THE TRAGEDY OF ANTARCTICA

My wee fella, aged 9, and his "best friend", Clairemarie, newly 10.......are planning to "write" a book of tragedies.  Each tragedy is to be one page only.  Below you will find their first story.  They spent the most of two days WRITING this story instead of PLAYING.  Clairemarie did the typing and Malachy did much of the leading of the story, so I have heard.  I also was told that they had disagreements over the number of "shots" heard.......and that they finally compromised.  I want to get it out here, as is, because they are notice "errors" and are wanting to fix them.  I love it the way it is and I always want to remember it this way.

When you read this, I want you to read it as written, following where the punctuation, or lack of, leads.  :)   It is quote enjoyable that way!


In addition.....do notice the amazing plotline, the vocabulary, the sweet love of family.  I am really proud of these two little homeschooled kids, taking such an initiative at such a young age.  Please understand the violence is related to hearing stories of adventure, like Treasure Island, or what have you.  They imitate what they hear.

The next story will follow soon, written entirely by my little man.  In the meantime, I give you the first time in publication (without the authors' awareness)........

THE TRAGEDY OF ANTARCTICA

 

BY

MALACHY BRYAN & CLAIREMARIE GAZAVE

There once was a wealthy family who was blessed with three children. The first was Matthew the second was Kay and the third was Helena. The first was twelve the second eleven and the third was nine. One day the three children went on there daily horse ride by themselves as they always did. On there way home they heard gun shots then they heard screaming and voices crying out help!!! they rode back to the house to see if everything was alright but all they found was dead bodies and the ruins of there house then suddenly they felt a tight grasp on there necks some strange people had knocked them out . Next thing they new they were in a sell with two people staring at them one said I will get these three! the children did not know what he meant next they were taken to the strange peoples house they were richer then the three children used to be next they were locked up in a room with twenty other slaves then one of the people who bought them came in and said get to work! the children saw there chance and raised out of the room with five other slaves but just then the children heard gun shots they saw a slave fall to the ground but they did not stop running they could hear the gun shots getting louder and louder but they would not dare to look back finally they were out of the house then they spotted a little boat nearby they quickly jumped in just then they heard gun shots and one of the slaves dropped dead then they heard more gun shots and one of the slaves fell into the water dead .it was getting darker and darker as they floated out to sea it was almost midnight when one of them spotted a ship nearby finally they were right next to the ship when they heard a voice calling out do you children need help? Matthew answered yes we are completely lost can you tell us were the nearest island is? the man said why don’t you come aboard and I will tell you so the three children with the two slaves came out of the little boat and on to the ship then the man told them were the nearest island was he said that the ship was headed there too just then they heard lightning then thunder then the waves started to get taller and taller and then the man who was also the captain yelled there’s a storm then another person yelled look out captain a wave the captain was to late to dodge he was swept off his feet by a wave as the rest of the crew and the two slaves, the three children jumped off the ship before the wave hit they swam to a little ice burg the ice burg was only five by four feet ,they decided that they would have to live there since there was no way to get out of the strange place . one morning Matthew and Helena woke up to find there brothers dead body next to them Helena started to cry Matthew said we will have to find a way to live without Kay the next day Helena and Matthew went fishing sadly without Kay as Matthew was fishing he heard a scream it was Helena she had fallen into the water Matthew was to late to save her Helena had drown he had lost his two siblings which were the most important things to him. The next morning when Matthew was fishing the ice burg started to crack Matthew saw Kay who was frozen stuck to the ice burg sink down into the sea Matthew started to sink as well his last words were at least I will be with my brother and sister and that ends the TRAGEDY OF ANTARCTICA.



Blessings, my friends & relatives......

Love,
Chari

Expanding my literature horizon........

I recently finished reading "the most famous and widely read novel of the Italian language."

I am so very excited to have accomplished this! 

(Hmmm......that inspires me....perhaps I could read the "most" of every language.....I wonder what those books could be......leave a note in the comment section if you are aware of specific titles)


So.......what book did I read, you ask?

En Italiano:              

I Promessi Sposi

….....or, if you prefer, en Engles:          

The Betrothed

by Alessandro Manzoni

It is odd, but when I finished, I could not decide how I felt about it. What would I say? Could I recommend it? Did I enjoy reading it? Did I learn from it? Should I read what was written about it on the Internet to decide?

I knew Willa was going to ask me about my opinion.......I was thinking, thinking. I could not part with the book.....I still had it two weeks later, borrowed from the library. There was something precious about it.....even if I could not name it......and I was not yet ready for that to end. If I let the book go, I would have to admit that I must move on.

I really want someone else to read it....so we can talk about it. I have not found anyone else who has read it, yet. I have decided that Willa must read it. :)   (She has, since I originally wrote this....we just have not found the right moment for discussion.)


Ultimately, I have decided that I DID enjoy it. I relish my memory of it immensely. It was a bit of work to read through......especially because the author seemed to need to give much background info for each new thing brought into the story, whether it was about laws, history, the plague, a specific person’s back-story. This created many breaks in the story....reminding me of the style of Victor Hugo with Les Miserables.

(Hey!  Do you think Les Miserables is the most widely FRENCH novel of all time???  If so, I can check that off my list!  And what about War and Peace???  Does that count for Russian?  I hope so!  I guess I need to get that Don Quixote read...I only made it 50 pages last year before I got distracted by Lent.  Do you think that would cover Spain?)


A little background info on the publication of this novel:

Originally published in 1827, the author, Alessandro Manzoni, re-wrote and published it a decade or so later because ........
“The age-long dispute as to which dialect should be used as the standard language of Italian prose engaged the interest of Manzoni in his later years; and, becoming convinced of the claims of Tuscan, he rewrote the entire novel in order to remove all traces of non-Tuscan idiom, and published it in 1840. This proceeding had the effect of rekindling the discussion on the question of a national Italian literary language - a discussion which still goes on. Along with the revised edition of "I Promessi Sposi," he published a kind of sequel, "La Storia della Colonna infame," written more than ten years before; but this work, overloaded with didacticism, is universally regarded as inferior. Both at home and abroad, Manzoni`s fame rests mainly on the novel here printed, a work which has taken its place among the great novels of the world, not merely for its admirable descriptions of Italian life in the seventeenth century, but still more for its faithful and moving presentation of human experience and emotion.”

A couple of quotes from the book.......

The first is probably the most often quoted:

“When a friend, then, indulges in the joy of unburdening a secret on to another friend's bosom, he makes the latter, in his turn, feel the urge to taste the same joy himself. He implores him, it is true, not to tell a soul; but if such a condition were taken absolutely literally, it would at once cut off the flow of these joys at their very source. The general practice is for the secret to be confided only to an equally trustworthy friend, the same conditions being imposed on him. And so from trustworthy friend to trustworthy friend the secret goes moving on round that immense chain, until finally it reaches the ears of just the very person or persons whom the first talker had expressly intended it never should reach.”

"After a long debating and searching together, they concluded that troubles often come, yes, because we've given us a cause; but that the most cautious and innocent conduct isn't enough to keep them away; and that when they come, with guilt or without guilt, the trust in God sweetens them, and makes them useful for a better life. This conclusion, although found by poor people, has seemed us so just, that we have thought to put it there, as the juice of all the story." (Second-last paragraph)


You can find the complete text online.

