This is my favorite -- I print these pages out ahead of time for my children to take to Mass. There are appropriate pages for each age group!
This wonderful online community for home schooling covers all subjects, ages, plus more! I really can’t explain it, so check it out!!
Family Night by Jeff and Emily Cavins. I’m eagerly waiting for the fall session to begin!
Fun way to have our food reflect the loveliness of our liturgical year at CatholicCuisine.
I frequently download these coloring pages of various saints.
This site is very fun - especially for the younger kiddos!
I use this great yahoo group to buy and sell Catholic school books and more!
Of course, EWTN has a kids’ site! At “Choir Practice” it is like playing the old electronic “Simon” game with the Nuns!!
This site has fun online Catholic games when your kiddos want some computer time and you want it "productive"! :)
Oh, there are soooo many more --- I know I've probably left out some of my favorites :( but this is a great start!
How will you share your faith?
Feel free to take a sneak peak into our humble little family's life on a small hobby farm where we learn at home and grow together in Christ's love.
Who am I?

- Katherine
- Wife '89, Mom since '94 to kiddos: +Smiley(1994-2005), Jellybean '97, Dollar '99,Freckles '01, Raminator '05, (+Mary Jospehine '08+) and Critter '09
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
What came first... the chicken or the EGG??
Our science experiment today was EGGseptional, EGGsiting, EGGselent!!
Critter & Freckles enjoying the EGGselent science experiment |
We studied how steam engines work (for Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel AND for our trip this week to Greenfield Village when we get to ride a steam train!!)
We took an old glass milk jar and placed it in a pan with water. We boiled the water and the jar. Filling the jar 1/2 full with the boiling water we CAREFULLY placed it on a hot pad. Dollar placed a peeled, hard boiled egg on top. A few minutes later the egg dropped into the jar!! When the steam evaporated, it created a negative pressure in the jar thus sucking the egg through the opening! Way cool!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
"Ora et labora" (Pray & Work) a quote by St Benedict
We've started another year of learning at home... okay, we really never finish! It is pretty "seamless" around here. We just refer to the next grade come Fall. :)
For our wonderful nature studies we are using Anna Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study and I'm just CrAzY about this blog to help me utilize this truly amazing book. Since we are nearing the end of summer, I thought it would be perfect to begin our study with an in depth look at trees! This is a great time to study their transitions from Summer to Autumn. Each kiddo chose their own tree to analyze, draw, and learn all about these next four seasons. We are using these pages for our study. I highly recommed these resources!
Freckles is most excited about studying nature! She draws a lot and enjoys singing. She is very creative in the story writing department, too!
We've also started LATIN! I am so excited to hear the children chant their new conjugations and their new words!! :) Latina Christiana is our Latin program -- and we'll be learning our favorite prayers in Latin soon!
One of my favorite bonuses to educating the children at home is the opportunity to really live out our Catholic faith! August is a RICH month in honoring our Blessed Mother's Immaculate Heart. We celebrated her Queenship with friends... we memorized the Consecration to Mary which is also the prayer that we chose for the back of +Smiley's funeral card. We enjoyed a crown cake and sang Immaculate Mary (one of my favorite hymns) and the kids sounded beautiful!
And FOOTBALL has started! Dollar is in full swing and gets on with hitting in pads next week! He is flying in math and likes the new program we are using (Teaching Textbooks). His 24 hens have started laying beautiful eggs and we are getting just over a half dozen a day. Freckles is his business partner!
The Raminator has to wait a couple more weeks for flag football.... patience, dear, patience! He really likes the Five in a Row program we are doing (read the same classic kids' book each day and do activities that correspond with the book). We just finished Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel (some activities here) and he enjoyed reading the book out loud to me! We are all amazed at his wonderful reading abilities!
Jellybean had her first "real" babysitting job (not siblings!) a couple of weeks ago and did GREAT! She is preparing for CONFIRMATION this year! How exciting!
