{This and That} :: Summer's End

Well, we are in our FINAL week of summer here. This break has flown by -- I have gathered some of the reasons why below! Now we are closing out our long break and putting final touches on our plans for a new year of learning together...

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First, the big news: I shared on Instagram a few weeks ago but don't think I shared here yet. We are so very grateful to be pregnant with another little Cruz! I'm almost at the half-way point and the kids can't wait to find out what gender this little tie-breaker will be. He or she will join us in January, God willing.

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A highlight of my summer was the week I spent on the East Coast for the CMEC Summer Retreat! It was so nice to get back to our large, in-person summer event after several years off for Covid.

(We hosted smaller, day-long "gatherings" last summer in three cities on the East Coast, and it was wonderful to meet so many mothers that way, but this format of two days of cohesive talks and immersions is really special.)

The event was absolutely beautiful -- the hosting and planning team did such a stellar job. The theme was "Our Constant Joy: Truth, Beauty, and Goodness in Home and School." I spoke on artist study, composer study, notebooks, and a Christian conception of beauty. Amy spoke on singing, recitation, and more. There was a resource fair, time for narration and discussion, and a fantastic dinner with live music and folk dancing.

I will admit: preparing for this event took just all my available energy in May and June. That was the peak of my first trimester nausea and fatigue, and there were many times I wondered what I had gotten myself into! (Do you have moments like that? I often do. I'm not sure what that says about me!) But honestly, I think the talks were all the better for my weakness -- grace abounds! And the worst of the symptoms passed in time for the event itself, which was a huge relief. It was so nice to be in the company of 160 like-minded moms and teachers.

And for the first time ever, I brought one of my children along with me -- my oldest daughter. She helped at the event, including manning some of the tables and holding lots of babies. ;) She also got to meet some longtime penpals.

We also got to do some sight-seeing since it was Gianna's first time on the East Coast, which was a treat for both of us. Amy and her daughter Grace played excellent hostesses -- we were so grateful for the time to be together with our friends.

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Thinking back to last year: a reader recently asked how our co-op went this past spring. I posted about our fall plans but didn't have the chance to come back and give an update.

Some subjects stayed the same and some changed. A peek at our timetable:

And some photos from our end-of-term celebration together:

We did recitations, a Shakespeare performance, folk dancing and singing games together, and a show-and-tell of paintings based on the Form 1 students' historical picture books reading (based on the CMEC programs). And celebrated with lunch together!

We are getting ready to start up again for the fall in just a few weeks. This term, we'll be taking our co-op indoors and switching up subjects again to take advantage of the space we'll be using. More on that later in the year!

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At the Summer Retreat, I mentioned that I print mini stickers of our artist study selections for my students to add to their TBG Notebooks after we have finished each one. I got lots of attendees asking for the details! 

So here's how I create them: I grab the images from online for the paintings, paste them into a Word doc, and print as many copies as I need onto 8.5x11 sticker paper from Amazon/Office Depot (usually used to make full size mailing labels, etc) -- like this. Then we cut them out! Very simple.

I also want to mention that at other times, I have printed our selections as 4x6 prints at Snapfish for my kids to keep in a personal photo album. (I actually am still doing that also since my older kids still want to add copies to their albums-in-progress!) Riverbend Press sells 4x6 sets of the term prints that are perfect for this for those who would rather not DIY and want a higher quality item.

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pre-reading almost always involves a snack for me as a pregnant mom! LOL

I told myself after I got back from the retreat that I would spend the final two weeks preparing our school year: finishing up necessary pre-reading, planning subjects like art and Italian, building our timetables, etc.

I still have a lot to do -- art and handicraft supplies need to be organized, Terms 2 and 3 still have some pre-reading left to do, etc. But it's moving along and feeling more likely I'll be ready to go next Monday! My boys are going to camp the second week of August, so we're actually doing a week of school and then taking a week off before beginning in earnest. So there are a lot of little things I can wait on during that "break week." I'm thinking of that first week as a "soft start."

The timetable is really the last necessary task, so that's my focus over the next few days. With so many students, it really is a puzzle, but once I get it laid out, I know I'll feel ready to begin. 

It's so exciting to think of the weeks ahead with so many wonderful "books and things" ahead of us, even if there are lots of logistics to work out too.

