Beating the Winter Blues

Now this is an idea I have to plan each year on the Monday after Daylight Savings Time begins. Probably another one in the coldest most-blah part of winter would be a good idea too.

Yesterday we took a break from school and had another family over. We had a picnicky potluck (somewhat limited by all of our Lenten observances, but VERY nice all the same), watched Ben Hur (the littles watched something else and played in the another room) and enjoyed lots of laughter and each other's company.

And if you happened to be in our area and saw two moms and a bunch of kids jumping up and down on the deck outside at one point (and laughing and high-fiving each other), there really is a very sensible and refined reason for it all. You see, we went outside to enjoy a little sun (the very, ahem, moderate temperature of 32 degrees, combined with sun and shelter on the south side of the house was awfully nice, even in stocking feet) and somehow discovered that when we stomped or jumped on the deck, the icicles under the deck broke off and crashed to the ground with a very satisfying glass-breaking sort of noise.

The silliest part, really, is that I didn't plan this in relation to Daylight Savings Time at all (Daylight Savings Time didn't enter my head at all until I saw Danielle Bean's reminder on Sunday Morning), but it was really a perfect day for such a get-together.

WPA on Concerns about the Homeschool Ruling in California

WPA (The Wisconsin Parent's Association - our statewide homeschool association - website here), had this to say about the homeschool ruling in California:

Summary: This email is in response to requests for information about a recent California appeals court ruling. All the major homeschooling organizations in California, including both religious and secular ones, are working together on this. They are asking California homeschoolers to remain calm, continue homeschooling as they have been, and wait for further information. WPA recommends that homeschoolers in Wisconsin support this request and not sign a petition being circulated by the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) or take other action at this time. WPA will continue to track this issue and inform you if, at any point, action by Wisconsin homeschoolers would be helpful.

Details: A lot of attention has been given to a February 28, 2008, California appeals court decision concerning a family charged in juvenile court with child abuse and neglect. The family also happened to be homeschooling. The appeals court went far beyond the charge of abuse and neglect and issued an opinion that has been interpreted by some to render any education not conducted under the authority of a certified teacher to be illegal. The opinion has been criticized by a variety of people, including Governor Arnold Schwarzenneger.

All the major statewide homeschooling organizations, both religious and secular, are asking homeschoolers to go about their business as usual, not to panic, not to contact their legislators, not to write to the California Supreme Court, and to give the organizations time.

HSLDA has gotten involved and is circulating and strongly urging people to sign a petition addressed to the California Supreme Court. WPA suggests that homeschoolers NOT sign the petition for several reasons, including the following:

- The major California homeschooling organizations, including those that are religiously based, have not called for signing the petition. In fact, there is concern about possible backlash if lots of people contact the court. WPA has consistently argued that homeschooling issues in a given state should be addressed by homeschoolers in that state and has opposed intervention by "outside experts."

- Because HSLDA is not a party to the case, it does not have the authority to submit the petition and signatures to the California Supreme Court.

- HSLDA has a history of inserting itself into highly visible court cases. When the cases have been decided in favor of homeschoolers, HSLDA has tended to take undue credit. Many more of the cases have led either to a decision that limits or undermines homeschooling freedoms or one that leads to legislation that regulates homeschooling strongly and unnecessarily.

Larry Kaseman,Executive Director
Wisconsin Parents Association

(The e-mail also went on to discuss problems with virtual charter schools, which WPA strongly opposes.) I thought there were some very worthwhile points made here and thought that some of my readers would find it helpful. I particularly support the important concept of dealing with state legal issues at a state level because each state has unique legal quirks and challenges that the state organizations have become very well acquainted with.

Yum! Except that I like to think of Garlic as a vegetable, not a spice.

You Are Garlic

Of all the spice types, you are the most universally loved. You get along with pretty much everyone, and you leave a lasting impression. You adapt yourself well to situations. You can fit in or stand out, depending on what you're called on to do.

What Spice Are You?

Squish-Blogging

That's when you really haven't had time to keep up with individual posts on things of interest. For those of you who might not know, I do a lot of my blog linking, in the Google Reader in the sidebar of http://www.love2learn.net/. I also have a del.icio.us list in the sidebar here on Studeo for items of interest to me personally that aren't necessarily homeschool related.

So here are a few brief items I've been neglecting lately...

I have a beautiful new niece named Leah! Can't wait to meet her in a few months!!! Congrats S & M (&E)!!!

Last night, I went with some of the teens from our catechism discussion group to hear Archbishop Chaput speak last night on Catholics in the Public Square. It was excellent!!! I hope to write up some notes...when I have time. (Ha!)

You've probably already heard about the legal problems for homeschoolers in California. Having been a homeschooled student in California in the much earlier days of homeschooling (mid-1980s) and remembering how scary and strange it seemed to start homeschooling back then (especially going through the process of telling friends, family and former teachers that we were going to do this almost unheard of thing called homeschooling - and learning how to deal with the odd looks we got at the library during school hours and things like that), I'm in a bit of shock at the ruling and following it closely, but really have no particular insight to offer except to say that I'm, of course, keeping the issue and California's homeschoolers in my prayers. Crimson Wife at Bending the Twigs has been providing some excellent coverage.

Today we had a teen lit discussion on the Song of Roland. Very interesting, though it wasn't my favorite reading this school year. We have discovered that (duh!) translation makes a big difference. As I read the one I happened to pick up at a rummage sale once upon a time (complete with a knife hole that goes through most of the book), not surprisingly, I came up short. It looks like the Dorothy Sayers translation is a real winner (I'll have to give that a whirl some time), though one I found online was also quite good. I have discovered that there are some fine translations of older works available online for free. The online Beowulf translation (I believe it was from the Harvard Classics series) was excellent!

