Daybook 4-12-10

Outside my window...

Is a beautiful spring day and bikes that weren't put up from the night before

I am listening to...

Rosebud playing with our dog

I am wearing...

My usual, my favorite Stars tee, light-weight sweats, and tennis shoes

I am thankful for...

So many things, beautiful children, a wonderful husband, a sweet church family, very dear friends, a caring priest, Bright Week, Diet Dr. Pepper

I am pondering...

Why I am sitting here blogging instead of working on my long list of "to do's" for the week

I am reading...

contracts, consumer reports, and reviews of refrigerators and electricity providers

From the kitchen...

not much except for cleaning... well, maybe carrot cake

I am thinking...

about the house we may close on, on Thursday and all the things that need to be done

I am creating...

lots of lists, people to call, things to do, cleaning...

Toward a living education...

back to school after a break for Bright Week, focusing on math and reading

Beauty in the home...

lots of decorating ideas floating in my head for the new house and lots of cleaning, painting and remodeling to be done in our current home

The domestic church...

will take a small break this week, with the services for Holy Week and attending daily liturgy during Bright Week, we need this week to focus on some school and home tasks

I am hoping and praying...

that my husband continues to be successful on his journey to end his addiction and that I will be able to be successful with my return to Overeaters Anonymous (it's time)

In the garden...

In spite of the neglect, Princess found onions in her plot and Stinkbug found carrots. Looks like strawberries are coming soon too.

One of my favorite things...

fan appreciation at the Stars game, Stinkbug was given a stick by the captain (Morrow #10) and we all had a blast, with the exception of knowing that it might be Modano's last home game

A few plan for the rest of the week...

buying a house, and all that goes with that

A picture thought I'm sharing...

Don't

Go

Mo

Daybook 3-29-10

Outside my window...
it's dark, the day is almost over

I am listening to...
last week's American Idol and I am NOT enjoying it so far

I am wearing...
my #3 shirt, sweatpants and sneakers

I am thankful...
for my wonderful husband and his perseverance in face of adversity

I am pondering...
why God has chosen to bless me so abundantly

I am reading...
Seek First the Kingdom... a very sweet, beautiful book about living the orthodox faith

From the kitchen...
I give up on the vegan chocolate chip cake...at least this week...lol. There won't be a whole lot going on...between church, hockey and dance, we will be home very little

I am thinking...
that amidst everything else this week, what I need most is to find a few quiet moments to myself

I am creating...
more stress for myself by obsessing over some things beyond my control

Toward a living education...
we will be focusing on the teachings of the orthodox church during Holy Week

Beauty in the home...
we will be working to prepare our home for Pascha by doing lots of cleaning tasks

The domestic church...
will focus on Holy Week and the coming of Pascha

I am hoping and praying...
for my husband's success with a difficult trial

In the garden...
uuuggghhh...not going there this week

One of my favorite things...
is feeling like I accomplished something with my day

A few plans for the rest of the week...
lots of time at church this week, lots of cleaning, many dentists appointments, a doctor's appointment, hockey, dance, violin, a little schooling, probably a visit from my mom, and lots of praying!!!

Blessings!!!
theresesophia

Daybook 3-22-10

Outside my window...
is a beautiful spring afternoon and a few leftover snowballs from yesterday.

I am listening to...
a TV show...Clean House...hoping for some inspiration

I am wearing...
a long sleeve STARS tee, a STARS ball cap, blue jeans, and sneakers

I am thankful for...
Stinkbug's dental emergency last week turning into a huge blessing...his tooth cracked while eating and it ended up being a baby tooth that needed to come out

I am pondering...

why there are so many things that need to be done to SIMPLIFY one's life

I am reading...
Worst Case by James Patterson

From the kitchen...
there will be pasta with marinara for supper and if I can get to the grocery store tomorrow we may actually be able to eat more than one meal at home this week. We will also attempt the vegan chocolate chip cake that we did not get to last week

I am thinking...
that I need to start preparing for Pascha...outfits, gifts, plans, food

I am creating...
lots of lists right now... errands, phone calls, homeschool plans, home repairs

Toward a living education...
I will be changing our science focus from physics to nature. I am hoping that the spring will bring us the opportunity for nature walks and gardening. We will be using Exporing Creation through Botany, at the suggestion of a very dear friend.

Beauty in the home...
will hopefully be accomplished this week by painting the master bathroom, cleaning the master bedroom, and cleaning out the pantry.

The Domestic Church...
we will begin our preparations for Pascha, we will be listening to some podcasts from Under the Grapevine if I can figure out how to download podcasts.

I am hoping and praying...
that very dear friends of ours will see improved health over the coming months. My friend just received a pacemaker and his daughter is very ill. The doctors are unsure what is causing her illness so I am praying that the doctors in Houston will not only be able to give them a diagnosis but also a cure as well.

In the garden...
there is still everything to do, luckily we did not start on our garden or the snow would have destroyed it.

One of my favorite things...
going on a date with my husband to the STARS game...even better when they win (which they did)

A few plans for the rest of the week...
a celebration of my husband's birthday, a hockey playoff game for Stinkbug and Rosebud, back to dance and rehearsals for Princess after a week for spring break, back to hockey and ballet for Sugarcake...in other words, mom is back to living in the suburban (sigh!)

Blessings!!!
theresesophia

Updated Core Curriculum

As mentioned in my previous post, there has been some serious overhaul to our homeschool. I've begun with updating the core curriculum.

Previously, we were working on Word Study by Singapore for our vocabulary. As much as I liked the layout and activities, it really did not provide enough background (word lists) for individualized work. I often found that I didn't have enough information to complete the assignments. We dropped Word Study and have switched to Wordly Wise 3000. At the beginning of each lesson, students are given a list of words with the definitions. What follows are several activities to practice the vocabulary words. Very traditional workbook format...we don't do much that has the traditional workbook format so I don't mind having this one. Additionally, we will use the word lists as our weekly spelling test.

