What does an eggplant grow on?

I wondered about this yesterday while picking eggplants for dinner.  If the vegetable is an eggplant, then what is the plant it is growing on called?  An eggplant plant?  That seems awkward.  A chicken plant?  Maybe.  The kids solve the problem entirely differently, though.  They have always called the plant itself an eggplant, so the [...]

Kicking the Habit

We have been giving up our source of energy caffeine lately, with the (not unexpected) result that I have had headaches for the last three days. Surprisingly (though perhaps it shouldn’t be) I have also been tired the last few days. I plan to push through with it and get completely free of this addiction [...]

Current Read-Alouds

Proverbs (Hoping that if we read through it enough times, maybe it will all sink in by the time the kids are grown up.)
A Pattern Language – two patterns each night, one from the city section, and one from the individual building section.
Anne of Green Gables (David says he hates this one; B. says she [...]

A New Entry in Our Family Book of Life

Bernadette received the sacrament of Confirmation today. All the external trappings – the music at the Mass, and so on – were on the whole rather unpleasant, but the important thing was the sacrament, and that part went smoothly. We now have a child who is fully initiated into the Church! What [...]

Piles of Paperwork

We received our package with all the various forms to be filled out and signed, and the lo-o-o-ng list of documents to be gathered.  I spent a couple hours yesterday gathering and photocopying documents, and I think we’ve almost got that list completed.  Still have to fill out all the forms, though, which means reading [...]

Belated Birthday Picture

Bernadette at newly eight years old:

Oh, the delight in a new capability!

Teresa has learned to pull herself to a stand now, and she really enjoys doing it!

“I like to match”

Isaiah likes to wear this outfit, and he told us solemnly one morning that he wears it because he “likes to match.”

The rock smashing station

Outdoor Play

Charlotte Mason recommends that children spend about four hours outside daily in the summertime; that’s my justification for letting the kids spend all morning outside today.  They spent quite a while (an hour or so?) all hammering on rocks, smashing them into smithereens.  At first, I was a little dubious of the worthiness of this [...]