Call me obsessed, but . . .

I'm not!

I promise!

Being asked by Beth at Classical Conversations at Home to be apart of her new book club has been a BIG turning point in our homeschooling journey (thanks so much, Beth!). I have not been intentional about my educational choices or methods.

"I believe parents want to take a moment to evaluate the purpose of education in order to move forward with conviction and purpose as they choose the type of schooling their children will receive."

The Core by Leigh Bortins, page 215

Oooh, 'Classical' sounds really smart - let's do it that way! Pretty sure that's what was going through my head when I signed up for Classical Conversations. I had certainly not evaluated the purpose of education, and I haven't been moving forward with conviction and purpose. Honestly, what really sold me on CC was one of the other mamas telling me they study the parts of the orchestra. Yeah, sadly that was it (easy sell, huh?). I'm so embarrassed to tell y'all that I really don't know what I'm doing. And, although I never claimed to have all the answers, I sometimes feel that by having a blog about our family and school stuff I'm supposed to be more educated about the whole 'classical model.' Well, I'm not. . .

But, by God's grace, I'm getting there! ;)

Reading Teaching the Trivium by the Bluedorns has lit a FIRE in me to discover what the classical model is and if I really want go that route.

After finishing the brick of a book in a few days, I read Leigh Bortins's Echo in Celebration, Dorothy Sayers's essay The Lost Tools of Learning, The Core, and Classical Christian Education Made Approachable. Now, I'm going back through all the books and writing down what each one has to say about the classical model and about the Trivium. I'm also making a list of what each book says to do at each stage (Grammar, Dialectic, Rhetoric). Oh, yes, now I'm learning.

Yes, I can now say without a doubt that the classical model and CC are a perfect fit for our family. I feel confident that I have evaluated the purpose of education and can now move forward with conviction and purpose (as Leigh says). I will continue to learn and grow in my understanding of it all (because I absolutely do NOT know it all, not even close!), but it's so satisfying to not feel like a poser in the CC blog world. Not that I was ever intentionally being fake, but I now see that I never really understood the classical model, and therefore I never truly understood what CC was all about. 

So, as my sweet Anna says, "I sorry, 'give me?"

Okay, so why am I spilling my guts. After all, confession is good for the soul, but bad for the reputation. Well, I just figured that maybe some of you are kind of like me. Maybe you're in CC or you're thinking about educating your children classically, but you don't really know what that means or looks like in your home. So, I just want to encourage you to make the effort to dig deeper. Don't settle with just 'going with the flow,' even if you're already in a CC community. Do you know WHY the great folks at CC chose the memory work that they did? Do you know WHAT grammar-level kiddos are supposed to do and HOW? I sure didn't! I just did what everyone else was doing. So, if you're like me, I challenge you to discover WHY you're homeschooling classically and WHY you chose Classical Conversations to help you in your journey. If I can learn about it, you can, too! And having this purpose and conviction will now help me to persevere when the times get tough, which I know they will. So. . .

Are ya pumped?!

Don't know where to start?

Well, if you're a Classical Conversations newbie, I suggest beginning with Classical Christian Education Made Approachable:

It's short (around 100 pages I think), to the point, and it even has some nice charts that explain the Trivium and the entire Classical Conversations program. I learned a LOT from this little book!

(I feel like I'm supposed to say that the best place to start is The Core, because that's like the Bible of CC, but if you're new or lost and struggling, read this nice smaller book above first. I made the most notes out of this one!)

After you finish that one, I would suggest reading The Core, and read it intentionally, too, if you have younger children who are in the Foundations Program.

Then, you can find encouragement in Leigh Bortins's Echo in Celebration. This is a free pdf book, but I took mine to Staples and had it bound so I could really get my hands on it and take notes.

Finally, I would suggest you read Dorothy Sayers's essay The Lost Tools of Learning (free pdf). Personally, I was able to get more out of it after I understood the classical model and Trivium first.

