St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Exchange: Between the Seasons

Oh, it's that time of year where summer is slipping away very quickly now. The local school district begins school this upcoming Monday. *sigh My senior son begins with Mother of Divine Grace on line learning support classes the end of the month. Yes, summer is surely slipping fast.....

But what a lovely summer it has been. There have been some wonderful highlights this summer in the life of our family amidst maybe some disappointments and frustrations. Young adults and relationships...sometimes there is pain involved. We did have a share of that -- but I hope and pray for mending of hearts in this area. On a happy note, my daughter became engaged. The wedding will be this time next summer. So it's exciting to be looking forward to that.

My daughter is using my wedding dress -- we are having it refashioned and fitted for her. It is now sleeveless and will be permantly bustled; it has a very long train.

For the Fourth of July, we enjoyed the most amazing fire works show my husband and I have ever seen our entire lives! Nearly in our own backyard -- just a half hour away in our rural setting at a county fairgrounds. Our two younger sons loved it! I don't think we will ever be able to top it!

We saw a lot of movies this summer. "Finding Dory" was definitely a winner. I indulged in some much needed self care and down time. I realize the negatives of now living on life saving medication daily. Still, I am not ungrateful for it -- but there are many side-effects. One of which is strange puffiness in odd areas of the body and some discomforts, and hair loss -- big time. Still, the medication is helping to prevent further liver damage, and avoiding a liver transplant in the future. I have a more gentle approach to my life, my schedule, my pickiness on what I'm doing, when I'm doing it and whom I'm doing with it. No time for stress. And my diet has changed immensely, which I think it's probably all for the better.

I did have a lot of consultations for my education job up to July, but then I scantily scheduled July and August (only as needed basis), and took that time off to just relax and unwind before we begin a new school year at home, my families begin, and the Parish School of Religion at our church begins. In July I spent time preparing for and pulling off our parishes' VBS, Barnyard Round-up!....what a fun time for the children of our parishes. So that was another bright spot in the summer -- in hot, hot July, although thankfully we missed the REALLY hot week that came later in July with temps soaring well into the high 90s!

So, here I am now cleaning the house and getting it ready for the new school year. What a joy and privilege to be able to educate your own children. With 20 years experience now, and approximately 5 more years to go, I can say that you CAN do it. Of course you can! Now that I have older children who have been homeschooled right into college and have since graduated and I have their take on it - their adult input now, I am so pleased to say that they felt very well prepared and confident in college to take on the courses and they did exceptionally well. They knew Latin! :) several professors commented on how impressed they were at their ability to translate/know something in Latin because it does come up very often in academic course study. They came away feeling very successful and one is already talking about homeschooling her own children, that's how good their experience was. I am so glad for the freedom during this chronological timeline to be able to homeschool and do not just "do subjects" but rather, do the content needed but with a classical methodology and philosophy - where it forms higher thinking and analytical skills that are so lost today on our younger generations. We need better educated and formed individuals for the future of our world! ...our United States alone!

The rolling book cart in it's sparse beginnings -- now it is very filled up!

Finally, I have enjoyed teaching American Government and teaching guitar all summer -- For the guitar part, it involves a few of my past students and a current on going student that has taken from me now all year round. What a joy to play the fun current music -- American Authors, Rachel Platten, Adele, the Lumineers, Phillip Phillips, Colbie Caillat, Sara Bareilles, Andy Grammar, Green Day, to name a few. We do many current Christian artists and traditonal/patriotic hymns as well. It brings my heart to life - to sing and play weekly all year long and be able to pass on to these young gals what I know - to share that with them. They can play and sing now. And they have binders filled with at least 40 songs to draw from. I am so glad all my band experience in my late teens and early to mid-twenties wasn't wasted. That the crazy band life with long practices culminated into an experience I could share with others for a good. So that has been a special highlight!

American Government & Economics has also been a fun pursuit this summer and so, so timely! I am teaching this to my son and one of his home schooled friends. It has been such a great class with these two! All high students across the United States have to have this course(s), so homeschooled students are no different. Knowing my son has quite a rigorous course load this year as a senior, I thought getting Health out of the way, (also a requirement on high school transcripts) and Government & Econ started sooner, during the summer, would be helpful for him. He finished Health much earlier in the summer with the Mother of Divine Grade Summer Health course on line. He got all As, I am proud to say :) What a wonderful Catholic morality course! He learned so much. Just incredible and taught by such great Catholic instructors. So, we are finishing up the American Gov part of the dual course and in September will be starting the Economics part.