lessons

 I'm meant to be transcribing narrations I've recorded from the past month, but I needed to pause and reflect.  The voice memo app shows that there are still fifteen or so, but the work will move quickly now that I'm committed to finishing. When the boys prefer to give an oral narration for their lessons, they usually record the whole thing on my phone.  We began this last year, about halfway through the year, and revisiting their narrations has been a way for me to chart the boys' development.  It's also a way to examine my posture as their instructor, because my words are also on the recordings.  We originally began recording so that I wouldn't have to stop the boys mid-flow (I can't write as quickly as they speak), but also because I needed to work on being a silent listener as they spoke.  It seems that once again, I am inserting too many questions and interrupting their narrations too much!  I need to learn habits as much as they do.

Father is especially hard on vestments, particularly the pockets of his kontorasson and all buttons.  Up until this summer the garments needing mending would sit for weeks until I could be troubled to sew on a button or reinforce a pocket.  I know my husband wasn't pleased with my procrastination, so this summer I decided to prioritize his needs.  It's been as much a relationship issue (my fault totally) as anything else, and revealed whose needs got priority (my own).  It wasn't a good habit to put myself first!  All of his vestments get same-day service now--he brought home his epitrachelion last night, missing a button, and it was returned this morning at Liturgy.

We went for a mist walk one morning last week, "sight-seeing" the beautiful scenery.  I love the fairy tale houses in our neighborhood.  My littlest calls all of the turrets "witcheries."