St. Patrick's Day - A Family Tradition

The heritage I was raised with growing up was to know and embrace my Irish roots.  It is with pride that I think on the land from which my family came.  There are fond memories of my Irish family members, their ambitions, their struggles and their triumphs.  My paternal grandparents did a wonderful job of instilling us with Irish pride.  Above everything, it was the greatest thing they gave me; my identity as an Irish American.

Growing up we celebrated St. Patrick's Day in a big way.  There was always wonderful food, stout, and the Chieftans on television.  I have vivid memories of gathering around the television in my grandparents basement, fire blazing, cozy blanket, and the lively Chieftans performing on screen.  Those memories are all happy.

As I got older I continued the tradition with my own family.  Mostly I did it for my dad, as few of my children even like corned beef.  What I didn't realize is that this is something they would grow to enjoy and look forward to as they got older and ventured on their own.  Imagine my surprise when some of my older children were still at home, and some of them were on their own, and I started getting phone calls asking what we were doing for St. Patrick's Day.  Over time our traditions have developed as such that we gather as a family twice a year; once at Christmas and once at St. Patrick's Day.  Since our family is so large we now make traditional Irish Stew instead of corned beef, which is rather costly to feed 30 people.  Sometimes I make Irish Soda Bread or Scones, and we keep it simple as it would have been at its origin.

Do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day in your family?  Are you Irish by birth, or just Irish at heart?  Is there a different celebration that takes place in your family based on your cultural heritage?  I would absolutely love to hear about it.

Here are some of my favorite recipes and resources for making St. Patrick's Day special with family and friends:

The Food

Irish Beef and Stout Stew

My niece shared this recipe with me a couple years back, and I have been making it ever since.  It was a huge hit right from the start, and it is SO simple to make.  I make it in the crockpot, though.  It takes two large pots to feed our big family, with no leftovers!  Maybe I'll make three this year.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

This recipe is very similar to how I make my corned beef.  I am inconsistent as to how I prepare it.  Some years I make it in a large roasting pan in the oven.  Other years I do the crockpot method.  It just depends on my schedule and my mood.  Both are simple and tasty.  My husband likes his served with horseradish, and I like mine with stone ground mustard.  No matter what I always make enough for leftovers.  It makes great hash, bubble and squeak, and sandwiches; on rye bread of course.

Shamrock Shake

As a kid it was always something to look forward to getting a Shamrock Shake from a certain fast food restaurant.  That was before the state of our food system was in question, and most of the food we still ate was actually real.  As an adult I got a Shamrock Shake for old time sake, after which my name for it became "chemical spooge".  It's vile stuff that bears no resemblance to its former self.  This recipe from Your Homebased Mom is a refreshing alternative minus the chemical storm provided by the fast food industry.

Irish Soda Bread

Another one of my favorite St. Patrick's Day foods is Irish Soda Bread.  My family doesn't all like it.  However, making just one loaf is super simple, so I often make it just because I like it.  We all need those little things that we do just for us, and making soda bread is one of those things I don't mind doing just for myself.  I mean, it is only once a year, people.  This is one of those little effort equals big pay off kind of things.  I love things like that!  If you can get it, Gooseberry Jam is perfect on Irish Soda Bread, and Cooking Melangery dishes out the perfect recipe.

A Little Irish History

St. Patrick's Day on the History Channel

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day 2015

Irish History Online

Ireland

Fun Crafts and Activities for the Kids

A fun craft using free paint chips from the hardware store via the Child Care Land Blog.

Being Creative has a fun recipe for St. Pat's Day Play Dough.

There's a fun treasure hunt printable over at Oopsey Daisy.

For even more fun ideas for celebrating St. Patrick's Day with your family 

you can visit my Pinterest page.  

Don't forget to leave me a comment and share how you celebrate St. Patrick's Day, or your own personal cultural heritage, with your family!