I love this review by Edgar Allen Poe. He uses the majority of his words praising and comparing the author to others.....but barely spends much time actually discussing the novel itself. He published the review in 1935, before the final presentation of the novel had even appeared.


This is so cool! A “map” of where the chapters take place.Check out the “Categorized Markers “on the left side of the page. Click on number 14 for a gorgeous view.

Of course, the link at Wikipedia will tell you much about the author and his novel.


DO NOT FOLLOW these links below, if you have yet to read the book, and plan to do so. There are spoilers present.

This link is mostly useless and I do not agree with their take on the descriptions of the characters, but there are four books listed at the bottom of the page that look good for further research into Manzoni.


This brief literary note has excellent insight in comparing the two main priests in the story, though I disagree with calling Don Abbondio's qualities "almost evil" as I do not believe the priest was "evil" at all....but simply self-centered in his protection of himself. And very naive as well as simple-minded.




Now, a few weeks later, I can say that I have fallen in love with this novel. While occasionally a bit difficult to get through, it is a truly lovely story. When I began the novel, I had no idea how beautifully Catholic it was going to be. The primary characters maintain their faith through so much hardship. I was so surprised by some of the history. I know more than I ever thought I wanted to know about the Milan plague of 1629. Manzoni creates a fascinating window to the time period of 1628-1631. It was just like being there. The pictures he has drawn of the characters are so detailed, and those details so crisp, you feel that you know each as well as you possibly could.

Though he was a side character, he was most important, and probably one of my favorites: Cardinal Federico Borromeo, cousin to Saint Charles Borromeo, with whom many of you probably have more familiarity. The Cardinal was so good and so wise, I could not help myself in my adoration. He was well-educated and created a library or two, including the first public library in Europe (and this in the 1600’s!).......qualities I also find endearing. ;) Do follow the link on his name to learn more about him.


A few words from what the online Catholic Encyclopedia has to say about the good Cardinal:

"He was one of those men rare in every age, who employed extraordinary intelligence, the resources of an opulent condition, the advantages of privileged station, and an unflinching will, in the search and practice of higher and better things."

In The Betrothed, the Cardinal is involved in a miraculous conversion. He is so kind to the poor and the plague-infested. I love this man. Or, the idea of him. I intend to spread word about him.


The motivation to read this novel came when I discovered it listed in a book of 1,001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. I found it on the shelf at the library when I was doing some curriculum planning. I placed it on the girls’ World Literature list to cover Italy....but I wanted to pre-read it first.  I am so grateful for the experience.  All of my kids will read it, in their last year or two of high school.  It is "clean and safe" book, but you need do need to be a strong reader, as well as a persistent one.  If your kid can handle Dickens, they can handle this.  :)

I need to get my two graduated kids on it soon.  Perhaps in the summer, when they are not reading such heavy literature already......since they both are basically "majoring" in literature at school!

Blessings,

Chari

Creating a World Literature Course for My High Schoolers....Can you help?

I am creating a World Lit course for a sophomore and senior......it is in place of British Literature....because they have read way too much British Lit to need a course.  :)



Below, you will find the definitions that I have found regarding World Lit......and then countries listed with some of the famous literature from that country.



I am looking for help in several ways:



Could you please tell me if they should NOT read any of these books, for whatever reason, for their age?



Could you please tell me what books I am missing?



Could you please help me fill in the missing countries?


You will find ancient literature missing because we cover it when we study ancient history.



Thanks so much! And then, with your help, this will be sitting here waiting for anyone else who needs it. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Definition of WORLD LITERATURE: Literature originally written in a language other than English or a book written in English about another culture outside of America or Britain.






While it would be generally assumed that America and Britain were part of the world, per se, there are already courses specifically geared to cover American and British literature.

THE LIST:

RUSSIA
Animal Farm by George Orwell


War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy


Father and Sons by Ivan Turgenev


One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksander Solzhenitsyn


FRANCE
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo


Joan of Arc by Mark Twain


The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness D ‘Orczy


The Song of Roland by ?


The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas


Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne


The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery


A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens


Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmund Rostand


Doctor Zhivago by Boris Paternak


GERMAN
Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank


All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque


The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass


Night by Elie Weisel


ITALY


The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni


The Divine Comedy by Dante


Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi


BRITIAN & IRELAND


Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott


Scottish Chiefs by Jane Porter


The White Company by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle


The Black Arrow Robert Louis Stevenson


Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathon Swift


Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Tolkien


The Fairie Queen by Spenser


The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

(These are added because they have not read these British Literature choices yet.)

SPAIN
El Cid by Racine


Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes


Works of Saint John of the Cross


Works of Saint Teresa of Avila


CHINA

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck


MIDDLE EASTERN

The Thousand and One Nights by (young version?)

I need to choose a version.
AUSTRALIA






SOUTH AMERICA






AFRICA


Poetry of Africa


My House by Nikki Giovanni
JAPAN
Rashomon by Akutagawa Ryunosuke
(Hoping a cousin might chime in on this book or any other recommendation?)
INDIA
Kim by Rudyard Kipling


JEWISH
The Chosen by Chaim Potok


Exodus by Leon Uris



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


Blessings!

Chari

Fahrenheit 451: Too Close to Home

Maybe you have heard?



It has been recommended to our county board of supervisors, to close all of our county libraries, as of June 30th.........half the branches as of June 23rd.



I cannot believe I was lying awake at 5:30 this morning, writing, in my mind, a letter to the Board of Supervisors regarding the closure of our libraries.



“I must make haste then in order to be emotional, and be emotional in order to be very truthful indeed.”~~~~~Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

I arose from bed, and set to putting the words to the keyboard. Not much different from Bradbury, sitting in the basement of the UCLA library in the 1950's, writing his novel about firemen whose job it is not to put out fires, but to burn those books forbidden by the totalitarian regime.

Brave New World, The Giver, and Fahrenheit 451. Three pieces of literature in which the common citizen certainly has no control over what they are allowed to read, if they are allowed to read at all. It is ironic that I find inspiration to write this letter in a book I have borrowed from the County Library. Book burning? A thing of the past, belonging to Hitler or the dystopias of futuristic books? Or, to a Communist country? I had thought so. Sadly, perhaps not.

In 1966, Ray Bradbury wrote in his introduction to Fahrenheit 451 regarding his childhood experiences with libraries: “It followed then that when Hitler burned a book I felt it as keenly, please forgive me, as his killing a human, for in the long sum of history they are one and the same flesh. Mind or body, put to the oven, is a sinful practice.”

A young, ignorant friend, not a fellow bibliophile, told me: "It’s not as if they (Board of Supervisors) are making it illegal to read literature or are burning books." Well, yes, figuratively, and perhaps practically as well, it is. I would even go so far as to call it censorship. If we cannot have access to the books at the library, and if they are only going to save the books some random person deems necessary, we are being forbidden to read these books at this time. How is it that one county administrator and five supervisors, are emboldened with the capacity to actually close our county libraries? Wait, make that three supervisors. Two, Grace B. and Ed V., have up to this moment not supported the closing of the libraries. The saving of a small amount of money now, is an enormous waste of all the money the county has chosen to spend in the past decades, to fill our libraries with the resources its communities need or desire.

