Weekbook - 2nd week of August

Highlights of the week: taking portraits in the backyard, watching the Olympics, a serious thinning of the tomato plants, a beautiful angel musicbox arriving in the mail from dh's "Aunt Sister Gertrude" (she's a nun, hence the "Aunt Sister")

Low point: Dh going on a business trip, Jeffrey eating playdoh

High point: Dh coming home ;-)

Needs work: I need to smile more often and stop sighing! also, weeding

Projects: my Personal Rule of Six - living it!; starting 54 day Rosary Novena

Discussion: discussing the beauty shown in nature while reading The Journeyman, the hard work it takes to be an olympic athlete

Milestone or Progress: Jeffrey is walking behind his push toy

Focus, Theme, or Atmosphere (LOL, I had it spelled atMOMsphere): The beauty of nature. I need to clean more "hot spots" in order to let some of that show in the house, though! There is no place to showcase anything right now.

Independent interests: Rose and Skye are running every morning (inspired by the olympics)

Spiritual: daily readings, celebrated feast of St. Philomena (Jane's patron). The girls are asking good questions about the readings and wanting to understand what's going on. Attending Mass for the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Nature/Outdoors: the tomatoes are bountiful, but the plants are showing signs of being tired! I have thinned a bunch of branches, as I just let them grow kind of wild there for most of the summer. Soon we'll plant lettuces again and hope for some cool weather. There's that hint of coolness in the air that tells me it's August and no longer July!

Literary: Finished The Journeyman as a read aloud, I just finished First Comes Love by Scott Hahn - not sure what next for me.

Artistic: we made templates and did stencilling with tempera paint on watercolor paper to go along with the theme in the Journeyman - the girls loved it! hmmm... does Jeffrey eating playdoh count?

Scientific: studying the sun, next on to Mercury!

Historical: hopped back in time a bit to the war of 1812 - only through reading The Journeyman so far. Girls are enjoying playing The Yukon Trail game.

Musical: ((((I'm not saying this out loud: the girls have been listening to and singing the soundtracks of one of their Barbie musicals all week - Princess and the Pauper, I think))))

Life Skill or Work: need to think more on this one for next week. I'm sure we are doing things, just not very well thought out!

Beauty: decluttering before beauty can show. I feel like I'm shoveling a blizzard with teaspoon. I know it sounds like all I talk about, but I'm realizing more and more that in a small house with too little storage and 7 people, we just CANNOT own as much as other people. Especially if we want any beauty to show.

Some thoughts/plans for next week: soccer practice starts for Skye; library run needed: books on mercury and South America

A Photo Memory: (outtake from Jeffrey's portrait session)