This past week was our only week of summer break from school…after two days I remembered quite well why we do not take an extended vacation from formal schooling. They get into a fair amount of trouble with too much free time. They did have fun spending a few hours each day working on their own photo albums from our Disney trip last year. I’ve never allowed them to use my scrapbooking supplies in the past so they were really excited to touch all the forbidden paper, stickers, and sharp cutting tools! My husband and I just loved how their scrapbooks turned out. I enjoyed learning about the trip from each of their view points. I plan to let them make more scrapbooks in the future.
I think Littlest has struggled the most with the break from school. Nearly every day he begged to do his school work. He is very proud to be a Kindergartener. He really wants to learn to read and loves math. I just want him to enjoy being a little boy. He is only four and there is plenty of time to learn to read. In the past, I was so excited that Middle Boy was such a quick study that I pushed him too early to learn to read (and he is doing just fine now). Four years later I feel guilty about pushing Middle Boy into academics too soon…even though he was and still is perfectly capable. I think I felt the pressure to prove that we were not crazy to homeschool and I pushed all of my children too
hard. I regret that now. A few years ago I felt I had to prove to family that we were making the right decision. Today…well…it does not matter so much how others view us.
I used to have romantic notions of what it meant to be a part of an extended family. I used to dream of having nieces and nephews. I wanted to make biscuits and chocolate gravy like my Aunt Opal used to make and tell bedtime stories like my Aunt Pauline (but not about ghosts…why did she tell us scary ghost stories?!). I’ll never be an aunt…an awesome auntie like the ones I had. And that is okay…it is now anyway. I’ve cried my tears and let it all fade. During my years of dreaming I never dreamed about being a mother. I desperately wanted
to be a mother but never thought God would allow me to possess such reality. I always believed that I did not deserve my deepest desire and never allowed myself to openly acknowledge such yearnings.
Right now…the dreams I feared to acknowledge are my daily life…
I’ve never made my Aunt Opal’s chocolate gravy (she taught me how to make it). I guess I’ve been waiting for those nieces and nephews that will never be. I think I will surprise my own children one morning and make it for them…yes…I will do that soon.
We went on a little road trip this week to Lexington and stayed with friends. Our travel time ended up coinciding with Tropical Storm Bill. It rained everywhere we went! On the way to Lexington we stopped in Bardstown and went to the Civil War Museum. The museum is fabulous and if you are nearby sometime you should consider visiting. They also have several buildings on the grounds from the colonial time period. I think it was once a living museum but has not been active for the past few years. There is also a Women’s Civil War Museum nearby and a Mid-America War Memorial. Bardstown is a really beautiful town and I hope to explore it a little more someday. My two favorite items on display were General Robert E Lee’s amnesty oath signature and a Colt
42 belonging to Sargent York.
In Lexington we had a blast staying with dear friends. (Thank you for hosting us!!!)
On our way home we stopped to visit my former home at the monastery. I had the most wonderful visit with the sisters. I love then so much and I am the mother and wife I am meant to be because of my time with them. They gave Sparkles a lovely sewing machine! Tomorrow she will write the best thank you note of her life!!! I am blessed to call them my sisters and doubly blessed they are still a part of my life today.
My sweet friend Mama Quilts came over and spent the morning teaching Sparkles how to use her new sewing machine. Afterward, I took my sparkly girl to the store to pick out some fabric for a small quilt. She is so excited!
Tomorrow we will begin our summer session of school…
My Aunt Opal’s Chocolate Gravy
Sift 2 tablespoons of cocoa and 2 tablespoons of flour into a bowl with one cup of sugar. Add I&1/2 cups of milk, just a bit at a time until the mixture is smooth. Pour it into a cast iron skillet on a hot stove. Cook and stir until the mixture is smooth adding some water to keep it from getting too thick if necessary. Serve over hot biscuits. Yum!!! Kids will love you…guaranteed!
Linking up with: Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers
in pursuit of wild things 
June 23, 2015 at 9:40 am
What a lovely post! We love to scrapbook at our house too. You are a beautiful mamma to your children. What would we do without the blessing of motherhood? I thank my Heavenly Father for that blessing every day.
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June 23, 2015 at 4:22 pm
Oh I knew I followed you for a reason. I also grew up in a Monastery, well I spent most of my teenage years there anyway. I actually was a Sister for a few years after I turned 18 till about 20 before I and my confessor decided it was not my calling after all. I never took my perpetual vows only one year of temporary. Anyway I don’t advertise that fact because I always felt weird about it for some reason. I am so glad to know I am not an odd ball!!!!
I am right now doing the unschooling thing. We pulled Catie from PS at the end of this year so we are not even a month into the unschooling. Her full blown curriculum starts 10/1 but until then I am having to do things here and there in order for her to not “veg out” in front of computer or TV screens all the time, or so that I do not hear the “I’m bored” chorus over and over.
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June 30, 2015 at 2:53 pm
Wow! I left before taking vows. Not something I have in common with many people…well…no I’ve “met” until now! I wish you the best of luck and courage with unschooling. I just felt so lost while trying it out. I think it is a great way to go about education but I could never feel comfortable…always felt lost.
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June 26, 2015 at 5:10 pm
We chose not to home school our kids, after a lot of deep thinking on it, some regrets and a bit of doubt about this being the right choice. In the end, it was probably okay, but it often seems that they are busier and more mentally, physically active on their holidays, though.
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