I know it seems like a lot of reading, but it's the summer, friends! If we don't read now, when will we? ;)

So, that's what I've been up to lately. I would love for you to join the CC at Home Book Club by reading along with us as we discover more about classical education this summer!

And, I'd really love to hear your thoughts about all of this. Am I the only CC member who was in the dark about the classical model, which may be the case (red face)?

In other news, are you going to Parent Practicum? Ours is next Monday through Wednesday, and I'm SO excited! I plan on posting pictures and all my thoughts about it, too, so if you can't make it to one this year you can see what goes on.

Ooh, have to run! Have a great weekend, friends. And thanks for letting me be real with you!

Cycle 2 Memory Work Flip Chart

Oh, my . . . this baby was a labor of love, y'all!

It certainly took a long time, but I think this flip chart is much better than the one I did for Cycle 1. You may think it's a little early to start thinking about Cycle 2, but I like to be an early bird when I can. And have you checked out Pinterest lately?! Mamas are already pinning tons of ideas for the next cycle! Awesome!

If you'd like to make your own flip chart like this, the pdf can be found on C3:

username: melodystroud

file name: Cycle 2 Memory Work Flip Chart

After printing, you'll have to go to the Latin page and add the macrons yourself (those small lines above some of the letters); I didn't know how to do that on the computer. Everything is in the chart except the Bible passage, Ephesians 6:1-24. I know that some communities use different versions, so you can just type that up yourself if you're so inclined. All the pages fit nicely into a 4 x 6 photo album. I stopped by Dollar General yesterday to pick one up (True Living Brag Book to be exact), and it was only $1. I'm telling you, these little flip charts are SO much handier than flipping through that big Foundations Guide (and I'm not knockin' the FG, but you know that thing is HUGE!). And they're great to keep in your purse, too, especially if you're headed to the library. So, whew! I'm just so glad it's done now! 

We returned to our CC community yesterday after an 8 or 9 week break. It wasn't supposed to be that long, but then weather and sickness pushed us back a few extra weeks. It was SO GREAT to be back! I love that Mary sees other kids learning the same things she is, and all of the children are really excited about being together. Rumor is, our class is the rowdiest; I wouldn't doubt that. ;)

Our fabulous tutor had an exciting game for the kids to play for review:

They got to go FISHING (the chairs are their boat)! On the back of each fish was a review question.

Mary's reeling one in! 

The fishing game was fun for the kids, but honestly, it was stressful for me. They all had a hard time getting the magnet to land on the paper clip; it felt like it was taking for-e-ver (insert Sandlot movie clip here - remember that part? Too funny!) Anyway, the kids absolutely loved it, of course, but I was thinking, Let's speed this up! Here, let me catch one for ya! Can't we get some more questions in?! During lunch, I was talking to a sweet friend whose son is in the class with Mary. I complained (yes, I know, I know, complaining is terrible) about how long the fish game took, and then BOOM! It's like God spoke right through her to me. She said, "Yeah, but we want the kids to have fun, too, and be excited about learning."

Ouch! I was pretty embarrassed.

I can tell I'm going to have to work on the fun part of learning for a long time, probably for-e-ver. ;)

Yes, yes, I'd already fallen back into my review-machine mode. So, thank you, friend, for gently reminding me that reviewing does not always equal drilling. And thank you, Mary's awesome tutor, for creating a review game that the kids LOVED to play.

Okay, enough humble pie for me. ;) Let's end on a happy note:

Isn't this a cute picture?! In Art this week, we're studying Ghiberti. He was the Italian artist who created the bronze doors for the Baptistry of Florence in the early Renaissance. So, all the kids used clay and made three-dimensional doors with pictures that were supposed to tell something from the Bible. How cool! Mary said this door told the story of when God sent the snakes to the Israelite camp. Yikes! Ha!

Have to run, more later, friends!

This post is being submitted to Brandy's January CC Blog Carnival at Half-a-Hundred Acre Wood.

