{This and That} :: Thanksgiving Week

Hello friends! It is hard to believe we are in late November now. We have a short school week this week for Thanksgiving, and then we're officially halfway through our school year! I can't believe how fast this school year is flying by. 

~~~

First happy news: my oldest two were confirmed!

Their sponsor got them these watercolored saint portraits from The Fig and Thimble. They love them!

For their confirmation saints, Gianna picked St. John the Evangelist and Vincent picked St. John Bosco. Both choices were unexpected but made sense to me in hindsight.

We are studying Titian this term, so we thought it would be neat to get Gianna a framed print of Titian's St. John the Evangelist on the Isle of Patmos. Isn't it striking? Vincent got a couple books about St. John Bosco that he has already started reading.

Gianna asked me for an at-home Confirmation Retreat, so I prepared a week's worth of short readings for them to do alongside their novena to the Holy Ghost. I pulled completely from religious books we already had on our shelves -- a little wisdom from St. John Vianney, Cardinal Newman, the Baltimore Catechism, Mother Loyola, and more. It is so nice to have a good selection of books to choose from for projects like this! I am always thankful to my younger self for taking the time to scour used bookstores and church library sales and investing in a long-term library of our own.

~~~

Emilia just turned ten months old! She is so playful and determined. She loves all the attention she gets from her siblings and plays Peek-a-Boo, Pat-a-Cake, and This Little Piggy. She is also a full-time walker now. Such a fun age! If only she could start napping a little more reliably... :)

~~~

We did the seasonal clothing switch-out last week. This is one of the chores I dread each year, simply because of the sheer number of children and clothes. My kids have capsule wardrobes -- very manageable and streamlined. They all wear a "uniform" of sorts, as you may have noticed from posts through the years. But still, if I were a millionnaire, I would donate the kids' wardrobes at the end of each season and start fresh every time! There is just something about this task that always ends up being more complicated than it ought to be.

However, I'm finding that the chore has been getting progressively easier -- even though I have more kids than any other year, having more bigs than littles really has helped so much! And this year, my to-buy list is unprecedently short: just a couple pairs of replacement leggings for my girls and a few tops and bottoms for Vincent, my oldest, who grew several inches this year. Gianna is now as tall as I am and has been for about a year, so I think she's close to finished growing. All of her clothes from last year still fit, which has never happened for any of my children, ever! A new stage of parenting, for sure.

I also gave all of my girls (except Emilia) haircuts this past week! All but Clara had it down to their waists and were super overdue for a cut, but they LOVED their long hair. They finally consented and they love the shorter hair too, thank goodness.

~~~

Are you getting started with Christmas shopping? I am hoping to take some time over Thanksgiving weekend to look through my lists and begin making plans. We keep things very simple around here, just a few things per person, but times that by ten and it's still a pretty big task. But I have been quite determined to get my shopping done before Advent this year.

(Speaking of Thanksgiving, I have a post from ten years ago here on the blog that I always share this time of year: Cooking Up a Thanksgiving "Feast.")

I also took and ordered photos for our Christmas cards this weekend. Christmas cards take a good amount of time to put together and send out, but they always feel worth it to me -- and especially this year. Sending something personal during a year of very little personal interaction is the kind of hopeful statement I want to end the year on.

I am planning to pull together a few quick gift ideas here on the blog this weekend if I get a chance, but in case you're wanting suggestions now, I have a bunch of favorite links from last year compiled here: {This and That} :: Thanksgiving and Advent.

And since we are almost at Advent, you can read more about Advents past in our home. This year we'll once again be lighting the Advent wreath, choosing Christkindls, observing some special feast days, and decluttering and deep cleaning with a hopeful but penitential spirit! And we'll be adding the free printable Advent calendar from Lydia -- so lovely.

~~~

Our Halloween was quiet -- there was no trick-or-treating in our neighborhood, so we stayed home and had an impromptu party. We told the kids they had 45 minutes to dress up as a saint with items from the constume bin. Then we spent the evening playing board games and making cookies. In times like these, I'm grateful that we always have enough people for a party here at home!

The hit of the night was Pictionary, which we don't play that often...but every time we do play it, I think we ought to play it more! It is such a fun game if you have preschoolers in the mix.

