Working Outside the Home and Homeschooling

I missed my rays of sunshine whilst at work.

Probably the single-most question I am asked is how we home schooled during this year "abroad" while running a restaurant. This was no easy feat and I had to constantly remind myself to not try to get through the subjects but into them and enjoy the time, no matter how little, with my boys. The logistics, along with apologies if this is a bit dry:

Alternating day shift and afternoon/evening shift at the cafe' meant an alternating school regimen. On the days I was at the cafe', the boys came with me and we brought our book bags with us to the restaurant. Breakfast was ordered (yes, that was a plus) and I read our literature and poetry selections while the boys narrated - never speaking with their mouths full, of course.

Max had independent work while Luca and I had math and reading together. Max rejoined for handwriting and then we had history and geography in the restaurant's dining room where a map collection is hung. Luca then had play time and Max and I did math together. At this point, we went upstairs to an apartment we'd turned into a hotel suite and the boys were set up for free reading/drawing/handwriting/clay modeling/Liberty's Kids, etc. while I dashed down to the cafe' during the lunch rush. Mind you, this all took place while I managed the front of house of a restaurant that seats 140.

After the lunch crowd left, it was our turn to have lunch. Luca, our younger, then usually stayed with me and Max would go to the library or youth group until I was finished for the day.  We read copiously in the evenings, helping to make up for snuggle-time and "school time" lost.

On the mornings I didn't have to go into the cafe' we would spend time out of doors in rebellion of all the time spent in the restaurant. Living with five additional children in the house is joyfully noisy so we retreated to our Airstream camper for our lessons until the weather turned too cold.

"What of poetry, and hymns, and Shakespeare, and handicraft, and...and...?!" comes the outcry of those who embrace Charlotte's generous curriculum.  Aah, one of the highlights of our year was the wonderful opportunity of being a part of a real-life, fine arts Charlotte Mason homeschool co-op. That delicacy will be another post.

Where in the world...

Truly, I love being a part of this wonderful world with all of you. Our family experienced so many changes this past year that I hope you will understand why I could not properly take you along.

In March we sold our home in Massachusetts, packed up our furniture, books and our chickens and headed to the Midwest to restore and run the historic Northside Cafe' in Winterset, Iowa along with my sister and her husband. We also lived with my sisters' family on their 25-acre hobby farm where we were generously given the master bedroom and bath as our "apartment." Our kids spent the lazy days of summer on their cousins' farm being attended to by grandparents until my sister and I could switch days back and forth to be with the children.

In the throes of it all I finished writing a Charlotte Mason handbook, Mathematics: An Instrument for Living Teaching, which was published by Simply Charlotte Mason and released the end of September. This was an incredible experience for someone that struggled through high school math and I smile often to think how God's strength is made perfect in my weakness. Many thanks go out to the librarians and genealogists from around the world that befriended me and came to my aid as I dug for clues as to how mathematics were truly taught in Charlotte's schools.

We have now moved back to Massachusetts, are in temporary quarters, and will be moving shortly into a "new" c.1850 farmhouse. It will be our third move in a year. As we get settled in, I hope to give some answers to the FAQ's our family receives. Until then, I look forward to catching up with you all.

Picture this...

...found on the "Teaching for Excellence" site whose teaching model "integrates the effective works of the nation's leading educators, researchers, authors, school systems, and classroom teachers into a comprehensive approach to classroom curriculum, assessment and instruction." 

A Surprise for You

Sonnenschein's The ABC of Arithmetic 

Hello dear friends. I know it has been a long time since you've heard from me but you see, I've actually been writing you all this time - you just didn't know it. You can read how at my guest post over at Simply Charlotte Mason. I hope to fill you in on the personal details in the next few posts.

Gloria in excelsis Deo!

Though separated by time and space, we celebrate the good news of great joy with you all!

Image courtesy of the gifted Jackie Morris.

We are alive and very well.

Circus Maximus.

This little number didn't even require the dress-up box.

Chilly means chili.

Busy elf.

In our Book of Firsts

Five months of life lessons. We built our first chicken coop, cried buckets of tears at the loss of three tiny balls of fluff, nursed a sick chick to recovery, learned who our friends were when they gave up a beautiful Saturday to help construct a run, had a stare-down with an adult Red-tailed Hawk, found out four of our eight birds are roosters ("What are the odds?" we joke), learned the intricacies of integrating a new hen into an existing flock, moved our lawn swing in order to catch plenty of "chicken television," came eye to eye with Mr. Fox, became content with day trips, stopped having to use alarm clocks and sharpened our sling-shot skills.

The work and worry all became worth it when our youngest announced with shrieks of delight "Our first egg!" and yes, though we didn't birth it, we all feel the right to call it "ours."

On the left is an egg from a local farmer's White Leghorn Chicken in order to compare the size and color with our olive-colored egg on the right.

We're not sure who the proud mama is yet, as three of our four hens consist of Olive Eggers (crosses between Americaunas and French Black Marans). The other is a pure French Maran who will lay chocolate-colored eggs. We hope you will enjoy getting to know our chickens as we're a bit um, obsessed.

ps Thanks to my friends around the world that have wondered about me in my absence. I've missed you all as well.