A Piece of Plywood and An Afternoon: A Day in a Life



Plywood, caulk, stain and paint equals a nifty craft, on
her maiden launch.

 by Kathleen Blease

That piece of plywood was stored in the garage for a good five years. Our thirteen-year-old son, Max, eyed it the other day. Hmm. He had an idea.

He spent a few afternoons planning and building, sketching out his idea, then measuring and cutting. Next came the trim, then the sanding, caulking, and painting...and a few prayers from his old Mom, as I watched him from the kitchen window. Please let it float. Please let it float. I saw a second or two of the YouTube video that inspired Max, and the boatmaker well in his 30s was slowly blessing himself right before "putting in."

Yesterday, just before dinner, Max decided it was time for the maiden launch. Max secretively made plans on how he was going to pull it out from the muddy bottom of the pond should it sink, but his dad and I didn't ask. I wouldn't be surprised if he had supposed that he would employ his father and his Jeep Wrangler that's equipped with a tow strap--a driver and kit that has had plenty of experience at Jeep Jamborees. We even joked about turning the little boat into a flower box, and Max suggested what we could plant in it.

The moment fnally came. He carried it to the water's edge with his brother's help and slipped it off the bank. His dad and I were watching from inside when we saw him flip off his socks and shoes. Oh, we just had to see this! All kidding was put aside, and the four of us held our breath as the boat slipped into the water. Max wiggled into the tiny craft, got himself situated...Don't lean back, Max! Don't lean back, Max! we called out as the boat's bow reached sky and the stern dipped into the water. Working his way into the center, he jammed his knees against the sides and found his ballist.

It took a little practice, but once he got the hang of it, he was able to zip around the pond and show us how the boat could be nimble--in the right hands and with the right touch.



Knees against the side and steady as she goes!
 Max would normally wear a PFD (life jacket) but the pond
is only a few feet deep these days.



Getting the hang of it.

As I watched my son put his water craft to the test, I couldn't help but think, What a great way to spend an afternoon!

But to Max, well he's a builder, so it's all just a day in a life, albeit he is riding high on adrenaline. Of course, he's planning another afternoon excursion on the little boat he has yet to name, while improvements on the design will surely be buzzing around in his head.



What a great way to spend an afternoon!



Clearing Away the Angst and the Dust

This is a whole new thing for me, to have two teenage boys. They were at each other's throats again yesterday, as they have been for months. This is the part of homeschooling I wish I could simply erase. Can't we go back to the elementary years when the biggest tempratantrum was over a little spelling assignment and the two of them wrestled on the living room rug?

I've been chalking up the tension to the typical wintry cabin fever, and I've been told that this is normal for teenage boys. But my motherly instincts are telling me otherwise, that this is not normal for brothers who are otherwise very close.

What gives?

I have to admit that I haven't been the cheeriest family member among us, either. I wonder if my own interior angst is directly affecting the boys.

My impatience.
My selfishness.
My eyes not on Heaven.
My days have a decisive lack of prayer, contemplation, petitions, and thanksgiving.

I feel like I am alone, struggling to educate and raise the boys, struggling to care for the house, struggling to help my husband in his own struggles.

In many ways, things have been looking up. All the things we have prayed for are happening. Roger is gaining some strength back, and his blood tests prove that his health is slowly improving. (He looks so much better! Just a few weeks ago, he called the boys outside to have a snowball battle. I loved watching him from the kitchen, running through the snow while carving a softball in his hands, sneaking around the garage, looking for his next victim. He hadn't been able to do that in ages.) His business has new and bigger opportunities, offered to him through just one timely phone call. I have two writing projects on the table. And the boys are healthy, doing well in their schoolwork, and enjoying their activities in the parish's youth group as well as Boy Scouts.

And yet you could cut the tension in this house with a knife! Why?

Well, all I can think of now is thank goodness Lent is here. Talk about needing to get back on track!

A chance to pray and contemplate again.

A chance to fast and give a little gift each day to Our Lord, starting with my morning cup of coffee. The operative word is starting.

A chance to put my eyes back on Heaven.

