June Happenings

It has been a very busy summer! We've been doing a lot of work in the backyard. I'm very proud of our little patch, as you can see above! We have continued our Latin studies at home, and all last week we were busy with our church's Vacation Church School. It was a wonderful week, and my good friend has lots of info and pictures from it here.

A few days ago, I took my oldest to Camp St. Thekla. This was his first year as a camper, and I think my husband and I were just as excited as he was! I spent all my summers at Antiochian Village, and that's where I met my husband. We were both counselors there, and I actually served as a counselor for the first two years of Camp St. Thekla. My son has been ready since age 5!

Turning into the driveway of the camp was just as emotional for me as a parent as it was as a camper and counselor! My dearest friends are those I met at camp, and there's a bond that only those who have experienced camp can understand. I found myself tearing up constantly during my son's first hour there, but it wasn't really sadness. It was the overwhelming feeling of coming full circle. This was a HUGE milestone for him. He now shares something with his parents that his siblings don't, yet. That same bond that connects camp friends now connects parents and child!

I will admit that after 12 hours of driving, I collapsed at home and let out some Mommy tears. It was hard to come home to his empty room, and we won't be able to speak to him for a week, which is a first. I left him in good hands, though! I'm sure he's having a blast.

Here are a few phots of his first day.

Gassing up for the trip.

Our parish's caravan

Officially registered!

Mom felt much better after helping him make his bed!

Outside his lodge with his counselor, and first cabin-mateOn the left is Fr. Philip, the Camp Director. (I actually had Fr. Philip's younger sister as a camper MANY years ago!)

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!

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!

Holy Friday

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The Three C's

Today is the half-way mark! We have spent the past three nights singing "Behold, the Bridegroom Cometh at Midnight!" (I, myself, have been mostly singing it from the narthex or comfort room with "Little Miss almost-two") The older two have done quite well during the services, and I think our daily lessons from The Children's Garden of the Theotokos have really helped my Kindergartner connect with the services. She has been working on her "Lent to Pentecost" book for several weeks, and it has been a blessing for all of us.

The next several days, and especially nights, are wonderful and yet so hard!

Today my oldest two are at an all-day enrichment class. I always try to make Holy Wednesday
"Three C's Day". The C's are for cooking, cleaning, and clothes! Have you noticed that your home seems to explode between Holy Thursday night and Agape Vespers? I know that in our house we're barely here, and when we are we're either sleeping, or getting ready for the next service! I really do not enjoy spending Bright Monday sifting through the rubble! So today I tried to do some extra chores that I won't have time for this weekend. I also put away all the laundry and set aside the children's church clothing for the next several days. (Tonight's are already laid out). Now that the little one is napping, I'm going to do my preliminary cooking preparations. My husband is the gourmet cook of the family, and he usually takes care of most of our Pascha basket food (at least, he cooks all of the meat!). This year however, I'm trying to make a few of the traditional items. I'm trying kulich, the Paska cheese, and tsoureki.

I also finally got a lamb mold for the butter. Hopefully, everything except the tsoureki will be done by tomorrow afternoon. (Let's pray!)