Originally Posted at Bravest Thing. But hey, I can post it here too right?

Imagine if Moses had to fight a ferocious green-scaled dragon on Mount Sinai before he took possession of the ten commandments. Oh the plot development! One could surmise that the plague-filled exodus of Moses and the Israelites from Egypt clearly was not attention grabbing enough. Or suppose Thomas More successfully battled off two hundred imperial soldiers with only a small mace before he finally perished at the backstabbing hands of Henry VIII. Further, consider the greatness of creating two elvish characters and having them, for no real purpose, fall in love in The Hobbit. I guess this last scenario was criminally accomplished by Peter Jackson already, of whom I would figure had too many full pints of Brie ale before directing The Hobbit. Not that I bothered to finish watching his work. I can only take so many punches in the metaphorical gut before I give up on a movie.

Why do we try to "improve" what is great by removing the actual greatness and replacing it with prideful dribble? That Peter Jackson could have a craftier way than J.R.R. Tolkein of turning three trolls into stone is, well, let's just say mind-boggling is not a strong enough term. Yet this is done frequently. Did the world really need a newer version of The Miracle on 34th Street? Apparently Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell wasn't ridiculous enough on its own so it needed Uncle Kracker (insert: who?) to further destruct the sacred hippy-hymn. Why pave a paradise only to put up a parking lot? So too consider Disney remakes of Cinderella, Jungle Book, and now Aladdin. Perhaps Home Alone is due for a face lift; why not have the mom be left at home? I'm sure she'd appreciate it. And To Kill a Mockingbird could use some social justice revising, perhaps if Atticus Finch was a woman and the real struggle was for equality of women in the midst of a male dominated attorney industry. Finally, don't get me started about creativity in the liturgy.

With this in mind, I bring you today's Music Monday: The Misty Mountains. I am a huge fan of the novel... you know... "Bravest Thing" and all... it comes from The Hobbit...ahem, anyway... Most people I ask about The Hobbit movie say that the early scenes with the dwarves singing are the best parts. The movie peaked too soon and it's all downhill from there. So why is this scene so popular? It is neither hip nor cool. Nor does it rely on famous actors and mythical romance, though perhaps Uncle Kracker would be a fine name for a dwarf. In fact, the scene is reminiscent of some form of Celtic chant. Chant. That "music" which we are supposed to shun. The point is ironic to some, but as obvious as the sun in the sky to me: The scene is true to the great book of Tolkein, and that is why people love it.

The dwarves sing about their upcoming journey. The yearning of the words is matched only by the sombre intensity of the tune. Tolkein writes:

Far over the Misty Mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away, ere break of day
To seek our pale enchanted gold.

Leaving greatness to speak for itself is why I have posted this selection for Music Monday. 

Unfortunately, we are like the dragon sitting on the pile of unused treasure. We ignore the treasure and gush over cracker jack plastic rings, or other innovations which are loosely based on the original treasure. Instead we must actually open these treasures of art, liturgy, and literature. Indeed, to further quote the dwarves:

We must away, ere break of day,
To claim our long-forgotten gold.

Let us claim our treasure indeed.

The movie version:

A longer version:

Families: Being a Sign the World is to Be Practical

A selection from my latest article:

"How can a family, particularly a Catholic family open to life, be a sign of hope to the world? How can you be the Gospel for people when you are completely fatigued from wiping noses, cleaning food off walls, and bribing two year olds with Smarties for using the potty? You cannot give what you do not first have, and I think many Catholic families struggle with day-to-day life. "Lord make me a channel of Your peace" is replaced with "Lord, if that kid spits on me one more time! I swear I'm gonna..."

And further:

"People sleep train kids. They day-care train them to handle day after day in the care of others. I say, why not prayer-train them? Not every day will be perfect, just as not every day in prayer is an overwhelming success. But it can be done, and by God’s grace, done well. Only by silent mental prayer (in addition to family vocal prayer) can a family fulfill its mission to the world."

Read the rest of it over at Bravest Thing. Click HERE.

