Monday Musings (on a Wednesday) | Your Morning Basket

Sometimes you have to strike while the iron is hot.

It is a balmy morning on the back porch, and I can hear sprinkles starting on the awning. We have still been running cooler than normal in the temperature department — much too cool to swim yet. At some point summer will likely come on with its usual vengence and burn us to a crisp, but for now I am going to hold out hope that we can just hover around 90 this summer instead of 100 since we have been running 10 degrees behind since January.

Around the House
Back porch is lovely and freshened for the season. I planted containers of pretty goodness and washed away the last of the pollen. I have been enjoying my morning coffee here most mornings, and we had dinner out here last night. Mosquitos are already horrible in the evening.

From the Kitchen
I got a new stove!! And refrigerator!! Took me a while but I finally realized late last fall that the oven just wasn’t working right. That began a parade of repairmen (unit too old to fix), indecision (are we moving in a few years, do we invest in something nicer, gas or electric), and finally carpenters (old hole was too small for new models). And I finally have a wonderful, double-oven, electric free-standing range. Hubby threw in the refrigerator for good measure (nice french door over freezer with an ice maker). Now to cook something…

Homeschooling
Mostly math. With MUS, which I am coming to appreciate so much. I still need to blog the math saga of the year. Other than that we just aren’t doing much. John is finishing his Singapore Kindergarten Essentials. Olivia is finishing All About Spelling. In some ways this year has been about survival and at the moment I am hanging on by my fingernails.

On the Blog
I am reviewing a couple of things at the moment. Should have those reviews up soon. And thanks to those who supported my curriculum sale. I still have some things available, so click on over and email me if you see something that strikes your fancy.

Fitness
Bought a used stationary bike. Have not used it. Ok really it is for Matt, but you would think I would hop on and ride a bit with it sitting right there. Nope.

Plans and Schemes
This week has been nice and quiet. I am liking that. Last week was insane, and I do not exaggerate. The highlight this week will be Olivia’s First Holy Communion on Saturday. Both of us are really excited.

Reading and Crafting
The crafting has been nil. Baby girl blanket still unfinished. Maybe I need a smaller project? The reading on the other hand:

The Abolition of Man: Oh this one hurt my brain, but it was good. Highly recommended. Read it for our Classical Moms book club last month and the discussion was fabulous (and then disolved into stories about kid poop before it was all over. What can I say? Moms of little kids).

The Everyday Catholic’s Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours This one was wonderful. I can’t say enough good things about this book. I finally understand what the Liturgy of the Hours is all about. Which makes praying them (well not all seven) so much more enjoyable. I’m a nuts and bolts kind of girl and this gave me exactly what I wanted — the history and a breakdown of each and every hour telling exactly what was what in the prayers and why it is included. Short read and I read it on the Kindle app on my phone.
How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization. This one just came yesterday. We are studying the Middle Ages next year, so I am reading up. This was suggested on a forum as a good place to start.
The Hidden Art of Homemaking Also arrive yesterday. Cindy’s book club intrigued me.

Saying Yes
Only because I am being badgered to death. I need to find the joy again in my “Yes!”

A Memory

This is our Valentino. Val is twelve, and we are not sure how much longer he is going to be with us, so we are enjoying every day we have him here. Photo by Thomas on the iPhone.

I don’t know why the fonts in this post are wonky. The more I try to fix it, the worse it gets. Please excuse.

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Pam

Pam is the author of The Your Morning Basket Guide and Plan Your Year: Homeschool Planning for Purpose and Peace. She also is the host of three popular podcasts -- The Homeschool Snapshots Podcast, Your Morning Basket, and The Homeschool Solutions Show. She lives in the Deep South with her husband and three kids, where she is the go-to lady for great curriculum recommendations or a just a pep talk on a rough day.