By closing the library system in our county, our citizens will no longer have available to them, the resources others in this world will have. This is a certain disadvantage, the dumbing down of our populace.

I am sure they do not take this lightly, this step backwards. But, it is taken selfishly. It is not taken for those people who voted them into office, but for themselves, to make a temporary budget work a bit better, barely. We are all aware that we live in a poor county, monetarily. But, do we want to live in an intellectually poor county, as well?

Is it possible that our elected officials could not even begin on their own to look for alternatives? Did they bother to ask their constituents what they would desire? Could the Board have created a committee of volunteers to create ideas to make the library system work, instead of giving one month’s death sentence for our libraries?

According to a recent article in the local paper, several libraries receive monies from their respective cities for utilities and building upkeep. Could we not continue to do something like this, keep our libraries open for less hours, use volunteers to man the libraries? Has anyone asked each community what they would be willing to do to keep their library open, before they consider the decision to close? There are solutions.

A friend mentioned to me that we the people do not have access to the whole budget. How are we 3.7 million dollars short? Where are we short? What are the salaries of the people in our county government? Where else do the people think we can cut? Why are the people told, not requested, to make the immense sacrifice of giving up our libraries (as well as money to the fire districts)?

Our family is one of many in Siskiyou County who educates through an Independent Study program at a local school. The library is an absolutely vital resource for these families to educate. Absolutely vital. There will be no way to function adequately without access to the resources provided, paid for through decades of public monies. Our money. Our parents’ and grandparents’ money. It is tragic that my youngest children would not receive the same high quality literature-based education that their older siblings enjoyed.

An older lady, with whom I am acquainted, lives in a very rural area of our county. She says the elderly there are devastated by the possibility of the closure of their small library. It is horrid to think these folks have paid their dues, their taxes, through all of these years, only to find one of their most important avenues of enjoying their later years, taken from them.

I realize many people think there is a small, vocal group of citizens making a lot of noise to “Save Our Libraries,” but they are representatives of the many too shy, busy or unsure of themselves to speak up. I am grateful for those willing to stand up for the rest of us. Please hear them. Please heed them.

Bradbury says books are “flesh and blood ideas.” Having been a very active patron our local branch for over twenty years, I can tell you it is a living, breathing being…..so busy the librarians could barely keep up the work required to keep it alive. Grief is what follows death and loss. This we shall have, with the closures of our libraries. I could not live with that decision. To be known forever in history as "the Board who closed the library."

In his introduction, Ray Bradbury further wrote, “For while Senator McCarthy is dead, the Red Guard in China comes alive and idols are smashed and books all over again, are thrown into the furnace. So it will go, one generation printing, another generation burning, yet another remembering what is good to remember so as to print again.”

Have we really come to this again?





Heartbroken bibliophile from Hearts' Haven,



Chari

St. Jerome

Patron Saint of Libraries

Pray for us!!!!

The NAMING of the Shrew........

I have here, the cast list for THE TAMING OF THE SHREW.


Petruchio~ Matthew McW


Katherina (Kate)~Maddelyn


Bianca~Bethany
Biondello~Bethany
Sir Christopher Sly~Bethany


Lucentio~Kyle
Nathaniel~KyleBartholomew~Kyle
Huntsman 1~Kyle
Servingman 2~Kyle


Joseph~Daniel
Baptista Minola~Daniel
Grumio~Daniel
Vincentio~Daniel


Hortensio~Gavin
Philip~Gavin
Huntsman 2~Gavin
Servingman 3~Gavin
A Haberdasher~Gavin
Traveling Players~Gavin


Tranio~Sierra
Nicholas~Sierra
Servingman 4~Sierra


Gremio~Sarah
Alehouse Hostess~Sarah
Servingman 1~Sarah
A Tailor~Sarah


A Lord~Chari
A Pedant~Chari
Curtis~Chari
Peter~Chari
A Widow~Chari

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We will meet this Monday, and two weeks later, as Sarah will be out of town on the 12th. We were thinking of having a "movie night" on the 12th...if anyone is interested. We may even try to get the play read before the 11th......if it works out. As it is......who knows if the snow will mess us up for tomorrow night.

The line-up for the next plays:

Twelfth Night
Romeo & Juliet
As You Like It
Richard III
A Comedy of Errors

Once school is out at the college.....I may be interested in just reading each play through to the end......if everyone else wants to do that....instead of splitting up the play in two nights.

I have Sierra bringing snacks for April 5th.......Bethany, can you do April 19th?

That's it, for now!

EASTER BLESSINGS!!!

Chari

PS: There will be NO Shakespeare on April 26th....we will be out of town for a couple of days.

Double, double toil and trouble......

.........Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

The cast list for Macbeth is as follows............

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

MALCOLM~Kyle

MACBETH~Daniel

LADY MACBETH~Sarah

MACDUFF~Gavin
SEYTON~Gavin
AN OLD MAN~Gavin

DUNCAN~Sierra S
ANGUS~Sierra S
WITCH 2~Sierra S
APPARITION 3~Sierra S

BANQUO~Maddelyn
MENTETH~Maddelyn
WITCH 1~Maddelyn
MURDERER 2~Maddelyn
APPARITION 2~Maddelyn

LENNOX~Bethany
DONALBAIN~Bethany
WITCH 3~Bethany
FLEANCE~Bethany
MURDERER 3~Bethany

ROSS~Matthew McW
A SCOTTISH DOCTOR~ Matthew McW
YOUNG SEYWARD~Matthew McW

A PORTER~Chari
HECATE~Chari
SEYWARD~Chari
SON OF MACDUFF~Chari
APPARITION 1~Chari

A GENTLE WOMAN~Sierra B
WIFE OF MACDUFF~Sierra B
CATHNESS~Sierra B
MURDERER 1~Sierra B
AN ENGLISH DOCTOR~Sierra B


Various other players......ToBeDecidedOnTheSpot

See you tomorrow!

Lenten Blessings,

Chari

PS Taming of the Shrew will follow MacBeth...........and NO Shakespeare Club on April 12th....and possibly on April 26th.......though we may be able to meet on the 27th.

the "Dream" Cast for.......

..........a Midsummer Night!

In the middle of WINTER!! :)

For our Shakespeare Club....starting on Monday......

Anne should be here for the second reading......we will "deal" with that when we come to it...... :)

The Gals.......

Helena ~Sierra
Hermia~Bethany
Titania~Sarah
Hippolyta~Maddelyn

The Fellas......

Demetrius~Matthew
Theseus~Daniel
Lysander~Kyle
Puck~Gavin
Nick Bottom~Chari
Oberon~Maddelyn
Peter Quince~Kyle
Francis Flute~Matthew
Egeus~Gavin
Philostrate~Chari
Snug~Daniel
Tom Snout~Bethany
Robin Starveling~Sarah
Peaseblossum~Bethany
Conweb~Sierra
Math~Daniel
Mustardseed~Chari

See ya then!!!

