Homeschool Harvest

Last weekend I celebrated a little known festival from the British Isles called Lammas. It's one of the cross-quarter dates in the old ways and was recognized by many names all across much of Europe. For many, it's significance is the first harvest. Each year, around this time I sit and contemplate what I'm harvesting in my life and this year the harvest is varied and great. There is the obvious harvest from the vegetable garden that sits outside my kitchen window. There is more squash than I can shake a stick at, 15 tomato plants loaded with what promises to soon be ripe tomatoes, okra, swiss chard, beans, flowers and more! Yesterday, between bouts of dealing with a stomach bug, I canned several pints of peaches for fall cobblers that were part of someone else's rich harvest for which I am grateful.

But, to me, the bigger harvest came from the many hours sitting with the children as they devoured their school work leaving me both excited and nervous about the school year to come. I received several emails, phone calls and Facebook messages wondering how our first week went and decided to share the triumphs (and failures) with you. I'll begin our tale on Monday, August 4.  The Sun, Moon and I all sat down promptly at 9AM to have a little fun.  One of the components of the 7th grade curriculum that I have pieced together is the art of the illuminated book.  Though Arwyn will not be doing these to the extent that Noah will be, I decided to let her join in the fun.  We read a children's book called Marguerite Makes A Book which was definitely young for Noah, though he loved it just the same.  Fast forward three hours and we had one happy little homeschool family.

With day one such a smashing success, I knew that surely that surely nothing could go wrong and that the remainder of the week would sail by!  I guess it was all just too easy.  We spent Tuesday morning searching the neighborhood for a missing cat and by Wednesday afternoon I was fighting a full-blown stomach virus.   I managed to pull off several hours of school all three days and we took Friday off to relax at Nashville Shores.

I spoke to my friend Natalie at some point during the week and she wisely pointed out that there are lessons to be learned in these hiccups for the kids that surely could be examples of homeschooling!  At some point I gave up searching for them and instead adjusted my expectations for that first week and am living in the glow of what we accomplished, including gradually adding in all parts of our curriculum including math, geography and history.

 There is a part of me that is profoundly satisfied in this path we have chosen and have been silently considering this harvest of our lives.  We are definitely in our "honeymoon" period and there will certainly be challenges along the way.   But, the harvest continues.

"The true harvest of my life is intangible - a little star dust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched..." - Henry David Thoreau

Experience Doterra Today!

To learn more about Doterra essential oils visit me at

www.mydoterra.com/danacroy

Live Every Day (3-11-13)

This morning I received a call from a friend and parent volunteer that is working with me on our big spring event. She decided to postpone a meeting we had schedule for Wednesday. Well...decided isn't really the best word. She told me about a dear friend who had passed beyond the veil this morning from cancer. Not only did he have cancer but so does his wife. The couple has two small children. Sigh.

I had spent most of the morning wrapped up in what has become the chaos of my job and to myself lamenting that I wanted to have lunch with my daughter but did not have time. Once that call came in I can tell you, friends, that time opened up for me. I sat down at that moment, typed an email to the rest of the team letting them know I was stepping out and headed to Arwyn's school for a special lunch. On the way the hubby called to say he was en route as well. How could I pass up the opportunity to spend a few precious moments with her (and him) when we get so little as it is?

If you are reading this, thank you Sara for making that call for me this morning. The perspective it gave me shifted my entire day.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vyjq5SCbjQk&w=560&h=315]

Candy Hearts (2-12-13)

Can it be true that we are four weeks away from Valentine's Day? (4) Four weeks away from cards, candy...in other words....stress for me. Add to that the pressure (you may remember last year's post) of making hand crafted cards for my son's party as we are in a Waldorf School and cards with Superman, Batman, Pokémon or Frodo Baggins are not kosher. That's okay. To be honest, there is nothing more delightful than sitting down with my children every Valentine's evening and sorting through the beautiful cards made by small hands. This year I have one in Waldorf and one that has transitioned to public school. I am a little sad that she will most likely be receiving said Walgreens cards but still wanted to create something special for her to give to her classmates. And....I had a $20 off coupon from Shutterfly....so......here's a sample of Arwyn's cards of love for her classmates. Get to gettin' folks because Cupid will be on your doorstep before you know it and if you are not careful you'll find yourself making a last minute dash to Kroger for candy hearts to tape to an index card!

