École Buissonnière

I just found out through Dawn's blog that I have been nominated for The Catholic Blog Awards!!! I am speechless! I warmly thank whoever nominated me.

OK, I tried some free blogs, got frustrated and decided to give TypePad a try. Grab a cup of tea and come have a look at A Time to Keep. See you there.

UPDATE: I decided to go with Wordpress, a free blog service. Here is my new address. My typePad blog has been deleted. I am sorry for the nuisance this moving around might have caused you.

Please forgive me for having been such a lousy blogger lately. The truth is I have run out of memory; I even had to delete some files in order to post my last two entries. This is a rather frustrating way to blog! For the past month I have been on a quest for another free blog space. My current subscription with blogsprirt is free, but if I wanted to add memory I would have to change it for one with a monthly fee.

I think I have found a suitable alternative. I will give you a link as soon as I am done setting it up. Check back soon!

Last weekend we deep cleaned the little boys’ room.

I love this task! It gives me time to reminiscence about my older children's childhood, and to be grateful for the overwhelming gift of motherhood. I am also thankful for the little things, like wooden blocks nicely polished. The children love to help polish each block or each little animal until they shine softly. Thankfully we have lots of little hands to help with the task, for as you can see we have quite a collection.



These toys are the ones that have stood the test of time. The set of wooden unit blocks seemed like a big investment fifteen years ago, but because of their open ended nature they have been the most used toy we have ever own. Through the years we have added Haba - TC Timber Fabulous Village, Funland Farm, Nativity Set, Barnyard Friends, Old West Ford and Castle blocks, all from Julie a catholic mother of many. We have also enjoyed her wooden train sets and Plan City Parking Garage.


These little wooden people have been imagined fighting in countless world history battles, at time being Roman gladiators, crusaders, Old Testament people, red and blue coats and everything in between.



Here is Alexander playing with the same little wooden gnomes when he was Ambroise's age.


Sometimes all it takes is a few cardboard boxes, Ambroise favorite plaything. Once, when we were shopping at Aldi, Ambroise got really excited at the abundance of boxes we were using to bring home the grocery. He gleefully exclaimed, “Wow, I can use all these boxes to build my tractors and airplanes!”


How about some soft friends to share in the adventures?

Today we celebrated Elizabeth's feast day. This morning we read about this touching young saint in Loyola Kids Books of Saints. The children narrated what was most important to them and copied their narrations neatly on notebooking pages from Kim. They also wrote about the Works of Mercy that Elizabeth performed. I choose two pictures of roses and made watermark paper using my word program.

Seth's page. Click on the picture for a better view.

Maxime's page.

The pictures, colored with gel pens, are from the Saint Pictorials in A Year With God. The quote from Matthew was also from the Saint's Pictorials.

We looked up Hungary in our atlas and learned a little about its history, while the delicious smell of Hungarian goulash filled the kitchen. Thanks to Elizabeth who busied herself this afternoon to provide us with an authentic Hungarian meal complete with breaded bread.

Thursday morning while I was reading my mail, Seth came out of the school room with a pile of history books in his hands. Elizabeth, my teacher’s helper, was following him asking him to put them up for now and get ready for school. Seeing his pleading look, I told him to go ahead and put them on the kitchen table. He gleefully laid them all out, making quite a display.

Then, he JUMPED for joy exclaiming. “I LOVE HISTORY!!!!!” I grabbed my camera and told him to do it again. While this is not the original spontaneous moment, I think it captures the spirit very well.



Now, if he could only carry some of this enthusiast over to math!

Nicholas is a very skilled hunter. His latest passion is bow hunting. He killed this goose last year and has already killed two deer this season.

Yesterday, our tiny kitchen was whirling with activities. Elizabeth and I were cooking chicken potpie, brioche and a cookie cake for a family dinner on the eve of Nicholas’s birthday.

Marie-Eve's scrumptious apple pie!



Alexandre and Samuel were cheerfully washing the dirty pots, pans, bowls and utensils all this baking and cooking was generating, while Kristie and Nicholas were cutting, grinding and packing deer meat, carefully labeling each packs with their names. Yes, you heard me right! They are already making provisions for when they will share their new life together.

