Family in Feast and Feria

Today I spent a delightful morning and lunch at my house with a wonderful mom and her 6 children. It doesn't sound unique, people get together all the time. But this friend I met first through 4RealLearning Forums. This was my fourth get together, but first time I've met all the children. They were so lovely, obedient, fun, helpful and polite, but all unique independent and fiesty little people. They were a joy! My son had a wonderful time playing with all his visitors. As for me, I enjoyed the female adult company, and the opportunity to observe, ask questions, get inspiration and advice from a well-seasoned Catholic homeschooling mom. And after such a nice time, I have to thank God for this digital age. It's hard for me to make friends, but the Internet has made things a bit easier. I can break the ice, find like-minded people and then meet them in real life. Meeting is so much easier when already have covered so many basics. Talking online is good when it bears fruit in real life. I strive for the balance. I need to be more disciplined about my time on the computer, but cutting myself off completely would be foolish, because there are things I can learn, people to meet, inspiration to find and a reference tool to use...all for me a mouse-click away, to utilize with a balance. At this point I don't think I could ever look at the Internet as completely evil. After all, I met my husband online. ;-)

I'm very late, but in case some of you have missed this Fair of Elegant Simplicity, Helen at Castle of the Immaculate hosted A Learning Spaces Tour that exemplified the elegant simplicity in the education areas of home. Helen did a fabulous job, and all the tours are so wonderful. I'm just so inspired by the organization and creativity of these mothers in carving out wonderful learning areas for their family.

Yes, I'm still alive. Vacations, short or long, are wonderful and relaxing, but it's hard to get back to routines. My brain still hasn't returned...and it's actually planning our beach week that's coming up soon. The emails do pile up, and lots of catch-up reading on 4RealLearning Forums. If you are homeschooling, or plan to, and you want information, support and encouragement, this is the one place to visit. Every day I am buoyed up by these ladies' (and a few men's) positive outlook on life and their wise advice and shared experiences. To be surrounded in the Internet world by families (and then occasionally meeting them in real life) who love their Catholic faith and live and breathe their Catholic culture in their daily learning and family life is truly refreshing. Elizabeth Foss, of Real Learning, who wrote the same titled book Real Learning: Education in the Heart of the Home (a must read, btw), recently reiterated on the 4RealLearning Forums what "Real Learning" means:

Real Learning means that a parent has prayerfully discerned what God wants for each specific child where the whole of education is concerned.... [It's] the philosophy that we are to truly tailor a course of study to each individual child, taking into context the real and practical lives of the family where that child lives.

When you truly understand that concept, it means home is the perfect place for your child to learn. We are the primary educators of our children, and we know our children best. But it also means one size doesn't fit all. What works for one family might not work for another family. Elizabeth explained this so well inKeep Your Eyes on Your Own Work!. And further application: what works for one child might not work for another child in the same family. It's so important to understand learning styles and temperaments within the members of the family. Theresa at Lapaz Farm Home Learning had a wonderful post on Multiple Intelligence Bonanza!, pointing out Dr. Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, breaking down intelligence down into 8 categories: Linguistic, Logical-mathematical, Spatial, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Musical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, and Naturalist. Theresa posted some links for quick quizzes and other sites to read further. Another area I need to get caught up in reading is the blogs. What has made this so much easier is using Bloglines to handle all the blogs I like to read, either daily or occasionally. I can organize them by category and can see when there are new posts. I can also save some posts (Keep New checkbox) to reread again, without having to open many browser windows and find all the sites. Thanks so much to Lissa at The Lilting House and Here in the Bonny Glen for that tip! Now that some cobwebs have lifted from the brain, I need to clean up around here!