Ah....Epiphany (January 7, 2013)

Epiphany

1. a. A Christian feast celebrating the manifestation of the divine nature of Jesus to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi.

b. January 6, on which this feast is traditionally observed.

2. A revelatory manifestation of a divine being.

3. a. A sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something.

b. A comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization

This year the date of January 6 - the date of Epiphany - has somehow seemed important to me.  Off and on since Christmas I have been blogging about the gifts I have received.  Some may think I am blogging to brag - not so.  I am just so grateful for those gifts and felt much like a queen receiving gifts from those ancient astrologers on the days leading up to and the day of Christmas.

The gifts, though, are much more than the material objects they represent.  The gifts are of love given and of love that I will return.  The cooking gifts - the new spoons and the dutch oven - will allow me to give love back to those around my in the form of meals from the heart, the new socks will keep my feet warm at night as I lay cuddled up to the children reading them books, the healing salve will be kept in my purse - ready to soothe a skinned knee in a moment's notice.

Epiphany.  That's what I had yesterday as I sat through the ordinations service of a dear friend who is herself a light - a Joy to the world.  Yesterday's epiphany allowed me to transcend the fears I have been holding on to the last few weeks regarding big changes on my personal horizon and of those of my family.  My epiphany is when the light shined and the darkness cleared away and I could once again see.

The twelve days of Christmas, the gifts I have received, they all have meaning and lead me to an openness and gratitude.  Above all else at this point in my life, I am a Mother.  I AM MOTHER.  I must lead my children through example and my example is one of epiphany.  Let the light return and let us move toward the sun.  Happy Monday.

Mom Win or Mom Fail - You Decide

After a night of fun at Urban Grub and over sleeping this morning, I realized there was no way to get everyone ready, lunches packed, kids to camp and me to my hair appointment in a timely manner.  Whats a mom to do?  Did I mention the two peach bellinis I had last night or the fact that I got home at 12:30 am?  Thank goodness there is a Subway on the way to camp.  Mom fail or mom of the year?   You  decide. Luckily the kids are voting me mom of the year and that is all that matters.

Cornbread - the real Staff of Life

Last night was a Pinterest kinda night.  I've made these recipes before but thought I would share with you.  If you are like me  you are always looking for new recipes to add to your repertoire.  I give you Irish Stew with Mashed Potatoes and Firehouse Cornbread. 

Cornbread is a funny thing.  I grew up on beans, cornbread, mashed potatoes, traditional Southern foods.  Mama's cornbread was simple and dry.  Eggs, buttermilk, corn meal, bacon grease.  That's it.  It was mixed and poured into a cast iron skillet that was only used for that sacred bread.  I ate it each night (literally) covered with mounds of butter in an effort to moisten it.  Though my mama was an amazing cook and I rarely turned anything down she made, I longed for the sweet moist cornbread served at school.  This may explain why, as an adult, despite mastering most of what she made for us (and more), I cannot master her cornbread recipe and have been for years on the search for the perfect cornbread.  This one is close, friends.  Very close.

Oh!  If you know me, you know that I often adjust recipes to suit my needs.  With that said, the Irish Stew recipe is perfect as is.   I changed Bisquick to Pamela's Baking Mix in the Cornbread and I reduced the sugar from 1/2 cup to 1/8.  Future recipes I'll only reduce it to 1/4.  It needed just a little more sweetness! 

“Her corn-cake, in all its varieties of hoe-cake, dodgers, muffins and other species too numerous to mention, was a sublime mystery to all less practised compounders.”
Harriet Beecher Stowe, 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' (1852)

Back to Basics

Do you ever just want something really simple?  Or, want your life to be really simple?  I do.  A lot!  When I woke up yesterday and contemplated what I would be bringing to the dinner table for my family, simple and homestyle was what I wanted.  So, I took out my trusty crockpot and poured in two bags of dried pinto beans.   I added a little salt (to your preference) and two tablespoons of bacon grease (yes, I said it) and turned the crock pot on low for 10 hours.  When we arrived home last night I made a 8x8 pan of cornbread and voila, simple and homestyle just like that.  

"What most moved him was a certain meal on beans." - Robert Browning