Thursday, January 31, 2008

With Apologies to Dr. Seuss...

Some of my young friends who are attending the Latin convention with me have informed me that they were shocked by a previous post in which I belittled the existence of a Dr. Seuss book called Hop on Pop. Well, after much serious discussion, it was determined that it was actually The Foot Book that I was thinking of.

Wish Us Luck!

I'm off to the Wisconsin Junior Classical League's State Latin Convention to help chaperone (and cheer on!) our homeschool group's team of nine students. Wish us luck! :)

Prayers for safe travel would also be appreciated of course.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Must Be a Meme Day

The temperature dropped something like 45 degrees overnight (and it wasn't that warm to begin with!), we've got a bit of a flu going around and, heck, even the public schools are closed because of all the ice. On top of that, my friend Ana tagged me (and this looks like a rather fun meme), so here goes...

1) Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews? Michael O'Brien's novels

2) If you could bring three characters to life for a social event (afternoon tea, a night of clubbing, perhaps a world cruise), who would they be and what would the event be? Bilbo Baggins, Elizabeth Bennett and Gabriel Syme. It would have to involve drinking, dancing, conversation and lots of very good food. They'd all, of course, have to bring a guest with them. :)

3) (Borrowing shamelessly from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde): you are told you can’t die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for a while, eventually you realise it’s past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave? These might sound trite, but they are two of the few I really couldn't get into - books G.A. Henty and the Golden Compass by Philip Pullman.

4) Come on, we’ve all been there. Which book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you’ve read, when in fact you’ve been nowhere near it? I'm really not much of a pretender. There are some books that I should have read, but didn't finish - not because I wasn't interested, just because I wasn't fast enough at the time. They are definitely on my must-finish list for some day.

5) You’re interviewing for the post of Official Book Advisor to some VIP (who’s not a big reader). What’s the first book you’d recommend and why? (If you feel like you’d have to know the person, go ahead and personalise the VIP). The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (I'm a big believer in children's books for big people - especially as a way to get them interested!)

6) A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Latin

7) A mischievous fairy comes and says that you must choose one book that you will reread once a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Wow, probably more than one would qualify. Pride and Prejudice or Brideshead Revisited would certainly work for me, perhaps the Lord of the Rings too.

8) I know that the book blogging community, and its various challenges, have pushed my reading borders. What’s one bookish thing you ‘discovered’ from book blogging (maybe a new genre, or author, or new appreciation for cover art-anything)? Hmmm. Probably just various books I end up picking up at rummage sales after hearing about them and then reading them. These are mostly because of my sister's blog. Two books that come to mind that I've read after reading her posts are The Kite Runner and The Glass Castle. It's looks like What is the What will be the next in the series.

9) That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she’s granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leather bound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favourite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead-let your imagination run free. It would be a large room and very tall with lots of very comfortable, leather seating and charming window-seats. Beautiful, matching shelves. Perhaps a natural light-wood color with just a little bit of carved ornamentation. (I do notice bookshelves in people's houses and in movies. My favorite movie bookshelves-to-date are the ones in You've Got Mail - no, not the ones in the bookstore, silly, the ones in her flat.) Anyway, I think I've grown pretty fond of a shabby assortment of books, new-and-old, so I don't think I'd change that. I like books that are not too heavy to read in all sorts of odd situations (perhaps up on the roof, certainly in the car, the bathroom, in bed, etc.) so quality paperbacks are often preferred. I enjoy finding used treasures at library booksales and used bookstores, so there would have to be plenty of room for more. It would include lots of great literature, all the beautiful picture books in Cay Gibson's lovely new book and lots of interesting (and very readable) non-fiction of all sorts.

As usual, I tag anyone who's interested.

The Saints Meme

This is exactly what I'm in the mood for today. :)
hat-tip Esther

1.First Saint you "met"?
Hard to say, but the earliest I remember were the stories of Saints Agnes and Cecelia in little books from Daughters of Saint Paul which I found in our school library when I was in first grade.

2. Favorite Saint(s)?
Very tough for me too, there are so many. Here are a few that come immediately to mind: St. John the Evangelist, St. Patrick, St. Maximillian Kolbe, St. Matthew, St. Francis, St. Therese, Blessed Damien, St. Claude de la Colombiere, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Philip Neri, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. I'm sure there are others too.

