What I've been reading

I just finished the most amazing book, Holding the Stirrup, by Baroness Elisabeth von Guttenberg.

It is a true story of a Bavarian noblewoman's life as she endured both World Wars and the decline of the aristocracy.  Her descriptions of the beauty and simplicity of life before the wars was enchanting.  She and her husband had deep devotion to Our Lord, His Church, and their country.  They lived lives par excellence and watched the great men of their country, including their devout Emperor, be trampled over by the socialists and Marxists.  Her family was part of the failed plot to kill Hitler.

I read this book at the beach and could not put it down.  Her life was an inspiration as she encountered adversity after adversity with grace and faith. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it.  I will read it again.
P.S. "Holding the Stirrup" is in reference to when men would go to war the woman would hold the stirrup as he mounted to leave.

After reading this book, I had to know more about WWI and how things went so wrong.  I just read the book 1917 by Warren Carroll.

It, too, was just fascinating.  World War I was SUCH a senseless war.  No one gained anything- it was a fight with no winner.  We now had machine guns, but no tanks to defend against them so young men were slaughtered in the thousands.  As you go through the different players- Kaiser Wilhelm II, Woodrow Wilson, Czar Nicholas (and the truly evil Rasputin), Lenin and Stalin, Emperor Charles of Austria, and the French  and British Generals- so many could have done so much to stop the endless slaughter.  I am sure it seemed at the time that the whole world had gone crazy.

And yet this is the year that the Blessed Mother appeared to children on a hill in Portugal as Our Lady of Fatima.  The year where we had the Miracle of the Sun.

 One of the only leaders actually seeking peace was Emperor Charles of Austria.  He was willing to give up lands, even give away Poland if only the war would stop, but no one would listen to him.  In the end he was driven out of his own country.

He is now Blessed Charles of Austria, and I am enjoying learning about his holy life along with his dear wife Zita in A Heart for Europe by Joanna and James Bogle.

In other literary news, I finally read The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

It was a long, beautiful book.  I am realizing that truly GREAT literature gets you immersed into the character's minds.  You feel like you know them intimately and can hardly forget them.  I feel that way about Kristin Lavrasdatter, Anna Karenina, Emma, etc.   I lived in old Russia for the summer with the Karamazov brothers and it was lovely.  (Caveat- it took a good long bit to get going- there is a LOT of set up).

I read The Death of Christian Culture by John Senior this summer as well.  It was hard going  at first, but towards the end it was really good and persuasive.  There is a lovely book list in the back.  He shows how education began dropping the liberal arts and classic literature in the late 1800s and moved into the sciences.  The liberal arts education gave you a frame of reference and a world view.  It introduced you to and showed you your place in the Great Conversation.

I have also read about 2/3 of How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler.  I've always wanted to read this book and finally got around to it.  Fortunately, I was already implementing a lot of his ideas for engaging in a book.  I always read with a pencil and underline, star and number everything I read.  I do not, however, read a book four times.  :)  I don't know if the book helped as much as this article summing up the book did.

I have been trying to read the Well-Read Mom group's book pick each month.  This month it was Wit, a Play by Margaret Edson.   It was a super easy and engaging read.   I see why it won the Pulitzer Prize.   It details a poetry professor's journey through cancer and hospitals.  (Caveat- there is a bit of language including taking the Lord's name in vain- it's at the very, very end).

I also read The Great Divorce through the Well-Read Mom group and LOVED it.  It is a fiction story of people from hell getting a chance bus trip to heaven to see if they will take advantage of this second chance.  Each character has a journey and most choose to not believe that heaven can be a place for them due to a character flaw.  Lewis had such a great way of creating "types" of people that we all know (or are).