Blessings,

Chari

Our Wee Maestro!

Tonight, finally, Malachy was able to put his own composition to paper.

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

He has been playing his own composition for months.......begging someone to help him write it down.

Tonight, Sarah was sitting at the piano, working on a piece, when Malachy (age 8 years) approached her. In his hand was the music composition book I had finally unearthed from Matthew's things.

After helping him for a bit, he says to her:

"Thank you SO much!! I have been needing to get this written down. You know, Sarah........I have to start sometime. I mean, Beethoven started when he was eight. Of course, I will not be completely like Beethoven ........or like August Rush." :)

Not quite sure where he got the "Beethoven was eight" info..........but he sure brings a smile to our faces with frequency! Gotta love that kid!

I guess I should create a video of him playing his piece, eh?

Maybe tomorrow......

Lenten Blessings,

Chari

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears....

"Good friends, sweet friends, let me not stir you up........."

It is here, the cast list for JULIUS CAESAR......

This was the most difficult play to cast thus far, as the character list is immense. And, the number of lines for most characters, is small.

I think I did a pretty good job in spite of the difficulty.......some of you have quite a few characters of which to keep track. I want you to write the name of your characters on a small notecard to keep track of while we read. I will need to do the same. :)

JULIUS CAESAR
cast list....Jan 2010

Marcus Brutus~Matthew McW

Cassius~Gavin

Marcus Antony~Maddelyn

Julius Caesar~Kyle
Publius~Kyle

A Soothsayer~Kyle
Claudius~Kyle
Flavius~Kyle
A carpenter ~Kyle

Casca~Daniel
Titinius~Daniel
Cato the Younger~Daniel
Dardanius~Daniel
A cobbler~Daniel

Portia~Bethany
Trebonius~Bethany
Marullus~Bethany
Cinna~Bethany

Calpurnia~Sierra
M. Aemilius Lepidus~Sierra
Metellus Cimber ~Sierra
Lucilius~Sierra
Clitus~Sierra
Pindarus~Sierra
Flavius~Sierra

Octavius Caesar~Sarah
Ligarius~Sarah
Cinna the Poet~Sarah
Messala~Sarah
Volumnius~Sarah
Varro~Sarah

Cicero~Chari
Popilius Lena~Chari
Decius Brutus~Chari
Artemidorus~Chari
Strato~Chari
Lucius~Chari
Poet~Chari

Other soldiers, senators, plebeians
and attendants~Chari, Sarah or Sierra


You can find more than you ever wanted to know about Julius Caesar, the play, here. There will be spoilers, just in case you want to be surprised while we read.

And, a character map can be found here. This is actually quite useful though it does not show all of the characters.


This play is about the same length of the other plays we have read so far and I expect it to take about two Monday evenings. After these two days, we will take two Monday evenings off to enjoy Garrett's basketball games. You may join us if you like.....

When we finish Julius Caesar, we will decide what to do next. Be sure to collect your books if you are going to purchase them.

The Taming of the Shrew
MacBeth
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Twelfth Night........coming up!

Blessings,

Chari

Looking at LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST......

Hey, Shakespeare Club! Here is the cast list for our next play:

LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST

cast

Princess of France~Sierra

Rosaline~Sarah

Maria~Maddelyn

Katherine~Bethany

Jaquenetta~Anne

Berowne (Biron)~Daniel

King Ferdinand of Navarre~Matthew

Boyet~Kyle

Holofernes~Chari

Don Adriano de Armado~Gavin

Nathaniel~Samuel

Costard~Maddelyn

Mote (Moth)~Anne, then Bethany

Longaville~Bethany, then Chari

Dumaine~Anne

Dull~Chari

Marcade~Samuel

A Forester~Bethany

Anne will be joining us for the first evening......

See you on Monday night!

Chari

We have THE TEMPEST at Hearts' Haven!

Our Shakespeare Club will be meeting on Monday, December 7th.........6:40ish pm

We will be reading...........

THE TEMPEST........

And, the casting is as follows:

Prospero-Daniel

Ariel-Gavin

Caliban-Maddelyn

Gonzalo-Matthew Mc

Miranda-Bethany

Ferdinand-Kyle

Antonio-Sarah

Stephano-Sierra

Sebastian-Chari

Alonso-Sierra

Trinculo-Sarah

Iris-Samuel

Ceres-Kyle

Juno-Garrett

Adrian-Samuel

Francisco-Garrett

And, we will follow this with Love's Labour Lost and, I am thinking, The Taming of the Shrew........start looking for your next book!

Anyone interested in watching some movies of the Shakespeare plays we read???

Advent Blessings,

Chari

Much Ado About Nothing!

Our Shakespeare Club will, God willing, especially barring any illness in our cast, begin on November 16th, at 6:30 pm, at Hearts' Haven.

I DO wish all of you could join us......perhaps we will read through a play when you come to visit?

In the meantime, the cast for our first play,

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

is as follows:

Beatrice-Maddelyn

Leonato-Gavin

Claudio-Matthew Mc

Don Pedro-Kyle

Benedick-Daniel

Hero-Sierra

Dogberry-Samuel

Friar Francis-Samuel

Don John-Garrett

Verges-Garrett

Borachio-Sarah

Margaret-Sarah

Messenger-Sarah

Ursula-Bethany

Antonio-Bethany

A Watchman-Bethany

Conrade-Chari

Narrator-Chari

Balthasar-Chari

A Sexton-Malachy

A boy-Malachy

If for some unexpected reason, anyone else joins us, I will give them my parts, or any of the doubled-up parts.

So, look over your parts if you have time, maybe mark your lines.....whatver works for you.

We are looking forward to this opportunity of reading through the play with all of you......it will be quite fun & interesting.

And, to those of you poor college students who have gone away from us.......we would love to try to read through a play or two this summer.......we DO miss you and wish you could be a part of our little group.

See you next week!

Blessings,

Chari

It's an Un-Birthday Post!

Happy Un-Birthday to You!

And, to me, too! :)

I do have a friend who is NOT clelebrating her un-birthday today!


Happy Birthday to Bethany!

Bethany is a new friend.....my girls love her...and Malachy finds her a delightful and patient ballroom dance partner :) I think she is 23 years today. Birthday prayers for you, too!

And because I am here today.. ..I do not want to forget that Sue is not celebrating her

UN-Birthday tomorrow either.......

Happy Birthday to Su(e)!!!

Sue is my friend who goes all the way to the age of 14 years. I think she may be my only friend from that time period with whom I am still in contact....from Agoura High School, in Agoura, CA. We have fun and wonderful...and stressful.....memories of that time.....Happy birthday prayers, for you!

In the meantime...just some random thoughts.....aka Haven Heartbeats.....

GRATEFUL & LOOKIN' GOOD:

I am so grateful to my friend Patty who has been tutoring my kids in math in the past two years.....I think this is the third year. My kids have blossomed in math under her tutelage...she got Matthew to and through Alegbra I & Geometry, and of course, this positively affected his SAT scores. She helped Anne get caught up and was there any time Anne had a math question while taking classes at the college. And last semester, she began working with Sarah & Maddleyn.....and these girls have made great progress though their books......and they are addicted to being tutored by Patty. They just loathe missing a date with her.

