Epiphany Celebration

We ended up with an extended celebration of Epiphany, which I think is fantastic.  Grace's "Little Women" groups hosted an Epiphany Party for the "Little Flowers" group.  The big girls put on a cute Epiphany play (Avila was Baby Jesus!), had games and decorations, and even gave gifts to the Little Flowers!

The girls also had lots of food, punch, and a King Cake for everyone to enjoy!

We celebrated at home with a nice dinner and then gave the kids a set of Waldorf Element Stackers, which Andrew had made for them.  They were so excited!

Remember, the Vatican continues their celebration until February 2 -- keep the party going :)

Celebrating the Season!

We have spent a wonderful week celebrating the Christmas Season with Andrew home from work and tons of fun family time!  We spent quiet days at home enjoying movie and books and food as well as fun adventures in Indy and around town.

Of course, PeterXavier's idea of Heaven is permission to scale the walls!

Christopher did a great job, outclimbing both of his parents!

We spent one lovely afternoon ice skating with friends.

Once the snow melted, we headed indoors to make festive marshmallow snow men!

And today, it was back to the old grind.  Daddy headed back to work while the kids and I broke out the school books.  It is nice to get back to routines, but the freedom of break is always missed!

Christmas Joy

Our family celebrated a wonderful Christmas.  Our usual tradition is to attend Midnight Mass as a family. Our parishes Midnight Mass is the real deal -- starting at the strike of midnight and lasting until the wee hours of morning, the joy of Christ coming is palatable.  Trumpets sound as we joyfully celebrate the Christ Child.

This year, with a few family members feeling under the weather and Christopher scheduled to serve his first ever Mass at 7:30 AM, we had to forgo our tradition.  I was sad to be missing one of my favorite Masses of the year, but was excited to celebrate Christmas with my son serving at the alter.  So well before sun up, Christopher and I headed out into the deep and glistening snow.  Our short walk to the Church in the silent darkness was a wonderful reminder of the dark cold night when our Savior came.  The moon was full and the snow shone in its light.  It was really beautiful!

And my favorite part of Christmas was seeing my little boy serving.  He was so sweet!

And after Mass, we got this nice family photo.  We never get good family pictures, so this was quite a gift!

(All photo credits go to my AWESOME new Nikon-- Christmas gift from my parents and Andrew!!)

Buried in Yarn and Frosting

It's the final push -- so much to get accomplished before Christmas!  The kids and I made two batches of cookies this morning and they both turned out well.  This is a big deal considering the lack of gluten, egg, and dairy they contain!  We still need to cut out the last bit of sugar cookie dough and frost the ones that are cooling right now.  Fun, fun!

I am buried in crafts right now, as well.  I need to get moving or some people on my list are going to receive half finished items, which isn't very exciting.  Opening a half finished glove and a ball of yarn on Christmas morning might bring laughs, but probably not much gratitude!  Maybe I can included knitting needles and offer a free lesson?  I could start a whole new market "Finish Your Own Christmas Gift"

I think it'll make me millions.

Oh Christmas Card

I am finding it ridiculously difficult to get five kids to smile all at once.  Do you think half dressed kids are inappropriate for a Christmas card??  Because I really like this bottom picture.  The top one is nice, but Andrew took it with his phone so it is a bit fuzzy.  (Or maybe it's "vintage".  I can pretend I took it with my old school SLR 35mm)

Do I even have time to do Christmas cards?  Talk about procrastinating.  No wonder the Church, in Her mercy, gave us twelve days of Christmas!

Fun Feasting!

Oh my. Aren't these little girls the cutest?? My nieces were princesses at our Gaudete Party last night.

A great time was had by all. We were a bit low on numbers, due to weather, sickness, and general bad advertising by the party planner. (ahem)

And now we have an abundance of food. I guess I won't be cooking for a while - woo!

And a joyful Gaudete is follow quickly by a Happy Santa Lucia today! I didn't have the energy to do the full early morning baking and wake up, but some cinnamon rolls might be in order later today. Especially given the beautiful snow fall, afternoon baking will be so cozy!

Gaudete!

Rejoice! Light your pink candle!

Taking a quick moment from party prep to print some activities for the kids. I love Gaudete Sunday! I hope you find a moment to Rejoice today!

A few fun Advent links:

Coloring Sheets

More coloring!

And these totally amazing Creches!!! (thanks, Jessica!)

Despite a few glitches -- like a husband who drank the party beer and a ham that wasn't a ham, we are hoping for a joyful Gaudete!