A chance to go from my desolation to consolation--that is, the consolation I can offer to Jesus.

A chance to clear away the sins that have been piling up.

A chance to turn to Our Blessed Mother and observe the operations of her soul.

Of course, I could have done these things--and had the proper mindset--throughout the year,  avoiding all this angst that has accumulated. But I am human, a mom human, and I have a human habit of losing track of these imperative devotions when the world knocks on my door with homeschool research papers and fair projects, with knitting projects, with writing projects...house cleaning, shuttling kids, groceries...yadda, yadda, yadda. The noise of busyness!

I ignored our quiet and gentle Lord, who has been waiting for me all along.

Have a wonderful Ash Wednesday.

Skeet, Anyone? A Home School Field Trip

Some family fun, sporting clays.

Earlier this Fall, we visited Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays, which is a special course designed for skeet-style shooting.  But with this skeet, called "sporting clays," the clay birds fly in all directions. Some fly out from underneath you, others from far left or right, and still others fly directly at you. Sometimes two fly out: one from below right, next from high straight ahead. A real challenge, and our instructor was terrific in helping us enjoy our day. Sore shoulders notwithstanding, we had a great time!! And I actually took a few birds down. Yahoo! (Talk about an inventive home school field trip!)

Max was feeling the recoil, here! Our twelve-year-old was the sharp shooter of the day. Way to go, kid. (The man standing next to Max was our instructor. He watched, then said quietly under his breath, "Yeah, this kid's a shooter.")

Yours truly. I was trying to lean into that gun, so I wouldn't suffer the recoil like I did before. It was hard not to flinch, but I managed to forget about the forthcoming pain and take down a few birds. Oh, I was so sore after that day, but I had a lot of fun.

Big Ben takes aim!

The Blease gang. Tired but happy. Went out to dinner at Grumpy's for a big pile of ribs, lagers for the grown-ups and birch beers for the boys! (Yes, I am a country girl.)

God bless!

"Dad's not Catholic. So why should I be?"

by Kathleen Blease

I surprised our son one day. He was preparing for his Confirmation, and I felt it was important to have a heart-to-heart talk. I explained that while he will still need instruction in the Faith, that, in fact, it would become his responsibility to open his heart to the catechism and take it seriously. It was no longer just something Mom wanted. Confirmation should be something he wanted. I needed to know: Does he want to say Yes?

His first thought came out right away and I knew it had been looming for a few years: "Hey, Dad's not Catholic--and you love him--so why should I be? Dad hasn't said Yes, so why should I?"

Hmm. This was the question I had been dreading since my children were baptized as little babies. What would I tell them when they pointed out the obvious theological differences between their own parents? Over the years, I decided to let it be until the right time came to address it.

I thought on this a bit and Christ handed me the answer--simple and obvious.

I pointed out : "Ah, but Dad did say Yes!"

"What? No!! Then why hasn't he converted?"

"Oh, yes, conversion. Well, saying Yes to God's will is the first step, and Dad's been saying Yes since before you were born."

"Get out! He did not!"

Yes, indeed, my husband has been saying Yes since we first married sixteen years ago. I, however, was too driven to pray for his conversion that I didn't see his giant steps toward God. It was only when I was preparing my son for his Confirmation did I realize the truth. Raised without a faith in any way, my husband has been on a spiritual journey just as valid and blessed as my own. We were on the same path, just not in tandem.

My sweetheart said Yes to marrying in the Church, which included six weeks of pre-Cana instruction, something he embraced with a good attitude, happy to do the homework and to participate in the various exercises. He said Yes to baptizing our babies. He said Yes to all their preparations to receive the sacraments, and he said Yes to homeschooling them in their Faith each and every day.

He could have said No. As the head of the house, he could have changed his mind after our wedding ceremony and said No to raising our children Catholic. He could have said No to any of the Catholic traditions I was accustomed to through my Catholic upbringing. He could have said No to the Catholic items that are displayed in our home.

