By admin, on December 29th, 2009%
I’m off work today. (Big happy sigh.) It’s hard to understand what a feeling that is unless you work.  Yesterday was a work day, but look who kept me company.
Annie sometimes sits in my lap while I type, but most often she snuggles up behind me, so that I have to scoot up in my chair. I don’t mind sharing my chair, though, because — like I said — she’s keeping me company. That’s a treasure.
I also don’t really mind working. My job is such a blessing to our family.
I was out early yesterday morning feeding the bunnies (my little walk before work starts) and I tried to get a picture of Boomerang for you, but the sun was just too bright. After seeing the picture, I though you might just enjoy seeing the bright morning sun on our shoulders.
Basil likes to chew on pieces of what appears to be Timothy hay growing around the cage. I suppose that’s what it is. We now have a lot of bunny droppings and some accidentally spilled seeds all around the cages. I have noticed bright green patches of a grass growing which I have never seen before. It looks like the Timothy hay, only not dry.  Anyway, the bunnies love it.
Poor Midnight can hardly open his (her?) eyes, the sun is so bright. You can see just how black Midnight and Boomerang are. Coco looks so small now that her babies are getting bigger.
One of my favorite things to read about on other blogs is when people share their ideas for feminine dress. What do you reach for to put on in the mornings? I love to grab a dress and then layer something pretty over it, if it’s cold. I usually put on an apron and tights or leggings and try to find some pretty way to put my hair up for the day. Lately I’ve been test-driving the brooches that Michaela and I are making.
Today is cold but bright again. I hope to get some lesson planning done today. We simply must start back to school in earnest next week. We’ve really been slacking off the last few weeks. Hopefully I can work on a few more pins as well. I also need to get out into the garden and remove some dead, unsightly potted plants left over from the summer. Enjoy your day.
By admin, on November 30th, 2009%
But have you met the little birds that surround me while I type? Oh maybe you glanced at them when we undertook the office redo, but I thought you might like to see them again.
I realize the little bluebird is blurry, but she really likes to be hidden anyway, in a mass of green and camouflaged by a butterfly finger-painting project a neighborhood girl gave to me.
A trio of gifted birds have alighted high up in the office, two on painted-white brick columns and one on a framed Marjolein Bastin artwork.
My children all love this hand-carved bird with what appears to be Japanese writing carved into the base. He was rescued from Goodwill and set to watch over the nearby birdhouse.
A ceramic pomander bird-occupied cage filled with lavender from the garden.
Another pomander ~ a white ceramic dove.
Love is…a heavy cast iron bird.
One of my favorites is the large bluejay, because the carpenter bought it for me on our last vacation to Tweetsie Railroad.
And very humbly last, but certainly not least, is this little formed-from-clay sweetheart of a bird, sitting in a string-and-glue nest, fashioned by Daniel’s little hands when he was only 6 years old. He has a chipped beak, but to say he’s not my favorite would be a travesty.
Things like collected birds are just tokens of days spent with friends and sweethearts, and of times gone by. It’s the memories these tokens elicit that are the real treasures.
We all only have today. Enjoy…
By admin, on November 23rd, 2009%
As many of you know, my second son Joseph graduates from our homeschool this year. Is he spelling like I wanted him to? No. But I know that learning does not stop just because someone hands you a diploma. Spelling well is going to be a personal challenge for him his whole life. It’s a challenge that I cannot undertake for him, though I will continue to encourage him to find ways to maneuver around and work with his dyslexia, and in spite of his dyslexia!
As a benefit of being a consistent member of North Carolinians for Home Education (NCHE), we can order a diploma for a graduating child by filling out a form and sending 5 dollars for postage. It’s still up to me to put the transcripts together, but I think it is so nice to have a professional looking diploma for my son’s records. We were all very excited (just like we were for Daniel) when Joseph’s diploma arrived in the mail. Michaela took one look at it and disappeared. I did not think much about it until she reappeared with a homemade “cap” to go with Joseph’s diploma.
It’s made from a column of cardstock, upon which sits a lovely square of cardboard, and (leaving no detail undone) there’s a fancy link of blue beads for Joseph’s graduation tassle. What a graduation ceremony they had in the kitchen! I told Joseph he certainly needed to keep that cap forever! It is indeed one of a kind.
When you have a child with special needs, it’s easy to feel like you failed. You can think of the “what ifs” until you make yourself crazy. I did that for a couple of years, and while I still worry some, in the last year I have seen Joseph begin to find some things in life that he is very interested in. I have watched over the last four years as he read nearly 100 large (500+ pages) books for pleasure. I know that he has what he needs on the inside to work hard and to find a way to make it, and that is more important than anything else.
