New blog posts...

Three new blog posts over at my new blog, http://www.theloveliesthour.blogspot.com/

Be sure to change your readers or resubscribe to my feed in the little box on the right by entering in your email address and they confirming it when they send you a message in your inbox!

My 5 Favorite Education/Homeschool Resources...

remember, I'm switching over to 

http://theloveliesthour.blogspot.com/

so change your reader and/or go there to update your email feed in the 

little box on the right-hand column.

 

 

 

1.  The Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer.

I can't say enough about this series. Susan Wise Bauer starts with the earliest nomads and ends with the end of the USSR. The books are great read-a-louds and the cds are even better. We listen to them in the car, on road trips or on our extra long drive to piano lessons every Tuesday. And then, after the kids are out of the car, I keep listening... because it is so dang INTERESTING!  She also has tests and activity guides. This is a great resource for any family... homeschooling or not.

2.  History Through the Ages from Homeschool in the Woods

History Through the Ages by Homeschool in the Woods.

This is an amazing, family-owned business run by a homeschooling mom of 4, Amy Pak. In her former life, she was a professional illustrator. And you can tell!

Way back when, she was unimpressed by the quality of resources available to her when she started her homeschooling journey. So, once life allowed, she began creating her own resources. She has personally illustrated and created all of the products offered on her site. I have the timeline notebook shown above, but you can just purchase the Timeline Figures in either print format or on CD. Her work is just pretty, pretty, pretty! Someday I will wallpaper a room with historical figures...

She also has many other products, including the Time Travelers History Study Series: She has "New World Explorers", "Colonial Life", "The American Revolution", "The Early 19th Century" and "The Civil War".

They are all beautiful, comprehensive and leave you wanting to learn more and more about history!

Then, she also has her "Hands On Activity Paks" that include "Composers", "Artists", "Old Testament" and "New Testament". These are directly downloadable from her site (after payment) or you can get them on cd.

Needless to say, this woman has vision... and I like it!

3. HomeschoolShare.com

homeschoolshare.com

If you have an idea, then they have thought it, and done it... 

This is a website with a wealth of information. Last week, I used it to download FREE (everything is free) pre-school projects for Katherine and an entire lapbook project for Jonathan on Lewis and Clark. Materials are contributed by homeschoolers... so you are gleaning wisdom and experience from countless families. GREAT resource!

4. Illustrate & Write

My new friend, Heather, over at ohmystinkinheck.com blogs on the Pioneer Woman site about her homeschooling experiences. Her post about Illustrate & Write changed my method of teaching Jonathan writing.  I just loved the way Heather chronicled her son's journey with Illustrate and Write. She give so much detail... with photos, direct copying of her son's writing and then her "translation". For example:

“puekepolls rea goweng to ther homs bkus tha got in a fit”
(Porcupines are going to their homes because they got in a fight.)

This photo is from her post on www.thepioneerwoman.com

It's Jonathan's favorite part of school and now my 4th grader, Emelie, who is not homeschooled, has her own illustrate and write journal... "because it looks like fun!".

Thanks Heather!  (Did I mentioned that she has a daughter named EMELIE???!!!)

5. Amazing, beautiful, scream-out-to-be read books!...
We are using Sonlight for some of our homeschool curriculum. What I think I love most about Sonlight is their booklists. They're awesome! Jonathan's reading has taken off this year, mostly due to increased reading time and the very interesting books that he gets to read. I found in early February that he had read all of his books for the year... uhhh... that's a good thing, right?

Here are a few examples:
Jonathan's book list from this year

Grade 3 and 4 read aloud list - just another example of Sonlight's great choices of literature. What I like about Sonlight is that they categorize their books by grade level, by read aloud level AND by maturity level. So, if you have a reader who is ahead of her grade level, you can search their list for books that are more advanced, but still appropriate for her maturity level.

I have used the booklists to order straight from the sonlight website, which is often a very good deal, or to check the books out at the library.

I think of myself as a well-read person, but was surprised at how many books on the list that I hadn't heard of ... and they were GOOD!

