Catholic Homeschooling Magazine

Have you all seen mater et magistra yet? It is absolutely gorgeous.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, it is the new Catholic homeschooling magazine. Margot Davidson of Hillside Education took over the ever struggling Heart and Mind and pumped a whole lot of life into it. Margot has been in the publishing biz a while now and really knows her stuff. Not only is the cover art and layout beautiful, but the content topnotch.

A Haystack Full of Needles Again

Alice Gunther's new book continues to amaze. Here are yet more positive reviews.

Melissa Wiley
Karen Edmisten
Leticia Velasquez
Pamela Pilch

Here is an excerpt from the forward by none other than Laura Berquist:

I homeschooled my own children for 23 years. I loved those days, and I can honestly say we had a very good time. Nonetheless, I wish I had had this book. It is practical in the very best sense; it gives excellent, concrete suggestions for providing formative social activities for children and adults, and does so in the overarching light of charity. Alice reminds us to be reasonable in our expectations for ourselves and for others. She gives specific suggestions about time and location that I know, from my own experience, will make a real difference in the success of the activities. I have already taken suggestions from her book and passed them on to other mothers, urging them to buy this book as soon as it is available.

Everything in A Haystack Full of Needles is guided by the principle that we must see Christ in all those around us. That is what makes this such a valuable resource. Frankly, I think it is a valuable resource not only for those who are homeschooling, but for all who have school age children or grandchildren. Alice talks throughout the book about her good friends and she does it in such a way that she, and they, become our friends, too. They become the very best kind of friends, those united in the pursuit of virtue and the love of God.

I love this book and I don't say that lightly. It is truly wonderful. I am honored to write the foreword.

Common Steuby Names

Can you guess what the most common girl's name is at Franciscan University in Steubenville? How about the most common boy's name? Guess and then check the comments for the answer.

HLC: Haystack Full of Needles

Homeschool Library Connection is a Yahoo Group similar to Pope St. Nicholas V, except that the focus is on general homeschooling books.

Check to see if this title is already in your library's catalog. If it is, put a hold on it and check it out. If not, fill out a patron request form right away. This can usually be done online at your library's website.

Title: Haystack Full of Needles: A Catholic Home Educator's Guide to Socialization
Author: Alice Gunther
Publisher: Hillside Education
Date Published: July 2008
ISBN: 0979846951
ISBN-13: 978-0979846953
Price: $12.95
Amazon link

Blog Reviews:
Mary Gildersleeve
Nancy Brown
Jenn Miller
Suzanne Temple


Product Description

Most of us at one time or another have had to wrestle with the issue of socialization, either when dealing with friends and family members who question our decision to home educate, or when in our own hearts we worry about our children's hopes for friendship. In this book Alice shows that "Socialization is not the weakness of home education it is its strength and joy." Alice chronicles her own path from skepticism about home educating's ability to provide sufficient social experiences for her children, to the flowering of a local home school group that provides its members with meaningful social experiences within the context of home educating. Full of examples and practical suggestions, this will be an extremely uplifting addition to your cache of home education resources.

Editorial reviews:

Haystack Full of Needles calls itself A Catholic Home Educator s guide to Socialization but in reality it is much more than that. This book is exactly what we need in our modern world where so many have lost all sense of the value of community. Gunther speaks from a mother s heart, recognizing the human need for community and for social support, especially among Catholic homeschooling families where feelings of isolation and not fitting in can be demoralizing and discouraging.
--Danielle Bean, Senior Editor of Faith and Family Magazine

What makes Haystack Full of Needles so compelling is that it is much more than an explosion of the myth that homeschoolers lack proper socialization it is a vivid, lively, and detailed account of how homeschooling families can build community and friendship. The perfect blend of personal narrative and practical advice, Haystack Full of Needles is an inspiring heartwarming chronicle of the growth of a lively homeschooling community. At first, readers will wish they could live in Alice s neck of the woods and be a part of all the marvelous events she describes, but by the book s end, they ll be overflowing with excitement to put Alice s ideas into practice in their own homes, parishes, and homeschooling communities.
--Melissa Wiley, author of The Martha Years series and The Charlotte Years series

Tears of Joy and Sorrow

Our weekend at Franciscan University Steubenville was one filled with joy and sorrow.

