning, the faith you're trying to instill in them, and the fact that learning and our Catholic faith are fun.

uh-oh, oh-no preschool

There's been a lot of thinking, praying, and discussing over here.  L, a precious 3 years old, is signed up for preschool at the local community nursery school.  Several of her friends are signed up as well and we've been looking forward to it all summer long. 

The perks of preschool - more time with my boys and social interaction for my daughter - have looked so good for so long.

But now the perks of keeping her home are starting to weigh heavier.  And before anyone begins to think I'm being very sentimental let me say flat out that the $70 a month fee is a huge reason we're considering homeschooled preschool.  It also greatly helps that I can teach her many of the things she'd learn at nursery school:  weather, calendars, standing in a line.  I'll just need to be more intentional about those things.  We already do counting, writing, reading, singing, cooking, and we have some good playdate groups in the area. 

Many friends on Facebook brought up some good points about preschool - there's someone else teaching your child, oldest children (like L) have to learn to share and can't be bossy, there's structured time, and it allows for mom to have some more focused time with the younger kids.  All of those points are really valid, I think.

Many other friends discussed how keeping their kids at home for one or two more years was such a beautiful experience for the entire family.  They spoke from experience of children who didn't go to preschool and still flourish in kindergarten.  This was really reassuring to hear and helped our family come to the conclusion that L will stay home for at least one more year.

Since making this decision I've started a list of things to spend her tuition money on, though most of it will go to bills.  Yet there is now some room in the budget for trips to the the zoo and a local children's museum.  We now have gas money to visit her great grandparents.  I will also be purchasing Catholic Icing's Catholic ABC's Preschool Curriculum Book and An Alphabet of Catholic Saints book.  I'd also like to get some more craft supplies, and a few teaching tools.

I also have hopes of using part of the the money to hire a babysitter so Travis and I can go to Adoration together twice a month.

I'm excited about this next year, but I keep telling myself to not get too worked up about it all.  I think the key is to be very, very low key about it.  Right?  I mean, we don't really even need a curriculum but I'm getting one just in case L and I want a little more structure.  And because I'm pathetic with crafts and Catholic Icing is not.  L loves crafts, the girl deserves some good crafts.  I'm really not even gonna think of this as homeschool because, well-known secret, I have never wanted to homeschool.  So this is just some more time for L to be a little girl, having fun, hanging out, and maybe learning a few things along the way.

I am shamelessly looking for validation on this.