But my non-Catholic husband is indeed on a journey. He bought for me a statue of The Queen of Peace, he took me to the Vatican for our tenth anniversary, he cried at my grandmother's funeral when he listened to the priest's homily, and in little ways he became a defender of the Faith to his atheistic friends and family. These things he did quietly and without fervor.

"Yeah, your Dad said Yes. So, it's time for you to make the decision. It's all up to you."

Pause.

Then he said the words every Catholic mom wants to hear.

"Okay, I'm in."

God bless.

A Privilege to Counsel the Boy Scouts of America Catholic Religious Emblem Program

 A Scout is Reverent

by Kathleen Blease

The twelfth point of the law of the Boy Scouts of America is: A scout is reverent. When a scout advances in rank, he must attend a Scout Master conference, and it's not unusual for the Scout Master to ask, “How do you live the twelfth point of the law?” This year, fifty-one Boy Scouts were ready and able to answer the question.

(photo copyrighted by Roger L. Blease)

The AAD religious emblem is fashioned after the colors of the Vatican's flag and presented to the scout on a red ribbon. Boys can then pin the emblem to their uniform for special occasions, such as Courts of Honor. For everyday wear, the scout sports the embroidered knot just above the left pocket.

Each September, Catholic scouts throughout the Diocese of Allentown form patrols to meet the challenge of the Boy Scouts of America Catholic religious emblem, and a worthwhile challenge it is!

A scout can earn a total of five religious emblems throughout his scouting career. Cub scouts can earn the Light of Christ and the Parvuli Dei (“child of God”). Boy Scouts can earn the Ad Altare Dei (“to the altar of God”), the Light is Life, and the Pope Pius XII.

This past school year, I counseled a patrol in the Ad Altare Dei Religion Emblem program (AAD). The AAD is open to all practicing Catholic Boy Scouts who rank in First Class or who are at least beginning 7th grade. Older scouts are more than welcome, and they often add a great deal to the quality of the meetings. Most scouts who are preparing for their Confirmation find this an excellent reinforcement to the instruction they are receiving through their parish.

I found the emblem to be a deep and inviting program, during which scouts explore the Seven Sacraments and how they are pinnacle to our every day lives. The Ad Altare Dei program is both loyal to the Magisterium and grounded in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is not meant, however, to be a substitute for a parish religion education program (PREP, also known as CCD), so it's important that parents continue to educate their children in the Faith. AAD, however, is an excellent complement.

By the start of the school year, each counselor decides how long and how often the meetings take place, but everyone must complete all the requirements by April. Boys meet as a patrol with a trained Catholic counselor for discussion, various individual projects, and a patrol service project that brings their stewardship to the community. Our patrol of six scouts met twice a month for two hours, with a break at the half-way point for refreshments and fellowship. Class A uniforms were required for all our meetings to reflect our respect for the subject at hand. A good friend of mine, Terry Brodniak, generously offered to be my support and to fulfill the necessary “two-deep leadership” requirement.

We began the program by asking the scouts, “What makes us Catholic?” And we developed a long list of items, such as: authority, the Eucharist, Confession, Mary, saints, priests, nuns, the Rosary, and so on. We filled three pages with our list. During our time diving into the sacraments, these items were explored one-by-one. You might think that this was tedious work, but it was far from it. The scouts were more than enthusiastic to place these subjects in their correct context. For instance, we explained the authority of the Church—how Jesus handed this to Peter, who was then our first pope. And we explained the Rosary—how it is the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus through the eyes of his loving mother, Mary. There were lots of “ah-ha!” moments during these discussions.

Our meetings had a general routine. First the lighting of our candle and an opening prayer to make us aware of Christ's presence. Then a brief discussion of the liturgical year and points of interest, such as the explanation of Advent and how it is connected to Our Blessed Mother; how God humbled himself to become one of us, born to a woman, when He could have taken any form. Finally, we ended with discussing the workbook materials the scouts were required to complete, along with time for more questions.