I also love this series of classics: the Junior Illustrated Library. I received my first one when I was 8 years old from my Grandma. Little Women. The first of many beautiful books I'd read... My mom gave me a few, my sister has lent me a few and this Christmas we received a few as gifts. Talk about inspired reading. I like to use these as read-alouds. Most of them run from $12-15, pretty affordable! You can't help but invest yourself in a story with illustrations, fonts and paper like these classics!  Or maybe I just like taking photos of pretty pages...


Anywho... that's all for now. Hope these gave you a few ideas for things to do with your kiddos. Really, you don't have to be homeschooling to use any of the resources... we may not homeschool next year, but I'll still be all over these great products, because they are well-made, inspiring and make me and my children WANT to learn... and that's what life is all about, right!?

who says a stick horse doesn't like to color?

remember, I'm switching over to 

http://theloveliesthour.blogspot.com/

so change your reader and/or go there to update your email feed in the 

little box on the right-hand column.

they make all things new...

So, I found this really great organizer system at Target the other day that I love: itso! They're priced reasonably and have all these cool little bins that fit inside each other and a neat flippy lid that Jonathan and I played with for a while. So I bought four of the organizer bins, thinking they could be useful in SO many ways.

Sure enough, my little girls can think up a use for just about anything...

new blog...

I've changed the location of my blog to www.theloveliesthour.blogspot.com

I'll keep posting over here for a while to let you reset your readers and feeds... I don't want to lose my millions of followers! :)

For my family and friends who get my blogposts in your email, you'll have to go to the new blog:
www.theloveliesthour.blogspot.com and re-enter your email on the right side of the page. And then, you will need to check your inbox and confirm your subscription to my email feed.

i love

curt.

He is my man. I am in awe of him.

He is calm. He is patient. He is funny in awkward moments. He can make the lonely guy in the room feel comfortable. He scrubs the bathtubs for me. He can talk to anyone.  He says a sincere thank you is the greatest reward he could ever get ~ and he means it. He knows the name of his janitor at work.  He prays at night while he pretends to be asleep. He has never said one unkind word about his parents. He wakes up and snuggles babies while I sleep like a rock. He can do things like replace breaks, build gates, wire a house for telephones, insulate our attic, etch glass and make gorgeous rosaries. He listens to hip hop music in the car when he's by himself. He volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House when he was growing up. He thinks I'm beautiful. During college, he worked the night shift at a gas station in the 'hood. He wants to go to space before he dies. He likes to listen to me talk. He went to a judge to have his name legally changed so his confirmation name would be on his diploma from Texas A&M. He taught our kids to say, "Thank you Mommy for this yummy dinner" no matter WHAT it really tastes like. He has the faith of a rock. When his cousin took in a little deaf girl, he learned sign language so he could talk to her. He bought an antique anvil from a guy in Houston and now they write emails back and forth. When Emelie was born, he held her ALL night long while I slept; he wouldn't put her down. He loves old books. He likes to give waiters a hard time at restaurants. He makes a mean martini. He's become friends with lady who runs the drive-through register at McDonald's. He remembers everything he learns. When he was a little boy, his grandmother looked at him sitting at her kitchen table and told his mom, "Take care of him. He's a deep one."

and he loves ME. perfectly.

Curt, you save me every time.

underneath

 

when you're not even 2, peaking under the table is a skill worthy of practicing daily...

life is tough when you're avoiding bedtime...

bedtime is tough around our house. We're real nazis about it. I mean, when that clock hits 8 o'clock, you're OUTTA here!

No, I won't be finding any of my children hiding inside their Daddy's robe at 10:30 PM. Not me. And I definitely WON'T run and grab my camera and take 20 photos of them snuggling on the floor.

Nope.

you gotta do what you love...

 

Seeing your child do what they love is a great experience. 

When a 7 year old boy, who can't sit straight in his chair during dinner for more than 30 seconds, who pokes his pencil in his ear and between his toes while doing a math lesson and taps both feet, conducts the choir from his pew and pretends his fingers are little men during Mass... 

