Belloc on November

[Month of] November

November is that historied Emperor,
Conquered in age, but foot to foot with fate,
Who from his refuge high has heard the roar
Of squadrons in pursuit, and now, too late,
Stirrups the storm and calls the winds to war,
And arms the garrison of his last heirloom,
And shakes the sky to its extremest shore
With battle against irrevocable doom.
Till, driven and hurled from his strong citadels,
He flies in hurrying cloud and spurs him on,
Empty of lingerings, empty of farewells
And final benedictions, and is gone.
But in my garden all the trees have shed
Their legacies of the light, and all the flowers are dead.

Hilaire Belloc

Books for Lent

Lent and Easter in the Domestic Church 

We have had this book for years, and still really enjoy it. It is chocked full of ideas, recipes and crafts, not to mention the coloring pages. Much of it is available at this site.

Lent and Easter Wisdom from G.K. Chesterton

I just got this, but I use the Advent counterpart. Chesterton happens to be my favorite author, however, if he does not float your boat( and given his girth, he might sink it!), there are many other options available in this series.  I love this series for the fact that each day's meditation consists of a writing from the author, a scriptural passage, a prayer and an action.

In Conversation with God Volume 2, Lent and Easter

Again, something I try to use each year. The In Conversation series is a classic. Everyday the mediation is a springboard to prayer. The Gospel is reflected upon in each meditation, but in the light of the richness of the Catholic Faith,  writings of the Saints, Church councils and theologians are used in conjunction. 

Look for more tools for Lent in the coming weeks. 

Something different on Economy and Stimuli

From Glimpses of the Church Fathers:

"In the economy of the mysteries of Christ, the miracles are graces and stimuli which reinforce doctrine. This enables us to follow the actions of Him whom we confess in the spirit of faith." - Saint Leo the Great, Homilia XII in ieiunio decimi mensis, 1-2

Message of Hope

I just turned this in for our Parish newsletter, and thought I'd share it. Excuse the High School-ish book review, its all I have energy for.

Message of Hope, edited by Fr. John R. Waiss

It has been nearly a year since the Holy Father’s visit to the United States, and many may have forgotten the beautiful addresses he gave, the people he spoke with and the over all impact of his visit. Now is a good time to reflect again on his time here, and to see what the Holy Father has to say to us. Message of Hope is a collection of the words of our Pontiff during his 2008 visit to the United States, but it is also much more.

As the reader goes through each address, they are given a summarization in the margin of the book, to help to better absorb all that the Holy Father had to say. His words are simple, but challenging at the same time and summarization gives key points to focus in on. 

Message of Hope is a study guide to be used as the words of the Holy Father are reflected upon. Throughout each address questions are given to better understand the audience that was being addresses, the topic at hand and how it relates to our rich Catholic faith. The questions are ideal for a study group, or for an individual looking to gain more form the words of the Holy Father on his U.S. visit. 

Many questions may arise when reading the addresses. What was he talking about? Who was he addressing? What does this have to do with me at this time? Message of Hope also addresses these questions with a personal reflection at the end of each address. The points of reflection are very good for taking to prayer or using in conjunction with an Examination of Conscience. The Personal Reflections would also be a help to those who like to read in Adoration, to join their prayer and reading together. There would be no better place to read and reflect on the Holy Father’s words than our Adoration Chapel! (Note: our parish just opened a new chapel) 

Message of Hope also features a concise thematic index to assist those looking for specific subjects addresses by Benedict XVI. This enables the reader to also pursue study into a topic of interest via the addresses of the Holy Father.

There is the assumption that reading the works of Benedict XVI can be difficult, and at times this is true, however Message of Hope puts the Holy Father’s words into an easy to read and comprehend format. Message of Hope will be enjoyed by anyone who wants to know more about the Pope and learn more about his words to us, his sheep.

Some books never go out of style

Recently my daughter started reading the Anne of Green Gables series. I'm trilled, these books were my favorites when I was her age. Not only were they favorites, but I got completely lost in them, they preserved my girlhood and gave me a great love of poetry. How can a few books, especially lite reading, have an impact? Simple, they were good, and held my interest.

We read plenty of newer book, some good, some not-so-great, but again and again, my daughter comes back to my childhood favorites, The Secret Garden, the Little House books, Heidi and now my beloved Anne. Anne was a springboard book for me, Anne read poetry, Tennyson, in particular, so I read Tennyson. In reading Tennyson, I moved onto Wittman, and far more poets. I read and read, I loved the romance of it all, I loved the art in the books, I loved the time period written about, I loved escaping from my dull suburban life.

 I see my daughter excited in the same ways. Good literature can lead to whole new worlds, both real and imaginary. I see her imagination growing, as her understanding of history and culture also grow. I see her laughing as Anne dyes her read hair, and she will cry when Matthew dies, just like I did. And I see her maturing, as she can experience though the books joy and sorrow, while she is in a safe, loving home, but at the same time is being prepared for her own sorrows and joys. 

HELP!!!

