When my husband and I looked at what was to become our first home, I noticed something unusual in the dungeon of a basement. The owner had a small shelf mounted above her washer and on it was a simple wooden statue of Mary, kneeling in what seemed to be a position of servitude. I cannot quite describe it, but it really struck me. There was something about the simplicity of it. I had never seen a statue that really captured Mary in such humility and grace. When I asked the owner about it, she told me that she put it there to remind herself that she served her family in the many menial tasks of her day, just like Mary. It made a deep impression on me and I never completely forgot about it. After we moved in that shelf remained empty. It always seemed as if something was missing. I'm not sure why, but in all the years we lived there, I never got around to putting a statue there. I did think often of her words and when the never-ending tasks of motherhood got me down, I would try to remember to pray for my family. Somehow offering a quick prayer for those whose daily activities made these clothes so dirty helped me to get through it all.

As a mother of three boys I spend an awful lot of time in my laundry room. God has blessed us with another house and a much nicer laundry room (doesn't this make all the difference in the world). I actually have pictures on the walls, and a plant on the shelf. I even have a picture of my family on the dryer to remind myself why I spend so many hours in that room. I try to offer a prayer for them each time I see it. But it still seems to me that something is still missing. I wish I'd thought to ask the owner of our first home where she got that beautiful statue.

For more thoughts on family, laundry and how to find joy in the menial tasks of everyday life, go here. With five boys at her house, she ought to know a thing or two!

I recently sent a meal to my neighbor's house. I'm not sure I remember why (Mom was sick, perhaps?) and I'm not completely sure what it was (chili, I think?). Either way, her kids raved about how good it was. Yes, even the picky one. I guess the conversation turned to the subject of food and cooking and the dad said to the kids that of course Mrs. Juth is a good cook - she's Italian! Well, I'm not sure that's exactly the reason, although it does seem that many Italians I know are good cooks. But if that were the only reason, what hope would there be for the rest of you?

I am not sure how my cooking would stand up to Martha Stewart's and I've only really been cooking for 13 years or so, but here are a few tips I've picked up along the way. They are really simple, but I think they make the difference between an OK cook and a really good one.

1. Use good ingredients.

This might seem simple enough, but I am surprised when I share recipes how many people are still using lemon juice out of a jar, garlic out of a spice tin and grated cheese from a plastic tub (you know which one I mean...). So rule number one is to stock your pantry with only the freshest ingredients. Get fresh garlic, lemons, Parmigiano-Regianno cheese and fresh herbs (if you only have one make it parsley). I promise you that if you make even these simple changes you will see a difference in the quality of your cooking. Too much money you say? It might cost more in the long run, but keeping your pantry stocked with these items is worth the extra money spent, in my opinion. Save your money elsewhere.

This brings me to tip number two.

2. Have good tools

I am not talking hammers and screwdrivers. I am talking kitchen shears, a microplane grater (which interestingly enough doubles as the other kind of tool) and a garlic press. And of course a good knife. The newest knife I purchased is the least expensive I own and my new favorite. Another absolute must have in our house is this handy item. I use it every single day, at least once, if not more. It is especially nice for making quick fruit shakes for breakfast.

3. Keep a well stocked pantry

If you have pasta, frozen shrimp, a jar of pesto, frozen chicken cutlets and ground beef, a few cans of tomatoes and beans, canned or boxed broths, a pint of heavy cream, frozen broccoli, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses and frozen pizza dough, you will never be at a loss for dinner. I failed to include a variety of oils, including good quality olive oil, bottles of red and white wines and some vinegars. But you knew that already, didn't you?

4. Collect recipes

This might seem obvious, but keep your eyes open for new and interesting recipes. Hardly a day goes by that I don't rip a recipe out of a magazine or print one I've found on the internet. Two of my favorite websites for recipes are allrecipes.com and Williams-Sonoma. Get a binder and some of those plastic protective sheets to store them in. Mark each recipe as you make it. Did you make changes? Did your family like it? I always make notes so that I know for next time.

