Sally Clarkson described them in her book Educating the wholehearted child..it is an enchanting idea...I guess for me, my home is already busy and cluttered- I just felt like I didn't have room to leave things out like that. But, the idea sounded very education-encouraging- delight-driven, not sure how to phrase that.

have to admit that her books are favorites of mine...I collect the old hardcover editions. I love to read them while eating...have you noticed she talks about food alot? Maybe a result of the depression years??

I thought violin string right off...by product of being a somewhat geeky family, I suppose. that is a funny mental picture, the list on the white board!

maybe to make you feel better,...they could more likely be dolphins. I live in So. Ca and it is more likely to spot dolphin fins like that. Once, when I was swimming in Corona Del Mar, I looked up and spotted a fin in front of me maybe 3 feet from me. I panicked and turned around and got to the shore as fast as I could without looking back. When I got pretty much out of the water I turned around and realized it was a pod of dolphins, and they were swimming around, being curious with everyone in the water. I got back in. They were amazing. I'm not an expert on fins, maybe if you take an enlarged picture with you to an aquarium, someone might be able to tell you for sure. I always tell my kids that sharks don't like people, they stay away from people...it's just the unfortunate surfers dressed like seals that sometimes have bad encounters with them. beautiful photo, by the way!

Lorna, your reply was very helpful, I am thinking of ordering this for myself, then to use with my younger children...I took 2 years of French in highschool but sadly do not remember a whole lot. I am thinking of doing Galore park for myself maybe with Rosetta stone...and doing the easy French with my 5 and 8 year old. I really enjoyed your blog, lovely photos! Could you tell us something about the painting above your "about me" section in your sidebar? It's just beautiful.

a home tour would be fun! Put a mr. linkey up too.

so sorry for you guys, my dad used to do stuff like that when we were kids, partly to make my mom mad and mostly I think because he loves those types of movies and way underestimated what we could handle. He read Salem's lot to me when I was 5. I had nightmares, I think he edited it some. really sorry. My dad did this once and only once with my kids, he showed them Arachnaphobia - I think my oldest was 6 or 7 tops, she couldn't go to bed and was crying the next night... I finally called my Dad at 1 a.m. and told him to talk to his grand-daughter, I am sure he felt like a heel, which was my point. He realized he was in bigtime trouble and the next day over and above apologized. I'm sorry that you can't play tough love with your ex. It was realizing that we could and might shut down visiting that cured him.

I think they are wonderful, too. The artwork is beautiful. Our library system had the 2nd book only, so I purchased the first and 3rd.

I just received it a few weeks ago, so far I really like it- it is really mostly quotes from CM's writings, but she lays it all out arranged with headings, questions and a short application story at the beginning of each chapter. I think having all the quotes laid out logically with headings really helps. She also has a very nice, thorough checklist/chart at the back for going through the different habits with your kids. I am happy with my purchase, I've been sick and overwhelmed so I am slow to start implementing this, but I have been thinking hard on how I am going to use this in our home.

Bagels...tho I would want diff. flavors and diff things to put on them for the different meals. Chocolate chip bagel toasted w/strawberry cream cheese for breakfast, a plain or onion bagel at lunch with melted cheese on it or made into a sandwich w/lunch meat, and a plain bagel with egg salad for dinner. I could live on bagels.

or, being the baby in the family makes you tough!.... here it is, WW-this time it's personal! happy WW everyone, I can't believe it is already Wednesday again.

have you looked at "Laddie" by Gene Stratton Porter? It is one of my favorites, funny, and gives you a glimpse of one room schoolhouses, McGruffey readers, social aspects. I'm reading it out loud to my kids right now.

wow, super cool! I'm jealous too. happy for your great day!

I was 15, a friend invited me to a christian band concert. After the concert, the pastor- Greg Laurie, showed a film he made on teen suicide. I had been toying with thoughts of suicide. The verse I remember was Psalm 27:10 "When my father and mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me." I had never heard that before, and it was what I needed to hear. Kind of dark maybe for awanas? just tell her I was 15 and really, really sad. I went forward at the alter call and my life was very different from then on.

I just started using it, so far I have used a literature series on the writing process- not the bulk of what I am doing, but a nice added educational push for my girls. We watched something on plate tetonics and volcanoes to go with science we were doing, and we watch a lot of Magic school bus for my 8 and 5 year old. I am planning on doing the spanish too, but it will be an enrichment to whatever textbook I get, probably galore park.

ours will see the kids into their early 20's...actually she has seen me a few times, and dh once...when I hit 35 I figured I should probably get my own Dr... but we love her, she has 7 kids and is adopting a few more. I love that when the kids are sick, she gives me a big bottle of whatever we need, knowing it is going to be used by everybody, probably. She gets it.

getting a site meter or stat counter might make you feel better, there have been days when I get like 60 visits for a wordless Wednesday, but only get 10 comments. The only way I knew was the site meter. It's neat to see where people came from, and what pages they were interested in. I dropped on by for a visit, liked your blog, your title is creative.

Melissa and Rich with kids, you had me rolling there! I was a quiet, good kid, got good grades mostly...except for geometry with the retired nun who was deaf and a little senile I think, she would make me stand up and say therums and then yell at me cuz she couldn't hear me..I got a D. anyways, in 3rd or 4th grade my mom had this horrible friend who had an even more horrible, bratty daughter and at some point they decided it was a good thing to drop my little sister and I off at this friend's house in the morning a good hour before school so we could all walk to school together. Well, the little girl liked to play ding-dong ditch-em on her neighbors...something we would never have done to our neighbor's because it is rude and you could get in trouble...we'll she must have gotten caught and she gave them my name. we had the same first name. I got called into the principle's office and grilled about it and I cried and was so horrified that anyone would falsely accuse me..and I was afraid I would be paddled- it was rumored they did that there. I was found guilty because I cried. I was so embarrassed and mortified. the next time was High school, I had a leak on my clothes, (period) and I knew my dad completely trusted me, so I just walked home to change and came back for the next class. I even brought a note with me the next day from my dad excusing me- I called him as soon as I got home and told him where I was and why... they hauled me to the principles office anyways and gave me detention. My hight school years made no sense- it was such a waste.

I have always thought that Mr. Rochester's keeping his wife at home, although locked up, what a kind act compared to what asylums were like then, dirty, filthy, horrible lack of care...abuse. It would have been easier for him to have her shipped off and forget all about her.

I re-read it maybe a year ago, after having read it a few times in highschool and college, I loved it then, too. I walked away this time loving it-and seeing in it different things. This time I admired her determination to do what was right unto the Lord.

oh, I'm jealous! Our closest one is 20 minutes away!

oh, and the wicked stepmother, I've already got one... tho things have been much more quiet around these parts since the flying monkeys flew off.

I picked Belle too, because she loved books and had dreams

my sister-in-law's father used to be a police officer, and now grown up and married to a med student, now Dr.- she has moved around alot...her dad always calls the police dept. in the town and asks them which are the nicer areas and which the bad. I would give that a try.

someone posted a link to this a few days ago, I was very intrigued, it looked well done. Here is the link below we are doing TOG, I kind of like doing my own thing in some areas, so I don't think Easy classical would work for me, but if I had found it at the beginning, it might have been good... Easy Classical