When this Tom-Sawyer-of-a-boy can sit for an hour and a half with an 18 year old girl on a couch covered with a yellow coverlet and discuss the best way to sketch a cotton field and his preference for vine charcoal over pastels...

when THIS happens...

you know you've hit the jackpot.

You just gotta do what you love...

Novena for Kathy Amish

Don't know what a novena is? Read this...

Novena and Litany for Complete Healing and Recovery from ovarian cancer for

Kathryn Elizabeth Amish

Our friend, child, mother, wife and beloved child of God

Dear Jesus, 

We offer our prayers up to you for Kathy. We know she is your precious child and that you hold her in the palm of your hand during this time of trial. We ask you to protect her, strengthen her, give her joy, peace, strength and perseverance. We ask that you bless her family and friends to know the ways to help and encourage her and her family. We ask that you inspire and enlighten her doctors and surgeons. We pray that you give them wisdom, clarity of mind, and steadiness of hand. We thank you for the gift of Kathy, David, Abby and Gavin. We thank you for the opportunity to see your hands at work in her healing and recovery!

We ask our dear friends, the saints, to pray for her as well. Dearest friends in heaven, we know that your pure hearts are full of love for all of us. And when we ask for your help, you are ready and eager to be at our side. Like St. Therese of Lisieux, all of you want to “spend your heaven doing good on earth.”

So dear holy friends in heaven, we call upon you to join us and storm heaven with your prayers for our friend Kathy!

St. Catherine of Siena

St. Elizabeth Anne Seton

St. Thomas Aquinas

response: pray for us

Patron Saints of Cancer Patients

St. Aldegundis

St. Ezekiel Moreno

St. Giles

St. James Salomone

St. Peregrine Laziosi

response: pray for us

Patron Saints of hospitals 

St. Camillus of Lellis

St. Elizabeth of Hungary

St. Erhard of Regensburg

St. John of God

St. Jude Thaddeus

St. Vincent de Paul

response: pray for us

Patron Saint of Illness

St. Therese of Lisieux

response: pray for us

Patron Saints of Doctors, Physicians & Surgeons 

St. Cosmas,

St. Damian,

St. Luke the Apostle,

St. Pantaleon,

St. Raphael the Archangel

St. Foillan

St. Roch

St. Gerard Majella

response: pray for us

Patron Saints of Nurses 

St. Camillus de Lellis,

St. John of God,  

St. Agatha

response: pray for us

Patron Saints of Parenthood 

St. Adelaide

St. Clotilde

St. Ferdinand III of Castille

St. Louis IX

St. Rita of Cascia

response: pray for us

Patron Saints of Motherhood & Mothers 

St. Anne

St. Gerard Majella

St. Monica

response: pray for us

Patron Saints of Families 

St. Francis of Assisi

St. Joseph

St. Maximillian Kolbe

response: pray for us

Patron Saints of family happiness and harmony

St. Dymphna

St. Ksenya Blazhennaya

response: pray for us

Patron Saint of Fathers 

St. Joseph

St. Joachim

response: pray for us

Patron Saints of Children 

St. Gerard Majella

St. Maria Goretti

St. Nicholas of Myra

St. Philomena

St. Raymond Nonnatus

St. Solange

response: pray for us

Patron Saints of Boys 

St. Dominic Savio

St. John Bosco

St. Nicholas of Myra

response: pray for us

Patron Saints of Girls 

St. Agnes of Rome

St. Blandina

St. Catherine of Alexandria

St. Irene

St. Maria Goretti

response: pray for us

Patron Saint of Married Women, Wives 

St. Monica

response: pray for us

Patron Saints of Pilots, Flyers

St. Joseph of Cupertino

St. Our Lady of Loreto

St. Therese of Lisieux

response: pray for us

Patron Saint of Married Couples 

St. Joseph

response: pray for us

Patron Saint of Friendships 

St. John the Apostle

response: pray for us

Mother Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Queen of families, Queen of Peace, Health of the sick, Cause of our joy, Virgin most powerful, Our Lady of Good Remedy, Our Lady of Hope, Morning star,  Refuge of sinners, Comforter of the afflicted, Help of Christians, Queen of angels, Immaculate Heart… Pray For Us

