Monday, August 19, 2013

Journey Across America - New Jersey

This post is part of a 50 state Journey Across America. For information on the basics of this project check out this post. I wasn't planning on documenting this project until we were six states in, so the first five states are a bit lacking in original photos, but the next 45 will be full of them!

The Books:
We began by reading G is for Garden State and then Bean used the information she learned to make a notebook page for her United States scrapbook.

Only two picture books made the list this week, so if you know of more, pass them my way. For some New Jersey bedtime reading, check out Abigail Takes the Wheel and The Legend of the Cape May Diamond.


Finally, Kevin taught the kids about New Jersey using the Our United States of America: Catholic Social Studies textbook.

The Food:
The boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ is quite famous. So famous that it is THE Boardwalk in Monopoly. Fries, hotdogs, and ice cream are some of the traditional fare you can purchase from stands along the boardwalk, so the aforementioned trifecta made up our perfect New Jersey dinner.


For the fries I use red bud potatoes coated in olive oil and seasoning salt. Bake them at 425 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring them every 15 minutes, and I promise perfection. These spuds are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, sooo good.

The Activities:
New Jersey is the Garden State, so we made a rosary stone for our new Marian garden. I bought a garden stone kit for the base of the stone and a bag of glass stones for the beads at Michael's. I think my portion of the bill for our smart phone plan is made up for in the amount I save each month with digital 40% off coupons... just wanted to throw that out there.


We were all fascinated by this project. I did the rosary, the kids did the boarder. Make sure you really get the stones pushed into the concrete, we've had a couple of ours pop out. 

As I mentioned above, the streets of Monopoly are named after Atlantic City, NJ, so if your kids are old enough, patient (or maybe it's you who'd need to be patient), and can sit through a whole game of Monopoly, this is the week to play it. You can even check out this sweet interactive map of the actual streets from GraphGraph.com.


For the impatient folks, there was a rumor going around that the newest version of Monopoly would not have a jail, so as to shorten the game. Bottom line, the rumor was bunk. Sorry about that.

Next week, we are heading south to Georgia!

Be saints, it's worth it! Lisa

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Solemnity of the Assumption

"Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death." CCC 966

Today is a great Solemnity in the year of our Church... The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary!

The Assumption is traditionally the time for blessing your fruit and herb harvest, so we try to incorporate fruit and herbs into our celebration. Of note, we have no home grown fruits or herbs to bless, but that would be really cool if we did. And herb(s) is a really awkward word to say.

A few years ago we made a strawberry mint punch for the Assumption, but to be honest, it was too thick and sweet. So this year I simplified things and used store bought raspberry lemonade and threw some sprigs of mint into it. Less money, less time... I win.


We also made blueberry muffins, which are white for Mary's purity and blue for her mantle. This little combo made of a delightful afternoon snack.

The kids made an Assumption craft from Paper Dali. We threw some cotton ball clouds on them, because who doesn't like cotton ball clouds?


Finally, on our way to mass, we prayed a decade of the rosary meditating on the mystery of the Assumption. Try not to celebrate Solemnities and Feast Days and leave out the prayer part. That is the point of the day, to thank God for a particular Saint or event in our Church's history and to contemplate how it effects our lives today. I'm done preaching.

Be saints, it's worth it! Lisa

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Journey Across America - Pennsylvania

This post is part of a 50 state Journey Across America. For information on the basics of this project check out this post. I wasn't planning on documenting this project until we were six states in, so the first five states are a bit lacking in original photos, but the next 45 will be full of them!

Pennsylvania week recap, check it out!


The Books:
We began by reading K is for Keystone and then Bean used the information she learned to make a notebook page for her United States scrapbook.


We also read Yonie Wondernose, a picture book about a curious, little Amish boy, and The Cabin Faced West by Jean Fritz, one of our favorite historical fiction authors. Don't let the 3.5 stars deter you. It looks like a teacher made her kids read the book and write a review for Amazon, then she posted them. Check out the one star reviews, most of them are clearly written by kids and were all posted on the same day. If your children like to read/listen to stories and like history, they will enjoy this book.