We are very proud to announce Nicholas and Kristie’s engagement. Both are very mature, discipline young adults. We are confident that this decision was taken after much thoughts and prayers. They plan to be married at Belmont Abbey College, on May 26, 2007.

This picture was taken the day of their engagement. Aren’t they glowing with happiness?

Congratulations to both of you dear Nicholas and Kritie.

In the morning, I gathered the children around the kitchen table spread out with all the supplies needed for the activities I had selected from Catholic Mosaic and A Year With God for this feast.

First we prayed the “Prayer Before a Crucifix” from My Little Prayer Book; a tiny book I picked up a few weeks ago at my local Catholic bookstore.



Then I read The Tale of Three Trees and used the discussion questions from Catholic Mosaic to deepen their understanding of the story. We also read The Legend of the Dogwood Tree as suggested. We talked about the differences in the various crucifixes we have in our house (I just put two of them on the table). We discussed the meaning of various abbreviations such as INRI from an activity sheet in A Year With God.

Then we moved to our learning room to work on various hands-on projects. Samuel drew a beautiful crucifix from A Catholic How to Draw that happens to be identical to the crucifix we have in our learning room.



Seth and Maxime drew A Shrine to Our Lord from CHC free curricula.





Ambroise made a collage of different crosses printed out from the internet.



While he was thoroughly enjoying himself I talked to him about the different material the crosses were made off; stone, wood, steel beams, gold, silver, wire, glass, palms, twine, and even ice!

Elizabeth took Seth's narration of The Legend of the Dogwood Tree while I keyed in Maxime’s of The Tale of Three Trees. Before we printed them out they both had fun choosing fonts and colorful paper.

We put it all together in our new Mosaic Liturgical Year Album! I got some pictures developed in a one hour photo center and added them to the album.


Samuel's Cross


Maxime's narration


Seth and Maxime's pictures

Ambroise's collage

Seth's narration

The children and I are eager to add to our album throughout the year.

But it was a close call!

All along the fallen tree are rose bushes. Some of their branches did get torn but thankfully they should survive the trauma. That big blue think in the back of Maxime is a trailer full with hay (100 bales). I am glad Michel tied it all securely enough to prevent Ernesto from blowing them all over the place.



What you can’t see is the house running parallel to the tree only fifteen feet away!



And this one was right behind the house.

Can you hear the chainsaw?

The school of Christ is the school of charity. In the last day, when the general examination takes place, there will be no question at all on the text of Aristotle, the aphorisms of Hippocrates, or the Paragraphs of Justinian. Charity will be the whole syllabus. -Saint Robert Bellamine

"Let us go forward in peace, our eyes upon Heaven, the only one goal of our labors." -St Therese of Lisieux

Those two quotes were taken from CHC Third Grade Lesson Plans.

In the past years we did our schooling in the kitchen. Since we only have four bedrooms and no living room, we had to make do with the kitchen and the adjacent hall. This fall, now that Etienne is gone to college, Samuel was able to move downstairs with Alexandre.

We thus decided that we could finally have a learning room. True to myself, I had to try three different rooms before I was satisfied. I can just imagine my older children, who are away from home, nodding and laughing as they read this. They know me too well! I do move everyone around on a regular basis. It’s just the way I am…

We now have a learning room/sewing room/Seth's bedroom. Since Maxime and Ambroise share a room, which is also the playroom, having Seth in there would have left very little space for play. So to accommodate Seth we have a folded futon in the learning room that becomes a nice little reading spot during the day.

To keep cluster away this room only contains what we use on a daily basic. We have books in a big bookshelf in the hall and in six more huge bookshelves downstairs. The art and crafts supply are in the laundry room.

Let me show you around. You can click on each picture to get a better view.







The desk on the right is also my sewing table. My serger and sewing machine are underneath covered with quilted fabric.



On the right of the white eraser board are two weekly post-it calendars that I will use to post daily chores. As they do there daily chores the children will move their posts-it to the following day.



On the coffee table are baskets of school books for the four youngest boys.



