This is from one of my favorite blogs. Elizabeth Foss is a writer and a homeschooling mother of 9 (I believe). She has truly inspired me through her humble writings to better live my vocation as a wife and mother.
Live the Liturgy
Experience loveliness
Breathe deeply: Fresh air and exercise
Serve others
Listen to, contemplate, and exchange ideas.
Develop expressive skills.
Practice logical reasoning. Math.
Receive focused attention and affection
-Elizabeth Foss
So now, I'd love to hear if there are any great ideas out there on how to do these things?
This doesn't seem like a developmentally appropriate list for your kids!!
ReplyDeleteAnd to be honest, I think "experience loveliness" is overrated. It should be replaced with "experience love". There's a big difference; the first is superficial, while the second is the heart of the matter.
As for living the liturgy with little kids, there are some decent books about it. The best thing is to try to instill everyday prayer and traditions, and this will be mostly up to you (unfortunately, you will have to create your own Catholic culture in your home--it's not out there in the world!!)
I think the key is to start small but remain stable and build up from there. Otherwise it will be too easy to be overwhelmed and feel disappointed by the inevitable failures.
Hope that's helpful!
That's a great list! As for how to get those things done every day...Uh...I'm at a loss.
ReplyDeleteOh, where to start on that list. I have so much to learn about being a good mom! First on my list, patience!!!
ReplyDeleteI took "experience loveliness" more to mean "experience beauty." I think of the walk I took with the kids on Monday to the pond (yes, the one Kate fell in :). There we saw a mama duck with her eight newly hatched ducklings. They we so sweet and e were so excited - it was truly lovely!
ReplyDeleteAs for age appropriateness. I do think the list can be made appropriate for Kate. In fact, Kate does do these things:
Live the Liturgy: we pray the abridged Liturgy of the Hours and celebrate high holy days with cake, art projects, etc.
Experience Loveliness: Nature walks, sunsets, the hug of a friend, a happy mama :)
Fresh Air and Exercise: Thanks to SoCal, we make sure to get out every day
Serve Others: A lesson in sharing with friends, Helping me make a meal for a family in need. Recently, we've been talking a bit about forgiveness
...exchange ideas: I often ask her what she thinks about certain parts of our day and we talk about them
Develop expressive skills" Kate's fairly good at expressing herself. We're currently working on this sans the whining ;) .
...Math: We're still working on counting to 20. More recently we just had an adding lesson with blackberries.... it was both yummy and fun!
Receive focused attention and affection: I'm really working on this one. I think the kids get a lot of love, but I have to remind myself everyday to stop and focus on them when they truly need me. Sometimes it's all too easy to just say, "in a minute!"
Lately, I've been giving a lot of thought to how I want our family to really live the Liturgy. I'm interested in hearing about any traditions you have started with your family. Are there any that you do or that you've heard of that you really like?
I agree, Luke is a little young, but I think it best to start thinking about these things now.