It’s rainy here today and it’s a work day for me. Michaela will do timed drill sheets for math. I have some of my garden pictures printed out of the butterfly lifecycle and will have her arrange those and label them for her school notebook. She is continuing to read in her Ambleside Year 5 books. She will do a geography word find and some writing today. When you work and homeschool, it’s good to have some easy ideas before you sit down at your desk!
I’m thankful for a cozy little office in which to work, my rain barrel that’s running over, the near-by birdfeeder that I can watch, family, faith, my tea kettle, and so many other little and big things. Have a good Monday.
Lynn
By admin, on November 19th, 2009%
‘Twas the thought that came to mind last night as we read on in our current nighttime read-aloud, On The Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Pa was out building “the wonderful house” for Ma and the girls. It would be a house with boughten doors and shingles. It would be a house with glass in the windows. It would be a home built with beautiful, straight, smooth boards cut by a machine.
Laura and Mary could hardly stay in the dugout long enough to do their work. But Ma made them do it.
“And I won’t have you giving your work a lick and a promise,” said Ma. So they washed every breakfast dish and put them all away. They made their bed neatly. They brushed the floor with the willow-twig broom and set the broom in its place. Then they could go.
I expect that back then watching a house with boughten doors go up would be about as exciting today as Disney dot com or a stack of twaddle-y books or magazines, or lying on the couch playing a video game. And yet Ma made Laura and Mary do their work first, and not just give it a lick and a promise either.
This business of working and homeschooling is a tedious thing. To the aforementioned, rather mindless activities that could so easily take a higher place than real work, it’s just as easy for me to say yes as it is for Michaela to beg, please. Especially when I’m tired or have not had much time for myself.
But in the end, it’s the real work that will make Michaela a real lady with a real thinking mind. And I don’t mean just a lick and a promise.
Am I doing my job?
Lynn
By admin, on November 9th, 2009%
It’s a work day today. You know I’d rather be outside playing, but my job brings my little family such benefits! So I’ve opened the curtains and here I sit in the sunshine that streams into my tiny office.
Let’s dwell on the good things, shall we?
Michaela and I have been away at my mother’s for the weekend. I wanted to take lots of pictures, but my mother and I spent most of our time talking and walking around her yard, wading through the fallen leaves, watching the animals and enjoying the sun. The camera barely came out of its case.
In news around here, I’ve been wanting to share that Joseph recently went to a Karate tournament with his sensei and came home with a first-place trophy for his kata!
I am so grateful for our Karate family and all we have learned. I took the month of October off due to my health, but I look forward to starting up again soon. I must work hard to get where I need to be for our next Karate testing.
As far as life goes, I find my body whispering to me to slow down these days. I am thankful for the peace that only God can give during times like this. Michaela and I enjoy school outside, talking about life lessons, and especially, especially our bedtime reading. It is such a peaceful ritual for us.
The tea kettle will whistle soon, so I’m off to refill my teacup and dive into my transcribing.
It is more important to know where you are going than to get there quickly. Do not mistake activity for achievement. ~Mabel Newcomber
Happy Monday,
Lynn
By admin, on November 2nd, 2009%
Today’s a work day for me, but I spied my little garden out the window this morning and of course will have my morning walk and tea there. Won’t you join me?
Cookie is waiting for you underneath the arbor.
We’ll sit on the porch near the bunnies and listen to them chew on their Timothy hay. We’ll listen to the water bubbling in the goldfish pond. Bring a cozy shawl for your shoulders. It is fall, after all.
We’ll talk about books and flowers and our favorite teas and recipes as we breathe in the chilly air. What kind of tea would you like?
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I have appreciated your kind comments of late, so very much. I will try to do some blog-catch-up this evening when my work is done. I hope you have a lovely Monday. Enjoy this day.
Lynn
By admin, on October 19th, 2009%
‘The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. ” Psalm 19:1
When I was a teenager we had a friend visiting from the mountains. In driving around our county I was commenting on the beauty of it all. My mother seemed a bit embarassed and noted that our friend, having come from the mountains, was from a place where the land really was beautiful. While I did see her point, I didn’t agree at all that the mountains were any more beautiful than the sandy soil, scrubby oaks, pine trees, and blue skies where I had grown up.
I used to kneel down in the woods behind our house and marvel at the soldier moss growing at the foot of one of our oaks. The sandy trail that cut through our woods looked like a secret path to me, and I often saw snakes and birds sitting in the trees, looking at me as I walked on tip-toe trying to be really quiet like the Indians would have been. We had a montrous tangle of blackbeery bushes that offered up many blackberry cobblers through the years. I felt rich.