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I had lots of tasks on my summer list that did not get done (once I found out I was pregnant, I put at least a dozen things on the back burner), but one thing I did do was prepare a new chore chart for the year. Little kids needed more responsibilities, some new "problem spots" in our home needed to be added to the routine, and my older kids needed their chores to be a little more flexible now that their schedule is more unpredictable.

(Did I mention my oldest got a job?! Actually he got two! Not sure which he'll keep for the school year, but he has been happy to have the extra hours during the summer.)

Another thing we are working on is a new menu rotation for fall. My 13yo daughter has also been organizing our most-used recipes into reference sheets for all of the young chefs I have in the house now. I'll share more once that project is complete!

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Two of my "little boys" received their First Communion last month! Gianna did their final preparation and my two older boys served the Mass. It was a special day.

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Another exciting change in our home is that with the mask mandate removed late in the spring, my two oldest boys have been able to participate regularly in in-person chess tournaments. They have been playing online chess for a couple years, but going to "real" tournaments has been super fun and built their skills in a new way.

with a chess-playing friend!

a "team" win for our homeschool - LOL

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I'll admit -- this has been an overwhelming summer in many ways! But I think I end up saying that every year somehow. I have come to the conclusion that my particular vocation doesn't lend itself to restful breaks -- ha! I am grateful for the work God has given me in this life and will head into a new school year relying on Him.

When are you starting school -- will you be back to it in August, like us? What have been some of the highlights of your summer? I'd love an update!

2019 CMEC Retreat Package :: Now Available!

Happy news: the 2019 CMEC Retreat Package is now available for purchase!

This retreat includes a set of all-new workshops by Amy Snell and me, designed to lead you through a full consideration of The Beautiful Person Within: A Living Approach to Character Formation.

Amy and I planned to cover the topic of character formation after getting lots of questions about habit training and such. We felt like there was more to be said on this topic in the Mason community and determined to dig into the Parents' Review and the Mason archives for a fuller sense of her approach and how it relates to both teaching and parenting.

And we realized a few things along the way:

First, preparing to talk about character formation and habit training is a lot like praying for patience -- it can be dangerous! ;)  Along the way, God molded both of us in all kinds of ways, some delightful and some unexpectedly challenging. For me, these workshops ended up being a labor of love in the midst of the most difficult first trimester I have had. And yet, I think the retreat was all the better for having been created in the midst of that struggle. There is nothing like writing about character while you are in the thick of a character-building episode yourself -- and, at the same time, forming a new little character in the womb -- to give clarity and a healthy sense of purpose. :)

There is always a lot more than an intellectual investment that goes into preparing a heartfelt retreat like this one. It ends up being formative in its own way.

Second, so much of what we read made us realize that character formation was really at the heart of all of it. Every subject of the curriculum Mason offers us, every lesson plan, every suggestion for family life, every principle, every practice -- it is all oriented toward and stems from her understanding of character: what it is and how it is formed. We researched this topic specifically for months, but it was really what we had been studying the whole decade we have been studying this philosophy.

Third, Mason's approach to character formation mimics her approach to teaching: respectful of personhood, committed to love and to duty, centered on delight, oriented toward relationship. The deep, soul-stretching work we have before us as parents is the same work we have before us as educators. And any efforts we make toward this work pays joyful dividends in both teaching and mothering.

I hope that doesn't make it sound like these workshops are all "high thinking" without the "plain living" Mason promises us! :)  We have LOTS of the practical in this retreat too. The philosophical governed what we included and how we presented it, and it is the philosophical that we hope inspires you to feel courageous and confident in taking up the work of teaching and parenting in the daily. And then we offer plenty of examples and methods for doing just that. :)

Here's what the package includes:

• Six audio workshops by Amy and Celeste in mp3 format
• Accompanying workshop slides in pdf format
• Conference picture study in pdf format
• Beautiful conference handbook in pdf format

You can read talk descriptions, bios, and how to purchase over at the CMEC!

The CMEC also offers special pricing for study groups or events, so be sure to reach out if you're thinking about studying this retreat in community.

(And P.S.: the 2018 package is still for sale also! It is a completely different set of talks from the 2019 package, focused on how to develop and implement a Thinking Love with our children and students, including good practices of preparation, guiding students to independence, and more.)