A few years ago I read The Storybook of Science by Jean Henri Fabre to Marc and Julia.  It was a huge treat for all of us.  I remember sitting on the porch every afternoon and reading a chapter or two.  It is truly magical in how it introduces nature.  And "Uncle Paul," who is teaching his nieces and nephews in the book, is a devout Christian and sees the masterful work of the Creator in every part of creation.  I have started reading it again to Tucker and Charlie.  They LOVE it, and I have given them composition notebooks to write notes or draw pictures of their favorite parts while I read.  It is so precious.

The first few chapters are all about ants and how industrious and intelligent they are.  Worker bees actually "milk" aphids (plant lice) and take the milk back to the colonies.  They have found ways to herd the aphids and keep them in one place.  We watched several YouTube videos of ants milking aphids- so interesting.   And Uncle Paul shows how they have the virtue of perseverance.  They never slow down- workers they truly are!

Even in Proverbs 6, King Solomon told us to,

Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: 7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, 8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. 

 Then we read The Life and Times of the Ant by Charles Micucci- 

I loved this sweet book and ordered the whole series.  We are going to use them as a basis for little unit studies this fall.  I used to do this type of thing with Marc and Julia all the time, but the pregnancy/surgery journeys of the past years have slowed me down.  I am feeling more and more like myself and having energy and creativity flowing.   Even my ability to read so much is a sign that I am not just "getting by."   :)   

I signed up for so many field trips- I am eager to get out and enjoy the world and learn with these children- especially my two little boys. I guess I will have to re-gird myself to do all this with Anastasia, and I imagine I will still love it.  I am grateful to spend my days with my heart's delight.

More this and more that :)

Well this week has been all about last minute prep for baby girl (I am heading to hospital this afternoon!  If anyone reads this blog I would appreciate a prayer!)

Sunday my cherub altar served.  He did the bells and was so proud of himself- we were proud too!

 

Whenever he is in his cassock and surplice we call him, "The Littlest Angel."  He tries hard to be good, but it doesn't always work out.  :)

Monday night we had a surprise party for my friend Julie's 40th (MANY of my friends are turning 40 this year- it's a year of big birthdays).  It was such a fun night!

This week Julia is at a horsemanship camp.  She is trying out for an Equestrian Team this year and this is helping get her ready.  We have been blessed to be able to carpool with these sweet girls every day!  They are all homeschooled as well so we ride with them year-round during the day.

I finally got to see Shana yesterday for lunch and love on little Samuel, who we call "Sammich".  He is so cuddly and happy!!  I love him!

After-dinner swims are our favorite.  Daddy's famous cannonball-

As Marc and Julia have been gone all week, the little boys and I have kept busy.  Daddy has taken them with him to the gym a few times-

And they have mainly been making obstacle courses in the playroom.  They LOVE obstacle courses.

Last night I heard Charlie say, "Hey Tucker!  I just found hydrogen peroxide topical solution!  We can do an experiment!"  Tucker said, "Yes!  Do we have yeast and food coloring?"  The answers were yes and yes and so we made elephant's toothpaste.  They LOVED it.  :)

And now I'm off for my last bit of packing and cleaning.  Is it just me or do you also find the site of empty laundry baskets elating?  It means I have put everything away!  So glad for this last minute bit of energy!  :)

Happy Atoms

One of Tucker's new passions are atoms and molecules.  He is truly the mad scientist of the house!  We got him "Happy Atoms" for Christmas, and it has been a big hit!

I will add that one of the things that got him really interested in these things are the two awesome books by Theodore Gray-

I could hear someone upstairs talking under their breath and went up to see who it was.  Little buddy was sitting in the floor talking through the molecules he was creating.  :)

Planets, planets everywhere

The children have always loved science.  We have tons of books and biographies on scientists and every morning when they eat breakfast they are usually reading a book on science (or history or religion).  Right now Tucker is on a HUGE astronomy kick (I should say on a kick "again"- he did this 2 years ago before he got into flags).  He is obsessed with planets and all things space related.

His favorite planet is Uranus because it's a pretty blue and spins on it's side- naturally he likes the one that spins its own way.  :)  He made himself a Uranus costume the other day. 