Where did the time go?

I can not believe that it was a whole SIX months ago today that our sweet little Avi was born! The time has flown by.

I have never known a child so dearly loved by her siblings! People always seem to think that children are going to be so jealous when the new little one arrives. I think this is just a culture-driven fallacy. This little girl is so loved that she never gets a break! But she loves her older siblings and doesn't mind (too much!) when they dote on her.

And rarely is she set down. In fact, just today, I layed her down and when I came back some unknown older sibling had set her up in a sitting position and she could stay in it for quite a while! I don't know if I should be sad that she learned to sit with no one noticing or happy that she is snuggled so often that she never really had the opportunity to practice!

Happy Sixth Months, Sweet Baby!!

brics for Mary

We took the kids for ice cream last night to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Not only a fantastic solemnity worth celebrating, but also the "name day" for Bella Concetta.

In this fuzzy pic, the kids have polished off their ice cream and are playing a game with Andrew.

We went to this super cute ice cream shop called brics in Indianapolis. It's in an old train depot and was very charming, albeit in a modern way.

It was a fun and cozy way to celebrate the day!

We're Alive!

Wozers. This is one neglected little corner of the internet! Is anyone even reading anymore??

My cute kids did their own impromptu photo shoot the other day. I'm not sure where PeterXavier was...probably causing trouble. Hopefully it didn't involve the knife drawer.

Holiday madness has ensued. I always decided to make way more gifts than I can handle, but we are enjoying the challenge. The kids have really taken to it as well, so it is fun to all create together!

Our little Avi, as you can see, isn't so little anymore! She is charming us everyday. Her siblings love her to the point that I sometimes have to ask them to stop! She is almost six months old now (what?? NO way!!), outrageously interested in the world and delighted to be alive. She can almost sit up and I am fearing that her immobile days are waning.

This last photo pretty much sums up my life. I'll let it do the talking.

Big Weekend

In addition to having our favorite friends visit this weekend, we had a few other adventures. On Saturday, Andrew graduated from Indiana Weslyan with his MBA. It was a very exciting day!

Then on Sunday, we visited some friends at there farm. Grace spent the day with Daisy-Mae, the horse. And fell in love!

This little foursome had quite a fun day. Grace was in heaven with the horse and Sarah, the lone girl in the midst of four brothers, had a ball with Isabella!

Best Buddies, Christopher and Isaiah, acting like goof-balls.

This one is from RiverFest. These cuties wanted there Mama, but she was singing, so Uncle Andrew had to do.

Tea party on the porch with Luke and Emma!

Summer Pictures

Some of our most fabulous friends have visited us a couple times this summer. Here is PeterXavier with his partner in crime, Luke.

Grace and Emma

Big daddy and his pal Avila, napping on a bench.

More summer pictures to come . . .

Pro-Life video link

I always laugh when I pop over to a blog or open a magazine and find Ben's work. My brain knows he's a real deal famous illustrator, but my heart still says he's that meany-head big brother who wouldn't let me play with him! ;) Check out the video -- it's kind of nifty.

A Little Linky

This speech, by a public school valedictorian, is excellent. I relates to my previous post on unschooling. Go read it!

Unschooling

I was asked to be on a panel, representing various different methods of education, for discussion at this evenings CHOICES meeting. I was to represent the "unschooling" homeschoolers. Another mother represented conventional homeschoolers and the last woman was a veteran of the public school system. (There was supposed to be a fourth person, representing private school education, but she was absent) I think the talk and discussion went very well. The group was small, but very receptive. I thought I would repost my talk here for others to read.

Please note that I am in no way claim that this is the one and only way to educate your children, nor am I setting out to put down conventional schooling. I am simply outlining and defining what works for our family at this time.

“Unschooling” is the popularized, but not necessarily flattering name for a method of learning also known as “child-led”, “child-centered”, “holistic”, and “organic”. Unschooling differs greatly in appearance from the other forms of schooling, but not in its fundamental end – the acquisition of knowledge and skill. As unschoolers, we simply go about this acquisition in a radically different way. In unschooling, the student, not the teacher, is the primary agent of learning. Ultimately, unschooling is a gentle and natural method of learning in which the innate curiosity of the child is respected.

As Aristotle pointed out in his work Metaphysics, “all men by nature desire to know”. In unschooling, this desire is respected and allowed to grow and flow naturally. The absence of blocked learning times leaves room for the child to explore and learn in a natural way. If presented with an environment ripe for natural learning, a child is guaranteed to garner knowledge. Despite the popular blueprint, learning need not be separated from living. As John Holt, the father of unschooling, has told us: “Children learn best . . . not by being taught, but by being a part of the world, free to explore what most interests them, by having their questions answered when they ask them, and by being treated with respect rather than condescension.”

