Today is Flag Day, the date which honors the adoption of the "Stars and Stripes" as our nation's flag.

"Resolved that the flag of the thirteen United States be Thirteen stripes alternate red and white: that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."

 - Continental Congress

June 14, 1777

You might commemorate the occassion by flying your own flag, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, singing the National Anthem, seeing how our flag has changed in 233 years, and learning the Flag Code.

You might also enjoy some Flag Day crafts and activities.

Two interesting Flag Day websites are USFlag.org and National Flag Day Foundation.

Don't forget to read this article about President Obama's Flag Day proclamation. As has been customary through the years, this entire week has been declared National Flag Week. In his proclamation, Obama urges Americans to fly Old Glory and publicly pledge allegiance to the flag, from today until Independence Day, as a celebration of our national heritage. A very good idea and one that was put forth by another recent President. 

An outsider might think we had ourselves a second Honeymoon...but they'd be wrong. This ship is set up for a crew of four and the absence of two left the First Mate (that's me) exhausted trying to keep this ship afloat. Thank goodness for a Captain who helped pick up the slack. So, while I did suffer a tinge of Empty Nest Syndrome, I was frankly too tired most of the time to pay it any mind.

While I was working like a pack mule, my girl got a chance to put her Christmas gift to use and came back with some lovely photos - if I do say so myself. These are three of my favorites:

Some more of D's photos are over at Flickr. As for the children, they're now home safe and sound and I'm nearly recovered from their vacation.

To my Dearest Love,

Today is our Fifteenth Anniversary and I love you much more than I did then. I loved you with a childish love, irrational and selfish; I love you now with a purer love, refined by adversity and maturity. You are my golden dawn and my silver moonlight. You are my true north and I am hopelessly, boundlessly, eternally devoted to you.

Happy Anniversary to my best friend, my knight-errant, the Captain of my ship.  

With a grim prognosis, an illegal immigration status unrectified, her own lawyers working against her, and her eighteenth birthday growing ever closer, Rifqa needs all of our prayers.

Additional information can be found at American Thinker.

This garden visitor seems to like my new Marigolds as much as I do. The Marigolds were my Mother's Day present and I think our guest is an Eastern Amberwing. This species dragonfly is a wasp mimic and is also one of the smallest dragonflies in North America. According to my readings, this is a female. The males have completely amber wings and the females have clear areas on their wings.

A different view, and quite lovely photo, of a female Eastern Amberwing is shown at the Botany Garden of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Their website also provides a photo of a male. 

More on my garden later.

The path we have chosen is evidenced by how we treat our fellow man.

There is always a chance for redemption.

Science does not exist without faith. 

Love is powerful.

We all die...and death is only a doorway along the path our souls travel.

These are the truths I found in the six years of "Lost" and, though I disagree with the show's belief in a limbo-land betwixt death and the Great Hereafter, I can understand that worldview.

There is, however, one misstep in the Lost theology that is too great to ignore, one truth that renders all others useless: it is only through Christ that we may be found.

He is our chance for redemption. He is the path that we must choose.

Many these days tend to shy away from the "Him or nothing" belief; it seems so black and white and lacking of mercy. But He is the mercy and faith in Him and His death in our stead is the one and only way to ever pass on from this world into Paradise.

Love is powerful and the greatest love of all is God's.

We may be lost, but God knows right where we are and he can lead us Home.

Monday: Hamburgers, baked beans, tater tots

Tuesday: Teriaki Stir-Fry

Wednesday: Dijon-breaded Chicken (Saving Dinner p.90 ), baked potatoes, green beans

Thursday: Sweet & Sour Meatballs, egg noodles, peas

Friday: Polenta Pie (Saving Dinner p.157)

Saturday: Lemon Roast Chicken (Saving Dinner p.208), California Medley veggies, rotini

Sunday: Chinese & egg rolls

My "Chinese" is no more Asian than fortune cookies, but it was a recipe I learned early in my marriage and was the first meal I served to a dinner guest. I still like it and it's simplicity is why it was one of the first dinner recipes I taught my children.

The ingredients are few:

Chicken breasts, rice, Chinese vegetables (or substitute with broccoli), Catalina dressing (or substitute with French dressing, minced garlic, soy sauce.

Cook chicken breasts in skillet. Add Chinese vegetables or broccoli to skillet and cook. Add dressing, soy sauce, and minced garlic to chicken and vegetables. Heat thoroughly. Serve over rice.

First, I choose our course of study and books. I use Charlotte Mason and AmblesideOnline (AO) as a guide. Though we are eclectic homeschoolers, I would say we are Charlotte Mason followers at our core. If you have not heard of Charlotte Mason or her educational ideas, please read AmblesideOnline's Introduction page. In a nutshell, I would say a Charlotte Mason education is filled with good books and beautiful things.

Second, I don't follow AmblesideOnline's booklists explicitly. You'll notice that their Year 8 is not exactly like my Year 8. One reason for that is that I make substitutions according to what is available to me. Another reason is that AO travels through World History in only two rotations. I chose four rotations - each lasting three years. Potatoes, Potahtoes. Both choices are valid.