Official prayer to ask favors through the intercession Pope John Paul II

O Blessed Trinity, we thank you for having graced the church with Pope John Paul II and for allowing the tenderness of your fatherly care, the glory of the cross of Christ, and the splendor of the Holy Spirit, to shine through him. Trusting fully in your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, he has given us a living image of Jesus the Good Shepherd, and has shown us that holiness is the necessary measure of ordinary Christian life and is the way of achieving eternal communion with you. Grant us, by his intercession, and according to your will, the graces we implore, hoping that he will soon be numbered among your saints. Amen.

Dearest Savior and Divine Physician,

We offer these prayers up to you in complete confidence. We know that you love us beyond measure. We know that you hold our every need in the palm of your hand. Hear our prayers now, for the complete healing and recovery of Kathy Amish, and answer them, in your great mercy.

AMEN.

5 things I've read...

I love to read. I am anti-Kindle. I think I am going to start the "resisting the kindle" fan group on facebook. I love books. With pages.

I first was going to post on my 5 favorite books of ALL TIME, but that was impossible. There are too many. I would never write again, because I would be lost in piles of books, comparing, flipping pages, stacking and sorting and never coming down to just 5. So, I decided to go with 5 books that have been meaningful to me over the past year.

Here they are

The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander

Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck

The Better Part By Fr. John Bartunek, LC

The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander
A lovely, rambling glimpse into the heart and mind of this amazing woman, Caryll Houselander, who should be up for beatification if she isn't already. The book is about Mary, but unlike any Marian book you've read before.

"Because He is in the little house of our being, we will learn to control our minds, to gather our thoughts to silence, and to crown them with peace, just as we learn to control our voices and to move softly when a child is asleep in the house of bricks and mortar."

''When I was a small child, someone for whom I had a great respect told me never to do anything that Our Lady would not do; for, she said, if I did, the angels in heaven would blush. For a short time this advice 'took' in me like an inoculation causing a positive paralysis of piety. It was clear to me that all those things which spelt joy to me were from henceforward taboo ­ blacking my face with burnt cork, turning somersaults between props against the garden wall, putting two bull's-eyes into my mouth at the same time-all that was over! But even if I faced a blank future shackled with respectability, it was still impossible to imagine Our lady doing anything that I would do, for the very simple reason that I simply could not imagine her doing anything at all."

Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck

This book represents all the Steinbeck books. It really is my favorite of his, maybe. This fall, Curt and I had the opportunity to go to the Steinbeck Museum in Monterrey, CA. They had to drag me out! Sweet Thursday is the sequel to Cannery Row, which I love almost as much... I guess I enjoy the "end of the story" in Sweet Thursday.

"Men do change, and change comes like a little wind that ruffles the curtains at dawn, and it comes like the stealthy perfume of wildflowers hidden in the grass."

"Where does discontent start? You are warm enough, but you shiver. You are fed, yet hunger gnaws you. You have been loved, but your yearning wanders in new fields. And to prod all these there’s time, the Bastard Time."

The Better Part by Fr. John Bartunek, LC

This is my daily companion (on good days!:) The Better Part contains reflections on the entire 4 gospels as well as discussion questions and catechism references. It is a very special book!

The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy

Picking up this book reminded me of those days back in middle school, when I used to go to the "classics" section of the bookstore, look for the thickest, most obscure book I could find and then see if I could read it. I'd get a stack o' books and sit right in the aisle, flipping through pages, reading prefaces, deciding which book to challenge myself with. (can't do THAT with a kindle!) I'm sure people thought I was weird. I think Tolstoy intimidated me even then... if I had even heard of him!  And this book could change your life. I guess you can probably figure out what it's about.

"It occurred to him that his scarcely perceptible attempts to struggle against what was considered good by the most highly placed people, those scarcely noticeable impulses which he had immediately suppressed, might have been the real thing, and all the rest false."