The accidental death of Kelly Roggensack on the previous Tuesday was felt throughout the campus. We of course prayed for her during the masses and she was remembered at many of the presentations we attended. Franciscan is special in that it is a small university and it is immersed in spirituality. The death of a student there is felt deeply by the entire community. Tears were shed in sadness for her loss and yet, as Christians, a certain joy that she will be joining our Heavenly Father.

And amongst the tears for Kelly were tears of mothers and fathers leaving their children behind. Tears of joy as we were all leaving our children in good hands. We left them in a place where they will be fed spiritually, academically, and physically. But there were also tears of sadness as we will miss our children. They have taken that first real step into the world of grownups. We won't be there to help iron out their problems, remind them to eat their vegetables, or make sure they keep their rooms tidy.

Almost nineteen years of mothering was left on the doorstep of Francis Hall. Hopefully, I gave him a strong enough foundation upon which he can build a life that is fulfilling to him and pleasing to God.

For the record, I did turn out to be the Rock of Gibraltar after all. I didn't break down into a river of tears as predicted by all my friends and family. Though I should admit it is only because I did not speak when it came time to say goodbye. When Christian told me goodbye, I only nodded. As he walked away and looked back to say goodbye again, I only waved. If I had opened my mouth, I wouldn't have been able to stop the tears to make the 5-hour drive home.

Franciscan Spirituality

The Seven Basic Franciscan Values

1. Conversion to and love of Jesus Christ, His Gospel and His Church.

2. A Christocentric theology accenting the primacy of love.

3. An Incarnational emphasis as seen in the crib, cross and the Eucharist, and our Lady’s participation in this mystery.

4. Lived experience of the Triune God in prayer and contemplation.

5. Hope, optimism and the goodness of God and His creatures.

6. Fraternity and peace through Reconciliation with Christ and one another.

7. Solidarity, as lesser brothers and sisters, with, among and in service to the Poor.

Nuns, Dolls, and Little Girls

If you are a sweet little girl all of 8-years old and you play with and love on your St. Therese doll everywhere you go, you are sure to attract the attention of every nun within a mile.

Yesterday, Princess Rose was feeling a little under the weather and so, in an effort to raise her spirits, I bought her a one of those soft dolls, Faith Filled Friends. I had promised a souvenir anyway and she was so very excited to receive the gift. She held onto that doll all day with dear life. Between St. Therese and Tylenol, Princess got through the busy day of getting her brother settled into college without serious incident.

The neat part is that the doll made Princess a nun magnate. They'd see her clutching onto that doll and couldn't resist asking for a peek. Each was thrilled to find out that they only at to go to the university bookstore to find one of their own. I think we met and visited with every nun on campus, and that's a good number. In fact, Princess is now the pen pal of a Franciscan sister.

The admiration was mutual. We happened to sit in front of a group of nuns in Mass yesterday. Princess could not keep her eyes off of them. I finally gave up on reminding her to turn around and listen to the bishop. She was mesmerized. She has declared, without a doubt, "I'm going to be a nun when I grow up!"

Inspiration in Preparing for College

In visiting Vive Christus Rex, I found this letter from Msgr. James McDonald, the Rector of The Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington, NY. It was published in the church bulletin a few years back to young people going off to college. For those of us sending kids off to college this weekend, it is perfectly timed. Email to your kids if you already dropped them off.

Dear Friends:

There will be a lot of high school graduations this weekend and many of our Catholic High Schools have already conducted theirs. Now there is that last summer at home and the preparation for the big move in late August or early September. I thought in this letter I would like to talk realistically to our new graduates and soon-to-be freshmen. You have serious responsibilities to yourself and your parents and certainly to Christ.

Those of you who are going away will be entering a far different world. You will have to make adjustments and compromises with roommates; in short you will have to learn to live with people other than members of your own family. Some of these people may be great but others can be annoying and definitely unpleasant. I'm hoping that you get a roommate who is a decent, considerate human being. And by the way, be that kind of roommate yourself. You represent your family and all the values you have been taught in your home.

