Mama-luia

After almost three weeks of school, I'm finally getting around to talking about our back to school time for the 2017-2018 year. (Also, I nearly gasped typing the numbers "2018" for the first time; that year represents us being married for A DECADE!) This was a big year in our house, because THREE of our children are now in school. Yes, Noah is in Grade 3, which sounds so decidedly grown up, I could faint, Isaiah is in Grade 1, and teeny little Anna began Junior Kindergarten. The first day was not without Big Emotions, but not from the youngest who was being dropped off for the first time ever at school. Oh no. It was from our oldest. He had been away for the Labour Day long weekend on pilgrimage with Patrick, a 100km pilgrimage to be exact, and hadn't gotten home until 11pm the night before. I knew the night before that he would be exhausted the next morning and that would be a tricky start to third grade, and I was not wrong. What I hadn't considered, tho...

I wrote this post before I read Kelly's  most recent non-7 Quick Takes post  about enrolling some of her children in school and I was so touched by her transparency. I always appreciate it when homeschooling bloggers don't just disappear under a rock if and when they choose to use a school (as though there is a reason to be ashamed of enrolling one's kids!) I feel such solidarity when I encounter such posts (in fact  Blythe's post was actually part of my epiphany; she even used that word in her own title). While our reasons for choosing to enrol our own children were different, I related to a number of things Kelly said (such as a fear of being judged for having attempted homeschooling, as well as the happy realization that that fear was unfounded. As well she mentioned how she needed a break -- yep, relatable -- and how it feels like a part-time job managing her kids' schooling outside the home -- also relatable, although again, for different reasons. {Not a we...

I've been trying to write a Day in the Life post for a while, but surprise-surprise, it's interruptive to living my actual life to write down everything I do. So I decided yesterday to make some shorthand notes on scrap papers as I went about my business and convert it to a blog post later on. The times are approximate (except for when the baby wakes in the night: I really do check the clock whenever that happens) but the gist of my day is captured. Also, I added some cheesy stock photos for fun. Consider yourself warned. 3:00 Elijah wakes up crying. He already woke at 11:00 as well. I pick him up and nurse him. (His crib is in our room.) I put him back to bed. 3:20 Despite the baby being asleep, I feel wide awake so I opt to have a shower now, rather during the morning hustle. I check my email before heading back to bed (illogically, as no one likely will have emailed me between 9 PM when I last checked and now!) 3:40 I climb back into bed. 4:10 Elijah wakes again. ...

It's apparently the last hot day for... months. Or so. The long-range forecast shows cooler temperatures, an even vaguely chilly nights. I say, bring it on. I love fall. Ornamental gourds (!), cardigans, cooler bug-free outdoor time, autumnal foods like stews, soups and homemade bread (who wants to bake when it's 33 degrees outside?!), colourful leaves to admire and also jump in, oh and fleecy footie jammies on my sweet little children. And, for the first time in our family, this fall brings back to school time. I was unreasonably excited for them. Yes, excited for me, too, to have less noise and mess generated from 8:30 - 3 every day, but mostly just excited for them.  School was fun for me as a child and I love watching them having some of those same experiences... plus some wonderfully unique-to-our-rural life experiences, too. I mean, come on, snowshoeing at recess?! Awesome. Noah started Grade 2. He has his own desk now, instead of a table shared with...

Do you love "Before and After" posts as much as me? Makeovers, whether for the home or the person, are always so amazing. Not only is it exciting to see the side by side pictures of the impressive transformations, it's always a delight to hear from the transformee how the makeover impacted them personally. The surface work of remodelling a kitchen or a whole new hairstyle and wardrobe brings about interior change as well. My own "before and after" isn't nearly so dramatic because there's hardly anything to see as different from the outside . BEFORE : I wouldn't say I was unhappy before we enrolled the boys in school. There were, and still are, many things I value about homeschooling in general and our own homeschooling journey in particular. This post was sincere; I really did enjoy it. It's worth noting, though, that I much preferred it when they were younger. I actually like making play-doh creations and finger-painting and readi...

It's been official for a month now. We've quit homeschooling and have enrolled both of our boys into school. It has been a decision brewing for some time now, and after exploring lots of 'band-aid' solutions -- hiring help with the housework, rejigging Patrick's work schedule to pitch in more, afternoons 'off' for mom, screen time, no screen time, co-ops both run by me and run by someone else -- it was obvious that it wasn't working. We are very blessed because our particular school is quite small, has exceptional teachers, and a distinctly Catholic identity. While it's not perfect, and I'm sure the ideological anti-school naysayers would be quick to point that out, neither was our homeschooling experience. In fact, it was far from perfect. I felt constantly overburdened and anxious, the kids were under-stimulated or at least under-structured; in short, it didn't work for us. But the good news is... They now bound out of bed excitedly...

2015 was a wonderful year for our family. Not wild and crazy like 2013 -- when we sold a house, bought another house, moved, bought a new van, AND had a baby (better known as Anna). It was more of a steady year of growth for children and adults alike. January We got to meet the kids' new cousin for the first time, having travelled to Nova Scotia to spend Christmas and New Year's with family. She is more precious than words can say. The visit was just a wonderful boon for our children's hearts. February This is always a difficult month for me. Seemingly endless snow, frigid temperatures and stir-crazy family. But we get home projects accomplished. For instance, Patrick made some built-in bookshelves in the entrance of our laundry room. Because clearly when laundering, you may need to pick up H. Daniel-Rops. Obviously. March The temperatures began to climb up to some level of normalcy. Snow melted. People rejoiced. April Noah turned s...

Hurray! We have made it successfully through three months of 'real' homeschooling. I want to just pause and say... I am proud of that. It is morphed into something different than perhaps I had envisioned a year ago, or even in the end of August, but in many ways it is better than those expectations of mine had been. Having Patrick so actively involved has been a tremendous blessing. Because seriously, I do not get how women look after babies and tots while still making any headway teaching an older child Math & Phonics. I know it works for some families. But that wouldn't work for ours. Not without a pharmacy of anti-anxiety drugs or a maid. What we have devised has been wonderful, however: concentrated phonics, Math and catechism lessons for an hour a day for Noah taught by Patrick, while I play with the littles and work on letters and so on with Isaiah. Then throughout the day I do art, music, readalouds, science, baking and other life skills (how to make...