My father-in-law is featured in an article at the Catholic Business Journal website. He shares the story of being laid-off of work (a few decades ago now) and how that changed his life for the better. You can read the story here. (Yes, it was my husband who noticed the European airline special that he mentions, LOL.)

I also thought about writing a blog post on Brett Favre's retirement. I watched his farewell press conference yesterday and it was a really fine thing to see and hear. He's so real and honest and we've really enjoyed having him part of the Wisconsin community all these years. It's funny that when I first moved to Wisconsin from 49er-land when I was first married (late summer 1992), almost the first thing I heard on the local news was how this new guy was taking over for the injured first-string quarterback. Lots of speculation and concern about how things would turn out. It'll always be fun to remember that. :)

Frankly Speaking, As Usual

Frank was helping me de-ice the front walk over the weekend. I got this wonderful new ice smasher and there was 2-3 inches of ice, so I broke the ice up into chunks and Frank picked the ice up with his shovel and threw it onto the "lawn".

Not quite sure why this caused him to share this observation...

"Mommy, now I big enough to climb Rount Mushmore!"

Because We're Longing for Spring Here

Here's some more Makem and Clancy for those who enjoyed the last one, though not so much in the way of pictures for the little ones to enjoy. This is called "Rambles of Spring"...

God's Generosity

We've been studying the eighth chapter of Pope Benedict XVI's Jesus of Nazareth lately. It was interesting because last Thursday's reading involved both the story of the Samaritan Woman at the Well (which was the previous Sunday's Gospel) AND the story of Jesus healing the blind man at the Pool of Siloam (which was yesterday's Gospel).

One of my favorite parts from this read, though, was from an exposition on the story of the Wedding Feast of Cana. It involved the interweaving of the reality of God's generosity as evident in the superabundance of the miracle of changing water into wine and how that is the same generosity as the sacrifice on the cross...

There is another basic element of the narrative linked to this timing. Jesus says to Mary that his hour has not yet come. On an immediate level, this means that he does not simply act and decide by his own lights, but always in harmony with the Father's will and always in terms of the Father's plan. More particularly, the "hour" designates his "glorification," which brings together his Cross, his Resurrection and his presence throughout the world in word and sacrament. Jesus' hour, the hour of his "glory," begins at the moment of the Cross, and its historical setting is the moment when the Passover lambs are slaughtered - it is just then that Jesus, the true lamb, pours out his blood. His hour comes from God, but it is solidly situated in a precise historical context tied to a liturgical date - and just so it is the beginning of the new liturgy in "spirit and truth." When at this juncture Jesus speaks to Mary of his hour, he is connecting the present moment with the mystery of the Cross interpreted as his glorification. This hour is not yet come; that was the first thing that had to be said. And yet Jesus has the power to anticipate this "hour" in a mysterious sign. This stamps the miracle of Cana as an anticipation of the hour, tying the two together intrinsically.

How could we forget that this thrilling mystery of the anticipated hour continues to occur again and again? Just as at his mother's request Jesus gives a sign that anticipates his hour, and at the same time directs our gaze toward it, so too he does the same thing ever anew in the Eucharist. Here, in response to the Church's prayer, the Lord anticipates his return; he comes already now; he celebrates the marriage feast with us here and now. In so doing, he lifts us out of our own time toward the coming "hour."

We thus begin to understand the event of Cana. The sign of God is overflowing generosity. We see it in the multiplication of the loaves; we see it again and again - most of all, though, at the center of salvation history, in the fact that he lavishly spends himself for the lowly creature, man. This abundant giving is his "glory." The superabundance of Cana is therefore a sign that God's feast with humanity, his self-giving for men, has begun. The framework of this event, the wedding, thus becomes an image that points beyond itself to the messianic hour: The hour of God's marriage feast with his people has begun in the coming of Jesus. The promise of the last days enter into the Now.

Laetare!

Today seems particularly rejoice-worthy as the temp has jumped to 55 degrees -such a delight for us cold-burdened Wisconsinites (I heard that Milwaukee officially has hit its 10th highest seasonal snowfall total ever)!!! Not seeing much in the way of non-snow-covered ground yet, but going to Mass without coats is pure delight.

Happy day. :)

Love2learn Moments

I forgot to post a link to the newest Love2learn Moments when I posted a few of them last week. There are a total of five new posts up at Love2learn Moments site.

A Whole Week?

I have no idea when the last time was that I went an entire week without posting on Studeo. It's partly that I've been better (though still not perfect by any means - I don't think that will happen here) about keeping up with our Learning Notes over at Age Quod Agis.

I'm sure it has SOMETHING to do with the fact that I'm taking a page out of Margaret's book by completely turning off the computer during the a.m. on school days.

Thanks to our tax return, we spent most of our energy today picking up some supplies for some house projects (mostly installing an attic ladder and putting in some boards so that we can actually use the space for STORAGE - yippee!) and, after fifteen years of sleeping on a mattress on the floor, we're getting a "real" bed. Happiness!

Love2learn is plugging along nicely at the new site and I have some reviews (especially the apologetics DVD Common Ground and the book Reading the Saints: Lists of Catholic Books) which may be posted there as soon as later tonight. I'm also looking forward to some artistic improvements on the new site in the near future.