Did I mention I was so grateful? THANKS PATTY!

And, as aside, Patty & her husband have been working very hard, eating right and walking like crazy......and Patty, you are looking good! Congratulations on all of that hard work paying off! Now, to see if I can be inspired........

THE WEATHER, CURRENTLY:

The below was written orginally on October 14th:
I hear tell we have received over 3 inches of rain yesterday.....three outings yesterday were cancelled due to the high winds and heavy rain.......this was a good thing for us....we got to stay close to home and get some schooling in! Our woodstove was most efficient and we were melting, even one slow log at a time......it was 80* when we went to bed...and 78* when we awakened. Good enough for me...no fire till tonight.

And, as the clouds lifted behind our house a bit last evening, I saw snow in them thar mountains........we have not seen Mount Shasta since Monday evening...can't wait to see what it looks like after this storm! It has been quite bare lately........I have a photo I took a day before this storm.......so we can compare. Eventually.

And, now an update on the weather now, as of Nov 4th.........we have had five gorgeous UN-November days.....near 70*...hear tell tomorrow, November is returning for good. Brrrr.

HOMESCHOOLING:

Since it is ME we are talking about here, you will not be surprised that we still do not have a rhythm going.......but, we are geting somewhere....and I am trying to bring back more of the method of homeschooling I used for my older kids, when they were the same age as Malachy & Garrett. We now have five read alouds going as well as studying a "composer of the month" and reading a picture book author, one at a time. This moment we are reading through Steven Kellogg's picture books, listening to Mendelssohn, reading Greek Myths, Howard Pyle's second King Arthur book and Back of the The North Wind by George MacDonald....as well as books about Leif Erikson and Saint Therese.

We are just finishing up a study of Bald Eagles, a good choice because we see them frequently enough near where we live....and we have done our first lapbook. Malachy enjoyed this immensely and Garrett tolerated it. We are about to start a study of animal classification and have started watching BBC's The Life Of Mammals. GREAT series!!! Our library has it, if anyone local wants to check it out. We will also do a lapbook with the classification. The boys and I are geting more intimate with the Vikings in history.

They are zipping through their Math-U-See books because they have already learned the concepts. Both will be starting new books very soon......Malachy next week....actually, as an update, Malachy is already through 5 lessons in his nBeta book. He loves the new concepts: inequalities, place value notation, rounding and estimation. Both of them are all over the piano, starting to give Maddelyn competiton for time at the ivory keys. Garrett is currently reading through a chapter book series......and this is very encouraging. I cannot wait till he can read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. That will be a happy day indeed.

The girls are managing their high school curricula fairly well. This is the first time I let the high schoolers just study whatever history period for the year they wanted.......instead of what the family was doing (actually, the family always studied what the high schoolers' were doing)...and it is going just fine, and it is almost easier. I miss the family-wide study and conversation...but this seems to be what is working best for our family now.

Sarah is doing a medieval study that I wrote just for her and her learning style. Maddelyn is doing Mother of Divine Grace American history syllabus. For science, Sarah is doing biology and Maddelyn is doing Mother of Divine Grace's earth science. It is kind of cool to live in volcano-land and take field trips to make her science more "alive"...if rocks can be alive ;) Maddelyn is tackling Latin and doing fairly well....I appreciate her motivation and determination. I look ahead....and eventually she will be passing my brain power up....Willa will have to help her then!!! Sarah is taking a German class through our charter school. She has a fantasy about joining a youth exchange program and going to a German-speaking country, like Austria, perhaps. She wants to be more ready than Matthew was.....she is also appreciating Patty letting her use the Rosetta Stone when she visits Patty's house.

They are both starting their high school projects now. Both will be sewing and Patty has agreed to mentor them.......they are both sewing different skirts.

WORK:

I have worked a bit more lately. At least that is what the paycheck reflects. :)

Last night I started the November series of childbirth classes. I teach three classes in a series, every other month, excluding summer. The demographics were a different situation than I have experienced in the last year. I have nine pregnant women. Three came without any partner......another with her 16yo cousin, another with her mom. Of the other four, one is a married couple. That's it. Just one. They almost looked out of place.....no, they did. Of the nine, three had no transportation of their own.....and two had no idea how they were going to get home. I offered both a ride....one's dad showed up for her ride....and the other disappeared.....just simply vanished.......weird. One pulled me aside to share one of her deep secrets with me. The dad who picked up his daughter is worried about who will be with her when she has the baby..........wow. There is a lot of stress in that room.


And, here was a phone call I received just before my class yesterday: a girl called for her cousin who is 16.........to sign her up.........so she does not miss the class.......she says "I really want her to go to the class....she needs to go, right?"........and is also informed me that she is begging her cousin to breastfeed her baby......I ask the caller how old she is...she says, 16 years also....my!

I am so glad these girls are choosing life for their babies......last night's class is a reminder that that the support must continue now that they have chosen life......they need parenting support, and more. I am not referring to the government social services either.......that is another whole story...and I am not going there right now. I am so grateful to the local pregnancy center in our little town. They SHINE at this kind of support. One of my friends is the director.....God created Donna for this job. She is awesome. I am so proud of her and the work her people do. Thank you!

Nurses only have a moment with their patients.....it really does take teamwork for all of us to work together.....we see the needs, but there is not much time for us to do much. So, we model appropriate behaviors, we care non-judgementally.......and we smile and hug. Research has shown that the nursing care a woman receives in her childbirth experience can affect her parenting......we really can do important work in our little windows of opportunity.

BIRTHDAYS:

Why all of the posts about birthdays last month? Well, I had been neglecting my blog......and so I challenged myself to post more by focusing on the Octbober birthdays, of which there are a lot...and I missed some, too!!

Happy Birthday to my friend Lisa, on the 28th! And, maybe a nephew, too......I believe Damien's birthday is the same date, or right around there.

Damien's brother Joseph had a birthday on the 15th.....and he and his wife are due to have a little girl in about 8 weeks.

My cousin Mark had a Halloween birthday.

I am sure I might be missing someone.....if so, I am sorry!

Matthew has a birthday coming up on Thanksgiving Day this year......I hear he is worried about a birthday post.......maybe full of incriminating photos?

ST. GERARD'S LIST:

My friend Maria is expecting her 8th baby!! She is due May 20th. Prayers for a low risk pregnancy appreciated!

Gloria's sister-in-law Jody is due in December with baby #5.

Our niece Suzanne is due any moment, I think, with baby #3.

And her brother Joseph and wife Christine are due in early January with baby #1.

I wonder who I am leaving off the list......

We pray a daily Memorare for all expectant moms and in thanksgiving for all delivered.

Clara, our niece, had her 5th baby, Eden Rose, on Anne's 21st birthday.

And, Suzanne, Gloria's sister, had her 5th baby in September.

Louise had her wee fella in July....of which I gratefully got to be a part of that experience.

They were all on our list of friends expecting in the past few months.......

PRAYER REQUESTS:

I know I will have a hard time remembering these right now.........but......