Critter is showing off his speaking skills by saying things like bug, football, me, momma, dada, ball, please, chicky, moo, bird, dog, nana. He puts his little hands together in prayer and is trying to make the sign of the cross but when he dips those chubby fingers into the holy water font the fingers go in his mouth! Oh, and we have to keep the holy water bottles up high since he keeps drinking it! :)
And this coming week my Beloved and I celebrate TWENTY-ONE years of wedded bliss! What a blessing to have a supportive, loving, encouraging husband to walk this journey with! Thank you, God, for my hubby!!
As I work through each day, I try to focus on "praying always" and offer the joys and struggles to our Lord. It is all good!
For our wonderful nature studies we are using Anna Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study and I'm just CrAzY about this blog to help me utilize this truly amazing book. Since we are nearing the end of summer, I thought it would be perfect to begin our study with an in depth look at trees! This is a great time to study their transitions from Summer to Autumn. Each kiddo chose their own tree to analyze, draw, and learn all about these next four seasons. We are using these pages for our study. I highly recommed these resources!
Freckles took this photo of her tree! |
We've also started LATIN! I am so excited to hear the children chant their new conjugations and their new words!! :) Latina Christiana is our Latin program -- and we'll be learning our favorite prayers in Latin soon!
One of my favorite bonuses to educating the children at home is the opportunity to really live out our Catholic faith! August is a RICH month in honoring our Blessed Mother's Immaculate Heart. We celebrated her Queenship with friends... we memorized the Consecration to Mary which is also the prayer that we chose for the back of +Smiley's funeral card. We enjoyed a crown cake and sang Immaculate Mary (one of my favorite hymns) and the kids sounded beautiful!
And FOOTBALL has started! Dollar is in full swing and gets on with hitting in pads next week! He is flying in math and likes the new program we are using (Teaching Textbooks). His 24 hens have started laying beautiful eggs and we are getting just over a half dozen a day. Freckles is his business partner!
The Raminator has to wait a couple more weeks for flag football.... patience, dear, patience! He really likes the Five in a Row program we are doing (read the same classic kids' book each day and do activities that correspond with the book). We just finished Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel (some activities here) and he enjoyed reading the book out loud to me! We are all amazed at his wonderful reading abilities!
Jellybean had her first "real" babysitting job (not siblings!) a couple of weeks ago and did GREAT! She is preparing for CONFIRMATION this year! How exciting!
Critter is showing off his speaking skills by saying things like bug, football, me, momma, dada, ball, please, chicky, moo, bird, dog, nana. He puts his little hands together in prayer and is trying to make the sign of the cross but when he dips those chubby fingers into the holy water font the fingers go in his mouth! Oh, and we have to keep the holy water bottles up high since he keeps drinking it! :)
And this coming week my Beloved and I celebrate TWENTY-ONE years of wedded bliss! What a blessing to have a supportive, loving, encouraging husband to walk this journey with! Thank you, God, for my hubby!!
As I work through each day, I try to focus on "praying always" and offer the joys and struggles to our Lord. It is all good!
Labels:
/Celebrations,
/Living our Faith,
FIAR,
homeschooling,
Latin,
Nature Study
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Moving Mountains
No, I'm talking about the 40 Bag Challenge! This has nothing to do with home organizing ~ and everything to do with FAITH!
Freckles' Little Flowers Club began yesterday. It is similar to Girl Scouts and it is Catholic! :) They learn virtues and how to put them into practice and all along this journey, they earn flower patches. Just like playing an instrument or sport, we must practice to gain strength in any area. We can't just think about being virtuous, we must exercise virtues in our lives to master them.
Our first virtue: FAITH. Why is faith important? Because it gives us strength when there are troubles. Faith keeps us believing in something even when we cannot see it. So although I may not be able to "see" God ~ just as I cannot "see" air ~ I feel the affects of both. I believe. Peter believed and walked on water!
