Signs and Wonders

Please Pray for the Snow Family

Baby Matthew was lovingly swept into the arms of our Lord last night. Please pray for John, Emily and their children as they mourn the loss of their sweet little boy. Emily has more photo's posted on her blog

Artist Study - Leonardo da Vinci

 

An unwanted child, a genius, born in 1452 to a peasant woman and a country gentleman, Leonardo da Vinci was one of the most amazing people who ever lived. He grew up to be a great painter, sculptor, architect, scientist, and inventor. As a boy, Leonardo was apprenticed to a famous artist but he quickly became more skillful than his teacher. This term we will look at the life of Leonardo da Vinci it will be so much more then a study of the artist and his art as there is so much more to Leonardo as we are quickly finding out. 

We are loving this book and it will probably provide the spine to our studies the book provides an incite into Leonardo's life and work. The book is interspersed with twenty one activities for children to do themselves which makes it perfect for the home educating family.

Diane Stanley's book Leonardo da Vinci provides yet another biography packed full of facts and interesting illustrations.

Leonardo da Vinci young artist, writer and inventor is another book we will be using we are still waiting for it to arrive but here is the description from Book Depository

Leonardo Da Vinci is best known as the Renaissance painter who created the "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper." he also made great contributions as a sculptor, architect, engineer. and scientist. But Leonardo wasn't always famous. Leonardo grew up in Vinci, a small town in Italy, and when he was only a few years old he was separated from his mother and sent to live with his grandparents and uncle Francesco. Although Leonardo only received a formal education for a few years, Francesco taught Leonardo about nature. Leonardo loved to sketch the world around him.When he was a teenager, Leonardo moved to the city of Florence. It was here that his artistic talent was recognized and he became and apprentice to a famous artist. Leonardo worked hard at his trade and advanced quickly, but he wasn't interested in only art. To fuel his curiosity, he also studied science, mathematics, engineering and philosophy.Read about the little boy from Vinci who became one of the most facscinating figures in world history.

We love the Katie books and Katie and the Mona Lisais no exception. Katie want to know, what makes the Mona Lisa smile? So she climbs into the painting to find out and the result is a disastrous as kate tries to cheer up the not so happy Mona Lisa. Lots of fun and you get to meet four other Renaissance artist and four of there most famous works.  An Angel in Red with a Lute by an associate of Leonardo, St George and the Dragon by Raphael, Primavera by Sandro Botticelli, The Lion of St Mark by Vittore Carpaccio

Leonardo da Vinci Stained Glass Coloring Book looks like a lot of fun and as all my children enjoy colouring in I'm sure we'll put it to good use.

Online resources

Colour Me Masterpiece - Picture of Mona Lisa to colour

- Picture of The Last Supper to colour

Ambleside on Line has thesegreat prints available for printing in a pdf file.

Leonardo da Vinci, Scientist, Inventor and Artist - Lots of information about Leonardo here.

Exploring Leonardo - Another website packed with interesting information about Leonardo da Vinci.

 

Happy Birthday to You

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday dear Sonja

Happy birthday to you!!

You are a precious daughter and we are missing you already.

Baby Matthew Karol - update

 Baby Matthew was born last night at 32 weeks and needs all our prayers. You can read the latest update on Emily's blog. please storm heaven for this dear little boy and his family

Prayer at the Birth of a Sick Infant

Hopeful Mother,

I turn to you in prayer

not for myself, but for baby Matthew Karol.

 

Blessed Mother,

You have walked were now his mother treads

You embraced your Son with such tenderness and love

Though your heart was filled with worry.

 

Holy Mother,

I pray that through your Son

You will bring healing to baby Matthew

That his parents, also will know that

sweet intimacy of Mother and Child.

original text by: Rev John McGivern.

A Simple Woman's Day Book - July 21st

Peggy is taking a break over the American summer but I will continue with my day book here.

Out side my window....The inky blackness of pre dawn - it's very early and I'm up with two little boys who don't think that sleep is all that necessary.

I am thinking.... About the up coming school term making lots of plans and organising our school area. Also about labour and delivery this little one is due in a couple of days we are still tossing around names and taking bets on it sex.

From the learning rooms...It's school holiday's here and we had a complete rest from school last week we will however work on reading and literacy a little this week. I continue to purge and organise the school area and prepare for the upcoming school term. Generally the children would work at their own level for maths and english and we come together to study other subjects as part of a unit study but with so many students with varying needs I have decided to give each child an individual study program this term. I have almost completed each child's schedule for the term and over the next few days will print and prepare each child's work into weekly folders so that when the baby arrives there will be little to prepare or do and hopefully Mike and the children can easily continue with school.

