Spring Is On the Way!

It is the last day of February 2005, and the feel of Spring is in the air. Christopher, Elizabeth and I went to Wal-Mart and bought two rakes and two pair of garden gloves. You can see in our neighborhood that other folks have dusted the cob webs off of their garden tools. Raked leaves and freshly planted shrubs are beginning to decorate the area with the freshness that only spring can bring. I think I'll go pull a few weeds and get rid of the old wooden barrel that is slowly decaying and falling apart.

Let the planting begin!

For our friends up North...sorry :( I guess you'll have to wait a bit longer. :)

Needed: Homeschool Moms and Dads

I am currently interviewing Moms and Dads who are homeschooling their children now or have done so in the past. This research will be compiled for a book I am writing about homeschooling. I would certainly appreciate your response.

Please contact me at, sixofus1@bellsouth.net


Thank you,
Penny

Book of the Month(February)

My choice for the Book of the Month is Granny Dan, by Danielle Steel.
A story about a young girl who lost her mother only to find herself and her dream amidst memories of days gone by.

I like Danielle Steels books due to the fact that they can transport you to another time and place. They are romantic and uplifting without excluding the hardships of life.

My hubby started me off reading D.S. with this very book. Now for every occasion, he buys me a new one. I'm hooked!

If you haven't read any of her work yet, start with this one. :)

Happy Valentine's Birthday

Today is a special day in the Warshauer home, not just because it is Valentines Day, but because it is my husband Jim's Birthday.

What a neat day to be born!!!


Happy Birthday to my best friend!
Love,
Penny

Feast of Saint Valentine

St. Valentine, Priest and Martyr, Patron of Greetings

St. Valentine, a Roman priest, assisted the martyrs who suffered during the reign of Emperor Claudius II in the 3rd century. Being apprehended, he was sent to the Prefect of Rome, who commanded that he be beaten with clubs and afterward beheaded. He suffered martyrdom about the year 270.
The custom of sending valentines on this day is the revival of an ancient pagan practice, which consisted in boys drawing the names of girls in honor of their goddess, Februata Juno, on February 15. To abolish this practice names of saints were substituted on billets drawn upon this day.

Prayer: God of power and mercy, through Your help St. Valentine has overcome the tortures of his passion. Help us who celebrate his triumph to remain victorious over the wiles of our enemies. Amen.

Happy Valentines Day !

Ash Wednesday

Lent has started, and some good activities for Catholic homeschoolers would be to offer sacrifices for loved ones who have strayed, to delay our own gratification in a world that says we should have everything now. Lent is hard and so it should be, but the result of a Lent well spent is the knowledge that we have increased our humility and decreased our pride.

Meditating on The Passion of our Lord by praying the Stations of the Cross each Friday keeps us in the right spirit of the Lenten Season.

When my children were younger we did an activity with our homeschool group which required even the very young to color a page depicting one of the Stations. We then had a procession in the back yard, placing a small cross by each of 14 trees, and with the help of mom(if necessary) , read the caption under each Station.

Have a blessed and peaceful Lenten journey.

Happy Mardi Gras

Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, what a fun day. Whether you go to the parades or stay at home and watch them on T.V., fun can be had by all. Hot dogs and chili topped off with good New Orleans coffee and King Cake can't be beat. Hope everyone had a great day and is now prepared for the coming of Lent.

The meaning of the colors of Mardi Gras:
purple, Justice
green, Faith
gold, Power.

Superbowl Sunday

The Warshauer's hosted their annual Superbowl Party. Good food and fun was had by all. It was made all the better because the Patriots WON!!!

Hope everyone had a great day, and for you Eagle fans, maybe next year! :)

Feast of Saint Blase, Bishop and Martyr

Patron of Those with Throat Diseases
The blessing of throats, invoking the intercession of St. Blase, has become a very popular devotion. St. Blase, Bishop and Martyr, devoted the early years of his life to the study of philosophy and afterward became a physician. He was ordained to the priesthood and made Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia, where he was seized and carried off to prison by Agricolous, the Governor.

On his way to prison, a distracted mother whose child was suffering from a disease of the throat implored his aid. At his intercession the child was cured, and since that time his aid has often been solicited in cases of a similar disease. After cruel tortures the saint was beheaded in the year 316. Through his intercession many have been cured of throat diseases or protected from them.

The priest in giving the blessing of St. Blase holds two candles in the form of a cross touching the throat, and prays that through the merits and intercession of St. Blase the person blessed may be delivered from throat diseases and from every other evil. The priest says:"Through the merits and intercession of St. Blase, Bishop and Martyr, may God deliver you from all diseases of the throat, and from every other evil. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."

Prayer: Lord, hear Your people through the intercession of St. Blase. Help us to enjoy peace in this life and find a lasting refuge in the next. Amen.

Prayer For A Child's Success In Studies

Father of lights and of all true wisdom, I humbly recommend to you the success of my child(ren) in the pursuit of learning. Mercifully grant the measure of success that it will be good for him(her) to achieve. And thus may there be a genuine sense of fulfillment as a result of efforts made.
May all knowledge attained be tempered by humility. Grant that my child's(ren's) endeavors may always be guided by a sense of solid values, and help me to instill these values. And so may all his(her) striving for knowledge be made, not with the aim of surpassing others or of making vain show of ability, but rather as a worthy return to you of the talents that you have bestowed.
And above all else, I ask that every degree of knowledge achieved may bring my child(ren) to a greater closeness to you and to a more abundant share of your love.

Amen

Mothers' Manual
by A. Francis Coomes, S.J.

Standardized Testing

Now is the time to order your Standardized Tests. Here are a some of the places to find them.
http://www.olvs.org/
http://www.setonhome.org
http://thurbers.net/teatests.html

Remember to tell your kids to relax about testing. Don't make a big fuss. Some kids put enough pressure on themselves. If you take an easy approach about the whole testing thing, more than likely your children will too.

Look at these tests as an opportunity to take the time to improve on what needs to be improved upon and move on from what is accomplished.

I will be testing two 10th graders and one 7th grader.

Happy testing,
Penny