~~~

Justin turned five! Besides books and a Schleich animal, he got embroidery thread for making friendship bracelets and a bunch of plastic canvas squares for "sewing" with yarn. He was so pleased and has done little else since then. He is truly a delightful kid and I am soaking up this age.

~~~

Scenes from the past couple weeks...

Animalium has a helpful diagram to accompany Life and Her Children

More Fesole -- this time, a still life!

Vincent set up his still life as well, but hasn't finished his painting yet -- isn't it perfect for fall?

Free time painting for Bridget after studying Titian's Saint Christopher

Fireside prepping (my favorite!) for the Form Meetings with the CMEC

California fall!

And some recent work in clay over the past two weeks. We all love this medium!

(We have these silpats and Chavant Clayette clay -- which is unfortunately out of stock right now, but I'll add the link when it's back -- both thanks to recommendations from the art teacher at the CMEC. The Fall Mini-Retreat immersions were so helpful in giving us a good start.)

~~~

Well, that's it for now! What are you up to this holiday weekend -- and what's on your menu? I am going with a classic Thanksgiving line-up this year, though we'll do chicken instead of turkey since my husband prefers it. But I am looking forward to teaching my girls to bake apple pie! I have made it by myself in the past but skipped the past couple years. Now I have eager helpers, and I think we'll have a good time perfecting the method. :)

And before I go, I want to say too that I am grateful to the kind community of readers who read along, leave comments, and send emails -- thank you for your encouragement and I wish you a wonderful week!

(Links above may be Amazon affiliate links -- thanks for your support!)

{This and That}

Happy Thanksgiving and Blessed Advent!

So how was your Thanksgiving?  We had a wonderful weekend.  All of our family lives close by, which means we don't have to travel for the holidays.  It also means that we always have two Thanksgiving feasts, one at my parents' and one at my in-laws'.  And that means we spent the weekend eating a ton of food.  But remarkably, no turkey: antipasti, lasagna, and cannoli with the Italian side, and a casual (but gigantic) meal plus karaoke and cards with the Filipino side.

yum, right?

The rest of the weekend was rainy, which meant lots of chores around the house.  I printed off our Advent memory work, finished lesson plans for the rest of the term, started sewing some gifts, and got a start on Christmas shopping (online, from the comfort of my cozy home).  I also slept in (!) a couple of mornings and ran a couple times too...so pretty much a perfect fall weekend is what I'm saying.  

I planned to post this morning, but the day just got away from me--I almost always feel like that coming off a long weekend.  I hope your holiday was as refreshing as ours!

~~~

The kids did a little Thanksgiving crafting last week:

Their egg carton wreaths came out lovely and are now adorning the grandparents' houses.  (We used this tutorial.  A poinsettia version would make a fun Christmas craft, I think.)

~~~

Sunday was the beginning of the new liturgical year and the first Sunday of Advent.  We began our Advent devotions by reading a couple pages from The Way to Bethlehem and a poem by Christina Rossetti, blessing and lighting our Advent wreath for the first time, beginning the St. Andrew novena, and playing the first Christmas music of the year.