I am thankful for...  A wonderful husband who has spent much of his holiday taking over my duties and caring for the children so that I can rest and recover from whooping cough and prepare for labour and childbirth.

From the kitchen... It's to early for anything other then tea or coffee. I have however had a go at cheese making this week and there are two small cheese rounds sitting on the bench waiting to be waxed and a pot of curds and whey waiting to be drained.

I am going....  To continue to potter around the house preparing for baby and for the upcoming school term and hopefully said baby will put in an appearance.

I am reading.... The Out -of-Sync Child has fun by Carol Stock Kranowitz and Persuasion by Jane Austin

 I am hoping.... That this little person doesn't keep us waiting to long we are all anxious to meet him or her.

I am hearing....Two little boys play very noisily with their cars despite my plea of "shhhh people are trying to sleep".

I am praying.... For a trouble free and gentle home birth and for Emily and sweet baby Matthew.

Around the house.... A new day is dawning and children are slowly waking up and getting out of bed. Mike has gone to milk the cow and I can hear someone in the kitchen starting breakfast.

A few plans for the rest of the week.... Continuing to clean, de clutter and purge as time and energy levels allow we are still recuperating and will slowly get back into our normal routine.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you....

Encouraging Little Ones to Pray the Rosary

Back in April Kimberlee did a lovely post about praying the rosary with little ones. I loved the crotchet roses and the rosary cards and filed the idea away with the resolution of putting together my own set of roses and cards for our own little people. Well it took longer then I would have liked but I'm very pleased to say that I have finally done it. Like Kimberlee I use this pattern for the roses and printed and laminated bookworms rosary cards found here. I have made up two sets of 11 roses, each set has ten roses for the Hail Mary's, one set blue and one pink while the Our Father rose is either blue or pink also. So the pink hail Mary's have a blue our Father and vica versa does that make sense?

 

 

Using the same rosary cards but reduced in size I have also made up this file folder game for the little one's to learn the titles of each decade.

I also want the older children to learn the various virtues/spiritual fruits associated with each decade and to that end have compiled the same format for them to match the rosary card with the various virtues.

 

Happy Birthday to you!

She's 18 at last, we celebrated a few weeks ago with her brother and then again this week with a family dinner on her actual birthday. Happy birthday dear girl we hope you enjoyed your day.

Private Midwifery and homebirth choices under threat

A woman's right to choose where and with whom to have her baby is currently under threat in Australia. The Australian government is set to pass legislation that would in effect make private midwifery illegal. Our twelfth child is due next week and we are planning our third home birth with a private midwife in attendance. For us home birth has been a positive and satisfying experience, not that our hospital births weren't positive.The seperation from our other children, the need for planning who they will be with and how we get them there was always stressful for me.

The United Nations Statement on the Rights of Women (1995) states that "Women have the right to have control over, and decide freely and responsibly on all matters relating to their sexual and reproductive health" What makes this legislation such a farce is that according to the above statement just few short months ago it was considered my right and my choice as to whether or not this baby lived. The termination of this pregnancy and thus the murder of this child had I desired and chosen it according to the united nations statement would have been my right. If this legislation is passed I would still have the right to murder my child I would not however have the right to chose where and with whom I give birth to that same child, more then a little ironic isn't it.

I would encourage all those who really care about a women's right to choose to sign this petition you can also find more information here and here

Our midwife checks on babies heart beat while Mike and the children look on. Gail is always very patient with the children answering their hundreds of questions about the babies size and development.

 

 

After listening to the baby Paddy get to hear his own heart beat he is convinced he has a baby horse in there.

 

Anthony loves to help out here he is cleaning the Doppler.

Fun With Tile Mosaics

This term we have been doing tile mosaics with our local home school group. We have learned a lot and really enjoyed being so creative. Due to ill health we have unfortunately been unable to attended for the last month. So Mike went to bunnings the other day and purchased everything we need to finish our creations here at home.

  Luke and Nick applying the grout to their tiled work.

 Anna and Brigid at the tiling stage. Brigid is decorating a display box and Anna is doing a pencil holder

Some of the children's completed work.

Year of the Priest Faith Folder Give-Away!

Go check out Mary Ellen's blog for a chance to win this great lap book on the year of the priest.