And there were always plenty of questions that impressed me; children really do want to know about God. For example, we explored the meaning and value of Holy Communion, our invisible Christ. The word communion means “common union.” Common to mean daily acts. Union to mean to be with Christ. And so by receiving Holy Communion, we live and act our our daily lives with Christ—our Savior is physically with us through the Eucharist. I am sure the boys received this instruction a few years ago, when they were preparing for their First Holy Communion, but now that they were older, it meant so much more. The AAD counselor's guide says that boys this age are ready to go beyond the surface answers of their childhood, and I found this to be very true. What I enjoyed the most was their ardent curiosity, and we often found that our two hours together was too short. The National Catholic Committee tells counselors that they should see evidence of spiritual growth. Indeed I did!

But the meetings were not all workbook and discussion. We also addressed putting our beliefs of Christ's teachings into action. One parishioner and scout leader suffered a serious illness at the time. In the light of the life of St. Therese of Lisieux, a doctor of the church who is also known as the Little Flower, the scouts chose to provide aid in small but very meaningful acts. They sent the leader handmade get well cards that detailed their offerings of their talents in a prayerful way. For instance, one scout offered up his next band performance, while another dedicated a page of his original comic book to the leader. Still others offered their Holy Communion to him, with a special prayer for his fast and complete recovery. The scout leader was quick to thank the boys for expressing their unique and special kindness.

In addition, the program is open to a plethora of opportunities to explore the richness of the Seven Sacraments. The scouts made various posters, collages, homemade videos about Reconciliation and Holy Matrimony. We visited Fr. Deogratias Rwegasira, from the order of the Apostles of Jesus and pastor of Our Lady of Mercy Parish, Easton. He explained Holy Orders and the calling to religious life, as well as the Pope's The Year of the Priest, and St. John Vianney, the patron saint of all priests. We also visited the shut-ins—Anointing of the Sick--and witnessed the Baptisms of three babies. We celebrated a prayer service to the Holy Spirit to remind us of Confirmation, encircling a small bonfire in the chilly Autumn night. Another prayer service during Lent included an examination of conscience and focused on God's mercy, bringing Reconciliation to the foreground. The scouts were then reminded of their obligation to attend Reconciliation at their home parish before Easter Sunday. We attended Mass together during Scout Sunday and discussed Holy Communion at our meeting that followed. And we attended A Night of Prayer and Praise for Vocations at the Cathedral, to hear various speakers—priests and nuns telling their personal stories of hearing the call--and to attend an Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with Bishop Barres.

The scouts completed the AAD program by attending a retreat organized by the Minsi Trails Council Catholic Committee on Scouting at the Trexler Scout Reservation. Our patrol joined another 46 boys to participate in the program that was centered on The Year of the Priests. They learned about American saints, they attended an Agape prayer service, they made icons, discussed the laity's role in the church, learned about the life of Fr. Walter Ciszek (a priest from the Allentown Diocese, who was charged by USSR officials with being a spy and committed to 15 years of hard labor in Siberia), and they had the opportunity to spend time each day with a priest or seminarian to discuss their daily lives, vocations, and the seminary. The scouts were also required to present their completed workbooks and all projects to a Board of Review. Upon their return, my patrol offered accolades, such as “Fantastic!” “A lot of fun!”, “The food was great,” “I thought the daily lives of priests was really interesting,” and “I really liked meeting the priests.” As I told retreat director and Scout leader William Minford, to receive such high praise from teenage boys must mean he hit the mark beautifully—truly inspired by Christ.

The following month, scouts attended an awards ceremony, during which they were presented with their well-earned AAD medals. The ceremony revolved around the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, a variety of hymns--some sung in Christian Latin--and scripture readings.

(photo by M. Carpinelli) 

 The awards ceremony, celebrated by Fr. Eric  Tolentino of the Diocese of Allentown.

I started the program in September with high hopes of a positive experience of growth for both the scouts and for myself, and I was not disappointed. The Ad Altare Dei religious emblem is a vigorous program with an emphasis that is well placed on the Seven Sacraments, the very essence of Our Church.

If you are interested in the Boy Scouts of America Catholic religious emblem program for your child, or if you would like to become a counselor, contact the National Catholic Committee on Scouting at nccs@scouting.org for more information, or feel free to email me at krblease@hotmail.com. I would be more than happy to help you get started!