Another great Pennsylvania book by Jean Fritz is What's the Big Idea Ben Franklin, it fits in here because Franklin represented Pennsylvania at the Continental Congress. You can also learn about Groundhog Day by reading Groundhog Day! by Gail Gibbons (Punxsutawney Phil hails from Pennsylvania). And American Girl's Addy escapes to Pennsylvania in their six book series.

Finally, Kevin taught the kids about St. John Neumann (not to be confused with John Henry Newman) using the Our United States of America: Catholic Social Studies textbook. He was the 4th bishop of Philadelphia, founder of the first diocesan school system, and the first American male to be canonized... pretty amazing guy!

The Food:
I could not resist following the lead of Shower of Roses in making a Hershey's Chocolate Breakfast Cake. Not only does this tie in Hershey chocolate, which was founded in Pennsylvania, but it also ties in Bill Cosby, who is from Pennsylvania. If you aren't familiar with what Bill Cosby has to do with chocolate breakfast cake, give this comedy sketch a watch.


P.S. You could also make ice cream soda, as it was invented by Robert M. Green in Philadelphia!

The Activity:
Because there is still a strong Amish presence in Pennsylvania, we made paper quilt squares. Yes, the Amish are known for making well crafted real quilts, but we aren't ready for a sewing machine. Artistshelpingchildren.org has lots of ideas for similar crafts. It was quick and easy, which always piques my interest.

Image from artistshelpingchildren.org

Up next is New Jersey!

Sunday, August 11, 2013

The Feast of St. Clare

Today, the Feast of St. Clare, is Bean's Feast Day!


We started the day with Kevin's famous St. Clare pancakes.



There are a few chocolate chips smeared on the pancakes. Chocolate chips are essential to pancakes. And Kevin is truly handy with the pancake pen. Here we have a monstrance, San Damiano, and St. Clare holding a monstrance.

It was a free day at our local science museum, so we took full advantage of it and used it as our special event for our special day!


For dinner I made Bean's favorite meal, chicken pot pie. This one was easy to St. Clare-ify by turning the crust into a monstrance.



St. Clare is pictured with a monstrance because when her convent was being attacked she held up a monstrance and the light shining from it was so bright the army dropped their weapons and fled.

We didn't pull off a craft this year, but Catholic Icing has tons of monstrance ideas if you are looking for one. Oh, and I can't forget, we listened to our St. Clare Glory Story. The older the kids get, the more they like these. They are well worth the investment!! We also love our Clare and Francis picture book if you want to go the non-audio route.

Be saints, it's worth it! Lisa

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Feast of the Transfiguration

Happy Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord! We were able to take a family hike up a mountain today, which is very fitting since the transfiguration took place atop a mountain.


We spent plenty of time exploring the creek, waterfalls, and surrounding woods.


While I didn't get a picture (too stunned), we did see our first black bear. The good news is we were in the car. Still, wow was he close! Once he saw us coming he turned and shimmied up a tree. I was glad to see he ran from us because if we were out of the car we'd want to run from him too!


Be saints, it's worth it! Lisa

Journey Across America - Delaware

This post is part of a 50 state Journey Across America. For information on the basics of this project check out this post. I wasn't planning on documenting this project until we were six states in, so the first five states are a bit lacking in original photos, but the next 45 will be full of them!

No better place to start than with our 1st state to enter to union, Delaware! Delaware, what's in Delaware? (Wayne's World, yes it was a part of my childhood experience... probably won't be a part of my kids' however.)


The Books:
We began by reading F is for First State and then Bean used the information she learned to make a notebook page for the first entry in her United States scrapbook. Some of the answers we did have to look up online, but most of them were in there, along with other fascinating facts and history.


We also read two picture books: When Washington Crossed the Delaware: A Wintertime Story for Young Patriots and When the Shadbush Blooms. And Kevin taught the kids about Delaware using the Our United States of America: Catholic Social Studies textbook.

The Food:

Photo from myrecipes.com
We tried out The United State's Cookbook's gingerbread squares, a dessert that the Germans brought with them to Delaware, but they were not a hit. Molasses is such a strong flavor, and I even cut it down in this recipe! If you go for the gingerbread squares, serve them with Delaware's official state drink, milk!

