Home Sweet Texas

Well, even if I had any intention of writing anything more on this blog this summer after our baby boy is born, that notion has now gone out the window. At the end of the summer, we're moving home to Texas! For privacy reasons, I won't say where in Texas, but we are very excited to be moving back.

Texas is home. Texas is special. Texas is unique! We're heading back to grandparents (both sets), godparents (two sets), Uncle J, bluebonnets, Shiner Bock beer, Blue Bell ice cream, Aggies, wide open spaces, cheap housing, cowboy boots, where both our children were born, where we met and married, friendly strangers, true BBQ, sweet tea, country music, two-stepping, rodeos, big hair & mascara, cattle, rednecks, and SO much more!!!

Talk to you in the fall, I hope!

Time to Plan!!!

Are you finishing up this year and starting to think about what you're teaching next year? Do you already have some idea of how next year will look and are purchasing materials? Are you nowhere near finishing this year and wondering how you will even begin to plan next year? I can help!

Last year, I did a series of webinars for homeschooling families via Homeschool Connections titled Prayerfully Reflecting on Last Year and Prayerfully Planning for Next Year. Those webinars are still available for viewing for FREE!

I believe these webinars were graced by the Holy Spirit and are an excellent way to prepare yourself spiritually for choosing curriculum and making homeschooling plans for each of your children. The best part is you can watch them anytime you wish! So, go check them out.

While you're there, check out the Homeschool Connections course catalogs for junior high and high school classes! These are outstanding Catholic instructors, many of whom I know personally. The classes are interactive and online, and I guarantee your students will benefit from participating. You can even purchase a subscription to view previous courses and have the flexibility for your children to do the lessons at your own pace!

Anyway, here is what I wrote on Heart of a Mother about those webinars and how they came about if you want an explanation before watching. The process is based on the following document, which is extremely helpful even if you don't watch the webinars!


Personal Reflection Survey

I Want a Swagger Wagon!

I have never wanted a minivan so much in my life! This is almost contraction-inducing hysterical!

Mary IS Everywhere!

I shared with some friends this afternoon something beautiful my children and I have been doing for the past two years and have started again this year to honor Mary in the month of May. It is called Mary Around the World and was compiled by The Bookworm, a Catholic homeschooling mother in Bedfordshire, England.

I posted about this previously but wanted to put in another description of this woman's lovely idea! "For Mary's month of May, [she has posted] a series of "Our Lady Around the World" posts, taking one image and title of Our Lady daily, each from a different country."

Two years ago, when she did this, I printed out each blog post and put them in a binder. So, each day as we start our schooling with our Morning Basket, we take time to read about an image of Mary, say a prayer to her, and find the country on our world map.

This takes less than five minutes, usually, but has been an inspiring way to remember Our Lady, learn more about her love for us, and throw in a little geography, too! One year we even put small blue dots on each location, and by the end of May it was truly amazing to see how Mary is everywhere, watching over her children.

So, I recommend you head over to these posts (of course, they're in reverse date order) and check them out for yourself. You might want to print out each post, or you could simply visit the blog each day as you share with your children Our Lady's caring presence.

How to Listen to God's Voice

How did I never notice this before? I was an English teacher. I am a lover of language! Hello?!

Yesterday, our pastor was reminding us how important it is to listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd. He shared profoundly on how we will only be able to fully recognize His voice the more we listen to Him.

He gave the illustration that when his mother calls him on the phone, without looking at the caller ID, within milliseconds he knows it is her and how she is feeling or why she is calling. He has spent years with her in such an intimate relationship that he now knows the heart of his mother through the sound of her voice!

So, too, must we talk to God often in order to know His voice and understand what He wants us to hear. Most specifically, Father reminded us that we must listen to God's voice, and to do that requires silence. Yes, we have to find time to be quiet.

And, here was the profundity in language - take the letters in the word listen, rearrange them, and you get the word silent. I never saw that before yesterday, and I am in awe.

Father went on to remind us that this applies in all of our relationships, with our children, parents, friends, bosses, etc... In order to truly listen to another, we must be quiet. Since I have been reflecting this year on silence, I was especially touched by applying this both anew in my prayer life and with my children.

To listen requires silence. They are made of the same stuff, literally! How cool is that?!