Mourning - A Path Diverted

It's been said in a circle or two of my closest friends and family that if we knew what we were getting into when we got married there'd be far less married couples in the world.  The business of carrying on a healthy relationship with anyone over the course of a lifetime is a challenge to say the least.  Not to mention the complexities of the baggage we bring to the partnership and the reality of living in the same home, sharing the same bed in the same room day after day, night after night, week after week, month after month, year after year, and even decade after decade.  Getting along with someone, anyone, in those circumstances over that period of time seems darned near impossible.  Some of us succeed, but many of us fail, and plenty of us are just crazy enough to try multiple times.

I'm going to step out on a limb here and say that, if we are really honest with ourselves, the very same thing could easily be said about having children.  Don't get me wrong.  I love my children; all 10 of them.  However, this parenting thing isn't really turning out the way I envisioned it at all.  The one thing I could have never prepared for is the potential heart break.  I can say without hesitation that raising children has caused me more heartbreak than any relationship I've ever had in my entire life, and I've had some pretty devastating experiences in my lifetime; in my short 44 year lifetime, that is.  I can only imagine what I will have to share if I am fortunate enough to make it another 44 years on this planet.  I'm almost frightened of what I might have to share. 

I have a new found respect for my elders.  That is without question.  I respect the challenges faced to earn wisdom, and I respect that it quite certainly came through painful experience.  Wisdom is rarely gained easily.  More often the most valuable experiences come at the greatest cost.  True, valuable life lessons are not easily won.  We must work hard, be brave, and appreciate the value of failure in order to truly grow as individuals.  There are no guarantees.  There is no "magic" formula for the perfect family.  We can seemingly do everything right and come up with negative outcomes.  Conversely, we can do everything inherently wrong and come up with positive outcomes.  It's just the reality of living and loving.  Failure, despite our best efforts, is always a real possibility.

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, 

though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, 

though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 

yet I will rejoice in the Lord, 

I will be joyful in God my Savior.  

The Sovereign Lord is my strength; 

he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, 

he enables me to go on the heights."  

~ Habakkuk 3:17-19

What is failure?  Failure is defined in two ways.  One - lack of success.  Two - the omission of expected or required action.  When we begin our journey as a parent we are so optimistic and hopeful.  We imagine great things for our children, and we pull out all the stops to assist them in achieving success; whatever that may look like.  It never dawns on us that things may not turn out as we expect.  What do you mean my child may not be successful?  What do you mean we may experience life altering, heart breaking, mind blowing circumstances that forever alter the course of our lives and the lives of our children?

Somewhere along the way we realize that we are not the only influence in our children's lives.  We are not the only guiding force.  We are not the only ones sharing wisdom and providing guidance to our children; both wise and not so wise.  Our children are not the only ones learning lessons.  As parents we will be learning some big lessons on the heels of the choices of our children.  Our lives will never fully be the same, and we have no way of anticipating just what our existence will look like after 15 or 20 or 30 years of being a parent.  

"A foolish son is a grief to his father 

and bitterness to her who bore him."

~ Proverbs 17:25

No one ever tells us just how hard it is to usher these young people into adulthood.  No one tells us the power they have to just shatter every perception we ever had about parenthood and relating to our offspring.  No one ever tells us the amount of sleep we'll lose, not when they're young and require more hands on parenting, but when they are older and require more hands off parenting.  Only an experienced parent knows that the newborn stage is the easiest it will ever be, and can speak so with gut wrenching honesty.  The challenges only increase over time.

Don't get me wrong.  It's not all bumps and bruises and tears.  There are times of joy and celebration.  It isn't the same for everyone.  Maybe your joys far outweigh your sorrows.  Praise God!  However, there are those of us that experience more challenging seasons; more winters than summers.  Some of us get rocked by the stormy seas more than we sail on the calm waters.  That's just life, and it really is normal; maybe more so than we'd care to admit.

I think it's safe to say that real life, for the vast majority of us, is not the sum of our well orchestrated Facebook and blog posts.  Real life is messy.  There is pain; more than we ever thought possible.  In real life we mourn a lot more than we share.  We mourn in ways we never dreamed. like the loss of a child that is still living, or the shattering of lifelong ambitions at the hands of the poor decisions of our children.  Nothing can prepare us for these things in life, but love can sustain us.  Hope can lift our spirits and strengthen our hearts to persist for another day.  Faith CAN move a mountain, and we can find joy within the trials, even when they belt us one after the other.