That very different world of college has very definite moral problems. Often enough, the atmosphere is poisoned by immorality. Practically every school considers itself a big drinking school and there is enormous pressure to fit in with an established pattern of drinking that is a considered a part of college life. Don't! Any dope can be a drunk in college - it takes no ability and is an indication of a lack of moral backbone.

Drunkenness kills and if it doesn't do that immediately, it destroys lives through the tragedy of alcoholism. You are a follower of Jesus Christ and not a follower of the world. Be different! You will find others who share your same point of view.

The sixth commandment, which forbids all sexual activity outside of marriage, is not suspended by God during the four years of college. No matter how lonely you may feel or romantically inclined you may be, you are expected to be a living image of Christ at all times. Your parents brought you up with distinct and definite moral values. Please don't disappoint them! Happy marriages do not begin with college immorality.

You have a definite responsibility to go to Mass each and every Sunday or Saturday evening. I'm counting on you to go even if an awful lot of others don't. I urge you to participate in the campus ministry program and make yourself known to the chaplain. Help prepare for Mass if you are fortunate enough to have Mass on campus. Try to participate in the ministry programs. You should meet some wonderful people there.

Finally, you are in college to study. Do it! And, oh yes, use that cell phone to call mom and dad very, very frequently. They will be missing you more than you'll ever know.

In Jesus and Mary, Monsignor James M. McDonald

Prayers Please

Please pray for our friend Don. He is a dad from our 4-H group. He was in a bad motorcycle accident and broke his neck. He is scheduled for surgery today. I know he and his family would much appreciate your prayers.

We Made It to Steuby

As we walked into J C Williams Hall, Princess Rose lit up like a Christmas tree and exclaimed, "Mama, Mama, they have nuns here!" Later in the cafeteria, we would sit and chat with a sweet Franciscan sister who asked Princess Rose to commit to pray for her. Sister also promised to pray for us. Princess Rose, all decked out btw in her Princess in Disguise T-shirt, was in Heaven.

I think the nuns who have given up their habits have done a great disservice to little girls everywhere. Princess would've missed out on a good bit of joy had yesterday's sisters been in everyday pantsuits. She also would've missed out on a good prayer opportunity.

Princess late into the evening told me, "I want to go to school at Steuby. The people here are so nice!"

On a previous visit, Buster shared that he would also like to call FUS home someday. Though his reasons are different from Princess, being he's a 12-year=old boy as opposed to an 8-year-old girl. Oh yes, his reason is so much more mature. From the horse's mouth, "I'm going to school here! The cafeteria is awesome!" Yes, Steuby got to his heart through his stomach.

Move-in day went well. Things were so well organized. We pulled up to the front of the hall and a horde of students appeared, ready to take all our boxes up to the room. We didn't have to carry a single thing. Well, except for the two boxes that got sent to the wrong room. But that wasn't so bad as it still saved us a flight of stairs.

Christian got everything unpacked and organized pretty quickly, but then there wasn't much to unpack. It's dorm life -- 100 square feet of living space. You don't want to bring too much. In fact, Christian and his roommate Dustin are planning on turning the beds into a bunk bed to free up space. Maybe they'll be able to even hang their legs off the sides of the bed then.

I had the chance to chat briefly, very briefly, with Father Scanlan. He is such a sweet man. I could see right away how his leadership, along with God's intervention, brought this school back to life all those years ago.

Well, I must get my day going here. There are lots of planned activities plus we have a scheduling snafu and few other little problems to iron out.

Oh, in case you're wondering, I haven't broke down in tears yet. Though my eyes did well up a wee bit when we first pulled up to the school and the enthusiastic students greeting us exclaimed, "Welcome to Franciscan University!" Yes, I'm like the Rock of Gibraltar.