Charlie making Mars-

Julia made a little Uranus with hands and feet for Tucker-

It has a front and back with shoulder straps-

We decided to have his little costume laminated so he could really use it, and I think we've created a monster (he wants to laminate every single thing he does).  :)  He immediately made some planets that we could laminate so he could make a planet mobile for his bed.  Charlie then made a bunch of sheep so we could laminate them and make him a sheep mobile.  (By the way, the names of Charlie's sheep were written on the back by him and they were hilarious- Popolish, Popcorn, Keisha, Barh, Charlie, Sheepy, Hepp, Andrew, Yap).  Julia laminated her horse tracings. 

Tucker also made mini planet puppets with paper and brads (so they can wave)- here is, of course, Uranus-

He reads about them constantly- and each book teaches him something new.  The other day in the car he and Julia got into a disagreement about whether Jupiter had rings.  He insisted it did, and Julia, of course, insisted it didn't.  We were inclined to agree with Tucker- he doesn't really get these things wrong.  He kept saying, "Julia- the rings on Jupiter are made of small rocks and dust instead of ice and you don't see them very well- and most books don't mention them.  But I have read two books that DID tell me that it has rings and I believe them!"  A quick google search reveals- Jupiter has rings.  :)

Julia reading "Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System" to them after breakfast.  They've also watched the Space Adventures movie many, many times.  

More space puppets-

 Everyday there are papers full of planets- I mean, everyday all day- like he's done at least 50 of these over the past month- they are all different and tell a story. 

Speaking of stories- he's been dictating stories for us to type for him.  Here are a few:

The Planet Story

By: Tucker A

            There once was a big star. It was known as the Sun. He lived with eight other planets. There was Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Jupiter and Mars weren’t fond of each other, so Uranus and Neptune decided to put asteroids between them, which was known as the Asteroid Belt. Neptune put another belt at the edge of the Solar System. This was known as the Kuiper Belt. But when Uranus and Neptune put asteroids to separate Mars and Jupiter, Uranus’s rings got stuck. So the Sun shouted to the outer planets, “check the Kuiper Belt!”  They checked the whole Kuiper Belt but no planet could find them.  So the Sun told the Inner planets check the asteroid belt and THEY FOUND THEM!!! So Mars gave his rings back and Uranus put his rings on and all the planets including the Sun celebrated!  

The Story of MERCURY

By:  Tucker A

            Once upon a time there was a little planet called Mercury.  He had seven other friends, those were:  Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.  Mercury’s best friend was Venus.  Earth’s best friend was Mars.  Jupiter’s best friend was Saturn, and Uranus’s best friend was Neptune.  All the other planets remembered the time Uranus’s rings got stuck in the Asteroid Belt and Mars found them. 

Mercury and Venus were the moonless planets.  Earth and Mars were the unusual planets.  Jupiter and Saturn were the giant planets, and Uranus and Neptune were the blue planets.  Mercury wished he had a moon like Earth and Mars.   He asked the Sun why everybody had a moon except him and his best friend Venus.  The Sun said, “God made planets special.  And you are the first planet from me so you must be special without a moon with your best friend Venus.  If you needed a moon, God would have given you one.”

                Mercury felt much better.  He was glad that he got to be closest to the Sun. 

He made a planet ring that he spins to show what his favorite planet of the day is- never underestimate the fun that brads can bring to crafts.  :)  (Julia made a horse wheel so she can put it on her favorite horse of the day)

I was in HomeGoods the other day and saw this space coverlet and had to get it for my little astronomer.  He went crazy!  The next morning I woke up to a little face right up next to my face saying, "Mommy, I slept in the solar system last night!"  :)

Speaking of science, the children are taking a "History of Science" class at a co-op at our church this fall.  They are also taking science labs at the science center, and Tucker and Charlie are doing zoo biology classes as well.   I also just received the History of Science pack by Beautiful Feet Books and am so excited to jump in.  (I also bought their Geography through Literature series).