3. Patron saint for the year?
St. Hildegarde

4. Favorite book by a saint?
On the Incarnation by St. Athanasius

5. Saint book you are reading now?
A book about Solanus Casey.

6. Favorite movie of a saint?
A Man for All Seasons

7. Favorite Autobiography/Biography of a saint?
The Confessions by St. Augustine

8. Favorite novel/book of a saint?
St. Francis of Assisi by G.K. Chesterton

9. Saint (besides your favorites) you'd want to meet?
I have to think about this longer. This is a tough question!

10. Saint you look to for help?
St. Anthony (lost things), St. Joseph (safety during house projects - especially when we were re-doing so much of our old house on our own a number of years ago)

11.Favorite saint quote?
"Start by doing what is necessary, then do what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible." - St. Francis of Assisi

12. Favorite Holy Card?
I don't have just one favorite. We have a stack of beautiful old cards with paper lace edges from missals we've picked up at rummage sales and some that belonged to John's great aunt.

13. Favorite story of a saint?
Just about anything related to St. Francis of Assisi. Especially after reading Chesterton's biography of him.

14. If you could go anywhere on a pilgrimage to a saint's homeland, where would it be?
Guadalupe, Mexico

15. Any Blesseds or Venerables that you would like to become canonized?
(I'm gonna cheat and add some that I don't think are even "Venerable" yet):
Blessed Damien
Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman
G.K. Chesterton

If you're in the mood too, please consider yourself tagged.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Love2learn Celebration: Grand Finale Week

You might like to check out this week's giveaways at the Love2learn Blog - beginning with two copies each of five different titles published by Bethlehem Books. AND stay tuned for six more Bethlehem Books titles in tomorrow's giveaway.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

A Little More Sunday Morning Music

Ave Verum Corpus by William Byrd (another favorite from college)

A Little Sunday Morning Music

O Magnum Mysterium by Tomas Luis de Victoria - we sang this one in college - on of my favorites!

hat-tip the Anchoress

Saturday, January 26, 2008

We're the proud owners of...

a new couch! It's actually a couch (sectional) that was in my brother-in-law's basement for years, but it's quite a bit nicer (and seats a lot more) than our old couch. (He's got a really nice basement!)

Frank had this to say: "Everybody that God made can maybe fit on this couch!"

Mommy says (chuckling): "We seem to be the last owners of a lot of couches!"

The best thing was, after emptying out all the seats in our big van and driving over to pick it up and load it, I was really not looking forward to helping take it out of the car. Well, voila, suddenly I realized that, being the Grand Central Station that we are, a mini-convergence of homeschool car-poolers to a youth group would be converging at our house for a small time period. An extra dad and two strong teenage boys were soon rounded up and those pieces were inside in no time, despite that fact that they didn't fit through the garage door and had to be carried all the way around (through the not-quite-shoveled snow) to the back.

Thanks - I needed that! :)

Friday, January 25, 2008

Experiments in Art


Mouth-Painting 2
Originally uploaded by Chez VH
Terri and Bernie had fun trying out watercolor mouth-painting. It was their own idea - I stumbled across their intent work and had to take a picture. :)

One Train of Thought... Lost

I was rather amused to find this list (written in my handwriting) tucked into a book. I'm really not quite sure what it means:

History
TAC Writing Manual
Quote from Fr. Rutler
Diagramming
Respect and Reverence
Freedom and Respect for the Child
Brave New World Revisited - Nature Making Everyone Different

???

Another Quote to Chew On...

Hope is something that is demanded of us; it is not, then, a mere reasoned calculation of our chances. Nor is it merely the bubbling up of a sanguine temperament; if it is demanded of us, it lies not in the temperament but in the will... Hoping for what? For delivereance from persecution, for immunity from plague, pestilence, and famine...? No, for the grace of persevering in his Christian profession, and for the consequent achievement of a happy immortality. Strictly speaking, then, the highest exercise of hope, supernaturally speaking, is to hope for perseverance and for Heaven when it looks, when it feels, as if you were going to lose both one and the other.


Fr. Ronald Knox, God and the Atom

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Thought for the Day

from Fr. Thomas Dubay, Authenticity...

We may distinguish two types of knowing: one is particular, specific, thing-centered, while the other is fundamental, deep, ultimate, person-centered. Examples of the first are the molecular structure of water, the sum of the angles of a triangle equaling 180 degrees, the location of Chile in South America and the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. Examples of the second are moral decisions, the ultimate purpose in life, the thirst of men for happiness and the quest for God.

The research-study model for the attainment of truth is effective for the first level of knowing. A proud, avaricious, lustful person can through sheer study reach an extensive knowledge of things. He can learn precious little about persons, nothing about God - nothing, that is, that transcends the mere data level of books and lectures.

