A mother's perspective

To complete my recent descriptions of our homeschool days, I'm going to share this spot on mother's perspective from my friend Michelle:

Crop That

Substitute "Thomas and Anthony" for "Fritz and Billy", "Maria" for "Katie", "Charles and Cecilia" for "Jenny", "James" for "Petey", and our baby is snug inside instead of sleeping in her cradle.

40 days and counting....

Last night we had a Mardi Gras celebration with some new friends from church. On the menu were pancakes with butter and maple syrup, bacon, sausage, strawberries and milk. After everyone hit their sugar high, they ran around like lunatics, and James showed off his tummy to anyone who would look even though there were no beads. The other mom and I sat and chatted about faith, homeschooling, cancer, marriage, and kids with hardly any interruptions.

Ash Wednesday brought us back to our baseline existence to give us an opportunity to focus our minds on Christ as we prepare for Easter. As a family we turn off the TV, don't have desserts, eat no meat on Fridays or Ash Wednesday, and spend more time in prayer together. Each of the over 7 crowd chooses a personal penance, but for a family activity, the kids and I made a salt and flour crown of thorns. While it was cooking, I reviewed the corporal and spiritual works of mercy with them, and we talked about how we could practice them in our home. Each work of mercy pulls one thorn from the crown. The kids are enthusiastic to earn a thorn, and often ask what they can do. Around here, giving drink to the thirsty or food to the hungry would take care of about half in one day.

Operation Rascal

Operation Rasal is an ongoing insurgency campaign against the established household authority. Objective: Create as much chaos as possible to force the current "benevolent dictatorship" to hand control back to the masses.

Commander: James

Mission Christmas Cookie:
Using distraction of cookie dough playdough, gain access to kitchen tools, lubricate in cat's water dish, lick an replace. Successful

Mission Recital Snack:
Drag stepping stool from bathroom to kitchen counter. Take bite of each pumpkin muffin slated for older kids' Halloween recital party.
Successful

Mission Winter Garden
Gain access open front door and plant new colored pencils tip down in tulip planter.
Successful

Mission Udvar-Hazy

Climb restraining wall and gain access to helicopter at the Smithsonean Air and Space museum.

Unsuccessful...this time

Mission After Dinner Clean-up
Scale table and retrieve open sour cream container. Smear contents on table, self, rug and carpet. Share excess with the cat, taking turns for fairness of course.
Successful

Mission Doorknob

Drag stool to kitchen door for use in reaching doorknob in attempt to gain access to garage.

Unsuccessful (note: Surprisingly, I seem to have reached a height to now make doorknobs accessible and further missions possible)

Mission Tropic Lightning

Remove patches from Daddy's uniform and place his taro leaf shaped Tropic Lightning battle patch (the insignia of the unit he went to war with) on my diaper in an imitation of GI Joe at the Fall of Man. Successful