(We are geeks and have our Christmas music collection split into two CDs: one for Christmas and one for Advent.  We try to stick with the Advent selections until Christmas Eve, when we finally start playing our Christmas CD.  Does anyone else save Christmas music until the official Christmas season?  I have to admit, our family custom was borne partly from a desire to maintain the Church's liturgical seasons and partly from my own preservation instinct.  I like Christmas music, but a few weeks in, I'm ready to shelve the CDs until next year.  So if we hold off, my enthusiasm lasts until Epiphany, as it should.  Just me?)

~~~

Speaking of Christmas music, my husband surprised me with a wireless speaker last week.  We don't have a television or a stereo system, so we play everything on our laptop, and the sound is never quite clear enough or loud enough.  With this speaker, I can blast our audiobook from the other side of the room rather than having us all huddled around the computer straining to listen!  We can hear our Italian CDs even when my toddlers are in chaos mode!  The kids can do their memory-work march through the house and still hear "Stars and Stripes Forever" well enough to sing along!  I can lie on the sofa with a book and turn on Chopin in the other room to drown out the tantrums encourage my kids in their love for classical music.  A very useful addition to our homeschool.  

If you don't already have a stereo dock or wireless speaker for your phone/tablet/laptop, I highly recommend adding one to mama's Christmas list.

~~~

Speaking of Christmas lists, I have a few more suggestions:

:: my two favorite education-related books of the year: Laurie Bestvater's The Living Page and Karen Glass' Consider This

:: the two-pack Moleskin Volant notebooks, which I have been using for my commonplace books this year (I like the "large plain," but they come in smaller sizes and ruled)

:: the Prismacolor illustration markers that we use for all our drawing and Keeping (you can buy singles of particular nib widths on Dick Blick--I like .005)

~~~

Some very sweet artwork around the house lately...

Gianna and Cate sent off their saint cards for Kimberlee's swap last week.  

They can't wait to see which cards they get in return!

And I can't resist sharing Cate's most recent family portrait:

(FYI: Apparently my husband and I are not making lovey-dovey eyes at each other; we are "whispering things."  Either way, it's going on the wall!)

~~~

Happy Monday, friends!

{This and That}

We had a first haircut (for my 3yo) and a first lost tooth (for my 5yo) this past week.  These kids are just growing up way too fast.  (Sniff.)

But doesn't this little doll look like she likes her new cut?  I think I took off about six inches.

~~~

Every November for the past few years, my older children have participated in an Artist Trading Card swap hosted by the lovely and inspiring Kimberlee at Pondered in My Heart.  (One of my very favorite blogs!)  She just announced this year's swap guidelines, and my older three are so excited to get started.  If you'd like to join in, head over to Kimberlee's for the details!

~~~

Speaking of saints...

You'll notice they look remarkably similar to last year's. ;)  I am so thankful that my kids don't mind wearing recycled costumes, because new ones weren't happening this year!

I took just the older five to a friend's All Saints' party that evening and they had a blast.

~~~

We'll be enjoying a simple "feast" again this Thanksgiving week.  The kids have been asking for me to pull out the art supplies for them to create some table decorations as they usually do, and I am only too happy to oblige.

last year's placecards - we'll see what they come up with this year!

~~~

This post from Nancy at Sage Parnassus expresses so well why I love liberal arts homeschooling:

"But what I wanted to mention here is this; as a philosophy of education, Charlotte Mason is so intertwined with the whole person, including the spiritual, that there is an unbelievable, distinct comfort and joy in continuing - even when life hurts and comes undone."

