The Angel Cried

I love that hymn, and I love how my two year-old jumps up and dances in the middle of Liturgy when the choir sings it! Tonight is the last time we'll hear it sung, and what make it so much sadder is that the hymn will be sung without the beautiful voice of one of our tenors. The servant of God, David, passed away yesterday. I have such fond memories of his strong voice, as it led the choir during my childhood. My nephew had a particular fondness for him, and whenever his voice was heard alone during an antiphon, Julian would yell, "There's Mr. David!" If angels do cry, they will cry tonight. Memory Eternal!

This Paschal season has been very special for me. Having the kids home allowed us to participate in more of the services, and our lessons taught us so much! We had our first experience with kulich, tsoureki, and our new cheese mold. It has been a wonderful 40 days.

Christ is Risen!

Winding Down and Gearing Up!

It seems that even though our school year is winding down, scheduling and planning are gearing up! I have spent the past several weeks not only planning next year's school schedule and curriculum (which you can read about here), but I have also been working on plans for my home and myself! I have serious plans to declutter my house this summer. My 3 children will be spending 2 weeks with my in-laws in New Jersey, and instead of my husband and I taking any major trips, I asked to spend most of the "vacation" at home. I am hoping to work on the kids' closets, attic, and basement while they are away.

I thought I'd share my 4 favorite books/websites for organizing your home, family, and self!

For the Home: Flylady has been my saviour since my 9 year-old was an infant. As life changes, I definitely fall off the wagon, but I always have her routines to get me back on track.

For the Family: Managers of Their Homes has been a Godsend. My good friend Anne Marie recommended the book, and though overwhelming at first, it has changed everything! I have been considering Managers of Their Schools, but would love any opinions of those who have used it.

For Me: A Mother's Rule of Life has really put everything about MY life in perspective. It goes through the 5 P's (prayer, person, partner, parent, provider) and has helped me tremendously. My new favorite book is not a self-help book really, but it feels like one! If you haven't gotten a copy of Close to Home, by Molly Sabourin, get one! It's a very candid look into the life of an Orthodox mom, struggling to get it right, just like the rest of us. (BTW, Conciliar Press is doing maintenance, so the link to the book above will not work until 5/16/09)

So here's some good summer reading! If you have any specific questions about any of the books or Flylady's system, ask away!

Over the next few weeks I will be sharing my curriculum for the next school year, and my yearly school schedule for 09/10 over at St. Artemius Academy.

The Best Mother's Day Gift

I have to share my special moments from Mother's Day! Since my children are still fairly young, anything done for me on Mother's Day is still orchestrated by my husband. (So you never know!) This year, however, I received three gifts that I will remember forever: The first is a simple sentence that my husband wrote in my card, but it means the world. He wrote, "I can already see a huge difference in the children since you have started homeschooling, and it is really the ultimate in selfless things to have given up your free time to devote totally to the children." I have not been the most confident teachers, so his reassurance raised my confidence a lot! The second gift was my Kindergartner reading the card from her and her siblings to me. She is such a reader now, and I'm so proud. The third gift was a special project that my husband lovingly and painstakingly created. This was a project I had come up with for my gift to my mother, grandmother, his mother and the kids' godmothers. After helping me with all of them, he stayed up late Saturday night and made them again, for me. They are silhouettes of our children, and I LOVE them!

My children, oldest to youngest

My youngest, almost two, with all the curls!

Thank you, sweetheart!