I'm being blessed by the Charlotte Mason method already. This morning instead of taking the kids to the playground we took them to the Breakheart Reservation instead and went on a nice little nature walk. This is all so alien to me...I'm not really the 'out doors-ie type'(LOL...especially as the weather cools)...but I'm trying. 
"Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my joy and my delight."
--Psalms 43: 3-4
"Mary's Birthday Cake
All children love birthday cakes -- so today, let's make a birthday cake for the Blessed Virgin Mary. A white layer cake or angel food cake would be appropriate, with white icing and blue icing for trim (white is a symbol of purity; blue symbolizes fidelity, and is a color especially used for Mary). We suggest letting the children help with the decorations, if possible. If you have a small statue of Mary, it could be placed in the center of the cake, which can be surrounded by 10 candles -- one for each "Hail Mary" prayer in a decade of the Rosary. (If you don't have a little statue, you can write Mary's name on the cake in blue icing.)
At the end of the evening meal, each child could take turns lighting the 10 candles as the whole family prays together a "Hail Mary" for each candle, ending with the Lord's Prayer.
If the children are too young to light candles, mother could light the candles, then the adults could pray one Hail Mary at the end, just before the cake is cut. After eating the birthday cake, the prayer below could be said (this prayer, the concluding prayer from "Matins" of the Divine Office, could also be said with the children at bedtime).
Lord God,
the day of our salvation dawned
when the Blessed Virgin gave birth to your Son.
As we celebrate her nativity
grant us your grace and your peace.
Through Christ our Lord, Amen."
Birth of Mary
"Spirit of God, fill our hearts with a desire to seek truth and rejoice in beauty. Help us to know what is pleasing to you and to understand what is right and good in your sight. Give us the spirit of learning that we may please you by our thoughts and love you in your creation. Give all teachers your constant encouragement and guide them in their good work. Spirit of God, make us effective witnesses of your truth to all whose lives we touch. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen."
Once there were two women who never knew each other. One you do not remember, the other you call Mother.
Two different lives shaped to make you one. One became your guiding star, the other became your sun.
The first one gave you life, and the second taught you to live it. The first gave you a need for love. The second was there to give it.
One gave you a nationality. The other gave you a name. One gave you a talent. The other gave you aim.
One gave you emotions. The other calmed your fears. One saw your first sweet smile. The other dried your tears.
One sought for you a home that she could not provide. The other prayed for a child and her hope was not denied.
And now you ask me, through your tears, the age-old question unanswered through the years. Heredity or environment, which are you a product of? Neither, my darling. Neither. Just two different kinds of Love.
© Author Unknown
Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor. For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
A weary mother returned from the store,
Lugging groceries through the kitchen door.
Awaiting her arrival was her 8-year-old son,
Anxious to relate what his younger brother had done.
"While I was out playing and Dad was on a call,
T.J. took his crayons and wrote on the wall!
It's on the new paper you just hung in the den.
I told him you'd be mad at having to do it again."
She let out a moan and furrowed her brow,
"Where is your little brother right now?"
She emptied her arms and with a purposeful stride,
She marched to his closet where he had gone to hide.
She called his full name as she entered his room.
He trembled with fear--he knew that meant doom!
For the next ten minutes, she ranted and raved
About the expensive wallpaper and how she had saved.
Lamenting all the work it would take to repair,
She condemned his actions and total lack of care.
The more she scolded, the madder she got,
Then stomped from his room, totally distraught!
She headed for the den to confirm her fears.
When she saw the wall, her eyes flooded with tears.
The message she read pierced her soul with a dart.
It said, "I love Mommy," surrounded by a heart.
Well, the wallpaper remained, just as she found it,
With an empty picture frame hung to surround it.
A reminder to her, and indeed to all,
Take time to read the handwriting on the wall.
Author Unknown
Catholic News Agency: "'Instead, heaven is the real goal of our earthly pilgrimage,' he stated. 'How different our days would be if they were guided by this perspective! This is what it was for the saints. Their lives witnessed that when one lives with one's heart constantly turned to heaven, earthly realities are lived in the proper proportion.'"
myCatholic.com � Customizable Catholic Homepage: "Blessed be you, my God, for having created me!
� St. Clare"
myCatholic.com � Customizable Catholic Homepage: "Reflections from the Saints
O my God, fill my soul with holy joy, courage and strength to serve You. Enkindle Your love in me and then walk with me along the next stretch of road before me.
� St. Edith Stein"
FOXNews.com - Spelling 'Ursprache' Wins National Spelling Bee - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment: "Katharine Close, an eighth-grader at the H.W. Mountz School in Spring Lake, N.J., is the first girl since 1999 to win the national spelling title."
News from Agape Press: "'Here we have the nation's largest child health organization telling us two years ago that kids under two shouldn't be watching television at all,' Maier laments, 'and yet this huge number of children are doing just that.' But although he thinks allowing the TV to 'baby-sit' while adults do other things is an immature and selfish trend, he emphasizes that he does not believe most parents are uncaring, only uninformed."
Rediscovering everyday mothering � More mothers are staying at home - Catholic Online:
"In a new twist, women today are choosing raising children over building careers, and the idea that homemaking has a special dignity all its own is catching on once again.
Many media reports claim that Ivy League college graduates in comfortable careers are just as likely to leave the job as less career-oriented women. Recent studies, widely publicized, have shown that at-home mothers are also happier in their marriages.