If we could do it over again I think I would opt for a broiler chicken, whose industry was established in Delaware by Cecil Steel. According to some, Cecil ordered 50 chickens for her family and accidentally received 500. Not begin able to keep them all, she butchered and sold them while they were young and, jackpot, the broiler chicken was born!

The Activity:
Per the idea of Confessions of a Homeschooler, we made a Delaware Memorial Bridge using grooved craft sticks. Making the bridge was fun, but it didn't take long for the kids to tear it apart for new and different creations. I consider the addition of grooved craft sticks to our craft/building repertoire a worthy investment.


Check back soon for the Pennsylvania wrap up!


Sunday, August 4, 2013

30 at 30: What I've Discovered so Far

Today is my 30th birthday! In an effort to process this milestone I came up with a list of 30 things I've learned in the last 30 years.

1. Pray every day for 20-30 minutes. Don't just recite some prayers and petitions, but actually talk to God. Tell Him what you are thinking and feeling. Tell Him your joys and struggles. Be real with Him. Be vulnerable with Him. It's harder than you think.

2. Consistent exercise makes you feel better.

3. I don't like gardening. I want to like it, but the pay off isn't worth the effort, at least not in my backyard.

4. Children are a gift, not a right.


5. Don't compare yourself to others. Seriously, just don't do it.

6. Be generous. It's all God's money anyway.

7. I'm American. I don't like sports. That's okay.

8. Gossiping isn't worth it. I learned this one in high school and lost a lot of friends and made a lot of enemies along the way.

9. I have regrets. A life without regrets is a life that doesn't want to improve and doesn't think it needs forgiveness. I've made mistakes, said things I wish I hadn't, made decisions I'm not proud of. There are things I would do differently if I could do it again.

10. The secret to life is Jesus Christ and his Church. Despite popular belief, you can't separate the two.

11. Yelling at or belittling kids never works. And, you both feel worse after.

12.  Death is not the worst thing in this world. Yes, we mourn when someone dies and we miss them, but losing someone close to you doesn't have to consume you. The point of life is to get to heaven, when someone reaches that goal, even if the circumstances are tragic, eventually our sorrow can turn to joy.

My dad's last Birthday.

13. Dark chocolate really is better than milk chocolate.

14. I like to write. I didn't know this about myself until a few years ago, which makes me wonder what more I'll learn about myself in the next 30 years.

15. There is life after high school.

16. I'm weaker than I think I am. For some people it's important that they know they are stronger than they think they are. But for a person like me who tends to think they are super-human, knowing I'm weak is actually more beneficial.

17. Saying I'm sorry, and actually meaning it, is hard.

18. I married the right man.

Celebrating my birthday with a dinner date.

19. True freedom comes from being able to do the right thing, at the right time, in the right way, not from being able to do whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want to do it.

20. No matter how evil an act someone commits, they do it because they think eventually it will lead to happiness.

21. When I turned 20 I thought 30 was old. Now that I'm 30 I've changed my mind, 40 is old.

22. The only reason people don't pray is because they really don't think they need God.

23. 99% of what is on TV is a waste of time.

24. It's easier to maintain several surface friendships than it is to maintain a few deep friendships, but a few deep friendships are more fulfilling that several surface friendships.

BFFs from college.

25. Most everybody thinks their life is really busy. Busyness is all relative.

26. Love isn't a feeling, it's a conscious choice to want the best for another person and to have the courage to act according to that desire.

27. After spending three months in rural Argentina volunteering in a home for abandoned children, I learned that Mother Teresa is right, spiritual poverty is a greater poverty than physical poverty.

28. Not everybody is going to like you, no matter how nice you are. Sometimes it's how nice you are that makes them not like you.

29. Even the happiest people have bad days.

30. Have personal goals and work to obtain them. Without goals you will let life pass you by and not really experience it.

Checking off "get published" in year 29.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Journey Across America - The Basics

This year we will be learning about the 50 states in geography. After seeing several other homeschool moms turn this dreaded task (states and capitols drills!) into an exciting adventure, I decided to do the same... or at least try. To get it all done in about one year we started in June 2013 and hope to end in August 2014. We will be studying one state each week and I'll be posting a wrap up of each state as we journey along, this way when I do it again with baby #3 I'll have everything documented! And I'm hoping someone (you) out there finds this beneficial for their own study of the 50 states.