Just tonight my son told me that he loved me a little bit more after enjoying a delicious meal. OK, maybe he didn't really love me more, but it was worth the effort I put into cooking to see him enjoy it so much.

Chasing Away Them Winter Blues

Everyone I turn this week, there is talk of cabin fever, burnout and mid-winter blues. And most homeschooling mothers know why. Heck, most any mother knows why. This is that awful time of year, just after the joy of the holidays. Just before the glory of spring. February.

February. Why is that month so darn difficult? For many of us, it means we have passed the half-way point of our school year, which can be good, especially if you're on schedule, or even ahead. But who am I fooling? If you are anything like me, you are much more likely to see all that you have not accomplished by this half-way mark, instead of all that you have. This brings me to my first tip for dealing with those February blues:

1. Reevaluate your school load. Be realistic. Maybe you are on schedule and find your kids getting bored with their free time. Order that one thing that you couldn't get in September. This might be a good time to start watching those Latin videos, or trying Rosetta Stone.

If you are running behind, then spend a couple of weeks doubling up on work. Do two language arts lessons a day. Or, (be sure to sit down before you read this) be willing to skip a few lessons if your child has a good grasp at that concept. Why do we find this so difficult? It is OK to jump ahead. It is OK to not finish every book. My husband once challenged to recall if we EVER finished a text book in school. Point taken.

2. Start your spring cleaning early. I love this one. If you are going to reevaluate your lessons, it is a natural time to clean out anything that clearly is not working. Box it up for future children or give it away. Sell it at your local homeschooling convention. Clear off the bookshelves. Let's face it, most of us homeschoolers are addicted to books. I sometimes think that my decision to homeschool was simply an excuse to support my habit. ;)

Get some really good smelling cleaner - this one is my absolute favorite. Nothing makes my house smell more like spring than this cleaner does. Go through the house room by room and clear out and clean. The best part of spring cleaning in February is that when the warm weather rolls around you can actually go to the park with your kids, knowing that your house is ready for spring.

3. Make some good old comfort food. Cook up a pot of soup and make homemade bread. You say you don't have time to make bread? Try this book. See if your library has it, but even if they don't, it is worth the money. Around here, artisan bread costs around $5 a loaf. At $15, the book will pay for itself quickly. Here is a free recipe from Williams-Sonoma to get you started. (While you're at that website, check out the soup recipes. We have slowly been working our way down the list and have enjoyed every one.) If you are really running late for dinner (because even easy bread takes time) make muffins.

4. Bake with the kids. Make cookies, muffins, cakes, whatever. OK, so you'll gain a little weight, but your kids will love you more.


5. Eat by candlelight. Seriously. Turn the lights down low and light some candles. Eat that homemade soup and bread by candlelight. It is amazing how much it warms the room. And the bonus? Your kids might actually turn down the noise level a bit. Oh, and they might notice if you happened to have made something they don't like.

6. Play music. This is probably the easiest, yet often overlooked solution. We listen to a lot of music in this house. Christian pop, hymns, patriotic, classical, kids music of all kinds. Lately I'm on an opera kick, but I'm thinking it's time for some Vivaldi. Spring, anyone?

Here are a few more tips I read this past week that I think we'll try.

7. Watch good movies. We have a rule around here. It goes like this: school day, school video. Although I am pretty liberal with what I consider to be a school video, it is still limiting. Most of them are short (Liberty's Kids, Between the Lions, bible video, a Nest family video). Sometimes they get to watch an hour long one like Planet Earth or a National Geographic special. I have a pretty extensive collection of old movies and musicals that we don't often get to. I'm thinking that maybe instead of saying 'no' to a longer movie,I'll cook up some popcorn and settle down on the couch and watch with them.

8. Have a pajama day. Honestly I'm not so sure about this one. I often get out of bed and jump right into the day. I find myself showering closer to lunch time than breakfast time. This is probably not the best choice for our family, but I can see that this one would be a lot of fun on a cold, rainy day when you have nowhere to go.

9. Make a treat for dad day. I thought this was the most creative tip I read. Make something special you know dad will enjoy. Something you never get to. Around here that would be biscotti. I've only made it once and it is Steve's favorite cookie. Now if we only could get him out of the house for a few hours...