The trend is also gaining a foothold in Great Britain, where the Sunday Times reported April 16 that the new educated woman 'is a housewife,' who regards her prime responsibility as bringing up the children.
For many Catholic moms, staying home with children is neither a new trend nor a revelation for its marriage-strengthening properties. Embracing the vocation of motherhood is about embracing God's will, many say, and making the sacrifice for the greater good. "
Mother Of All Peoples:
"My last words are for the children: dear boys and girls, I see so many of you dressed like Francisco and Jacinta. You look very nice! But in a little while or tomorrow you will take these clothes off and... the little shepherds will disappear. They should not disappear, should they?! Our Lady needs you all to console Jesus, who is sad because of the bad things done to him; he needs your prayers and your sacrifices for sinners.
Ask your parents and teachers to enroll you in the 'school' of Our Lady, so that she can teach you to be like the little shepherds, who tried to do whatever she asked them. I tell you that 'one makes more progress in a short time of submission and dependence on Mary than during entire years of personal initiatives, relying on oneself alone.' (1) This was how the little shepherds became saints so quickly. A woman who gave hospitality to Jacinta in Lisbon, on hearing the very beautiful and wise advice that the little girl gave, asked who taught it to her. 'It was Our Lady,' she replied. Devoting themselves with total generosity to the direction of such a good Teacher, Jacinta and Francisco soon reached the heights of perfection.
'Father, to you I offer praise, for what you have hidden from the learned and the clever you have revealed to the merest children.'
Father, to you I offer praise for all your children, from the Virgin Mary, your humble Servant, to the little shepherds, Francisco and Jacinta.
May the message of their lives live on forever to light humanity's way!
John Paul II"
News from Agape Press: "The United States Supreme Court may hear a case involving a school district's censorship of an art poster that a kindergartener drew for a school assignment -- a drawing that was partly suppressed by school officials because it contained the child's depiction of Jesus."
Catechism of the Catholic Church - PART 2 SECTION 2 CHAPTER 3 ARTICLE 7: "1653 The fruitfulness of conjugal love extends to the fruits of the moral, spiritual, and supernatural life that parents hand on to their children by education. Parents are the principal and first educators of their children.164 In this sense the fundamental task of marriage and family is to be at the service of life.165 "
Grace For Gayle - Our very own "School" bus! - Homeschoolblogger.com:
"I remember at first that they felt like they were missing out on something. They would see the neighborhood kids walking every morning to the corner in front of our house and wait for the big yellow bus to come pick them up. It looked like a party, I'm sure; everyone playing on the way, large groups of kids standing around 10 feet from our front door. They wanted to join in. Plus, their grandma was a public school teacher and she would conveniently tell them all they were missing by staying at home. They knew ALL about recess!! So, after being worn down by all the whining and big puppy dog eyes of disapointment, I got the great idea to ride the 'school' bus. "
myCatholic.com - Customizable Catholic Homepage:
"Study
If you are to serve God with your mind, to study is a grave obligation for you.
---St. Josemaria Escriva, The Way, #336"
Catholic News Agency: "He told the crowd that St. Joseph's example presents all the faithful with 'a powerful invitation to perform the role that Providence has assigned us with faithfulness, simplicity and modesty.'
He particularly highlighted the role of 'fathers and mothers in families,' adding his prayers 'that they may always know how to appreciate the beauty of a simple and hard-working life, carefully cultivating their conjugal relationship and enthusiastically accomplishing the great, and by no means easy, mission of education.'"
Gratia Plena - Simply Living a Life of Grace:
"Kids Daily Routines
7:30 am
*Wake up
*Wash up
*Get Dressed
*Make bed
8:15 am
*Morning Prayers...music time
8:30 am
*Breakfast
9:00 am
*School Time
10:30 am
*Recess
11:00 am
*Snack/ Lunch
11:30 am
*Nap or quiet time
2:00 pm
*Snack / Lunch
2:30 pm
*Arts & Crafts
3:30 pm
*Reading Time
4:00 pm
*TV/Video Time
5:00 pm
*Free Play
6:00 pm
*Dinner
*Clean up
7:00 pm
*Family Time
8:00 pm
*Wash up
*Put on PJ's
*Read Story
*Prayers"
...In the Presence of God: "Any ideas on how to encourage ministries? I'm thinking that it probably starts with helping others discover their gifts and encourage them to put them to use. "
USCCB - (NAB) - February 23, 2006:
"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,
it would be better for him if a great millstone
were put around his neck
and he were thrown into the sea."
USCCB - (NAB) - February 18, 2006:
"Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters,
for you realize that we will be judged more strictly,
for we all fall short in many respects.
If anyone does not fall short in speech, he is a perfect man,
able to bridle the whole body also.
If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us,
we also guide their whole bodies.
It is the same with ships:
even though they are so large and driven by fierce winds,
they are steered by a very small rudder
wherever the pilot's inclination wishes.
In the same way the tongue is a small member
and yet has great pretensions.
"
Ages to Report: "Ages to Begin and Stop Reporting to the Local School District
In Massachusetts, the Board of Education is delegated by the legislature to set the minimum and maximum ages of school attendance. The Board of Education, through the Department of Education Regulations, has set ages 6-16 as those required for attendance. "