(photo by M. Carpinelli)

Recipients of the Ad Altare Dei award, one of the religious emblems awarded in May.

God bless.

"Your Kids are Stuck in the House All Day." Really? Socialization is Homeschooling's High Point!

  
by Kathleen Blease 

We had just finished dinner and the dishes were in the dishwasher when there was a knock at the front door. It was our neighbor from down the street, chaperoning his daughter who was selling cookies. As usual, the little girl handed me the order form in a shy manner, looking down at the floor. A sweet and quiet girl. Dad did all the talking. As I filled out the form, I heard him blurt out, "Your kids are stuck in the house all day." It was truly out of context, and I could only guess that it was something very much on his mind. Perhaps he really intended to ask me if my children were confined to the house, or if they were involved in various programs, for which I would have gladly explained. But in his embarrassment, he quickly took our order and left.

This Fall, we will begin our seventh year of home schooling. As the years have gone by, to tell you the truth, I've found that this dad is not unusual in his concerns. Here are a few questions and comments I've volleyed, with my responses in parentheses:

"I don't know how you do it. I would kill my kid after the first day."
(Homeschoolers get frustrated, too. But wouldn't you like to give your child the best? Why do you want to work with a third party? You can solve problems on a one-to-one basis., and there is no question as to whom your child views as the authority in his life.)

"You spend only a few hours on lessons? How can you get away with that?"
(If you would spend three hours one-on-one with your child everyday, wouldn't you get a lot done? Most parents nod their heads in agreement, with a wry smile. Add time for independent work and homework, and you have a very full school day--one that is productive at that. Imagine having productive school days each and every day. Some more so than others, but productive in any case. There's quite a bit of learning going on!)

"I can barely get through homework, much less homeschooling."
(Homeschooling is nothing like homework. You plan the lesson, so you know exactly what your child needs to do. When your child brings an assignment home from school, you have to guess at what objective the teacher is aiming, and this is frustrating for both child and parent. When my boys were in school, I found that very little instruction for the parent (from the teacher) came home with the work. Even a first grader was expected to remember the objective. Good luck.)

"Your kids are stuck in the house all day."
(Really? When my kids were little, I took them to the Y to swim. While I swam laps, the retired folks who paddled about in the shallow end enjoyed chatting with my boys. How many grade-schoolers are comfortable talking with the elderly? Today, they belong to Scouts and have earned umpteen advancements. And they belong to a homeschooling group where they take core classes every week with more than one hundred children of all ages. No friends? When we hosted a pool party last year, twenty-five children attended and they had a great time. I'd say they have friends.)

"But what about socialization? Do your kids see other kids? How do they learn to get along?"
(See above...and add this: Those twenty-five kids were the best behaved and happiest youngsters I ever met. Older children were very attentive to younger children. In addition, at the end of the party, each one personally approached me and thanked me for the wonderful day. They didn't leave the thank-yous for mom and dad to deliver.)

"They have to get out into the real world sometime."
(When's the last time a 25-year-old man worked with only 25-year-old men? When was the last time you worked with only people your own age? Schools, out of necessity and common sense, need to create an artificial environment by grouping children by their ages. Homeschooling does not require this in order for learning to take place. The real world is much better represented in the homeschooling environment.)

Well now, if you don't mind, and if you can stick with me, I'd like to address more accurately socialization, the one area of concern that seems to strike the heart of parents most.. It does indeed seem to the biggest stumbling block, the one that keeps parents from considering homeschooling. (Interestingly, few parents ask me about academics, or address the sad state of the public (and even private and parochial) schools and the experimental and modern methods of education.  And if one is Catholic, one would think our faith would be of greatest concern to parents. Yet, I don't hear these expressed very often.)