Deep, ultimate, person-centered knowledge is achieved through love, genuine love. And love is achieved only through conversion from an opacity resulting from the original fall.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Night Time Snowfall


Night Time Snowfall
Originally uploaded by Chez VH

Sending All Those Christmas Pictures Apparently Paid Off...

Ria was eating breakfast at a restaurant in D.C. yesterday (along with her grandparents and cousins with whom she's making the trip) when a lady approached them.

"Wow. You guys look really familiar. Are you by any chance Van Heckes?" she asked.

It was a roommate of mine from college (who was also in my wedding). Who I haven't seen in 15 years. And who lives in Arizona. How cool is that? :)

Bernie and Terri Blog

I know you're shocked - another Van Hecke blog - but Terri and Bernie (especially Terri) have been asking for awhile. They've decided to write about their favorite books and post pictures they draw. Terri is almost ten, and Bernie just turned eight, but they prefer to pretend they're twins. :)

Here's the Blog: Terri and Bernie's Book and Art Blog

Snowy Night


Snowy Night
Originally uploaded by Chez VH

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Another Thought on the Importance of Hope...

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (#1917) says,
One is entitled to think that the future of humanity is in the hands of those who are capable of providing the generations to come with reasons for life and optimism.
This is a really important concept to me, especially when looking at things like the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade and how I want to prepare my children to make a difference in this world one day. Also, it seems to me that faith and hope go hand-in-hand, because it is so often a lack of faith that blocks the way.

Travesty and Hope

I'm following the D.C. March for Life through the articles listed in my sidebar.

My daughter is there with grandparents and some cousins and I'm really glad she can be there for so many reasons. Born in 1970, I'm one of the youngest generation born before Roe vs. Wade. Growing up, I remember a lot of people saying that Roe vs. Wade would end up being overturned by those whose siblings and friends and classmates are not with us because of that travesty, signed thirty-five years ago today.

When I was a child, our family was very involved in the pro-life movement. My mom became involved in the movement literally weeks before Roe vs. Wade was decided - starting with the issue of euthanasia. My parents distributed talks on audio tape about euthanasia from a priest at our parish; later she ran a pregnancy help center. It's amazing how many people (some of the greatest blessings in our lives - the effects of whom are certainly experienced in our family to this day) came into our family's lives through these activities - truly an example in my mind of how God provides. We frequented the pro-life walks in our area, including an annual 32 mile weekend walk from the South Bay all the way into downtown San Francisco that ran for many years. It was quite an experience and an opportunity to witness, though rather small (perhaps 200 people).

It's encouraging to see, even while commemorating a tragic day in which were signed the death warrants of millions of children, that America's conscience is awakening - the movement is growing and so many more people are active and involved. For example the 4th annual West Coast Walk for Life in San Francisco brought 25,000 people!!!! It brings tears to my eyes when I see the pictures (and I'm pleased to know that many people from my alma mater made the six hour+ drive to attend!). I truly believe that they will make a difference and that their prayers will be heard.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Please Keep Praying for Alice's Mother

Alice's Mom is having a tough day. Please keep all of them in your prayers.

New Book Giveaways Posted at Love2learn Blog Today

The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton
Little Acts of Grace by Rosemarie Gortler
Friendly Defenders by Matt Pinto and Katherine Andes
The Cottage at Bantry Bay Series by Hilda Van Stockum plus at a beautiful Marian book!

Click here for details

Football and Politics

We love the Packers even though they had a disappointing (and nail-biting) finish last night - they're a really fun team to get behind (though I'll always be a 49er fan at heart - I'm only allowed to say that since I'm a Wisconsin transplant from California).

I'll be content to watch an all-Northeast Superbowl, just as long as we don't have to have an all-Northeast (particularly an all-New-York) presidential race.

:)

One of these days I really need to visit New England.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Arggghhh! It's a Nail Biter

Tied with 2:15 left and the Giants just got possession of the ball.

Aw shucks. It's all over. What can I say, we had fun. :)

A little football at Half-time

We decided to have a more authentic experience by throwing the ball around outside a little during halftime of the big championship game.

Zero degrees - I'd say that's pretty authentic. :)

Second Quarter Report


Greetings from Wisconsin
Originally uploaded by Chez VH
Tonight's game between the Packers and Giants is the third coldest NFL game.... ever.

Frank was showing his contradictory side early on by choosing to root for the Giants. Peer pressure will get you everywhere, however, and by the end of the first quarter he had realigned his position. :)

I May Have Been Complaining About the Weather Today...

but I'm getting a huge kick out of the football talking heads lined up at Lambeau Field and showing off their frozen-solid drinking water and their crazy cold weather headgear.

