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We Have Work To Do!

Katie Donahue

August 8th, 2023 Remember what I said last week? About starting school? Well, here's a little update. One child is all in and has started all her subjects with gusto, and the other says she'll start next week. I'll bet she will say the same thing next week and the week after that if I let her. I did convince her to get her lesson plans in order and organized in a binder so that when she starts, she's ready and doesn't have to spend a day getting organized. Right now there is no rush, so I'll let her enjoy a few more days of "freedom"! This is one of the things I love about home education. We are not bound to a certain schedule and can take advantage of a beautiful day or work extra hard on a snowy day. I love the philosophy set forth by Sarah Mackenzie in her book, "Teaching From Rest: A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace". Actually, this book has a beautiful message for ALL parents as we are the primary educators of our children. It really is a whole-person, integrated approach to education and parenting. I highly recommend this book to all parents, educating at home or not. “It’s easy to forget that teaching is holy work. We forget that building up the intellect- teaching our children to really think- does not happen by the might of human reason, but rather by the grace of God. On an ordinary day, you and I likely have a set of tasks we've scheduled for our kids. But it's more than math. It's more than history. It's the building up of our children's minds and hearts, and we can only do that if we realize that this is how we thank Him for the graces He so lavishly pours out on us.” Sarah Mackenzie, Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace


SPIRITUAL

Last week, I shared about the importance of praying for our priests and for vocations. Today, I am sharing the last homily given by Fr. Mark Beard on July 31st, 2023. Tragically, he passed away in a car accident on August 3rd, at the age of 62. He was the beloved pastor of St. Helena Catholic Church in Amite, Louisiana. Please listen to his passionate message and pray for the repose of his soul.

Eternal rest grant unto Fr. Mark, O Lord, and let Your perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen


SELF

How are you feeling? When I ask my teen girls this question, I often get the answer, "I'm tired" or "I'm fine". I know there is more to it, so I've started introducing more and more feeling words so they don't have to struggle trying to identify what it is they are really feeling. Even us adults have difficulty naming our feelings at times. There is a lot of power in being able to name and claim what we are feeling, the good and the bad. Sometimes we need a little list of words to choose from to hone in on what is really going on. I came across this printable and it has come in handy. Are there any feelings you would want to add to the list? Check it out below!List of Feelings - Printable

SERVICE

Recently, we spent a full day outside helping clean the gardens of our favorite little retreat house in the mountains. We left our house and drove an hour to pull weeds, sweat, work hard and pray. There was so much joy found in this simple day of connection and service that we wish we could get out there more often to experience it. The truth is that there are many little ways we can do similar tasks right here in our own neighborhoods and school and parish communities. How can you and your family connect with and serve others this next week? It doesn't have to be a whole day, but you just might have so much fun that it turns into one.


ALL the Zucchini!


Our 3 zucchini plants are in full production mode and we are doing our best to pick them when they are small and good for making zoodles. While we love zucchini bread, zucchini cake, zucchini fritters, zucchini chocolate chip cookies and zucchini brownies, my favorite way to enjoy it is sautéed in some olive oil and tossed with fresh pesto. Add some sweet red peppers, spinach, and top with parmesan to make it perfect! Have you every made zoodles? It's super easy and clean-up is quick. The spiralizer does not take up much space and is great with potatoes and sweet potatoes. Spiralizer


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Your Integrated Life Coach and Sister in Christ,

Katie

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