This bookshelve holds Ambroise’s material and various math manipulative. On the shelves are some photo albums that I bought on clearance. I use them as compact activity centers for Ambroise. On the left of the bookshelves is a cabinet that holds various things I use to make Montessori trays for Ambroise. I'll post more about these later. Sitting in a wire basket are some small photo albums with CHC Litlle Stories for Little Folks booklets, a number book and a homemade first bible story book in the making.

Here is Ambroise sitting at his little desk using one of the albums mentionned above.







On top of this bookcase I keep some sewing notions. Underneath are school supplies such as staplers, pencils, gel pens, colored pencils, and such. At the very end of that shelf is a sweet box decorated with the Brambly Hedge Mice, which holds our FIAR story disks. The third shelve holds my teacher’s book and the current Catholic Mosaic books. Then there are some baskets that are ready to be used as needed. Alexandre's schoolbooks are on the bottom shelve. Elizabeth works in her own room.



The littlest ones can spread little rugs on the floor to work on.

I have still to find a place for our Catechism of the Good Shepherd material. I know it will keep changing as we work and pray in our little learning room.

Yesterday was Samuel’s birthday! He shares a birthday with two very special people, Blessed Mother Theresa and Adrienne . Adrienne is a sweet little friend we've never meet, but who has been part of our life for five years now. When she was four years old she was diagnosed with leukemia. Since that day the children have kept her in their prayers. This heroic little girl, for whom we all have a deep admiration, is now nine and thanks be to God free of cancer.





Samuel, you’re a scout at heart who truly lives up to the scout motto, we are proud of you!



And a young artist with an incredible attention to details, as seen in this intricate map you drew last year from the Hobbit.



Happy birthday dear son!

I can’t find words that would do justice to this picture. But if I could put music to it this would be it. Click on #14.

I've been tagged by Kathryn , and Kristina.

1) ONE BOOK THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE
The Lord of the Rings, I first met my dh because of this book! Before we ever met we wrote to each other for more than a year. Then one day before he left for a trip to Europe he brought me this book in its original English version (I guess I never mentioned in my letters that I didn’t speak English!!).
This book has truly changed the life of our entire family in many, many ways!

But I also have to mention I believe in Love

2) ONE BOOK YOU'VE READ MORE THAN ONCE
Being a true bookworm I have read countless books more than once but this one is probably the one I read the most often!
Le Grand Meaulnes

I have not read the english translation so I can't vouch for it.

If you speak French it is available online here.

3) ONE BOOK YOU'D WANT ON A DESERT ISLAND
Christian Prayers, the Liturgy of the Hours


4) ONE BOOK THAT MADE YOU LAUGH
Please Don't Drink the Holy Water!

5) ONE BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY
One among many, (OK, I tear up easily) is a picture book I read to the kids. The Cello of Mr. O, a book among many other delightful books from Cay’s A Year's Illustrated Book Study for the Family

6) ONE BOOK THAT YOU WISH HAD BEEN WRITTEN
I book that would capture ALL my dc and loved one’s heart to live according to God’s will with the help and example of our Blessed Mother Mary.

7) ONE BOOK THAT YOU WISH HAD NEVER BEEN WRITTEN
Anything that has been writing that separates us from God.

8) ONE BOOK YOU'RE CURRENTLY READING
Zélie Martin, Mère incomparable de Sainte Thérèse de l’enfant Jésus

9) ONE BOOK YOU'VE BEEN MEANING TO READ
Transformation in Christ

10) TAG FIVE OTHER BOOKLOVERS
Starry Sky Ranch
The Cabbage Patch
Moments Like These
Homeschooling in the Canadian Prairies
MUM2TWELVE

There is a lot of talk on loveliness on the 4real board. One of the place I love to stop for inspiration is Lesley's Small Meadow Press . Today I was delighted to discover that she has generously made available her whole set of learning pages files to download. It's in her shop under home learning notes. Find some beautiful recycled paper and print away!

Dominique took this picture last year, and many more, in a beautiful church called Paroisse Saint-Joseph-de-Lévis. Lévis is directly across Québec on the other side of the St Lawrence River.

Here is a view of Québec from Lévis.