And the game hasn't started yet. :)

Go Packers!

The Monk and the Murderer

This is a story about how God leveled time and space, breaching prison bars and cloister walls, lining up the Catacombs of Rome with Death Row in McAlester, Oklahoma, through the life of a hidden monk in the 21st century.

The monk, Brother Vianney-Marie Graham of the contemplative Clear Creek Monastery in Hulbert, Oklahoma, had long been praying for inmates on Death Row because he considered them "the abandoned of the abandoned."

He had a famous precedent for his prayers. St. Therese of Lisieux had prayed for the conversion of the notorious and unrepentant killer Henri Pranzini in 1887 and was able to read in the newspaper of his last-minute grab for a crucifix as he approached the scaffold. He kissed the wounds of Jesus three times before being guillotined.
Read the rest here
hat-tip Clairity's Place

Baby It's Cold Outside...

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- Baby, it's cold outside.


Forecasts are calling for thermometer readings around 3 degrees for the 5:30 p.m. CST kickoff; yep, a night game in January on the Green Bay tundra. If the wind kicks up, temperatures certainly will dive below zero, and head toward the NFL records.
That's cold! We've been having the kind of weather latley that makes this California girl a little homesick at times, but mostly just caught up in little things like walking across the parking lot to church and realizing that I REALLY should have worn my thick socks and another whole layer of clothes. Brrrr!

Go Packers!

hat-tip Danielle who was referencing the AFC game.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

The Crazy Things Moms Say...

These both really happened this week...

"Quick guys, clean your eyebrows, the ____ family is coming to visit."

(The middles had been having WAY too much fun with some face paint and were under the impression that they had already washed it all off).

"Oh sure, you can borrow the eyeballs for your literature skit - but I just have to try to find the other one - it's been missing for awhile."

(The eyeballs are from a funny little Shakespeare - King Lear kit that one of my co-op students gave me for Christmas one year - as a matter of fact it was that very same student asking to borrow them for her skit - though they were doing Oedipus - and alas, I was unable to find the other eyeball).

Friday, January 18, 2008

Privileged Meme

From What Privileges Do You Have?, based on an exercise about class and privilege developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University. If you participate in this blog game, they ask that you PLEASE acknowledge their copyright.)

Bold the true statements.

1. Father went to college
2. Father finished college (Associates Degree)
3. Mother went to college
4. Mother finished college
5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor (not as a child, though)
6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers. Not really applicable for homeschooling, I think. (same here)
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home.
8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home.
9. Were read children's books by a parent
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18. I got free piano lessons from a very kind lady for about three years.
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18
12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively. Talk yes, dress no.
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs
15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
16. Went to a private high school
17. Went to summer camp
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18
21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
22. There was original art in your house when you were a child
23. You and your family lived in a single-family house
24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
25. You had your own room as a child. But only because I'm surrounded by brothers - the other girls left for college by the time I was about six or seven.
26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18
27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course
28. Had your own TV in your room in high school
29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college
30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16
31. Went on a cruise with your family
32. Went on more than one cruise with your family
33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family

Looks like about 30%

hat-tip DarwinCatholic

Magnificat Magazine

I started reading Magnificat Magazine for daily prayer at the beginning of this month. It's kind of nice because it still works even if I miss a part (it has prayers and readings for Morning, Mass and Evening - I generally only get to the Morning and Evening parts).

These two parts, for me, were especially poignant and timely:

Intercessions:

God wipes away our tears of repentance with the hand of mercy. Let us pray for ourselves and for all sinners:

Response: O Lord, hear! O Lord, pardon!

Forgive us our pride:

Forgive us our stubbornness of heart:

Forgive us our anger against one another: R

Forgive us our greed in all its forms:

Forgive us our mercilessness:

Forgive us the harm we have done:
And also this final prayer for the morning:

God of mercy and compassion, you hold out to us the hand of your mercy to raise us up from the misery our selfish sinfulness has brought upon us and upon those whose lives we touch. Teach us to weep where we have caused weeping, to mourn where we have caused mourning, and to lift up what we have brought low. In hope and trust, we turn to you for healing, through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Please Pray...

for my dear little friend Maureen.

The Ubiquitous Meme

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE ? Donald O'Connor's daughter (well, I should probably explain that that's where my parents discovered the name - I wasn't named in her honor - and she was a friend of my sister when my family lived in Los Angeles before I was born).

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Not sure exactly - probably when I watched Joyeux Noel.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Usually no, because I'm in too much of a hurry.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Genoa Salami

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yep.

6. WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I think so.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Some.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Probably not. I think I'd be more likely to sky-dive.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Mocha Almond Crunch

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Usually, but most of my shoes don't have laces

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Kind of

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Edy's (a.k.a. Dreyer's on the West Coast) Vanilla Bean

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? I have no idea.

15. RED OR PINK? Probably pink. It depends.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF? I hate these kinds of questions.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? That's really hard to say. There are many people I love who are far away or gone.

18. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? I'm wearing gray shorts and no shoes at the moment.

19. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? two oreo cookies with a glass of milk

20. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? the shower going upstairs

21. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? A nice soft shade of green.

22. FAVORITE SMELLS? Baking bread, bacon, orange blossoms, oh, lots of things.

23. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My husband

24. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Weellll - I don't usually watch a lot of sports but we'll definitely be tuning in to see the Packers on Sunday!

25. HAIR COLOR? brown

26. EYE COLOR? blue

27. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? definitely

28. FAVORITE FOOD? good sourdough bread

29. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings. I really don't like horror, but I enjoy suspense.

30. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Stranger than Fiction

31. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Green

32. SUMMER OR WINTER? Probably summer, until you get the buggy, muggy late summer, then I'm totally ready to be done.

33. HUGS OR KISSES? yes

34. FAVORITE DESSERT? ice cream

35. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Too many books to list here.

36. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? An oriental rug print.

38. FAVORITE SOUNDS? laughter of children, good music, rustling leaves when you can't hear anything else

39. BEATLES OR ROLLING STONES? Beatles, definitely.

40. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Hmmm. Depends on how you define home. Where I grew up (California) is about as far away as I've been from where I live now. But not really vice versa, as I've been on the East Coast too.

41. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I like to organize things, though I'm definitely not always well-organized.

42. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Washington State

I tag Katrina

Please Pray...

...for all those traveling to the March for Life in Washington D.C. and the West Coast March for Life in San Francisco including our daughter Ria who is leaving tomorrow.

Looking Back at Three Kings' Day

There's a lot of blogging I haven't manged to do in the last few months that I'd like to (and perhaps, like Alice, I'll go back and fill in details as I have time). For now, I just want to jot down a few fun memories from Three Kings' Day.

I did a little shopping at Target once the Christmas section was marked down to 75% off (sometime after New Year's). I picked up a bunch of goodies (generally between 75 cents and $2.00 each) and felt afterwards that I had overbought, even though I didn't spend very much money - until I realized that the kids were aching to get little things for eadh other for Three Kings' Day. And so, they took turns going "shopping" in my closet (all very reasonably priced clearance items from Target and a number of other places) and ended up with all sorts of fun things for each other.

Ria bought a big canister of candy popcorn for the family and an audio book of Cardinal Ratzinger's Salt of the Earth for Daddy (no, I didn't find that one at Target, but it was on clearance on the Ignatius Press website about a month ago), Gus had a coin sorter for the family that we figured we'd designate as our "movies and ice cream fund" (the reality is that most of the younger ones love to dump everything out and waste a lot of time counting it - ugh!). He also had a nice package of Ghiradelli coffee for Daddy. Bernie had rulers for all of her siblings from Old World Wisconsin (from the clearance shelf last fall) and Terri bought little boxes of Mrs. Field's truffles that we found at Target for 25 cents each. You get the idea.

The kids wrapped their presents for each other, but with the fuss of working on the new love2learn.net website, I discovered the night before Three Kings' Day that I had loads of wrapping left and it was already getting late. So, John and I invited Ria and Gus to come in our room and watch movies during a big wrapping marathon. What fun! Without their help, we probably would have thrown all of the little goodies in the various assundry of slightly-used gift bags we have kicking around the house.

On Three Kings' Day we had to do a little relocation of items in order to fit our whole big nativity set together (they don't all fit on any of the surfaces we had available). We relocated the main set to under the tree and lined all of us up (Ria, John and I carried the big breakable kings, Gus, Terri and Bernie carried the Fontanini kings and Kate had a big beautiful Fontanini angel that a family member gave me for Christmas last year) to process around the house. Frank led the way with the "star" (what I found at hand at the last minute, which was a gold covered hair curler! - last year it was a bit of silver shiny fabric from a costume). I gave Frank instructions to walk around the house in a circle really slowly and then, when he was ready, to lead everyone to the tree because he was going to be the "star".

He filled his role so solemnly and sweetly - he very judiciously circled around three or four times while we sang "We Three Kings" and then led us into the living room.

