Experimenting with the boys | Educating myself

Today I'm linking up with a super sweet crafty Mama, Mel from Needle & Nest Design, for Monday Mamalogues...but its Tuesday!

Our kids have never been in a formal 8 - 2 school setting.
So we have two little boys that don't understand the concept of standing in line and they shout out answers at Catechism. Yep those are my kids!

Forest Walk | Year 2 of Homeschooling

We started our homeschooling journey when Joshy asked to read, he was 4, so by the time he was 5 he was reading beautifully. This is when the dictatorship started, actually military school started. I was just awful, all I wanted from this little boy was perfection, everything he did HAD to be perfect.
Eventually I looked at my 2 boys and saw that these were not kids anymore, they were little computers, spurting everything out that I had programmed in.
I had got this thing all wrong.

Year One

I prayed, and this may sound silly, but I asked God for forgiveness. I fasted and prayed for direction.

"Look well at the child on your knee. In whatever condition you find him, look with reverence. We can only love ad serve and be his friend. We cannot own him. He is not ours." - Susan Schaeffer Macaulay, For the Children's Sake.

For now we don't do a strict curriculum, and we don't have a time table, and we don't do 2 pages of math everyday.

Mistakes are welcome, it helps the Boys grow, it helps me grow.
My boys learn by me working on their strengths and their abilities.
We focus on "self development", just to better understand the bigger world we are part of.

Year 2 of Homeschooling

Just Being

We play, we eat, we make, we climb trees, go on adventure walks, we talk, we look up info on what we want to learn, we go to the Library, we help at a local Baby Shelter once a week, we plant gardens, and sometimes make a food pack for the lady that digs in our rubbish. The boys write letters to each other, well Lijie draws. They have more of a heart now for books than when we did formal learning.

I'm not sure if this will be the way we learn for all time, but I do know that they are learning and experiencing life.

It may sound like I am promoting Homeschooling or even Unschooling, but this is what works for my boys, for now. They have not been in school for me to dislike the schooling system, neither have they been bullied.

I also think that my boys have 2 parents that LOVE each other, LOVE them and LOVE God; and that is some good grounding for any form of schooling.

Painting without brushes | Year 4 Unschooling

Making their own Toys

Sewing

Sidewalk Math | Year 1 Homeschool

A bit of Both | Homeschool & Unschooling

Helping Dad | Unschooling

This is an awesome read...

Love & Light

Holy Week | Friday & Saturday

It takes me a long time to write!

But this is the last "about my conversion/catholic" blog post.

And I just have to write it!

Jacques and I decided to continue our Journey on a new Blog.

Details to follow...soon!

Friday

The Boys slept over at their Auntie.

So we got to get up in the morning and start the 

Novena to the Divine Mercy.

A prayer said for nine days from Good Friday.

A beautiful prayer, Jacques and I sing it with the 

Chaplet of the Divine Mercy.

*We really have been enjoying it so much!

After that we got ready and went to The 14 Stations of the Cross at Church.

WOW, we attended it during lent, but this Good Friday, it was just amazing.

So full of the Sorrowful Passion of our Christ.

The 14 Stations of the cross, is a devotion meditating on 14 "incidents", which

occurred whilst Jesus carried the cross to Golgotha.

I think everybody left the Stations feeling overwhelmed by the Love that Christ had for us!

Later that afternoon we went back for Mass, where we venerated the crucifix.

We kissed the cross.

I love that Father Jonathan reminded us that it is not the wooden cross that we kiss

which we worship, but our Jesus who sits on the Throne. That cross was just a way

to remember what was done for us!

Saturday

It started off with Morning prayers, Jacques and I as non-Catholics prayed the Divine Office 

for about three years before this. Its filled with scripture, I highly recommend it for those just wanting to pray!

After that we had our practice, just so things could run smoothly and we could learn our dance moves...

oh yes!

We danced.

Because we are African.

We dance.

When we get bad service delivery.

We dance.

When there is happiness and joy.

We dance!

Because we where the "New Ones".

We danced!

So it was our big night.

The first time that we would take communion as the actual Body and Blood of Christ!

We went up.

Anointed with oil.

My Catholic name, Mary, Mother of God)

(I would like to be like her and have the same Faith & Strength she had in God her Son)

As I approached the Eucharist.

I could feel a fire.

A bubbling.

It became a shaking.

I had to press my hands together, just so I could contain the fire in me.

The desire to fall prostrate before my Lord and King,

I had to contain

*So that the Catholic Church didn't kick me out

But I took the Body and Blood and felt so honored and so close...

I got to my seat and made myself as prostrate as I possibly could!

I could never put in words how amazing that was.

If I had to say that it was better than my wedding day or the births of my Boys,

I would not be lying. 

We ended off that beautiful moment or shall I say continued that beautiful moment with:

Chris Tomlin's How Great is Our God!

He is indeed.

And

He is Alive in Me.

Love & Light

Next blog is about crafting & torturing the BOYS!!!!

Holy Week | Wednesday & Thursday

I think I mentioned on this post that Easter was a special time for us converts in the Roman Catholic Church.
So this past Saturday night we were received into the community.

BUT before all of this I have to tell you about the Wednesday, Thursday and Fridays before Easter Saturday!

Wednesday
We celebrated the Paschal meal with the rest of the community.
Bitter leaves.
Salty water.
Boiled eggs.
Roast lamb.
Unleavened Bread.
All eaten hastily.
Just like the Israelites did all those nights ago before the Exodus.
But we finished off our meal with a some tea and a Hot Cross Bun.
Unlike the Israelites.

Thursday Night
The Mass of the Lords Supper.
It was really a beautiful mass.
The Eucharist was carried out of the Tabernacle in a procession followed by the church community carrying candles and singing really softly, almost chanting, as we walked into the "Garden of Gethsemane" (which was the hall). The Eucharist was then placed on an Altar  with a picture of Jesus holding a little child on  His breast. This is called the Altar of Repose. We were asked to spend time with the Eucharist in prayer.

I sat there with Jacques, quietly, the light from the candles in the room danced around this beautiful picture of the cross and around the Holy Communion.

I couldn't help but place myself in Gethsemane with Him, I imagined him asking me to pray with Him.
I heard in His voice, His need for me to come with Him.
To just be.
With Him.
With All of Him.
I chose to stay.
I chose to chat with Him.
I talked with Him of the time Mary said to the servants at the wedding at Cana,
"Do whatever He tells you."
I giggled but I desired to have the Faith she had in Her Son.

I only chose to stay,
because I knew what was coming.
I know now that the right thing to choose was to stay and pray.
A reality hit.
My Jesus needs me.
For everyday I put Him back in Gethsemane and then on the Cross.
And yet He leaves me with
an empty tomb.
A clean heart.

Love and Light