7 Quick Takes Vol 8: 6 Random Thoughts and a Picture

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Earlier this week, I received a big box from Sacred Heart Books and Gifts. Nestled inside, surrounded by homeschooling books for next year, was my birthday book (the book I selected this year to buy with my birthday money), The Little Oratory. I've flipped through it a little and it looks just wonderful! I've promised myself I'm going to finish The Idea of A University first, though.

Speaking of Sophia Institute Press (publisher of The Little Oratory), they are having a nice sale with lots of $10 books,  $5 books, and a $5 flat rate shipping. It includes a few of my favorite books like A Life of Our Lord for Children, The Year and Our Children, and The Young People's Book of Saints. First Daughter will be reading that last book next year in second grade for her saints study. (I don't receive anything if you make any purchases.)

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The two older kids have been at Totus Tuus all week, our parish's version of vacation Bible school. It's a wonderful time of fellowship with our community, but oh my! It is exhausting! There has been much wailing at the slightest provocation (from the kids, of course, never me; I'm not exhausted at all...oh wait). I'll be happy when the week is over, though we're following up with a week of swimming lessons so perhaps we're only jumping from the fire into the frying pan (slightly less painful but still not what you'd call relaxing).

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I spent the first three days this week working with some of the other catechists in our Atrium. We pulled everything out, washed all the cabinets, shelves, and materials, and reorganized the Level 2 and Level 3 materials to make room for the new ones. The room looks beautiful and (almost) ready for next year. We were so productive we were able to focus on finishing up some of the materials on the third day. I feel so blessed my children will have a Level 3 Atrium, but also very glad to be happily teaching Level 1 myself.

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Summer is such a good time for nature study. Without any real effort on my part, we've been noticing things. At a small suggestion, the children are eager to pull out their nature notebooks for some drawing. This week I found a brown recluse spider in the cabinet, trapped in an apparently slippery bowl. The kids were fascinated and loved showing it off to the Totus Tuus team members. They all sketched it in their notebooks, too.

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We have a lot of birds right now. Kansas Dad butchered three earlier this week, but we still have a batch of laying hens (though still too young to lay any eggs), a young batch of meat birds, a second batch of meat birds, and ten keets (baby guineas). Eventually we will have eggs and meat to show for them, but for the moment the meat birds offer a nice greeting to anyone who comes to our door.

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Second Son recently had his eyes checked under the See to Learn program. An optomotrist will examine your three-year-old's eyes for free. There are quite a few conditions they can treat more easily if they are detected early. (You can find a list of participating providers online.) He did really well, though he kept calling the duck picture a giraffe.

In other health-related news, First Son recently learned his braces will come off in August. Hooray all around! He's already coming up with a list of all the foods he wants to eat that have been taboo for the past year.

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I think I'm out of takes, so you'll have to make do with a picture I found on First Son's camera recently.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes Vol 7: Reading, a Water Battle, and Other Random Thoughts

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May is almost over. I have been enjoying this month between the end of school and the beginning of summer activities. I gave myself this month without school planning (or at least, without too much of it). I spent most of it reading, and that was lovely.

I also spent much of May in physical therapy, which was not quite so lovely. I have at times been very discouraged about the likelihood my upper back and shoulder would heal, but I am currently optimistic.

Over the course of the last month, I have been thinking often of those who are always in pain. I have been horribly short-tempered with my children and know it's because I am a complete failure at handling pain and discomfort well. I have been trying to remember to offer it up for those who cannot go to physical therapy and get better. Surprisingly, this offering often makes it a tiny bit easier for me to be nice to my kids.

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Those of you who are facebook friends with me might have seen a link I posted to this blog post, How to Make Your Children Hate Reading. We signed up for one summer reading program this week and will participate in another one at a different library as well. I have been requiring a chapter a day from the two readers this summer (along with some math facts practice). The chapter has to be from a book I select, though I have let First Daughter choose from different options. First Son could, too, but he's mainly interested in getting it done, not wasting any time thinking about what he might like to read.
I try to choose fun books for summer. For example, First Son is now reading the The Half Upon a Time Trilogy and the third installment of the Hero's Guide series, which just came out, The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw. First Son and I did rock/paper/scissors to see who would get to read it first and I lost, so I have to wait my turn.

More than once, they have read more than one chapter of their books; that's what I want from summer reading programs. I look for books that are at or slightly below reading level with lots of humor and excitement.

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On Memorial Day, the children convinced Grammy and Kansas Dad to have a water balloon and water gun battle. When I told First Daughter I never liked water balloon fights very much, even when I was seven, she was shocked. Kansas Dad said, "I can think of one word for that."

First Daughter replied promptly, "Boring!"

Yep, that's the word.

Second Son didn't last very long before he decided it was too hectic and too chilly. He and his puppy snuggled next to me.

I think the children have now decided all summer holidays warrant swim suits and water battles.

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I'm not very good at following the news, but I saw this blog post linked off facebook about the Amazon/Hatchette disagreement. I'm an affiliate with Amazon and don't intend to stop shopping there entirely. When you live as far as I do from stores and have four kids to haul around with you, online shopping can be a great blessing.

I do, however, try to give my business to smaller bookstores when I can. My school shopping is almost entirely split between RC History and Sacred Heart Books and Gifts. (These are not affiliate links.) Unlike the local bookstores (and there are a few wonderful independent ones within driving distance), these stores carry books I need to buy for school. I've also had the pleasure of talking with both of the owners on the phone or through email, a delight unknown at giants like Amazon.

I also firmly believe in adequately compensating people for their work, whether it be making soap, writing or illustrating books, or making plastic do-dads. For that reason, I prefer to purchase fewer things or do without so I can a higher price if necessary to feel like I'm supporting someone's ability to properly feed, clothe, and support a family. It's not a perfect system and I'm not always consistent. Luckily, when you mostly want to sit at home and read a book, the needs are few.

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My birthday was this week. I don't feel like I should be old yet, but my gray hairs beg to differ. Can you guess where we went to celebrate?

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Kansas Dad has started painting our white picket fence. It's going to look amazing when he's done. We're going to try to get the kids to help paint, too. Luckily they really will think it's fun because the older two already know the Mark Twain trick.

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Have you checked out the Unbound blog yet? I've mentioned it before. If you've glanced at it and didn't find anything interesting, now's your chance to help guide the content. They have posted a short reader survey (very short, I promise) and are looking for lots of helpful responses.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

My Favorite Picture Books: The Ink Garden of Brother Theophane

The Ink Garden of Brother Theophane by C. M. Millen, illustrated by Andrea Wisnewski

Brother Theophane isn't very focused on his copywork in the scriptorium. He's sent to make the brown ink, instead, but a foray into the forest for bark yields more interesting results. This book lets us peek into the world of illuminated manuscripts during the Middle Ages. Brother Theophane is an imaginary monk, but the development of beautiful colored ink and elaborate decorations on manuscripts is real enough. A nice note at the end gives background to the creation of inks and illuminated manuscripts.

I like how Brother Theophane, while not quite like the other staid monks, is portrayed without condemnation or bitterness. His colored ink is welcomed by the others but their calm and steady monastery life continues.

Andrew Wisnewski's illustrations are fabulous. They manage to create some of the beauty of illuminated manuscripts within a print with lots of wonderful details that connect to the story for those willing and eager to seek through them.