For a friend's baby, who may have something wrong with him.....his name is Ephram.

For another friend and her family.....for the dad's job situation......he has a temporary job at the moment......we are begging God to beg the owners to keep him on. Join us?

For a friend who is an older lady, a "pen pal" of mine....her husband has health issues and her son has health issues......and various other needs.

For a family who has adopted six children (a sibling group), adding to their four they already have.

For all college students.......as they cope in the world without their family support.....and try to maintain their faith in this hostile world.

For a certain person I know to get into the college of his choice.

And, of course, for all women who are pregnant and have no support.

For other private intentions.......

Do you have any requests for us to pray for you?

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Well, I think I will wrap this up and get it posted before it becomes extremely outdated!

Blessings to you and yours!!

With love & Prayers,

Chari

If you are wanting homeschool room inspiration.....

You have got to see my friend Jennifer's learning room!

Look what you can do with a dining room!

In fact, if you check out Jennifer's blog at anytime you will find inspiration.

Have a lovely day!

Love, chari

Welcome to Workboxes!

I originally began writing this post in early June...and have only just been able to post....sorry for the delay to my friends who had been waiting. :)


es fine!

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

I cannot stop thinking about.....

homeschool workboxes

........I cannot stop thinking about the possibilities. I am simply giddy about a "new" approach in homeschooling, for the first time in a loooong time........I can't wait to get started......but I have been simply too crazy busy to start!

I think my life is still too busy to start, but I have been looking around my home, seeing what I could use or tweak to work, without much investment. I have been perusing the storage bin aisles at the stores and have hit the dollar store, too. I need to make this inexpensive. I simply must.

I really need to get this written up in one place, so I can share it with all of my friends. I know so many who would find this a very useful idea. And, as this is NOW the prime time for homeschool planning for the next year.......I need to be in a hurry!

I particularly think my friends Frances, Maria, Willa could make good use of this idea......for various reasons. I think Shawna & Stacey would like it, too!

I first heard about this idea on Brigid's blog. I remember thinking how clever it sounded........and the usual thought: "I wish I had known about this when my kids were younger." I always forget that I still have a couple of young kids. :)

Then it was brought up on the 4 Real homeschool message boards in March. I skimmed the first messages and treated it like everything else new: I" do not have time to look into anything new......besides, nothing really feels new anymore, after all of my years of homeschooling."

Then, in May, the same thread got going again, ladies wondering how those using the workbox system were doing after a few weeks.

Comments were consistently coming up, there and in other places on the Internet:

WE GET MORE DONE IN A DAY THAN WE EVER HAVE BEFORE.

WE ARE USING SO MANY HOMESCHOOL ITEMS THAT HAD JUST BEEN LYING AROUND THE HOUSE, UNUSED.

THE KIDS ARE EXCITED TO DO SCHOOL.

WE HAVE MORE FREE TIME.

Well, of course those concepts caught my eye!

I want that for ME!

I want that for MY homeschool!

At first, I thought, hmmm, Malachy (7yrs) could really go for this......he loves doing stuff........any stuff.........and he loves being creative and this would give him a chance to do that more often.

Then, I thought how well Garrett would do with more structure (we always need more structure here!).

And I thought about the days when I am at work or just unavailable.......which I hope will be less once we move Anne & Matthew out. The workboxes would be just the thing to give them for those days.

Eventually my thoughts turned to my two high schoolers........

Sarah, 10th grade, could probably benefit from a more specific plan each day. I think she would accomplish more.

And Maddelyn, soon to be 9th grade, who thrives on structure and prefers to have most decisions made for her, would probably do well with this idea......once she gets over the balking....she does not like change. Wonder where she gets that from.... :)

So, I have spent much time in researching the WORKBOXES IDEA.

I have found a yahoo group which is good for early questions and inspiration.

I have found many blog posts about this topic.

One mom made a great list about WHY WORKBOXES? I like it!

But before we go explore the 'net, let me tell you where this all got started......

There was a woman named Susan Patrick who had an autistic son, and she did a lot of research about educating him and eventually developed this idea for her son. You can find her website here and read her story here.

She wrote a book called:

Sue Patrick's Workbox System A User's Guide

Many people have started using the system without reading the book. I was planning to do that, too, but I have seen so many moms say that while it could be done without reading the book, they were so glad to have read it. I would assume with any special needs children in the family, it would be even more important to read the book. I am sure if you do it without the book, it would work just fine. I have decided to order the book as I rarely have anything I need to buy for school anymore......so I can justify this small purchase. I will share it with my friends, too. You know who you are. In fact, I just ordered it Sunday night from Amazon, along with some other good stuff. I want to have it here in time before I go to Willa's house next week. I hope it gets here. (It didn't...only part of the order arrived.....:( )

The basic premise is to have 12 boxes for each kid, and place in each box, each school day, what they need to do, from the first to the last. When they finish one box, they go to the next numbered box.

Now, that is a very basic description. But, then...this is a pretty basic idea. Checking out the links below will give you a much better overview.........since I have not actually done this. In the past we have done similar workings.....but this is more fine-tuned.

And, keep in mind: KEEP IT SIMPLE! That is always a good rule for homeschooling moms to follow! So, while you explore this idea, do not give it up right away.......study it more and spend time thinking about the possibilities.......asking God if this is a good fit for you. I can't help but think it is a good fit for so many I know!

In the meantime, I have discovered a bookshelf in the schoolroom that can be put into the boys' room for this project. And, I have purchased some bins I have used in the past.........for $1 each at the dollar store. Now, I just need to clean out the spot in the boys' room for it....and figure out where to put the stuff on those shelves. I have posted to Freecycle, looking for bookshelves. So far, no nibbles....

......since I wrote that...my friend Patty just happened to have some metal shelves I can use to replace the ones in the schoolroom. Thanks, Patty!

Well, since I started this post, someone has written an online article about workboxes.....and there are lots of links and a few photos. I think I will give you a link to it, so you can look around. Before you start clicking on the links on that page...I have highlighted the useful ones below........

Also, while Willa and I were looking for the above article, she found another good blog post with lots of links. I have also highlighted the good ones below.......

Here is a great idea for using cereal boxes for holders...great photos. I will be considering this idea because I WANT magazine holders, but cannot find any less than $5 anywhere...and some were as a high as $14

Leslie, who also has six kids (aged 2.5-15yrs) has a nice post on workboxes, with good details of what's in them. Her blog is so lovely, that I added it to my google reader. :)



A good example of one mom who tweaked the system to work for her family, using three different methods of storage.


Oh, wow! I love how this looks here! Now I see I CAN use only what I have around and have it still look good visually and make sense. I needed this visual permission. Check this out if you do not want to get a bunch of new stuff or spend money. It works! Plus, you will all chuckle at her first photo. :)


Same mom has an excellent suggestion for the "art-handicapped" mom...ideas for art in the workboxes.


Here is Candace's blog and how she is doing the system.



Tina has a wonderful testimonial to offer after the end of her first week......She also has two posts about their Do-It Door...which someone may find helpful. It is a clever idea. Post one and post two. Especially helpful to those with young elementary kids.