 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

It's just such a good book. I will love it forever. Now that my children are getting older, they love it, too. 

Why everybody liked him was what puzzled Jo, at first. He 
was neither rich nor great, young nor handsome; in no respect 
what is called fascinating, imposing, or brilliant; and yet he was 
as attractive as a genial fire, and people seemed to gather about 
him as naturally as about a warm hearth. He was poor, yet 
always appeared to be giving something away; a stranger, yet 
everyone was his friend ; no longer young; but as happy-hearted 
as a boy 5 plain and odd; yet his face looked beautiful to many, 
and his oddities were freely forgiven for his sake. Jo often 
watched him, trying to discover the charm, and, at last, decided 
that it was benevolence which worked the miracle. If he had any 
sorrow "it sat with its head under its wing", and he turned only 
his sunny side to the world.

I'd love to hear about your favorite book - leave your thoughts in "comments".

sing it, girl!

Curt and I joke that one of our greatest fears is that one day Katherine will end up on American Idol.

We'll be those parents on the clip before her performance, reminiscing over cheesy background music, "oh yeah, she was like singin' since she came home from the hospital... just a born performer... we just luv her... she's got REAL talent" (say that with a good Texas drawl to get the full effect) Then, she'll win, get plastic surgery, die her hair black, date 5 men at once, move to L.A. and never talk to us again....

That was our fear, till today, when I saw this clip from American Idol. Now there's hope!



Maddie Curtis is the daughter of pro-life activist Barbara Curtis. You can follow her blog as well. What an amazing family! Thank you American Idol for portraying this family in a positive light!

Katherine, if you can pull if off like Maddie, then have at it!

FREEBIES for those who need a break...

I have another creation for you all.

My sweet friend Beverly included a magnet in her Christmas card. I just loved the quote. I have put the magnet at eye-level on my refrigerator so that I MUST see it every time I get the creamer out early in the morning, when I get someone a cup of milk, when I'm going for the jelly at 11:45. Because this quote helps me - ALOT!

So, I thought you might like it, too. Unless you got Beverly's Christmas card, and have already been enjoying the magnet... then, you can ignore this post.

Here are the downloads. They are 5x7s. Hopefully you can print them out and scrounge around under your bed for a frame like I did, or you can shrink it down and make your own magnet.

or you can use this one:

Thanks, Pioneer Woman, for the lovely free flower photo!

enjoy!

FREEBIES for lovers of pretty things...

I love designing. I love designing websites, logos, art, images in photoshop, you name it. This past year I've really come to see that this is a very important part of who I am.

I like pretty things. I've tried to hide it, thinking that this passion is too materialistic, too worldly, a waste of my time and money. And, yes, sometimes it is. I realize that this little part of me could take me to a place I'd rather not go... spending too much time on decor websites, spending too much money at Target or etsy, spending too much time contemplating the next rearrangement of my living room. Oh, yes.

But, now that I'm being honest with myself: "You love pretty things, Lauren!" It seems easier to handle.

So, I'm trying to find free ways to meet my "prettiness" factor.

Photography and Graphic Design. Two things I can do that only cost me time. That's it.

So, I've had fun lately creating things for me. Not for a client. Not for a website. Not for someone else. me.

When I create something for ME, no one tells me that the colors are off. No one asks me to make 5 million "little quick changes". No one takes a glance at my lovely creation and then says, "You just don't get the look I'm going for, do you?"

Not that I'm an easy customer for myself. I'm not. Just ask me why I don't scrapbook and you'll find out.

But, when I DO like something I make, that's that. Finito. Done. I'm happy. And that's all that matters.

So... I am going to share some of these creations with you all, so you can have some pretty things for free, too. You just can't criticize, okay? Okay.

For today, I'm uploading my new favorite image. I have it framed and resting on top of my piano in our living room. It's a quote from the great Bach regarding the tremendous talent and precision it takes to play piano. If you, or someone you know is a piano lover, then download this, print and frame.


This is the 5x7 version of the print.