Photo credit: pixtastock.com

The One Thing Necessary

I was reading the story of Martha and Mary from St Luke’s Gospel. Feeling tired and discouraged over my seeming endless daily tasks and lack of me-time, I groaned. I’m Martha, overwhelmed at my to-do list and full of complaints. Jesus tells her: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; and yet only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part…” I wanted to shout: “But Lord, you gave me this vocation as a wife and mother. These things – making meals, doing laundry, cleaning – they are all necessary.” Then I realized: He know that already. Of course He does.

So, what is this “better part”? Is it peace, rest, contentment?

I’ll be the first to admit I’m guilty of putting tasks before relationships. I’m often more concerned with getting my kitchen cleaned up than sitting down and snuggling my kids with a book (Yet, I’m a huge advocate for read-alouds and making those moments.). So, I think that it’s the proper place of relationships and priorities in life that is key to understanding this passage.

Letting go of the idea that I can “get it all done” if I work harder and longer – and that that will bring me peace. “Wasting” time with the people that matter the most: God, my family, good friends. Getting priorities straight so that people (especially God) matter more than things and status. Practicing simple mental prayer, and giving my day over to God. Accepting the busy-ness of life, and choosing to do the most important tasks. Doing my tasks in, with, and through Jesus; bringing Him into my daily grind.

Union with Christ. The “one thing necessary”? Yes.

May I learn to choose the better part. Today. Everyday.

Homeschool Notes: A New Year Begins

It took us a few weeks to ease into the school year this time around. We had my parents visit in mid-September, so it almost took a second start to get a routine going. I think we're finally in the groove, but the last week we finally had some beautiful fall weather, so we definitely took advantage of that to spend more time outside.

Morning Basket
In September, we learned "Hail, holy Queen, enthroned above" for our hymn. During October, we're learning "For all the Saints" at Joseph's request.

Joseph memorized "The Owl and the Pussycat" and has moved on to "The Duel" (The Gingham dog and the Calico cat, side by side on the table sat...)

John Paul memorized a cute little R.L. Stevenson poem:

Time to Rise  

A birdie with a yellow bill
Hopped upon the window sill,
Cocked his shining eye and said:
"Ain't you shamed, you sleepyhead!"

You can imagine his cute smile as he finishes it off. He's now working on a nursery rhyme about another bird.

We've been reading lots of fall related and other library books, but nothing superb is jumping out at me to share. For chapter book read-aloud, we've read Mr. Popper's Penguins and My Father's Dragon so far this year. The boys loved both books and even Emilie was going around asking to read, "Mist Pop Pengs"!

  

Language Arts
John Paul is joining the ranks this year with "preschool" and starting to write some letters. Recently, he picked up a pop-up Bible memorization verse and copied the entire thing into a little notebook. He hasn't learned to write all his letters, but he did a darn good job, even if there are no spaces between words whatsoever.

"Ask and it will be given you..."

Joseph wants to learn cursive this year, but for now we're just practicing letters and spacing. His writing is really beautiful and I'm excited for cursive too!

Excerpt from My Father's Dragon

We've been doing lots of phonics and spelling review. I love using The Writing Road to Reading for spelling and phonics. Even though is pretty intense to learn and teach, I find I'm so impressed with how it makes sense and really teaches basics.

We're working on understanding what parts make a simple sentence (capital letter, subject, verb, punctuation, etc.) and beginning some grammar. The boys were exuberant the other day coming up with nouns to fill in a persons, places, things list. Weird? Haha. Not with a grammar snob for a mom.

Math
Lots and lots of review from last year. For Joseph, we're working on making addition and subtraction problems to 12 second nature. He's getting really good. Of course, we're also doing all the other stuff. Nothing terribly exciting. John Paul is learning to write his numbers. He wrote numbers up to 30 the other day with just a little bit of help. He's also putting number tiles in order and all that other number work.

Science
Joseph really wanted to do some mechanical science this year. So before beginning our astronomy study we're doing, we spent a few weeks studying and building simple machines using A Guide to the Way Things Work, basically an easier version of David Macauley's famous book.

  

It was tons of fun, but unfortunately I didn't get any good pictures of it. Joseph and John Paul designed and built pulleys, cranes, moving vehicles, etc. and spent time looking at the types of simple machines we see at work all around us every day. Here's a little something Joseph built from a new book:



Social Studies
We're doing something new this year and I'm so excited. In Around the World with Picture Books, Part 1, we are studying some countries from Asia and Africa, as well as Australia and Antarctica. The study focuses on picture books highlighting cultural aspects, history, and geography, but includes lots of nature study, folktales, music, art, and poetry. I'm so impressed with this program and what all of us are learning!