This mom did it exactly as recommended in the book. In fact, you can find all of her posts about the workbox system here, which includes her first few days. Be sure to read from the bottom up. A nice look into someone's home and first week using the system.


Here you can find a lovely blog and description of using with a 2nd, 1st and preschooler. She has great photos of her system. This specific post here covers what to do with the "together" activities. I like her idea.



I like Lynn's little chat about the attitude to take when approaching this system, when you cannot or will not do it exactly as the book states. She also has another approach on the numbering.



Laura has seven kids and six boxes and no room to do the full system. You can see the alternative she is using here. She is using plastic bags...and her children loved the test run so much, they want to do it for the summer! :)


This post is useful to think about what to put into the boxes: the "must haves" the "want to haves" and the "fun" extra stuff.


I like the use of these ice cube trays.......check them out for another way to organize your workboxes. She let me know that you can find them at the Dollar store, Wal-mart, Freds...where she paid 1.50 for each.

Several posts of this small family's experience....a 5yo and a 3yo. Cute kids!

The mom above interviewed her kids' reaction to workboxes.

This mom wrote a "day-in-the-life" post for the days of her 8yo and 6 yo. You get to look in each drawer.

I really like this blog. It is sweet & classy....and she has an alternative way to use the idea, when you have a family that would require 96 boxes!!!! And, based on the little bit of research I am doing, and I could be mistaken, but Leslie may have been the one who got the whole workbox discussion going online. If you scroll down her homeschool posts, you can find some are about the workboxes...and photos of her girls using the boxes.

Another nice blog by Kendra......again, start at the bottom and read each post above. These are all of her workbox posts. She has a nice sense of humor. The one at the bottom reviews the original book a bit. I have a feeling she is describing what MY reaction will be when I get a chance to read it.

A nice post.

Heather has a collection of posts...the most telling ones are at the bottom of the page. Start there and then read each post above the last. She has many photos of her kids actually doing the work. I like how she described the workboxes: "A LIVING CHECKLIST" I believe this verbalizes what I LOVE about this idea: it "livingness!" Is that a real word??? :) Spellcheck says: no way!

Cute number idea for numbering the boxes! She will even make them for YOU....for ten bucks!


List of ideas at homeschoolshare.com for putting in the boxes....expect this list to grow! I had already printed out the animal classification page for Malachy before I found this link. Our little collection of animals will go to good use!



WHAT'S IN THE BOX? The description: Suggestions, Ideas & Discussions regarding the workbox system. Could be a nice one to follow.......I think I will add it to my Google reader.



THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX has lots of info....and the other parts of her blog are inspiring for the preschooling moms.



Good stuff for tots!



Want a resource for LOTS of worksheets? Try worksheetsworks.com! I have not used lots of worksheets in the past...but Malachy loves them...and this website looks like good filler. Oh, I found alphabetizing, maps, fractions, clocks, money, calendars, states & capitals, California puzzles, and lots more!



So, what are the kids saying about the workboxes? Find out here!



A message board about sharing workboxes, by Homeschool Share. By the way......this is a good place to find ideas for filling your workboxes. Explore if you have not been here before.



Other ways to apply the workbox idea:


How about vacation boxes? Clever!


There are lots of blog posts on workboxes for preschoolers. Since I sadly do not have any preschoolers, anymore, I mostly ignored those resources. The yahoo group above has quite a few including their preschoolers, so it is a good resource.

And, as last thought on these workboxes............

Something to think about......I like this quote Heather wrote: "Nearly every homeschooling board is humming with thoughts and questions related to this approach, which is, in essence, a structure for outlining a school day with minimal distractions. Is there more to it? Of course. But at its very heart, the Workbox System is about optimal organization. And, as we all know, organization is one of the major themes in homeschooling." Read more for an interesting take......she writes well...I like her vocabulary and way with words.

God bless, Chari

It's a Picture Book Day!

I think I will start a new topic post. We read lots of picture books around here.....and I thought I would start keeping track of the keepers.



We will often read a handful, or more, of one author. Here is a recent discussion on 4 Real message board about the same topic........



I recently found at Bridget's blog, that she had a recommendation for

SEVEN LOAVES OF BREAD by Ferida Wolff

Our library did not have it, but I could find it on the interlibrary loan list. I also saw about six other books by the same author, and I found the titles intriguing, so I ordered all of the books by Ferida Wolff.



I am glad that I did! I pretty much enjoyed them all, as did the kids. I kept them to share with my friend Gloria from San Francisco last weekend. She liked them, too.



I was surprised that all of the books have a totally different illustrator. We liked some better than others.



Here is the list we read:



SEVEN LOAVES OF BREAD



Cute & sweet story as the busy, productive sister takes ill and the lazier sister takes over.......and she finds that making less than seven loaves of bread actually costs more work that making all seven loaves of bread.

THE STORY BLANKET



I saw on her website this is her newest book. This is an incredibly sweet story about an old lady who makes gifts for the community out of her story blanket...till its gone. Then, the community give her yarn to make a new story blanket as a thank you gift for all she has done...and then she starts the give-and-take cycle over again. The colors and illustrations are lovely. I think Miss Miranda, my little princess friend, will like this story.



THE EMPEROR'S GARDEN



We really liked this book, too. Humble villagers who are very agreeable with each other create a garden for the emperor's visit. When a monsoon damages their work in the garden, they are sure the emperor will not like the garden. They begin to be less agreeable toward one another. When the emperor loves the garden, the villagers begin to appreciate each other again. Gorgeous artwork and color.



THE WOODCUTTER'S COAT



Loved this story and artwork too. A clever and witty story as a woodcutter has a beautiful and efficient coat become ragged and less useful, only to be stolen by a beggar on his way to get a new coat, with a trade of firewood to the tailor. We then follow the coat as it gets new life, from one person to the next........only to end up in the woodcutter's hands again.



A WEED IS A SEED



I thought this story would be different than it was. It tells two perspectives about how a negative thing can be viewed on a positive side. For example: a weed is a plant growing where we do not want it...but it can feed a mouse in the winter......or moth eats a hole in our shirt, but pollinates flowers.......or rain ruins a picnic day, but waters the fields. The illustrations are fair, the colors nice.



IT IS THE WIND



The watercolors are lovely in this book, and make up for the text, which we did not mind, but did not prefer. It might be because the text was a bit young for us. Actually, I found on her website that this book is for youngers. Gorgeous artwork.





The author has a website. There are a few lesson plans there. I did not take a look at them.



The list of all her books is here.

ENJOY!!!

Happy reading blessings to all!

Love, chari

PS: Gloria......you should be able to find all of these through the same library system. do you know how to use Northstate Cooperative Library to your advantage?

Haven Heartbeats

Wow, what a dreary day....definitely looks like November......and, it looks like the next ten days are dreary, too. I am kind of glad it is dreary.......because, as expected, I have PWTS: Post-Work Traumatic Syndrome......and I feel quite dreary. My head hurts......and to have a beautiful day mocking my mood would be just too much for me to endure at this time.

I am glad I do not have to go anywhere today. I do have one appointment coming to me this morning. Our charter school educational specialist is meeting for our monthly get-together, whereby I give her a list of our educational endeavors for the month......and learning samples for each subject.