New England Conference June 2009

If you live on the east side of the country, I have some great news for you. The Western Massachusetts Catholic Homeschoolers are putting together their first ever Catholic homeschooling conference. This is exciting news! Visit New England Catholic Homeschool Conference 2009 to get all the scoop as 2009 gets closer. In the meantime, save the date -- June 6, 2009.

Almost On Our Way

Christian and I leave for Steuby in the morning. The car is all packed and everything. My car is acting up, so I used my negotiating skills to get a deal on a rental (half price and unlimited miles!). We'll be going in style. It even has a CD player so we got a BOT from the library to listen to on the long drive.

I had it all set in my mind that there would be no tears. Then my sister sent this email to me today:

Have fun tomorrow Maureen. Just soak in everything. The way he looks, the room,
the weather. Really imprint the memory. Trust me you'll need it. I love you!!
You've done good. Now you can only pray. I am thinking of you. Blessings Chrissy

Gosh, just cutting and pasting it is making my eyes well up. Guess I better grab a box of Kleenex on my way out the door after all.

Please pray for our safe travel.

Prayers for FUS Students -- Car Crash

As Christian and I prepare for our trip to Steubenville tomorrow, we are saddened to hear that seven students on their way home from a cross country meet were involved in a rollover car crash. Four students were taken to the local hospital, two were airlifted and the seventh student passed away.

Please pray for these students, their families and their classmates.

Dear Lord, as we mourn the death of our sister Kelly in the car accident, comfort us with your great power of love. Strengthen us in faith so that we are with you forever. Eternal rest grant her O Lord and let your perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace.

Look kindly on the others, God of Mercy, who are suffering as a result of this accident. Please ease their burdens and make their faith strong. May they always have confidence and trust in your fatherly care.

Father of Mercy, you always answer your people in their suffering. We thank you for your kindness and ask you to free us from all evil that we may serve you in happiness.

We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

A Great Weekend

I've been wanting to write about our weekend since Sunday night, but life is so busy. In just two days, Christian and I leave for Steuby. But more about that tonight or tomorrow.

The 4-H state shoot was a blast! Everything went fairly smoothly for a competition of that size. The weather was gorgeous, the volunteers were out in force, and the kids were oozing the sportsman spirit.

Christian went back to his roots and shot archery in both individual and team, even though he's the 2007 national champion for muzzleloading. This was his last ever 4-H competition since he is soon to be a college student. Christian said his goal for the state shoot was to have fun not to win.

Teen Daughter One had fun, but she also won. In fact, she is now the Michigan state champion for muzzleloading. She took gold in both individual and team. I love it when the girls win!

Teen Daughter Two was right behind TD1 with a silver medal for team muzzleloading. She also got a bronze medal for individual 3-D archery.

Buster and Sparky teamed up with a couple of other friends to compete in BB. This meant that Sparky was actually competing out of his range -- Junior instead of Beginner. But, hey, that didn't get him down. They walked away with the bronze medal for team BB!

I left the picture taking to another 4-H mom. I promise to share with you, once she gets them to me.

Oh, and that wasn't the end of our weekend even! Our friend Marshall came by for a visit with his daughter Annie, son-in-law, and grandchildren Sunday evening. This is kind of a bigger deal than it sounds as Marshall came from California and Annie's family came from Pittsburgh. We had a wonderfully lovely visit. Barbecuing, swimming, fishing, and just plain old visiting. Turned out Annie is homeschooling her young brood and so we had loads to talk about.

HLC: Do Hard Things

Homeschool Library Connection is a Yahoo Group similar to Pope St. Nicholas V, except that the focus is on general homeschooling books.

Check to see if this title is already in your library's catalog. If it is, put a hold on it and check it out. If not, fill out a patron request form right away. This can usually be done online at your library's website.

Title: Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations

Author: Alex and Brett Harris
Publisher: Multnomah Books
Date Published: April 2008
ISBN-10: 1601421125
ISBN-13: 978-1601421128
Price: 16.99

Amazon reviews (make sure to click on the YouTube-like video)
LibraryThing review

I Have Friends!

Twenty-five friends to be exact. Someone suggested I sign up on Facebook and next thing I knew, I had all kinds of friends. How fun.