While I love the intensity of Singapore Math, I have had to admit that it is not a good fit for all my children. While some will continue with Singapore, others will switch to Teaching Textbooks. Both Rosebud and Stinkbug are excited about the idea of doing math on the computer. Hopefully this will be a good switch for both of them.

I was recently introduced to Tapestry of Grace. There are many things to like about Tapestry of Grace. First of all, there are four levels which correspond quite well to the four children in the household. It incorporates history, literature, and fine arts with a strong emphasis on gaining knowledge through living books. We attempted the first 3 weeks with a free trial and all seemed to enjoy the format. It's also been nice that although each student is on a different level, they are all covering the same topic so they have been able to share with each other and engage in activities together.

Handwriting Without Tears is our handwriting curriculum. Although we have been using this all along, I failed to add this to the blog list. While updating, I figured it would be best to go ahead and add this one in.

Writing with Ease is a new addition to our writing curriculum. Although we were using Understanding Writing, it just was not working for our family...a great curriculum just not right for us. I am hoping Writing with Ease will be a better fit. Writing with Ease is from the authors of the Well Trained Mind. It looks very simple to use and I'm hoping to get it started this week.

That completes our core curriculum. Very soon I will be updating the weekly curriculum as well as our high school studies.

Blessings!!!

theresesophia

Daybook 3-15-10

Outside my window... the sun is shining, there are birds singing, I can see garden plots which need to be cleaned.

I am listening to... a few precious moments of silence, even the birds are quiet at the moment.

I am wearing... my favorite night gown, slippers, and a denim jacket (I'm still a bit chilly from taking the dog out...lol).

I am thankful for... my children getting to play hockey at the American Airlines Center...what an incredible opportunity for them and quite a thrill for their mama too.

I am pondering...the necessity of daylight savings time.

I am reading... I, Alex Cross (the latest James Patterson book).

From the kitchen... not much, although I am ready to try some vegan recipes from Alicia Silverst*ne's cookbook. And the younger crew and I will be trying a vegan chocolate chip cake.

I am creating... a baby gift that might be done in time for her first birthday.

From the school room... weekly plans have been revised. Our schooling now looks nothing like our schooling from September. Post coming soon on our revised plans.

Towards beauty in the home... plans to donate our fish tank and paint our master bathroom this week.

The domestic church... I've been enjoying reading the Psalter with Orthodox Mom's group and I'm looking forward to a presanctified liturgy later this week.

I am hoping and praying... that a large project my mom has been working on goes smoothly.

In the garden... there is much to do. Each child's plot needs to be cleaned out and seeds need to be started. We also need to get some color in our front yard for curb appeal.

One of my favorite things... a shirt Stinkbug bought me on Sunday, I may never take it off!!!

A few plans for the rest of the week... watch some hockey, look at houses with our realtor, visit with friends who are on spring break, continue with our homeschool revisions, finish updates to our master bathroom and update this poor, tired blog.

A picture thought I'm sharing...

I never tire of seeing pictures of my daddy!!!

Thanks to mary at evlogia for the daybook idea.

Blessings,

theresesophia

Dealing with Grief - Tear Soup

When my father-in-law passed away, I looked for a way to help my children deal with their grief. I checked out every book our library had on the topic, mostly those I could read to them. Of all the books we read, Tear Soup was the one that touched us all. But I probably benefitted most of all.


Tear Soup is the story of an older woman facing grief. It is never mentioned exactly what has happened but she works through her grief by making a pot of tear soup. As time goes on, she continues to make tear soup but it changes as time passes. What touched me most was the emphasis that everyone's tear soup is different.


As each of my children dealt with their grandfather's grief differently, I was able to comfort them according to their individual needs instead of being alarmed when one child didn't cry as much as another. What was most important to me was to keep the communication open and let them know I was here to support them and not judge them in their grief. Having read this book I was better able to accept the way a family member chose to deal with the death of her son. Instead of judgement, I was able to offer comfort.


The shocker came when my own father passed away. It was easy to grasp how my mother was making her tear soup. I was able to see how my husband was making his tear soup and how my children were making theirs. But I was blinded by my own grief. I struggled greatly with why my feelings weren't what I thought they would be. I felt certain that I knew myself well enough to know how I would grieve. Shouldn't I be crying more, shouldn't I feel stabbed when I heard his name, shouldn't I behave a certain way? When it didn't work out that way, I couldn't accept it. In fact, it wasn't until a few months later that Tear Soup clicked with me in a different way. If I could be understanding of how others' made their tear soup, couldn't I afford myself the same acceptance...that perhaps my own grief would not be what I thought it would be. As I began to accept that the grief I had was different than the grief I thought I would have, I began to move past dwelling on how I was grieving and focus on the love I have for my dad and how that doesn't change just because I can't talk to him on the phone.



Lessons learned...

Everyone grieves differently and the best thing I can do is offer them acceptance and understanding of their grief.

I may or may not grieve the way I think I will, that doesn't mean I'm not grieving.

As understanding as I am of others' grieving process, does not mean that they are in a position to be as understanding of my grieving process. I need to make my own tear soup and not be concerned if others do not think I am "making it the right way."



May the Lord bless you!!!
theresesophia

Finally

Okay, I know so many of you have been eagerly anticipating my return to the blogging world (well, maybe NOT...lol). But here I am!!!


Coming this weekend... the first installment of Dealing with Grief - Tear Soup Lessons.


May the Lord Bless You!!!
theresesophia