Sometimes it is difficult to maintain perspective when we are thrown blow after blow after blow after gut pounding blow.  We don't always feel like picking ourselves up, and it may even take us longer than we imagined to pull ourselves off the floor and rise again to face another day.  When we put our faith in God and truly learn how to hand over our burdens, then we can embrace our reality more openly.  We can take the bad with the bad and find that little bit of good to focus our attention and energy.  There is not a moment we are alone in our struggles, even when we can't necessarily feel it.

Here are some bible verses that encourage me.  Maybe they will bring you a bit of peace as well.

"He gives strength to the weary 

and increases the power of the weak."

~ Isiah 40:29

"My soul is weary with sorrow; 

strengthen me according to your word."

~ Psalm 119:28

"Finally, be strong in the Lord 

and in his mighty power."

~ Ephesians 6:10

"God is our refuge and strength, 

an ever present help in trouble."

~ Psalm 46:1

"As you do not know the path of the wind, 

or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, 

so you cannot understand the work of God, 

the maker of all things."

~ Ecclesiastes 11:5

"Just as a father has compassion on his children, 

so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him."

~ Psalm 103:13

5 on the Fifth - Favorite Blog Posts - February 2015

Participating in the Five on the 5th has been a real blessing to me.  Knowing that I'll be sharing five blog posts with you each month forces me to pay closer attention to what I am reading every day.  I am more thoughtful about what I share on a day to day basis, and I ponder what I've read for a longer period of time.  Being more aware helps me to get more out of what I read and make connections between the various sources of information that cross my path each and every day.

This month I seem to be focused on just what it means to be a homeschooler and all the positive things it brings into our lives.  Lots of serendipity happening over here at The Zoo Crew.

Have you ever thought about all the good about homeschooling?  It's been heavy on my mind this month, and look what I stumbled across.  Here are 100 good reasons!

This is VERY exciting for me!  This gentleman actually invented a font that is easier for people with dyslexia to read.  This has wonderful implications.  We currently don't have anyone struggling with dyslexia in our home, but I can't help but wonder how different things could have been for my brother had something like this been around when he was younger.

This is a very well written post that was shared by a good friend on our local homeschool group's facebook page.  Conviction vs. Condemnation gives us great insight as to the source of our feelings.  Very thought provoking.

I absolutely love this post!  What a great reminder for us about where our worth really comes from and where we should be measuring our motherhood.

Lastly, our local homeschool group has started a new blog post series titled A Day in the Life where local families share what a typical day in their homeschool looks like.  Such a fun idea!

It's a Privilege

One question we get asked in fun each winter, since we live in an area that receives snow, is:

"Do your children get snow days?"

We homeschoolers even ask each other that out of curiosity.  Generally speaking, the simple answer is, "no".  However, if we look a little deeper we find that we get so much more than the occasional snow day.  In fact, viewed through the proper perspective, I would go as far to say that as homeschoolers we actually live a life of privilege.

There are many privileges of homeschooling.  Here are my top five:

1.   The Freedom to Sleep When it's Needed - At first I was going to say sleeping in, but there is so much more to it than that.  Even though my kids don't allow me to sleep as late as I would like compared to the alternative we are sleeping in.  Thankfully, my hubby is a morning person, and he's up and at 'em by 5:30 each morning, but the rest of us get to continue in slumber until about 7:30 when the house slowly comes to life.  We take our time waking up, cook breakfast, and wrap up the very beginning of our day by 9 o'clock.  Talk about a privilege!  I can guarantee you that at this point we've not even gotten out of our pajamas.  We're in the country, but we do happen to live on a public school bus route.  I can personally attest to the fact that none of the local kids that ride that yellow bus have that luxury.  That bus has long since driven past our home by the time we're wiping the sleep out of our eyes.

