“The exercises of practical life are formative activities, a work of adaptation to the environment. Such adaptation to the environment and efficient functioning therein is the very essence of a useful education.”-Maria Montessori If you walked into a Montessori classroom, you would see many children going about their work. Some would be doing counting, some … Read more
Sitting back and observing the child without intervening doesn’t come naturally to most adults, but it is a cornerstone of the Montessori method, and for me at least, the more I step back and watch my children as they work, the more I am amazed at what they discover. When they make their own discoveries, … Read more
“It follows that the child can only develop fully by means of experience on his environment. We call such experience “work”.”- Maria Montessori (The Absorbent Mind) First let me say that our children are incredibly blessed to have grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, and uncles who support their education and make homeschooling possible for our family. Our … Read more
One of the many, many things I love about Catholicism is how tangible it is; the Church makes use of all of our senses to teach us the riches of the Faith. Once upon a time, when most people were illiterate and couldn’t read the Scriptures or stories of the saints, images were made that … Read more
Once upon a time, in what feels like another life, I was a missionary with Life Teen. I lived in community with other missionaries and families at Camp Covecrest, in Tiger, GA. It was there I first encountered St. Benedict. We missionaries lived by a Rule of Life modeled after the Rule of Benedict. It … Read more
This is my new favorite photo. Gianna and Gram curled up together having a nap and a snuggle. My sleep-resistant daughter actually fell asleep in her great-grandma’s arms today. This, this right here is why we are an inter-generational household. For those who didn’t know, three and a half years ago, we moved my grandmother … Read more
I’ve written about trying to be more intentional about building and strengthening our domestic church. One of the ways we try to do that is by paying more attention to the feast days of the Church. It’s a great way to introduce ourselves and our children to knew saints and new traditions. Disclusure: this post … Read more
Gianna’s earliest memory is of her great-grandmother’s funeral. She remembers the day clearly- the mass, the cemetery, the time with family. I have been surprised at what an impression this memory has made on her. Grandma P passed away in March of 2017, and G still speaks of it regularly. She asks a lot of … Read more
Recently I was searching the internet for rosary themed crafts to do with my kids, and while I did find the cutest pipe cleaner rosary project for them, I also found a fabulous mom-friendly craft: the Kitchen Rosary. A kitchen rosary is abacus style rosary, designed to be used when your hands are full or … Read more
Mark has been on the interview trail a lot lately. This week the kids and I tagged along for his trip to Case Western in Cleveland. My cousin, Taylor, is based there for work, and it had been ages since I’ve seen him, so it made for a great opportunity to sneak in a visit. … Read more