Some Jottings and Plans for 2009

Suppose it's good to get some of these ideas in writing before I forget ;-)  I always like to ponder my favorite books for inspiration and I was reminded of my most cherished nature diary and found this beautiful poem on the title page.

"To sit on rocks; to muse o'er flood and fell;
To slowly trace the forest's shady scene,
Where things that own not man's dominion dwell,
And mortal foot hath ne'er or rarely been!
To climb the trackless mountain all unseen.
With the wild flock, that never need a fold;
Alone o'er steeps and foaming falls to lean;
This is not solitude: 'tis but to hold
Converse with Nature's charms, and view her stores unrolled."  ~ Byron

Schoolroom ~ A little bit of what we may explore in the new year ::

• Begin doing Non-Fiction Monday.  I really like this idea and as we read many non-fiction books already this should be quite simple.  It'll be fun to keep track of what we actually read as well and see what others have on their non-fiction shelves!
• Outdoor Hour Challenge following the lovely Handbook of Nature Study blog.  I have always used Anna Comstock's book as a favorite reference for our nature adventures, but I like the structure and accountability of doing these challenges, so off we go!
• Minimus Latin.  We're taking a break from the Latina Christiana series for a while and are going to have some fun with playing Latin Scrabble on our new board we received from St. Nick!  I also found Minimus Book 1 at the library and it looks fun for everyone! I can't wait to be able to spell "Et Tu Brute?"
• I'm going to start using the Ruth Heller Language books for my younger two boys.  The illustrations are delightfully colorful and engaging and her concepts are simple and to the point.  I may even use them for reinforcing some grammar lessons for Matthias too, but he's getting most of his lessons through his writing at this point.

Blogging ~ A few goals for the blog in no particular order of importance ::

• Keep updated reading lists for the children.  I have already created Violet's Reading Page and am working on the one for Matthias this weekend. 
• My own reading and rambles through some books via the 4 x 10 Reading Challenge 2009 (we'll see how this goes)
• Work through my One Shelf at a Time posts that were so inspiring by Lissa and Kathryn
• I am considering consolidation of all my blogs onto a main webpage soon if I can muster a webiste.  My book is soon to be published, so hopefully will coincide with it's release, stay tuned....

Family Life and Love ~ All things family, home keeping and living ::

• Craft night.  I love this idea highlighted in The Creative Family.  Probably a once a month activity that the whole family (yes, even daddy) will engage in.  Our first night is going to be something with Sculpey :)))
• Continue with my delight in bread baking.  I so love my Zojurishi bread machine and have been turning out some great breads via the machine, but I am also truly enjoying experimenting with lots of different Italian and rustic artisan breads that are quite yummy! My favorite baking book right now is The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Book.
• Violet is going to start making dinner for the family one night each week.  She truly loves baking and cooking and the planning and prep that goes into getting dinner on the table is right up her alley!  I'll try and post her first meal soon :)
• Weekend outings.  These have always been an enjoyable part of our family life and love and beginning with New Years Day, we started our year off with a delightful walk on the beach (pics to follow) 

Well, this is all for now, I know there's more, but like any other planning and scheduling of activities and events, I have to account for real life as well.  I have learned not to over-plan and over-schedule as it makes for some very unhappy little people if we're too busy to enjoy just being together and living life to its fullest, all part of the Sweetness and Light!

Many blessings in your new year!

Comments

[Jenn]

We got Scrabble for Christmas and my husband already refuses to play with us because all our words are in Latin. Too funny! My sister loved Minimus. Hope to hear more about any great bread recipes you try out. I'm curious about whole grain baking.

[Theresa]

Those sound like great plans-a little bit of structure but not too over-planned.
I really like the Outdoor Challenge site---it is very well set-up. I only wish I were more the type to follow a plan, you know? Plus, it isn't really in sync with our seasons here. Nothing is.
I'm also looking in to those Ruth Heller books. I think JBug could get into them, but I'm not sure if she is quite ready yet. Maybe I'll try one out from the library and see how it plays.
I can't wait to hear about Violet's first family dinner! She is getting to be such a young lady!

[Angel]

Meredith, do you have a routine for using your bread machine? I have a machine (not a Zojurishi) but I never seem to use it because it is stuck in the bottom of one of my cabinets and I have little counter space for keeping it out. But in our last house, where I had more counter space (and fewer kids), I still didn't use it very often because I could never get a good routine going. Anyway -- tips? I would like to bake more bread.

Also, when is your book coming out?? So I can write it on my calendar! :-)

[Kathy]

I received the same bread machine book for Christmas (and a much needed new bread machine!) and have tried several recipes. Love it!

[Theresa]

Your plans sound lovely Meredith. I am hoping to participate in some of the Outdoor challenges as well.

Blessings,
Theresa