My faith is truly an answer to my prayers ~ it didn't just sudddenly appear. I saw the beautiful faith lived sincerely through people I admired and I longed to know that same faith. Eleven years ago I learned how to pray the rosary and reverted to Mother Church. Receiving the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Confession regularly, praying, fasting, and "offering up" are the tickets needed for a successful journey. I don't take my faith for granted and I know I have to exercise it to keep it strong.
What are you doing to strengthen your faith?
Freckles' Little Flowers Club began yesterday. It is similar to Girl Scouts and it is Catholic! :) They learn virtues and how to put them into practice and all along this journey, they earn flower patches. Just like playing an instrument or sport, we must practice to gain strength in any area. We can't just think about being virtuous, we must exercise virtues in our lives to master them.
Our first virtue: FAITH. Why is faith important? Because it gives us strength when there are troubles. Faith keeps us believing in something even when we cannot see it. So although I may not be able to "see" God ~ just as I cannot "see" air ~ I feel the affects of both. I believe. Peter believed and walked on water!
Having faith the "size of a mustard seed" was discussed.
Matthew 17:20-21 And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. ["But his kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."]
I shared with the girls that my cross of Smiley's death feels like a mountain on my back. I am too weak to go anywhere with that burden ~ but with FAITH, I have the "confident assurance concerning what [I] hope for, and conviction about things [I] do not see." Hebrews 11:1
What are you doing to strengthen your faith?
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Earth Day 2010

What a blessing to have such willing friends to lighten the load!
The next day we cleaned our road that we adopted in memory of him. It is only a mile of road and it took us over an hour to clean it!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
A Lighter Way this Lent
2010 has kept me busy with ORGANIZING!
I'm working on my 40 bags in 40 days... my journey of "letting go" throughout lent! So far, I'm at 9 bags! The Challenge? Get the clutter out! This doesn't include your *normal* trash! Donate, purge ~ RELEASE! Walk closer with God and detach from worldly things that are in your way! Want to join us? Head on over to Danielle Bean's corner here http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/40_bags_in_40_days/ and get inspired!
I started with (not done yet!) school... we have gone to a notebooking approach to schooling. Each kiddo has a notebook with the tabs: Presidents, USA History, USA Geography, Book Reports, Science, Math, Language (which includes spelling, vocab, etc). They also have a Religion notebook which includes: Rosary, Scripture, Saints, etc. These notebooks will be built upon through the years and allow the children to review what they have learned and see their improvements. Utilizing creative bookmaking, photos, drawings, and such, they are proud of their accomplishments.
My planning has gotten simpler, too. I have folders for each month and plop handouts in it that I want to cover. I keep those in a portable filing box with other folders labeled Bible, Science, blank notebooking pages, Rosary, To Correct, and Resources. Resources has my Master List of topics to cover each month (for example: January ~ Religion - Holy Family, Conversion of St Paul; Virtue - Loyalty; Saints - St Paul, St Elizabeth Ann Seton, St John Bosco; Sacrament - Baptism; States - MI, AK, UT, NM, KS; Science - Atoms/Molecules, winter weather; History - Dr Martin Luther King, Jr; Presidents - Roosevelt, McKinley, Nixon, Fillmore; Country - Italy; People - Louis Braille, Ben Frankline, AA Milne; Art - ?; Enrichment - ? ~~ some items still need work!) Tweaking as I go....
I saw this the other day and Dawn has really laid it out nicely! Go here to see what she's up to ~ http://dawnathome.typepad.com/by_sun_and_candlelight/file_crate_system/
I want to read through hers to give me more inspiration! I'll keep mine in my portable box (keeps the little fingers out and I can transfer to other rooms a bit easier) but I'm sure I can learn a lot from her!
I keep reminding myself that God loves order (notice the Universe?! He has ordered EVERYTHING!) and that Satan thrives in chaos. To walk closer with my Lord, I am striving for more order in my life. I want to rid my home of any chaos that I am able and kick that nasty bugger outta here!