It is humbling to think of the beauty God has put around us to enjoy. I went outside this morning and sat in the morning sun with a cup of water infused with a few drops of Ashwagandha. (I think my adrenals are struggling, but that’s another post for another day.)
The sun on my face felt so wonderful and Annie enjoyed running around in the garden. Over the weekend I went on a foraging walk and gathered many rosehips for winter teas. They are currently drying in a sunny, upstairs window.
I woke up this morning so renewed and encouraged that Nature Study is a vital and easy thing to undertake. Michaela’s first lesson today will be outside. I may even have her continue there, but it’s cold. We’ll see how warm it gets. She’s been admiring the art in a new picture book here and I think I’ll have her experiment with the method of illustration done in the book. It appears to be black outlining filled in with colored pencils. I am hopeful that it will make a lovely start to Michaela’s Monday. Surrounded by the beauty of falling yellow leaves, purple poke berries and bright nasturtium flowers, I don’t see how a bit of nature can escape from ending up in her drawing.
I thought you might enjoy Charlotte Mason’s thoughts on sunshine, from Vol 1. of Home Education, pp 34-35:
But it is not only air, and pure air, the children must have if their blood is to be of the ‘finest quality,’ as the advertisements have it. Quite healthy blood is exceedingly rich in minute, red disc-like bodies, known as red corpuscles, which in favourable circumstances are produced freely in the blood itself. Now, it is observed that people who live much in the sunshine are of a ruddy countenance–that is, a great many of these red corpuscles are present in their blood; while the poor souls who live in cellars and sunless alleys have skins the colour of whity-brown paper. Therefore, it is concluded that light and sunshine are favourable to the production of red corpuscles in the blood; and, therefore–to this next ‘therefore’ is but a step for the mother–the children’s rooms should be on the sunny side of the house, with a south aspect if possible. Indeed, the whole house should be kept light and bright for their sakes; trees and outbuildings that obstruct the sunshine and make the chidlren’s rooms dull should be removed without hesitation.
With curtains open and rosehips drying in the windowsill, I’m busy working today and handing out school lessons from my work desk. The tea kettle is whistling. Enjoy this day.
By admin, on July 25th, 2009%
There are areas in which my husband has helped me tremendously. I suppose when we married he didn’t know he was getting such a melancholy, all-or-none sort of person. After all, we only dated for about three months.
His people settled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. They are a tough people, seemingly unaffected by storm or rain, deeply indulging in simple joys when they arrive at the doorstep and then quickly putting their backs into their work with all they’ve got.
I can’t say I’d ever seen anything like it. While my family was hard working, I’d seen modeled mostly the this-is-a-day-for-a-party, this-is-a-day-for-work mentality, and if the two had to clash there might be a wail of “woe is me,” and some might even drop their hoes where they stood and amble away down the row after a lonesome train whistle, not to be seen again for a month.
(Well actually there was only one of them in the family, but he did sort of have an impact on what everyone thought of the rest of us.)
It was hard for me to take ”just a few minutes” and enjoy the loveliness of my garden if I couldn’t have the whole day to enjoy the loveliness of my garden. I suppose pouting might be a good word for what I’d do. But husband would persevere. ” Just go out for a few minutes. It will do you good. Enjoy your garden for a few minutes.”
I think I’m starting to learn that dance of his. In just a few minutes I have to work, but until then…
Lynn
By admin, on July 13th, 2009%
There’s a gentle rain falling here this morning. I just spoke with Thomas on the phone and he’s happy about the rain. “It’ll fill up the rain barrels and I won’t have to water the garden today,” he said.
He does a lot for us. He works all day and usually comes home and starts working on something here. Helping me water the garden is one of those things. Our rain barrels were nearly empty, so this rain is delightful!
Bronze fennel begins to bloom.
I’ve had a wonderful hour of quiet time this morning. The house is quiet. I know I need to get to my work desk soon, but I’ve been ruminating for days at least a week now over some words in Nehemiah, and that combined with some reading in Pocketful of Pinecones kept me in my purple chair for longer than I intended.
You must know that I’m still thinking about curriculum. I love the Charlotte Mason philosophy and have read and read again Karen Andreola’s books. I know that whatever I do, it’ll be done in the CM style. I am leaning towards a complete and total surrender to CM this year to see how that works for us. Ambleside Online would play a large part.
Little winged creature enjoying bronze fennel bloom.
Looking at the facts then,
- I love the gentle but steady style of a Charlotte Mason education.
- I love pulling my own curriculum together.
- I have to work.
- I need to have each week clearly planned out so that Michaela has plenty of good and educational things to do.