Here is the run down of how we study each state:

Discover America State by State Series



To begin the week we read our state of the week's book from the Discover America State by State series. These books go through an alphabet of the state, highlighting its major features and history. Each book is written and illustrated by someone different, so some are more compelling than others, but the kids always enjoy them!

The Textbook



Kevin teaches a lesson on our state using Our United States of America: Catholic Social Studies. I like this book because each state has its own section, as opposed to lumping states into general regions. We do not use the accompanying workbook however because it does lump the states into general regions and we are studying the states in the order in which they joined the union.

The Literature


Some of our Massachusetts books
We are also reading a few fiction books that are set in the state in which we are studying. Both Mrs. McGowan and Wrapped in Foil have fairly comprehensive lists, although I don't recommend every book on their lists. A Picture Perfect Childhood has a shorter state booklist, but I can recommend all of the titles featured there. Don't worry, I'll let you know my favorites as we travel along.

Scrapbook Page



Bean is making a simple scrapbook of the 50 states using Homeschool in the Woods United States Maps notebooking pages. I liked these one-paged notebook pages better than the free printables I found online, but if you want to go the free route, check out Enchanted Learning or USA-Printables for notebook/scrapbook/lapbook pages. Notebook pages also come with Confessions of a Homeschooler's curriculum and I can't leave out the amazing scrapbook pages that Shower of Roses are making! The format for the notebooking pages we use comes from there as well.

Food


Mini Boston Cream Pies from Massachusetts week
Why not include food in this project. I like food, my kids like food, sounds like a win-win to me. Along with scrapbooks, Shower of Roses is also baking their way through the 50 states and Common Shepherdess is doing entire meal plans! Check out Cooking Channel TV, Wikipedia, and Food Timeline as well. Some books we are using for additional inspiration are The United States Cookbook: Fabulous Foods and Fascinating Facts from all 50 States and American Grub - Eats for Kids from All Fifty States. Finally, perhaps this map at Laughing Squid will put you in the cooking mood. This has been a highlight of our studies so far, so don't leave it out of your plans!

Craft or Activity


New Jersey is known as the Garden State, so our activity that week was a rosary stone for our Marian garden.
Each week we do a fun (well, hopefully it's fun) craft or activity that ties into our state. For ideas you can download Discover America State by State's teaching guides. They are filled with free printable worksheets and ideas for crafts and activities that coordinate with each state. You can also find ideas at Confessions of a Homeschooler.

Other Ideas
Some weeks I've been pulling up the state song on youtube or letting the kids play some online state games at Learning Games for Kids. My mom also found these workbooks and flashcards in the Dollar Spot at Target for some additional resources.

Once the FOCUS missionaries head to their campuses I will be writing very complimentary emails to them to beg for a postcard from their state in hopes of collecting all 50 states for my kids. Signing up for an exchange is another way to collect postcards from all 50 states.

Lastly, we love the Scrambled States of America products, Highlights has a Which Way USA Club that looks cool, but we haven't invested in that one, and when I'm feeling really generous the kids get to play Stack the States. It's super fun.


I'm looking forward to posting our highlights from each week, so be on the look out!

Be saints, it's worth it! Lisa

P.S. This is by no means a complete list of ALL the fun ways to teach the states. If you know of a great resource, please add it to the comments!

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

A Baptismal Day Celebration

Today is Bean's Baptismal Day!

Seven years ago today she became a child of God.


We think becoming a child of God is a pretty big deal. So today, we celebrated.

For the fancy, super-holy way to celebrate a baptismal day check out this excerpt from Maria Augusta Trapp's book Around the Year with the Trapp Family at Catholicculture.org. She's the Maria portrayed in The Sound of Music. Where were the kid's Baptismal Day celebrations in that movie?


While it would have been awesome to visit the church where Bean was baptized, it's nine hours away. So we had to settle for a hike with her Grandma and Godmother.


Then for dessert we lit her baptismal candle, ate cake, talked about why today is so special, and said a special prayer of blessing for our little Bean! Do you know when your Baptismal Day is?

Be saints, it's worth it! Lisa