I am looking for a book, a classic novel, with the theme of forgiveness. I know should be able to come up with a few off the top of my head, but for some reason I cannot. Please give me suggestions, this is for a review I need to write for a parish newsletter, read by about 200 families and our Pastor. We are trying to not just discuss books that are exclusively religious, but classics that are good moral examples. I'll also take suggestions for book lists. 

Harry Potter News

SOOOOOO Excited!!!!! Two of my family's favorite genre's will meet, Harry Potter and Fairy Tales. We just started listening to the Harry Potter books again yesterday and today I see this. I know what I want for St. Nicholas day. I hope my shoes will be big enough.


Side Note: I've been looking into the Charity that will benefit from the sales of this book. I cannot find anything that would be questionable about them, but if someone else knows, please let me know. It looks like they do very good work, but many other groups look that way as well.

Disapointment, Here we come!

I posted a while back at Love2Learn Movies about a new version of Brideshead Revisited coming out soon. The trailer is now available. As I had heard rumored, the film is completely different. It has lost it faith, one might say.

I went to public high school in the 90's, we never read quality literature, so the first time I was introduced to Brideshead, it was at a doctrine class I was attending. The woman giving the class was so moved by the book, she encouraged all of us to read it and see the BBC version. She labeled it as the best conversion story ever. I tend to agree. I read Brideshead a while later, and was pulled into the story, it was just beautifully written. The end, made me cry. I still analyze the meaning of it all.

I'll probably see the new film, but only after I re-read the book, and enjoy the beauty of the written word, and the beauty of the truth.

A book for Kids??

I friend send me this book link. I read what the site had, and um, I'm still not sure how disturbed to be. In college my husband and I , Art and Music majors respectively, lived in artsy digs, the Music/Art student dorm. It always had that funky smell, mostly the art side, the music people were too OCD to have anything possibly hurt their mouths or throats. We never partook, but if others wanted to waste brain cells, whatever, less competition in auditions and art shows. That said, I still have a issues with a kids book. Take a look, let me know what you think.

The reading gap

Livescience has an article about the gap in reading ability between boys and girls in schools. Very interesting. The most fascinating part of the article in at the bottom.


"Here's a fascinating fact," she said. "There is no literacy gap in home-schooled boys and girls."
"Why? In school, teachers emphasize reading literature and talking about character and feelings," she said. "This way of teaching reading does not turn boys on. Boys prefer reading nonfiction, such as history and adventure books. When they are taught at home, parents are more likely to let them follow their interests"


Fascinating indeed, letting our kids read what they are interested in, to encourage them to read. Home schooled kids are not immune from the gap, though in my opinion. My 7 year old is a bit "behind" in reading, so he is just learning how to read. ( I'm not concerned, if you cannot tell). I recently took him to the local bookshop to get some early readers, seeing the princess early readers his sister had were not to his liking. I would have to say 75% of the books in the early readers section were geared toward girls. No wonder boys do not read as much as girls, they do not have the selection of books to read. In addition to the lack of books for boys, many of the ones that were not girly, were twaddle. My son asked me how many times he would have to read a book about a cat on a mat or a lad with a cap. Point taken, he wants substance. Lucky boy, Mom found a new series of early readers based on the classics. We picked up The Treasure Map based on a chapter of Treasure Island. It is not dumbed down, just written in simplified language. My son loves it, we have four books to complete, and we move on to Tom Sawyer. I hope good literature will put him on the road to be a good reader, especially one who wants to continue to read good books.

Our Journey to Rivendell

I'm sure I first saw this on another homeschool blog, but my kids and I are preparing to join the Eowyn Challenge. It is a really neat website to encourage families to walk more. We walk a lot, but I'm up to a challenge this year. We will be reading the Hobbit aloud this spring as a family, and this seemed a nice fit. If it goes well, we will do more, as we read the LOTR books aloud. If anyone would like to join us, we'd love, even if we just walk together virtually.

New Post at L2L Movies

One of my favorite Childhood Books turned movies, now at Love2Learn Movies.

Just in Time for Advent, Chesterton!

I'm getting this tomorrow as a gift, it is supposed to be a surprise, but I saw it at my In-Laws a few weeks ago. Yes, I know it is for me, because I saw my mother-in-law wrapping 7 copies today (for her 7 kids and their spouses).

I'm very excited, I get more Chesterton and my agnostic sister in law has to endure Chesterton because my daughter has a big mouth. I overheard a conversation between the two of them a few weeks ago. Daughter was going on and on about Nancy Brown's Father Brown to my mother-in-law, my MIL told her she liked Father Brown Stories, but had not read much else by Chesterton, daughter responded, "Well, MY mom is a member of the Chesterton Society" Honestly, does she look through my mail? The kid does not miss a beat.

I skimmed through the book elsewhere. It is very nice. There are quotes, Scriptures and Meditations for all the days of Advent and the 12 Days of Christmas. Day one is the Gift of Hope. It will be a great introduction to Chesterton for my in-laws, and great fuel for Christmas discussion, until we get Chesterton added to the "list" of banned conversations! He'd be in familiar company, at least, religion, politics, the enviroment, social issues, music, movies, education, Nestle, immigration, games, each year, Harry Potter, Michael O'Brien, parental rights, the list grows each holiday.

