Jesse Trees and CCE

I've got to be honest – I've never liked the concept of the Jesse Tree. It just seemed so goofy… and of all the Things To Do during Advent, it was just one more. A lot of extraneous effort for little benefit. Boring. The best enthusiasm I could produce for such a project was my short lived idea for a set of ornaments (for my Christmas tree, because I wasn't doing two trees) using Jesse Tree symbols and representing a different craft technique. And that fizzled out because I couldn't come up with 25 different craft techniques.

And then GeekBaby started singing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

There's nothing wrong with Rudolph, per se, but I was at a loss to where he learned it. And so I asked him.

“CCE!”

Really? Of all the million useful things they could be teaching my four year old in CCE, they picked Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer? And then they wonder why people are poorly catechized!

In fairness, I haven't had a chance to confirm this with the teacher yet, but GeekBaby is generally reliable with his sources. And the only other possible source is my mom, who reports he showed up singing a mangled version on Thursday morning (which correlates nicely with Wednesday night's CCE class).

If I was paying for the CCE class (which, while not expensive, is still a semi-significant lump) I'd be furious and they'd know it. Since GeekBaby gets in without the tuition because Himself and I are teachers, I need to find the pants I left my tact in and hope they still fit.

And in the meantime, I have to figure out how to catechize my son myself. This will sound strange for someone who teaches CCE, but this is just terrifying. I've only taught kids who were big enough to think about and respond to ideas. My preferred age is high schoolers, but since they moved all the HS catechesis to Sunday, I've been teaching 5th graders. I don't have a clue how to teach littles, that's why I sent my son to CCE in the first place!

But now I've got to do it, since they aren't. And while all this is going on, Erin @ And Sometimes Tea and Charlotte @ Waltzing Mathilda are doing a Jesse Tree project, with readings, reflections, and black and white symbols for coloring. For a four year old, it looked like just the thing. So I swallowed my “we don't do Jesse Trees” pride and hit print.

Yes, my rainbow has no purple. Our purple colored pencil was AWOL.

GeekBaby seems to be enjoying himself. He's done all his ornaments himself, with only a little assistance in taping the ribbon to the backs.

As a devotion, I don't know, it still seems vaguely silly. But as a vehicle for catechesis, it's fantastic. Probably the one drawback is some of the readings from Scripture (I've been using the longer ones). It's not their length, it's that so far about half of them have been heavily disjointed, like the story of Noah. I strongly prefer reading the real Bible, instead of a children's version with dumbed down language, but the lack of a narrative structure to some of the readings makes it hard for GeekBaby to track. So far I've done alright improvising transitions between different chunks, but I think I'm going to start reading ahead and revising some.

I'm still super grateful for all the work Erin and Charlotte have put into this. I wasn't up to that much work, and they've done all the grunt work for me. Now it's just 15 minutes of reading and coloring after breakfast each morning, and we're already looking forward to tomorrow.

 

7 Quick Takes

1. I HAVE LETTUCE!

It sprouted on Wednesday. But only three of the eight seeds I planted sprouted. I am justly chastened for buying seeds in a paper packet from an outdoor rack. On the other hand, it's still pretty hot here. Maybe I should bring it inside. I wish I had a window sill to put them on.

It's Parris Island Cos Romaine, and if it grows well, I'll have a head or two of lettuce every week from November through April.

2. GeekBaby had his first CCE class on Wednesday. His poor teacher had no books, no classroom supplies, no coteacher, and wasn't allowed to let the kids touch any of the materials in the room. Four year olds, not allowed to touch anything in a Pre-K classroom full of unfamiliar toys? Someone did not think this out.

In fact, I have the strong impression that almost nothing in our CCE program has been well thought out. Oh well.

3. My first class teaching fifth graders was terrible. But I'm stuck with fifth graders because they've moved all the high school catechesis to Sunday evening, right smack in the middle of dinner time. They have their reasons, and I'll admit (reluctantly) that they're decent ones, but wow, does it end up punishing those with a family life.

4. I have successfully posted a full week (M/W/F) at Om Nom Nom. I was a little late this morning, but it was up before nine, which is more than I can say for these.

5. Speaking of food, my child loves to cook, loves vegetables, is a brilliant eater… and is as stubborn as a pig. Last night, we had baked potato soup and cheddar puffs. He helped me cook every bit of that meal. He fetched ingredients. He stirred the bacon while it browned and I was dicing things. He helped put the cubed potato into the soup. He either participated or watched every moment of the process.

And when I served up the bowls of soup, he refused to eat it.

Oh, he ate more than the last time I made this (he refused to touch the soup at all that night). He had a couple spoons of the broth. He ate two of the cheddar puffs (he loves those and would fill up on them completely if i let him). But he refused to eat the soup. And so I told him he could either eat five bites of soup now, or the entire bowl tomorrow morning for breakfast, but he got nothing else till he ate that blasted soup he was so excited to make.