Dear Dominique, I am sure you remember last year on July 21, when we were on our way to Canada! What a birthday you had! We drove and drove and drove all day and all night unless one of the car was broken down! But we made it and it was so worth it.

Here you are on the ferry accross the St-Lawrence.



When I think of you here are the words that pop into my mind.
Jolly baby

Quiet
Peaceful
Thoughtful

Gentle
Raffi
The Teddy Bear's Picnic
Compassionate

Model pupil
Books, books, books
Drawing

Baseball and Greenfield
Hunting
Beloved big brother
Belmont Abbey College
Chess Master
Philosopher
Magna cum laude
Ave Maria Law School

We’ll all miss you so much when you go back to Ave Maria in Michigan in a few weeks.

As I said before we have two Dominique. For one it’s his first name, for the other it’s the equivalent of his middle name.

Happy feast day to you too sweet little Dominique!

One Saturday while some of us were at Church, Elizabeth helped the little boys play dress-up. They had a ball!

Here is our Johnny Seth as Captain Jack Sparrow. If you click on the picture you will be able to see it better. The earring is taped, but the scar is real!

Have you ever heard of the thoughtful ruler of Ancient Rome, Ambroise the Great?



But I’m sure you are familiar with young David. I fancy that he would have serenaded his mother with sweet words like, “I love you so much! You look like a rose, and you smell like honeysuckles.” That’s what my gentle, poetic, wee shepherd likes to whisper in my ears.

We had a wonderful 4th, although we had some last minute change of plans. We were going to have a lunch get-together with the children and Charlie, their Canadian cousin who is visiting, but the big boys decided to go to the beach with Charlie instead.

We had an early lunch with the six youngest and then were off to daily Mass. After Mass we stopped by the Special Care Hospital to visit some ederly ladies. Michel (my husband) visits them on a regular basic as part of his hospital ministry.

I am so glad the children have opportunities like this to bring joy into someone's life. It also gives them a window into a very different world. I think there was a lot of gratitude into their hearts as well.

On the way back we stopped at Cold Stone, an ice cream shop.



A rare treat!


Back home all six got wet slithering on the water slide. We used to have a small kid's pool but the geese took to it. We had to acknowledge that it was a lost battle to try to keep it clean.



Supper was simple but festive.



Elizabeth made this delicious jello desert with whipped cream and cream cheese topping.



At dusk we drove to town for fireworks.



A well spent day!

Today the two youngest cut apart the star garland from yesterday and used it to make colorful patriotic collages.

Alexandre didn't want to share a birthday with his oldest sister and brother. But he was close, being born a few hours after the 13th.

Many of my boys enjoy a good game of chess. Dominique was the champion of Belmont Abbey's First and Second Annual Chess Tournaments. And shall I say that this year he was the champion of Ave Maria Law School First Annual Poker Tournament. Hum... the excuse is that a lawyer needs a good poker face ;o), but... All right, this post is suppose to be about Alexandre, Dominique will have his turn next month.

Etienne, who is going to Belmont Abbey College this Fall, is well known to beat his older brother on a regular basic. He is also the one who was beating his father, a decent chess player himself, when he was eight years old! Now let me just say that Alexandre can beat both Dominique and Etienne often enough to embarrass them. But chess is not his only passion, physics, history, scouting are a few others. He doesn't limit himself to those either. Just take a look at his birthday wish list.

Piano lesson book
A deck of card
A Trip to In His Name (the nearest Catholic store), if possible
B6-4 rocket motors
Camping style chess set (light and compact)
Tent or backpack



Alexandre soaks knowledge like a sponge. If I could peak inside his head I am sure I would found thousands and thousands of dates, names, facts and a myriad of other trivia. I know, because he delights in sharing them daily with Samuel over the kitchen sink. And they do spend a fair among of time doing dishes since it is all done by hand. I guess that those are some of those unschooling moments at our house.

When he was three, this dreamy child of mine use to ponder aloud looking at me with his big melancholic, blue eyes, asking questions like this one, “If God made everything, then who made God?”



And when he was seven, he would casually ask his dad in the wee hour of the morning, “Daddy, how big is the core of Jupiter?” At eleven he would have great conversations about black holes with Dominique, when he was home from college, surprising his big brother with his understanding of this complex concept.