Since there were lots of little goodies, we decided not to count how many things there were and simply start with the youngest. After they opened something, they would go get a present under the tree to bring to someone else and we'd keep moving randomly around until we were done. Frank was such a crack-up, though! As often as possible, he would grab something under the tree (without, of course, knowing who it was for), firmly announce "I choose Gus!" and hand it to his much beloved big brother. Gus would pass it along to whoever it really belonged to. It's fun to see how much they all get into present giving. There were lots of homemade goodies - paper ornaments and such under the tree - but Frank's again took the cake. He had several of his toy cars, carefully wrapped in his signature random-piece-of-cloth, all ready to present to.... Gus of course. :)

In this picture, Terri and Bernie are putting together their Amaryllis Bulb Kits (some of the many very nice goodies we found at that Target Clearance).

Dale Ahlquist on My Alma Mater

We're thoroughly enjoying the latest installment of Gilbert Magazine, which just arrived in the mail today. I particularly enjoyed this tidbit about Thomas Aquinas College , though it's perhaps not quite as funny as the cartoon about Sean Dailey and Harry Potter(Dale - I'm totally with you on this - I'd love to see Chesterton on the reading list!):

Not far away, in Santa Paula, is Thomas Aquinas College, which is probably the best college in the United States that doesn't teach Chesterton. They claim to teach the Great Books, which according to them do not include any books by G.K. Chesterton. I took the opportunity to chastise them for this omission, and vowed that before I die this deficiency in their curriculum will be corrected. Using the Socratic method, the goal at Thomas Aquinas College is to guide students to the truth, by exposing them to great ideas and getting them to think for themselves. After I gave a talk to a very enthusiastic audience, one student came up to me and said: "Of course they can't teach Chesterton here! It would be like cheating! He has all the answers!" Nestled in the mountains, the remote campus is peaceful and lovely, and a magnificent chapel is almost completed. The whole place begets deep thought and meditation. They are definitely doing their bit to preserve the culture by nurturing it in a perfect and protected setting.
And speaking of Dale Ahlquist, I'm currently reading The Order of Things by Fr. Schall (Ignatius Press) for which Dale has the most perfect description on the back cover:
"Here is a book about everything, the subject which just happens to be the most neglected in our narrow-minded, short-sighted world. Fr. Schall takes on heaven and hell and everything in between. And his clear-thinking sparkles in his clear-writing. A painless and praiseworthy way to sweep out any confusion and muddled ideas that may be lurking in your head."
It's a really wonderful book and I couldn't think of a better description for it.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

This is SO Good...

It seems I always love the articles and wisdom that comes from Archbishop Chaput of Denver. His latest article in First Things gives ten guidelines for a Catholic view of politics:

Here are the first two:

1. George Orwell said that one of the biggest dangers for modern democratic life is dishonest political language. Dishonest language leads to dishonest politics—which then leads to bad public policy and bad law. So we need to speak and act in a spirit of truth.

2. Catholic is a word that has real meaning. We don’t control or invent that meaning as individuals. We inherit it from the gospel and the experience of the Church over the centuries. We can choose to be something else, but if we choose to call ourselves Catholic, then that word has consequences for what we believe and how we act. We can’t truthfully claim to be Catholic and then act as though we’re not.


Read the rest here.

hat-tip Ignatius Insight

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Which Jane Austen Heroine Are You?

I am Elinor Dashwood!


Take the Quiz here!



hat-tip Gypsy Caravan

Nerd Tester

My brother came up with this little quiz based on a "statement" he saw somewhere:

Read the following statement slowly and then remember your reaction.

"There are only 10 types of people in the world. Those who understand binary, and those who don't."


Results:
1) If you are confused by this then you are a normal. Be happy :)

2) If you read this as a joke and are not at all confused then you are a little nerdy but can still function in society

3) If you read this and it makes complete sense to you and you don’t even know why I am talking about a joke then you are the most super duper nerd of all time

4) If you already googled this to try and understand it then you are automatically upgraded to slightly nerdy :)



I'm a two - wait, make that a ten. :)

Classical Archaeology of Ancient Greece and Rome

My children (Gus, 12 and Ria, 14) are really enjoying this series from the Teaching Company - I've been keeping one ear on it while doing computer work, but haven't had a chance to sit down and watch very much of it myself yet. We had trouble watching the first few lectures with a larger group as there was too much giggling over facial expressions and such. As a family, we've been loving it - he's engaging, passionate about his material and quite the story teller. There is a little bit of mature content (generally pretty delicately handled), but Gus and Ria skipped over a lecture (for now) that was tagged with a warning that it should previewed for children. I really appreciate (and respect) that the company had the forethought to consider that children might watch it and to give parents a heads-up.

