70 Days Until Easter and 40 Days Alone in the Desert with Christ

Today is Septuagesima Sunday. In the older Roman calendar, this Sunday marks 70 days until Easter. In the New Advent entry on Septuagesima Sunday, it states the following:

Septuagesima is today inaugurated in the Roman Martyrology by the words: "Septuagesima Sunday, on which the canticle of the Lord, Alleluja, ceases to be said". On the Saturday preceding, the Roman Breviary notes that after the "Benedicamus" of Vespers two Alleluias are to be added, that thenceforth it is to be omitted till Easter, and in its place "Laus tibi Domine" is to be said at the beginning of the Office.  

 The countdown for Easter has began. Next Sunday will be Sexagesima, or sixty, and the following Sunday will be Quinquegesima, or fifty. These weeks before Ash Wednesday are a pre-Lenten preparation. In the Fisheaters Septuagesima Overview, the noted theme is man's fallen state and the mood is penance. 

The wonderful part of the older liturgical calendar is that it gives one time to prepare. One is not thrown into a liturgical season without warning. Ash Wednesday and Lent do not suddenly appear on the doorstep unannounced and unprepared for. I have a very good friend, who exclusively attends the Novus Ordo, who lamented to me that she has been in "penance mode" since the beginning of the year because she wants to be ready for Lent. She admitted that she did not properly celebrate Christmas because she was focused on her New Years resolutions and having a routine that would allow penance. This makes me so sad. 

As noted in the sermon at my parish today, this is the time to prepare for Lent. We should be thinking about our acts of penance and easing into them. We have just come out of a great season of joy and the Church, in her wisdom, preserved in the old calendar, provides us with a time of preparation so we can be successful in the season of Lent. 

Soon, starting on Ash Wednesday, we will be alone in the desert with Christ for 40 days. During this time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving; that is, during this time of penance, we should strive to grow in holiness in abundance. We should seek to perform meritorious actions and works of penance. But, we should be reasonable for our age, spiritual maturity, and state in life. 

It has been said that a penance which become burdensome to others is not a good penance. A mother who spends a holy hour daily at the expense of her children is not performing a good act of penance. The expense should only be mortifying self, not mortifying all. The father who chooses to fast all day and becomes irritated and demeaning toward his family, or hangry as modern colloquial language allows, is not performing a good act of penance. 

This being said, giving up chocolate is probably not a very good act of penance either. Unless you eat chocolate in abundance, the act of giving up chocolate is a minor inconvenience at times. Giving up cream in your coffee is a minor inconvenience, and not usually considered a mortifying act. These may be good examples of penance for children and those just beginning to understand the spiritual life. 

Over the next several days, it is time to begin a self-examination of what penances can be undertaken during Lent. 

Some articles to read on the subject of Septuagesima are:

Septuagesima: The Time that the Land Forgot

The Dismissal of the Alleluia

The Forgotten Customs of Septugesima

School Schedule

I believe that many parents who are choosing to homeschool wonder how to schedule, how to keep records, and how to time their days.  Though I am just a novice homeschool parent, I have been a teacher for years.  I am going to try to share what works and what doesn't in this blog.  

My student information: 

LO, boy, 5 years old, K-1 (Schola Rosa has their K-6 program broken into K-1, 2-3, and 4-6 levels). 

MT, girl, 3 years old, PreK

CP, boy, 1 years old, Nursery

The tricky part here will be to educate the school age child while managing the other two children.  My plan is to include the 3 year old in as much learning as she is willing to participate in while having the baby set up to play with activities (sensory, crafts, blocks,etc).  My hope is that the 3 year old will float between learning and playing.  

It might be because I have managed classrooms with multiple levels, or it might be because I was homeschooled myself, but I am not afraid of teaching with toddler's underfoot.  Nor am I concerned about teaching multiple levels later.  We will see if my tone changes in a few weeks. 

For the actual subjects, my children have been learning Spanish since birth, so this will continue. We will be following the Schola Rosa subjects: Art, Classically Catholic Memory (Recitation in other school programs), History, Language Arts, Latin, Mathematics, Reading, Religion, Science, and Virtue.  We will be using Under the Home for additional enrichment, as desired.  

The bulk of school will be in the mornings.  Our family does have a reading time in the evening where mommy and daddy will read a few books to the children before family rosary.  I plan to use that evening time to read for pleasure books whenever possible.

Our daily schedule looks like this:

*Morning Gathering - Prayers, Calendar, Weather, Memory Work

*Phonics Block 1: Pre-K Phonics - Alphabet awareness, Letter sounds, Handwriting practice

*Latin, Religion, and Virtue - Latin, Bible, Religion, Virtue 

*Snack Break - Outside picnic when weather permits

*Nature Study - Directed nature study, Geography lessons, Free play, Gardening

*Mathematics - Counting, Facts drill, Lesson from Ray's Arithmetic series, Abacus practice, Chapter from Life of Fred, Notebooking

*History - History lessons and activities, Mapwork, Interactive notebooking

*Phonics Block 2: Phonics lessons from Word Mastery, Reading lessons from McGuffey

*Science - Science lessons, activities, and videos

*Wiggle Break! Exercise or play outside

*Language Arts - Picture Study, Narrations and Illustrations, Poetry, Prose, and Read aloud

*Languages - Spanish lessons and videos

*Enrichment - Art, music, crafts, projects, library, adventures

We keep lessons short. No more than 20 minutes on any subject. We take breaks when and if we need. If something does not work in a lesson, we reschedule it or omit it. When the younger children are fussy, we pause. 

Our school days can vary in time from an hour to four hours. It depends on attention spans, including mine, our week as a whole, and what needs to be done. We are usually done by lunch at the latest. Once the little ones take a nap, my oldest decides if he wants to stay and read or if he wants to nap. 

 So far it is working nicely. 

House Aesthetics

Recently, my family returned from visiting New England.  While there, we saw many houses like this one.  Houses painted black - imposing, gloomy.  My husband was delighted by them.  I was fascinated.

My husband joked that I should not be surprised if my house was painted black. Our house is blue.  It is calming, welcoming, and secure.

A black house is unique. It is overwhelming. 

I would not want a black house. 

The aesthetics of a house help to invite people in or keep them away. 

It is my goal to be a more welcoming person. Painting my house black will not convey this.

I wish to be a happier person. A dark house may not assist here, either.

Visiting Salem, the House of Seven Gables, the Witch House, and other such Gothic locations has proven to be a fascinating deterrent.  I enjoyed my time there, but I do not want to live in a manner which would be reflected in a black house.

No, I prefer the blue.

What Inspires You?

Sometimes one must gaze out into the world and wonder. 

Sometimes wonder brings action. 

Sometimes wonder beckons contentment.

Inspiration is the movement of the soul. 

Contentment is the rest of the soul. 

Are you content today? 

Or, are you inspired? 

What contents you? 

What inspires you?