Happy birthday amazing boy!

June 13th, feast of St Anthony and birthday of my two oldest.

Marie-Ève my little rose,

you have blossomed into this beautiful young lady.



Remember one of your favorite book The Maggie B ?
It will forever remind me of you, the imaginative big sister who was always ready to wrap her little brothers and sister in a big warm towel of comfort. You weather storms (and God knows how many you’ve had) gracefully and bring solace to everyone around you.

You speak the language of poets. Your words weave tapestries of intricate beauty.



Happy Birthday my delightful daughter!



And you François our sunny boy.


Always ready to jump fully into life.



Sharing your effervescent joy with everyone until you drop, embracing everyone with your strong arms...


Ready to wrap them around your heart tightly.



Happy Birthday my spirited son!

But sadly half of them were dead upon arrival. Not a pretty sight. I'll spare you the picture of their sad condition. But here are the survivors.

Aren't they cute?

Samuel's started very simple.

Then he added a yard.




Maxime worked delicatly on some additions for his.

Seth's house may be humble


but his fairies will have all they need on their homestead, a campfire, a well...


a storage nook for the peas found in our garden, a clotheline with little acorns hanging upon... they are set!



Even Ambroise made one. Do you think the fairies will come visit?

We've been busy. The college boys came home and of course this means... I moved the little boys around one more time. Well, I'm afraid it was more than once before I was done!

Then Alexandre made his confirmation. He choose the name Maximilian. Here he is with his sponsor David, who is also little Maxime's godfather.





This weekend, Kristie and her best friend Shana came to visit. Kristie and Shana went to high school together and throughout the years had many passionate debates about their faith. Kristie was Baptist with an inclination toward Calvinist, and Shana had been a Catholic since she was four when her family joined the Church. Two years ago, on a glorious Easter Vigil Kristie became Catholic, Shana had won. But one look at Kristie and you can see she hasn’t lost anything. She simply shines with exultation.







Our tiny kitchen was bursting with activity.

Everywhere you looked someone was cooking…

Nicolas

Kristie and Elizabeth

Or drawing.







Sunday I picked up my camera and went around snatching pictures of kids drawing.

In just a few minutes, I had an assortment of pictures from all corners of the house of kids immersed in their creative endeavor.


Here are Elizabeth's sketches.

I couldn’t resist sharing this picture of our two Dominiques. For one it’s his first name, for the other it’s the equivalent of his middle name in French. We don't have middle names in Canada. All girls are named Marie, all boys Joseph. Then we have two other names, the last one being the one we actually use. For example I am Marie Gertrude Louise.

If I could put little captions over each it would say something like this, “I’m telling you.” And, “You’re kidding!”

All of these pictures, with the exception of Elizabeth drawing in her room, were taken in our kitchen and adjacent hall. We do not have a dinning room or a living room. This is were we live and learn. Our little house is literally bursting… with joy and love!

Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would someday walk on water?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know, that your baby boy
Has come to make you new?
This child that you delivered, will soon deliver you

Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Will calm a storm with His hand?
Did you know that your baby boy
Has walked where angels trod?
When you've kissed your little baby
Then you've kissed the face of God

The blind will see, the deaf will hear
The dead will live again
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak
The praises of the Lamb

Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
WiIl one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy
Was heaven's perfect Lamb?
This sleepy child your holding
Is the great I Am




One of our favorite bedtime CD is Pray the Rosary with the Daughter of St Paul. Mary did you know is one of the song they sing with their pristine voices.

In honor of our Mother Mary, our humble altar.

Yesterday was my brother's 50th birthday! My big brother, my best friend in my teenage years, he was my protector, my inspiration. Oh, the memories! I am not the only one with good memories of this remarkable guy. My children remember our trip last summer to Quebec City with such fondness. His tour of the city was expertly giving (he's a history professor). Then when we visited him on our way to Montreal, they were all much in awe at his beautiful house filled with music.

Bonne fête cher frère et beaucoup de bonheur et de paix.

Today is Ambroise and grand-maman's birthday!