Waiting


Waiting
Originally uploaded by Chez VH

Frank and the Pizza

Frank was having a hard day yesterday - still tired out from our weekend extended-family excursion to an indoor waterpark resort (a very fun Christmas present from my in-laws). Anyway, we decided to order Domino's Pizza for dinner last night as it had been a hectic day and I still had to run Ria to a music class last night and John was a bit on the late side getting home (and his cell phone was dead).

The kiddos were all lining up with chairs around the kitchen counter in eager anticipation of the feast, at which time John arrived home from work. Unfortunately, Frank rather crankily demanded Kate's chair and, in fact, pulled it out from under her. This got him sent to the corner with the knowledge that he would get served pizza after all of his siblings were served. When he was finally perched on his chair I started to show him the options and ended up asking if he wanted the same kind of pizza as Gus or the same kind of pizza as Bernie or whatever.

He answered, "I don't want the same kind as anyone."

(Lots of giggling from the peanut gallery)

By this time John was just taking his coat off in the front hall.

Me: "What kind of pizza would you like?"

Frank: "I want the kind Daddy's gonna have!"

(Still giggles)

We all looked at John and I asked him what kind he would like. When he answered "pepperoni", Frank quite happily accepted a piece of the same for himself. :)

Monday, January 14, 2008

New Giveaways at Love2learn

Today's drawing includes five books from three Catholic Homeschool Mom authors:

The Catholic Homeschool Companion by Maureen Wittmann
For the Love of Literature by Maureen Wittmann
The Father Brown Reader: Stories from Chesterton by Nancy Brown
Literature Alive by Cay Gibson
A Picture-Perfect Childhood by Cay Gibson

You can enter the drawings here.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Frank-style Rx

I was carrying Kate on my back today and managed to slip - getting a major rug-burn on my legs. (Kate, however, bounced immediatley back up and giggled - after flying over my head!). I was lying in bed, resting my legs, when Frank brought in a juice box with apple juice in it.

"Here. This is to feel your legs more better."

When we giggled, he very smartly added...

"When you drink it!"

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Library Tree 2007 - Books (and a few DVDs) Successfully Added

41 titles purchased for our local public library - hooray! (In case you missed the earlier posts about our annual project, you can follow the "library" tag at the bottom of this post.)

A Child's Introduction to the Night Sky
Michael Driscoll

A Day on Skates
Hilda Van Stockum

A Seed is Sleepy
Dianna Hutts Aston

Abraham Lincoln: Friend of the People
Clara Ingram Judson

Admiral Richard Byrd: Alone in the Antarctic
Paul Rink

Alexander the Great
John Gunther

Amelia Earhart: Flying Solo
John Burke

America is…
Louise Borden

American Rough Rider: Teddy Roosevelt
John Garraty

Battleships of World War I
Peter Hore

Behind Enemy Lines: A Young Pilot's Story
H.R. Demallie

Ben Franklin: Inventing America
Thomas Fleming

Bob Books, Set 1
Bobby Lynn Maslen

Building Big: Domes (DVD)
David Macaulay

Camille and the Sunflowers: A Story About Vincent van Gogh
Laurence Anholt

Can You Count to a Googol?
Robert E. Wells

Daniel Boone: The Opening of the Wilderness
John Mason Brown

Downright Dencey
Caroline Dale Snedeker

George Washington Carver: The Peanut Wizard
Laura Driscoll

George Washington: Frontier Colonel
Sterling North

How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World
Faith McNulty

Jamestown: The Perilous Adventure
Olga Hall-Quest

John Paul Jones: The Pirate Patriot
Armstrong Sperry

Joyeux Noel (DVD)

Katie Meets the Impressionists
James Mayhew

Laura Ingalls Wilder Country
William Anderson

Lawrence of Arabia
Alistair Maclean

Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust
Imaculee Ilibagiza

Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes and What the Neighbors Thought
Kathleen Krull

Mary Ingalls On Her Own
Elizabeth Kimmel Willard

Orphaned on the Oregon Trail: The Stout-Hearted Seven
Neta Lohnes Frazier

Path to the Pacific: The Story of Sacagawea
Neta Lohnes Frazier

Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland
Tomie de Paola

Poetry Speaks to Children

Shakespeare: His Work and His World
Michael Rosen

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
translated by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Empress and the Silkworm
Lily Toy Hong

The Mislabeled Child
Brock Eide and Fernette Eide

The True Story of Peter Rabbit
Jane Johnson

Turn Left at Orion
Guy Consolmagno

Who Carved the Mountain? The Story of Mount Rushmore
Jean L.S. Patrick

The Parables (Reading from Tonight's Teen Discussion)