And, lest anyone decide we must not be homeschooling, because we belong to a charter school....please know that we school AT HOME and do not even attend classes at the site....or rarely, anyway. Nor does anyone tell us what curriculum to use. And, we use Catholic materials when we prefer.........the school just does pay for any religious materials. Not all charter schools are created equal.....in California, or state to state. Our charter school is awesome, started by teachers who not only believe in alternative education, but who also homeschool their own kids. Some of these teachers are even unschooling their own children. Our teachers are wonderful.

Our own "teacher" is more of a friend or family member now.........as we have been with her for over 11 years........Garrett was only 5 months old and the four younger children do not even remember not having Shelly in our lives. We all love her. And, we have shared her with some of our other friends, like Shawna and Louise......and they love her, too. Shelly is also the director, or "principal" of our school.

So, thank you to anyone who prayed for my work day yesterday. It was a smooth day, even if it was a labor patient. :) She was a young girl, and at first it seemed like we would not be bonding easily........it turns out she liked my style, which was truly only in response to what I was reading from her........and we did have a lovely day. She was ten centimeters just before the end of my shift and had her baby girl just after my shift ended. Since I had some charting to do, I was able to see the wee lass just before I left. Cute pudgy cheeks from the start!

I could feel the prayer support........my husband and kids were praying for me, too. I felt peace all day.......even though with what went on in my day, I do not always feel such peace. I really appreciate it.

Have a blessed day!

Love,

Chari

HAVEN HEARTBEATS

Remember I mentioned the hospital bill here? Well, I got a chance to chat with someone from billing when I was at work Monday.....she "chased" me down, she said..............and she gave me some very good news!

Looks like I am ging to get a 30% discount and monthly payments for 30 months, no interest. That makes me feel slightly better. But only slightly...........I still want that gazebo...........

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There is a lot of sewing going on around here! The girls are going nuts sewing two more Regency costumes and making Regency bonnets to take with them out of town. They are having such fun! Here is a link to Anne's blog where you can see the first one that she sewed.

Blessings to our dear friend Shawna who blessed them with the borrowing of a sewing machine when mine decided to FIGHT them. Also thanks to Kathy's mom who gave them a Serger in May.

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We are going out of town this weekend. We will be gone for a week. I know you are used to me not getting posts on here......but I have a good reason next week. Most of the time will be without internet.......but maybe at the end of the week I may find time to post something.

We are visiting our dear friends (a Catholic homeschooing family) in the Sierra Nevadas, on the western side. We are SO excited. And, Anne gets to go, too! One of her best friends is here, as well as Matthew's.......as well as mine.........and probably Garrett's and someday Malachy's, too!
We will being staying part of the time at her in-laws "lake house" which I just found out is one of the best recreational lakes in California.........who knew? I always pictured it as a little mountain lake. What a special treat!

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And, when we return home, we will have some of our other best friends over for a visit from Nevada..........another Catholic homeschooling family. This family also contains one of Anne's best friends.........Matthew's too......and mine also........and another fun playmate for Garrett.

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One of the exciting things this summer is that Anne has managed to do a six-week math course in three weeks at the local JC...............her teacher just happens to be a Catholic homeschooling mom...........and has allowed Anne to work on ahead of the class. This means Anne will have THREE weeks of summer off from school..........she SO needs this! So do I! :)> It will start this Friday afternoon...............and includes all of the visits above plus a camping trip to the coast with her family..........um, that would be us!

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I need to go write a letter of reference for a Catholic homeschool young lady for a wonderful college.............please pray to the Holy Ghost that I can write the words needed!

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God bless you until I "see" you again!

Love,

Chari

ANOTHER SENIOR YEAR TO PLAN

Yay! I can finally sit down and just write for a few moments.

I spent the entire day yesterday with Matthew in our school room planning out his senior year....and collecting resources. Boy, does he have a lot to accomplish this year! Let's all pray for him, he may need it! :)

I am very excited for his year. He will enjoy the learning. He is like his mother and older sister..........a compulsive student. :) That is one of the reason I LOVE homeschooling.........*I* get to keep learning..........and..............without the tests!!!

He has on his plate:

Religion & Catholic Apologetics (Book 4 of Our Quest for Happiness & Apologetics using a TAN book and syllabus from Our Lady of Victory School)

Latin I (yes, we are REALLY behind in this :/-one semester of Latina Christiana I and II and then to Henle with Mother of Divine Grace's (MODG) syllabus)

English IV (probably a combo of every other subject: we are working on spelling of SAT type words, Classical vocabulary, papers will be written in all other subjects this year, possibly a Shakespeare Club, and our Literature evenings, etc)

American Literature (a Junior College class with a great teacher and friend-both semesters)

Public Speaking (a Junior College class-one semester-one of Anne's fave classes & teachers-she thinks it is a perfect class for Matthew)

Chemistry (combo text & Great Course from The Teaching Company-Matthew LOVES their stuff!)

Geometry, with Patty, our wonderful math teacher & friend, using Jacob's Geometry

Voice (a Junior College class), with his two youngest sisters

Drama (a Junior College play, maybe more than one.......AND also one at our local charter school)

Piano lessons & practice----his last year with our favorite piano teacher :(, who happens to be a "descendant" of Beethoven, as a piano instructor :)

American Government & Economics (first semester only?? I doubt he will finish in ONE semester---using MODG's Syllabus and an Economics course from The Teaching Company)

Ancient Greek History/Ancient Roman History (one each semester---though, knowing HIM, he may spend all year on Greek :).........using MODG syllabus as a guide)

Driver's training (1st quarter only--online course)

SAT prep (1st quarter only--SAT Prep book and practice writing timed essays)

Next semester we will add:

Health

Logic, if there is time. We tried this semester, but as you can see, it seems something had to give...........it was Logic, yet again. It is the Logic program from Memoria Press. He and his youngest sister (a professional argue-er) will be viewing the Teaching Company's Argumenation DVDs during the whole year.

Script Analysis (at the local JC with his favorite director)

Creative Writing (at the JC with Anne's favorite instructor)

Computer Course......not sure what yet, maybe a class at the JC?

And then, graduation with our local charter school at the end of May! YAY! He SO deserves this. I was worried when he entered ninth grade, since he came to reading a bit late.........and he has pulled off the most wonderful learning in these past few years. His memory is outstanding. He is so amazing and gifted intellectually. A very good actor, too. And he can play Devil's Advocate very well. He needs to go to college somewhere where he can practice arguing, so he can become very proficient. :) He and Maddelyn LOVE to argue.........that is why they are excited by those DVDs. And, of course, you realize I mean ARGUE in the intellectual sense, right? :)


After graduation, we expect he will have a GAP YEAR, while he hones his skills for the college he wants to attend. Who knows what will change between now and then...............

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Funny, this started out as a Haven Heartbeats post and turned into something else......hey, but at least it is SOMETHING! :) I may even post again tonight, with photos! :)

God bless you today!

With love,

Chari....

....who is going off to plan the new high school freshman and eighth grader today........thankfully, I already did most of the freshman.....just need to fine-tune! Phew!