The privilege of sleeping in isn't the only way we are blessed.  What about when we're sick?  Both the parents and the children benefit in this regard as well.  There are no worries of missed days, piling up of assignments, loss of pay (if you were a paid teacher at the school), or sharing of germs.  It's a lot easier to cancel a get together or reschedule a meeting than it is to miss even one day of institutional school.  We can continue on with our routine while sipping hot tea, stopping to blow our nose, and breaking to medicate.  No doctor's note.  No prescription.  No penalty for taking the time to rest that we so desperately need.  No validation needed from anyone.  We simply listen to our bodies and act accordingly.  Being sick may not be fun, but being free to deal with it on our own terms is pure bliss.

This goes even further when the family faces a crisis or major life change.  We're honored with the privilege to take the time we need to grieve the loss of a loved one.  We can welcome a new family member, be it a new baby or other circumstance, without worrying about pressing on at the same speed.  We can adjust our routine to give us the time we need to ease into our new circumstances without the outside pressure of adhering to a schedule we did not create for ourselves.  I cannot begin to express just how beautiful a blessing this actually is for us.

2. The Freedom of Lifestyle Choice in Many Areas - Since we've moved to the country I appreciate our many differences even more-so.  Homeschoolers come from all different lifestyles.  There are homesteaders, RV travelers, world travelers, urban dwellers, commuters, small business owners, missionaries, the terminally ill, those suffering with chronic pain, multi-generational families, divorced families, military families, multi-cultural families, adoptive families, classic educators, unschoolers, single-income families, two-income families, single parent households, and on and on and on.  All of the different lifestyles we live make us unique.  As homeschoolers being unique is celebrated, not criticized.  Despite our differences, we are a community brought together by the simple fact that we home educate.  Being unique and different is encouraged and supported.  The freedom to live our life as we desire is not hindered by the artificial framework of institutional education.

We are in charge of our time to the fullest extent possible.  This means that milking the cows holds the same importance as wrote lessons.  The value of living, really living, is honored and even capitalized upon.  There is freedom to integrate learning into our life building our education around the lifestyle we live.  We are not forced to try to live around an artificial lifestyle created for us.  Having lived both within the confines of institutionalized education as well as with the freedom of homeschooling (using various methods over the past 18 years), Being able to take a vacation anytime we want, being free to set our routine around dad's work schedule, and seeing a movie in an empty theater or visiting a museum while everyone else is in school, I now recognize this freedom as a privilege not afforded to all.

3.  The Freedom to Set Our Own Pace - Have I told you lately how much I love this?  We actually have the privilege to choose how fast or slow we progress through any given learning experience.  My most recent "personal object lesson" in this area would have to be my nine-year-old and her struggle with understanding money and place value.  She really "should have" learned this by now, right?  Well, when I was trying to teach her last year I tried every method I could think of.  We used manipulatives, worksheets, computer programs, apps, and board games.  It just wasn't sinking in.  Once I had exhausted all of my avenues it finally clicked, "Hello!  She's not ready to learn this.  Back off, lady!".  Fortunately, I had enough experience with how children learn by this point to actually trust my instincts, and guess what?  Here we are six months or so later, and guess what I noticed?  She's understanding money and place value now.  I didn't notice it by giving her a test or forcing her to just keep at it until it had been drilled into her.  I noticed it by paying attention to her, by conversing with her, and providing no stress opportunities for her to experience money and place value outside the confines of intentional instruction.  She is now ready to take it to the next level, and it happened without my interference.

Another way I see the benefit of learning at our own speed goes in the opposite direction.  When I planned out our school year for 2014-15 I prepped a ton of preschool material for the then three and four year old.  It just so happened that once I started implementing the various resources and activities in my bag of tricks I quickly learned that everything I had planned for the four year old was not challenging enough.  We chucked everything.  At this point it didn't matter the time and effort I put into preparing it for him.  What mattered was meeting him where he was at, and this kid knew things at a level that I didn't even realize.  Since we are in charge of our pace he wasn't forced to just trudge along participating in activities that didn't stimulate or challenge him.  We were able to take a step back, regroup, and begin again.