Unfortunately I don't have time for a super elucidating post about this, just for a few amazing tidbits from tonight's breathtaking reading on the parables (from Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI, of course). Honestly, you'll probably get more out of reading these two quotes slowly and thoughtfully than a bunch of side notes from me anyway. :)

Now, every educator, every teacher who wants to communicate new knowledge to his listeners naturally makes constant use of example or parable. By using an example, he draws to their attention a reality that until now has lain outside their field of vision. He wants to show that something they have hitherto not perceived can be glimpsed via a reality that does fall within their range of experience. By means of parable he brings something distant within their reach so that, using the parable as a bridge, they can arrive at what was previously unknown. A twofold movement is involved here. On one hand, the parable brings distant realities close to the listeners as they reflect upon it. On the other hand, the listeners themselves are led onto a journey. The inner dynamic of the parable, the intrinsic self-transcendence of the chosen image, invites them to entrust themselves to this dynamic and to go beyond their existing horizons, to come to know and understand things previously unknown. This means, however, that the parable demands the collaboration of the learner, for not only is something brought close to him, but he himself must enter into the movement of the parable and journey along with it.
I thought the following imagery was very beautiful and also has something to say about how God works in the world in a more general sense AND how we can help bring others to Christ...
This brings us back to the Lord's words about seeing and not seeing, hearing and not understanding. For Jesus is not trying to convey to us some sort of abstract knowledge that does not concern us profoundly. He has to lead us to the mystery of God - to the light that our eyes cannot bear and that we therefore try to escape. In order to make it accessible to us, he shows how the divine light shines through in the things of this world and in the realities of our everyday life. Through everyday events, he wants to show us the real ground of all things and thus the true direction we have to take in our day-to-day lives if we want to go the right way. He shows us God: not an abstract God, but the God who acts, who intervenes in our lives, and wants to take us by the hand. He shows us through everyday things who we are and what we must therefore do. He conveys knowledge that makes demands upon us; it not only or even primarily adds to what we know, but it changes our lives.

Super Thursday

January 10th must be quite THE day to be born. :) Today Frank turns four AND Bernie turns eight (Kate was born a week later right between these two birthday kids)! What fun! I always have to laugh when I think of Bernie's fourth birthday. She was absolutely thrilled to get a baby brother for her birthday - and still loves sharing a birthday with him (though she often has a joint birthday party with Terri, whose birthday is in a few weeks). It seems so silly to me, all the questions people asked about how she's "handling" sharing a birthday with her brother. What were they thinking?

ALSO, their cousin Kateri turns six today AND I just discovered that they share a birthday with Elizabeth Foss too. Happy Birthday all!

UPDATE:

And one of my favorite bloggers celebrates her first blogging birthday today (can it be only a year????).

Oh, and of course, don't forget that we're still hosting book giveaways here for love2learn's 10th birthday. Lots more fun goodies to come there in the next few weeks - the response from authors, publishers and retailers has been terrific!

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

I love how...

little kids always seem to think that "cute" means, simply, "little".

And I love it when Kate and Frank sit at the computer and discuss family photos - frequently peppered with exclamations from Frank about how "cute" his siblings used to be!

Monday, January 07, 2008

New Love2learn Site and Book Giveaways

Thanks to the help of some wonderful volunteers (and especially Suchi Myjak - our new technical adminstrator), love2learn.net has been totally revamped to facilitate regular updating and includes nearly 1000 reviews and lots of other well-organized information for Catholic Homeschoolers.

To celebrate our 10th anniversary and the opening of the renovated website, we're doing a series of book giveaways at the Love2learn Blog: http://love2learnblog.blogspot.com/

Please spread the word!

By the way, I should also mention that Ria and Gus are helping me transfer the reviews from the Love2learn Blog to the new site. What a great help they are!

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Love Your Enemies

This quote says it really well...

"If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility."- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Rosary-making Kit


Rosary-making Kit
Originally uploaded by Chez VH
This is Terri's Rosary-making Kit (mentioned in the previous post).

The Catholic Carnival is Up!

Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering is hosting Catholic Carnival #153: Dedicated to Mom.

On the 8th Day of Christmas


DSC_1247
Originally uploaded by Chez VH
Kate and Frank got cute little Christmas clearance apron and chef hat sets. The bigger kids got rosary-making kits (materials from Our Lady's Rosary Makers, craft tubs from Target). These were all very big hits (the kids spent quite a bit of the rest of the day making rosaries in front of movies), and I thought the Marian feast day would be the perfect day for the rosary kits.