Children naturally learn at different and individual rates. Unschooling respects this and allows the child to set his own pace in learning. There is time to “follow the rabbit trail”, so to speak. A child may run after his interests until this interest has waned and/or the natural curiosity is satiated. An unschooled child will gain knowledge via primary resources and hands on experience, therefore making the knowledge his own, instead of filling his brain with facts to be spilled back onto a page come test time. An unschooler learns for love of knowledge, not for the attainment of good grades.

Another benefit to this method of education is that the family learns as a whole unit. While older children will come away from an event with different information than the younger children, all will come away different and stronger because of the experience. For example, a hiking adventure may teach an older child about different flora and fauna in a certain area, differing life cycles and differing terrain while a very young child may simply find joy in an interesting bug or the feeling of sunshine on her face. Both of these children came away from the hike changed and better, but in very different and age appropriate ways. This gentle and natural learning fosters and life long love of learning and a desire to continue to gain knowledge long after the child has passed “school age”.

The role of the parent in the home of unschooler’s is not that of “vessel filler” but rather that of “resource provider”. The parent lays out an environment conducive to learning and then quietly steps into the background. This is NOT to say that the parent slips away and leaves the child to his own devises. Quite on the contrary, the parent must be always ready and willing the answer questions, research more information, or jump into the car for an impromptu field trip. Unschooling parents are always learning alongside their children. They must be equipped and eager to seize the learning opportunities in everyday task and events.

Another key component to successful unschooling is trust in the child. Unschooling is very child-based and child-led. We as parents must trust the child’s innate desire for knowledge and foster it through that trust. We must encourage individual curiosity by answering questions and providing materials and experiences which will allow the child to develop his natural interests.

Everyday life provides us with a multitude of learning opportunities. Because of our classroom-tainted vision of learning and the breakneck speed with which we move through our days, we very often miss these opportunities. As unschoolers, we must open our minds and eyes to the world around us and gently put the brakes on life so that we can see and learn as we move through our days.

Let me provide you with an example of gentle learning in everyday activities. Children love to write letters to friends and family members far away (my kids also like to send email!). A simple handwritten letter provided lessons in spelling, grammar, handwriting, and creative writing, as well as the joy of written correspondence. It is much more natural and enjoyable to write a letter than to study an arbitrary spelling list and take an exam on it, fill out a grammar worksheet, complete a creative writing assignment on a given subject, and labor over a handwriting sheet. Not to mention far less time consuming!

As adults, we gain knowledge be reading and researching whatever interests us at the moment – that is why we are here tonight! We learn through everyday life and experiences. We develop an interest and run after it, gathering knowledge along the way. As unschoolers, we are simply passing that liberty on to our children.

Our Weeekend in Pictures

Is there anything cuter than a big brother holding his new little sister??

We packed up all five kids and headed out to the Fiddler's Gathering this weekend. If you look closely in this picture, the miniature people in the back are Annie and Martin. We pulled in at the same time, so the cousins romped around together for the morning. Check out JC online for a super cute picture of the Annie, the kid-magnet!

Grace got a tin whistle lesson from a friendly man and then had a great time practicing.

After listening to music, eating and drinking merrily, and buying a wonderfully cute skirt, we headed out and decided to go to the cottage. On the way up, we stopped by the new People's Brewery and got a growler of their Fiddler's Brew -- yum! Added to a meal of Prophetstown pork chops and road stand sweet corn, it was the perfect meal!!

Now that I have three girls -- with (eventually) three heads of hair to fix, three cutie outfits to find, etc. I may need to enlist help from the upper ranks.

But for now, I think we need a little more supervision before we are ready to go out in public!

Baby, baby

It's amazing how much babies change in their first few days of life. Avila is only nine days old, but already she seems meatier and more awake. She is bright-eyed more than she was a few days ago.

And her bright eyes are BLUE. I know most people are used to blue-eyed newborns, but this is a first for our family. I hope that they stay blue -- such a contrast to her mass of dark hair!

Welcoming Baby

We are excited to welcome our little early bird, Avila Josephine!! She was born yesterday at 4:37PM and weighed in at an even seven pounds.


Immediatly upon her arrival, she stole the hearts of her older siblings. I can't blame them -- she is one sweet little girl.