Go here and here for more good ideas. Oh, one last idea. Someone suggested to me that I take off the month of February and do a unit study about the Olympics. Sounds like fun to me!

Gone But Not Forgotten

January 22, 1973. A date that forever changed history. The day that the US Supreme Court ruled that a woman had a right to choose.

My mother was two months along in her first pregnancy, which ultimately ended in my birth. She had been married a few years and had dreams of a big family. I was wanted and loved from the beginning.

But what if she had been a single, unmarried woman. What if I had been the result of a one night stand. What if she had been a teenager. What if I had been unplanned. Unwanted. Would my life had mattered any less?

As I watch the footage of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, I am deeply saddened by the trucks that are dumping bodies along with the wreckage. Thousands of bodies in unmarked graves. Thousands of bodies buried along with cinder block. Human remains tangled up with garbage. Our hearts break because we know that these people who died so tragically now suffer another tragedy. They do not even have the opportunity to be buried with dignity. They will be mourned by loved ones who will never have the chance to see them. To visit their graves. Who among us can see those images and not be moved?

Yet this tragedy is not a new one. For 37 years now we have been doing the same thing to millions - no, TENS of millions - of unborn babies. Not only were their lives cut short tragically through abortion, but they were not even given the right to be laid to rest. Over forty million babies whose bodies were thrown away with medical waste. Bodies tangled up with garbage.

Just as we mourn the death of the tens of thousands of lives lost in Haiti, so we mourn the deaths of the forty million babies whose lives have been lost these last 37 years.

Their lives will not be forgotten.

What's Going on Here Today

In the kitchen:

Freshly baked bread for sandwiches. We go through a ridiculous amount of bread here, and although I always have some store bought bread frozen for emergencies, I am trying to make fresh bread more often. I am working my way through this book and love the recipes. I wonder how many times I can take it out of the library before they notice. ;)

In the classroom:

We are just reading about the pre-Revolution days. I am learning a whole lot of things I never learned (or at least don't remember learning).

We are reading through 'Johnny Tremain' which, based on the attentiveness of the boys, appears to be our favorite book yet.

I am still waiting to order this fabulous writing program.

I am still in need of a good diagramming book. We skipped the section on direct / indirect objects today and skipped ahead to the capitalization rules. I think the lessons will make more sense when they are reinforced with the diagramming lessons.

And I can stop thinking about this recent post. I wish Steve had more time to work with the boys. This is right up his alley.

On the couch:

The boys are watching 'Little House on the Prairie'. Ben has recently begun to bring me the box of DVD's and ask to watch them. I'm not sure what attracts a two year old boy to it so much, but a break from 'Clone Wars' and 'The Lone Ranger' is much appreciated. If I am to be surrounded by so much testosterone, I need my boys to watch a show that Mom can enjoy too. And lest anyone think I am raising a bunch of sissies, last night we had our first family viewing of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'. Ugh. I don't remember closing my eyes so much as a kid. I must be getting old. And tonight Steve and I get to watch the season premiere of '24'. We have anxiously awaited tonight since last year's season finale. We count the weeks to the show like kids count the days till Christmas. And since we don't have cable, we have to add one day to the count, when the episode is available online.

On the table:

It is 4:40 and I think it's about time that I started thinking about dinner. Not sure what we're having, but I have a freezer full of soup and sauces to choose from.

On my nightstand:

This book. I had been wanting to get 'In Conversation With God' for some time, but they are a bit pricey. I was fortunate to have an opportunity to go on a homeschooling mother's retreat day with Father Benedict Groeschel last year. The friars who hosted the day had 3 closets full of religious books that they were giving away for free. I am not sure what was more exciting to a room full of homeschooling mothers - time spent with a living saint, or free books! I am making a commitment to read it this year. Every day. So far, I have kept that commitment. Eighteen days down, three hundred forty seven left to go.

Do Whatever He Tells You

Our Blessed Mother is mentioned only a few precious times in the Bible and very few words of hers are recorded, but the ones that are recorded in today's gospel are perhaps the most important.