Things That Make Me Smile

If you read my previous post, you know that my baby, Anna, starts school on Monday. So, while I could have a pity party (and don't think I haven't), I'm going to do just a quick post of things that make me smile. It's going to be a little of this and a little of that, and maybe it will make you smile, too. :)

We had a sweet friend over the other morning for a great playdate! He was the king of Pixie Hollow, and Mary was the Queen. 

Daddy tucks in Anna, or maybe that's the other way around. ;)

A sweet friend let us borrow her Liberty's Kids DVDs, and we've enjoyed watching an episode or two together before bed. They're incredible cartoons about the founding of America, with A-list actors' voices, too! These have really made me smile, as well as the girls.

Please excuse the half-naked man. Now, I told you it was going to be a little of this and little of that. This doesn't exactly make me smile, per se, but it's been SO inspirational to me that I just had to share it with you. Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead is a documentary of an unhealthy man as he embarks on a 60-day juice fast. The best part about this film, however, is the transformation of a truck driver he just happens to meet on the road who's ready to change his life. It's absolutely fascinating, and it's FREE if you're an Amazon Prime member; you can also watch it for free on Hulu. We do plan on getting into juicing when we can save enough money to get a juicer. I'm super excited about starting a healthier lifestyle soon, and that does make me smile. :)

Anna's Gorlin Syndrome support group sent her a gift card to Build-A-Bear so she could make her own Band-Aid Buddy. The special buddy is meant to go with her to all her doctors' appointments and future surgeries. The Network, as the support group is called, is just plain awesome! They have been such an encouragement to our family. This was Anna's very first Build-A-Bear experience, and she loved every part of it. She's named her buddy Buddy - ha!

And finally, the girls are sitting in the dress-up box in the closet (while Mary is singing, of course). It always makes me smile to see them doing things together (and Mary's eye is fine; she just has to wear a patch over her 'good' eye for two hours every morning. She has a wanderin' eye, which is the reason for her glasses. Her vision is actually great.)

Thank you for all the encouragement and prayers about our new adventure with Anna. It's going to be difficult, for sure, but I'm thankful to God for my family and friends (and even though we may never meet in person, I still consider us friends) who support us so much. I hope this post made you smile just a little, and we'll keep you updated about the big day coming on Monday!

First Semester Best and Worst

I simply refuse to believe that our first semester of CC and homeschooling is complete! Wow! This is a good time to take stock and look back at what worked and what flopped. And here we go... ;)

Things that Rocked!

1. Map friends! Geography is so much more fun when you can make little story lines to go along with it and use your kids' favorite characters. See post about that here.

2. Memory Work Board. It was just great to have the material for the week always out in its own space. Out of sight, out of mind, right? However, I did make a big boo-boo with this, which I'll discuss in the Fizzle part.

3. The Map Friends Book was a huge hit! This has been a great way to use our map friends in a smaller space. Love it! See post about the book and how to make your own here.

4. Field Trips! Our family went to the Nashville Parthenon during Week 3, and we visited the Tennessee Aquarium after studying vertebrates and invertebrates. Good times!

5. The Math Review Book was also very, very effective at daily math memory practice. See post here.

6. Our CC group is just plain awesome! We love, love, love everything about CC and our community, and Mary has an enthusiastic, joyful tutor who loves on her kids. Perfect!

7. Mini Timeline Cards! God has blessed me with a wonderfully patient husband who scanned in every single timeline and president card and then shrunk them down to the size of baseball cards. How cool is this! I've really enjoyed having the minis for timeline review. And they're just sooo cute! See post about these here.

8. Geography Cards! These little picture cards have been great for reviewing our weekly geography. These can also be made into a fun review game by having kids randomly pick a card and then locate the place on a map. Quick and easy! Crecia at CCing it one day at a time came up with this great idea, and she has them all on her blog. Be sure to check it out! To see my post on them, click here.

9. Missionary of the Week! Mary has really gotten into this, so that's certainly a plus. See post and our Christian missionary/hero schedule to go along with Cycle 1 here.