On vous aime grand-maman.



Ambroise had a marvelous birthday! He kept thanking me throughout the day, his sweet little face beaming with joy.


It’s time to go tuck him in bed while the other little boys are still at their scout meeting. I’ll put the gentle music of A Flower Fairy Alphabet to lull him into the Land of Nod.

More to come later about this marvelous day!

Marie-Ève sent this short note with the following pictures.

"Clemens played the piano for the Arts Dorm's Mayfaire this year, so here are some photos of us from the event... Clemens decided to go as a monk, because of course with his lack of hair, it looks perfect, like a tonsure... it was just in time, though, because his hair is starting to grow back; he's got just some dark fuzz now, but it's coming back soft and thick. There was Maypole dancing and human chess and archery and lots of general frolicking and dancing as Clemens played. He played William Byrd, and old folk songs, and medieval dance tunes; very nice, in spite of the fact that the piano lacked a pedal and had a broken note or two."

These two are a genuine example of heroic character. Clemens just finished chemo treatments for lymphatic cancer. On May 18th he will have a scan done to find out if there is any cancer left. Please keep him in your prayers. Courageously he came to visit for Easter… now you have to understand he was just barely out of weeks of intense chemo, and our horde of rambunctious boys can be quite overwhelming for someone who grew up as an only child! As usual he made the little boys laugh gleefully with his amusing doodles of animal mutations. Here is the pigfish student and angry professor goose-o-saurus.



Later on Maxime was inspired to draw a camelephant.


With a Dr. Seuss twist he got a Zonk for Monk.



We hope you enjoy it dear Brother Clemens. We think you are a very special guy!

I have had some wonderful comments to my “For the love of his ladies” post. Thank you all. But I must clarify something. I can’t take credit for the wonderful things my children do. God has blessed them with various gifts and I can only give Him praise when they put them to good use. I be proud of them when they do.

Furthermore, you can easily deduct from my previous post that not everything turned out wonderful in their lives. Like Lissa says I'm No Supermam. Just like you do not get a view of her kitchen floor on her blog, you don't get to see the dust and the crumbs on mine. The dust that blinds us to be what God intended us to be. And the crumbs that life throws at us.

Again I am proud when my children pick up their crumbs and make the best of it, sometimes in heroic ways.

My forever best friend Susan came over for a surprise visit yesterday. We live ten miles away from each other but sometimes it seems more like a hundred! We barely see each other anymore, and you would think that with the ease of cell phones we would at least still chat. Not even! Life rolls along every minutes stilling away from us. A growing family can be very demanding. From the brief talks (or not so brief) with our grown children, to the constant whirling of people tall and short coming in and out of the house, to the quiet time with the little ones, time fleets away from us! Gone are the days when we would leisurely stroll down to the park (before we both moved to the country), talking our hearts away. I’ve missed you dear Susan.

As we barely catched our breath sharing updates of our dearest children, I asked her, “Let me see…how can I put this plainly... how do you sleep at night? How do you let go of all that is in your mind, the worries, the aching in your chest.”

She reminded me that we need to lay it all at the foot of Our Good Lord. He is in charge. He loves our children more than we do. Of course I knew this but how easy it is to forget. Thank you friend!

This morning the Word of God imparted to me the same message as I read Isaiah 40: 10-17.

Like a shepherd he feeds his flocks;
In his arms he gathers the lambs,
Carrying them in his bosom,
and leading the ewes with care.

Let me abandon myself in His gentle care, and He will lead me to peace for He truly carries my children in His bosom.

Susan's precious little Ruth and Ambroise

During the holidays while at home, Nicolas worked painstakingly on a very special gift for his girlfriend Kristie.

He took a piece of scrap wood lying around outside and cut it into long strips. Then he sanded each one to make dowels. Each dowel was cut into small sections of about a fourth of an inch. He then proceeded to sand each of the fifty-nine pieces (can you now guess what he was about?) until they were nicely rounded. When the beads were done he fashioned a cross out of a deer antler. Here is the final product.




Kristie and Nicolas have a special devotion to the rosary. They pray it together daily. Dear son, you couldn’t have given your heart to two better ladies.