There is something so richly comforting about a Charlotte Mason education.  On the hard days, on the stressful days--that's when I'm thankful for (not, as one might expect, overwhelmed by) our beautiful booklist.  The Mother Culture that comes along with homeschooling is a balm to a weary soul.  (Okay, so I could drop math. ;))

~~~

Any tips for doing book repair?  I like to "rescue" lovely copies of old classics when I find them cheaply.  So far I have had good luck with tacky glue and clear packing tape, but I know that's not the best way of restoring old treasures.

Book-lovers out there: any suggestions?

{In a Week}

Gianna's watercolor placecards for the Thanksgiving table at Grandma's

...and Christmas cards by the kids - drawn, printed, and ready to be stuffed and mailed

as close to a "winter wonderland" as we ever get here! :)

so excited to finally get to the geometry section of this level - she has been waiting for months

Little Drummer Boy, a family favorite

italian games - practicing i colori and gli animali

{In a Week}

A peek at our Thanksgiving preparations, and all the other things keeping us busy this past week...

working on placecards for Grandma's

...and their annual poster for Lola's

symmetry with pattern blocks

preschooler working on lowercase letters with big sister

daddy finally taught them how to play!

six of the things I'm most thankful for :)

Cooking Up a Thanksgiving "Feast"

I want to share with you a very simple plan for an intentional, Charlotte Mason-friendly, and delightful Thanksgiving week.  This is by no means an exhaustive list; it's just a small sampling of some favorite resources.  These are the Thanksgiving activities I'll be doing with my own children over the course of the next week.

Plan one special afternoon teatime, save them for the long weekend to enjoy as a family, or take the week off school and spread them out over the days leading up to Thanksgiving like we are.

Some holiday reading

For the littles - Over the River and Through the Woods, with illustrations by Christopher Manson

For the little-bit-biggers - The Thanksgiving Story by Alice Dagliesh

For the biggers - "The First Thanksgiving" from Stories of the Pilgrims by Margaret B. Pumphrey

For the adults, or as a family read-aloud - Louisa May Alcott's An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving

A fall walk 

...in the crisp air--just around the block even--to gather all the colored leaves you can.  The more variety the better.  When you get home, spread them all out on the dining table.  Little ones can make leaf men; big kids (and mommies) can identify and chart in their nature journals.

A simple art project

Then collect all the leaves back up again and get out the oil pastels to make a lovely set of placecards for the feast table.  (Or do it in watercolors--I think that's the method we'll be using this year!)

Some suitable music

While you're working, a few favorite songs:

"Over the River and Through the Woods"

"Faith of our Fathers"

"Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow"

"Now Thank We All Our God"

Beautiful artwork

Take a few moments to look at a picture or two together, or just post them on the wall during these cozy fall days:

"The Angelus"  by Jean-Francois Millet

"Freedom from Want" by Normal Rockwell

"Catching the Turkey" by Grandma Moses

A few holiday poems

Here's a whole compilation if you are poetry lovers like we are!  But my children have been working on this one for the past couple weeks:  

We Thank Thee by Ralph Waldo Emerson

For flowers that bloom about our feet;

For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;

For song of bird, and hum of bee;

For all things fair we hear or see,

Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

For blue of stream and blue of sky;

For pleasant shade of branches high;

For fragrant air and cooling breeze;

For beauty of the blooming trees,

Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

And end with a prayer

We'll be using the "Te Deum," a traditional prayer of praise and thanksgiving dating back to the 4th century.  (You can hear it chanted here.)  I have included it in English below.  It would be a lovely addition to your Thanksgiving table blessing!

O God, we praise Thee, and acknowledge Thee to be the supreme Lord.

Everlasting Father, all the earth worships Thee.

All the Angels, the heavens and all angelic powers,

All the Cherubim and Seraphim, continuously cry to Thee:

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts!

Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of Thy glory.

The glorious choir of the Apostles,

The wonderful company of Prophets,

The white-robed army of Martyrs, praise Thee.

Holy Church throughout the world acknowledges Thee:

The Father of infinite Majesty;

Thy adorable, true and only Son;

Also the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.

O Christ, Thou art the King of glory!

Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.

When Thou tookest it upon Thyself to deliver man,

Thou didst not disdain the Virgin's womb.

Having overcome the sting of death, Thou opened the Kingdom of Heaven to all 

believers.

Thou sitest at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father.

We believe that Thou willst come to be our Judge.

We, therefore, beg Thee to help Thy servants whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy 

Precious Blood.

Let them be numbered with Thy Saints in everlasting glory.

V.  Save Thy people, O Lord, and bless Thy inheritance!

R.  Govern them, and raise them up forever.

V.  Every day we thank Thee.

R.  And we praise Thy Name forever, yes, forever and ever.

V.  O Lord, deign to keep us from sin this day.

R.  Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us.

V.  Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, for we have hoped in Thee.

R.  O Lord, in Thee I have put my trust; let me never be put to shame.  Amen.