4.  The Freedom to Learn What We Want To - That's not to say that we don't have certain obligations as homeschoolers.  Of course our children need to be taught the same core subjects offered to the public school students here in Michigan.  The difference?  What we teach in those broad categories, the length of time we spend exploring those topics, and the method we use for learning these subjects is up to us.  Our extracurricular activities are determined by us.  The elective courses we decide to explore are our choice.  What a privilege it is to be able to go super in depth in a subject that interests one of our children, and to have the freedom to abandon a subject when it no longer is of interest.  There is nothing better in the real of learning than a custom tailored education, and that is exactly what I am able to provide for my children.

We have the freedom to freely talk about God and the bible.  Things relevant to our lifestyle can be incorporated into our homeschool.  Things like entrepreneurship, animal husbandry, horticulture, astronomy, puzzles and games, art, 4-H, photography, music and singing, acts of service, morals and manners, hospitality, and home economics.  Our children can be gently guided in areas of moral and spiritual growth in the safety of our family and friends.  It is a privilege for them to be actively raised and guided by those that love them and have a vested interest in their success and safety, as well as a privilege for us as adults to be able to have the freedom to be afforded the time and opportunity to truly build relationship with our children.  Through the process of educating and guiding our children our family is made all the stronger by the time we spend working together toward ultimately ushering them into independence.

5.  The Freedom to REALLY be Ourselves - In today's culture we here so much about bullying.  I'm not that old to have forgotten the pressures that accompany spending all day with 1200 plus people all in my same age group.  In real life we do not only associate with people our own age.  I don't know about you, but I have friends and acquaintances of all ages.  I enjoy the company of my friend's nine-year-old (and the fact that she's not too intimidated or bored of my presence to carry on a real conversation with me) just as much as my fellow church members in their 80's.  We associate with people from infants to senior citizens, and my children can feel comfortable around them all.

We don't have to worry about the clothes we buy our children being in style, and even more important is that they don't have to worry either.  They can dress how they like without the worry of being picked on, ostracized, or being made to feel "less than".  There's just something different about these kids that makes them more accepting of each other.  Does that mean that everyone gets along with everyone, and no one is ever mean?  Well, of course not, but the instances are MUCH, much less within our community of home educating families.  This lack of need to fit in is a relief to both the parents and the children.  As a result the kids are more themselves, and the parents are freed the financial stress of school supply lists and back to school clothes shopping.  Instead, we purchase things as they are needed, and that is a wonderful privilege.

I know there are many, many more privileges associated with homeschooling.  I encourage you to share your thoughts.  I'd love to know what privileges and freedoms you are thankful for in your homeschooling life.

Lessons in Nature

I love my community of friends.  I love their willingness to share the knowledge that has been imparted on them.  I love those I know in real life as well as those I've only blessed with via social media.  All are important to me.  Despite my resistance to technology and the challenge I face daily of creating balance with it in our lives on a daily basis, there are many blessings poured into our lives through its presence.

Technology has so much to offer the homeschooling family; free e-books, free printables, free curriculum, free advice and guidance, access to information instantly without leaving home and too much research, and on and on the list could go.  As a product reviewer for The Old Schoolhouse I am growing more and more appreciative of my blogging friends.  Some I only know virtually, and others I am blessed to know personally.

A recent post from a good friend of mine got me thinking about all that winter has to offer educationally as well as spiritually.  You can read her original post here.  Inspired by reading this, I decided to take a peek at what the bible had to say on snow.  Did you know that there are over two dozen verses in the bible that directly reference snow?  There is a lot to learn on this subject.  With a quick overview, I picked a verse that spoke to me today and will be meditating on it throughout this week.  Here is is coupled with a picture I took this morning after the snowstorm at our home:

After searching snow in the bible, I decided to look up what is said about birds.  I have been enjoying watching all the varieties happily visiting our feeders today.  There is a seemingly endless amount of references made to birds in the bible.  Oh the amount we could learn on numerous subjects just by studying the bible's reference to birds.  Here is the verse I picked to focus on after my search on birds:

Today's visitors!

All around us nature is waiting to teach us and guide us to our creator.  If we only pay attention, there is a lifetime of curriculum right at our fingertips.  The possible references and lessons are endless.  Are you paying attention to what's around you?  How do you incorporate the lessons presented by nature into your homeschool?  I'd love to hear all about it!