This morning, he had a meltdown because I refused to make him a caesar salad to eat alongside his soup! Argh!

He did, eventually, eat and enjoy the soup. I'm not sure why it's such a battlezone though.

He can have a caesar salad for lunch.

6. Who do I complain to about getting grocery circulars in the mail? Last week we didn't get any, and this week we've gotten last week's instead of this week. …I can't live like this.

7. Please, pray for me and the health of my eyes. GeekBaby headbutted me in the left eye this morning, and he really got me good. I know that impacts like that can cause incidents of the wet macular degeneration I had three years ago, and i really don't want to need another uninsured series of avastin injections at $300+ a shot.

For more quick takes, visit Jen @ Conversion Diary. Pardon my lack of enthusiasm. I'm unusually tired this morning.

7 Quick Takes: Organization Edition

1. We’re having a discussion about organization and Meyers-Brigg’s personality types over on Dorian’s blog Scrutinies. Come and join us!

As for me, I’m a deeply ingrained INTJ, a Mastermind, but what interests me right now is my percent Introvert. I’m a heavy introvert, something in the mid 80s. And I’m shy. And socially awkward. It’s the “I’d much rather be a hermit” trifecta. But this explains so much about me that it’s far past amusing and into slightly terrifying.

2. Case in point: Last Wednesday was the day for Confirmations in my parish, so about half my CCE class was at the Confirmation Mass instead of in my classroom. The remaining 7-8 students? All the quiet ones. All the dominant and loud people were gone, and none of the rest would talk to me or answer questions. Trying to carry that class along, even just doing review, was murder. I came home at 8 so exhausted that we sang Compline and then I just went to bed.

3. As far as organizational methods go, I have some rather potent opinions on the available options. I don’t like GTD (my brain really is the safest place to store some things, not file folders). I really don’t like FLYLady (or any of her knockoffs). I positively want to throw things when I encounter recommendations for A Mother’s Rule of Life, and I don’t dare read this book at all, because it might trigger my heat ray vision.

…This does rather leave me up a creek without a paddle or an onboard motor or even a punting pole. There’s got to be something out there I can use. It can’t be too detailed, or following the method just bogs me down. But it can’t be too free form either. It’s got to hold onto the things I honestly can’t remember (and be there when I need it, which rules out a hefty planner) but it can’t demand information that is easier for me to carry around in my head.

4. GeekBaby got up in the wee smas of Thursday morning, used the potty, put his undies and pajamas back on, and went back to bed, all without waking me up at all. I didn’t know he’d used the potty until I was dressing him in the insufficiently later smas of Thursday morning and realized somehow in the night he’d gotten both legs through one leg hole of his underwear and hitched it all the way up around his waist.

It was hysterical (he was so proud of himself!) but sadly, it was inappropriate for snapping a photo. Memory will have to suffice.

5. Even though most of the household was sick for most of Holy Week, Easter went very well. I think I’ve nailed down a traditional holiday menu for posterity now. The recap post is in the works still though, because it’s been a very long week at work.

6. I am so happy that I can have sweets again that I must have gained ten pounds this week. When the octave is over, I’ll return to my usual moderation born of laziness, for now I’m rejoicing in cookies and candy.

7. Our new JoAnn Fabrics opens today. I am so excited that I can hardly contain myself, so I’m going to cut this Quick Takes short and head out to the grand opening. I’ve needed ribbon for the past two weeks and haven’t been able to get at any.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at Conversion Diary!

 

 

7 Quick Takes: Nerd Edition

1. We had another session of the Star Wars rpg on Sunday. It was a little impromptu, but buckets of fun. Probably the worst part about these games is that for some reason, whatever day they’re on is the only day of the weekend the other toddlers in the cul de sac are outside playing, so GeekBaby always wants to go out and play, but he can’t because we have company. Permissive Netflix privledges compensate somewhate, but not completely.

This latest session involved our attempts to locate one of the players missing employees. They were captured en route to their colony world and sold into slavery on a moon controlled by Hutts. This is bad. Much silly roleplaying ensued. The GM had neglected to name the Dvorian that bought 4/5 of the missing employees, so he was promptly christened Dvorian Dave. After a significant amount of silliness, the name of his shop was cemented as Dvorian Dave’s Discount Slaves.

We are humongous nerds, and it is awesome.

2. Since the game was last minutes, I cooked the same dinner I’d been planning for Sunday anyway. Lasagna, caesar salad, and fresh bread. This is a fantastic gaming night menu because you can make the lasagna the night before, and the day of all you need to do is set your bread, prep your lettuce, and bake things. This means minimal to no game interruption required to get dinner ready. Your kitchen will stay mostly clean too, which is nice.