May you have the peace of Christ, too!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
15,000 days and counting...
Woohoo, it has been 15,000 days since my birth (thanks, Mom & Dad!). What have I accomplished with this gift of life that has been granted me? My first reaction is so earthly "not enough!". But come on! The angel on my shoulder is whispering, "Ahem, who is that on your lap that you are nourishing whilst computering?" That's right... I've helped usher in six blessings to the planet! That is quite a feat! That means I was pregnant roughly 1,680days (240 weeks). I've nursed about 3,200 days. That does tend to be a lot of sacrificing! But my dear hubby has really sacrificed ~ we've been married for 7448 days (178,752 hours!) ~ over 20 years!
I was thinking about how fleeting time is...
My precious +Smiley only lived on the planet for 3921 days (560 weeks or 129 months or 10yrs 8 months). He accomplished so much during that short time frame. The most amazing feat? He brought us to Christ ~ through His blessed Mother, Mary. God sent that precious boy to us to teach us to focus our lives on Him and to rely on His Graces. Faith has been a beautiful gift!
The unyielding pridefulness that guided my life crumbled beneath me as I suffered through many humbling experiences. Today I am eternally grateful for God's wisdom in granting me those situations because they continue to shape me into a more godly woman. I seek holiness of which I cannot obtain through me.... rather the experiences He gifts me. The secular world calls it "no pain, no gain." The faithful know it is His way to draw us to Him. I appreciate the challenges He sends my way so that I may grow closer to Him and rely only on Him. He is very generous with His crosses because He wishes to bring us Home to Him when we complete our earthly mission.
+Smiley was entrusted to a very specific mission and was able to complete it in less than 130 months. Wow! Our Father knew how much that young man enjoyed being first so He helped him complete his mission in record time. Without that special child, I wouldn't have thought I needed God so much because I relied on my own 'wisdom' (ha!!). But how I was lacking! Thank you, Lord, for guiding me and letting me know how wonderful life can be under Your loving care. Although those holy 2by4s hurt like crazy when I get whacked upside the head, I get the epiphany ~ my "aha!"~ and rededicate my life to You.
My goal is to remember to ask God how He wants me to serve Him through my family.
What is your goal?
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Lots of work to do today...
Soooo, Critter really enjoyed our library visit the other day. He had a ton of work to finish on the computer and got rrrreeeaaaallllllyyyyy cranky if we interrupted his train of thought.
Dollar worked on his President Garfield (he gets a kick out of THAT name!) report while Jellybean researched Presiden T. Roosevelt. She really enjoyed looking at the cool pics of his family.
Freckles and Raminator enjoyed storytime and made black paper sack cats. Poor Raminator's cat was de-tailed by the Critter's enthusiasm!
Oh, and here is a GREAT etch-a-sketch... catch the word???? Wow... guess who made that!??
Now that it is March - our studies will focus on Science - Solar System
Geography - Ireland, Florida, Vermont
History - Industrial Revolution,Labor Unions,
Religion - Reconciliation, continuation of Lent, St Joseph & St Patrick, the Annunciation of our Lord, and making the Stations of the Cross
and of course, the usual (math, spelling, writing)
Okay... 'nuf talking... back to WORK!
Dollar worked on his President Garfield (he gets a kick out of THAT name!) report while Jellybean researched Presiden T. Roosevelt. She really enjoyed looking at the cool pics of his family.
Freckles and Raminator enjoyed storytime and made black paper sack cats. Poor Raminator's cat was de-tailed by the Critter's enthusiasm!
Oh, and here is a GREAT etch-a-sketch... catch the word???? Wow... guess who made that!??
Now that it is March - our studies will focus on Science - Solar System
Geography - Ireland, Florida, Vermont
History - Industrial Revolution,Labor Unions,
Religion - Reconciliation, continuation of Lent, St Joseph & St Patrick, the Annunciation of our Lord, and making the Stations of the Cross
and of course, the usual (math, spelling, writing)
Okay... 'nuf talking... back to WORK!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Celebrating FREEDOM!!