Around the World with Picture Books, Part 1 from Beautiful Feet Books

We began Japan last week. John Paul was so excited that the Japanese flag was easy to draw... and now we have a whole poster filled with Japanese flags on our wall.

A New Saint: What the Church can Learn from Baseball

My latest entry at Bravest Thing. I ranted a bit, and will probably calm down a bit and see things differently after more sleep. Check it out HERE.

Haken Loob for the Hall of Fame?

For Whom the Bell Tolls

HERE is my latest post over at the Bravest Thing.

I apologize for the confusion of writing blogs at another site, and then posting the links here. After thinking and praying over things (I know, I know, not exactly infallible, but we do our best), I decided just to give writing at a more formal location a shot. More specifically, at a website location where our children's pictures won't be plastered all over for the world to see. Now I can't just do my writing and then say "God, do the rest." That isn't right. I still need to do some of the marketing and self-promoting, if you will, to see where things go. The marketing aspect seems to be one I struggle with. And if it all becomes too time consuming and a detriment to the family, then of course I'll stop. But for now, please check out the link if you haven't done so already.

Context of "The Bravest Thing"

An entry revealing a little bit about my new blog project. Read it HERE.

Message for all Seat of Wisdom Alumni: It's Time to Give

The Academy (permit me to call it that instead of Seat of Wisdom College) is in the midst of an alumni giving back campaign. The long and short of it is that they are looking for alumni, ALL alumni, to pledge monthly donations. Set monthly donations makes life much more palatable for the school. I know with almost complete moral certainty that alumni can easily pledge, if nothing else, $5 to $10 a month. We're so rich. We have no idea. Don't take my word for it. Listen to the wisdom of Weird Al:

Look, maybe things were better in the "old days" at the Academy. I think many of us alumni like to think so. Regardless, we need places like the Academy. Where else in Canada can people go to be immersed in Aquinas, Aristotle, and Magisterial thought? Where else are we going to go to learn how to think clearly? Last week we had teacher meetings all day. I was put in a group with a few others and we were given a problem to solve. I came up with a solution in under 20 seconds. The group wasn't sure about it. They then spent the next 90 minutes discussing in detail each and every aspect of the problem, while I sat there and drooled in boredom. They finally concluded that they should use my original solution. It has nothing to do with high intelligence. It's just that the Academy teaches people (it taught me) how to think clearly.

There is an urgency to this message. The Academy has a matching donor for this week. Give immediately to double your investment.

Alumni, please go to the Academy website HERE.

Papolatry: Fix it or we'll fix it for you

Here is an article which was difficult to write for me. It's on papolatry. Please read it HERE. And pray for our Church!

History of the Rosary in One Easy Video

A new blog site means I need to get a few posts going. I apologize if I link to it a fair bit the next little while. Here's a link to a great video on the history of the rosary.

Please check it out HERE:

New Website: www.bravestthing.com

There's a new blog site I am starting (though slightly under construction). Please check out:

www.bravestthing.com

I know, how fancy. My own blog without a blogpost.com address. It cost me a cool $17. Hopefully it's worth it.

And happy thanksgiving!

Geese Day {photos}

We always have a few of what the kids call 'Geese Days' every fall. Our part of town seems to be a regular sky 'highway' for the birds heading South and every year we have thousands and thousands of geese fly right over our house -- so many in one day that we can see them across the sky as far as the eye can see.

When my parents came to visit in September we took them to our Wildlife Sanctuary nearby to check out the geese on the water. All the way from the parking lot, we could hear the geese honking on the "lake" in the field. So. Many. Geese. When we were down by the water, thousands flew up into the air from their feeding in the field and around and around in circles before settling on the lake. You can see them rising behind Joseph near the water, but our pictures don't do justice to it.

It's been a cold, near sunless fall for us. But 'Geese Day' was up there with the nicest, albeit only 13 degrees, sunny weather we've had.

In other fun happenings during their grandparents' visit, the kids made a massive fort in the living room with Grandpa, took "naps" under there, and ate snacks. I'm really not sure who was having the most fun!