There is one thing about this book I find moderately humorous, it is compiled by the Center for Study of CS Lewis. Poor Gilbert, doesn't even get his own Center for Study!

My idol weighs in on the latest at Hogwarts

No big secret, I'd start an Elizabeth Lev Fan club if I could. Her article about Dumbledore's sexuality is one of the best I've read. She at one point compares Dante to Rowling. Brilliant! If you do not subscribe to Zenit, it is worth it just for Her writing.

Looking for more Books

I desperately need a history book that will look at European and early American history from a Catholic point of view. The new history books arrived for my children, and this year we get to sing the Guy Fawkes song. Yippee. I bet it makes the French Revolution a great thing, too. Those bad Catholics oppressing people again. I wish that the books were not this way, because they are good in most regards, but I do have to "supplement" anytime they mention the Catholic Church, popular ignorance prevails.

I did not learn, in my bad public education, anything that was from a Catholic point of view, and if I did I was not listening. I call my late high school and early college years my "bad Catholic" phase. Short, thankfully, but I am still trying to make up for it in my education. In particular I would appreciate recommendations that pertain to the French Revolution, British history after Elizabeth I, and the founding of the United States. If I can get it from the library, even better, because the book budget (and shelf space) has been exhausted for the time being.

My writing gig

I thought I got fired from my part time super low key high stress volunteer writing gig. (enough adjectives?) BUT, they asked me back, much to my dismay! AND the first deadline is TODAY. So anyone have suggestions for a children's book I can review that meets the following goals and objectives, that is not The Weight of a Mass? Did I mention this is for my Parish's award winning RE program?
Goal: To determine that God is worthy of our devotion and wants a relationship with us
Objectives:
1) To determine that God exists and has certain distinguishable traits
2) To establish the relationship that exists between the persons of the Blessed Trinity and the correlation to our relationship with God
3) To realize that through prayer, we come to know God and his will for us and learn that living according to God’s will brings happiness.
4) To learn the forms of prayer found in our Catholic toolbox (ACTS: Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving, Supplication (petition))

I better get reading and writing!

Friday Book!

Cautionary Tales for Children. This week we visit the book I checked out of the library so much my Husband asked me to buy it. I remember the stories from this from my childhood. I did not have a good Catholic upbringing, so the fact that it ended up in my house is pretty amazing.

The Edward Gorey illustrated edition is so much better than the edition I had. The drawings are perfect for the stories, but I love Gorey's work in any form.

Our favorite story is Matilda who told lies and was burned to death. It is basically a retelling for the Little Boy who cried wolf, but in a far funnier form. I've heard J.K Rowling has said her favorite poem is Jim who ran away from his nurse and was eaten by a lion. We're happy to be in her leagues as fans for Belloc.

Here's the last bit about this book, I was recently assigned to read it by a priest in confession. His logic, so I stop taking myself so seriously. That was the day I bought it. If Father said to, I had to. It really is a good way to learn a lesson, not just for children, but adults, and to have a good laugh, to remember not everything has to be serious.

Friday Book!

I've decided to review or just talk about a favorite book each week. This week I happily present: The Dangerous Book For Boys. This has very quickly become a favorite with my boys. I love this book, I love how it encourages my sons to think, to be creative and to get dirty.

I have long been concerned about the feminization of boys through our culture. Think about it, most educators are female and boys are not allowed to, well, be boys. There is a lack of appreciation for the wildness that should be a young boy. Does this mean they are uncivilized, no, quite the contrary. The book not only shows how to make a bow and arrow, it give grammar lessons. It represents the balance boys need.

I love the fact that is tells the stories of explorers, and the seven wonders of the ancient world. I hope that is fuels the desire to explore the world around them for many boys, not just the world that is given in the X-box. It fuels the imagination with tales of adventure and gives the tools to have adventures of their own.

The book is beautifully bound in red cloth with gold writing, it looks like something special, something old, something to be treasured. It has already found a special home with Pooh Bear, Peter Rabbit and Thomas the Train on our "special" book shelf.

Oh, the Dilemma

Books are big in our house. This summer especially, we have been reading up a storm. This makes me very happy, less TV always makes the mama happy. But this Friday I have a dilemma, what to read? I'm 1/3 the way through The Man Who was Thursday, which I am completely enthralled with, but I have a ticket to the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows shin-dig at my local bookstore. Do I drop Thursday on Saturday for Harry, or do I wait until my niece spoils the ending for me because I'm still on Thursday?

HP is big news in my town. The entire Downtown area is transforming into the various locations in the HP books. My kids are super excited to have Butter Beer with their Chicago style pizza Friday night. The Library is staying open until Midnight. This is more than just a book here, it is an event. In a town of 130, 000, most kids have read the books, and this is the kid-friendliest town in the US.

Thursday is a great book, if I drop it now, I will probably not pick it up for a while, I have that bad habit. Maybe the key is to just read faster!

I'll have to ponder this in the woods. We are off to catch frogs and see muskrats, which are far cuter than I would have thought.