A good deal!

I am always clipping coupons and what not.  I guess saving money becomes every mom's job, especially when you add more mouths to feed!  Even though this isn't food, it is still a great deal for Hobby Lobby!  Maybe I need to go back and get that paint I need for Cillian's table??  One of many projects I am working on...

Blessings,

Stacy

Today we decided to start making our Easter eggs!  Instead of plastic eggs, I bought some wooden eggs from The Golden Cockerel.  This way, they are sturdy and we can reuse them over and over.  They are also a bit bigger than normal eggs, so they hold more fun things inside!  Cillian and I painted three eggs today, using natural dye (Kool Aide & vinegar).  We rubbed alcohol on the eggs, to make the wood more porous.

Needless to say, Cillian must have kissed me a hundred times in the course of painting the eggs since he was having so much fun!

The purple egg looks black, so I don't think we will be using that color again!  Yellow didn't turn out at all, but I will need it to make green.  I don't know if we will continue to use more Kool Aide/vinegar or move on to something like encaustic paint.  We will have to see.

Instead of candy for Cillian, we have decided to get him some organic and natural fun snacks that he doesn't get to eat everyday.  This way it will be a fun and a surprise.  We are going to put in Annie's bunnies fruit snacks and some Happy Melts, since he loves both!  We will also be using putting scriptures into the eggs, to make them resurrection eggs!  This is a great tradition that we are starting this year to really tie in the eggs to Christ's resurrection.  

Blessings,

Stacy

Starting anew...

Elizabeth Foss is starting a new Catholic Homeschool discussion forum on April 12th.  Really looking forward to it!  Here she talks about Encouraging One Another...

Blessings,

Stacy

Humility

"If you are discouraged it is a sign of pride because it shows you trust in your own power. Your self-sufficiency, your selfishness and your intellectual pride will inhibit His coming to live in your heart because God cannot fill what is already full. It is as simple as that." -Blessed Mother Teresa

Such great words to live by. Please Lord, help me remember this through out my day. Especially when my patience is lost and frustration starts to creep up.

Elizabeth Foss's blog had a great write up about freedom from anger today. She also quoted a great saint (a quote I had not heard before):

Complain as little as possible about the wrongs you suffer. Undoubtedly, a person who complains commits a sin by doing so, since self-love always feels that injuries are worse than they really are. Above all, do not complain to irascible or fault-finding persons. If you feel the need to correct an offense or restore your peace of mind by complaining to someone, do so to those who are even-tempered and really love God. Instead of calming your mind, the others will create worse difficulties, and rather than pulling out the thorn that is hurting you, they will drive it deeper into your foot. --St Francis de Sales

Words I am pondering in my soul...

Blessings,

Stacy

Books arrived...

I am so excited that my books arrived!  I spent my birthday money from my mom (thanks mom!) on new HS books.  Since my children haven't started school, and won't for a while, I am spending my spare time (what little there is) on reading up on different HS philosophies of education.  I am really leaning towards using Charlotte Mason's philosophy, as it seems to encompass the type of education I would like to give my children and it is biblical/Christian based too!  There is also a free, Catholic curriculum called Mater Amabilis, which is very helpful.

Some of the books I got are (I tried to link the books to where I got them from, especially when I purchased them from Catholic sources!):

For the Children's Sake, Foundations of Education for Home and School, by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay

Pocketful of Pinecones, Nature Study with the Gentle Art of Learning, by Karent Andreola 

The Harp and Laurel Wreath, Poetry and Dictation for the Classical Curriculum, by Laura M. Berquist (I am currently awaiting her other book called Designing Your Own Curriculum: A Guide to Catholic Home Education.  I am really excited about her books, as Mrs. Berquist is going to be a speaker at the IHM North Texas Homeschool Conference this summer.  I hope to attend!)

When Children Love to Learn, A Practical Application of Charlotte Mason's Philosophy for Today, by Elaine Cooper

The Original Homeschool Series, by Charlotte Mason

A Charlotte Mason Companion, by Karen Andreola (actually purchased from Half Price Books)

The Religious Potential of the Child, by Sofia Cavalletti

The Good Shepherd & The Child, A Joyful Journey, by Sofia Cavalletti, Patricia Coulter, Gianna Gobbi, Silvana Q. Montanaro, M.D.

Man, o man...do I have some reading to do!  Thank the Lord my children are still in diapers!  ;)

(Picture: Carlo Dolci (1616-1687), Saint Catherine reading a book, Residenzgalerie, Salzburg)

Blessings,

Stacy