It reads:
"There's nothing remarkable about it. All one has to do is hit the right keys at the right time and the instrument plays itself." Johann Sebastian Bach

Encouraging, right?

My kids think it's funny!










This is the 8x10 version of the same quote:

So, I hope you enjoy these. If you do print one out, I'd love to hear back on where you put it or who you gave it to!

p.s. It doesn't print out as yellow as it looks on the screen.

5 things I love about Katherine

This will be the first of a new series I'm starting. 5 Things. Keep an eye out...

5 Things I Love About Katherine

Katherine's 4th birthday was Tuesday. She has been waiting for a long time to be 4. She's disappointed that she wasn't quite a bit taller when she woke up on January 5th. But she had a good day anyway!

1. I love Katherine's name. Katherine Therese Gulde. We named her after the 3 women Doctors of the Church: Catherine of Siena (cool lady who told the pope to get back to Rome), St. Theresa of Avila (founder of the discalced (shoeless) Carmelites and author of Interior Castle) and St. Therese of Lisieux (the little flower hardly anyone knew about till her sister published her memoirs after her death at the age of 24).

Such a strong name. For a girl who will do amazing things in her life. Whether they get public acclaim or are done quietly in the sweetness of her heart. She will do great things.

2. I love Katherine's words. She says things like, "Can you please help me with my hungry situation?" and when she doesn't want us to get her face wet in the bath, she'll yell, "Don't touch my property!" (that one might come in handy in another way some day! :) )

If she's the slightest bit happy, she'll hop up and down, clap and squeal, "I LOVE IT!" like the ultimate cheerleader.

3. I love how Katherine's SO not like me!  She's an eternal optimist. She's an extrovert. If we were the same age in middle school, she'd probably be one of those girls that totally intimidated me. When she was an infant, the more people in the room, the more she smiled, giggled and cooed.  She tries to see the good side of everything. She's a performer through and through. She loves to sing. The other kids have dubbed her the "constant radio". She'll sing Christmas carols in June (as well as ALL Christmas long) and belt out Mylie Cyrus' "Party in the USA" like it was written for her.

At the dinner table, she want us to listen to HER. If we're all talking and she has something to share, she'll get up on her knees in her chair, clap her hands three times and yell, "Everyone listen to ME right now!" Sounds a bit bratty, but she's usually very justified. She doesn't let us ignore her. Which is good when you're the third child!

4. I love Katherine's girliness. She's very silly.She sleeps with her purse. She changes clothes on average of 4 times a day. She runs across the room and puts her hands behind her head so she can feel her hair flying behind her. She walks on her tip toes. Her favorite thing to do after dinner is wash dishes and sing. We think she thinks she's Cinderella.

5.  I love her mind. She thinks. At Curt's mom's funeral, she was the one of our children most concerned with heaven and where Grandma was.

During the Rosary, she told her cousin Michelle, "I don't want to die. Then I won't ever get to wear this dress again..."

On the way to the burial, she told us that Grandma wasn't dead, she was in the car behind us.

Last week she told Curt, "Grandma is in heaven. But she goes with Grandpa... Grandma and Grandpa are just supposed to go together, right? Like Nana and Pop and Grandpa and Dottie."

Last night, she decided that she might want to go to heaven. But, she had one request:

"Mom, can you just go up there real quick and see if there is ground. 'Cause I like ground."

"I'm afraid to fly."

I told her that if she wanted ground in heaven, Jesus would cover the whole thing up just for her.
That's how much He loves her.

We love you too, little Katherine!

I'm back!

I told myself several months ago, "I will blog again. Next year." Well, here we are.

So, I must post today, or I will have failed on a resolution on day one. Can't have that, now can we!



Here's our lovely Christmas photo - which most of you have already seen.


Here's the celebration after we were DONE snapping 500 photos to get this ONE good one!



So, for my blog this year, I'd hope to focus on the following:

• my sweet family
• my homeschooling adventures
• my work endeavors
• my creations

We'll see how it goes!



Colleen



Katherine



Jonathan



Emelie



me and my Curt...

Best wishes for a great start to 2010!