Gearing Up for States

I'm swamped doing some work for Rob (investigating PEOs) and getting the kids ready for the state shoot this weekend. Packing, shopping, checking ammo, cleaning firearms -- ah, the life of an NRA mom.

Please offer up a little prayer for us, as two of the kids woke up with low grade fevers this morning. (Apologies to Peter and Susan whose kids played with mine for hours on end yesterday.) I'd hate for anyone to miss competition on account of sickness.

Here's a tidbit to think about while I'm away. Did you know that shooting sports is the safest type of sport? Yep, safer than football, soccer, tennis and so on.

BlendTec vs. Vita-Mix?

Now this is one powerful blender:

Apparently, every kid on the universe has seen these "Will it Blend" videos and I'm behind the times. I have to admit the one on glow sticks is cool:

I wouldn't share these with boys who tend to do things like, say, imitate Three Stooges pranks.

More on Bats

Should your teen daughter come running up the stairs exclaiming there is a bat in the basement, you should first send down your 12-year-old son to close all the doors so it doesn't come upstairs. Make him do it as he is young and doesn't know better. Next, call your husband on his cell phone and screech into the phone that he needs to speed it up and get home to rid your house of the flying rat. He won't know exactly what you're saying due to the excitement in your voice, but he'll speed it up as he is afraid you've lost your mind. While waiting, have another kid google, "how do you catch a bat indoors." Print it out so you're ready to hand it to your husband when he walks in the door. Also have a cardboard box and any other needed supplies ready for him. Tell him, "I'd love to help you honey, but the website said that it's a one-person job and I don't want to get in your way. I'm only thinking of you." Then go hide in your bedroom until the children come and tell you it's all clear.

And make sure the kids keep the sliding doors closed from now on!

Recipe: Rob's Favorite Smoothie

Before we moved, Rob was an extreme commuter. Three hours of driving each day. It was a killer. For all of us.

My girlfriends would comment on my pending sainthood because I would get up at 5:30 every morning to make Rob a smoothie for the road and to kiss him goodbye. But, really, it was all selfishness on my part. If I wanted to see my husband, it wasn't going to happen if I snoozed through the alarm clock. I want a healthy marriage and seeing him off each morning helped in what was a very strained situation. I also want a healthy husband which explains the smoothie. Extreme commuters have to grab food where and when they can and it was worth the extra few minutes to whirl the Vita-Mix as well as pack a healthy lunch for him.

Now that we live closer to the office, Rob and I get to sleep in an extra hour. But I still make the smoothie. Though variety is the spice of life and I do alter the recipe a little here and there, here is the basic recipe for Rob's favorite smoothie:

Banana Strawberry Blueberry Smoothie
1 fresh banana
3 or 4 frozen strawberries
teacup of frozen blueberries (3/4 c. if you want to get exact)
vanilla soy milk

Peel and breakup your banana and put in the blender. Follow with the
strawberries and the blueberries. Then pour enough vanilla soy milk to cover the top. Blend on high. If you like it thin, keep adding the soy milk through the lid until you reach the consistancy you like.

And that's it. Makes a lot -- enough for you and for your husband.

I recommend a really good blender. Over the years, I've burned out my share of blenders. I finally invested in a Vita-Mix. That thing can hold up to even the most frozen of strawberries. And it comes with a nifty tool to push down the frozen stuff to make sure it gets all blended. You could also use a spatula -- just make sure to do it through the lid so you don't get splattered.

Sometimes I throw in a scoop of powdered Benefiber. You can also put in powdered dietary supplements. I once tried putting Rob's vitamin pills in there, but it didn't work. It was a chunky instead of a smoothie. I'll also soup it up now and then with pomegranate or tart cherry juice concentrate.

You can also try different fruits. Peaches are good. Sometimes I throw in raspberries or blackberries but Rob isn't too fond of all the seeds. If you use fresh fruit instead of frozen, then you need to add ice, otherwise it'll be too thin. My friend Linda says watermelon is good and if you leave in the seeds you get extra fiber. That Linda cracks me up.

Give a smoothie a try and enjoy!