Retreat photos by CMEC member Sarah Hebenstreit. Thanks, Sarah!

CMEC Fall Mini-Retreat {Recap}

Want to take a quick trip to Philly with me? It has become one of my favorite places thanks to three visits there over the past year and a half -- and the dear friends that live, teach, and learn there that I get to work with. :)

This past trip, though, was a special one thanks to some unique opportunities. Come along!

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I flew in Wednesday evening and had a very long, very lively "working dinner" with Amy and Erin to brainstorm CMEC business for the rest of this school year and into the next. It really is valuable to talk in person after months going back and forth via email and Voxer.

On Thursday, I finally got to visit The Mason Academy just outside of Philadelphia!

Picture a beautiful tree-lined drive gently winding up to this...

And lots of happy kids and parents arriving for a day of learning together. So special.

The Mason Academy, a two-day educational program, was the impetus for beginning the CMEC years ago. It was these programs for which the curriculum was first developed, and they provide its testing ground (and ongoing encouragement in the work!).

They now have two sites: one in Philly run by Erin Daly of Riverbend Press and one in Princeton. NJ led by Amy Snell. Between the two sites, there are over a hundred students enrolled in grades K to 12, and they even have a Babyleben program for nursery-age littles. :)

Amy and her kids drove down to Philly to join me for the day. Amy and I hopped from class to class: foreign language and Plutarch for Form 2, science and Latin for Form 3, composition, poetry, and art for Form 4/5... I also peeked in at the lower forms doing chalk drawing, handicrafts, outdoor studies, and more. A true feast!

The next day, I got to attend the Princeton site of The Mason Academy. I decided to spend the whole morning just in Amy's Upper Forms class to get a sense of what the day would feel like for a student. I got to see Amy's thoughtful teaching of Shakespeare, Plutarch, geography, commonplace-keeping, folk dancing, composition, and more. Watching her work and watching the students' responses gave me so many new ideas to bring home.

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In every class I visited, for every subject, I heard fantastic narrations and saw engaged students. The students moved through their lessons with eager interest and good attitudes, and the atmosphere set by the teachers was inspiring. It was so rewarding to watch groups of kids working with the very same books and activities I do at home with my own kids. Seeing the timetable in action was like a dream!
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Ultimately, I was confirmed in just how well Mason's philosophy and program can work in a variety of settings with a variety of students. It really does offer "a liberal education for all" -- just look at all of these happy kids...

That evening, Amy and I went downtown to walk around Princeton's beautiful campus and meet the TMA moms for dinner.

We headed to our hotel in Philadelphia late that night to prep for Saturday's retreat for CMEC members, the real reason I was in town! It was a great event.
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We first talked about how delightful learning comes when each partner in the learning process plays the role he was meant to. Then we walked that through in some immersion lessons, including geography and dictation. We closed with reflection on the structure of the lesson and tried to narrate our observations and tease out some more complicated scenarios together.

That afternoon we had lunch and then went to check out the new Riverbend Press retail space (!) just a few minutes away. They will be using the site not only as the new shipping center for Riverbend Press products but also for selling student handicrafts and notebook products, holding brush-drawing classes and handicraft workshops, hosting pre-reading and planning sessions and more!

We also took a walk through the woods at a nearby retreat center.

Topped off by a fun dinner out with Amy and Dawn Duran, two of my favorite "things" about the East Coast!

Amy and I went to Mass on Sunday and then into the city for another trip to the Philadelphia Art Museum. I was there this summer too, but the collection is so extensive that we chose to focus mostly on just a few galleries on our last trip. On this visit, we made sure to hit the pieces that tied in with this year's CMEC coursework. We're studying medieval and modern eras, so we walked through the medieval galleries and the armory, and we also hit a couple pieces by Van Eyck and Tanner, two of this year's artists. Our focus for Form 3 geography is Asia, so we also visited the Asian collections. They have a unique Japanese homes exhibit that I only wish I could show my kids!

This was my LAST speaking engagement of the year -- after this, I'm on a "baby break" until spring. But as nice as it was to get home and settle back in, I have to admit that we were already scheming about the next time I'll visit! :)

I am so grateful for this group of educators and friends.