3. 3. CCE was especially entertaining this week. First, one of the boys was astonished that I knew what a meme was. He offended my honor as a nerd, but later we bonded in defense of the new Miyazaki movie from another girl who lumped it with dumb Dragonball Z style anime and dismissed it in favor of the Lorax.

Memes came up because I mentioned the youtube Downfall parody where Hitler reacts to the new translation. We watched that video at the end of class, and they laughed so much that it’s a good thing there were subtitles.

They also found out that I was on Twitter, which resulted in me being accused of being a hipster, because I was on Twitter before it was cool (which is true, I was), but I explained that hipsters don’t actually like or dislike things, they just care about what other people like and dislike. I still like Twitter now that it’s cool, ergo I cannot be a hipster. It’s subtle distinctions like these that are important in theology.

They were really good about participating this week. Enthusiastic participation does tend to drift off topic though.

4. I picked up Simplifying the Soul by Paula Huston last Friday. Even though I started a few days late, it’s already shown it’s good in my life, and I suspect it shall do so regularly throughout Lent. While every day seems to have a bit shared from Mrs. Huston’s personal experience, it is not off putting, like in other books I could mention.

5. I have a new fashion resolution. Update my wardrobe with classic pieces at the end of a season for the next year, instead of with trendy pieces at the beginning of the season for this year. Not that I’ve ever known what’s trendy, mind. But it’s more economical that way. I’ve always wanted a pair of nice tall boots for winter, and I finally found a pair that will fit my enormous calf muscles. They’ll look fantastic with skirts next winter. If I’m lucky, it’ll still be cold in Kentucky when I visit my sister and I can wear them some still this year.

6. On impulse, I bought a pound of beeswax (unbleached, as it’s Lent) and some wicks and poured candles in all my little glass votives. I love it. It has the nicest light, sweet scent, and the candles burn so much longer! I’ll never buy another paraffin candle, although I will buy some better quality wicks.

7. My son loves to pull my strings, and, like a puppet, boy do I dance for him. Counting is his latest choregraphic arrangement. Here’s how he counts:

1… 2… 3… 4… 6…

And then he gives me that look. You know the look. That mischievous, defiant, ‘gotcha’ look. And I fall for it every. single. time. I can’t help it. It has me climbing the walls. And he thinks’s it’s funny.

He’s lucky he’s cute.

For more 7 Quick Takes, visit Jen @ Conversion Diary!

 

7 Quick Takes: Domestic Liturgical Fussiness Edition

1. The first week of Advent, and I’ve already revised my little book of Advent wreath prayers. Twice. Three times. The first time to add a more seasonally appropriate response to the intercessions. The second time, after viewing Fr. Z’s fussiness over (apparently the idea of) the wreath blessing in the Magnificat Advent Companion, I added an extra line of red text, indicating we should fold our hands in prayer not extend them in blessing.

I don’t think anyone who’s interested in a set of extensive prayers for the family Advent wreath is likely the sort to be confused over the distinction between the priesthood and the laity, but, for propriety’s sake, there we are. Don’t play priest.

I also fussed with the verses to O Come O Come Emmanuel, so all seven are now included, and in the proper order to correspond to the O Antiphons. Then I fussed with them again, after I promised to leave it alone. Sorry.

Anyway, the new version is up on Google Docs. I promise to leave it alone for the rest of Advent. This year. (I mean it this time.)

2. Rosemary wilts really badly. My garland, which was so pretty last Sunday, is looking pretty sad today.

3. We’ve started a new module in CCE. Half of my 15 kids came on Wednesday (I’m including the young lady who is technically done with CCE and not signed up but comes to my class anyway as half a student) and none of them had an Advent wreath at home, or even knew what I was talking about. It was very sad.

On the other hand, one of the priests decided unilaterally to spend an evening of CCE making Confession available to all the students, and my kids are all smug and convinced that it’s because they asked for it, even though they know that I asked and was shot down. They’re all very funny and wonderful.

4. GeekBaby snubbed me when I left for CCE though. He desperately wants to go, but they don’t have CCE for three year olds.

5. In other news on the toddler front, I’ve started teaching him Christmas carols, so he’s been wandering around today bellowing “Joy to the world!” as only a three year old can. With the occasional, hysterical malapropism thrown in.

6. I have lots of blog posts crammed in my head, but I haven’t been able to get any of them out on the keyboard. All I’ve been able to think about his how blasted sick I am, and how unfair it is that I’ve had this cold for going on three weeks now, and how much my head hurts.

7. During these types of illness, the television gets a bit of a workout. We’ve been moving steadily through Babylon 5, which GeekBaby has been enjoying thoroughly. He’s learned the opening narration, with a shouting emphasis on Victory! and Babylon 5! This would be adorable if I didn’t have such a blindingly bad headache.

For more 7 Quick Takes, visit Jen at Conversion Diary!