10. Cycle 1 Memory Work Flip Chart! Oh, this has been such a blessing to me as I plan for each week. I love not having to flip through that big ol' Foundations Guide! Check it out here.

11. Timeline Card and Bible Story Integration Schedule! I used the book above to help me correlate Bible stories and our daily CC timeline card reading. This worked out really, really well, even though we didn't stay on-schedule too much. ;) Since timeline repeats each year, we'll definitely be doing this again next Fall. See post here.

Things that Fizzled

(Oh, my! If this isn't a 'fizzle face' then I don't know what is! Poor girl!)

We didn't do a lot of extra stuff outside of our CC memory work this semester. Mary's only four, so aside from reading, we just stuck to CC stuff. So, I don't have too many little fizzles to share (simply because we didn't really do much). However, I do have one big, super-duper failure: I let school come before my husband. 

Ouch!

It hurts me just to write that. Sigh... Yes, it's true. I am a very 'extreme' person, very passionate. I'm either all-in or all-out. (funny side story: I remember asking my mom not too long ago which way she puts the toilet paper roll in the bathroom. Paper under or over? She said, "Over the top, just like everything else we do!" Ha! I am JUST like her! Yes, everything usually is over-the-top with me.) So, when we started CC in August, and Mary did so well memorizing the first weeks, well, I jumped on it. We reviewed ALL the time. At the table, in the car, just whenever and wherever. Mary didn't mind much, she was soaking it up, and I loved seeing her learn. However, all was not well with the hubs...

too much review at the table led to this:

Sad, huh? I could tell it was really starting to affect our marriage, which is very embarrassing to admit. I mean, who in the world would let CC review come between her and her man? Me. Yes, sad, sad, sad.

Well, a very sweet reader sent me an email a while back and clued me in. At first, I'll have to admit that I was a little offended. I mean, really, who does she think she is! She doesn't even know me! But God used that email. God used that sweet friend to show me what I was doing in my home, in my marriage (thank you, R, for your honesty and openness.). My husband read the email and nodded his head. Yep, he agreed with her.

Double ouch.

I prayed a lot. Pouted a lot. I asked him what would make him happy again, and he said to stop reviewing at the table when he's home. So, we (reluctantly) stopped. We put the Math Review Book away and cleared all the school stuff off of the dining room table (but he said the memory work board was okay - whew!). It shouldn't have been a big deal, but it was. Mary was doing so well, would she fall behind if we stopped reviewing so much? The answer is yes. Yes, she did fall behind. She doesn't know a lot of her skip counting, Latin, and some Science.

Does it matter? 

No.

After only a couple of days, God had restored my man to me. Oh, how wonderful it is to have him back! Aside from our relationship with Jesus Christ, nothing is more important than our relationship to each other as man and wife. The whole incident really opened my eyes and prompted us all to take a step back and just breathe.

We're much more relaxed now...

finding a good balance at home...

and sharing a lot more smiles with each other (by the way, that map behind me in this picture has now come down. Ha! I now refuse to let school spill into every room. Yes, I believe learning should happen all the time, it's an on-going thing, yes, yes, but I don't need a visual aide in every living space, not anymore!)

So, that's the best and worst of the Strouds' first semester of CC and homeschooling. Good lessons learned by everyone, especially by over-the-top me. I'm so thankful to God for the blessing of being able to stay home and do this, for honest friends and readers, for a patient and longsuffering hubs, and for sweet girls who are always ready to forgive. What a beginning!

This post is being submitted to Half-A-Hundred Acre Wood's CC Monthly Blog Carnival for November.

Art Lesson, Heart Lesson

Also called, 'I pray that I didn't scar my child for life!'

So, I saw this great idea for an art project somewhere online. Saturday, the hubs took Mary out on a Daddy Date, and I decided to give this idea a go with Anna.

I put painter's tape on a canvas, let Anna pick out her paint color, and then let her loose! 

Everything started out well. I thought she'd really go for this project since she's been enjoying getting her hands messy lately. Who wouldn't love finger-painting, right?!

Surprisingly, she wanted to use a brush instead. Okay, no biggie...