I think the thing I need to make sure we do is plan and follow-through, and that is going to be the case no matter what. Maybe therein lies my whole battle. Maybe planning is at the heart of what I need to tackle. Do I want someone else’s plans or my own? Do I want a mix?
I’ve had some strong thoughts on my mind about our home and what we allow into our home and what we do with our time. It has impressed my heart so much that Nehemiah wept over the condition of Jerusalem. After he wept, he prayed earnestly and with humility. After that he had confidence.
I love that.
And I love what he said to those who laughed him to scorn in his plans to build.
The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.”
To me, educating my children is so much more than curriculum. It’s being careful daily with our homelife. Lately it’s been on my heart that I need a lot of help in deciding what has “no portion, nor right, nor memorial” in my home. I don’t necessarily mean that in regard to any curriculum per se, but to what we choose to look at and spend our time on. That said, though, I think the way we teach our children impacts greatly how they turn out and what they pursue in life. I’ll be the first to admit that I need help with all of this!
The closer you get, the clearer the creature becomes. The closer I look at my options, the more important details I see.
I’ll be spending the next few weeks thinking about how I want our school year to flow. The goal is for the year to gently flow. The goal is also to produce a daughter who is a little more capable, a stronger reader, more concerned with her faith, and excited about learning. I also want a more definite routine this year. What I choose will be important. I don’t want to choose in a panic or in a rush. For the next few weeks, I’ll be gently thinking on these things.
Happy Monday!
Lynn
By admin, on July 11th, 2009%
Saturday is always a work day for me, but I got up early for garden time, to do a bit of watering and search for little creatures. And who doesn’t love having tea in the garden?
Desperate times call for desperate measures: the mosquitoes would love nothing more than to cover my legs in bites, so the overalls come out this morning, even though you know I’m a skirt and dresses kind of girl.
Almost immediately on stepping outside I saw this medium-sized praying mantis. She was preening at first and did not even realize I was there.
Then she stopped and turned her amazing head my way. Sure makes one feel teeny-tiny. I wonder how the little bugs feel when she comes around! I say good-bye and move on.
The phlox is in bloom and the bees are drugged by it. They don’t even notice when I touch them, much less take their picture.
The lavender-colored phlox is blooming too and also covered in bees. My thoughts this morning are still very much on what curriculum I’ll use for Michaela. I want to have a good year.
Looking down over the garden reminds me of looking over all the curriculum choices at the homeschool store or conference. Quite simply, there’s a huge mass of things. Some are worthwhile, some would be a waste of money and only add problems to our schedule, and some things are like diamonds in the rough, just waiting for the parent to put them to work.
It seems overwhelming at times to know how to weed through them and find what is perfect for our family for this year.
Creatures of nature have instincts to send them to what they need. Is buying curriculum like that? At all? I do have some instincts. I’m drawn to certain philosophies, and even the graphics within some programs appeal to me more than others. But it’s more than instinct.
It’s what can I afford? And what do I have time for? And what is good for the children? And don’t forget: what will the children like? I realize that everything can’t be gumdrops, but if they hate it… And hating something that was 50 dollars is a whole lot easier to stomach than hating something that was 1000 dollars.
Ah well. Time to go inside.
Thank you for sharing my garden time with me. The rest of the day will be typing, unless I’m taking a break in the garden, that is.
Lynn
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About Lynn 
Approaching-50 mother of four. Thrifter. Content with lots of clothes bought for very little money. Loves retro. (That could be styles from the 40s and 50s. And sometimes stuff even older than that. And sometimes stuff from all time, all mixed up together!) Bluffs about decluttering but secretly loves STUFF. Goes through stages. Has standing and staring spells before rearranging the entire home. Just because. Tune in each day to see what new outfit comes home from G.W. Boutique next. (That's Goodwill, by the way.) Oh, and she owns a spoiled beagle named Annie. And this blog.
Grab A Button <div align="center"><a href="http://www.amothersjournal.com" title="A Mother's Journal ~ A Bit of Birdsong"><img src="http://www.innatelygray.com/images/abitofbirdsong_120_200.jpg" alt="A Mother's Journal ~ A Bit of Birdsong" style="border:none;" /></a></div> The Players
Lil Ol' Me
Son Daniel, 23
Son, Big Joe, 21
Son, John, 17
Daughter, Michaela, 13
Annie Fatso Beagle
My Symphony
To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never. In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony.
William Henry Channing
1810-1884
What You Do Sow a thought, reap an action.
Sow an action, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap a destiny.
Contact Me 
I would  for you to leave a comment, but you can also e-mail me at lynn AT thehealthyhomeschool.com
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