Do whatever He tells you.

Jesus tells his mother that His time had not yet come. Yet, in listening to the words spoken by his mother, He is obedient to his Father in heaven.

Do whatever He tells you.

And so we read the last words of Mary which are recorded in scripture. This woman who means so much to us. Who gave so much to us.

I have wondered many times why the writers of the gospels have so little written about the most important person in Jesus' life. How helpful it would be as a wife and mother to know how Mary spent her days. I have longed to know more and have wrestled with this issue many times.

Perhaps St. John knew that those last words that he recorded were the most important.

Do whatever He tells you.

Mary, the most humble, obedient Servant of God points us to her son. How simple, and yet how profound. In listening to the words spoken by Mary, may we be obedient to our Father in heaven.

I Resolve To...

I do not particularly like New Year's resolutions. In fact, I avoid making them altogether. I mean, shouldn't I be eating healthy and exercising everyday? And shouldn't I make an effort to pray each and every morning? And I am challenged to be patient with my family enough as it is. I don't need a list of ways to better myself screaming out at me every day!

Instead, I usually take this time to look back at last year and to see in what ways we can improve. As I mentioned in an earlier post, my husband and I spend our anniversary, which happens to be 3 days before the new year, reminiscing about our past year and we set goals for the next. I also do the same thing in terms of homeschooling. By the end of December we (hopefully) have a few months behind us and five or so more to go. It is a natural time for me to stop and assess how our year is going.

Some years I find myself discouraged at the lack of what we've accomplished. Like the year I had Benjamin. He would be six months old when we started our new school year and boy would it be easy to get all that work done during the two naps most babies take. Of course he had his own plans. He was a tough one and never really cooperated with the schedule we had planned.

And there was the preceding year, when we moved in August. (You know what they say...new house, new baby). It was hard enough unpacking the school books and finding the box of pencils, let alone actually finding our way through the maze of boxes to sit down and use them.

So far this year has not been like either of those. We have had a really good year so far. (I'm almost afraid to admit that, lest the proverbial shoe should fall.) We've settled into a pretty good rhythm. We love the history program we switched to last year. Christian's reading has improved tremendously this past year after a bit of a struggle and Damian is learning phonics and getting better each day. Both boys are ahead in math. We finally started Rosetta Stone and seem to be doing well with it. Oh, and the music lessons. Both boys added an instrument to their repertoire in recent months. Damian has been playing the violin for just less than a year. He has picked it up easily and even enjoys practicing. Christian recently started taking pipe organ lessons and surprise, surprise. He LOVES it. I would never have imagined that a ten year old boy could make room in his world of Star Wars and Wii for the pipe organ. His teacher, who travels the world giving organ recitals, says that he has a natural talent for it. I truly cannot wait to see what God has in store for this gift of his.

Of course, since our schedule seems to be working so well, this is a good time to think about adding in a few things. I am waiting to order a new writing program which gets rave reviews, but is quite expensive. Christian misses diagramming sentences, since our new grammar program does not incorporate it. OK, maybe misses is not the right word, but he did enjoy it last year. I'm still bummed that Susan Wise Bauer is not continuing her wonderful program past the fourth grade. So I have to order a diagramming book soon. In the meantime I think that maybe we should dust off the science program that's been sitting on the shelf since September. After all, Christian wants to go to MIT, and I think they might like seeing that he's had a little bit of science.

Well, that should be enough to keep us busy. Debra Bell, who wrote one of the most comprehensive books on homeschooling, recommends that parents set goals for each school year and write down how they've met those goals at the end of each year. It was one of the best things we've ever done, especially the year that we moved and no one slept. I was amazed at how much we actually did accomplish. (Did you know that watching an entire DVD series of Planet Earth while Mom unpacks counts for science? Just ask the seven year old who randomly throws out trivial facts about our planet.) I would only add one thing to Debra's suggestion. Don't wait till June to do it. Do it in December while your kids are still busy playing with the mountain of gifts that all of your generous relatives gave them.