We're having fun, life is great, and then boom - she's done. She's DONE?! But the picture isn't 'finished!' She hasn't put paint over all the letters yet, and it's only been like three minutes! She can't possibly be DONE...

But, she is (and, yawn, she's a little bored, really). And finished or not, I totally should have taken the brush, said, "Good job, Sweetie!" and let that be that. Or better yet, I should have picked up a brush and said lovingly, "Let's finish this together!" However...

I didn't. Isn't this above picture so terrible?! Oh, my heart aches that I made her finish. :( She so didn't want to, but I thought, hey, I put all the work into getting this thing ready, you're almost done, if we stop now you won't even see all the letters. Ugh... So, after some whining (no real tears or breakdown, though. Please don't think I got out the wire hangers or anything!) and bribing (Wanna watch Nemo? Put some paint over this E!) she finished. (Are you shaking your head in frustration at me? Me, too. I really am embarrassed by this, but if I just write posts of everything being hunky-dory all the time, that would be a lie. So, here is the icky-messy truth...)

Looking back, the struggle was SO not worth it, and I really am praying that she's not totally turned off to painting after this. I am the worst mom ever! Who forces their kid to finish an art project?! An ART PROJECT for 'FUN!' Sheesh... Well, this was definitely a humbling learning experience for me.

But, she's only two; she probably won't remember this. And, as you can see, here she is the next day, all happy and smiles with her completed project. I was just so happy that she didn't run into corner and cry when she saw it! I think she'll be okay. :)

So, while the finished project is cute, it's also bittersweet. I will keep it and hang it up, though, as a reminder of this torture experience, in hopes that it never happens again. Bummer, huh? But, I did learn a wonderful mommy heart-lesson, and Anna doesn't seem too broken up about it anymore (thank you, Lord!). Also, to keep things in perspective, in the big scheme of things, if this is the worst part of my week, then things are good. :) (by the way, my husband just said I sound like Doogie Howser writing on his computer - ha! I'd much rather be compared to Blossom, though. ;)  )

Lessons of a Different Kind

I think I used to be in a cult. Well, not a real cult with it's own name and taxi fare to ride Halley's Comet, but rather a cult of my own making. I used to only wear long (and ugly!) dresses and skirts. I used to not cut my hair. I surrounded myself with people who thought just like me, and I only read books that reaffirmed my then-twisted beliefs. Anyone who believed differently from me was surely going to hell or at least leading other people there. I thought God was a stern task-master, and if I just did this or that then I would stay on His good side and avoid His wrath. But God is good, y'all. He is SO incredibly good and PATIENT with me. I've mentioned before that I only seem to really learn these lessons the hard way. I have to go through the pain of the experience to really internalize the lesson and make the changes with God's help.

Let me go back for a minute. Wearing modest clothing and having long hair are not bad choices in themselves. It's all about the heart. Now, since I've come through that dark and miserable tunnel, I still only wear skirts. What?! But I thought you said...! Hold on, when was the last time you wore a skirt? Girl, they are soo comfortable! And, most importantly, the hubs likes me in them. So, my wearing skirts now passes my little 'heart check.' I no longer HAVE to wear skirts, but rather I LIKE to wear skirts. Make sense? However, I so totally chopped off my hair not too long ago, and it really did feel like a symbolic act of freedom. Loved it! I had to hold back a big joyous WHOOT because I didn't want to freak out the stylist! Freedom. There is freedom in Christ. There is fear in rules. God is love, and perfect love casts out fear. Isn't God awesome!

Why am I talking about all of this? Well, last night we had a wonderful family over for dinner. We share many of the same values, but they don't homeschool. They are totally on-fire for Jesus and share Him with others, but they don't homeschool. A couple of years ago, that last part would have been a deal-breaker. I'm so thankful to God for bringing me out of my 'cult' in time to make this great relationship! People are different. Families are different. God has called people to different things. How incredibly boring it would be if we were all the same! God has given each of us different gifts and talents, and, as I'm learning, different callings.