The children and I went to +Smiley's former school to watch their celebration of Black History Month. They read poetry, excerpts from famous speeches, and performed songs. I had fond memories watching +Smiley participate and after five years, I was ready to watch another performance. ( I missed Mr D's and Ms Janean's rhythm sticks with their students, though! I'll have to get them to get back to that!)
Tears streamed down my cheeks and my thoughts drifted to my +Smiley and my heart ached as I thought of his true freedom... free from pain and sorrow, irritations and aggravations, inconveniences and frustrations. His is truly Free... and I thank God Almighty every day for that.
The last song at his funeral was the African spiritual, "Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King..." way to go, precious son! He LIVES with the King!
The students did a wonderful job! They sang a song incorporating Dr Martin Luther King, Jr's words from his "I Have a Dream" speech:. When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
Tears streamed down my cheeks and my thoughts drifted to my +Smiley and my heart ached as I thought of his true freedom... free from pain and sorrow, irritations and aggravations, inconveniences and frustrations. His is truly Free... and I thank God Almighty every day for that.
The last song at his funeral was the African spiritual, "Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King..." way to go, precious son! He LIVES with the King!
Mr K, the awesome art teacher, found this photo to give me. This is the smile I remember best.... we called it his Gazillion Dollar smile! And I know he continues to smile down on all of us as he dances with Jesus.
Monday, February 22, 2010
* * * Winter W*nderland! * * *
Let it snow! We are being greeted this morning by a lovely blanket of snow! The boys were all ill last week thus the onslaught of CaBiN FeVeR.... remedy??? Make snow men! After the library visit today ~ where they will work on president and animal reports,~ they can frolick 'til their hearts are content in the white playland out the back door. (I'll post the pix a bit later...)
After our last major snowfall, I had just left a mini-retreat with the Trinitarian Sisters of Mary in which we spent over an hour in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (our beloved, Jesus). I felt so close to God and very grateful for being abundantly blessed. On the way home, I stopped at the cemetery, trudged through the foot of snow, and placed a blanket at Smiley's headstone. I spent time thanking God for my precious son's life and for the wonderful memories I have of him. After almost a half an hour of 'visiting' my kiddo through tears, laughter, and silence... I jumped up, went over to the other side, and laid down on his grave. He was almost as tall as me when he died. I remember all the joyous times we had in the snow... and gave him a little gift. A made him a snow angel. * * *
Remember that each day we have with one another is truly a gift. How will you GIVE yourself to others today? My goal is to spend time this week with the children making Stations of the Cross scenes to adorn our home.
After our last major snowfall, I had just left a mini-retreat with the Trinitarian Sisters of Mary in which we spent over an hour in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (our beloved, Jesus). I felt so close to God and very grateful for being abundantly blessed. On the way home, I stopped at the cemetery, trudged through the foot of snow, and placed a blanket at Smiley's headstone. I spent time thanking God for my precious son's life and for the wonderful memories I have of him. After almost a half an hour of 'visiting' my kiddo through tears, laughter, and silence... I jumped up, went over to the other side, and laid down on his grave. He was almost as tall as me when he died. I remember all the joyous times we had in the snow... and gave him a little gift. A made him a snow angel. * * *
Remember that each day we have with one another is truly a gift. How will you GIVE yourself to others today? My goal is to spend time this week with the children making Stations of the Cross scenes to adorn our home.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Feeling a bit blue today....
The little boys are enjoying a heavy dose of mother nature's bounty -- wild blueberries!! :) Okay, when I say WILD, I'm just copying what the bag says. No, we didn't find a whopping goldmine of berries (it IS February, ya know!). Instead, we plucked a 4# bag from the Costco freezer! Check out these stained faces!
And, aren't I blessed to have such an amazing laundry helper! Sort those socks, baby!
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