There is a fear among parents that a child who spends all or most of his day with his folks will become ill suited and backwardly prepared for the real world, which apparently rears its ugly head only after one's education has ended. Parents need to keep in mind that the real world is not something that mystically appears upon one's graduation. The truth is, the real world is here and now, and we must educate our children to live in it without being of it. As a homeschooler, a parent can make apparent  the difference between the two and keep at bay the materialism and relativism kids receive in heavy doses at school. In fact, this is job #1 for all parents, according to Pope John Paul II, who made it clear that the parents are the primary educators. In the end, parents really cannot blame peer pressure or school environment for problems in rearing their children. It is a responsibility they must personal grasp themselves.

When I'm asked about the social opportunity in homeschooling, I say, "I like it!" and begin to outline the various activities (which have led to friendships) available to my sons.  Their scope is much broader, since they don't sit in a classroom with the same teachers and the same children everyday, and they approach opportunities with a different outlook. This summer my sons will be attending Boy Scout Camp. One scout's father is dead-set against homeschooling because of the "socialization issue."  Ironically, his little boy approached my younger son and asked if he already earned a certain merit badge he was interested in. When my son told him he already earned the badge, the boy asked him to consider repeating the program so there would be someone in the class who he knew.  My son assured him, "At first you won't know anyone, but you will get to know the kids. You'll do fine!" My children are accustomed to meeting strangers and working in a group of children they do not know. They are not forward nor do they walk into a new situation and try to take charge. They are quiet and observant, and my younger son has been described as "living in a shell" by non-homeschoolers. Yet, he has learned how to assess a situation before jumping in, and (surprise!) he is the youngest member of the leadership corpse in our scout troop, a troop of an unbelievable 105 boys.

Maybe it would do us some good right now to define exactly what "socialization"  is. To get to the crux of the matter, perhaps it would be easier to first state what it is not:

Socialization is NOT compiling a list of friends on Facebook. It is NOT spending all day, every day in a classroom with the same teachers and the same children who are the same age. Just when will this ever happen again in your child's lifetime?  Socialization is NOT having girlfriends at the age of 12, and a long list of buds to chat with on the cell phone. It is NOT video games, the latest movies, the hippest jeans, or the right color shirt. When children limit themselves by thinking that this is what socialization IS, their world shrinks significantly. This indeed is a shallow and lonely existence, yet peer pressures in school can raise these litmus tests to the top of a child's priority list, even for the kindest and most gentle child. In the end, a child who appears to be socialized in school just might grow into an adult who will testify that his greatest time in life was high school; from there, it was all down hill for him. Go to a high school reunion and you'll meet many of these "kids."

Now let's give a broad brush to what socialization IS. Socialization IS the ability and willingness to work with others, regardless of gender, age, creed, or social standing. Importantly, this does not overshadow one's personality. If a child is more outgoing and enjoys being the center of attention, this can be to his advantage, if he learns to temper it well. If a child is more introverted and carefully assesses each situation before jumping in, this can be an advantage, too, and a parent can spend time in coaching and ensuring her child one-on-one. A well socialized child uses his own nature and uses it well.


Socialization IS also the use of proper manners and conduct at all times under all circumstances. When a child spends six hours a day with other children, it only comes to reason that his instruction in this area would come from other children. Peer pressure surely is the most significant tool youngsters apply throughout the day. And parents desperately try to combat these "lessons" in the few hours their youngster spends at home. If your child is in school, I'm sure you know what I mean. When my boys attended school, correcting what had been taught to them all day by other boys was a very difficult task indeed.

Still, above all these concerns is the very essence of socialization.

To be truly socialized IS to have the ability to live and work among  family and friends as God created you! If a child is socialized, then he will know the value of his soul, his talents, and his treasures, and he will recognize this value in others. Parents often struggle to shovel away all the un-Godly debris a child brings home from school. In homeschooling, socialization is provided by parents who have life experience, guidance from prayer and contemplation, and their number one adviser and coach is Christ himself.

Is it an easy road to pave in homeschooling? I can tell you hands-down it certainly is not. It is rough and curvy, but it is also directly  in the hands of the parents, not the peers, or the educators who struggle to manage so many children on a daily basis. Socialization is a challenging job under all circumstances, but homeschooling parents have hope and opportunity in living out their role as the singular loving authority. Unfortunately, the parent of a school-attending child will most likely be fighting to be merely heard and respected as the authority in the home.