Third, I make checklists for each term. These checklists itemize every chapter to be read and lesson to be completed.  In a few cases, as in the Free Reading section, the checklist merely lists a book title. The date when the assignment is finished is to be written in the blank next to the assignment.

Here are our current checklists:

Year 5 - Term 2 Checklist.doc

Year 8 - Term 2 Checklist.doc

And here is a snippet for Year 8:

Utopia by Sir Thomas More.

_____ Of the Cities

_____ Of the Magistrates

_____ Of the Sciences, Crafts, Occupations

_____ Of their living

_____ Of their journeying

_____ Of Bondmen, Sick Persons, Wedlock

_____ Of Warfare

_____ Of the Religions

I let the children complete assignments at times of their own choosing. The Montessori part of me believes that it stifles a child to always demand that Geography lessons take place every Tuesday and Thursday at 9:00. However, we are currently working on "Together" subjects (such as Plutarch and Shakespeare) at 2:00 each day, but we chose this time as opitmum for all, much as a college student would sign up for Intro to Criminal Justice - choosing the best fit for her schedule from the days and times offered.

A new addition to our school this term is a wooden recipe box filled with index cards. This idea was born out of my need to give my children a visual reference as to how much work should be completed each week. We all have ADD or ADHD here and it is very easy to become distracted. It would be very unpleasant to arrive at the last week of school and still have most of a seven-page checklist of assignments to complete. Not that I'm saying this has happened. Oh, no, we have never hopped down all the delightful bunny trails of knowledge to suddenly find responsibility staring us solemnly in the face. Ahem.  

Anyway, I divided each book or subject's assignments among 12 weeks and wrote one index card for each time an assignment should be completed during a week of school. For instance, Plutarch's Solon has twelve sections and one should be completed each week. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet has 24 sections and two should be completed each week.

When a child completes a lesson of Solon and writes the date on his checklist, he should also move a Solon index card to the Done area of the recipe box. At the end of the week, all of a child's cards should be in the Done area. On Monday, all of the child's cards are moved back into his or her own section of the recipe box and the process begins again.

We have found the card box to be a very helpful in keeping us on track with our educational goals and it looks like we will continue using it.

I hope this post has helped explain how we homeschool and helps others on their own homeschooling adventure. Please let me know if you have any questions. You can comment here or, if unable, send a missive via email: mrshappyhousewife at yahoo dot com.

I am still working on the 100 Species Challenge (looks like Melissa Wiley is also). Now that everything is growing and blooming again, I'm hoping to work much more on the challenge. For those who have forgotten, the goal is to identify 100 species of plant life in your area.

Number three on my list are Rain Lilies: 

I've already counted this species, but I can't help showing these new photos. Last Friday, the children and I dug up scores of bulbs around our yard to plant in pots. When wild plants show up in the yard, I try to rescue them from the lawnmower.

Digging up the bulbs was very educational because we got a chance to see how large bulbs would form bulbous growths that, with time, would separate from the mother bulbs to form bulblets.

I am hoping to plant these bulbs in a flower bed next spring. As for now, they have been saved from the mower and the weedkiller spray as my husband and I do not agree on what constitutes a "weed".

I do not think anything this lovely could ever be called a weed. I am trying to help my husband understand that there is a difference betwixt a plant blessing and a plant nuisance.

I think he must be coming around to my way of thinking because he kindly spared mowing a Rain Lily in the front yard which I had overlooked. Or perhaps he did that just because he is so indulgent of my gardening fancies. 

For a bit of "earthy" scripture (courtesy of my Twitterfeed today):

It's so soft. I can't wait to try it out.

It's Patriot's Day.

Concord Hymn

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world.

The foe long since in silence slept;
Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.

On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set to-day a votive stone;
That memory may their deed redeem,
When, like our sires, our sons are gone.

Spirit, that made those heroes dare,
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

It's fifteen years since the OKC bombing:

It's the anniversary of Israel's re-birth:

And the "new" Pope marked the fifth anniversary since his election.

What a day filled with sadness and celebration!

In other news, our Mango tree bit the dust recently. A frost weakened it and then it caught a blight of some sort. I finally decided it had to go last Friday and my children kindly did the honors. With their bare hands, they ripped the stump from the ground. Here is photographic evidence that my kids are mighty strong:

Would anyone like to suggest a replacement fruit tree species?

For those who play instruments, here is the sheet music.

The Official Redwall website is here.

And what was that very first post of mine?

"Everyone Needs a Little Love":

These cinnamon mints I bought last week at Jo-Ann's Etc. are tasty but I really bought them for the TIN.

The accompanying photo has long since disappeared into the vapors of the internet, but the tin is still going strong in my purse as an impromptu (and inexpensive) pill box.

I seem to be celebrating important anniversaries left and right lately.

Last November, it was the 10th anniversary of this little homeschooling adventure of ours. Who knew that those early days of phonics and addition would lead to Dante's Inferno and polynomials?

And my husband and I will celebrate 15 years of marriage this summer. Phenomenal!

But today I fondly remember that single sentence that propelled me into the land of blogs and posts, of navel gazing and soapbox minutia. 

Hundreds visit my little part of the internet every day and I appreciate each and every one of you.

Thank you all for stopping by.

May your day be filled with...