So, as the school year begins, my own lessons begin.

F is for...

Our very first week of school is O-V-E-R! Woohoo! We made it! This week was all about the letter F. We use Confessions of a Homeschooler's Letter of the Week curriculum, which we love. Our CC group doesn't start until the end of this month, so LOTW is all we've been doing 'officially.' Here are some things that Mary has been learning:

F is for . . .  furry pom pom magnets! These little things are so cool and easy to make. All you need is a package of pom poms, glue (I used super glue), and circle magnets. For more explanation and free printables, check here and here (this last link also has free Playdough mat printables! Both links take you to GREAT sites!).

F is for . . . FISH! We did a lot with fish this week, including hopping on fish numbers while counting forwards and backwards (in our Sleeping Beauty dress, of course!).

F is for . . . feathers! This was Mary's first time playing with feathers, and she had a blast! 

F is for . . . FLYING feathers!

I hope Mary had a great first week of school. The only thing she doesn't like doing is writing, but we're slowly working on that. A sweet friend (who calls herself a 'recovering perfectionist,' don't you just love that!) recommended 1+1+1=1's Animal ABCs, so I've got the free printables from that ready to go for our upcoming letters. They look so good; in fact, almost EVERYTHING I'm finding looks soooo good . . . which leads me to quickly mention what Mama has been learning this week:

F is for . . . finding a balance. See the 'mess' she's making with those feathers? Yeah, I had to try pretty hard not to flip out about that. Wait, check out this picture below:

See all those blankets and rugs and pillows on the floor in a big ol' messy pile behind my sweet baby girl? Mary took almost EVERY SINGLE covering off the beds to make (in her own words) this "bouncy Tabernacle." I know that you're going to think I'm nutty, but it was very, very hard for this 'neat and tidy' mama to just let this happen. But, with God's grace, I did. And it really was a God-thing, because even though I didn't want to let her make these 'messes' (and I understand these are not all-out messes by any means, but in our house, this is messy), I knew it was the right thing to do. I could feel the Holy Spirit telling me to let it go. This all reminds me of that verse in the Bible, Proverbs 14:4 - Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox. Not that my girls are oxen, of course, but I'm sure you get what I'm saying.

(I need this!)

F is for . . . family. I absolutely could NOT do this homeschooling-thing without the support of my hubs. God really does know what He's doing; we are absolutely perfect for each other! I truly am astounded by how much I am loved (by both of them!).

F is for . . . friends. Ohhh, how sweet good friendships are! I'm very, very blessed to be beginning friendships with other like-minded CC mamas. Last night I met up with a few of these amazing ladies for dinner, and we talked for - get this - FOUR hours! And I'm sure we could've talked longer, but we are mamas, so we all knew what would be comin' in the morning if we didn't get home soon. ;) It was all just so encouraging and uplifting!

F is for . . . forgiving myself. Hey, if Jesus can forgive me for ALL of my terrible sins, I should learn to forgive myself for bad days. Bad days will come. I will lose my temper. I will lose my patience. I may even lose my mind, but after I ask the forgiveness of my children, husband, God, and whomever else was unfortunate enough to be in the fall-out, I need to forgive myself and move on. The Holy Spirit brings conviction; the devil smothers with condemnation. 

And finally,

F is for . . . 'first-world' problems. I don't remember where I first heard that phrase, but I love it. Pretty much all of my issues/problems can be lumped into that category. I don't have this, or things would be much better if I had those really cute virtue cards with the cartoon kids (I really do want those!), or whatever else is standing in my way of being content. It's usually always something that in the big scheme of things, is pretty trivial. First-world problems. Should Mary stay in ballet or switch to gymnastics? First-world problem. One of the things I pray for quite a bit is that God will help me to have an eternal perspective. I can already tell that homeschooling will help that little prayer stay in the front of my mind, which is certainly a good thing, right? ;)

F is for . . . forgetting my sweet hubs is on the couch waiting for me! Yikes! Good night, friends!