This morning, I had a long conversation with my son about attending Boy Scout camp, just two weeks away. He is counting the days. Last year, he enjoyed repelling and rock climbing. This year, he has decided to try something brand new--small boat sailing. He also outlined for me how he would like to spend his summers in years ahead. My builder, inventor, mechanic, pilot, talker, reader,  introvert of a son has a mission in mind, and I can see his excitement in planning new adventures that will bring out his natural talents. No one ever told him he couldn't, or that he was geeky, or that he wasn't cool. In a word, he's socialized!

God bless.

(photo source: http://www.jjjump.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Swing-dude.jpg)

Easter Joy Inside and Out

by Kathleen Blease

(Photo source: http://collegecandy.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/easter-bunny-picture.jpg)

When my oldest son was just four years old, and his brother was two, the three of us made a visit to our favorite mom-and-pop toy store. While my little one was enjoying the Thomas the Tank Engine playset at the back of the store, a surprise guest walked through the front door. Ben saw him right away, and clapped his hands. Then, he ran to get his baby brother. Spring was in the air, and the promise of baskets brimming with candy and goodies was so close!

Ben collected his little brother, who wouldn't give up his Percy, the green engine. "Look, Max, look! It's the Easter Bunny, Max! He'll be coming to our house real soon and bring us some yummy baskets!"

I was marvelling over my son's enthusiasm. His little brother stood with his mouth wide open and his eyes like Little Orphan Annie's--amazed and dazed and a little unsteady on his toddler feet as he gazed up at this holiday giant. His big brother was educating him on the finer points of the sweet holiday just before us.

Ben's thrill was obvious. "Oh, it's the Easter Bunny! The Easter Bunny!" He drew close to my legs and looked at me with a smile full of enthusiam and childlike pure joy.

"Mommy, it's the Easter Bunny."

"I see that, Honey."

He jumped around a bit. Then he waved his long arms in the air and asked, "Mommy, who's in the costume?"

Out of the mouths of babes. Somehow I managed to do what any mother of sound mind would do: I looked at him and put my finger over my lips to convey to him the secrecy of the moment. Shh. Don't give it away.

Oh to see the joy of the Easter Bunny--inside and out!

What's THAT on Your Child's Desk?

by Kathleen Blease

Yesterday, I took a good, hard look at my son's desk. Here is a list of its residents:

1. Various 1" binders for Latin, Language Arts, Ancient History, Intro to Chemistry, and so on
2. Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer
3.The Mystery of the Periodic Table by Benjamin D. Wiker
4. A Basic Dictionary from Scholastics Books
5. Lamp light--no one there to use it, and it's still on
6. Two model airplane kits
7. One superglue tube
8. The contents of one superglue tube that ruptured
9. One airplane fuselage and various pieces
10. Batteries--different sizes
11. Piece of titanium (from what I've been told..??)
12. Sandpaper wrapped around piece of titanium
13. Elmer's glue
14. Paint brush
15. Instructions to some airplane, but not the one he's working on
16. Nuts and bolts
17. One nail
18. One roll of aluminum foil (So that's where it got to!)
19. Plasma globe
20. Scotch tape
21. Screw driver
22. Plastic placemat of the Periodic Table
23. Various bird feathers
24. Two empty beer cans
25. Wire and alligator clips
26. Bird skeleton (Yes, it's real.)

On my oldest son's desk, I could find these items, among a pile of art supplies and textbooks:

1. Ear wax
2. Melon mold
3. Cat's whisker
4. Tree fungus
5. Hunk of cat hair
6. A History of Architecture by Spiro Kostof

Ah, yes! It's that time of year again. Time for history term papers and science fair projects.  (The ear wax, melon mold, etc. are for microscope slides.) Homeschooling moms have gotta love it!

What's on your child's desk?

P.S. Check out my post Love Letters from Heaven (from January 2010). My son's plasma globe is the second picture. Gorgeous, isn't it?