Dragon Sightings!

We tried to fly our dragon kite on Friday but we of course had no wind.
It got pretty windy yesterday and had a blast with the neighborhood kids.

Fighting Dragons...a long time coming.

Here is a quick snapshot of some of our Saint George's Day projects. That cake has to be the most sad and pathetic dragon ever, but the kids devoured him anyway.

I mostly put up pics so the family knows what we are up to since they are so far away. I often hesitate to write about things personal or spiritual. Crafts, sure but not "deep" stuff-I leave that to the many talented writers out there.

But I have some friends waiting on an answer.

I grew up in northern Utah, where the first questions you are asked when meeting someone are about religion; questions that anywhere else would be considered horribly rude or invasive. It was a difficult place to grow up and I was frequently mocked or ostracized for being a different religion.

Since moving to Coffeeland I prided my self on not asking such questions. Out fear of offending others I choose not refer to my own religious convictions, even to the point of shrugging off remarks that were highly offensive and anti-christian .

We practiced the Troparion and Kontakion for Saint George this week. An amusing attempt as we are all tone deaf but the words stuck in my head. We were outside sharing our cake and my dc began to sing the prayer before meals and I instinctively began to make the Sign of the Cross when I stopped my self. I have trouble praying in public.

Well I got a spiritual smack upside the head as I was slicing that lumpy pink cake. Realizing what I should have figure out all along-It was not sensitivity of others or fear of offending but simply Fear. Fear of being attacked or mocked or hurt.

This last year has been difficult. We lost friends over our conversion and some unkind words were sent our way.
I had become even more unwilling to discuss my faith than ever before.

So I have a big dragon to fight. I don't want to be embarrassed about my Faith and my God. I find great joy in being an Orthodox Christian. It is easier online but still difficult.

Many of my Roman Catholic friends and acquaintances online have contacted me (in great kindness) with concern and curiosity about our entering the Orthodox Church and I have not gotten back to out of fear of rejection and I apologize to you all.

Let me simply say this to you - our journey to the Orthodox Church from Roman Catholicism has less to do with something wrong with the Roman Church than finding something right with the Eastern Church. We were not hurt or offended or angry we just saw truth and wholeness in Orthodoxy that we hadn't realized we had missed and needed.

At the end of Liturgy we sing "We have seen the true light, we have received the heavenly Spirit, we have found the true faith, worshipping the undivided Trinity who has saved us".

And that is what happened, we believe that we have found Truth. We love and are grateful to our Roman Catholic friends and parish. Our homeschooling and faith journey as a family never would have happened with out them.

I'm going to try very hard to not be ashamed or embarrassed about that, and know that with all your prayers, Roman Catholic and Orthodox and otherwise I can get there.

-MaggieAnnie

Dragon Dress-ups

April Chalk Boards

Some Copy Work and 5 Times Tables.

Iddy Biddy grumbled a bit at first at the idea of writing non-English words but enjoyed it once she got going -plus Ferdinand and Blue eyes joined her shouting "Indeed He is risen!" after each line.



Biddy picked up on the fact that the 10's are contained in the 5's this time around. She really needs a story-picture to understand math.
Manipulatives and printed numbers seem to get in her way when learning a new concept-but stories she holds on to.
It is probably why she loves word problems so much- a worksheet of problems will freeze her up every time but a page of story problems- a breeze.
We are about to move into 3's and 11's so I thought we would review 5's before starting our new math block.

Ferdinand's Brownie

Out of a rut into the mud...

Sometimes it is so hard to get motivated to get out of the house with 4 children and just spend the day or even a few minutes outside.

Sometime it takes a friend to get you out of that rut.

Kyrie...I never would have driven 45 minutes to somewhere I had never been to go hiking with the kids.

And I would have missed a beautiful day with friends and family and so many gorgeous wildflowers.

Thank you.

ps...those yellow flowers are invasive...we didn't pick the local rare stuff-not that we would have known Kyrie let us know ;)

Spring Surprises...

Is it rabbits...or gnomes...or someone else?

A break in the rain (finally!) enabled us to get back out for our daily nature walk. These little maples on our path are always favorites to hide underneath and play, they slow down our walks considerably though!

Tá Criosd ar éirigh! Go deimhin, tá e ar éirigh!

Faith, Father, Fun, Friends, Feasting, Family, Fatiguing!...that about sums up our first Orthodox Pascha...

We couldn't be more blessed- a special thanks to Kyrie for the amazing gf bread and for the pics as once again I forgot my camera!

btw- that is Irish up there in the title it says (I hope- my Irish is limited) Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!